Kim Ha-Jun
"Thanks, Baekhyun."
Baekhyun shook his head. "No need to thank me. A friend needed me, and I helped him."
Ha-Jun smiled and stood up from his seat; Baekhyun followed suit. After exchanging numbers and promising to hang out later, Ha-Jun and Baekhyun split in two directions. Much calmed Ha-Jun, but distracted, accidentally bumped into someone.
"Watch where you're going! What is it with men these days?" Ha-Jun was snapped out of his reverie by a young woman in a blue lab coat. She glared at the man who was towering above her. Taking a few steps back, he bowed and apologized.
"I'm sorry, doctor," said he before looking up. "Are you okay?"
The doctor sighed. "I'm okay, but you shouldn't be walking down the hallway absent-mindedly. You never know who you end up hurting."
Kim Ha-Jun nodded in agreement. Upon looking at her carefully, a sense of familiarity washed over him. However, he couldn't place a name on that snow-white face.
Perplexed, he tilted his head to the right. "Hey, if you don't mind me asking,"
The girl intently listened to what the man had to say.
"Do I know you from somewhere?"
"If you reply with Because I believe I may have seen you in my dreams, I will kick you in the nuts!"
Realizing that was a typical pick-up line used by most men of their generation, he laughed with a hand over his mouth. The woman crossed her arms against her chest with a huff.
"I was only asking because you do look familiar. I believe I saw you at Aera's wedding?"
"Doctor Kim Aera?" The woman asked.
Ha-Jun nodded.
She smiled. "She's a friend and mentor of mine. She asked me to attend a few weeks before the wedding. I had nothing on schedule, and so I went. How do you know Doctor Kim?"
"I'm her brother," grinned Ha-Jun.
The woman gasped, placing a hand over her open mouth. "Ah, I'm so sorry I yelled at you! I hope you can forgive me."
Ha-Jun waved his hand dismissively. "Ah, no, no. You don't have to apologize. You did the right thing by yelling at me. I was the one at fault, after all."
The woman stuck her hand out with a bright smile. "I'm Cheon-sa, by the way. Kim Cheon-sa."
Ha-Jun shook her hand and reciprocated the smile. "Kim Ha-Jun."
"Nice to meet you, Kim Ha-Jun," smiled Cheon-sa. "Would you like to talk more over coffee? There's a great place downtown."
"Are you free right now?"
The woman nodded.
"Great, then let's go."
~
"My God, are you serious?" Cheon-sa giggled as she rocked back and forth on her chair. "Doctor Aera did that?"
"Yup," said Ha-Jun, sipping his coffee. "And then our mother kicked us both out of the house. We stayed at our playhouse for three days before she took us back in."
Cheon-sa and Ha-Jun laughed and shared multiple stories about their families. Since Cheonsa was invited to the wedding, Ha-Jun figured she must've been close to his sister. Therefore, he took on the responsibility of sharing tidbits about their childhood.
"You must come to our parent's house sometime," offered Ha-Jun. "My mother cooks delicious soft tofu stew; you would go crazy!"
The woman laughed. "Sold! I'll be visiting soon, then. Make sure you tell your mother to cook extra."
"Oh, I don't have to. She always cooks extra."
"Honestly, now that I know so much about your sister, I look at her in a completely different light. I don't know how I will face her without giggling ."
Ha-Jun chuckled. "You have to control your laughter, Ms Kim Cheon-sa. If she found out I told you this, she would disown me!"
Kim Cheon-sa laughed heartily. "No promises."
It had been a while since Kim Cheon-sa went out with someone and had a great time. The last person she had gone out with was the aloof college student. The walk home was the only fond memory she had from the interaction. When Ha-Jun kept talking about his family, she keenly watched him. He was a gorgeous South Korean man. With a fairly white skin, dark brown hair that fell on his forehead, and a heart-shaped upper lip.
This man was perfect.
Great sense of humor, charming, lovely, and a complete gentleman. What else could any girl want? On the other hand, there was the aloof college student who hadn't texted her once after their last "not date".
"Hello?" Ha-Jun waved his hand over her face. "You there, Ms. Kim?"
"Yes," she blinked a couple of times to snap herself into reality. "Sorry, I zoned out."
"Don't worry about it. It must be because of your stressful work," said Ha-Jun. "Do you wish to return?"
Even though she wanted to enjoy the afternoon with Ha-Jun, she realized that she needed to sort her feelings out before taking things further with him. If she wasn't careful, she could accidentally lead him on. That was the last thing Cheon-sa wished to do.
She nodded. "I'm sorry about cutting things short like this. I had a wonderful afternoon."
Ha-Jun smiled back. "I had a wonderful afternoon with you too, Ms. Kim. I hope we can go out again?"
"I have to look into my schedule," she smiled, getting up from her seat. "I will let you know. Thank you again."
"My pleasure."
~
Kim Cheon-sa (Lady In Blue)
"Ugh,"
"This is the forty-eighth time you've said ugh and pulled your hair. Mind telling me what's wrong?"
Kim Cheon-sa pulled her hair one last time. "You wouldn't get it. You're too old for problems like these."
The man chuckled. "Woman, I have an IQ of 187. I think I'm well capable of understanding your feelings."
The siblings sat at the dining table, waiting for their lunch. After the pre-afternoon with Ha-Jun, she decided to take the day off and visit her older brother and his family. While the wife cooked their meal, the sister made noises, and the brother read the newspaper. It was typical in the Kim household.
"Tell him, Cheon-sa. He's a nerd. He'll figure it out." The brother's wife walked towards them with plates and set the table.
"Wouldn't it be nicer if you sat down to talk?"
"I could, but I have to cook!"
"What about oppa?! He knows how to cook!" Cheon-sa argued.
The wife chuckled. "He does, but I'm scared he'll break something. He broke three glasses yesterday while cooking. He's a menace."
"Ya!" The brother shouted. "Don't talk about me like I don't exist."
The wife smacked him on the head. "When sisters are talking, you don't exist."
Once the wife left, the dinner table fell silent. The brother continued with his newspaper. When Cheon-sa couldn't keep it to herself any longer, she decided to blurt everything out.
"I will tell you what's bothering me if you promise not to make fun of me," said Cheon-sa. The brother looked up from his newspaper.
"Even if you tell me that you're going to turn into a sickly-looking monster with a bald head, I won't laugh at you," chuckled the brother. "Now, spill."
Cheon-sa took a deep breath before telling him everything from Aera's wedding to the coffee date with Ha-Jun. Her brother attentively listened to everything she had to say. After a couple of minutes, she concluded with a question.
"Now, what should I do?"
Her brother rubbed his chin with his index in deep thought. He analyzed every detail carefully before he formulated a proper and helpful response.
"So, you're telling me that you're torn between the aloof college student whose feelings are unknown to you and the perfectly dreamy guy anyone could fall for?"
Cheon-sa nodded.
"It is complicated," her brother concluded. "If you choose option A, you will never know whether the guy likes you or not. What if he doesn't? He will never come forward and tell you how he feels. Moreover, if you decide to confess first, you might scare him away. On the other hand, if you choose option B, then even though the guy is perfect, you might not be able to give him the love he wants. You will always be pining for the aloof guy."
"Now, you see what I said ugh forty-eight times?"
Before her brother could respond, the wife called for him to help her with the pots. Before long, the dinner was served and they forgot about the situation at hand.
"Oppa," Cheon-sa called him mid-lunch to remind him of their previous conversation.
"Right," said he. "I suggest you wait, sister."
"What are you guys talking about?" Intrigued sister-in-law piped in.
Cheon-sa's brother filled her in with Cheon-sa's dilemma.
"I agree with, Jae-Sung, here," said she. "Even though I kinda like this Ha-Jun guy."
"I know," agreed Jae-Sung. "If only you didn't like this Sung-Hoon, I would've suggested you keep seeing Ha-Jun."
"Girl," The wife gave her a look. "You have some issues."
Cheon-sa rolled her eyes. "Come on! You can't help who you like. You fell for this oaf!"
"Hey!" Jae-Sung tried to defend his honor but failed.
"Fair point," said the wife to which Jae-Sung gave her an annoyed look. Unfazed, she continued.
"Look, since he's aloof, instead of confronting him, try hinting around. See if he gets it? If not, then be upfront and clear. If he says no, then move on with that Ha-Jun guy."
"Fine."
A minute later, Cheon-sa's phone buzzed. Her eyes widened with alarm. Abruptly, she stood up from her seat and quickly wiped her mouth with the tissue.
"Ya, Cheon-sa! You can't leave mid-lunch!"
"Sorry, Jae-Sung oppa, I have to go," she slung her bag over the shoulder. "Duty calls."
With that, she ran off.
The wife turned to him.
"I don't care who she dates as long as we're invited to her wedding."