Yeontan was fine. Tae felt bad. He’d lied to the guys. And he had missed celebrating Jin’s birthday with them all during the afternoon. He just wasn’t ready to face Tia. Not since he knew how she really felt. He hadn’t realized just how much he loved her until he’d seen the way she’d looked at Jin that night over the dinner table in the fancy restaurant. If he was honest with himself, he’d have to admit that he’d felt his heart break clean in two as he had gazed at her lovely eyes on fire for his friend.
Tae had to distract himself. His distress was burning a hole in his gut. He had barely slept last night. He glanced at the clock. 4:45. He made a split-second decision. There was something that had been nagging at him ever since Jungkook had bought a pair of running shoes.
Tae dressed quickly and slipped his shoes on as he stepped outside and hid behind a car. A few moments later, he heard the front door open and shut. Then he heard the sound of feet slapping pavement. He peeked around the car and saw Jungkook’s dark form running down the street in the semi-darkness before dawn. He followed him at quite a distance. Jungkook ran all the way to a house across from the big park they had done a photo shoot in some months back. Tae lurked in the shadows, watching Jungkook as he knocked on the front door. Tae watched in wonder as a beautiful, young woman opened the door. Her raven hair was so long! Tae saw Jungkook’s face light up as he grinned at her. Uh-oh. Tae recognized that look. Jungkook was in love.
—
Jin was sitting in Julieta’s office, staring into her eyes, when the phone on her desk rang. She picked it up. She suddenly grinned. “Really?! That’s wonderful! Thank you so much! I will get the paperwork ready.”
She hung up the phone a moment later before turning towards Jin. “It’s about time we got some good news!”
“What? What’s happened?”
“I just found out that they’re releasing our snack cakes in twenty 7-Elevens throughout Seoul! Our products are going to be in even more stores!”
“See! You decide to start dating me, and things are already looking up!” He unleashed his worldwide handsome grin on her. Then he reached into his jacket and pulled out a big red heart. He smiled lopsidedly at her. “I forgot to give this to you last night.”
She glanced curiously at the heart he was still holding. “What is it?”
“It’s my heart,” Jin stated, obviously. Then he reached forward and placed it into her hand. “I’m giving it to you. My heart is now in your hands, Julieta.”
“Jin, what are you saying?”
He stood up and walked around her desk, reaching down to pull her up from her chair. He bent over the heart in her hand. “Read it.”
She turned it over. And she read the three little words he’d written on it.
“I mean it, Julieta. I’m not going anywhere. We’re going to figure this all out together. It’s really true.” He paused and drew her closer to him before whispering earnestly, his affection for her pouring from his eyes, “I love you. I love you, Julieta.”
She gazed back up at him, so thankful that he had broken through the wall surrounding her heart. He bent his head and kissed her, softly, sweetly, making her yearn for even more of him.
“I love you too, Jin, even more than twenty 7-Elevens.”
