Chapter 36

"New Year"

Woo Jin took in a deep breath before he got down on one knee, held up the little blue box before opening it and saying:

"Will you marry me?"

"I don't know Woo Jin-a, that's just weird," Na Ri said with a lifted eyebrow.

"Noona, what are you doing? You're supposed to help me, not make me even more nervous than I am!" Woo Jin yelled out, while trying to hide his red cheeks.

"Don't worry, you'll be fine," Na Ri said. 

"How do you know that? What if... what if she says no?" Woo Jin looked at the small box with a nervous expression and Na Ri sighed.

"Alright try again," Na Ri said and sat up straight.

"What?" Woo Jin said.

"Try proposing again, I'll take it seriously this time." Woo Jin looked at Na Ri a bit suspicious, which made her continue and say: "look, I've met Soo Ri-ssi a few times now and I'm pretty sure I know how she'll react when you propose."

"Okay then," Woo Jin said and took in a deep breath, "Soo Ri-ya, will you marry me?"

"Omo Oppa! I never thought you'd ask, of course I'll marry you! Oppa, I love you so much!" Woo Jin looked at his sister is disgust.

"Okay, that's really creepy, please stop," Woo Jin said and Na Ri looked offended.

"What? That's how she'll react."

"Soo Ri-ya doesn't sound creepy like that," Woo Jin said.

"Okay, maybe my impression was a little off," Na Ri admitted, "but the main thing is, Soo Ri-ssi will surely say yes. I can tell she loves you very much."

"Really?" Woo Jin asked and Na Ri nodded her head, "okay, then I'm really going to do it tonight. I invited her out for dinner and when the time feels right, I'll get down on my knees and I'll do it."

"Perfect!" Na Ri said and gave Woo Jin a thumbs up. 

It was perfect, the plan was flawless.

At least that's what they thought.

"Unnie, why don't you come out to eat dinner with us?" Soo Ri said and both Na Ri and Woo Jin's eyes widened.

"No no, I really don't need that!" Na Ri said.

"No no, she wouldn't want to be the third wheel on our date," Woo Jin said.

"What are you talking about? Why would she be a third wheel?" Soo Ri said, "besides, how can we go out and have fun on New Years Eve and just leave your sister all alone?"

"Really, I'm okay," Na Ri tried to reason, but Soo Ri was firm on her decision.

"No, I definitely wouldn't feel good about that," Soo Ri said, "Unnie, please come out to dinner with us."

"I..." Na Ri said and looked into Soo Ri's eyes which stared back at her like a little puppy, "I guess..."

"Yes!" Soo Ri exclaimed while Woo Jin's jaw dropped halfway to the floor, and he stared at Na Ri in disbelief. 

"I'll just use the bathroom and then we can leave," Soo Ri said and went upstairs.

"What are you doing? You're ruining everything!" Woo Jin said the minute Soo Ri was out of sight.

"I'm sorry, but your girlfriend looked at me with her puppy eyes, how am I supposed to say no to a puppy? I'm not cruel!"

"I want to scold you, but sadly you're right. You can't say no to those eyes," Woo Jin said and then sat down on a chair with a sigh, "what am I supposed to do now? I really wanted to do it tonight." Na Ri looked at her younger brother, who had a disappointed expression in his eyes.

"And you will!" Na Ri said, which made Woo Jin look up, "I'll just stay for a little while and eat dinner. Then, at some point, I'll find a way to sneak out and let you two be alone, then you can do it."

"Do what?" Soo Ri said and both Woo Jin and Na Ri nearly had a heart attack.

"Soo Ri-ya, you're... you're fast," Woo Jin said, "how much did you hear?"

"Not much, just the last sentence which was something like "you can do it,"," Soo Ri answered.

"Ah..." Na Ri said with a shaking voice, "I was just... trying to motivate Woo Jin-a... you know, HWAITING, and all that."

"Yeah yeah, she was giving me a motivational speech," Woo Jin added.

"Really?" Soo Ri said, "how come?"

"Just... for life... in general," Na Ri said and Soo Ri looked at her in suspicion.

"Oh boy, look at the time," Woo Jin quickly said, "we need to go if we want to make it to our reservation." Soo Ri looked at Woo Jin and Na Ri who were running around like confused children, and she decided to leave the matter be and simply follow along to the restaurant.

"Your reservation is for two people, sir," the waiter said when they arrived at the restaurant.

"Yes I know, but somehow we ended up with one more person," Woo Jin explained, "will it be a problem?" The waiter looked a little annoyed, but in the end he said:

"We'll figure something out, just wait here for a second." 

"I'm really glad you came today, Unnie," Soo Ri said and hugged Na Ri's arm, "We haven't spend enough time together, and I want to know my boyfriend's sister."

"Well... I'm happy to hear that," Na Ri said, "I want to get to know you too." 

"Alright sir, we have a table for you," the waiter said as he reappeared in front of them, "please follow me." The three of them did as the waiter said and was shown to a small table were they sat down. After looking through the menu and eventually ordering, they all sat in silence while waiting for the food to arrive.

"So Unnie," Soo Ri then said, "how is it living with your brother again?" Na Ri was a little taken aback and looked at Woo Jin who had the exact same expression as her.

"I don't know... it's fine I guess," Na Ri said and Woo Jin exhaled loudly.

"Wow, you sure know how to be thankful for your younger brother giving you shelter," Woo Jin said clearly offended, and Soo Ri hit him on his arm for being childish.

"Sorry, I am truly thankful that I can stay with Woo Jin-a," Na Ri quickly said, "and we get along well, not like when we were younger."

"Woo Jin-a did tell me you two didn't get along very well," Soo Ri said, "but why is that?" Both Na Ri and Woo Jin looked away, wishing for the conversation to end quickly.

"Just... normal sibling rivalry I guess," Na Ri said, still lowering her head.

"Really?" Soo Ri asked and tried to get eye contact with Woo Jin, "is that really all there is?"

"Yeah..." Woo Jin said, "that's all there is to it..." An awkward silence fell upon the table, but luckily a waiter came by after a few seconds and placed their orders.

"Please call if there's anything you need," the waiter said and they all nodded. For a while the only sound was that of food being eaten, but once again, Soo Ri was the one to interrupt the silence.

"So Unnie, how long will you be staying?" she asked and Na Ri nearly choked on her food.

"Forget it, Soo Ri-ya," Woo Jin said with a sigh, "she won't even tell me."

"Really? But don't you have school?" Soo Ri asked, "and what about your friends? They must be missing you."

"Ah..." Na Ri said, but she didn't finish her sentence, which made Woo Jin speak up again.

"She turned off her phone."

"What?" Soo Ri said, "but you've been here for more than a week. Your friends must be so worried."

"That's what I've been trying to tell her."

"I know!" Na Ri yelled out, making half the restaurant turn their heads.

"Sorry," Na Ri quickly said and lowered her voice, "I know... I'm being a bad friend... and I'm being... very irresponsible... but I just don't know how to face them. I don't know what to say." Woo Jin and Soo Ri stayed quiet while listening to Na Ri's worries and when she finished talking, they looked at each other.

"I'm sorry for making you upset," Soo Ri said, "I understand your concern, but just remember, they're your friends. They want you to be happy and they'll always try to understand you." Na Ri looked at Soo Ri without saying anything, but her eyes spoke louder than words.

"Just think about it," Soo Ri said and Na Ri nodded.

"Why don't we talk about something else," Woo Jin then said, "are you nervous about starting your new job after winter break is over, Soo Ri-ya?"

"A little, but I'm also excited," Soo Ri said.

"What's your job?" Na Ri asked.

"I got hired as a pedagogue in a kindergarten. I'm starting after New Years."

"Wow... I wouldn't be able to work in a kindergarten," Na Ri said.

"Why not?" Soo Ri asked.

"Kids... scare me..." Soo Ri started laughing and Woo Jin also let out a slight chuckle.

"I somehow understand, kids can be scary," Soo Ri said, "but they can also be very sweet and funny. They just need to be taught how to treat others with respect and love. That's what I want to try."

"My Soo Ri-ya has such a kind heart," Woo Jin said and sent her a loving look.

"And you're such a smooth talker," Soo Ri said, "who taught you to say such things."

"It's probably all the KDramas he watch," Na Ri said and Soo Ri started laughing again, but this time Woo Jin didn't laugh.

"I really don't like being with you two at the same time," Woo Jin said, "you're ganging up on me." Soo Ri and Na Ri just laughed again, making Woo Jin pout.

"Alright, we'll be nice," Soo Ri said, "right, Unnie?"

"Yes, we will," Na Ri replied.

Time went by as the three of them finished up their dinner while talking about everything between the skies.

"That was great," Soo Ri said as she looked at her empty plate, "should we get some dessert?"

"How can you still eat?" Woo Jin asked.

"Hey, dessert doesn't go to the stomach, it goes to the heart," Soo Ri said. 

Na Ri couldn't help but smile when she heard the catchphrase she had been living by for many years now.

"You're crazy," Woo Jin said and shook his head, "well, I'm not getting any."

"What about you, Unnie?" Na Ri looked up and could almost taste the chocolate cake, but she felt Woo Jin's glare on her and quickly shook her head.

"Not today," Na Ri said while crying on the inside.

"I feel so gross getting dessert when I'm the only one," Soo Ri said.

"It's okay, I'm just really full," Na Ri said and Soo Ri sighed.

"If you want dessert you should get it," Woo Jin said, "I'll get the waiter." Woo Jin quickly waved a waiter to their table and Soo Ri ordered a belgium chocolate cake, making Na Ri's mouth get watery in the process.

"I'm going to use the restroom really quick," Na Ri said after the waiter left their table. She quickly got up from her chair, and just as she was about to leave, she looked at Woo Jin and winked.

"Take your time," he said and Na Ri nodded with a smile on her face.

While they were waiting for the dessert to arrive, Woo Jin felt his hands starting to get sweaty and he constantly searched his pocket to make sure the ring was still there. 

"Is something wrong? You don't look too good," Soo Ri said.

"Yes, I'm fine," Woo Jin said.

"A chocolate cake for the lady," the waiter said as he put down the plate in front of Soo Ri.

"Thank you," Soo Ri said, "woah it looks so good." Soo Ri quickly took a bite of the cake and she looked utterly happy as she did so. 

"Soo Ri-ya," Woo Jin said after she had eaten about half the cake and Soo Ri looked up.

"Yes, what is it?"

"There's... actually there's something I want to tell you."

"Really?" Soo Ri said, her heart starting to beat faster as she pictured a million things he could be wanting to talk to her about, "what is it? You're making me all nervous."

"I just... I want to say... you became my family when I felt like I didn't have any... You taught me to stay positive even when things are hard and you never left my side even when I was having a hard time. For all that... I really love you, and that's why... that's why I want to spend the rest of my life with you." Soo Ri looked at Woo Jin while tears appeared in the corner of her eye and she watched as Woo Jin got up from his chair and got down on one knee.

"Im Soo Ri-ya," Woo Jin said as he looked up at Soo Ri and took out the box and opened it, revealing the sparkling ring inside, "will you marry me?"

"Yes, of course I will!" Soo Ri exclaimed quickly and held out her hand while the tears were sliding down her cheeks. Woo Jin gently put the ring on her finger and got up from the floor.

"We're engaged," Woo Jin said and looked at Soo Ri who was still crying out of joy.

"We are," Soo Ri said and leaned in to give Woo Jin a big, warm hug, "I promise I'll stay by your side forever, until the day I die."

"Me too," Woo Jin said.

For a while they just sat like that, holding each other in their arms, Woo Jin in relief that he finally asked and got a yes, and Soo Ri out of happiness that she would be marrying the man she loved. But when they both calmed down a little, Soo Ri realized something.

"Wait, where is Unnie?" Soo Ri asked, "perhaps... did she know you would propose today?"

"She did," Woo Jin said, "actually, she helped pick out the ring."

"Really?" Soo Ri said, "I have to thank her, but where is she?"

"I'm pretty sure she went home," Woo Jin said, "so we could have tge rest of the night to celebrate our engagement."

"That's so sweet of her," Soo Ri said, "but I feel bad that she has to be alone New Years Eve."

"I know, but don't worry about her," Woo Jin said, "she already knew about this, she'll probably just watch TV and eat snacks in the couch."

***

"To watch the next episode, press the 'forward' button."

Na Ri did as the TV said and started the new episode of F.R.I.E.N.D.S., but she didn't really follow along anymore. Her mind was all over the place. She wasn't even sure which season she was on or what episode was playing. Her eyes just lingered on the screen, while her hand kept feeding her snacks and her mind just wandered.

Woo Jin probably proposed by now and Soo Ri probably said yes. She was sure if that wasn't the case, Woo Jin would be home already, crying his heart out. 

Or would he? How did she know he wouldn't be walking around town while crying by himself. There's no way she would know, he didn't have any way of contacting her since her phone was still lying in the drawer.

For the first time in more than a week, Na Ri felt drawn to her phone. She wondered what messages she would've gotten in the past week. Would people have forgotten about her by now? Would they have given up on her?

Soon, it was everything her thoughts circulated around. She couldn't sit still and without realizing, she suddenly got up from the couch and started walking towards her bedroom.

I'm not doing it because Soo Ri-ssi told me to, Na Ri told herself while she walked up the stairs, I'm only doing it to make sure Woo Jin-a isn't walking around town crying.

After finally making it to her bedroom, she opened the drawer and took out the phone. Knowing it would've run out of battery a long time ago, the first thing Na Ri did was plug it in the charger and then patiently waited for it to turn on.

Instantly flooded with messages, voicemails, missed calls and so on, Na Ri felt like shoving the phone back into the drawer, but she held back.

After skimming through her messages, she realized Woo Jin hadn't contacted her. But why would he? He already knew her phone was turned off.

Since she already started browsing through everything, she decided to read some of the messages she'd been receiving the last week or so.

Na Ri felt her stomach twist and turn. It felt like her body was trying to punish her, and honestly, she wouldn't blame it for doing so. Her eyes felt watery when she read through the messages and she stared at the screen for several minutes. She quickly looked over some of the messages she got from Jungkook and Taehyung, both of them were trying to get her to call and they said they missed her and was worried. But then Na Ri saw messages from an unsaved contact and she quickly opened the chat.

Na Ri didn't know if she should be mad or happy he was worried about her. In fact she didn't know how to feel at all, but she decided she wouldn't do anything about it before she read through every single message on her phone.

It seemed like her mom didn't bother texting. Instead she had left a ton of voice mails and with a loud sigh, Na Ri dialed up her voice mail and put her phone against her ear.

"Na Ri-ya, what happened? Why did you leave in the middle of the play? Please call me."

"Why haven't you called me back? Where are you?"

"You're at Woo Jin's place? What on earth are you doing there when you have winter sessions?"

"I called your Professor and he hasn't heard from you or seen you since the day of the play. Are you planning on failing your last semester? What are you thinking?"

"Call me back! The only reason I'm not driving to Daegu right this second and knocking some sense into your head is because Woo Jin-a told me not to. So would you just call me back?" 

Na Ri nearly hung up after the last voice message, but just as she was about to do so, a soothing voice stopped her before she did so.

"Na Ri-ssi." Na Ri's heard Namjoon's recorded voice and quickly put her phone against her ear again. "Hey, it's... it's me. I tried messaging you, but you didn't respond. I'm a little worried... well, a lot worried. Where are you? Are you okay? And what about the cat? I actually thought about climbing over your balcony like I threatened to do that time we had a blackout, but I chickened out last minute and thought to myself you probably wasn't even home..." The recording turned silent for a while and Na Ri looked at her phone to check if it was over, but the counter was still on-going.

"I'm really sorry, Na Ri-ssi. If I had known this would happen, I would've never made you do the group project. I'm so mad at myself and I don't know what to do. I want to make it up to you, can you please call me?"

"You have no more messages, to delete, press 1, to dial number, press 2, to listen again, press 3."

Without knowing why, Na Ri instantly pressed 3 and leaned her back against the wall, while she listened to Namjoon's message one more time. When it was finished she just stared at the opposite wall, not even capable of making a decision of whether to call or message any of the people who had been trying so hard to get in touch with her.

She finally took her phone away from her ear and went into her contacts. Her finger lingered over the different missed calls until she suddenly pressed down and with her eyes closed she put the phone against her ear again.

The endless sound of ringing was driving her crazy and with every second that passed by, she became more and more sure she had made the wrong choice. Who would want to talk to her after the way she treated everybody? 

"Hello?" a female voice said and Na Ri felt her throat closing in, "Na... Na Ri-ya... is it you?" For a solid 5 seconds, no one said anything until Na Ri was finally able to squeeze out a sound.

"Mm."

"YAH! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Min Ji yelled out, almost blasting Na Ri's eardrum in the process, "do you... do you have any idea how worried I've been? How could you do this to me? I thought... I thought we were friends." Min Ji's voice sounded less angry and more sad in the last part of her sentence, and Na Ri was trying to hold back her own tears as well.

"I'm... sorry... Min Ji-ya..." Na Ri said as she started sobbing, "I'm really... really sorry..."

"You... you better be... you idiot," Min Ji said in between her sobs, "why did you even call me now? I thought you didn't care about me."

"Of course I do," Na Ri said with tears streaming down her face, making it harder to speak, "you're my best friend... I missed you so much... I just... I didn't know what to do."

"You didn't know what to do?" Min Ji said, still crying her eyes out, "you call the girl you call your best friend, that's what you do!"

"I know..." Na Ri said.

"Where are you even right now?" Min Ji asked.

"In Daegu," Na Ri replied, "I'm living with my younger brother."

"Is that so?" Min Ji asked.

"Who're you talking to?" Na Ri heard a male voice speaking in the background, "you're kidding? It's Na Ri-ssi? Give me the phone."

"NA RI-SSI! WHERE ARE YOU?" Taehyung yelled through the phone.

"You don't need to yell, she can hear you just fine," Min Ji scolded.

"Sorry, I'm just so excited she finally called," Taehyung replied and then continued, "Na Ri-ssi, when are you coming back?"

"I... I don't know..."

"But we miss you, it's weird not having you here," Taehyung said, "are you still upset that you forgot your lines? Don't worry, we've all been there. Let's just forget everything and enjoy our last semester together."

"Is that Na Ri-ssi," another male voice whispered in the background, "can I talk to her?"

"Wait until it's your turn, Jungkook-a," Taehyung said, "I'm talking to her right now."

"Just give Jungkook-a the phone," Min Ji said with a sigh, "you've had your time."

"No wait!" Taehyung said, "Na Ri-ssi come back soon!"

"Hello?" Jungkook's voice startled Na Ri more than she had imagined it would, "Na Ri-ssi, is it you?"

"Yes..." Na Ri said and felt another stream of tears coming.

"Gosh," Jungkook said, "you made us all so scared, please don't ever disappear like that again. You know we all really care about you, right? Even that alien, Taehyung-a. He's been asking about you almost every day."

"Really?" Na Ri said.

"Really," Jungkook said, "so promise me you'll never disappear again."

"Mm..." Na Ri said, desperately trying to stop herself from bursting into tears, "I promise."

"Thank you," Jungkook said, "I don't think Min Ji's heart can take it if you do it again- Oh, you wanna talk to her again? Here."

"Na Ri-ya," Min Ji said, "did you hear it? Everyone was really worried and scared and we all miss you. Do you understand?"

"I understand..." Na Ri, "I'm sorry."

"Stop saying sorry you idiot," Min Ji said and sniffled, "just never do it again, and... I want to tell you to come back soon, but if you need a break then give yourself one. Just... text me once in a while and let me know how you are, okay?"

"I will," Na Ri said. It got silent over the phone. The conversation was clearly over, but no one wanted to hang up. 

"What... are you all doing?" Na Ri then asked.

"We got together to watch the fireworks," Min Ji said, "are there any fireworks in Daegu?" 

"I'm not sure," Na Ri said and got up from the bed to look out of the window. She had been way too focused earlier to even register the loud noises, but indeed, the sky was filled with fireworks in all types of shapes and colors.

"What time is it?" Na Ri asked.

"It's a quarter past 12," Min Ji answered, "it's 2019 already."

"Let's make 2019 into a great year," Min Ji said after some time passed.

"Deal," Na Ri said and Min Ji could almost hear her smile in the way she said it. 

"Now, tell me about your brother, how is it staying with him?" Min Ji asked and Na Ri told her everything that had happened since she arrived. And before they knew it, they had been talking for a little over an hour.

"I think I have to go now," Min Ji said, "Taehyung is looking at me with big puppy eyes, he's mad I've been on the phone for so long."

"That's okay," Na Ri said, "I'll... call you again soon."

"You better or I'll come to Daegu and beat your ass all the way back to Seoul."

"Alright, I understand," Na Ri said and laughed, "and Min Ji-ya... can you pass on a message for me?"

"Sure, what's the message, and who's it for?"

"It's... for Professor Kim," Na Ri said, "just tell him I'm okay... tell him... I'll come back soon."

Hello everyone!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Remember to stay warm and eat healthy and take care of yourself. Stay safe.

Also, don't forget to leave a comment down below.

Love, Annalise~