Chapter 1: Can Love Overcome a Lie? – July 15 – August 3, 2019
Two weeks had passed since Jungkook had seen Yunyeong. He had meant to get her phone number from her sister so he could text her, but his job search had netted better results than he had expected. He had found not one but three jobs to work. Which was great! He would be able to earn enough in just five weeks to accomplish his goal. But he was also working from sunrise until eleven each night. Which left him with just enough time to sleep.
But two weeks into his life of labor, he was given one whole day off. He made a beeline for Yunyeong’s house. Only to discover she wasn’t home. Yunseong informed him that her sister was out jogging. He grinned. He knew just where she’d gone. So he decided to take the reverse path.
––
Yunyeong was jogging. Alone. Such a sad occupation. She blamed Jungkook.
She used to be perfectly happy jogging by herself. But now, every time she went jogging, all she could think of was Kookie and the day they’d gone jogging together. His lending her his strength. His patient coaching in the art of breathing. His solid shoulder to cry on. His warm arms to comfort her. His sweet words to soothe her. They were the hardest to erase from her heart.
You deserve beauty. All the good things in life.
Still, she tried to wipe them from her mind as she ran down the path that curved through the park.
You were born for love.
But they were so persistent.
I want you.
The harder she tried to close them out, the more they echoed back to her. In his sweet, soft voice.
I love you.
She took a deep breath and pressed on. She was two-thirds of the way through her jog. If she just kept going, she’d be home before she knew it. And she could get back to work. Her project was coming along nicely.
Yunyeong.
That last had been so clear that she would have sworn she’d heard it with her ears. Not just her heart.
“Yunyeong,” an amused voice called again. Softly.
She knew that beloved voice. And that pleasing scent. She glanced up. Right into Kookie’s beautiful, obsidian orbs.
––
Jungkook smiled down into her eyes. He had missed her so much. He didn’t even think about what he was doing. He just reached for her and slid his arms around her waist. Then he drew her close to his heart. This was right where she belonged.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he breathed into her hair.
Overwhelmed, Yunyeong breathed in his scent as she tried to inhale his shirt. He smelled so good.
Her muffled voice responded to him, “You missed me? I haven’t heard from you in two weeks.”
He winced. She was hurt. He could hear it in her voice.
“I’m sorry. I’ve been working from sunrise till nearly midnight each day. I meant to get your number from Yunseong, but I haven’t had much of a break. I haven’t even been eating that much.”
She could tell. He felt thinner. She drew away from him and stood on tiptoe before pulling his T-shirt away from his body and glancing down at his abdomen through the hole in the top of his shirt.
“Are you guys still there?” she called to his abdominal muscles.
Jungkook started chuckling. “Probably not. I had to give up my morning workouts. I haven’t even been jogging.”
“I can tell. You sound winded.”
“Do I really?”
She shook her head as she smiled up at him. “Do you have your phone with you?”
He nodded.
She held her hand out.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and unlocked it with his thumb. Then he handed it to her.
She opened his contacts and typed in her name and number. Then she sent herself a text. She handed his phone back to him and pulled hers from her own pocket as she felt it vibrate. She found the text she’d just sent herself. She responded to it with a smiling emoji. Then she glanced up at him.
“Now you’ve got my number.”
He grinned down at her. “Thank you.” He began to type something into his phone.
A moment later, her phone vibrated again. She glanced down at it.
I love you.
Her heart melted. So much for eradicating him from her heart during the last two weeks. She glanced up at him and smiled. Then he spoke.
“Can I see what you’ve been working on for the last two weeks?”
“What?” Her head snapped up. She was rigid as a board now.
How did he know what she’d been working on for two weeks?
“Your artwork. I know you must have been working on some projects since I saw you last.”
She breathed a sigh of relief. He had no idea. He had just assumed that she’d been drawing.
“You can’t see them.”
“What?”
She could hear the disappointment in his voice.
“Not yet anyway.” Her lips curved in a mysterious smile.
“Ohhhh. Is it a secret?” He leaned towards her and whispered the words in her ear.
She’d missed his breath flowing across her skin.
She nodded her head. “It’s a surprise.”
“Excellent.” A special glow lit his eyes then.
Her own eyes narrowed. “Why is it so excellent?”
“Because in a few weeks, I’ll have a surprise of my own.”
Her eyebrows flew up. “You will?”
He nodded cheerfully.
She smiled. “Is that why you suddenly had to work around the clock?”
“May-be.” That cute, little smile lit his face again.
“All right. I’ll stop asking questions.” She quirked her chocolate eyebrow at him. “Ready to run?”
“If we must. I’m a little out of shape.”
“I doubt that very much. Let’s find out.”
He lifted his left eyebrow in question.
Suddenly, she took off, yelling behind her, “Catch me if you can!”
Jungkook laughed. He gave her a little bit of a head start. Then, he followed her. He caught up with her before she arrived at the edge of the park. He reached out and grabbed her around the waist and hauled her around in a circle. She laughed suddenly. And Jungkook’s heart lit up with that happy sound. It was just what he’d been looking for.
––
The last three weeks had flown by. Even though Jungkook hadn’t seen Yunyeong. Not even once. He missed her. But it was going to be so worth it.
And he had texted her every single day. He’d discovered that she was quite amusing through text. He didn’t have a lot of time to text, but he read hers and responded each time he sat down to eat.
She knew she might only hear from him twice a day, but that was enough for her. Just knowing that Kookie was reading her words and thinking of her was more than enough to make her heart float on happy thoughts.
But she was looking forward to seeing him today. He had finally finished his jobs. She climbed from bed and dressed. She was expecting him any moment.
He showed up at her house a few minutes later. It wasn’t yet seven in the morning. Had he been as eager to see her as she had been to see him?
“Ready to run?” he asked.
She smirked at him. “Need to get back in shape?”
“Alas,” he patted his stomach, “I think my friends have left the building.”
“No! Say it ain’t so!” she wailed.
And Kookie laughed. Then he pulled up his shirt and showed her the evidence. She nearly fainted.
“You cheated,” she accused him.
“Huh?”
“You’re still doing sit-ups each morning, aren’t you?”
“Among other things…” He smiled at her. “I couldn’t let myself go to pot. Not completely.”
She sighed. “All right. Let’s see if we can give your lungs a workout.”
––
When had she become so comfortable with him? She pondered that question as she jogged alongside him.
Kookie had become her best friend. She looked forward to his text messages each morning when she woke up. There was always something waiting for her. She thought of his favorite and most frequent phrase. It was her favorite too. She could count on seeing it at least once a day. Sometimes, twice. It greeted her every morning.
I love you.
She still hadn’t texted those words to him. Not yet. Because she hadn’t spoken them to him. But her lack of effusiveness never dissuaded him. He continued to love her persistently. In word and in deed.
He wasn’t demanding. He didn’t seem to expect her to say it back. He was simply happy to have her in his life. In whatever capacity she could handle. Maybe that was why she was so comfortable with him.
They jogged in silence for a while. A comfortable silence. About halfway through their workout, Jungkook slowed down. He gestured towards a bench that lined the walking path.
“Can we sit for a little while?”
She nodded. They settled in next to each other. His hand brushed hers accidentally. Then he stilled. His eyes met hers. The look in them stole her breath.
Then he slid his fingers along hers. Next, his thumb stroked the side of her thumb. His deep, dark eyes continued to probe hers as his thumb caressed her skin.
She couldn’t look away from him. And she still couldn’t breathe either. She was holding that breath. Waiting to see what he would do next. That tender thumb was releasing tingles under her skin. And heat into her core.
His eyes were so serious as they searched hers. But as she continued to hold his gaze, his thumb grew bolder. So did his other fingers. They slid along her palm until his palm completely covered hers. Then those long, elegant fingers sought out the spaces between her own. Kookie laced their fingers together. Then a slow smile lit his beautiful face.
An answering smile stretched across hers. They sat for several minutes holding hands. Both growing accustomed to the feel of the other’s warm skin. She was marveling at how perfectly her hand fit in his. And enjoying the snug comfort of his bones lying alongside hers. Holding his hand felt like the most natural thing in the world.
Suddenly, the pad of his thumb teased hers. And a mischievous grin spread across his face. For a few moments, he slid the edge of his thumb back and forth across hers. He quirked a dark eyebrow at her. But it was his words that got the most violent reaction from her a moment later.
“I’m going out of town for a week.”
“What?”
Her heart sank. She knew that he had finished all his jobs yesterday. So she’d thought that they’d get to spend this coming week together.
“Just a few days. I’ll be back on Monday. Then I can show you my surprise.”
She nodded. “I’ll miss you,” she whispered. She was trying to blink back her tears.
Kookie’s smile faded. “I know. That’s rather remarkable, though, isn’t it? A few weeks ago, you couldn’t stand me.”
“No,” she murmured so quietly that he almost didn’t hear her. “That’s not true. I always liked you. From the very first moment I saw you sitting on the floor in Yun’s room. I was…I was so jealous of her. I thought you liked her. I thought you two were dating. I was…crushed. Especially after you were so nice to me at the pizza parlor.”
“What?” He stared at her in shock. “You liked me?”
She nodded.
His hand tightened around hers. “Thank you for telling me. I really thought you didn’t like me.”
She shook her head and turned to look out at the park. His eyes studied her lovely face.
“You’re so beautiful.” His whispered words floated into her heart.
“It’s okay if you don’t say that,” she murmured quietly.
“What?” He furrowed his brow.
“I don’t need to hear it. It’s only surface stuff, you know.”
It was a lie. She did need to hear it. But she was afraid of those words. She was terrified of their power over her. She didn’t want them to make her do something that she’d rather not do.
She pulled her hand from his suddenly and stood up. Jungkook felt oddly bereft. He gazed questioningly up at her.
What had just happened? Something had gone wrong. He could feel the shift in her. She’d drawn away from him. All because he’d told her she was beautiful?
“Ready to head back?” She’d plastered that fake smile on her face again.
He longed to get to the bottom of that false grin. What pain lay behind it? What lie prompted her to hide from him? How would he ever flush it out so they could deal with it? And move on to being truly happy in each other’s company?
