the sunlight had spilled through all the curtains, bringing warmth and light to the small and humble home. jae eun had already left her spot outside of jihoon's room and was now in the kitchen frying eggs over bacon.
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it was her intention to prepare breakfast as her expression of gratitude for woojin for taking her in for the night, and for jihoon... there's nothing to thank him for actually. she just had jihoon's existence as the front and center of her mind. how could she forget breakfast for him?
the presentation was complete, followed by a carton of milk and two glasses. yes, two. she was not planning on joining them. it would make things so awkward she would rather go to hell.
she pulled out a post-it note that was attached to the refrigerator by a magnet, penning down her note.
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i made breakfast. hope it suits your palate. i'll get going first, and thanks woojin.
she received an early morning message, which meant close-to-nothing for her given her current situation.
hello. where did you go after lunch break? my client has filed a complaint about a lack of receptionist. i found a new one so you don't have to come over anymore.
it was yet another job lost for jae eun, but she could not give two hoots about working there anymore. she returned to her humble apartment, the same one she had lived in for as long as she could remember.
there were several, if not many, occurrences which tempted her to move and stay somewhere where no one would know her so she could start all over again.
the security who broke into her apartment rummaging through her lingerie drawer (who is now fired after an auntie chased him with her slipper in one hand), the constant water leaking and dripping through the cracks in the ceiling, and the stupid lift that was always malfunctioning. she could name a book of misfortunes that happened to her at that very location.
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but because she still harbored hope that he would come back and find her again, she stayed.
"he may not know where i am if i'm gone." "what if he knocks and a stranger answers the door instead of me?"
many questions flooded her mind, all of it telling her to never leave this house, which she didn't.
well, in the end, he still did not return and instead, she was the one who found him. and he did not look like he had the slightest bit of intention to go and find her again.
the meeting between jae eun and jihoon proved to be pretty useless, since he would not even look her in the face and settle things out. thanks to woojin, she could finally update her memories with jihoon's face, which stayed frozen at the time before he was gone.
she entered the shower, convinced that she may start afresh again once she steps out again. maybe, just maybe she could have the newfound confidence to stand in front of jihoon and get things kicking. surely someone has to start the ball rolling, and jae eun was determined that that person would be her.
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the warm water ran down her face as she tangled her hands in her hair. the thought of finally seeing jihoon had reappeared in her mind, finally triggering the tears. she sobbed, as silently as she could, as she knew the walls were paper thin here and her neighbors may think she had gone crazy.
her tears blended in with the running water, and she could slowly feel her fingers getting wrinkly as time keeps ticking. after organising her thoughts, she finally stepped out of the bathroom. she let out a giant sigh, before her phone started to ring.
"hello?" "hey it's woojin. thanks for breakfast."
she let out a soft chuckle at how this formality was still maintained between the both of them.
"that's alright, woojin. did jihoon eat though? he may not have eaten because i made it." "he finished the meal with a huge burp. well i kind of removed the note before he could see it. and i think he thought i made it. oops."
her mood changed drastically, after hearing that jihoon had finished the food, but it was only because he had no idea she made it.
"oh that's okay. well have a good day then." "thank you. and by the way, are you coming over any time soon? i'll let you know the passcode." "it's okay woojin. i'm sure he's not prepared to see me yet. and oh my god, how could you trust someone so easily with the passcode to your house?" "i have a sharp eye, and i know you can be trusted. alright, i need to get to work, bye."
he hung up the call after stimulating another train of thoughts. everyone jae eun's age would have already held stable jobs, but why was she still here? it was yet again the time to doubt her entire existence.
it was as though she was still stuck in those times when she was still schooling, when she first met jihoon. that was indeed the happiest and luckiest moment of her life.
