Chapter 21 - Stay Away

Son Jin Ae watched as Jun Ho disappeared from her sight, musing to herself how surprising it was that she found him easy to talk with. Well if you think about it, it was actually the other way around, she was easy to talk with. She flinched at that realization that she was being comfortable with him.

Finding an excuse for her behavior, she said to herself, "Oh yes, I'm just being thankful for what he did last night. Now, there's nothing to be grateful about," and she lifted her shoulders, pushed her chin up, and walked away.

Since he did not agree with the idea of her washing his "drooled" shirt, emphasizing that it was his favorite and she might ruin it, she insisted on paying for his lunch, now they are quits!

She entered the faculty room and walked in the direction of her table.

"Oh, you're already here, Teacher Son. You saw your doctor friend outside?"

She looked at the teacher who had spoken and muttered "Huh?" with a confused expression.

"You didn't run at each other? He had just walked out."

* * *

With his right leg across his left leg in an elegant manner, Yoon Chul Soo still looked like the prince he ever was in high school. Even a female magnet himself, Jun Ho could not dispute that. Studying him curiously, he was sure that he was the man Jin Ae had lunch with a while ago.

That means they had kept in touch after all these years, a thought that made Jun Ho felt insecure and jealous. But more than anything else, the reason why he asked him to talk over coffee when he coincidentally ran to each other in the comfort room was to clear things up about Jin Ae.

"How long have you been here?" Chul Soo asked, initiating the conversation.

"Three days ago."

"When did you and Jin Ae meet?"

"Three days ago."

"What brought you here?"

Jun Ho sighed and decided to end the interrogation, he asked his intention directly, "I apologize but I don't think that's important now. I want to know what exactly happened to Jin Ae... why can't she remember me?"

Chul Soo studied him instead of replying.

"Was she involved in an accident?" Jun Ho continued to ask impatiently.

"She had a bike accident."

"Bike accident? When? Why?"

"I apologize but I don't think that's important now," Chul Soo responded. Copying what he said a while ago.

"But... I have to say that the accident helped Jin Ae to forget the bad things that happened around her. You know what I mean, Kim Jeong Won."

Chul Soo stared at him with a serious look on his face. Bad memories flashed in his eyes like lightning, Jun Ho felt a hard lump in his throat suddenly.

"So... it's better for her to forget the past. And much better if she doesn't remember you."

Any kind of memory could bring all her memories back. Good or bad. And, Chul Soo was obviously telling him not to do anything that will make her remember something about the past. Even if it's about him.

"But what about you?" He mustered to ask.

"That shows the big difference between us, Kim Jeong Won," Chul Soo answered smugly.

"....by the way, I think I'd better call you Jun Ho from now on," he continued to say, studying him from top to bottom.

"-and I have to say, you've changed a lot. I almost did not recognize you."

Indeed, yes. He buffed up, and even he was surprised that his body changed dramatically for the past 10 years. It didn't mean he was thin before but muscles do create magic. Also, his voice changed from pitchy to a lower speaking tone.

"That's good," Chul Soo commented with a smile, a smirk almost, with so much meaning.

* * *

Jun Ho stopped after catching a view of Son Jin Ae inside the classroom through the interior glass window of the 3-A section. She was talking in front of the class, most probably ending their session for it was already 5 PM. Memories of them sitting together in the last row crossed his mind. Endless bickering. Endless teasing. But what's more clearer in his memory was the endless thump of his heart beside her during those times whenever she slipped out of her feisty personality and broke a smile, her eyes forming a crescent.

His thoughts were disrupted when he heard someone cleared her throat behind him, startling him a bit. He turned around and saw Miss Oh.

"Kindly wait for me in my office before you leave, Mr. Hyun."

* * *

The door of the office opened and Jun Ho stood up, expecting to see Ms. Oh. He was surprised to see Jin Ae behind her.

"Oh, you're here already," acknowledged Miss Oh and proceeded to her table.

Jin Ae looked at him, surprised as well, and gave him a questioning look. He lifted his shoulders in response. They stood side by side with a considerable distance and faced Miss Oh, who was now sitting. She glanced at Jun Ho first.

"The owner of the house you are staying in, Mr. Hyun, called me."

"Ah yes, I called him this morning. There's a problem with the sink."

"Yes. They had to change the plumb. It's okay now but the smell was too strong and they have to fix the drainage and other things. They don't want you to stay in such a state so he asked me to find you a place to stay for three days."

Jun Ho nodded, understanding the situation. Jin Ae, on the other hand, scratched her nape impatiently. How she wished Miss Oh talked to her first so she can go now. Who cared about the plumb? Who cared where he would stay?

"Teacher Son."

"Yes?" More alert than she ever behaved before. She was itching to go home now. She tried to catch Miss Oh's eyes but she shifted her gaze at Jun Ho again.

"Stay in Teacher Son's house for now," Miss Oh told him. She said it as if he were staying in HER house. The eyes of the real owner of the house she was talking about widened in surprise.

"Miss Oh!" Jin Ae snapped. But seconds after realizing her tone, she tried to smile. She didn't want to look rude to her superior in front of other people. So, she continued in a low but firm voice:

"Actually, I am very hospitable. When we have important people, I open my house to them with open arms," and she stretched her hand wide dreamlike.

"-But this time, he is a man and I am a woman. How could we stay together alone in one house for three days?"

"It isn't like that, Teacher Son. You live with your sister, right? So you are not staying alone together."

Oh yes, she forgot about that. They were not practically staying alone together. And it wasn't like she only got one or two rooms. They might not even run to each other unless they went at the same time to the kitchen. Thank God, her house was big. But the idea disturbed her. She was the most conservative person ever.

"Excuse me. It's okay. I could find a place to stay," Jun Ho interrupted, showing his direct disagreement in the idea of staying at Jin Ae's house, but, honestly, he was lost in translation when he heard the possibility. Chul Soo just told him to stay away from her but it looked like fate wanted to bind them together again.

"I'll never propose this if I know you can find a place to stay, Mr. Hyun. Because of the festival, almost all of the lodgings here are full. I couldn't let you stay just somewhere.''

Jin Ae sighed, oh yeah, the festival. Jun Ho glanced in her direction and they caught each other's eyes.

"And, Mr. Hyun isn't just a random man, right?" Miss Oh slowly said, and she lifted her eyes at Jin Ae and continued:

"He is YOUR man."

Jun Ho and Jin Ae glanced in Miss Oh's direction at the same time, both with a confused look.

"Send my greetings to your professor, Mr. Hyun. I heard you had a great time last alumni... with your girlfriend," and she winked at him and smiled at Jin Ae.