After the breakfast, Jan Di took a quick peek at her phone to check the time. By now, the clock read 12:50 pm—which completely shocked her. Normally, she was up and out of bed by nine in the morning, but this morning, both she and Ji Hoo woke up considerably late. She bit her lower lip before glancing over at Ji Hoo who sat still in the car, peering over at her as well. Ever since she woke him up in the morning, he seemed very tense and quiet. To be fair, both of them were sometimes quiet in each other's presence and Jan Di never minded it. But this silence was different from an enjoyable one. It was the type of silence where Jan Di just knew Ji Hoo was thinking hard about something.
Something's on his mind.
So she decided to ask, "What's on your mind, Ji Hoo?"
"Hm?" Almost as if he weren't listening. "What's on my mind? Nothing, really."
"Sounds like a lie," Jan Di pressed, peering over at him with her head tilting curiously. "You wouldn't lie to me, right?" she teased, placing her hand atop his shoulder.
"Well, to be honest with you.." began Ji Hoo, shifting his gaze to the steering wheel. "..I want to take you out today. Well, right now, actually."
She smiled at his suggestion. "I'd love to. Where are we going?"
"You promise you won't object?"
"As long as you promise it won't cost any money," she replied with a small grin forming on her lips. "My ideal date is one where we both can have fun without having to spend a penny."
"That's your ideal date?" he asked, laughing a little. "..You're definitely something, Geum Jan Di."
"I'll take that as a compliment," she scoffed, turning her head away from him. "Because I'm the only one in the world."
"That is a compliment. And you're right, there is only one Geum Jan Di in the world, and here she is sitting in my car. How much more lucky can I get?" He took her hand off his shoulder and held it in both of his own, massaging her knuckles gently. "You're cold.. Why aren't you wearing your gloves?" Releasing one hand from hers, he quickly turned up the heat; hovering his own hand in front of the vents near her to see if she was getting any warmth.
"I forgot," she mumbled.
"You always seem to be forgetting," he murmured quietly. "I hope you won't forget me."
"Impossible," she replied in a matter of seconds, smiling over at him. "That's like forgetting my own name. You're a part of who I am.."
His lips curved upwards into a grin and he reached over to tuck strands of short, brunette hair behind her ear. "You really know how to melt a man's heart. How did I not see this danger before?"
"Well, you were the same," she replied. "During our first encounters. I mean, even though I was a nuisance to you, you still helped me out. That's something I won't forget, no matter what."
The space between them was shortening by the second, and soon Jan Di found herself gazing directly into his dark eyes, as if she were being drawn in by darkness that longed to embrace her, as she did him. Neither of them planned to prevent the next few seconds that would intertwine their passion. Being brave for a few seconds, Jan Di lunged forward, cupping his cheeks to pull him into a kiss. After the couple seconds of passion, Jan Di broke away with embarrassment hiding behind her own brown eyes.
"I..I just.." she began.
But her voice stopped short, because Ji Hoo leaned forward to her and silenced her through the locking of lips. One of his own hands cupped her cheek, firmly but also gently, and as the kiss lingered far longer than either of them expected, he found himself hovering over her smaller body in the small, tight space of the car, with Jan Di's back pressed against the passenger car door. Her hands were holding tightly onto his shoulders, tiny fingers digging her nails into the fabric of his jacket. In the passion of the moment, their bodies refused to separate and go their own ways. Instead, they longed for more. The broke apart for a couple seconds, staring into each other's eyes like the days when they first fell in love. A love encouraged by the flames of their passion. Ji Hoo smiled at her, brushing his thumb across her cheek.
"You're a temptress, Jan Di.." he whispered.
"Then why did you stop?" she whispered back.
"You're right: why did I stop?"
Drunk from the kiss, Jan Di pulled him back down in for a sweet kiss, which he returned with a passion greater than before. While their lips were busy, Jan Di's fingers dared to begin removing his jacket. Distracted by the moment of passion, Ji Hoo willingly and swiftly slipped out of his white jacket, before resuming their love affair.
However, it was also in that same moment where a loud ringtone rang out inside the car, startling them both. The kiss ended abruptly with Ji Hoo pulling back quickly and Jan Di sitting up straight in the car. Shocked by the sudden interruption, Jan Di cleared her throat, hardly glancing at Ji Hoo and instead looking at her ringing phone. The caller ID read: Jun Pyo. Hesitantly, she peered over at Ji Hoo who had also seen the caller ID, suddenly looking alert and also drained.
"Go ahead," he murmured, clearing his own throat. "Answer it. You shouldn't leave him waiting."
She nodded her head quickly, answering the phone as suggested. "What?" she hissed into the phone, frustrated with both herself and Jun Pyo.
"Moody today, aren't you? Did you not read my messages? I said I would get back to you," he responded. "Why are you ignoring me? Did you even talk to Ji Hoo like you promised?"
"Yes, I did. He said it was probably a mistake," she replied.
"How was that a mistake? If he wasn't trying to tell me to fuck off, then who was he directing that to? Something's not adding up, Jan Di.." pressed Jun Pyo. "Do you even care?"
"I don't know!" she replied back quietly into the phone. "I'm not going to interrogate him.."
"Well you should!" Jun Pyo snapped angrily. "...I bet you would have if it were for Woo Bin or Yi-Jeong."
Jan Di paused briefly at the question, biting her lower lip at the thought. He was not half wrong. "...I would not," she lied, uncertain of the true answer. "Listen, I'll get back to you.."
Jun Pyo cut her off. "I doubt it. You made that promise too many times, Jan Di. When have you ever gotten back to me? The only time I get to talk to you now is when I annoy the hell out of you."
"That's not the case.."
"Then why do you refuse to contact me? Ever?" She heard him sigh into the phone. "When have you ever initiated a phone call, conversation, or a simple good morning text? Is your plan to disconnect from me while I'm here in America?"
"I didn't think it was that serious," she replied quietly, focusing her eyes on the car window. Even though her intention wasn't to disconnect from him, she couldn't help but believe in Jun Pyo's words. "This time I will get back to you. I'm doing something right now—"
"You're with Ji Hoo, aren't you?" responded Jun Pyo, cutting her off once more. Jan Di fell silent, which was a mistake on her part. "I see. Fine. Get back to me whenever you're done messing around with my best friend," he mumbled into the phone before hanging up.
Guilt overwhelmed Jan Di when she listened to the endless silence she was left with. Guilt that she was treating Jun Pyo unfairly, unintentionally. Her goal wasn't to hurt him in any way, she just didn't know what to say to him anymore. He was climbing the ladder to great success, while she was attending Shinhwa University to better herself and find some type of success of her own in the medical field. The only connection she had with Jun Pyo at this point were their mutual friends. But even then, she wondered whether that was a good enough reason to hold him back.
"Jan Di, are you okay?"
Ji Hoo's gentle voice broke through her thoughts, reminding her that he was right there beside her. Hearing just his voice was a delightful reminder. "Yeah. I'm fine. Just thinking."
"About good things, I would hope," he commented, resting his hand on her shoulder and giving a light squeeze to remind her that she wasn't alone. "If not, well, I'll have to fix that, won't I?" He finally started his car, smiling over at her. "I know a good place to be alone." A brief pause lasted between them, when his voice filled the silent void. "Together," he added.
Something was clearly on her mind, just as there was something on his mind, too. The inevitable thoughts that plagued their minds, haunted the moments of their everyday lives. Just as she didn't know what was his mind, he didn't know what was on hers either. And maybe it was meant to be this way. He would be in the dark on certain topics in her mind, but that wouldn't stop him from making her feel better and reminding her of the better things in life.
He strolled onto the empty playground, turning around to face Jan Di as she followed him. The playground was empty; children were absent, since Ji Hoo knew very well that no one in their right mind would play outside in the freezing weather. But that didn't mean Ji Hoo was completely right in the mind. He smiled at Jan Di, who followed behind him with curiosity buried in her dark gaze. He stopped, face to face with her; pulling a pair of white gloves from his coat pocket. Then, he took each hand of hers and pulled the gloves on, guaranteeing warmth and comfort for the time being.
"I don't need you getting a cold. What kind of boyfriend would I be if I allowed that?" he joked with her.
"You'd still be a good one," commented Jan Di with a tiny smile of her own. "Because it'd still be my fault for not being careful in the first place." She took a quick glance around. "But what are we doing here?"
"It's hard to tell, but we're on a date right now," replied Ji Hoo, turning around and taking a few more steps onto the playground. "You said you didn't want me to spend any money, so I won't. This is one of the cheapest places to have some fun. And to make it even more better.." He glanced over his shoulder at Jan Di. "We're alone."
"Ah, I see." Jan Di grinned at Ji Hoo, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her coat. She strolled over to the swing set, sitting herself down comfortably on a single swing. "I guess you can do anything."
"I try. It's a little difficult." Ji Hoo followed her to the swing set, making his way behind her and grasping onto the chains that held her hovering in the air. "But for you, I'm willing to try. Hold on tight, Jan Di."
At his piece of advice, she pulled her hands out from her coat pockets and grasped tightly onto the chains below where his hands were placed. He then removed his hands from the chains and began to push the swing, gently and carefully. Pushing her on the swing was all about timing and carefulness.
Kind of like falling in love, Ji Hoo thought.
The timing was necessary. If he was too early in reaching her, then he would likely be the only one hurt in the end. And if he was too late, then she would find her own way to keep going and no longer look to him for assistance. And he would have no choice but to watch her flourish without him; enjoy the process without him. Laugh and smile without him. Timing was important.
And if he wasn't careful, then they both would ultimately get hurt.
Pushing someone on a swing was easier than falling in love. The stakes weren't as high, either.
Finally, after a couple more pushes, he made his way around the swing set; making sure he was a little distance off from her and watched her as she swung high into the sky. The view was pleasant. Her smiles, laughs, made the work all the more worth it. Her enjoyment was his enjoyment too. After a couple minutes, Jan Di slowed the swing to a stop, dragging her shoes on the ground to stop it properly. He took a seat on the swing beside her, peering over at her with a smile.
"Thanks, Ji Hoo," she commented, smiling to herself. "I appreciate this."
"It was just a push," he replied before she interrupted.
"This was much more than a push. Thank you, for everything today," she murmured, turning her head to look over at him. "It's been a while since I've had this much fun."
"Expect it more often, then." Ji Hoo meant it. It was true that the two hardly had time for dates, but he would make sure they went on one more often than before. He was determined to see that same smile he saw that afternoon.