Chapter 9

"You are Choi Kyungju!"

The brown haired girl jumped in shock. She snarled at Ha Eun.

"Why are you calling me with my real name!", she growled.

"Hyu.... Zen-oppa told me that., Ha Eun answered lightly.

Kyungju looked at Ha Eun from top to bottom with annoyed eyes.

"Huh, so it's you. You must be Zen-oppa's new girlfriend!"

"I didn't say that. Hey, you want to go get some pungopang?"

The pungopang bait, Kyungju shrieked. It would be bad if anyone saw her here, especially the pungopang ahjussi.

"Because of Jumin oppa, now nobody believes me! They take me lightly!"

"You do throw tantrums easily.", replied Ha Eun.

Kyungju growled in frustration inside, the girl in front of her surely stood her ground firmly. She didn't waver a single bit.

"What's with Zen-oppa and Jumin-oppa?! I am pretty and rich. I have D-cup breasts! I am the dream of all young girls!"

Ha Eun move forward a step closer to Kyungju.

"Because you're just an echo, you can't beat the real thing."

---

Ha Eun turned the keys, opening the door. The shoes, screaming out Zen's presence, Zen and his habits of not placing his shoes tidily. Men...

She hugged Zen from the back as he was preparing the table for dinner. Zen replied with a sweet cheek kiss.

"Welcome home, my sweet.", greeted Zen.

"You know I was this close to hiding all your shoes."

Zen laughed at Ha Eun's warning.

"Yes, ma'am."

Ha Eun placed her bags on her work desk and went inside the bathroom.

"Why did you return to the lab again?", asked Zen with a louder voice.

"I left my note.", Ha Eun replied from the bathroom.

"It's just a note, you can get it back in Monday."

"I wrote your favourite positions in it!"

The entire world seemed to shake with a full magnitude, he almost dropped the soup pot.

God, she'll be the death of him, Zen said to himself.

"Got you didn't I? Anyways, I saw Kyungju round the corner earlier."

Zen gave no reply. He's been quiet, did he pass out because of what she said? Even though she left the bathroom door open, the kitchen is not on visible range, only their bedroom. Maybe he didn't hear her through the shower.

Suddenly, the glass enclosure of the shower was opened. Zen appeared and turned the shower off immediately.

"What...?"

"Kyungju saw you? Did anything happened? Did she hurt you? Did she say anything? Are you alright? Did she bring anyone?"

"No, no, oppa. Calm down. I'm fine. You want me to turn around to see if I might lose a limb?"

Zen gave a huge sigh and covered his worried face.

"God, I was so shocked."

"I'm fine, really. You need to stop being so paranoid."

"This is Kyungju. I don't know what she can do.", replied Zen.

"Hey, I'm here. It's all right."

"Did she know who you are? How was she?"

"Well, she was angry. But I told her off. I didn't lose to her.", said Ha Eun.

"Oh, now, isn't that interesting?"

"Can we continue this later? We are not having this conversation in the shower while I'm naked with soap all over me."

"I don't mind."

"Get out!"

---

As late night falls, Zen couldn't sleep. Ha Eun has slept soundly by his side, but he wasn't. His mind was clouded with worry.

He stepped into the balcony, trying to clear his mind. That was when he saw the pungopang ahjussi tidying up his merchandises.

Zen rushed down to lend a hand.

"Ahjussi!"

"Oh, young man!"

"Here, let me help you!"

With Zen's help, the ahjussi's work was finished in much less time.

"Oh, thank you."

"It's no big deal."

"Did you have a fight with your girlfriend?", asked the ahjussi suddenly.

"What, of course not! Why did you think so?"

"It's very rare to see you step outside without your girlfriend."

Zen sighed and sat on the sidewalk, with a troubled look.

"I was having thoughts and if I stay inside the apartment with her. I'll just get more worried and more paranoid.", Zen said slowly.

The ahjussi sat next to troubled Zen. Zen looked vulnerable and he'll be thinking a thousand things if left alone.

"Do you love her, your girlfriend?"

"Of course! When I see her first thing in the morning, I say to myself  'I'll love this person even more today and be truthful to her all the time'. When I look at her sleeping peacefully at night, I picture our past, our present, our future."

"Do you think your relationship is perfect then?"

"Perfect? What's a perfect relationship anyway? We fight over things sometimes. But deep down, we own one another. I am hers like she is mine. She is practically my life now."

"What is that you're worried of with your relationship is like that?"

"Her. Her safety, her wellbeing. We might be happy with just the two of us, but some people might not want us to be together. And that's what scares me. If she was to be hurt because of me."

"Love is like that huh....."

"What?"

"It just throws us into a whirlpool of confusion. Makes us feel powerless."

"I'm feeling like that now."

"But you know. You have one another. That is the most important thing, you can do anything, together."

They can. In fact, they did went through things together. Bomb threat, kidnapping, false rumour, nothing should scare Zen anymore.

"You know what, ahjussi, you're right."

---

Ha Eun and Jaehee grabbed some lunch at a small café. It was a Saturday but Zen had a C&R commercial shoot again that day. He was busy on the other days with musical and practice, today was the only day they can squeeze in the shoot.

"Oh, it's nice to have proper lunch outside after a while.", said Jaehee.

"You've worked too hard, Jaehee."

"Due to Mr Han's enthusiastic cat business ventures. I've been kept busy. It must be hard for Zen too. To work with cats again and now for a longer period."

'I laughed at the first CF Jumin showed me! It was months ago but I still laugh whenever it's on TV.", replied Ha Eun.

"Thank goodness to Zen's professionalism. He still keeps a professional attitude even though it's hard for him to be with cats. He would be even more encouraged to find you visiting him today."

Jaehee scooped another spoonful of her creamy looking pasta, while Ha Eun sipped at her peach tea. It was quite good to be under the warming sunlight when you're working indoors almost every time.

"Is it okay for me to drop by?", asked Ha Eun.

"Of course. Mr. Han had the staff signed a non-disclosure agreement."

"What? For me?"

"No, it's to prevent any news of C&R launching a cat-care line and the concept and all from leaking out. So there won't be any competitors for the time being.", explained Jaehee.

"Oh, so Jumin-like."

"I'm sure nothing brings more joy to Zen other than knowing that you support his works."

Ha Eun suddenly taps her spoon in remembrance of something.

"Talking about his works, when are we going to have a 'Jalapeno' night?!"