During a chance encounter at a bar, Lee Rae Won (Hyun Bin), a carefree, freelance photographer meets Soo Ih Na (Son Ye Jin) a stern editor-in-chief for a popular lifestyle magazine in South Korea. Ih Na, who had just gotten her heart broken over a c...
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"Ih Na ya, gidaryeo (Ih Na, wait)!" Rae Won exclaimed as he went after her.
"She's... she's not my girlfriend. She's just a... friend I'm mentoring for photography." He explained in between breaths.
Ih Na looked at him in reply.
"Why are you explaining yourself?" She asked.
"I just felt the need to." Rae Won answered.
There was a silence that fell upon them after that, and both Ih Na and Rae Won just stood there, quite unsure what to make out of the situation they were in. Ih Na was too shy to admit that she felt a bit jealous and hurt by she had just seen, while Rae Won was too hesitant to say that there was no need for her to feel that way because Yeo Ri was more like a sister to him and most importantly, he had eyes for someone else.
Ih Na was just about to break the ice, when Rae Won's stomach grumbled out of hunger. He hurriedly held it, probably thinking he could hush it from making even more sounds, but it grumbled even more, making Ih Na burst into small fits of laughter.
"Mian (Sorry)," Rae Won apologized shyly. "I haven't eaten yet." He added.
"Waeyo (Why)?" Ih Na asked with worry spread all over her face.
"It's a long story. Let's just..." Rae Won paused as he gently held her hand.
"Eat." He continued.
Rae Won brought Ih Na to the convenience store that was closest to his studio. While she sat on one of the tables and patiently waited for him, Rae Won got them banana milk, samgak kimbap and ramyeon. He didn't know if Ih Na felt hungry, but he figured that he couldn't just let her sit there while he ate.
Being less of a gentleman was the last thing Rae Won wanted to be whenever he was around her.
"Gomawo (Thank you)." Ih Na said as Rae Won handed her some food.
He simply replied with a small, but genuine smile and began to eat.
"I'm sorry about showing up at this time of the night. I really should have texted or called before I barged into your studio." Ih Na apologized as she placed the straw in her banana milk.
"You shouldn't be apologizing. Really." Rae Won said. "You just happened to walk in on a really awkward situation and for that, I'm sorry." He smiled.
"Nah... I realized that, at our age, we shouldn't be surprised to be walking in to those kind of situations. I guess I just overreacted and for that, I'm sorry." Ih Na smiled back.
"So, are we going to apologize to each other all night?" Rae Won laughed.
"Sounds fun to me." Ih Na teased.
As they continued to sit there, munching on some convenience store goodies, Rae Won pondered as to whether or not he should tell Ih Na that he finally met Yong Hwa. He might have wanted to forget every bit of that meeting, most especially the parts where Yong Hwa made it seem as if breaking up with Ih Na was as easy as 1,2,3, but Rae Won knew that he had to tell her. There really was no point in hiding it anyway.
"Before I forget... what was the long story you were talking about earlier?" Ih Na asked, as if she had just read Rae Won's mind.
"Oh... that." Rae Won said, a bit taken aback. "I... I met Yong Hwa earlier."
Ih Na was a bit startled at the revelation, but hid it quite well.
"Chincha (Really)?" She managed to say with a blank expression on her face.
"Neh (Yes)," Rae Won nodded. "Apparently, we went to the same high school and he used to be teammates with my best friend on the varsity soccer team." He added.
"So you got too busy catching up that you forgot to eat?" Ih Na guessed.
Rae Won shook his head in reply.
"I found out that he was too cocky of a man, so I lost my appetite." He said. "How on earth did you even fall for him?"
"Mollayo (I don't know)." Ih Na answered, a faint smile spreading across her face. "He wasn't always like that. I guess his newfound fame just changed him into someone he's not."
"Ih Na," Rae Won suddenly said, his tone shifting into a much serious one. "I don't know if this is too much to ask, but can you promise me that no matter what happens, you're never getting back with Yong Hwa?" He added.
"Let me guess." Ih Na said. "He said something stupid, didn't he?"
Rae Won nodded sadly.
"You know, sometimes, I can't help but pity myself whenever I remember how much I've had to put up with when I was with him." Ih Na began. "There were so many red flags before he became this hot shot chef. Most of the time, he was emotionally absent when I really needed him to be there for me, he was never genuinely happy for me whenever I had achievements at work, and he would always make me feel bad for saying no whenever he wanted to do the deed."
"Son Mi was right. He used me for his own benefit and now that he's got everything in this world, it's bye bye Ih Na just like that." Ih Na uttered as she took a long gulp of her banana milk. "He would not have been promoted anyway if not for my connections. That jerk should be thankful to me."
Rae Won sighed.
"Well, I guess you should be thankful to him too." He said, causing Ih Na's eyebrows to furrow in confusion.
"Waeyo (Why)?" She asked.
"Because he made realize how you should be loved." Rae Won answered.
Ih Na smiled faintly.
"If that's your way of telling me indirectly that you like me, all I can say is that... you have a way with words and it's quite impressive." She said.
Rae Won never admitted his true feelings that night. He simply sat there and smiled, providing Ih Na with the comfort and company that she needed. He knew that this wasn't the right time for that and even if the right time would never come, it would undeniably be bittersweet, but if it meant having Ih Na in his life without any drama, without any complications, he'd gladly accept it.
But as he continued to sit there, listening to all her little stories and watching her laugh to her heart's content, he knew that indeed... he had fallen in love.
