SEOUL MATES | Seo Changbin ✔️

ELEVEN

Changbin's POV
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As we walk toward the end of the museum, I smiled because my hand was still holding hers. And she didn't even try to pull away when I kept it in mine. I could tell both of us were in a good mood so I figured we should head to get lunch now.

"You hungry?" I asked her.

"I could eat, yeah." She responded, smiling at me.

As we left I took her down the street to this dumpling shop and we sat down and ordered several things to share. We sat and talked about whatever, and just got to know one another.

"So, what's graduate school like?" I asked her as we got our food.

"Uh...," she trailed off. "It's a lot, kind of over it in all honesty." She said.

"Why?"

"I don't know, I just have to deal with a lot. I've already started on my thesis and everything, but I just feel stuck with what I want to do with my life." She said.

"Why go through with it then?" I asked.

"I don't know, I want to at the same time," she started. "It's just hard, I want to do this because my goal is to get my Ph.D., but I feel like my entire life I've never truly done what I want, you know?" She finished.

"And what is it you truly want, Brooke?" I asked her.

"Honestly? I always wanted to travel. I hated the idea of spending my life stuck in one place and never leaving. I want to see what the world offers me, personally, I'm considering moving here with Yuna. She and I have been talking about it for a minute." She explained.

I thought about that for a moment, if she moved here, we could keep seeing one another, but I also don't want to be a reason she stays here. But from my understanding, she's considered this well before she even met me. I thought to myself. 

"So, what would your Ph.D., be in? Actually, what do you even have your degree in?" I asked her.

"I have my degree in political science, and my master's is going to be in the same, so then my Ph.D., will also be the same." She said.

"That sounds..."

"Boring?" She asked.

"A bit," I said back.

"You're not wrong... as I said, I wanted to be a paleontologist at first or even an archeologist. Man, I could've been the next Indiana Jones." She joked and we both laughed. 

"You still could?" I offered.

"Nah, there's no point now. I didn't take classes in college that would've helped me get there. It's fine, I came here this winter to actually help me write my thesis anyway, since my focus is international politics, specifically in Asia." She explained, taking another dumpling to eat. I nodded in understanding and just stared at her for a moment.

How did I manage to find a smart woman, who was interested enough in me to go out with me, without a second thought?

"Oh, I've been meaning to ask you," she said.

"What's up?"

"So, why did you decide to run me over in an airport?" She asked and I choked on my drink.

"Uh..." I said, feeling my face heat up from embarrassment.

"Look," I began. "That was an accident and I've wanted to apologize for the past week but wasn't sure and I wasn't even sure if you knew it was me. It was a whole thing and I'm really sorry about that." I rambled and she laughed. 

"I'm not actually mad, I just needed to tease you about it." She winked.

I made a face at her and scooped some more dumplings onto my plate as we finished lunch together.