A/N: Hope you enjoy this chapter! Sorry it's shorter than usual.
If you need any clarification, let me know and don't be afraid to ask!
Thank you, everyone, for being patient and sticking with me. Also, thanks for your generous reviews!
And Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays!
"What, Jun Pyo?" grumbled Jan Di over the phone, lying down in the center of the bed. "Why do you keep spamming me? Don't you know that I'm a very busy person!"
"Yeah right. Busy for me, but not for Ji Hoo, right?" he scoffed over the line. "You do realize I am halfway across the world, right?"
Jan Di fell silent at his statement, feeling somewhat guilty. "Well, I do live with him, Jun Pyo," she grumbled. "So, yeah, I'm going to see Ji Hoo most of the day. But why are you spamming me today? Do you need something, or are you just bored?"
She heard Jun Pyo scoff over the line. "Aish, why do you need to be so difficult? Listen, would I really go out of my busy schedule just to talk to you? For someone who's attending university, you're not very smart.."
"I'm going to hang up," she threatened. "What is it? Don't make me repeat myself, again."
"Well, it's about Ji Hoo," he mumbled quietly. "Tell him to stop being a jerk."
"How is he being a jerk?" demanded Jan Di defensively. Her fingers wrapped around the phone tightly; had she anymore strength, she could have shattered it. She had some words for Jun Pyo, but held back and bit her tongue. Instead, she waited on his response to that.
He cleared his throat over the line. "I had...some very important questions for him, and he ignored me."
She rubbed her forehead, sighing exasperatedly. "Is that it? You're upset because of that? Ji Hoo's out on the road right now picking up harabeoji. Why would he answer your text? You know he's had a horrible experience.."
"Hey, laundry girl, I wasn't finished!" Jun Pyo yelled. "He's been ignoring me for a while now. Not like you, though. He at least kept in touch with me until recently. I say we were talking up until the other night. Last time I heard from him, he was going to dinner…"
"Maybe he hasn't had the time to reply," responded Jan Di, shrugging her shoulders. "For someone who says they're busy, you sure do have a lot of free time if you're frustrated over a couple of ignored texts—"
"Yah! I wasn't done!" Jun Pyo's voice held traces of irritation and frustration. "Stop interrupting me. As I was saying, he went to dinner, and never replied. So today, I messaged him again, asking what his problem is, and he had the nerve to tell me to..to…"
"To what?" pressed Jan Di, blinking slowly.
"To...fuck off."
"..What?"
"Yes!" replied Jun Pyo. "He told me that! So, laundry girl, what is his damn problem?"
"How am I supposed to know?" replied Jan Di, sitting up in bed now. "Maybe you did something to piss him off…"
Wrong thing to say.
She could practically feel the rage seeping through the cellphone. "I did something to piss him off? Me?" She heard him scoff on the other line. "After all he's put me through, I should be the one mad!" yelled Jun Pyo, "But I'm not! I've done nothing wrong, either. Aish, I came to you for help, and all you're doing is defending him. You can't explain his weird behavior and you even go as far as to blame me…"
"Fine, fine," exclaimed Jan Di. "I'll talk to him. I will get to the bottom of this and see what's going on with him.."
"Good." Jun Pyo sighed through the line, pausing briefly. "..You two have grown distant, you know."
Jan Di swallowed thickly at the comment. She hardly knew what to say. "..We're very busy with schoolwork," she replied quietly.
"You're especially very distant."
"Jun Pyo," murmured Jan Di. "Is that all you needed?"
"...Yeah, that's all. When you find out what his problem is, call me," replied Jun Pyo. "And don't avoid me this time. I thought we discussed this. But it seems you've left that all behind."
'Just like you left me behind.'
She could almost hear those words. He never said them, but she knew he thought that way. She knew him a bit too well. But he ended up hanging up the phone without waiting for a response. Jan Di frowned a bit, locking her phone and tossing it aside.
He probably doesn't want to reopen old wounds.
But his words stuck to her. She wanted to argue against that statement, call it an exaggeration, but his words didn't seem far from the truth. Jan Di was avoiding him, not purposely, but she wasn't sure why herself. Jan Di lowered her gaze to the floor and remained in the same position for a moment when she heard the door open and a voice call out.
"We're home."
Jan Di slipped her phone into her pocket and forced herself onto her feet, rushing out of the room to the front entrance where Ji Hoo helped his grandfather remove his coat. His grandfather spotted her immediately, and with a small smile, he waved at her.
"Jan Di," he greeted as he approached her. "I was wondering where you were the other night.. I almost thought my grandson upset you. But you appear to be okay."
"Sorry to worry you, harabeoji," apologized Jan Di, bowing her head. "I was the one who made the mistake."
"Now, now. Mistakes are in the past, Jan Di," responded his grandfather. "I don't believe in lingering in past mistakes. As long as we choose to make amends and correct those mistakes, there's no reason to linger over them. Now, let's all go eat. I'm sure neither of you have eaten."
"Shall I cook?" Jan Di asked, helping Ji Hoo's grandfather to the dining room.
"No need," Ji Hoo commented finally, smiling as he held up a bag of food. "Harabeoji suggested we get take out." He followed beside Jan Di.
"From where?" asked Jan Di, glancing between the two.
"From my favorite restaurant, of course!" exclaimed harabeoji.
"Your favorite restaurant..?" repeated Jan Di curiously.
"Yes. Where I always go to eat."
Jan Di glanced over at Ji Hoo, who smiled warmly. "His favorite restaurant is coincidentally the same place where you work."
"Ah, harabeoji!" exclaimed Jan Di, her cheeks heating up. "That's your favorite restaurant?"
"Mhmm. That girl that works there… Your friend," he murmured, "She asked all about you. She said she hardly sees you anymore."
Jan Di fell silent as they reached the dining room and Ji Hoo's grandfather seated himself. Jan Di took her seat across from him, while Ji Hoo set the table quickly. After passing out the food, he sat beside Jan Di as usual, examining his porridge.
"I have to say," commented Ji Hoo, brushing his fingers lightly across his cheek. "I've never eaten here before.."
"Yah!" exclaimed his grandfather as he tossed the chopsticks at him. Ji Hoo, out of surprise, managed to dodge the attack. "How are you going to date her and never eat there? Aish, what kind of man are you…"
Jan Di couldn't help the tiny laugh that the attack evoked from her. She covered her mouth quickly with the back of her hand, clearing her throat and averting her gaze briefly. "It can't be helped. I'm sure Ji Hoo is very busy. I would also feel a little embarrassed if he saw me working there. But thank you for the meal, harabeoji."
Ji Hoo supplied his grandfather with another pair of chopsticks, still smiling. "I should try to make time to come by, though. I've come by before, but I've never really eaten there."
"Well, there's no rush," commented Jan Di as she picked up her chopsticks and began to dig into the porridge. Initially, she wasn't very hungry, but after having the first taste, Jan Di began to realize that she was actually starving. She had forgotten to eat that entire day. As she swallowed the first few bites, she covered her mouth as she swallowed, turning her head to Ji Hoo again who was taking slow bites from the porridge. "You should get into contact with Jun Pyo, too."
"Jun Pyo?" he repeated, glancing over at her. "..Eventually, I will. Why, though?"
"He called me earlier," she murmured, focusing back on the food and taking another, large bite of the porridge. "He said he had something important to discuss with you."
I can't tell him the entirety of the conversation. At least not in front of harabeoji.
As she glanced up from the food, she noticed harabeoji was glancing between the two as they conversed. He was definitely paying attention, so she knew she had to watch what she said.
"He said you sent a confusing text," she added. "He might just be exaggerating though."
"He said that?" murmured Ji Hoo quietly, shifting his gaze back to his own food. "..It might have been a mistake."
"I was thinking that," she agreed, smiling warmly. "Also… Sorry I didn't reply to your text earlier." She puffed out her cheeks, setting down her chopsticks. "I didn't want to bother you while you were driving. I tried telling that to Jun Pyo, but he was being stubborn as always."
Ji Hoo was silent briefly. He took another bite of the porridge before setting down his own chopsticks. "Yeah, he has always been the stubborn type. I'll get back to him later. But don't worry about him," murmured Ji Hoo with a small smile directed towards her. "Let's just finish eating."
Ji Hoo slouched on the couch, Jan Di slumping beside him as she stretched her arms and yawned. She rubbed her eyes briefly and leaned against his shoulder. After dinner, his grandfather had talked up a storm with Jan Di and Ji Hoo, leaving them both somewhat exhausted. Neither of them had the energy at all that day.
"Did you not sleep well the other night?" he murmured, peering over at her.
"It was hard," she admitted. "I couldn't sleep at all."
"Then why not sleep now?" he asked her. "Here, I'll help you to your room.."
She cut him off. "No," she mumbled, glancing up at him. "I can stay awake for a few more minutes. Just give me a minute." She kept leaning against him, rubbing her bare arms. "..Are you mad at Jun Pyo?"
Ji Hoo shook his head. "I could never stay mad at him. I can hold onto pieces of the past, but eventually...we have to forgive, right?"
I learned that from you, Jan Di.
Had it not been for her, Ji Hoo would have never reconnected with his grandfather. Forgiveness was often necessary, but only at the right times.
"Yeah. I figured as much. When you get the chance, you should get back to him. He was really confused by your text."
"I'll text him later. Right now," he whispered, wrapping his arm around her shoulder, pulling her close against him, "I want to spend these next few minutes with you."
"Good," she yawned.
The two of them, slouching on the couch, fell silent briefly. Ji Hoo—careful not to make any movements—peered over at her. Jan Di's eyes had closed by now as she rested her head on his chest. A part of Ji Hoo was surprised, but another part was relaxed as he watched her rest.
She must be really tired.
Jan Di was normally stubborn. From Ji Hoo's observations over time, he noticed her struggle to be affectionate. For Ji Hoo, it had become somewhat natural towards her. If possible, he would keep her in his arms day by day and show her how appreciated she truly was. But he was also aware that would be overstepping boundaries.
When she's ready, she'll open up more to me.
His eyes widened slightly when she shifted in her sleep—or so he assumed—and nuzzled against him. At the same time as her change in position, her phone fell out of her pocket. The phone landed on the floor with a loud 'thump', although it wasn't loud enough to disturb her sleep. He glanced down at the floor. Careful not to wake the sleeping otter, he reached down and snatched up her phone. He left the phone on his lap momentarily, staring at it for seconds at a time. Eventually he gave into his temptation, made sure that Jan Di was deep asleep and with one hand, he unlocked her phone.
"No lock?" he mumbled quietly to himself. His thumb tapped on the phone icon at the bottom of the screen and he opened up the text messages from his number. He slid his thumb downwards across the screen to read the recent texts she received and sent.
Ji Hoo: Missing you already.
Ji Hoo: And you should get out of bed.
Ji Hoo: I know you're still lounging around.
You: Miss you too. And I'm not in bed anymore.
Ji Hoo: Liar, liar. I'll be home soon.
Inhaling sharply, and using only his thumb, he rapidly wrote a message and sent it.
You: Who is this?
He tapped his foot rapidly, waiting for a reply. What felt like forever took a few minutes, and a reply to his previous message was received.
Except there was no message.
There was a picture instead. Ji Hoo felt his heart stop and his blood ran cold.
The picture was of Ji Hoo and Jan Di, who were slouching against each other. Upon closer examination, Jan Di's eyes were clearly closed and Ji Hoo held a phone in his hand.
Jan Di's phone, to be exact.