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She couldn't quite believe what she had just seen. With her own two eyes. She had shared a few drinks with her regulars at her bar, as per, but even still, Jung Hee never got so drunk to the point where she started imagining things. Especially not wild, unthinkable things like what she was at least ninety-nine point nine percent sure she had just witnessed.
It was so unlike him, and she had known him for decades. Park Dong Hoon wasn't known for surprising people, and especially not in this sense...
Earlier that evening:
There was a warm buzz coming from inside the bar. Jung Hee did adore her locals. Rowdy at times, and childlike enough after too many drinks that she often felt like she became their mother rather than their humbled hostess. A mother to a band of forty-something's wasn't the ideal family Jung Hee had pictured once upon a time, with an abundance of grey hair and the stench of cigarettes rather than bright round cheeks and innocent laughter like that of young ones, but family was family, and she had a soft spot for that specific group of men who had decided to call her bar their second home.
Jung Hee never stopped. If she wasn't fetching more bottles of soju and soju and soju, she was in the kitchen busy frying up some chicken and other meats, making sure the bar snacks were ready and waiting in the baskets. Another job for in a minute or two, when she remembered.
Park Sang Hoon was sat watching the TV, cheering at the baseball team that had apparently qualified for the next round. Park Ki Hoon was sat moping, staring into his shot glass, phone attached to his right hand as if it had been super glued there. "She'll call," Sang Hoon laughed. "You said she had another audition today. Come and watch the game with us and cheer up." Ki Hoon mumbled something and checked his inbox again.
"Oh to be young and in love," Jung Hee sighed. "I have all the love in the world to give, but nobody wants to take it from me. What shall I do with all this wasted love? I have no children and no pet. Not even a cat."
"You can't get a cat here!" Soo Young, Sang Hoon's friend, chirped. "I am allergic. We're your best customers. You'd close down if you got a cat."
"Which brings me back to my original dilemma," Jung Hee sang as she slinked back behind her bar and poured another five beers. "What shall I do with all this love?"
At that exact moment, the door opened and the bell went, alerting everybody.
Lee Ji An stopped dead and saw every single pair of eyes dart in her direction. She stood awkwardly by the door for half a minute, and then Jung Hee sprang into action. "Lee Ji An!" Jung Hee had only met the girl once - about a week ago, when she and her bar children had walked her back home. Jung Hee had told the girl to come and have a drink at her bar sometime. She had been sincere, but she hadn't expected Lee Ji An to come. "Hello. Come in, take a seat..."
Jung Hee kindly frogmarched Lee Ji An to the seating by her bar and hopped behind it, leaning in to her on her elbow. "What can I get you?" She held a bottle of soju up and laughed when Lee Ji An took it, unscrewed the cap and poured herself a generous shot. She took three more before she smiled and gave a little bow of her head. "Thank you."
"You are most welcome. How have you been?"
Lee Ji An laughed inside. What a question. If only Jung Hee knew. If only anybody knew. She hid the truth. "I have been well. You?"
"Yes, good. Good..." Jung Hee kept face as always. They were both women after the other's heart. "Is Dong Hoon not with you tonight?" The air changed but only the two women felt it. Lee Ji An swallowed her shot hard and Jung Hee noticed, just like Lee Ji An noticed the tone the question was asked.
"No."
Park Sang Hoon looked over and mouthed something to Jung Hee, who replied without speaking, and Lee Ji An noticed this but pretended not to. In actual fact, Lee Ji An knew exactly where Park Dong Hoon was. She wouldn't give anyone the ammunition, or satisfaction, of admitting this. She counted down from ten and slyly turned her head as if to be looking at the men laughing when the door swung open and in he walked.
A commotion occurred as his brothers and friends greeted him, pats on the backs and cheers, beer and shot glasses raised. He smiled as he greeted them back, but as he saw her sat by the bar, usually in a seat he occupied, his face fell slightly and everybody saw and he didn't even try to hide it. He hadn't expected to see her. Here of all places. He had been there when Jung Hee had invited her, but he didn't think she'd actually show up. He wasn't sure which side of him would win: the part of him that was horrified and panicked that she was here, or the part of him that was so, so glad to see her...
"Dong Hoon!" Jung Hee calling his name was really her way of calling him over to her - them. He took steady steps to the bar, and he stopped further away that normal. He looked directly at Jung Hee. "Look who's here." Dong Hoon composed himself and looked at her. "You're here." All three of them knew what a dumb statement that was. Lee Ji An raised her eyes to meet his. Both of them were aware of Jung Hee, who was stood still, staring. "Yes," was all Lee Ji An replied.
"Sit down," Jung Hee said. "Next to Lee Ji An. What are you drinking?"
"Beer." Dong Hoon sat down on the bar stool next to his usual one and rested his hands on the table, clasped together. He was still in his long grey coat and his striped scarf. He was exceptionally warm tonight. He cleared his throat. "You came here."
"Yes. It would have been rude to ignore the invitation."
"I agree. Good."
Lee Ji An took a few more shots of soju, and suddenly the bottle was empty. Jung Hee came back and gave Dong Hoon his beer. "That went down well," she grinned. "Another?"
"No," Lee Ji An shook her head. "Give me a beer. The same as his."
The night progressed, and Lee Ji An stayed longer than Jung Hee had expected. She had stayed longer than Dong Hoon had expected. She had stayed longer than she had expected herself. She had been considering leaving, but then she had heard his footsteps nearby and couldn't think of anywhere else she'd go to. Jung Hee went into the back to check on the chicken that had been requested again, and Lee Ji An and Park Dong Hoon had been left alone for a good ten minutes or so. Of course everyone else had been there too, but they had been too busy playing drinking games around the table or arguing over who the best baseball players were. Ki Hoon came and said hi, but was still very withdrawn as he hadn't heard from Choi Yoo Ra yet.
Sang Hoon came and sat by them for a minute or two, in which he loudly whispered to his brother, "Oh, this is your pretty friend again!" Neither Park Dong Hoon or Lee Ji An knew what to say, so an awkward silence fell between them.
When Jung Hee returned, she tended to her men children, then spent the rest of the night behind the bar. Wiping down the sides, cleaning the glasses, turning the TV up when requested... all false little actions to hide her true motive. She was curious about Lee Ji An, and she was even more curious about how Park Dong Hoon was when she was near him.
She had known the man since they were in their early 20s, and she hadn't seen him behave the way he did tonight ever. Even when he had met his wife, his breath didn't catch in his throat the way it did tonight. A fresh bottle of soju had been ever so tactfully placed in the middle of their hands, and they had both reached to grab it. She had made contact with the bottle first, the cold drops of water a welcome sensation, but he had been a millisecond later. His large hands pressed down over hers and they disappeared completely. Jung Hee watched like a hawk and even if there was no verbal response, no flash of panic in his eyes, she looked at his chest, at his throat, and knew what it had caused...
Lee Ji An seemed to make Park Dong Hoon tense, and at the same time, when he laughed at something she would say, he had never seemed more carefree and happy. Jung Hee knew what personal problems Dong Hoon was having. She had never truly liked his wife - she had been jealous of her, many moons ago... This girl, this intriguing little thing with an aura of somebody decades older, seemed to bring both darkness and light into his life. She had shadows like the moon and she shone like the sun, and it seemed as if Dong Hoon was willing to take on both sides of her.
Midnight was fast approaching, and Jung Hee decided it was time for everyone to go to their actual homes and sleep off the impending hangovers. Everybody gathered their things and headed for the door. Lee Ji An thanked Jung Hee for the drinks. She went to get her purse but Dong Hoon had already taken his card out. "Here," he said coolly. "Put it on this." Jung Hee mouthed "Are you sure?" at him, and he nodded. Jung Hee raised her eyebrows when her back was turned.
"Everybody go home now," she sang as she stood by the door. "I have to make sure all of the kitchen is tidy and then I am going to my wonderful home. Goodnight."
"Do you want me to help?" Park Dong Hoon offered. Jung Hee did consider it for a moment, but shook her head.
"Go home. I will see you tomorrow, no doubt. Lee Ji An, it was nice to see you. Get home safe." There was no offer or invite to come to the bar again. Jung Hee did smile, and with a final longing look at Dong Hoon, she went back inside her bar and checked the kitchen over.
Outside, the moon was beaming. It was bright and full and glorious. Lee Ji An was looking up at it, starry eyed. "Are you thinking about your grandma?" Lee Ji An smiled in response. It was cold, but the goosebumps that had shot through her body like a grenade were because of his words. So sincere, and he had remembered, and cared enough to ask.
Park Dong Hoon couldn't remember drinking much tonight, but he must have had more than he had thought. He didn't know when he'd gotten to this level of stupid or brave. He couldn't work out which one was more likely. He felt his feet moving and before he realised he had walked and was now standing nearer to her. She could see the shadow of him behind her on the pavement. He was reflected by the lamplight so wonderfully. She felt her heartbeat increase slightly. She noticed a change in his breath. Heavier and deeper and scared. Terrified breaths. Excited breaths.
"Miss Le Ji An." Her name had never sounded so sweet than when it came from those lips. She gulped and shut her eyes tight. An electrical silence had surrounded them. Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, minutes that felt like seconds, minutes that felt like hours all in one. He repeated her name, deliciously slow and it killed her in every way.
"What do you want?" She could feel her lips trembling as she spoke. What on earth had been in that soju? Where had this all come from? What forces of magic were at work, creating either a miracle or a tragedy. He had stepped even closer and god, she could feel his warmth in her back.
"Look at me."
"No."
Silence for a second, and then it happened.
She turned around, half because of her own accord, half because he had placed a strong hand on her small shoulder and had guided her. Her eyes met with his scarf before his face. She looked up and caught a glimpse of his grey hairs that shone underneath the light. His eyes were searching for hers. They found each other's face and finally their hearts beat at once. "Miss Lee Ji An..." he breathed.
"Ajhussi..."
His lips were the welcome home she had been searching for. Dong Hoon's lips were full and not completely soft. They were perfect. Lee Ji An sighed into the kiss. She had stretched onto her tiptoes, even with him bending his neck down and wrapping his hands around her slender frame. He always knew that coat was big enough to fit ten of her inside.
Her lips were the sweetest poison he had ever tasted. His own wife's lips were nothing now that he had kissed her. Often battered and bruised and cut, he had expected them to be rougher than they were. He heard her sighing and he smiled before he could stop himself. She smiled back, and a second later they had broken away, but not because of any awkwardness or unrequited feeling. They both caught each other's eye and they laughed hard. She still had her arms resting on his chest, his were still around her waist. Neither of them let go. They laughed and laughed and laughed, until tears were running down her face and his stomach was hurting. The laughter came to a natural end, and that magical silence was back. She bit her lip and he fought a war that was raging inside. She had just closed her eyes, ready to taste heaven and hell again, but a loud bang caused them to both go do-eyed and break away.
Dong Hoon's eyes shot to the door of Jung Hee's bar and he saw several bags of trash had spilled. Jung Hee wasn't looking at them, she was too focused trying to collect everything and not to get shards of glass in her skin. Park Dong Hoon ran over and gently touched Jung Hee's shoulder, who started at him and looked surprised. "What happened?" Dong Hoon asked. "I thought you were checking the kitchen?"
"Yes, and these hadn't been done earlier," Jung Hee sighed. She looked over Dong Hoon's shoulder and saw her scurrying away into the night... "I thought I'd take them all in one go, but I guess I wasn't as strong as I thought. Why are you still here?" Jung Hee saw the flash of panic in her friend's eyes before he looked back to where she was standing... where had she gone? Of course she had gone. He didn't answer, which surprised her.
"Wait here." Jung Hee expertly threw all of the trash bags into the skip behind the bar and came back. She was like a different woman.
"DONG HOON!" The poor man looked baffled.
"What? Are you hurt? Let me see..." he went to check her over but she slapped his hands away.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
"Jung Hee, wh-?"
"I SAW YOU JUST NOW. I WAS WATCHING FROM THE WINDOW. I DROPPED THE BAGS TO PUT AN END TO IT."
He was silent.
"Dong Hoon, are you sick?" He frowned. "Do you have a brain tumour? Are you dying of cancer? Why are you behaving so recklessly?"
"I -"
"I have known you most of my life, Dong Hoon-a, I care about you. I know you have a lot going on, I do know that... but... this isn't wise, Dong Hoon-a, this will only end in tears."
Park Dong Hoon had everything and nothing to say in response.
"You could have spoken to me, if things were bad... I would like to think almost thirty years of friendship count for something. We are practically family, Dong Hoon. I can help you if you let me. What... what is going on with you and miss Lee Ji An?"
"I don't know," he spoke truthfully. He had sat on the bench outside the window and she was stood facing him, arms folded. "We... have a different relationship compared to others."
"She isn't your wife."
"I know."
"I don't like your wife," Jung Hee sniped. "I don't like the way she treats you. But she's your wife, and I respect her for that reason only. Is miss Lee Ji An your lover?"
Park Dong Hoon didn't reply right away. He thought about it. "No."
"Do you want her to be?"
No response.
"Do you... no, you can't possibly... Do you... love her?"
Listening in the dark security of her own room, Lee Ji An held on to her phone as if the secrets of the universe were concealed inside. She hadn't breathed since before the kiss.
"It's late. I'm going home. Goodnight, Jung Hee."
"I never thought you'd be the one to have a breakdown," Jung Hee threw her hands in the air dramatically. "My money was always on Ki Hoon. Never you. I lived forty years thinking you'd never surprise me, Dong Hoon."
"Go inside and get some sleep. Goodnight, Jung Hee."
"Are you going home? Back to your wife?"
"Yes. Goodnight, Jung Hee." She didn't reply. She was shocked and confused and she felt betrayed although she couldn't understand exactly why. She went inside and slammed the door shut. She grabbed two bottles of soju from the bar and took them to her room. She drank them both at an alarming rate and then passed out fully clothed by the sink.
Lee Ji An's mind and heart were racing. In her mad state of being she hadn't realised her phone battery was about to die, and it had just died on her. She had last seen him on the tracker leaving Jung Hee's bar and heading in the direction of home... She scrambled around for her charger and plugged it into the socket. Typically, the minute she needed it the most it decided to go slow. She urged it to hurry up, and when she eventually gained access again it was too late. She dropped the phone onto the floor as she heard a knock on her door.