Jeon and Jia are in love but refuse to break the bond of their friendship. Content with not revealing what they feel for each other, they decide not to date other people and remain constantly together even after graduation. Embarking on lofty career...
Jia was on location shoot for two straight weeks after her night out with Jin. Her Kdrama shoots were almost over, after a grueling four weeks. She got home mid-afternoon and wanted to catch up on some sleep. Now in the comfort of her bedroom, she took a hot shower and fell asleep easily. Vaguely, she remembered her bedroom door opening as though someone took a peek at her, but she was too sleepy to acknowledge whoever it was and went into a deep sleep.
After five hours, she woke up and checked her phone, thankful that no messages came while she was asleep. Her latest vlog post about a movie she recently watched was received well, and to her elation even the lead actor commented on it, thanking her for the positive review.
She got dressed and went down to get dinner, not knowing a surprise was waiting for her.
"Jeon?"
"Oh, you're awake," her mother said, standing up to prepare another place at the table.
"Good evening Jia," Jeon said, standing briefly to greet her with a bow.
She missed him badly. His hair was trimmed, still long, the way she liked it though. He was in jeans, an oversized sweatshirt, and sneakers, and looked so comfortable chatting with her parents.
"Jia, Jeon was here two hours ago. We just had a nice talk about you during your school days."
"But you should've woken me up, appa."
"I was going to, but you looked so tired. Jeon said he'd just wait for you to wake up."
"Oh. Jeon, I'm so sorry for making you wait. I didn't know you were coming. I checked my phone, no new messages came in. When did you get back?"
"Two weeks ago, I would've come sooner but I was told you were on location when I arrived."
Both her parents stood up.
"Jia, have dinner with Jeon. He still hasn't eaten and chose to wait for you. We'll just take a walk so you kids can talk."
"You haven't eaten yet? Let's eat then."
She began serving food on his plate, turning on the hotpot to reheat the stew. They ate in companionable silence, with Jia putting food on his plate occasionally. They were looking at each other, drinking in each other's presence after being apart for quite a while.
"I saw Hei-Won's IG photos, Jeon. You must have had a really nice vacation. The photos were beautiful."
"We got these for you."
He slid across the table a beautiful burgundy leather- bound diary and a silver watch with Murano milflori accents.
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"Jeon, these are so beautiful. Thank you so much."
"The watch is actually from Hei-Won."
"I will call to thank her for the gift but if you see her, tell her I loved the watch."
"Actually......Hei-Won and I....."
"Yes?"
Jia sensed his hesitation. She looked at him with a sight frown, waiting for him to say what he needed to tell her.
"Jeon, what's wrong?"
"Jia........it's over."
"What? I don't understand."
She did, actually. She was just stalling for time to digest this information, to process her emotions upon hearing this sad turn of events. She didn't want to show him pity. Jeon was never good with failure, he was the type who liked to go back to each mistake, process it, go through it again and polish it. That was how he became a great director.
But with life, you get only one opportunity in certain things, and Hei-Won nurtured him back to wellness and was someone Jeon cherished. To fail in a relationship with her was a big blow to Jeon. Jia understood that. The failure of their relationship might be something beyond Jeon's control, and she knew how this would frustrate him, especially since she knew, Jeon tried his best to be good for Hei-Won.
"Hei-Won broke up with me. We've been separated since we came back from Venice."
Due to the sensitive matter of their talk, Jia decided it was better to discuss it out of the house, to give Jeon a chance to speak more freely. She stood up and took his hand, leading him out the door.
"Let's take a drive, Jeon."
She called her father and gave word that she and Jeon were going for a short drive. After getting into the car with Jeon, she took the wheel and drove towards a nearby park.
"I thought it's better to talk here. Appa and eomma might be back, I didn't want to interrupt our talk."
"Thanks, Jia."
They sat on the seats facing the walkway, looking at the dim glow of lamps in the park. It was peaceful and dreamy, the kind of atmosphere Jia liked so much. She lifted a hand to comb through his hair in an attempt to offer comfort. He leaned his head on her shoulder, prompting her to casually caress his back.
"I don't know what to say, Jeon. How are you taking this?"
"I don't know. I feel numb. I didn't talk her out of it. Was that terrible of me? I just wanted a break from all the tension between us."
"That's understandable. Don't feel guilty Jeon. Maybe after some time you can call her again and talk."
"Jia.......would it be so terrible if I say I don't want us to get back together anymore?"
"Do you still love her?"
He was silent.
"Jeon?"
"I care for her. I always will. But maybe it's for the best that we separate. I keep hurting her even when I'm not doing anything."
"Is she ok?"
"I don't know. She doesn't answer my calls. I'm worried about how she is."
"You want me to try to talk to her?"
"I don't know if that will help. I'm at a loss, really. I don't know what I did wrong, but whatever it is, I want to make it up to her. The trouble is, I feel like I'm no longer capable of making her happy."
"Jeon, I'm here for you. Whatever you decide on, I'll support you."
He raised his head to look at her. There was one more selfish reason why he didn't want to go back to Hei-Won. He remembered how resentful he was of the way Jia treated him in that single incident in NY and left her cold without a word. Still, she took a risk in coming back to Seoul to follow him, taking in all his angry words and hostility without fighting back. Like a true friend, she stuck by him, even when he knew it hurt her to see him and Hei-Won together. All this time, beneath his anger and resentment, his feelings for her never changed.
"Jia......"
"Hmm?"
"Someday, I don't know when exactly, but soon, is it ok to assume we will have our time together?"
He felt he sounded so selfish and unfair. To make her wait, when she can have any man she wanted readily. He needed to fix whatever rift he had with Hei-Won first before he could ever start a real relationship with Jia. He had to make sure Hei-Won was ok, that she wouldn't blame Jia for their break-up.
But Jia seemed to understand what he meant. She smiled at him, reached forward to kiss his cheek.
