✓LOVER BOY | hwang hyunjin

34. Unanswered Questions

Jeongin and Yeseul met up at the seaside café , both wearing glasses to respect the serious business theme they had decided on. A quick nod was all that they exchanged before settling in the corner seat, hidden from the rest behind wide leaved plants. Yeseul pushed forward a list of top priority seats they needed to get tickets for in the local concert that was being held three days from today.

"When is the server opening?" Yeseul watched Jeongin skim through the paper.

Jeongin looked down at his watch, looked her straight in the eye, pushing his glasses back. "In exactly seven minutes."

Yeseul felt her heart throbbing from anxiousness. She pulled her laptop out, logging in, making sure that the signal was stable. She sighed, head resting on the table. "What if he knows we are trying to get into the concert?"

Jeongin took a sip of his watered down coffee, stretching his neck. "He isn't the only performer. Now focus, Yeseul."

Yeseul glanced up, giving him a solid nod. "Yes."

The server soon opened, and in the adrenaline rush the two quickly got down to tackle the most stressful moment of their life. With shaky hands and cusses passed over to each other over the lagging screen, somehow the two managed to enter the information page. They quickly typed in the details, ensuring that they selected the same area. Jeongin and Yeseul pushed the enter button, quickly turning their face away to pray to the heavens for this luck. The loading page dragged on for three seconds of hellish torture, before two completely opposite words showed up.

Jeongin jumped up, arms in the air, a grin plastered on face. "I got in!"

Yeseul was frozen. "Oh."

"Oh." Jeongin quickly slid beside her, both of them staring at the huge error page. They reloaded it but there wasn't anything to do. The seats were already taken.

"You can use my reservation." Jeongin looked at her, his doe eyes brimming with their own shine. Yeseul smiled at him, shaking her head.

"I dare not take this chance from you."

"But-"

"No buts. You need to enjoy it. Go ahead and live that night to the fullest." Yeseul patted his shoulder. She shut off her laptop, trying to erase the sore emotion by sipping the apple juice. "I had some other things to get to anyway, so you really have no reason to feel bad about this."

Jeongin looked glum.

"You lucky bastard." Yeseul messed up his hair. He looked annoyed now, which was better than his pouting face. Yeseul grinned, standing up.

"You better enjoy this date with her. Too bad I couldn't meet the love of your life."

"Aye, come on." Jeongin touched his neck, avoiding eye contact. "You better wish me luck though. I hope this goes smoothly."

"All of the universe will stand beside you through it."

Yeseul had taken her brother's scooter towards the same road they had taken on their camping trip. The blue stairs that ascended up into the green foliage where visible from far away. Yeseul parked the transport safety under the shade. She pulled out a huge backpack from inside the storage and took to running up the stairs. It was still 3, so the forest wasn't dark. It was unimaginably calm in this part of the place. So much of serenade filled her with a joy that couldn't be hidden. Yeseul followed the walked down path, thinking back to the night of her last visit when she saw Hyunjin. She hoped he felt better now, since he had his first performance in a few days that he needed to practice for.

The cabin was in sight, and so was Mrs Ara. She was seated on the portico in her chair, dozing off to the lightly picking up breeze. Yeseul felt embarrassed for the assumptions she had made about her being a witch when she saw her for the first time. Turned out that she was just as lovely as any imaginable grandma could be. Yeseul called out to her, smiling. "Grandma!"

"Oh." Grandma woke up, surprised. She looked at her, a sudden smile flushing over her. "Yeseul!"

They hugged, and soon disappeared inside. Grandma was quick to leave for the kitchen from where she bought buttered bread that was still warm to touch. Yeseul was delighted from the sight of it. She didn't shy away when she offered her a slice with warm honey. Yeseul settled in a chair nearby, and devoured it. This felt too homey.

"Why did you suddenly decide to come here?" She longingly looked at Yeseul. The warmness of her eyes melted Yeseul. She put the plate on the table and grabbed her backpack.

"I got something for you."Unzipping the bag, she pulled out three canvases that were wrapped in brown paper.

Grandma was watching all this too keenly. "Oh. What's that?"

"Jinho made these for you." She handed them over to her, watching the expressions change into a radiant sight.

"These are beautiful. I love these so much. Really." She looked up at Yeseul. "You have to help me hang them up now."

Yeseul laughed merrily at this. "Let's get to it then."

It was an hour filled with joy. Grandma looked so serious whenever Yeseul would put the painting on the wall, looking back for approval. It never stopped cracking her up. Grandma would click at her tongue, asking her to either hold it higher, or to a side that never made sense. She was creating new dimensions.

Finally two of the pieces found their place. They now had to decide on the seashore one. Grandma quickly walked into her bedroom, saying how she knows this one truly belonged in her own room.

"Okay. Let me see." She took a moment to look around the walls. Yeseul was surprised to see how bare the walls looked. There was not one picture that was hanging there. The rest of the house had a different look to it, and it make this feel truly odd. Yeseul didn't question it.

Grandma walked to her dressing table, clearing away the things that sat on it. "I think it would look lovely here."

Yeseul came closer. In the midst of it she caught the glimpse of the same picture of Hyunjin that Jinho had discovered. Grandma looked away when she held it, quickly pushing it into the half open drawer.

Yeseul hadn't planned on doing this.

"Grandma?"

"Hm?" She softly smiled at her. "What's it?"

"Is... Who is that in that picture?"

2 days ago.

"You don't think she will forgive you?" Yeseul stood in Hyunjin's way. "For whatever reason you are hiding. Don't you think there is a chance of her forgetting it?"

Hyunjin sighed. He was holding a box that was filled with newly arrived saplings. "Yeseul. I don't want to talk about it right now."

"We are running out of time, Hyunjin. Please."

"No. No, I don't think she will." Hyunjin's eyes were burning in hers. Yeseul felt nervous knots tie her insides. She hadn't seen him own this expression before. It surprised her. And maybe Hyunjin could sense it.

His eyes softened. He set down the box, closing the distance between them. Yeseul looked down at how their shoes were almost touching. With a finger under her chin, Hyunjin pulled her face up, making their eyes meet. He was so delicate with anything that had to do with this girl.

"I'm grateful that you want to help me, but," he hesitated, "there are things that I hate about myself. And I don't want you to see them."

The weight of his words was heavy, and it pinched a hurt for Yeseul.

"Hyunjin, you know I'll never let anything make me push you away from me, right?"

Hyunjin didn't think he knew an answer to this.