(Seventh chapter)
"What's up?"
Sowon rolled her eyes at the obvious question that her own friend threw at her.
"Right now? My temper."
Haneul made a little 'ooh' sound before she started laughing like a maniac on the other side of the phone.
"And what sounds so funny there?" Sowon asked, still irritated as she tugged on her cream coloured sneakers.
"Nothing. So tell me what did handsome prince do again?"
"How many times will I tell you not call him that way? He is not handsome but ugly, a jerk not a prince and he deserves to be thrown off a cliff. He is one of the most irritating and annoying person with the 'attitude syndrome' and looks down on anyone below his level of proudness."
By the end of her sentence Sowon was gaping for air as she heavily breathed in and out. The temper caged inside her seemed to have deflated a little bit as she channelled her utmost anger into her words.
"You alright?"
"No."
"Okay then."
There was a moment of silence as Sowon waited for any retort or joke from her friend. But when she didn't receive any sound, she began to grow impatient.
"Idiot you are supposed to be consoling me right now."
Opening the lipstick cap, Sowon carefully applied the peach colour on her soft lips as she leaned nearer to the mirror.
"Even if I do that, would it calm you down?"
Sowon closed the lid of the lipstick, knowing that Haneul understood her like no one else and she absolutely felt lucky to have a good friend like her. She looked up at herself fully ready in the mirror and smiled.
"No it would totally not."
"Then why should I try wasting my time?"
Sowon laughed loudly, forgetting the anger which burst like a volcano in her a few minutes before. Arranging her sweater, she was ready to go out now.
Moving over to her bed, she picked up her phone and put the call into normal speaker instead of loud speaker.
"Are you going out?" Haneul suddenly asked, reminding Sowon about her plans for the day.
"Yeah I am heading out to meet him today."
"You mean him?" Haneul asked carefully, unsure to even say the name out loud.
"Yes." Sowon deadpanned, nearly getting angry again because of her dramatic friend.
Another moment of silence passed as neither of the girls said anything to each other as they delved into their own thoughts.
"What are you thinking about Haneul?"
Sowon asked while glancing at the clock on the wall.
10:30 a.m.
She was supposed to meet him at 11 a.m and it was getting time for her to leave but she still waited, wanting to hear what her friend would reply.
"Did you give him an answer yet-?"
"No but I might agree soon. Why?"
"What do you mean 'why'? Sowon, your parents have already fixed your marriage elsewhere so how can you consider to say yes to someone else?"
"Relax Haneul. Nothing is fixed here and I will make sure to find a way out of this mess."
Haneul only sighed knowing that her friend was angry and stubborn now. She needed some time before taking such big descision by considering the consequences too.
"What if you can't find a way out?" Sowon bit her lip, thinking what she should do if her plan goes wrong.
"I am sure that won't happen."
"You know everything Sowon, take the wise descision."
With those words of advice, Haneul ended their call and Sowon wondered how her best friend suddenly became so serious as she would usually joke around.
Shrugging, Sowon left her room in hopes that her day would go well today.
※
"Sowon?"
Sowon looked up from her phone, her lips breaking into a soft smile as she recognized the man standing in front of her table.
Standing up, she hugged the person excitedly before releasing him and both of them sat down opposite to each other.
"Hey Hoseok."
The male gave her a bright smile which warmed her heart to a ridiculous extent. His raven hair which was styled into bangs covered his forehead and his dark eyebrows.
His features were already eye catching but the glasses made him look even more better as he pushed them further on his nose bridge.
"How have you been?" Sowon asked in a light tone, reminding herself that she must be calm and not talk about the past before the right time.
Jung Hoseok was a young and cheerful friend, a medical student who graduated from New York and had recently came back to Korea.
"I have been doing really fine. How have you been doing, won-won?"
Sowon automatically blushed when Hoseok had called her the nickname which he had given to her during highschool days.
"I see the nickname still affects you huh?" He asked and teased, wiggling his eyebrows which humoured Sowon.
"And I see you still wiggle your eyebrows like that huh?" Sowon teased while chuckling as Hoseok gave her an incredible expression.
He awkwardly scratched his neck, wondering how to keep the conversation go normally without remembering the last thing he said before leaving.
"How is work?" She asked while looking at him expectantly.
"Its good but time consuming. I hardly find time to be out of the hospital because they suddenly call me and it happens anytime of the day so I always have to be ready."
Sowon nodded in understanding, feeling pity for her friend who worked hard even though it was rough. Hoseok already had a very good resume and was working in a reputed hospital which was always full.
When she could not recall the hospital name, she shrugged it off and instead glanced at him and noticed that he still looked young and good like the time before he left Korea.
"What are you thinking about?" Hoseok asked while going through the menu kept on the coffee table.
"About the time before you left Korea." Sowon blurted out without thinking, making Hoseok freeze.
An awkward silence passed among the two as neither of them attempted to move or make a sound. Sowon gulped, quietly cursing at herself for mentioning the past, the topic which both of them were tying to avoid.
"Hello sir. What would both of you like to order?" A waiter suddenly appeared saving the two from more silence.
"Umm...a cappuccino for the lady and a tea for me. Is that alright for you?"
Sowon hesitantly nodded to Hoseok who gave a final nod to the waiter. He left with the order and both of them pondered what they should discuss about next.
"So..how about your dance classes?" Hoseok asked, still avoiding any eye contact.
"I-its good. I teach the younger kids dance now."
"I see."
Hoseok nervously laughed and Sowon sighed, knowing that their conversation was going too awkward. Being the confident girl she was, she decided to break the tension first.
"Hoseok."
He could feel a shiver climb up his spine as she called out his name melodically, more sweeter than the honey in his ears.
"Yes?" He asked, deciding not to be a coward anymore.
"About the thing you said before leaving Korea-"
Hoseok inhaled sharply, strengthening himself as of what could happen next as Sowon continued talking,
"-did you mean it?"
"Which one? The fact that I liked you for more than five years or the promise I made to make you mine when I return from New York?" Hoseok asked boldly, hoping he won't regret his confidence.
"Both." Sowon answered almost like a whisper, hands trembling as she remembered that day from a few years back at the airport.
The waiter came back to their table and left the two with their drinks and they both thankfully took a sip each, the beverages quenching their unknown thirst.
"I mean it-"
Sowon finally looked up to meet Hoseok in the eyes, both of them staring at each other with deep intensity as he finished his sentence,
"-both."
They sat quietly without talking anymore but only drinking in each other's expressions. Her breath hitched in her throat when without any warning, he took her hand in his warm ones.
"Han Sowon, I have a really important question for you right now."
Sowon gulped an invisible lump even though her throat was dry as she forced her rigid neck to move into a nod. Hoseok took in a breath before he rasped,
"Will you allow me to make you mine by marrying me?"
A/N: Another twist ;) What do you think about this new situation now?