Lee In Joon awkwardly retracted his hand. He ran that hand over his hair and smiled sheepishly. He picked up his puppy and caressed his soft fur. The puppy sniffled and came more close to his owner.
"So, you got married?" In Joon asked when he saw the ring in her ring finger.
"Yes. I got married last year." Ji Ah looked down at her ring and smiled.
After that everything became silent. Ji Ah wanted to invite him in. It had been 20 years since, they met but she was afraid... afraid that it would make him feel that he got a chance or something. She didn't wanted to hurt Min Hyuk and she didn't wanted to make In Joon feel like she wants him.
Therefore, she just said in a small voice "I will get going, then. Let's meet some other time when we get the chance to." She forcefully smiled and turned around to enter inside our house.
As In Joon saw Ji Ah leaving, he took long strides towards her and held her hand which was on the door handle. Ji Ah flinched. She retracted her hand from his hold and stared at him, flustered.
"Ohh! I'm sorry. I didn't mean to do that." Realizing that she was getting uncomfortable, he took a step back and apologized. "I just wanted to get your number...so that we can talk with each other often." He took out his phone from his pocket and looked at her with a different look on his face.
"Umm... I..." Ji Ah started to hesitate.
"Um.. I guess, it is fine. I can understand. Let's keep in touch in some other way!" Lee In Joon kept his phone inside his pocket and suddenly patted on her head. Looking at her with warm gentle eyes, he grinned from ear to ear and said "Take care of yourself, Ji Ah!"
Ji Ah felt warm under his gesture. The look reminded her of the childhood days. He used to look at her like this back then. It just felt really different right now.
She saw him leaving and she felt like stopping him. But it was better not to do so. Smiling, she turned around and entered inside her house.
Later at night, Ji Ah sat on the sofa in the living room and watched television. She was watching a comedy show and laughing hard. She had already kept the food on the table waiting for her husband to come.
She heard the opening of the door. Looking at the main door, she saw Min Hyuk staggering. "Min Hyuk, You alright?" She quickly closed the TV and rushed towards him.
As she moved closer to him, a strong smell of liquor touched her nose. She coughed and covered her nose. It was the first time her husband had come home with a smell of liquor. "Did you drink?"
Min Hyuk entered inside the house faltering. He changed into his slippers and started walking while supporting himself on Ji Ah.
Ji Ah kept his hand over her shoulder and held him by his waist. Slowly, slowly, she took him along with her and made him sit on the sofa. "Rest over here. I will get you something to drink." She opened the first few buttons of his shirt and brushed the hair which were on his forehead upwards.
Ji Ah furrowed her brows. It was the first time she had seen him like this. Even if Min Hyuk used to drink, he used to stay in his limit. But today... he was completely drunk. Ji Ah felt sad. She didn't know why but seeing her husband in this state made her feel guilty.
Removing the remote which was lying on the sofa, she started to walk away when Min Hyuk held her hand. He pulled her and made her sit on his lap. "Don't go!" He demanded in a husky voice and started nibbling her ear.
The smell of alcohol was making Ji Ah unable to stay with him. In her entire life, Ji Ah rarely drank liquor. And, this strong scent of it was making her hazy. And Min Hyuk nibbling on her ears and telling her not to go in a husky voice was making her mind go completely blank.
"I won't go!" She turned a little and kept her legs on the sofa such that she was able to see her husband's face. Caressing his face with the back of her hand, she pulled him closer and kissed him on his parted lips.
"Don't ever speak such rubbish with me." She whispered as she broke from the kiss. She felt Min Hyuk tracing her behind and she sat on his lap, keeping her legs on either side of his waist. She encircled her arms around his neck and stared in his eyes.
Min Hyuk stared at her face and said "I just want you to be with me, forever."
"Me too." Ji Ah pulled him for another small kiss and then kissed his forehead. "Don't worry, I won't!"
After what happened with the two of them, they both needed to comfort one another and a small hug with sweet words was enough to comfort the uneasy feeling which was slowly coming out of their heart.
Ji Ah knew that someday or the other, In Joon would ask her about the promise and Min Hyuk also knew that someday or the other, he would give Ji Ah for his greed.
Still, they just wanted to be together for a while trying to remove all that which was happening with themselves.
But no one had a little bit of an idea that things were just going to change soon; be it for the best or the worst.