Say I Love U / Chapter 17
It’s subtle but everything changed the morning Yoona woke up wrapped in the white downy sheets of her pretend-boyfriend. She doesn’t notice it at first, too busy thinking about what to do now that she was out of school, waiting to graduate and to register for the next National Physicians Exam in a year.
She had decided, even before meeting Changmin, to take a gap year to study and spend as much time with her father as possible. She hadn’t factored in the highs and lows of being in a relationship-even a pretend one had its moments-but it was there, still, wedged between her daddy-and-daughter plans, graduation practices and review hours.
Her father loved knowing that Yoona had a life outside of taking care of him and he told her so every time they found themselves sitting together for meals and leisurely hours. Im Sanghyuk had taken to Changmin as Yoona’s love interest in a way that he never had with Donghae, even though technically he’d known and worked with Donghae much longer. He teased her constantly now whenever she got back from a ‘date’, waiting up for her some nights even though he never used to before. It made Yoona blush bright red whenever her father would give her a knowing look when she summarized her night out with Changmin, but she would take the embarrassment with her head held high if it continued to bring a happy smile on his face.
Something had to be said about Changmin’s surprising ability to create bonds without having to actually speak. And Yoona wasn’t about to complain when it made her father so at ease since his homecoming.
“Do you have plans tonight, dear?” Her father casually asked over breakfast almost a month after her major after-birthday hangover, sipping his chamomile tea as Yoona cut his eggs into small, bite-sized portions. “A date, perhaps?”
“You know when you say it like that it just makes me not want to tell you anything.” Yoona replied, grinning despite her mock-stern tone. Taking a bite from her breakfast sandwich, she tilted her head to the side and met her father’s knowing and expectant gaze head on. Something about the look in his eyes made her suspicious and she couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose and ask him point blank.
“Okay, what do you know, Mr. Im?” She waved her half-eaten sandwich at him threateningly, uncaring of how unladylike (or unhygienic) the gesture was. “Speak or I will make you eat the week-old tofu salad in the fridge!”
“Oh no! Not the tofu!” Her father wailed dramatically, clutching at his heart as though he was really in pain. And if Yoona hadn’t been looking at him, she would have believed that he actually was-if not for the treacherous grin that gave his amusement away.
“You’re hilarious,” Yoona deadpanned, rolling her eyes and staring pointedly at her old man until he stopped playing sick. She grinned at him once he settled back into his seat, spearing his bite-sized portions of egg and eating them with a relish that reminded her of earlier, happier family times. Times when it was just the two of them left to share a breakfast, when her mother used to cut her eggs for her too. The very sight of her father enjoying his simple meal made her simultaneously want to cry and laugh at the same time.
“That was a serious question, Yoona. I really do want to know if you’re going out tonight.”
“And if I wasn’t?” She asked, tilting her head in question.
Her father feigned innocence, shrugging casually as he picked up his tea again to take a hearty sip. “I may have invited a few of my colleagues over for a poker game tonight…”
“Ah, so you want me out of the house so you can drink, huh?”
“It’s not right to withhold liquor during a poker game, darling.” He argued, pointing his fork at her, mock-indignant. “It’ll be utterly cruel of you to ban me from the joy a sip of good scotch can bring. I’ve already nixed the cigars, may I remind you.”
Yoona thought it over in her head before reaching out to pat her father’s hand comfortingly. “Okay,” she said, smirking when his expressed lightened in excitement, “You can have a drink but only a few, alright? And absolutely no smoking! I’m going to ask Nurse Yura and Mr. Kang to watch you like a hawk so I better not hear you breaking the rules when I’m not here.”
“Funny. I thought I was the parental figure in this house.” Her father teased, warmly squeezing the hand holding his.
Yoona shrugged. “I’m the one who graduated with the MD though.”
“Ah, but you haven’t graduated!”
“Yet!” Yoona huffed, narrowing her eyes at him before they both dissolved into laughter. “I don’t have plans tonight but I can call Hyoyeon if I have to.”
“What about Changmin?”
She grinned at the inquiring and interested way her father asked about her pretend-boyfriend, tallying another point in Changmin’s favor. “He’s supposed to be working at his construction site tonight. The building where he’s foreman is supposed to add another floor sometime this week so he has to be there to make sure everything runs smoothly.” Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall when it was he’d told her he’d be working late before reeling back and realizing she couldn’t remember. “I haven’t checked with him again since he let me know about it the other night, but I suppose I can call him and ask.”
“You should call him and set a date if he’s free. You’ve already spent enough time with Hyoyeon over the years anyway.”
“Look at you being all ‘progressive’ and ‘open’ dad on me,” she said in mocking manner, grinning when her father raised his eyebrow at her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so cordial with any of my past boyfriends.”
Her dad laughed at that, shaking his head. “To be fair, you’ve never really introduced any of your boyfriends to me. I’ve always had to hear about them through your sister or Hyoyeon when they set out to tease you.” He fixed her with a playful but knowing look; a look that made Yoona’s cheek burn in embarrassment at the underlying message it projected. “I’m inclined to think that Shim Changmin might mean more to you than you let on.”
“Changmin is…” A mystery. An incredibly good-looking, stubborn but interesting mystery I’ve been trying to figure out for weeks now. Except I don’t really think I want to figure him out. I like him just fine the way he is. “He’s different. Definitely not like anyone I ever met or dated. He constantly surprises me.”
“Then I don’t see why couldn’t want to spend more time with him while you’re free.”
Yoona studied her father for a long moment. Her heart stuttered a little at the thought of being alone with Changmin for no reason other than to just be together. Ever since she’d woken up in his bed nursing a monumental hangover the night after her birthday party, Yoona saw Changmin and their arrangement differently. It had been like a curtain over her eyes was thrown wide open and with it came a new, giddy but complicated perspective.
She liked Shim Changmin. Yoona knew that in her heart now. She liked him in a way she thought she’d never care about someone again after Donghae, and then some.
In any case the father-daughter duo don’t speak for the remainder of their breakfast. And when Yoona kisses her father’s cheek goodbye for the day, she doesn’t think too much of the knowing grin he gave her in response. Instead, she focused on getting ready for her day out.
With Changmin. Who was her boyfriend. Pretend and maybe actually-not-pretend.
Yoona stopped short of the stairs, apprehension dawning on her beautiful features.
“Oh God, what am I going to wear?!”
[ Hey, Changmin. I feel like going out to the fair today. Feel like accompanying me? ]
Changmin read Yoona’s message again for the umpteenth time over the last hour and still the smile remained stuck on his lips. He knew he was probably already creeping his co-workers out at the café but he’d been feeling pretty damn good over the last few weeks and if people found it weird, then they’d have to live with it awhile longer.
He’d replied to Yoona’s message almost immediately after it arrived on his phone, telling her he’d meet her at the fair after his shift. She said she was looking forward to seeing him minutes later, and if his smile was already stuck before, Changmin was convinced it was likely permanent now.
“You’re looking absolutely chipper today, little brother.”
Changmin felt himself tense at the sound of Jessica Jung’s voice. His posture was rigid as she walked over to the closest table next to him, her heels clicking rhythmically on the floor. She moved in a way that reminded him of typical wealthy socialite characters in dramas his sisters liked to watch; all coiffed and perfectly done up-the best that money could buy. Her light brown hair spilling over her shoulder in perfect waves as she looked him over, her hands tucked under her chin.
The look she gave him reminded him of another, much softer and older woman. A woman with a kinder sparkle in her eye. A woman he’d long since forgotten since his youth.
The other customers inside the café paid them no attention. But if they had, they would have noticed how stifled the atmosphere between the half-siblings had become. A reminder of how far removed they were of each other.
“Have you thought about what I said? About seeing Mama?” Jessica asked when Changmin went back to work, wiping down the other tables surrounding the one she occupied. She wasn’t fazed by his blatant ignorance of her. If nothing else, she’d expected it. “You know it would help a great deal if you did.”
Changmin made a low sound in the back of his throat. Like a scoff or a snort that would have been rude if he’d actually let it out loud.
He finished his work quickly, washing his hands and drying them on his apron, before turning back to give her attention. Jessica saw that he’d swiped his whiteboard from the back room when he’d gone in drop the rag and water spray in its place. The pen was already uncapped as he made his way over to her, slipping easily into a chair.
“You could just talk, you know. I know you can talk.”
Changmin stared at her pointedly while he wrote his response. /No thanks./
“Changmin…”
/Stop./
Jessica frowned as she pressed her palms flat on the table. “Mama didn’t want you to go, Changmin. You know that. Papa was the one who-” She stopped herself from that train of thought, leaning back against her chair. Her arms folded together against her diaphragm. “Right. I suppose I’m not selling this idea to you very well, am I?”
The half-sibling studied each other, mirroring each other’s pose. Spines pressed back into their seats and arms folded firmly against their chests. They looked nothing alike. Having different fathers made sure of that, but there was a glint in their eyes that was inherently the same. And if Changmin didn’t know any better, he would have found it amusing-seeing a part of himself in his sister’s face-but he’s smarter than he lets on so he doesn’t. Not at all.
/I’m not going to that house./ He wrote, going straight to the root of this visit. /I’ve nothing to gain from your family. I haven’t needed to since I was disowned./
Jessica knew she would have flinched if Changmin had spoken the words he wrote. His tone would have been sharp and concise, unyielding like he was right now, still in his seat. The expression on his face brokered no argument of what he truly felt about her family. There was so much disdain smeared on his scowl but little to no bitterness reflected in his eyes. Changmin looked as angry but resigned as he had when they were children and he’d been sent away. Jessica could never forget that tired look on his face.
“I don’t want to fight, Changmin. I know how you feel about my family.” She said softly, mellowing her stance because it was all she could do. “I’m not asking you to come back. Father wouldn’t want you to, but Mama’s dying. She’s dying and she wants to see you again.”
/Take a picture then./
Jessica almost chuckled at that but kept her expressions clear. “That’s not fair, Changmin, and you know it.”
Changmin made a sound that was a cross between a scoff and a snort. It was a loud and intentional and for a moment there, Jessica sat stunned by it. Even knowing he wasn’t truly mute made any form of sound from him seem impossible, especially when he hadn’t felt inclined to speak in almost a decade. Changmin didn’t seem to notice her disorientation, writing in his board even quicker and sloppier than he had before.
/Nothing is ever fair. But I have a right to refuse when I want to, and I refuse to get caught in your family’s web again./
The words bellied his annoyance and Jessica knew it. But she couldn’t stop herself from arguing. It was the wrong thing to say, but she had to voice it out loud.
“We’re your family.”
His eyes flashed with hurt, betrayal and disbelief and it took everything in her not to shrink back at the intensity of the emotions his gaze showed. But then it was over, with Changmin quickly standing up from his chair and stalking away. He grabbed his things from behind the coffee bar on his way out the door, only tilting his head once at a coworker before he rushing out of the café, every line in his stance stiff in controlled rage.
He didn’t look back once. Not that Jessica expected him to. She’d pushed him too far.
She blinked back tears as she watched the door swing shut behind Changmin’s back, ignoring the first two vibrating rings of her phone. Then she finally answered the call, bringing the smart phone to her ear.
“Hi, Mama. No, I didn’t get to see him today. His shift ended earlier than expected. He must have a date or something.” Jessica said as bright as she could muster. Though it wouldn’t make a difference as far as her mother was concerned.
The sky was turning pink now with the setting sun. Another day gone.
“I promise he’ll come home soon though. I promise he will.”
Yoona arrived at the gate at the same time as Changmin appears walking around the corner. He had a troubled look about him, she noticed, his posture slightly slumped as he made his way towards the fair’s entrance. He was still wearing his uniform from the café; a black, white-logo t-shirt that stretched quite nicely against his broad shoulders and dark, worn jeans that fit his long frame. And his hair was rumpled in a way that made her think he’d been running his hand through it all day. Just like Yoona wished she could do many time in the last couple of weeks.
Yoona silently cursed her suddenly heated cheeks. She bet they were already flushed bright red in part-embarrassment and affection for the man coming towards her. Calm down, Im Yoona, she chastised, biting her lower lip. She waited for him to find her in the crowd. Shim Changmin always seemed to find her anywhere.
And this time was no different as Changmin’s gait changed as he neared her. Yoona saw how his expression lit up at the sight of her and how his steps quickened. She saw how the worry seemed to melt from every line of his face, making him even more handsome than he already was before. It made her breath catch and her heart skip in her chest.
He was happy to see her. And, Yoona realized, she was happy to see him too.
“Hey,” she said as he closed the distance between them, stopping a foot away from her. She reached up to ruffle his soft hair, blushing as she made it even messier than it already was. “You look good, Shim. It’s nice to see you.”
His eyes crinkled, mismatched, as he grinned down at her, answering her in his own way by the very obvious happy look on his face. Hello, his eyes seemed to say, It’s good to see you too. Changmin reached up to smooth tendrils of her hair away from her cheek with the soft press of his hand. His touch whispering ‘You’re beautiful’ against her skin. She reciprocated his smile with one of her own, entranced as his fingers traced her cheek, gentle and unassuming…
And then, before his touch could disappear from her skin, Yoona moved without thinking.
She cupped his face between her hands and looked deep into his eyes. Whether she found what she was looking for or not was irrelevant because then she pulled him down to her.
Their lips touched and then everything else faded away.
She had decided, even before meeting Changmin, to take a gap year to study and spend as much time with her father as possible. She hadn’t factored in the highs and lows of being in a relationship-even a pretend one had its moments-but it was there, still, wedged between her daddy-and-daughter plans, graduation practices and review hours.
Her father loved knowing that Yoona had a life outside of taking care of him and he told her so every time they found themselves sitting together for meals and leisurely hours. Im Sanghyuk had taken to Changmin as Yoona’s love interest in a way that he never had with Donghae, even though technically he’d known and worked with Donghae much longer. He teased her constantly now whenever she got back from a ‘date’, waiting up for her some nights even though he never used to before. It made Yoona blush bright red whenever her father would give her a knowing look when she summarized her night out with Changmin, but she would take the embarrassment with her head held high if it continued to bring a happy smile on his face.
Something had to be said about Changmin’s surprising ability to create bonds without having to actually speak. And Yoona wasn’t about to complain when it made her father so at ease since his homecoming.
“Do you have plans tonight, dear?” Her father casually asked over breakfast almost a month after her major after-birthday hangover, sipping his chamomile tea as Yoona cut his eggs into small, bite-sized portions. “A date, perhaps?”
“You know when you say it like that it just makes me not want to tell you anything.” Yoona replied, grinning despite her mock-stern tone. Taking a bite from her breakfast sandwich, she tilted her head to the side and met her father’s knowing and expectant gaze head on. Something about the look in his eyes made her suspicious and she couldn’t help but wrinkle her nose and ask him point blank.
“Okay, what do you know, Mr. Im?” She waved her half-eaten sandwich at him threateningly, uncaring of how unladylike (or unhygienic) the gesture was. “Speak or I will make you eat the week-old tofu salad in the fridge!”
“Oh no! Not the tofu!” Her father wailed dramatically, clutching at his heart as though he was really in pain. And if Yoona hadn’t been looking at him, she would have believed that he actually was-if not for the treacherous grin that gave his amusement away.
“You’re hilarious,” Yoona deadpanned, rolling her eyes and staring pointedly at her old man until he stopped playing sick. She grinned at him once he settled back into his seat, spearing his bite-sized portions of egg and eating them with a relish that reminded her of earlier, happier family times. Times when it was just the two of them left to share a breakfast, when her mother used to cut her eggs for her too. The very sight of her father enjoying his simple meal made her simultaneously want to cry and laugh at the same time.
“That was a serious question, Yoona. I really do want to know if you’re going out tonight.”
“And if I wasn’t?” She asked, tilting her head in question.
Her father feigned innocence, shrugging casually as he picked up his tea again to take a hearty sip. “I may have invited a few of my colleagues over for a poker game tonight…”
“Ah, so you want me out of the house so you can drink, huh?”
“It’s not right to withhold liquor during a poker game, darling.” He argued, pointing his fork at her, mock-indignant. “It’ll be utterly cruel of you to ban me from the joy a sip of good scotch can bring. I’ve already nixed the cigars, may I remind you.”
Yoona thought it over in her head before reaching out to pat her father’s hand comfortingly. “Okay,” she said, smirking when his expressed lightened in excitement, “You can have a drink but only a few, alright? And absolutely no smoking! I’m going to ask Nurse Yura and Mr. Kang to watch you like a hawk so I better not hear you breaking the rules when I’m not here.”
“Funny. I thought I was the parental figure in this house.” Her father teased, warmly squeezing the hand holding his.
Yoona shrugged. “I’m the one who graduated with the MD though.”
“Ah, but you haven’t graduated!”
“Yet!” Yoona huffed, narrowing her eyes at him before they both dissolved into laughter. “I don’t have plans tonight but I can call Hyoyeon if I have to.”
“What about Changmin?”
She grinned at the inquiring and interested way her father asked about her pretend-boyfriend, tallying another point in Changmin’s favor. “He’s supposed to be working at his construction site tonight. The building where he’s foreman is supposed to add another floor sometime this week so he has to be there to make sure everything runs smoothly.” Her brow furrowed as she tried to recall when it was he’d told her he’d be working late before reeling back and realizing she couldn’t remember. “I haven’t checked with him again since he let me know about it the other night, but I suppose I can call him and ask.”
“You should call him and set a date if he’s free. You’ve already spent enough time with Hyoyeon over the years anyway.”
“Look at you being all ‘progressive’ and ‘open’ dad on me,” she said in mocking manner, grinning when her father raised his eyebrow at her. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so cordial with any of my past boyfriends.”
Her dad laughed at that, shaking his head. “To be fair, you’ve never really introduced any of your boyfriends to me. I’ve always had to hear about them through your sister or Hyoyeon when they set out to tease you.” He fixed her with a playful but knowing look; a look that made Yoona’s cheek burn in embarrassment at the underlying message it projected. “I’m inclined to think that Shim Changmin might mean more to you than you let on.”
“Changmin is…” A mystery. An incredibly good-looking, stubborn but interesting mystery I’ve been trying to figure out for weeks now. Except I don’t really think I want to figure him out. I like him just fine the way he is. “He’s different. Definitely not like anyone I ever met or dated. He constantly surprises me.”
“Then I don’t see why couldn’t want to spend more time with him while you’re free.”
Yoona studied her father for a long moment. Her heart stuttered a little at the thought of being alone with Changmin for no reason other than to just be together. Ever since she’d woken up in his bed nursing a monumental hangover the night after her birthday party, Yoona saw Changmin and their arrangement differently. It had been like a curtain over her eyes was thrown wide open and with it came a new, giddy but complicated perspective.
She liked Shim Changmin. Yoona knew that in her heart now. She liked him in a way she thought she’d never care about someone again after Donghae, and then some.
In any case the father-daughter duo don’t speak for the remainder of their breakfast. And when Yoona kisses her father’s cheek goodbye for the day, she doesn’t think too much of the knowing grin he gave her in response. Instead, she focused on getting ready for her day out.
With Changmin. Who was her boyfriend. Pretend and maybe actually-not-pretend.
Yoona stopped short of the stairs, apprehension dawning on her beautiful features.
“Oh God, what am I going to wear?!”
[ Hey, Changmin. I feel like going out to the fair today. Feel like accompanying me? ]
Changmin read Yoona’s message again for the umpteenth time over the last hour and still the smile remained stuck on his lips. He knew he was probably already creeping his co-workers out at the café but he’d been feeling pretty damn good over the last few weeks and if people found it weird, then they’d have to live with it awhile longer.
He’d replied to Yoona’s message almost immediately after it arrived on his phone, telling her he’d meet her at the fair after his shift. She said she was looking forward to seeing him minutes later, and if his smile was already stuck before, Changmin was convinced it was likely permanent now.
“You’re looking absolutely chipper today, little brother.”
Changmin felt himself tense at the sound of Jessica Jung’s voice. His posture was rigid as she walked over to the closest table next to him, her heels clicking rhythmically on the floor. She moved in a way that reminded him of typical wealthy socialite characters in dramas his sisters liked to watch; all coiffed and perfectly done up-the best that money could buy. Her light brown hair spilling over her shoulder in perfect waves as she looked him over, her hands tucked under her chin.
The look she gave him reminded him of another, much softer and older woman. A woman with a kinder sparkle in her eye. A woman he’d long since forgotten since his youth.
The other customers inside the café paid them no attention. But if they had, they would have noticed how stifled the atmosphere between the half-siblings had become. A reminder of how far removed they were of each other.
“Have you thought about what I said? About seeing Mama?” Jessica asked when Changmin went back to work, wiping down the other tables surrounding the one she occupied. She wasn’t fazed by his blatant ignorance of her. If nothing else, she’d expected it. “You know it would help a great deal if you did.”
Changmin made a low sound in the back of his throat. Like a scoff or a snort that would have been rude if he’d actually let it out loud.
He finished his work quickly, washing his hands and drying them on his apron, before turning back to give her attention. Jessica saw that he’d swiped his whiteboard from the back room when he’d gone in drop the rag and water spray in its place. The pen was already uncapped as he made his way over to her, slipping easily into a chair.
“You could just talk, you know. I know you can talk.”
Changmin stared at her pointedly while he wrote his response. /No thanks./
“Changmin…”
/Stop./
Jessica frowned as she pressed her palms flat on the table. “Mama didn’t want you to go, Changmin. You know that. Papa was the one who-” She stopped herself from that train of thought, leaning back against her chair. Her arms folded together against her diaphragm. “Right. I suppose I’m not selling this idea to you very well, am I?”
The half-sibling studied each other, mirroring each other’s pose. Spines pressed back into their seats and arms folded firmly against their chests. They looked nothing alike. Having different fathers made sure of that, but there was a glint in their eyes that was inherently the same. And if Changmin didn’t know any better, he would have found it amusing-seeing a part of himself in his sister’s face-but he’s smarter than he lets on so he doesn’t. Not at all.
/I’m not going to that house./ He wrote, going straight to the root of this visit. /I’ve nothing to gain from your family. I haven’t needed to since I was disowned./
Jessica knew she would have flinched if Changmin had spoken the words he wrote. His tone would have been sharp and concise, unyielding like he was right now, still in his seat. The expression on his face brokered no argument of what he truly felt about her family. There was so much disdain smeared on his scowl but little to no bitterness reflected in his eyes. Changmin looked as angry but resigned as he had when they were children and he’d been sent away. Jessica could never forget that tired look on his face.
“I don’t want to fight, Changmin. I know how you feel about my family.” She said softly, mellowing her stance because it was all she could do. “I’m not asking you to come back. Father wouldn’t want you to, but Mama’s dying. She’s dying and she wants to see you again.”
/Take a picture then./
Jessica almost chuckled at that but kept her expressions clear. “That’s not fair, Changmin, and you know it.”
Changmin made a sound that was a cross between a scoff and a snort. It was a loud and intentional and for a moment there, Jessica sat stunned by it. Even knowing he wasn’t truly mute made any form of sound from him seem impossible, especially when he hadn’t felt inclined to speak in almost a decade. Changmin didn’t seem to notice her disorientation, writing in his board even quicker and sloppier than he had before.
/Nothing is ever fair. But I have a right to refuse when I want to, and I refuse to get caught in your family’s web again./
The words bellied his annoyance and Jessica knew it. But she couldn’t stop herself from arguing. It was the wrong thing to say, but she had to voice it out loud.
“We’re your family.”
His eyes flashed with hurt, betrayal and disbelief and it took everything in her not to shrink back at the intensity of the emotions his gaze showed. But then it was over, with Changmin quickly standing up from his chair and stalking away. He grabbed his things from behind the coffee bar on his way out the door, only tilting his head once at a coworker before he rushing out of the café, every line in his stance stiff in controlled rage.
He didn’t look back once. Not that Jessica expected him to. She’d pushed him too far.
She blinked back tears as she watched the door swing shut behind Changmin’s back, ignoring the first two vibrating rings of her phone. Then she finally answered the call, bringing the smart phone to her ear.
“Hi, Mama. No, I didn’t get to see him today. His shift ended earlier than expected. He must have a date or something.” Jessica said as bright as she could muster. Though it wouldn’t make a difference as far as her mother was concerned.
The sky was turning pink now with the setting sun. Another day gone.
“I promise he’ll come home soon though. I promise he will.”
Yoona arrived at the gate at the same time as Changmin appears walking around the corner. He had a troubled look about him, she noticed, his posture slightly slumped as he made his way towards the fair’s entrance. He was still wearing his uniform from the café; a black, white-logo t-shirt that stretched quite nicely against his broad shoulders and dark, worn jeans that fit his long frame. And his hair was rumpled in a way that made her think he’d been running his hand through it all day. Just like Yoona wished she could do many time in the last couple of weeks.
Yoona silently cursed her suddenly heated cheeks. She bet they were already flushed bright red in part-embarrassment and affection for the man coming towards her. Calm down, Im Yoona, she chastised, biting her lower lip. She waited for him to find her in the crowd. Shim Changmin always seemed to find her anywhere.
And this time was no different as Changmin’s gait changed as he neared her. Yoona saw how his expression lit up at the sight of her and how his steps quickened. She saw how the worry seemed to melt from every line of his face, making him even more handsome than he already was before. It made her breath catch and her heart skip in her chest.
He was happy to see her. And, Yoona realized, she was happy to see him too.
“Hey,” she said as he closed the distance between them, stopping a foot away from her. She reached up to ruffle his soft hair, blushing as she made it even messier than it already was. “You look good, Shim. It’s nice to see you.”
His eyes crinkled, mismatched, as he grinned down at her, answering her in his own way by the very obvious happy look on his face. Hello, his eyes seemed to say, It’s good to see you too. Changmin reached up to smooth tendrils of her hair away from her cheek with the soft press of his hand. His touch whispering ‘You’re beautiful’ against her skin. She reciprocated his smile with one of her own, entranced as his fingers traced her cheek, gentle and unassuming…
And then, before his touch could disappear from her skin, Yoona moved without thinking.
She cupped his face between her hands and looked deep into his eyes. Whether she found what she was looking for or not was irrelevant because then she pulled him down to her.
Their lips touched and then everything else faded away.