A/N: Wow, chapter seven. I'm on a roll, sorta. Anyways, this chapter is somehow shorter than the rest. Thanks for reading, and enjoy. Sorry if this chapter isn't as interesting as the rest. I also found some holes in the plot I was going to carry on with, but luckily I was able to fix it with something I added in here! So yes, please enjoy!
(The inspiration for this chapter came from the BOF OST. I listened to "Fight the Bad Feeling [Ballad version]" as I wrote these (hopefully) nice scenes between Jan Di & Ji Hoo. Hopefully it isn't as rusty as I expect it to be.)
He really wasn't expecting her to visit. Maybe, Ji Hoo had been a little too harsh towards Jun Pyo and Jan Di. Yoon Ji Hoo shouldn't have acted the way he did that night; storming out the room out of pure anger and jealousy, perhaps. He had remained silent for so long, because Ji Hoo did not know where to begin. He owed her an apology, and there were a few things he wanted to say. But he bit his tongue and held back.
"Sunbae?"
"What?" Ji Hoo brought himself out of his thoughts.
"You guess? What were you going to say?"
"Ah.." I guess.. I missed you so much. That's why I got upset. I wanted to spend more time with you than anything else, but in the end, you wanted to see Jun Pyo more than anything.. It's funny how that works, isn't it, Jan Di? "It's nothing, Jan Di. I was just thinking." He lifted the tea cup up to his lips and took a small sip. Warm.. His eyelids closed momentarily as he inhaled lightly. "Geum Jan Di, I owe you an apology."
"What?" Jan Di blinked in puzzlement. "What does Sunbae have to apologize for..?"
"That night." He set down his cup of warm tea. "I want you to know that I'm not toying with your heart. It's anything but that.." He really didn't know how to explain to her, without giving away Jun Pyo's reasoning for ending their relationship. "I'm sorry."
I'm sorry for yelling at you. I'm sorry for not being more supportive or helpful. I'm sorry I once left. I'm sorry I didn't recognize or acknowledge my feelings for you. I was blinded by my love for Seo Hyun that I never thought about how you must've felt. Now I do, and it hurts. It hurt you, didn't it?
"Did Jun Pyo help you with your studies?" he suddenly asked, breaking the silence once more. "It must be hard."
Jan Di gave a slow nod of the head, lowering her gaze to the tea. "..How's harabeoji?"
"He's well. I'll be going to pick him up soon. Would you like a ride home once I go?" Ji Hoo asked her. "He's been wondering where you've been at. I think he'd appreciate a greeting."
"If it's not a bother to you," she murmured.
Then came the unsettling silence. It seemed as though Jan Di discovered something about Ji Hoo that she wasn't letting on. Her eyes were locked onto the tea in front of her, her cheeks puffing up every occasion, as though she were contemplating something on her mind. And every so often, Ji Hoo would catch her looking over at him. Normally the silence between them was peaceful, but ever since the incident a week ago, it had grown troubling. Was there something on her mind? Moments passed where neither of them said a single word. Perhaps one of them wanted to, but they never took the first step to actually do it. Ji Hoo once again reached for his cup, lifting it up to his lips, only to taste cool tea.
Ji Hoo wasn't himself.
That should've been clear enough. Normally, he'd try to spark up a conversation with her, but he couldn't bring himself to. Maybe it was because he was finally out of things to say to her.
"Ji Hoo Sunbae."
"..What?"
"Nothing." Jan Di smiled to herself, which startled Ji Hoo. "I just wanted to hear your voice."
Blinking ever so slowly, he remained silent for a few more seconds before he smiled as well, glancing away momentarily. "You wanted to hear my voice?"
"Yes. It's embarrassing, but when I hear you speak, I always.." She paused shortly, still smiling faintly. "..I always feel at ease with myself. Your voice is very reassuring, you know." Her cheeks flushed slightly; she was embarrassed, Ji Hoo could easily tell by the way she tried hiding her face from him.
"Is that so?" Ji Hoo tried peering over at her to catch a glimpse of any blush that may have appeared. "Then should I keep talking to you?" Carefully, and cautiously, he moved closer to her on the couch so that they were right next to each other, with no space in between. His fingers went to gently brush strands of her dark-brown hair behind her ear, and there it was: Geum Jan Di blushing. His smile widened, and he laughed a bit as she pushed his hand aside and turned her head away. "The great Geum Jan Di, flustered. No one would believe it."
"That's why you better not tell anyone about this!" She looked back over at him, puffing out her cheeks momentarily. "I'm supposed to be tough."
"Even tough people can get flustered, Jan Di."
"And you?"
"Me?" Ji Hoo grinned a bit, not even hesitating to answer, "I can, too. Jun Pyo, Woo Bin, Yi-Jeong; them too."
"Then you better be careful, Yoon Ji Hoo."
"Be careful?" he repeated, watching her as she grinned maliciously a bit. She leaned close to him, so close their noses could've touched. Then, she pointed a finger threateningly at him.
"You're first on my list."
A small laugh escaped Ji Hoo. "Is that so? Then I had better watch out."
For a few minutes, they remained close to each other, their faces only millimeters away from one another. A smile was now clearly visible on Jan Di's features, and Ji Hoo almost thought she couldn't get anymore beautiful than she already was. He longed to have her in his arms; he wanted to embrace her, hold her so closely that he'd never want to let go. He wanted her to be his - but that could never be. Geum Jan Di was no one's, and he admired that about her. But most of all, he wanted to let her know that she was loved dearly. He could have kissed her - he should have. But he didn't. And then his phone vibrated on the table before a ringtone followed after that; interrupting their sweet silence and indicating that it was his grandfather. He hesitantly - reluctantly - pulled away from her and grabbed his phone to answer it.
"Harabeoji? You're ready? I'll be there soon." Ji Hoo was now on the phone with his grandfather, and Jan Di was staring at the ceiling; exhaling heavily, but also quietly. They had been very, very close. Her heart had been pounding so heavily that she expected him to actually hear it. But luckily - and also unfortunately - Ji Hoo received a call from his grandfather, who notified him that he was ready to be picked up. Once Ji Hoo ended the phone call, he slid the phone into his pocket, glancing over at Jan Di.
"Harabeoji.. He's getting out late, isn't he?" asked Jan Di, clearly concerned for the doctor. "Should he really be working this late?"
"He'd never dismiss a patient like that." Ji Hoo pulled on his white jacket, before handing Jan Di hers. "He's.. passionate about what he does."
"I can see where you get it from," Jan Di teased as she pulled her cheap jacket on. "Both of you are passionate about what you love doing.. Not many people are like that anymore."
Ji Hoo shook his head with a smile before leading her out his home, and to his white vehicle. Surprisingly, Ji Hoo had come incredibly far. Most people would never have conquered their fears so easily as Ji Hoo had. It was almost as though the accident when he was younger never happened. She gladly got inside the passenger seat, while Ji Hoo took the drivers.
Unbelieveable! This seat is so comfortable.. More comfortable than my chair at home.. She shook her head and brushed aside those thoughts as she looked over to Yoon Ji Hoo who seemed to be getting comfortable himself. "Ji Hoo Sunbae.." she began quietly as he started the engine. "Are you still afraid, sometimes?"
"Afraid?" he repeated. "..Sometimes I can be. When I see a crazy driver. It gets terrifying. But with you here," he flashed her a playful smile, "I'm not afraid any longer."
The trip to the medical clinic didn't take long. Yoon Ji Hoo and Geum Jan Di rode in complete silence - but it was relaxing. Their silences were not unsettling, nor were they exhausting to have, but rather they were sweet and enjoyable. They could sit in complete silence for hours, and Ji Hoo would feel at home with her. Upon arriving at the clinic, both Jan Di and Ji Hoo exited the vehicle to help his grandfather. Ji Hoo took his heavy suitcase and slid it into the trunk of his car, while Jan Di assisted him to the passenger seat where she seated him carefully before buckling him in.
"I can do it, I can do it," his grandfather began before Jan Di silenced him.
"Harabeoji, let me do this one thing for you, okay?"
"..Fine, fine." He gave up the fight so easily, it earned an amused smile from Ji Hoo. "Why aren't you sitting up here with Ji Hoo?"
"Because I'm not coming with," she told him.
"What?" Ji Hoo blinked, glancing over at her from the other side of the vehicle. "I offered to drive you home, Jan Di."
"No, no," she responded, shaking her head. "I have something to do before I go home. But thank you anyway, Sunbae! And take care, Harabeoji. I'll stop by the clinic soon!"
You don't want to be a bother, is that it?
Ji Hoo hesitantly nodded before getting into his vehicle. "Focus on your studies, Jan Di," ordered his grandfather. "Don't you worry about volunteering at the clinic."
With one final wave from Jan Di, Ji Hoo reluctantly drove off with his grandfather. He glanced into his rearview mirror, watching as she continued to wave, before walking home.
"She's a keeper, don't you think, Ji Hoo?"
"She is," Ji Hoo responded with a barely visible smile. "She really is."
A/N: Do I smell trouble for a certain character? Maybe.
