31. Lost Book

Somin and Teho

The sun was setting when Somin wandered in the direction of the dorms, fully engrossed in her thoughts. Time spent with Junu was wholesome, yet another person warmed her heart. Absent-mindedly, she sat on another bench on the cycling path. The river still sparkled nearby, hypnotizing her.

It's great the river is near.

She cherished small moments; tried to be grateful for a change.

Relaxing made her cry silently. Her body needed a detox from memories. Anything romantic became Cholsu-linked in her mind and she was struggling to break that connection.

These were the moments she wanted to spend with someone. Loneliness was painfully crushing her. She hoped her life in the new city would be alongside a beloved man. Somin daydreamed about holding hands and sunset kisses even though deep down she knew long before the breakup it would never have been like that.

He wasn't like that at all. She realized.

Thank you romantic movies for making me want to have a cheesy romance.

Somin tried to make her facade look more stable, but it wasn't honest or working at all for what mattered.

A few stones around her pretty shoes caught her eye and one by one, she started to throw them into the river, watching them make a plethora of rings that collided and meshed together in places.

"Beep"

Unknown number: Where are you?

What the hell? Somin thought.

Unknown number: Mia wanted me to check on you since she'll be out. I checked and you're not home.

The text explained.

Mia, I'm alright. That was Somin's first thought.

Wait.

No, I'm not.

Somin texted back a location tag without any words and realized it was almost dark. The first stars peeked out, glowing silvery in the dark sky.

After a while, quickened steps approached her and came to a sudden halt and Somin turned around to see a figure dressed in a gray tracksuit, breathing heavily.

He came to sit next to her on the bench, drenched in sweat, hot from the long run. Teho took out a Kleenex from the pocket in his pants and dried his neck and face.

"I'm not so sexy right now, don't comment," Teho joked and the lamps all around them came alive with their flickering orange glow.

"I don't need supervision," Somin answered, annoyed.

"Honestly, I think Mia is so sweet, she really wants us to get along," Teho explained.

"I see what you're doing and I'm saying she deserves better." Somin threw another stone to the river.

"What am I doing? Amuse me with your prediction?" Teho retorted cockily and shuffled as the night chill started to crawl into his wet clothes.

"Obviously, trying to get into her bed," Somin scoffed.

"It's so cheap I wanna smack you again," she spat. In fact, vocalizing it angered her more than she realized it would.

"So, after a few days of meeting me, you already know who I am and what I want?" Teho said. This was the honest conversation he craved, but he felt insulted nonetheless.

What really pisses you off, huh? His stomach fluttered again.

"You don't have to bother us every day," Somin raged.

"Do what you must, preferably somewhere else and leave." The righteousness in her voice was noticeable.

"That was cold-hearted, even for me," he said seriously and brushed his damp hair.

"What if I want more than that? Am I allowed?" he asked.

"What if I have fun with you guys, huh? Do I deserve to feel good?" His stone graced the surface with an aggressively loud splash while Somin stayed quiet.

"If two adults want to have sex and enjoy each other's company, is that wrong? Is it possible that you're projecting about your own relationship?" Teho asked bluntly and immediately regretted it.

Her hand twitched, wanting to slap him again, but he caught it softly, seeing her emotional struggle.

Shit, I may have crossed the line again. Teho realized.

"Shut up," her words sounded more desperate than threatening.

"Is violence the way to go?" he asked and Somin sniffed, feeling her hot tears.

"I'm sorry," she broke down.

...

He's right.

Somin realized, hearing Dr. Jansen again.

"You are projecting your own dissatisfaction onto others, Ms. Lee. Try to see their behavior from a different perspective."

...

"Is it that unbearable to have me around?" Teho asked, saddened himself.

"Just don't hurt her, right?" Somin said, between sniffles.

"You know it's impossible to promise that, right?" The startled boy said and Somin shot him a "you're dead" look.

"Can YOU promise that yourself?" Teho asked and took out another Kleenex to gently dry her tears.

"Please don't..." she breathed in the sob but stopped as his care was what she yearned for.

"...touch you?" he guessed the end of her sentence. Somin couldn't help it even though it felt wrong, she needed this kind of intimacy.

"I'm not, it's just the cloth," Teho joked to ease the atmosphere a little.

"Let's go," Somin said, still shaking.

...

Somin sat down, exhausted, after Teho led her to the flat and disappeared quietly. Her crying made Teho silent and introspective. But Somin appreciated the gesture. Sometimes it is better to say nothing and simply be close, letting the other one go through the emotions they need to let out.

Changing her clothes and showering felt like being caught in slow motion. Hungry, Somin wandered to the fridge but decided to lay down on the sofa with a glass of wine instead.

One hesitant knock was a sign, the uninvited guest let himself in with takeout dinner.

His cell phone was held to one shoulder by his head while he held food in one hand and closed the door with the other.

"Hi, Mia. Yeah, yeah, I'm checking up on her right as we speak. Hmm. Yes, I have dinner. Don't worry I'm on it. Enjoy your night," the call ended.

Teho, smelling like fresh pine after the shower, unwrapped the meal.

"Does she really care this much?" Somin asked in disbelief, a bit sarcastic.

"Are you alright then?" he retorted, catching a glimpse of her wine.

Teho handed the girl on the sofa her dinner and sat down with his meal on the ground. He noticed she had continued crying. Not sobbing or hysterical tears, but the never stopping bitter ones.

"Should I go away?" he asked hesitantly. "Can you at least acknowledge I try?"

"I guess," Somin said in between salty bites, "Last few days you were tolerable," she managed a tired smile and Teho chuckled.

"I've never had such a hard time with anyone, enjoy your win," the gorgeous boy bopped his hair to move it away from his eyes.

"I'm not usually this difficult," Somin answered, recalling his own words from the previous talk.

"I'm sorry for the slap," she said out of nowhere, "I feel very ashamed, no matter what horrible things you've said, I still am." She sipped her sweet white wine.

"Let's start over, shall we?" Teho asked and she nodded.

"For Mia?" Somin asked.

"For us," he said seriously.

"One last chance," Somin agreed.

Teho put aside his meal and took out a small paper-wrapped book from his pocket.

"I borrowed this, it looked unattended. But since we've started again, I don't wanna lie," he gave a smirk and handed the book to Somin.

"I really feel my palm itching," her tone changed.

"I did go through it 'cuz I wanted to make fun of you," he said honestly and all of her warmth disappeared, "but then I started to read it and I finished it," Teho explained, a bit embarrassed.

"You finished it?" Somin asked in disbelief.

"Well, I didn't sleep much last night. It is really kind of a trash read, but there were some parts I thoroughly enjoyed," Teho stated his review.

"It's not meant to be for you," Somin smirked back at him.

"Why not though? Girls watch porn too, why can't boys read smut?" He smiled widely and continued.

"I find myself enjoying the light banter," the boy recited, "but the sex scenes were a bit too much for my taste."

"A bit too much?" Somin almost spat her food.

"I didn't see her falling for him. He was quite unlikeable and stereotypically masculine. Their sex reflected that and it felt anticlimactic. I found it bizarre at best," the boy said.

"No spoilers! I haven't finished it yet," Somin stopped him.

Teho noticed she composed herself and even smiled at him. Most importantly, the tears stopped. Their talk flowed pleasantly and he found himself being glad to be there with her.

"I must admit, Jeff is a little too brooding for me," Somin giggled.

"It was quite cheesy," Teho replied.

"What do you read normally?" Somin engaged in more relaxed talk.

He sat straight and got closer to her, reaching his palm to hers dramatically.

"Hi, I'm Kim Teho, a photography major. I like science fiction books, long walks outside, and peace of mind once in a while." He flashed his teeth.

"And the book is the cheesy one?" Somin laughed as she accepted his soft hand.

"My coffee should be unsweetened and my dream girl should have a sense of humor," he added, playing up the cliché like he was a contender on a dating reality show.

"You're such a dumbass," she smiled and he shrugged, "Don't you like puppies and sunsets too?"

"Sunsets are alright, but I prefer unicorns to puppies." He observed her glowing face.

...

"Beep"

A message woke Somin from her light snooze, just before her body gave up to the liberating nothingness of deep sleep.

Teho: I really hope we can be friends.

It read, now under the tag "KTH" on her phone.

Somin: I hope so too.

She added.

Somin: Friend.

...

😳 Author's corner 😊

Are you prone to give second chances?

...

🎨Illustrations of each chapter are available on my Wattpad acc, AO3 acc -klubickoArt🎨