~~Chapter 2~~
The dark clouds from the morning had all but vanished predicting a promising day out, and having thrown on his favorite beige jeans and signature white jacket, JiHoo waited while JanDi slipped back to the bedroom to change into her clothes that he had washed during the night.
He had already informed her that they would be spending most of their day at Myeong-dong shopping around for the few things that he needed picked up. JanDi couldn't remember the last time she had gone shopping around at a district mall as JunPyo always insisted that her clothes be bought for her by his own top stylists. And as frustrating as that could be, she put up with it to please him. She had mastered the art of choosing her battles and that just wasn't one of them.
Once dressed, she met with him out in the sitting room where he handed her the white helmet that over the years had become hers. She thanked him and followed as he led the way outside, still feeling the lingering awkwardness that she just couldn't seem to shake.
As she clung to JiHoo's solid frame from the back of his motorcycle, she rested her head against his back in hopes that the rolling breeze would keep her mind clear. She didn't want to think of the present. Then again, she didn't want to think of the past or future either. To alleviate any chance of through, she instead concentrated on the rise and fall of JiHoo's back as he sped them down the road. She focused on the swirl of colors that flashed past like a painting as he picked up speed, and she felt herself relax into daydreams of being able to do this every day.
She would lace up her favorite sneakers, don her white helmet, and latch onto the only real thing she currently had in life. Her skin would sting against fresh cold air, her eyes would sparkle under traffic lights, and she'd be able to pretend, even if just for a moment, that everything was okay.
And even though she didn't want to be thinking, she was thinking about JiHoo; and that too, at least for now, was okay.
"So, what do you think?"
JanDi looked up from a rack of colorful jackets to see JiHoo holding up yet another white button-down to his chest.
"Sunbae, I think you're already wearing that shirt right now." She smiled as she resumed her browsing. They had been shopping around at numerous stores for the past few hours, and every store they entered, JiHoo seemed attracted as though by an invisible yet very adamant force, to only white attire. With JanDi's help he had managed to purchase three shirts ranging in color, but in comparison to his wardrobe at home, she doubted it would make much of a difference.
He shrugged as he held it up to himself facing a mirror. "White is my favorite color, it also seems to suit me quite well, or so I've been told." He smiled displaying his stunningly perfect white teeth that uncannily complimented the shirt he held in his hand.
JanDi just shook her head trying to hide her smile. "Whatever you say, Sunbae."
As she was filing through the jackets, she spotted a rack of dresses a few isles down that looked promising. Leaving her friend who was completely absorbed in his sea of white, she meandered down the aisles, not really worried that she would get lost. She wasn't going very far, and even though there were a lot of people, she knew that he would have no trouble finding her. He never did.
JiHoo hung the shirt back on the rack and sighed. He was happy to be out of the house, and he was even happier to be with JanDi, but he was still concerned with her lack of presence. The JanDi he knew was loud and happy. Her smile bubbled with enthusiasm and she had a personality to match. However today she had only smiled a handful of times, and even though she was beginning to talk more openly, she was clearly holding back for reasons unknown.
If she was embarrassed about last night, then he wanted to hold her close again like he had and whisper in her ear that she didn't need to be. He wanted to kiss her forehead, cheeks, neck, and lips and tell her that she never had to worry about being afraid, or embarrassed, or sad every again, and that he would make her nothing but happy. He wanted to kiss every part of her and in turn let her kiss every part of him, and the more he thought these things the angrier he became, because he knew it was wrong.
She was still married to his best friend, she still didn't love him the way he loved her, and he wanted to hold her close again like he had last night and tell her that if anything; he was the one afraid, embarrassed, and sad for harboring such thoughts, and that she deserved nothing but happiness.
Disgruntled and confused, he ran a hand through his hair and turned to check on JanDi, when his heart skipped a beat when he realized that she wasn't there.
She was amusing herself by rustling though a collection of overly priced dresses which she would never be able to afford by herself when he found her. "So I've recovered the runaway."
"I didn't runaway," JiHoo noted the smile traced on her lips which made him smile in turn. "I told you I would be over here,"
JiHoo shook his head doubtingly, but couldn't help his laughing. "Well you must be hungry after working so hard to escape. I know I can get boring after a while. How about we go and find some place for lunch?"
"That sounds good." She followed him out of the dress section, shuffling her feet along the way. Somewhere between the men's shirts and children's shoes he had slipped her hand into his own. She didn't resist the contact.
Of course this wasn't the first time she was touching him. From the countless times she rode with him on his motorcycle and wrapped her arms around his waist, to just last night, and on the many other occasions he had held her against his chest. And of course there was that one moment when they had kissed. Yes, touching JiHoo was not a foreign concept to her in the slightest. But for some reason, this simple action of just touching hands caused a blush to appear on her cheeks. She was only too grateful that he was so preoccupied in locating a place to eat that he didn't notice.
The duo walked down a few blocks, passing by a handful of restaurants that would have suited them just fine. A small ramen shop shadowed by a green overhang, a tteokbokki stand run by a cheerful round man in a washed-out red apron, a cute yellow paneled restaurant known for their famous kimichi. JanDi glanced at each place, but still, JiHoo's grip remained gentle but unwavering, and she continued to follow him down through the bustling crowd of shoppers.
He led them down two more blocks passing by yet another assortment of vendors and restaurants, when he finally stopped them in front of small red brick building adorned with a cute wooden sign hanging above. "The Lucky Lotus," in bright pink lettering and a simplistic feel held potential in JanDi's eyes, and she nodded gratefully as JiHoo held the blue painted door open.
"I think you'll really enjoy this place," he commented as they were greeted with the warm aroma of cinnamon, brewing coffee, and various perfumes of tea. Small neat tables were scattered throughout the shop, dressed in spotless white tablecloths and adorned with a single pink candle at their centers. Photographs of flowers; black and white, stenciled, sketched, printed, painted, panoramic, and dried and framed accented the cream swirl walls. It was easily the most serene café JanDi had ever before stepped foot in. Leave it to JiHoo to find such a perfect place.
"Table for two," JanDi hadn't noticed the elderly woman approach JiHoo to seat them. From her appearance she seemed to be in her late sixties, early seventies, and from her long green dress to her neatly pinned hair, gave off the immediate vibe of kind, homely grandmother.
"Right this way, Mr. Yoon." She smiled warmly at the two and quickly seated them next to a window with two menus.
"The usual I presume for you," she smiled knowingly as JiHoo returned his menu with an equally kind smile. "And what would you like dear?"
"Jasmine Green Tea please,"
"Two cinnamon honey rolls as well, Mrs. Han. Thank you."
Mrs. Han bowed and left with the menus to place their order as JanDi countered JiHoo's smile with a questioning glance. She didn't have to ask for JiHoo to understand her question.
"My grandfather and I come here quite often. I suppose you could say it's our usual place."
"Ahh," JanDi nodded and shifted her gaze so it was directed out the window instead of at his eyes.
"JanDi?"
"Hmm," She reluctantly pulled her eyes away from the man on the corner fixing a button on his coat as it was much less awkward for her to watch then the man who she didn't deserve to be sitting across from.
"Please, you know you can relax around me. We've always been relaxed with each other, haven't we? Over everything. You don't' have to act around me. So please, don't."
"Sunbae," JanDi fidgeted in her seat, afraid at where she knew this conversation would lead. "You don't have to worry about me. I shouldn't have come last night. I was scared, and lonely, and…it was a mistake."
"No," JiHoo whispered. "You're feelings, your fears…they aren't mistakes, JanDi. They're you. And…and I'm always here to help you. You need to know that you can trust me."
JanDi couldn't look him in the eyes, so she opted for her hands in her lap. "I do, JiHoo. I just need time."
There wasn't much conversation after that, as JiHoo figured pressing the topic any further would only worsen the situation. Instead they waited until Mrs. Han returned with their drinks and rolls.
"Here you are dearies, Vanilla Spice tea for the young Mr. Yoon, and Jasmine Green for his lovely date."
"We aren't dating," JiHoo chuckled. "JanDi is a very good friend."
"Well if you ask me, this boy needs to find a good pretty woman like yourself and settle down." Mrs. Han turned to face JanDi whose face has begun to turn a light shade of pink. "If not, he's liable to turn into a hooligan ladies' man like his grandfather." She chucked at her own joke and turned again leaving JanDi boiling from pink to red. "Tell your grandfather that I would like to see him more often. He doesn't come in nearly as often as he used to. He's going to work himself to death alongside my husband."
"I will pass on the message, thank you Mrs. Han." JiHoo bowed his hand before sipping his tea. Once she had left, he carefully placed his cup back down. "Sorry about that, she can be a bit eccentric sometimes."
JanDi nodded in agreement, but couldn't keep her mind from reeling into a mental image of JiHoo as a ladies' man.
Yoon JiHoo with a black leather coat, no, a white coat for sure. But he would have black boots, because every good ladies' man had polished black boots. He would fashionably remove his helmet after dismounting his motorcycle and flip his hair causing girls to swoon before his eyes, boasting his effortless blithe style. Then he might throw his helmet to the ground, but knowing JiHoo he's place it on his seat, and a few of the really obsessive fans would lunge and fight over who got to hold it. But the really lucky ones would be the two girls with the shortest dresses and most plunging neck lines that he would wrap his arms around. One inviting arm for each pair of eager bare shoulders, and he would saunter off into a mysterious bar to accompany WooBin and Yi Jung for a night in their "private room."
JanDi shook her head to erase such a thought. The fictional man that she had just created could never be her JiHoo. And then she shook her head again because she had just referred to him as 'her' JiHoo. She didn't own him, and she didn't want to admit it, but when she looked up to lock eyes with the real JiHoo, she realized that she wanted to. Her kind, loyal friend with a penchant for pancakes and white clothes, and who had always been there for her was a man who she wished she could call hers.
Then she remembered why she wanted such a thing, and why she felt like she was dragging a load of bricks with her everywhere she went, and why she had knocked on JiHoo's door in an attempt to remove a few of them, because his presence always seemed to lighten her heart.
She quickly lifted her cup and sipped her tea, because JiHoo was still looking at her, and if he asked why she was crying, she wanted to be able to tell him that the tea was really hot…but that it was also really good.
~~~Reviews are always appreciated~~~
