Patience
A story that was part of 'Soeul's Seven Heavenly Virtues' on LU, initiated by Hosterio in 2011 for SoEun's birthday.
Disclaimer: the characters have never been mine, but the story always will be ;)
In case you were wondering what happened to LU, we have temporarily shifted over to soeulscribbler [.] proboards [.] com! Come say hi :)
...
"Ooh, sunbae! Look at that funny looking building! Doesn't it look like a rabbit? And that tree over there! Why does it look like it's going to explode and burst blossoms into the sky? Do you think- OHHH birdies! Look at those feathers..."
It was only five minutes into a lengthy bus ride to Hongcheon, but the complimentary commentary had already begun. Not that the other passengers seemed to mind, anyway; some were long oblivious to the world (even before the bus ride started!), while others wanted to block out the world by jamming a variety of musical notes into their ears.
The only one who seemed to be listening (semi) attentively to all the wide-eyed and wonderous remarks, was sitting right next to the action, quietly taking it all in.
"...and it would be nice to take a stroll later, when we reach. I heard the best way to take everything in is to walk about and to avoid taking the tram..."
Yi Jeong couldn't help but admire his travel companion; how her eyes lit up in that charming, innocent way whenever something interesting caught her fancy, how giggles bubbled out from her in such a cute, effortless manner, how the world around her just seemed to take her breath away.
She took his breath away.
Ga Eul always had, Yi Jeong assured himself, but the young artist didn't quite want to admit it at first. There was too much noise, too much clutter stemming from all the issues that bubbled beneath his Casanova exterior. He didn't want to give his heart away, not anymore. Not after the way things had ended with his first love.
"...I wonder if there'll be a souvenir shop there! You know how much I like those cute little food magnets. Maybe there'll be a bibimbap one..."
But Ga Eul persevered. She was by his side, never once wavering despite the way he ended up treating her, cold and contrite. She soaked up the animosity but yet, somehow she found the strength to radiate something much more positive – which, in turn, gave him the strength to keep moving forward. To develop as an artist. To be a better person. To be a man of integrity.
And then, there was Sweden. Was there Sweden, Yi Jeong scoffed silently. The years apart, and the distance away could very well have driven them to their separate ways, but somehow... somehow, it worked out. Not without its difficulties, of course, but somehow, they were able to get through it. Together.
(Although, they still weren't quite... together.)
Yi Jeong briefly tuned out Ga Eul's awe-filled chatter to just look at her. He couldn't imagine the amount of patience she must have had to sustain her through all these years of being by his side. He was suddenly overwhelmed with gratitude, with love.
Spontaneously, Yi Jeong was about to casually sneak his hand over hers, when...
"Over there, sunbae!" Ga Eul nudged his shoulder, as he squirmed in his seat. "Can you see the fountain? It looks amazing..."
He smirked to himself as he folded his arms. Foiled, he thought. But it will happen eventually.
...
An hour into the bus ride, and Ga Eul's enthusiasm continued to ride high. Yi Jeong's buttocks, however, were less than pleased. Not that he was complaining, not at all – after all, he did relent taking the bus at her request, especially after she completely scoffed at his offer to drive them on the day trip, insisting that he had no sense of adventure.
(It wasn't that he didn't have a sense of adventure; he just had a different sense of adventure. A long bus ride wasn't particularly it.)
"...Isn't this fun, sunbae! I love bus rides, there's so much to see and everything just looks nicer when the sun shines..."
Yi Jeong was all too aware of their proximity; their shoulders bumped with every turn of the bus, and Ga Eul would subconsciously grab his arm every time something interesting crossed their path. As much as he wanted to hold her hand, or grab her by the waist, he didn't want to rush into things as he always did. He respected this lady – he truly did, and that was why he was willing to wait. At least for the next five minutes.
Soon, the potter tried to sneak another hand-holding attempt.
"Ah! That's right!" Ga Eul suddenly exclaimed, clapping her hands as she recalled something. Yi Jeong jumped and pretended to look nonchalant as she turned to him. "Wasn't that near the kiln you brought me to, all those years ago?"
Yi Jeong was determined to keep a poker face. "Oh, well, yes. I suppose that was the place, yes," he harumphed.
The animated Ga Eul suddenly let her face relax into a look of concern at her (apparently) less-than enthused companion. "Are you okay, sunbae? Are you not feeling well? You're awfully quiet today."
"Just... thinking, y'know. Bus rides always bring out a pensive side in me."
"Which can be quite unli- OH sunbae, look! Did you see the clouds..."
And there she goes again, he smiled, trying once again to hold her hand, but casually removing it again when she turned to him to wax lyrical about how she once saw a cloud in the shape of an elephant with tiny ears.
...
The bus ride entered into its second hour and all was quiet on the bus. Ga Eul had taken to just looking out of the window, while Yi Jeong tried to nap, rather unsuccessfully and uncomfortably. (His butt was getting even more sore by the minute. Then he remembered that he still had the ride home later, and internally groaned.)
Yi Jeong quickly wiped some drool off the side of his mouth, as a now subdued Ga Eul turned to him.
"Oh, you're awake, sunbae," she said with a smile.
"Mmm. It's a bit hard to sleep without a proper bed, y'know."
Ga Eul laughed. "It's all part and parcel of your average bus ride. That's the fun of it." she paused to yawn, daintily covering her mouth with her fingertips.
"Thanks for doing this with me, sunbae. I really appreciate it."
Yi Jeong smiled. Finally, he had the chance to say what he'd always wanted to tell her.
"This is nothing compared to what you've done for me."
Ga Eul's eyes softened as she looked at him momentarily and looked away, smiling shyly. That look in her eyes made his heart beat accelerate.
"It's the truth, Ga Eul-yang. I've wanted to say that to you for a long time."
She looked back up at him with that soft look, and he almost lost control of his senses.
"Thank you, sunbae." she whispered, "That means a lot."
Silence fell upon the couple as they both carried the moment with them in their consciousness, internalising and processing what had just taken place. A moment.
(He didn't want it to just be momentary.)
Yi Jeong reached up to stretch his arms for a bit. As he did, he casually slung his right arm over his companion's shoulder, gently pulling her closer.
As he did so, she shifted to accommodate his gesture, leaning into him, and resting her head on his shoulder.
"I was wondering when you were going to do that," she smiled lazily, soon settling into sleep (on his shoulder).
Yi Jeong chuckled and shook his head. Talk about patience, indeed.
Soon, he fell asleep, his head leaning against his beloved's, and stayed that way until they reached their destination.
(He didn't want the bus ride to end. But it also meant that he could now hold her hand when they got off the bus. And every other time after that.)