Jin Young appeared with a charming smile that lit up Ah Reum.
"You..." Ah Reum exclaimed with wide eyes, a delicious mixture of surprise and joy dancing in her gaze.
"Did I scare you?" Jin Young asked with a thoughtful look as he watched Ah Reum, who closed the gate and pointed to the little staircase ahead.
"Not exactly... it's just that you caught me off guard. Let's sit here," suggested Ah Reum with a hint of curiosity.
A beautiful Kojo-no-mai cherry tree adorned the front of the house.
It stood next to the small staircase that led to the protected section of the gate, a characteristic of traditional hanoks. It was exactly on these steps that Jin Young and Ah Reum sat down.
The delicate, fragile cherry blossoms gave the front of the house a subtle, romantic charm. Without a doubt, it was the ideal place for a couple.
Jin Young broke the ice with a touch of humor. "Well, I was passing by and thought I'd say hi... hi!" He joked a little awkwardly and shamelessly.
"Is that too weird?" He smiled, with a touch of self-consciousness in his playful approach.
Ah Reum started to laugh. "Was he really passing by? She thought before answering.
"A little, I'd say." She said, squinting her eyes and laughing.
She continued: "But you've made me laugh a lot, sometimes you can be more transparent than a child, and I really appreciate that about you." She said, delighted.
Discreetly, Ah Reum changed the tone of the conversation. "Ah, you spent less time with us today, I hardly saw you."
"Hmm, with the test coming up, we're practicing a lot, maybe I won't even get to see you these days..." He explained, giving her a look like that of a sad puppy-dog.
He continued: "If... I don't show up there, but I'm suddenly passing by, could I... come to you?" Jin Young asked carefully and directly, considering Ah Reum's feelings, but also expressing his own.
Ah Reum smiled warmly, clearly understanding his intention. "If, you've suddenly arrived here, you can... knock on my door. I'll open it for you!"
With bright, captivating eyes, they smiled radiantly at each other.
Captivated, Jin Young saw another opportunity, a door opening for them once again.
He then proceeded to speak. "We talked about me that day, I thought I should know more about you too."
She says firmly: "Fair enough! What do you want to know?"
"I want to know a lot of things... Can I ask anything, can I find out everything?" Jin Young's words were direct and had a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"A lot of things? Are you investigating me?" Ah Reum asked with a sharp focus and a certain shyness.
"Am I?" Jin Young replied with a playful smile.
"Jin Young, you're a great conversationalist. It took us a while to get into a conversation, didn't it?" Ah Reum observed with a touch of admiration.
"How about we talk about everything we haven't talked about yet? Can I start the questions?"
Ah Reum nodded in agreement.
"Okay, I must admit that I've been watching you too, with the utmost respect, of course," confessed Jin Young.
"In the afternoon, I know you're at the Pâtisserie, but what about at night? Are you usually here? Maybe you're a student? I'm curious, what do you do in the morning and what's your dream?" Jin Young finished speaking, but his thoughts continued.
"Tell me about your family, how long have you lived alone and what do you like? Is it me?" He thought to himself.
Ah Reum decided to begin her answers by delving into her childhood and the discovery of her dreams, as this encompassed several areas of her life.
With affection, she says: "I'll tell you a bit about myself. Well, I think I was quite a mature child, you know, although that doesn't mean I wasn't naughty, quite the opposite. I suspect that's why I had this sense of maturity, because it came from my happiness.
I've always been very happy, thank God. No matter how much we had, I always felt grateful.
And even as a child, I understood how hard my parents worked to support us, so no, it was never little, it was all my parents' work and love for me and my sister." Ah Reum expressed with deep love.
"But, you know? People are different." Ah Reum continued. "It wasn't the same for my sister; not that she isn't grateful, but I understand that she wanted more.
And if there's one thing a happy child wants, it's for their whole family to be happy too, so I always wanted to give the best to my parents and my sister, and I strived for that, to be the best daughter, to work hard and do everything I could for them."
Jin Young, once talkative, now listened attentively to the story of the person he loved.
"Did you make it?" he asked intently.
"Yes, hihi," replied Ah Reum with satisfaction.
"Study!" she exclaimed. "The best way for those who want to make their parents proud and grow up to improve their family's life.
I've decided to do it! Remembering that I never liked studying hehe.
But well, this is still my life, so I should do what I like, that's what I thought.
And that was my decision! Can I continue? Am I saying too much?" Ah Reum speaks so fondly of her family and her story that she gets lost in the amount of things she's already said.
"Is he really listening?" she wondered.
As Ah Reum shared her story, she conveyed much more than words.
Each new sentence was a direct link to her heart, able to convey the love and strength Ah Reum had for her family and her life.
Jin Young, who was listening attentively, could feel the depth of her feelings with every detail she shared.
"I can really, really feel the affection you have for your family, it's so beautiful and warm." Jin Young said genuinely.
His bright eyes, attentive to Ah Reum, confirmed to her the sincerity of what he had just said.
He continues: "The fact that you share something so beautiful with me... makes me feel grateful and happy! If you want to continue telling me your story, I'd love to know everything!" He finished his reply, full of affection.
The memories bring Ah Reum the feeling of being under the care of her parents, as when she was a child, a beautiful and nostalgic feeling takes over her being, and eventually a few tears fall.
"Don't worry," she reassures Jin Young, laughing shyly while wiping your tears.
"Maybe I've already told you that sometimes I get sentimental...well, I'll continue hihi, I said I'd do it doing something I love, but I hadn't figured out what it was yet lol.
For a long time I wondered: is there something I'm really good at and that I love? I'm not sure.
But you know, there was one place that always caught my attention, day or night. I was happy just to look at the sky and imagine what it would be like to fly.
Children do that, their imaginations run wild. Whenever we heard an airplane, we ran to see it lol.
I love the sky! So I'd think about what the sky must be like up there, I was sure it was even more beautiful, and I'd wonder if I was really going to fly up there.
But if I'm not a bird, how can I fly? Hihi" She joked. "I'm going to become a flight attendant! And I'm going to do very well!" Overjoyed, she winks at him with a smile full of enthusiasm.
That's how I discovered a dream, my dream!" She smiled hopefully.
"I think you're good at a lot of things!" Jin Young said romantically as he looked at her.
A romantic atmosphere enveloped them, their eyes locked in a sweet, shared laughter.
"I hope the airline thinks so too, hihi." Ah Reum joked.
"But that was just the beginning of my dream, the sky led me to want to be a flight attendant, but discovering and understanding what it really means to be a flight attendant made me love the profession and know, this is it, this is what I really want to do!" Her enthusiasm was palpable.
The way Ah Reum expressed her passion for the profession was truly impressive and engaging. Anyone who saw her would surely say: "She sure loves what she does!"
She continues, as does her excitement "Did you know that flight attendants aren't just there to serve? Contrary to what many people think, the main function of a flight attendant is to be a safety officer inside the aircraft, to provide total security for passengers, whatever the situation, the flight attendant will be on the front line so that all passengers are safe.
We are trained for any situation, accidents, fires, terrorism, robberies and much more."
Ah Reum's eyes shone even brighter at that moment, and you could sense his pride in the enthusiastic and joyful tone of his voice.
"Discovering that I could save lives, if necessary, made me realize that this was what I wanted to work on. You know, traveling is really cool, but sometimes it's also tiring, which can be stressful for some people.
So to be able to offer an excellent service in a comfortable and safe environment, giving someone the opportunity to return to their family? I wanted to be that person, the person who cares and protects! Who brings lightness with a beautiful smile and kindness!
That's why I took so many courses in addition to college.
Oh, I have a degree in Hotel Administration! One of the requirements of the company I want to work for is to have a degree.
I chose something that adds excellence in service."
With her enthusiasm intact, Ah Reum talked on and on, unaware of the passing hours.