Chapter 13

"Melancholy of the streets of Seoul"

"So, how are things going for you, loverboy?" asked Eric in a teasingly voice from the other end of the call, making Taehyun shake his head with a sigh.

"Magic boy, loverboy, it seems like my name has been forgotten at this point," said Taehyun, sounding all dramatic, "but things are going… alright."

"Alright?" asked Eric, "Yoo Jin has been tutoring you for more than a month now. Something must have happened."

"Not really, she still looks at me the same way she always did," said Taehyun while leaning his bag against the wall in his room, stretching his legs on his bed.

"Well, I never said Yoo Jin would be an easy girl to win over," said Eric, "don't be discouraged, even though you might not think anything has changed, I am sure Yoo Jin has been able to feel a difference in your behavior."

"I don't know… even if I tell her straight up I think she is pretty, or I maintain eye contact for just a few seconds longer, it still feels like she is totally and completely unaffected."

"I can tell you for sure, that is not the case!" said Eric in a firm tone, "Yoo Jin is just shy and she is probably denying the fact that a young boy has a crush on her. I think you will have to be more direct with her, if you want her to understand your feelings. But that is also why we have our plan, right?"

"Yes, I haven't forgotten about the plan," said Taehyun and felt pumped up after Eric mentioned it, "Finals are next week, so I will probably set the plan in motion soon."

"That is the spirit!" said Eric, "make sure to keep me updated."

"Of course, Hyung," said Taehyun, "and I could say the same to you. You haven't talked about Chaeyeong at all for the past month."

"I know, but that is because I haven't spoken to Chaeyeong for that long," said Eric, the sound of his voice getting lower, "she hasn't contacted me since… that day… and I am too embarrassed to contact her."

"Hyung… what are you doing?" said Taehyun, "you can't just confess to a girl and then turn silent. You need to make the first move, man up!" It got quiet on the line, until Taehyun suddenly heard Eric burst out laughing from the other end of the call.

"Imagine you have to hear such words from a 17 year old," said Eric in between his laughs, making Taehyun frown by that statement.

"For your information, I am not 17 much longer," said Taehyun, impatiently waiting for the day he turned 18.

"Fine, fine, I guess you are not a boy much longer, then," said Eric, "but you are right, I should try calling Chaeyeong."

"Good luck," said Taehyun, "I will talk to you later, Hyung."

"Yes, goodbye," said Eric and hung up the phone.

Eric scrolled through his phone until he found Chaeyeong's contact, but before pressing on the call button, it seemed like his finger got stuck in the motion. It just lingered over the button, while Eric stared at the screen, his vision becoming more and more blurry the longer he stared without blinking.

In the end, he just lowered his phone and let out a sigh, shifting his eyes to the small window in his studio apartment. It was clouded outside and it looked like it was windy. Summer surely was gone by now, time seemed to move by faster than usual.

What would he say to her? All he could think of was a 'hi', but even he knew, something had to come after that word. He didn't want things to get awkward, but he didn't want to continue being a coward either. And he for sure didn't want to hear a 17 year old tell him to 'man up' ever again.

After internally slapping himself, Eric lifted his hand again and took in a deep breath, before he closed his eyes, pressed down on the call button and then held his phone towards his ear.

The familiar, never ending sound of ringing started echoing in his ear and Eric waited in anticipation, until he noticed the sound of a ringtone. Eric moved the phone away from his ear and heard the ringtone even louder now, quickly standing up from his bed while trying to follow the sound. He walked around his apartment, looking like a maniac to anyone who would have seen, until he found himself standing in front of his apartment door where the sound seemed to be the loudest.

In one quick motion, Eric unlocked the door and twisted the doorknob. And when he opened the door, his eyes widened by the sight of Chaeyeong standing on the other side, nervously holding her phone, looking like she wasn't sure what to do.

"Chaeyeong?" said Eric and quickly ended the call on his phone, "you… you are here…"

"I am…" said Chaeyeong while diverting her eyes. She lifted her hand and showed her phone to Eric, whereafter she put on her best smile and continued, "it seemed like you and I had the same thought." Eric stared at her phone for a while, almost like he was surprised by what he saw, but he then let out a silent chuckle and nodded.

"It seems like it," said Eric, "I just… thought it had been too long since we talked."

"You are right… and it is my fault-"

"No, please don't blame yourself!" said Eric quickly, interrupting Chaeyeong who looked confused for a moment, until her expression was exchanged to a smile.

"Do you want to eat lunch with me?" asked Chaeyeong all of a sudden, "then… we can talk…" Eric held his breath, trying to calm his beating heart.

"S…sure…"

***

As they walked down the busy streets of Seoul, Eric found the weather to be just as he predicted. Windy and much colder than just a few weeks ago. Winter was coming and it seemed to be coming faster than anyone predicted. 

Luckily, both he and Chaeyeong had dressed appropriately. Chaeyeong wore a long, light brown coat that was buttoned all the way to her neck, and even still, she wore a scarf around her neck, making sure not to catch a cold. Her hair was hanging loosely, looking like the perfect blanket to keep her ears warm, something Eric was struggling with, wishing he had brought a hat of some kind.

At least he was wearing his long trench coat along with some warm boots. It seemed like so long ago he and Chaeyeong went to visit Yoo Jin in her home town. The weather was so nice that weekend, with a bright blue sky and the sun shining down upon them. The setting was perfect for any sort of romantic moment, he felt the complete opposite of the weather right now. It felt as if he was being rejected in advance, first by the grey sky and the sun in hiding, only to wait for Chaeyeong's rejection later.

After walking down a few streets, they reached one of the cafés they had been visiting frequently when they were back in University. Nothing seemed to have changed. In fact, Eric was surprised at how this café kept business running. They didn't have many customers back then, and nothing seemed to have improved now. 

Even still, this was the perfect setting for the two friends to have their talk. With few people around them and a calm atmosphere, along with the smell of coffee, the two found a table in the furthest corner and sat down. Eric went to the counter and ordered both of them a warm cup of coffee, whereafter he returned to his seat and handed one of the cups to Chaeyeong.

Not a single word was spoken while they enjoyed their coffee. It seemed none of them wanted to ruin this peaceful moment, a moment that reminded them of old times, back when everything seemed so much simpler.

But when Chaeyeong had sunk the last sip of her drink, she put her cup down and looked up, making eye contact with Eric across the small round table.

"That… that thing you said… back then…" started Chaeyeong, seemingly struggling to get the words out, her cheeks turning bright pink while she spoke, "did you… did you mean it?" Eric nervously rubbed his neck and diverted his eyes, until he pulled himself together and forced himself to look at Chaeyeong again.

"I did… I meant every word I said." Chaeyeong looked at little surprised, her cheeks still painted with a beautiful pink color, and she quickly looked away before letting out a silent laugh.

"Actually… I used to have a huge crush on you… back in our University days…" said Chaeyeong and looked up again, the color of her cheeks slowly fading, "I always dreamed of the day you would confess to me, I knew that would be the only way for us to ever get together, I am way too shy to take the first lead."

"I know… and I am sorry for being late…" said Eric, "I should have realized how you felt earlier, I was just too oblivious, and I didn't realize what I had until it wasn't there anymore. When we graduated Uni and suddenly, we didn't see each other everyday. That was when I realized how much you meant to me." This time it was Eric's turn to blush and when Chaeyeong noticed, her cheeks seemed to heat up again. 

"I am glad you didn't realize back then," said Chaeyeong suddenly, making Eric widen his eyes in surprise, "looking at my life now, it wouldn't have worked out." 

"I don't… understand…" said Eric, feeling a lump in his throat while he waited for Chaeyeong to continue.

"Everything is different know," said Chaeyeong, "my family's debt didn't get any smaller while I was in University. It is about time I do my part to support the family. I don't have time to be in a relationship."

"I know… I know what your family's situation is like, I know exactly how much you are struggling," said Eric, "but that is also why I want to be there for you. You don't have to go through this alone, I can be your shoulder to cry on." Chaeyeong couldn't help but show her smile while Eric spoke.

"Thank you, but it is just not the right time… I have too many things to worry about right now, I don't want to add one more thing to the list."

"You don't have to worry about me-"

"But I would, I already am, because I do care about you, and it would only get worse if we were going out," explained Chaeyeong, "I would worry about being a good enough girlfriend. I would hate myself every time I had to cancel a date because I had to work overtime or had to go home to visit my family. I wouldn't be able to bear it." Eric stayed silent for a while, thinking of what to say, but in the end all he could think of was:

"you really do care about your family."

"I do," said Chaeyeong, "I just want my siblings to be able to choose any education they want, without having to worry about getting a full scholarship like me. I want to give them whatever future they want, without having to worry about our parents' debt."

"I understand…" said Eric, "I am sorry to pour all my emotions on you all of a sudden."

"No, it is okay," said Chaeyeong, "I was… happy…" Eric sent Chaeyeong a smile and she sent one back, none of them uttering another word, simply sitting in silence.

"Let us go, I will walk you home," said Eric and Chaeyeong nodded, both of them getting up from their chair and leaving the café. 

The walk home was spent in silence, and only when they reached Chaeyeong's apartment and Eric had followed her all the way to the door, did they speak.

"So… what now?" asked Eric.

"I don't know… Maybe it is better… if we keep a distance…"

"No, please don't do that, I would hate that!" said Eric, "even if I can't stay by your side as your boyfriend, I at least want to stay by your side as your friend."

"I couldn't ask that of you… I feel like I would be hurting you," said Chaeyeong, with one foot inside her apartment.

"Why would you hurt me?" asked Eric.

"Because I… I rejected you?"

"You did? I don't recall that," said Eric, making Chaeyeong look at him in confusion, "all I remember is you saying this isn't the right time. So I will patiently wait until it is the right time, and until then, I want to stay by your side as your friend."

"Eric, you-"

"No objections!" said Eric quickly while pushing Chaeyeong inside her apartment, "thank you for today, we should do it again soon." 

"I…" Chaeyeong started, but Eric had already left, slowly walking down the hallway, running backwards while looking at Chaeyeong with a big smile. He almost reached the staircase before he yelled out one last sentence.

"Don't ignore my calls, I will stay in touch, friend!"

Hello everyone!

I hope you liked this chapter and are still invested in the story. I am deeply grateful to everyone who waited for me to get the website up and running, and I hope you will continue to support me, just like you did back when I was on Wattpad.

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