YOUR LOVE {Itaewon Class}

Vacation and Deep Thoughts

Going on vacation while owning and coordinating Korea's second-biggest company in the food industry was something very special. In all the four years since IC existed and Park Saeroyi actually had the money to travel, it didn't happen. Until Hyun-Yi took matters into her own hand.

When she presented her idea of going for a vacation with the original DanBam crew just for a few days in the summer, everyone got excited except for Saeroyi. Even the slowly becoming workaholic Yi-Seo agreed.

The king of lame excuses Park Saeroyi surprised everyone when he kept on saying how expensive vacations are (as if he didn't have the money), how much he had to do in the company (as if he couldn't take a break for a few days) and how boring vacations are (such a lie) but Hyun-Yi interrupted his monologue.

"I am not sure why you are so against this trip, but I don't care. You are coming. Case closed"

He had lost. It was not like he didn't want to go relax in the sand or explore a new city. All he wanted to do was to spend time outside of the office. His only concern was the people he had to spend the vacation with.

And it was not like he didn't enjoy the company of his friends, but he has been feeling weird lately about Yi-Seo. Since his birthday he had been thinking too much about her in his home. Her washing the dishes, her sitting on the couch reading a book, her taking a shower, laying in the bed.

But thinking about it and being in a house with her and seeing her do all those things, were two different pairs of shoes. Saeroyi could control his thoughts, make himself stop thinking about her, but when he saw her, his mind usually went crazy.

He has to say yes to the trip though. Hyun-Yi wouldn't let him pass on that. So asking Hyun-Yi to let him choose the destination made him feel like having minimal control over the unwanted vacation.

Since IC was the second-best company in the Korean food industry, the members of the original DanBam crew were not poor. They had money, which meant they could travel wherever they wanted to. Hawaii, New York, Paris, London, Egypt... so Park Saeroyi chose Busan. Seriously, Hyun-Yi and Yi-Seo thought they would go crazy. They wanted to go to Australia or New Zealand, anywhere but Busan. But they had to accept his decision if they wanted him to come.

Yi-Seo was nervous about the trip. Spending three days in an apartment with Saeroyi. Just being at his home with him while cleaning up made her stomach go on a rollercoaster. She could not imagine how she would feel like being near him, not having to worry about work, feeling his warmth, his smell, seeing his face and maybe even his body when they go to the beach. Even thinking about him made her butterflies dance in her stomach.

And those butterflies didn't go away easily. She had to remind herself that being with Saeroyi was something that happened every day, no need for those uncomfortable feelings. Whenever he looked at her from the front while driving to the airport, her hands were sweating, her ears went red and her heart was beating faster. Like a stupid little teenager.

It turned out that travelling with the love of her life was one of the best experiences in her life. The flight between Seol and Busan took only an hour but Saeroyi fell asleep. Watching his beautiful and peaceful face while making sure that no one dares to wake him up, was ensuring that the few days ahead of her would be unforgettable. While exploring his face with her eyes, she had that feeling again. The urge to kiss him, just like on her birthday a few years ago made her crazy. Knowing that she couldn't just kiss him again and maybe she would never be able to kiss him ever made her sad and anxious.

But these dark feelings flew away quickly because arriving at their apartment and seeing their rooms being next to each other made her butterflies come back. Being not only close to him during the daytime, but just separated through a wall in the nighttime.

Despite her thoughts about Saeroyi that were circling in her non-stop, she tried to enjoy the few days they were spending in Busan. The best way to do that was to be with Hyun-Yi since she knew exactly what she was going through.

Hyun-Yi as a true best friend tried to find a lot of activities to do together, not only to distract her from thinking about Saeroyi but to help them bond as much as possible. Exploring the town, going drinking, relaxing on the beach and singing karaoke was just some of the few things to do during their three days get-away.

Until the mother of nature had another plan. On day three, the last day of their trip, it was raining cats and dogs. Having to stay inside made the girls sad and the boys happy. All the males wanted to do was just to sat on the couch and chatting with a beer in the hand. While doing so on their last day, the girls were backing in the kitchen, listening to music and constantly giggling. They were clearly having a great time.

"I didn't know Yi-Seo could be so girly. Remember how she was so rude at the beginning?" Seoung-Kwon spoke while taking a sip of his beer. "She is really a psycho! That girl's mood changes faster than the traffic lights in Seoul."

They had to laugh at his choice of comparison. But as soon as they stopped Toni corrected his friend:

"She is not a girl anymore! You have to realise that she became a woman. She is a woman now."

Toni was right. The first time Saeroyi realised that Yi-Seo was a woman. A strong, independent and beautiful woman. But what has changed?

She has changed. When they first met she was a wild and careless girl. She didn't care about others, she didn't even bother to apologise when his pub had to be closed for two months because of her. But she has changed. She helped him achieve his goals. She helped him to survive.

She was really fighting for him and with him for the last four years. The realisation came like a cold shower.

What should he do now? Should he do something? Yes, he should. But what? He needed another beer.