Chapter 36

"Thank you for loving me"

"Yoo Jin, are you teaching tomorrow?" yelled Jeong-Yeon from the kitchen and Yoo Jin quickly came running from the living room.

"I am, why?" asked Yoo Jin who was standing in the door.

"I am making lunch boxes, so I wanted to know if I should make you one too," said Jeong-Yeon and turned her face, seeing a very happy smile on her daughter's face while she nodded.

"I would like that very much," said Yoo Jin, "thank you!"

"You are welcome," said Jeong-Yeon, "before you leave, can you give me a hand?"

"Yes of course," said Yoo Jin and took a step forward, until she suddenly felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she stopped in her tracks, "I am getting a call, I will take it upstairs and help you afterwards."

"Okay," said Jeong-Yeon, even though Yoo Jin had already left the kitchen and disappeared upstairs. 

Time went by and Jeong-Yeon was starting to wonder if Yoo Jin would make it back in time to help her with the lunch boxes after all. A sigh left her mouth as she packed the final lunch box and put it in the fridge, when finally, she heard footsteps approaching.

"Your timing really is something," said Jeong-Yeon and turned around, ready to continue her passive aggressive comment, until she took a look at Yoo Jin's face and held her breath.

"What is it?" asked Jeong-Yeon concerned.

"I just heard back from the job opening in Busan," said Yoo Jin, her face expressionless, making Jeong-Yeon nervous and confused at the same time.

"And…?" asked Jeong-Yeon impatiently.

"Well… it…" said Yoo Jin, stuttering to get the words out, "it was a rejection." A few seconds went by in silence while Yoo Jin waited for her mother to give some sort of reaction.

"Oh well…" said Jeong-Yeon and shrugged her shoulders, "nothing to do about that, you just have to keep looking, like you have been doing until now."

"Yeah, I will," said Yoo Jin.

"I am just happy you went for the interview," said Jeong-Yeon, "I know you were a bit hesitant because it was in Busan."

"I was," said Yoo Jin, "but Taehyun would have been really mad if I didn't go."

"He is a good person…" said Jeong-Yeon with a faint smile on her face, "it is kind of annoying." Both Yoo Jin and Jeong-Yeon let out a slight chuckle.

"Yeah, even if you don't want to, he grows on you," said Yoo Jin, "I guess he is a magic boy in that way too."

"I guess," said Jeong-Yeon, "you should tell him about the rejection soon, he is probably worrying about it."

"I will," said Yoo Jin.

***

Taehyun looked at Yoo Jin with the biggest smile she had ever seen on him and after a few seconds it simply became too funny, making Yoo Jin unable to hold back her laughter anymore.

"Are you that happy about me getting rejected?" said Yoo Jin and Taehyun tried to hide his smile, but it didn't work.

"I am sorry, I know I shouldn't be happy about you getting rejected," said Taehyun, the smile still evident on his face, "I feel bad…"

"No it is okay," said Yoo Jin quickly, another chuckle leaving her mouth, "I am happy too, happy and… relieved." Yoo Jin got up from the chair she had been sitting on in Taehyun's bedroom whereafter she leaned in and placed a quick peck on his cheek.

"I will be right back, I just need to use the restroom," said Yoo Jin and turned around, leaving the bedroom and Taehyun as well.

Sitting alone in his room, waiting for Yoo Jin to return, Taehyun felt his heart calming down and his body getting lighter, as if a heavy rock had been lifted from chest.

Maybe the universe wanted us to be together after all, thought Taehyun, his smile not willing to leave his face any time soon.

Suddenly, Taehyun felt his thoughts getting interrupted when he heard a phone vibrating. He quickly reached for his pocket, but came to the realization that it wasn't his phone vibrating. He looked around the room and noticed Yoo Jin's phone lying on his desk. Not knowing when she would return, he immediately got up and answered the call.

"Hello," said Taehyun and listened to the caller, "yes, this is her phone, you are speaking to her boyfriend. Can I pass on a message?" 

Yoo Jin wandered the halls of the Kang Family's house, feeling a weird sensation of home, one she had gotten after visiting Taehyun many times over the past few months.

After finding her way back to Taehyun's room, she opened the door with a huge smile on her face, but when she saw Taehyun sitting on his bed with her phone in his hand and a frown on his face, her smile faltered.

"What… what is going on?" asked Yoo Jin, "why are you holding my phone?"

"How could you lecture me about not throwing away my life for you, when you are doing the exact same thing for me?" said Taehyun in a firm voice, afraid his parents would hear him if he started yelling.

"What are you talking about?" asked Yoo Jin, closing the door behind her after walking all the way inside the room. Taehyun let out a sigh and held up her phone.

"Your phone rang while you were away," said Taehyun, "it was about your job interview in Busan. The person I spoke to wanted me to ask you if you were completely sure you wanted to turn down their job offer." Yoo Jin held her breath and gulped, looking at the glare from her boyfriend.

"Are you really mad?" asked Yoo Jin carefully, taking a step closer to Taehyun. His sour expression seemed to falter and turn a little more gentle while he looked at her.

"No… if anything, I am mad about not being mad," said Taehyun, "to be honest, I feel really touched. But I am also worried about you, are you sure you want to do this? Maybe we can make it work even if you take the job."

"I already made up my mind, and really, I am okay with it," said Yoo Jin, "for the first time in the last two years, I didn't get a job, not because I was clumsy and forgot the appointment or got lost on my way there. It wasn't because of the empty space in my resume or my lack of connections. The reason I didn't get it, was because I chose so. Because I found something important to me I need to protect. That makes me feel really good." Taehyun looked at Yoo Jin, whose eyes were glowing in the light from the lamp above her and he immediately got up and swung her arms around her.

"You have gone crazy," said Taehyun while holding Yoo Jin in his arms.

"You are right, love has made me go crazy," answered Yoo Jin, "so in that sense I guess this is all your fault."

"I don't want that pinned on me," said Taehyun firmly, "you just said it was your own choice."

"You are right," said Yoo Jin, "but don't you dare tell this to my parents, they will literally kill me and probably you too."

"That would be too bad, I guess I will have to stay quiet," said Taehyun with a chuckle.

"Thank you for loving me,"  said Yoo Jin.

"Thank you for loving me back," said Taehyun.

Hello everyone!

Since the beginning of this story I have wondered how people would react to this exact moment? A lot of people might be angry or think Yoo Jin is acting crazy, but this was one of the plot points I was sure of from the beginning. In this day and age, everything seems so focused on education, career and jobs, when in reality none of those things makes us truly happy. Yes we need to make money to live, but we need love to be happy. You can hate me and Yoo Jin too, but for once, I wanted to write a character who chooses love over her career.

What do you think of all this? And do you think Yoo Jin will regret her decision? Let me know your thoughts in the comments down below.

Take good care of yourself and stay safe.

Love, Annalise~