by Con Template
These would be her last bags.
Although there were three more grocery bags on the kitchen counter, Yoori decided she would deal with all of that later. She had already stolen too much time to herself. Though she was confused and worried, she shouldn’t prolong the inevitable anymore. She had to tell Tae Hyun everything and she had to tell him tonight.
That goal in mind, Yoori placed the last cookie box into the cupboards.
Her tentative brown eyes, which still had remnants of tears glazed over them, wandered across the living room. Though Tae Hyun was nowhere in sight, he was somewhere in the apartment.
Closing the cupboards, she took off her shoes and made her way down the hall. She pushed the bedroom door open. She poked her head into the room, thinking that she would find Tae Hyun sitting on the bed doing his usual paperwork for his Underworld stuff. When all she found was an empty room, Yoori’s brows bunched in confusion. She could feel Tae Hyun’s presence. Why was he nowhere in sight? How odd.
Yoori returned to the living room more befuddled than ever. He wasn’t in the apartment but she knew he was close to her. Slowly, her eyes landed on the glass sliding door that separated the living room and the balcony outside.
He couldn’t be outside when the weather was so crazy cold, right?
Eager to find out for herself, her legs took off in the direction of the sliding door. Her hand landed on the lever and she slid it open. She poked her head outside. The winter breeze billowed through her hair like curtains dancing in the wind. It didn’t take her long to spot the one she was looking for.
Her heart soared when she saw him.
Sure enough, Tae Hyun sat on a long, rectangular table that was pulled off to the corner. He wore a white jacket and dark blue jeans. He sat with his legs folded, his messy spiked hair rustling in the calm wind and his back resting comfortably against the wall. The rain had ceased for the time being, leaving Tae Hyun to enjoy the relaxed ambiance with closed eyes. The tranquility was probably the reason why he braved this gloomy weather.
The scene looked utterly picturesque. If they weren’t suspended in midair, she would've thought he was performing a photo-shoot with his attractive self as the main model.
She wasted no more time to greet Tae Hyun.
“Hey Snob,” Yoori greeted warmly.
She did her best to hide the big smile fighting to bloom unto her lips. If the outpouring of butterflies that flew in her stomach gave any indication, then Yoori had no doubt that she was excited to finally see him. Suddenly all her troubles, although they still existed powerfully in her mind, appeared far away when in the presence of Tae Hyun…
Yoori waved happily when Tae Hyun lifted his eyelids and turned to her. His eyes held a glimmer of joy that made her feel warm all over.
“Hey Brat,” he greeted back, his face mirroring Yoori’s. He tried to hide that he was excited to see her as well.
“Why are you sitting out here?” Yoori went on, secretly happy that they were communicating again. Name calling aside of course.
Tae Hyun shrugged. “I had a lot on my mind and I wanted some fresh air.” He drew his eyes away from her to appreciate his surroundings. “Plus, I like sitting out here when the weather is unfriendly like this. No one else is outside…it makes me feel like I have the entire world to myself.”
Yoori nodded, immediately understanding his reasoning. As crazy as the weather was, there was a sense of peacefulness that came with all the chaos.
She stepped onto the wet surface of the balcony, casually sliding the glass door closed. The cold stung her bare feet, but Yoori kept the unpleasant reaction off her face. She didn’t want Tae Hyun to kick her back in for not being able to handle the cold.
The concern of being kicked back inside was warranted with Tae Hyun’s next set of actions.
“Eh!” Tae Hyun reprimanded once he saw her approaching him. “You’re not allowed out here!”
Yoori pretended to be ignorant. “Why not?”
While approaching him, she spotted a red towel on the floor. Tae Hyun had wiped the table clean of water before sitting on it himself. Further comforted by the fact that she was going to be sitting on a dry table, Yoori strode past him, happily got on, sat right across from him, and eyed him pleasantly. She presented him with a sheepish smile. It was her subtle way of telling him that she wasn’t planning on going back inside anytime soon.
Though he scoffed, there was a curve of a smile on his face that told Yoori he wasn’t that upset. Nevertheless, Tae Hyun didn’t falter with his objective of kicking her back inside.
“Do you not recall having a bad track record when it comes to handling the cold? Where’s the blanket I bought you?”
Yoori shrugged. “Somewhere,” she said briskly, honestly not knowing where the blanket was.
Tae Hyun frowned in disapproval.
“Go back inside, Choi Yoori,” he said tiredly, taking his eyes off her. “I don’t want to deal with you getting sick.”
Yoori shook her head, stubbornness embedded inside her. Though the goal of telling him she was An Soo Jin continued to linger in her mind, Yoori wanted to casually catch up with him before they went into earthshattering realities. She wanted to prolong the innocence of her dream for a couple more minutes.
Just a couple more minutes…and then she’d wake herself up.
Tae Hyun wearily closed his eyes at her defiance. “Assistant, listen to me. You need to go back inside–”
“I miss you,” she interjected swiftly. There was no filtering of her answer. It was the cold, hard truth.
The sternness in his face softened when he opened his eyes. He didn’t believe his ears. “What?”
Under different circumstances, Yoori would be quick to retract that statement so she wouldn’t appear too vulnerable. However, in this moment, she had too much on her mind. She wanted to be with Tae Hyun and talk to him again. She no longer cared about looking vulnerable.
“We haven’t talked in awhile…and I just…miss you,” she finished quietly, this time finding it a bit more difficult to keep eye contact. She felt incredibly exposed.
Tae Hyun sighed again after hearing her unfiltered reply. It didn’t seem as if he liked her answer too much. Shaking his head at her, he gave her one last look before unfolding his legs and jumping off the table. Without another word, he drew away from the table and disappeared into the living room, leaving Yoori to sit on the table alone, her face dejected from being snubbed.
Guess we’re still not talking, she thought despondently, regretting that she was being so honest with her feelings.
She continued to sit there, allowing a couple more minutes to pass. Her eyes lingered on the sliding door. Her gaze was hopeful that Tae Hyun would feel bad and come back outside. When all she was left with was the howling of the wind, the blinking city lights, and the waves of cars swimming underneath her, the hope flickered out of her eyes. Disheartened that he wanted to further extend their awkwardness, Yoori was ready to jump off the table when she heard the door slide open.
A smile tugged at her lips when Yoori watched Tae Hyun approach her. He was holding a teacup in one hand and her lavender blanket in the other. When he reached her, Tae Hyun placed the jade colored teacup on the table and unfolded the blanket. He promptly wrapped it around Yoori like a cape. Yoori couldn’t take her eyes off him. She was lost in an awe of gratitude. He carefully made sure every part of her, from the chin down, was covered with the blanket before he got back on the table.
“Thanks for ignoring me a couple of minutes ago, Snob,” Yoori confronted warmly. “I thought you left for good.”
She contemplated thanking him for the blanket before he laughed and said, “You’re welcome for the blanket, Brat.”
Yoori wrapped the blanket closer around her. A small, appreciative smile graced her countenance. She watched Tae Hyun situate himself on the table.
He only went back inside to bring me my blanket, she thought happily.
Catching the spark
le of appreciation in her eyes, Tae Hyun quickly added, “By the way, I’m not being nice. I just don’t want to deal with you getting sick.”
“You’re such a thoughtful jerk,” Yoori commented affectionately, unable to conceal her widening smile.
“I’d like to think so,” he answered, smiling back. His eyes rested on the teacup he brought out for her. He enclosed his hands around it and handed it to her.
“That’s for me too?” Yoori asked uncertainly. She gawked at the steam flowing out of the teacup. She thought she was only getting the blanket.
“Take it before it gets cold,” he advised, extending the teacup further out to her.
Yoori grabbed it at once. The heat from the cup did a wonderful job of thawing her cold hands. She brought the cup to her nose. She loved to get a whiff of her tea before she drank from it. The heavenly aroma filled her nostrils and Yoori was surprised to find that she had been introduced to this tea before.
“It’ll be the best thing you’ve ever tasted,” Tae Hyun urged warmly, thinking that Yoori’s bout of recognition with the tea was hesitation on her part to drink it.
However, before she could even grace the taste with her lips, miniature ripples within the tea began to take form. Instinctively, both Yoori and Tae Hyun lifted their eyes to meet the dark sky above. Trickles of mist tickled their faces.
It started sprinkling, an obvious prelude to the shower of rain to follow.
“Is this the part where we go back inside?” Yoori asked, crestfallen that her time with Tae Hyun might end earlier than she anticipated. She didn’t want to go back inside and Yoori had a good feeling that Tae Hyun didn’t want to either. Nonetheless, it wasn’t ideal for them to sit outside when the rain was about to deluge upon them.
“Do you want to go back inside?” Tae Hyun asked coolly. There was something in his question that told her he had another alternative to sitting outside.
Yoori shook her head. She was curious as to what he had up his sleeves.
Tae Hyun lowered his eyes unto the table they were sitting on. Though he didn’t say anything, an amused Yoori knew what he was thinking. Leave it up to her crime lord boss to come up with the most interesting of alternatives…
“You’re suggesting that we sit underneath the table?” Yoori thought out loud. Her amused smile never left her lips.
“All we need is something to prevent us from getting wet,” said Tae Hyun with one of his charming smirks.
Yoori nodded, open to this suggestion. She was secretly pleased that he suggested this. To a small degree, it meant he wanted to hang out with her too. It also meant that their awkwardness since the lake house was fading fast.
Yeah! she thought happily. Friendship conquers all!
Presenting each other with one final blink of confirmation, Yoori and Tae Hyun, just as the rain was about to pick up, unfolded their legs and jumped off the table. With her blanket draped over her and her teacup in hand, Yoori followed as Tae Hyun bent his knees and moved in underneath the table. He extended out his hand to help hold her teacup. Her hands firmly clenched around her blanket, Yoori bent her knees and slid underneath the table.
Due to her small frame, Yoori wasn’t worried about her comfort level underneath the table. Nevertheless, she was worried about its conduciveness for Tae Hyun, whose tall frame would get him in trouble anywhere. To her pleasant surprise, the height of the table was high enough for Tae Hyun to sit comfortably underneath.
Yoori looked around.
Despite the unconventional shelter, Yoori profoundly enjoyed sitting underneath that table with Tae Hyun. She felt safe. It was mere assumption on her part, but she had an inkling that Tae Hyun shared in the same contentment.
Like 10-year-olds, they sat with their legs crossed, their backs against the wall, and their eyes fully fixated on the view of the horizon. Her perfume and his cologne breathed together as rain pelted around them.
Yoori was grateful that the barriers around Tae Hyun’s balcony were glass, which meant that even under the table, they could get a breathtaking view of the world before them. Trickles of rain cascaded onto the glass railing of the balcony. The liquid droplets blocked the full view of the blinking city – but only slightly.
“Here,” said Tae Hyun, pulling her out of her staring state. He handed her the warm teacup.
“Thanks,” Yoori whispered, grabbing the cup at once.
Tae Hyun watched with anticipation.
The warmth from the glass comforted her. Going back to where she left off before it started sprinkling, she brought the teacup up toward her. Yoori lowered the tip of the cup to her lips and began to sip from it. Sure enough, as she felt little drops of heaven fill her mouth, the big tread of coldness that once ran over her body left instantaneously. As a cold wind accompanied them underneath the table, she was certain now that she had this tea before. It was undoubtedly the same tea Ji Hoon shared with her when she saw him the other night.
“Is this…” she started, trying to recall the name Ji Hoon shared with her. “Is this queen of Babylon white tea with a mix of rooibos rose garden tea and a tou –”
“– touch of German rock cane sugar,” Tae Hyun finished for her. He was surprised that she knew the name. “How did you know?”
“Uh…is this not a popular drink?” she asked apprehensively, not wanting to bring up Ji Hoon.
Tae Hyun took a moment to deliberate the answer. Seconds later, he laughed. “I guess the trend caught on,” he replied before adding, “You know that I mixed this tea together, right?” There was pride in his voice. It mirrored that of a proud kid showing off his straight A’s report card.
“Yeah…I know because I sure didn’t,” Yoori replied, misunderstanding what Tae Hyun was trying to share with her.
He gave her an odd look. “No. I mean I invented it.”
Yoori’s eyes rounded like baseballs. “You started this drink trend?”
Tae Hyun nodded. A prideful smile illumed his face. The heavy, yet peaceful, splattering of the rain could be heard as Tae Hyun went on, his eyes lingering on an undetectable space of the city.
“Well, I don’t know. It’s a pretty easy drink to mix together so other people probably thought of it too. But when I was younger – a lot younger – I was bored so I started mixing drinks together. I mixed the queen of Babylon white tea and the rooibos rose garden tea together. Then, I threw a bit of German rock cane sugar and after that…I created heaven in a cup.” He laughed as he reminisced. “It was a thoughtless mix, but the Underworld is filled with tea enthusiasts…so I guess whoever tried my drink got hooked.”
What a small world that Lee Ji Hoon’s favorite tea was the one that Kwon Tae Hyun created, Yoori mused. The irony was incredible.
Tae Hyun turned to her. “How did you know about this drink?”
Yoori smiled timidly. She was determined not to bring up Ji Hoon. “I guess the Underworld sets the trends and the rest of the world follows,” she replied, bluffing quite easily. To avert his attention from calling her bluff, she offered the tea to him.
Distracted, and unable to refuse his favorite drink, Tae Hyun took the cup, inhaled a bit of the aroma and promptly took a couple of sips from it. He sighed as if he was in heaven and handed the teacup back to Yoori. He made sure there was enough left for her.
The torrent of the rain picked up when Yoori grabbed the teacup. Remnants of water streamed off the outer sides of the table. Though they were getting partially wet from the residual water that slithered beneath them, it wasn’t enough to knock Yoori or Tae Hyun from their peaceful state. A companionable silence settled between them when they took in the panoramic view. The city lights blinked under the canvas of the murky sky. All that could be heard was the rhythmic drumming of the rain and the howling of the wind. It was peaceful, almost hypnotizing. It somehow acted as a reminder to Yoori as to what she had to talk to Tae Hyun about.
Seemingly anticipating the train of her apprehensive thoughts, Tae Hyun’s voice swam through the wave
of the serene silence. “Something seems to be bothering you. Did you want to talk to me about something?”
It occurred to Yoori that even under the façade of her smile, Tae Hyun knew her enough to discern when she was troubled. It showed how close they’d become when, even under the greatest of her bluffs, he could see right through her.
She heaved a breath. Her eyes focused on the view of the city before she nodded. She wasn’t even sure where to begin. Surely a conversation that began with, “I’m An Soo Jin” would throw anyone off the balcony. Even though she was determined to tell him everything, she wanted to take things slowly. She didn’t know how Tae Hyun would react and she wanted to prolong the inevitable for just a couple more minutes.
Recalling the one silver lining of this entire day, Yoori parted her lips and said, “I met Jae Won’s girlfriend today.”
She took a sip of the tea before handing the cup over to Tae Hyun.
One of the bigger things she would have to filter out of this conversation was that she also knew who Kang Min’s girlfriend was. God knows how the King of Serpents would react if and when he finds out that his baby sister is dating one of his gang members. Yoori sure as hell didn’t want to be the one to tell him.
“Did you like her?” Tae Hyun asked casually, stealing Yoori away from her thoughts. He grabbed the teacup from her and lifted it up to his lips.
Yoori bounced her head to confirm. He would enjoy this news with her. “Yeah, apparently his girlfriend is Chae Young.”
Tae Hyun’s face lit up. A smile touched his lips when he handed the teacup back to her. “Your friend from the diner?”
Yoori beamed and nodded again.
Tae Hyun laughed, sharing in the same happy reaction. “Wow, what a small world.”
“I know, right?”
“That’s amazing actually," Tae Hyun remarked, thrilled that Yoori had her friend back. "Congrats, Choi Yoori. Everything seems to be working out for you.”
Yoori smiled wryly. Her heart dropped. If only he knew.