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Kim Wonpil is a guy who always in control of himself. Every actions he did always came from a rational consideration of his sanity. He put other's convenience on top of everything, often suppress his own necessities. He also polite and kind, very kind that you'll start questioning your reason of existance in this planet. He's an ikon of considerate man, a gentleman, a good religious oppa. People starts to dig his past to find his weaknesses, or embarassing moment, anything that makes him despicable. No one success so far. And to adding his perfection list: he's annoyingly smart. Combine all of those good points, his visual, and his brain, no one debating when he chosen to be number 1 guy girls like to spend the valentine with in this faculty.
Wonpil literally can pick any girl he want to be his valentine, the fact is girls are lining up to be the one, but he don't do that. He hang out with his friends instead on valentine. A lonely, single, and miserable friends whom he treasure so much in spite of how popular he is.
"Yah, what is valentine exactly? It's just an old tradition couples do to mocking those who single." Yumi said half drunk already.
"Same speech every year." Dowoon shaking his head left and right. Just like Yumi, he also almost lose it.
But that's kind of true. Every year today, all couples seems like mocking a single soul. TV shows, radio, billboard, events... it's all about love, and partners, and boyfriends and girlfriend, and all those kind of chocolates and flowers. And yes, Yumi feel mocked by them every year.
Somi take a glance at Wonpil who smiling to both of them. She find Wonpil is endearing, every single time. They're friends since high school, most of them are, except Jae and Brian who just join this group last semester. Somi aways like being with Wonpil. They used to study together in their high school days, he always explained things that too complicated for Somi in a much simpler way possible. They took care of each other a lot. Even now.
It was natural back then, without much feeling involved between them. But they've grown up. Some things they did in high school days feel kind of awkward when they're doing it now. Somi feel it. Wonpil too.
Somi is the first one who hoping for the change in their relationship, to be in a romantic way. And she always show it to Wonpil, every single time. But Wonpil seems like didn't noticed it, or let it pass just like that on purpose. She feels frustrated on that, many times. It's like Wonpil's self-control is impenetrable. It's confusing, because sometimes she felt that Wonpil want her, but sometimes she felt he uninterested to dating her at all. Maybe he really just want them to be friends for the rest of his life.
"Seriously, who invented valentine's day though?" Yumi continue her dissatisfaction.
"There's at least three different versions of it..." Sungjin's sentences stopped by Dowoon's hand covering his mouth.
"We already heard about that for years, not now again!" Dowoon annoyed.
But Sungjin is more annoyed because of Dowoon's hand that touch his mouth tight. Sungjin is anti-skinship. He doesn't like to be touch, he had a serious issue with intimacy. That's why he's here, single.
Wonpil laughing at that.
"But I didn't hear about it yet." Brian say innocently.
"You better not." Wonpil told him still with laughing.
Sungjin finally free from Dowoon's hand, he takes a long breath then excuse himself to go to the restroom to calming himself. We all laughing at that.
Well, except for Jae, who still focus on his game. He barely speak. And that's why he's here, single. He has no interest in girls, and doesn't give a single care about valentine's day. Everyday is the same for him except the exam period.
"And why, the only member that clearly have a date, be here with us tonight?" Yumi looking at Somi, her eyes glaring like a laser gonna popped out from there.
"I don't know, he's not picking up my calls, or read my messages." Somi check her phone nonchalantly, still not a single sign from her boyfriend. "I like it more here with you guys."
Yumi snorted on purpose makes Somi pouts her lips annoyed.
"Just break up with him, he's so useless. He always absent in every important day. He didn't show up in your performing day, too. It's so important to you, though." Yumi keeps talking non-stop. Looks like her dissatisfaction with valentine's day has transferred to Somi's lousy boyfriend.
"Should I? Should I break up with him?" Somi asked Yumi, but then glancing at Wonpil. Once again hoping that the always-in-control-guy get the hint. But he just staring at Dowoon and Yumi, smiling at how funny they are right now, almost drunk completely.
"Of course! Why you wasting your time with a jerk like him who can't even make time for you?!" Yumi is the one who answered the question, not Wonpil.
"Agree." Dowoon nodded his head.
Somi sighing, "Looks like I'm gonna do that soon. I don't like him that much, I just date him because of Wonpil oppa, anyway."
"Why you put me into this?" He smile tired of being a person to blame.
"You're the one who play matchmaking." Brian jump in the conversation.
"I just introduced him because he said she's cute. It's all in her right to decide. I feel unfairly treated."
"Oppa said he's a nice person." Somi insisted.
"You asked my opinion about him, and I answered it." He looks at Somi in disbelieve.
"But your actions made Somi think you want them to date." Jae speak suddenly without looking away from the game on his phone.
"Finally someone intelectual!" Somi thanked Jae happily.
"Wha... what...?" Wonpil sttutter.
"Why are you stuttering?" Yumi insist an answer.
"I... What have I done wrong, guys?"
Sungjin sit back on his chair and asking Jae quietly about what the topic we're talking about right now. But Jae just shrug his shoulders, having no intention to explain it at all.
"Oppa is make a wrong judgement about her boyfriend. He's far from nice, he is lousy, unconsiderate, and egoistic. He is not thinking about Somi at all, he just want a pretty girl beside him." Yumi blurted out things uncontrollably.
"Stop drinking, you're drunk already." Somi steal the glass from Yumi's hand and shaking head, looking at her hopelessly.
"Just break up, then." Sungjin gives advice.
"Alright, guys. Your opinions will be in my top consideration. Stop talking about him."
"What about you, though? That girl, Sooyoung or Soyoung, aren't you guys dating already?" Wonpil asked Brian.
"She's not sure of me."
"Why?" Sungjin is curious too.
"Because hyung always flirting here and there, to all the girls. That's why she's hesitate with you. Am I right?" Dowoon smile to Brian proudly.
"The master of saying facts: Yoon Dowoon." Jae said then scream annoyingly because he lost his game, apparently.
"Just make it clear, then! Don't be nice to every girl!" Wonpil trying to push Brian.
"Oh, I'm sorry, but look who's talking? What about you, then? Why are you here, Mr. Number-1-guy-every-girls-want-to-spend-the-valentine-with?"
"Yeah, I like this kind of confrontation!" Yumi shouts happily. "Answer, Kim Wonpil!"
"I just want to spend the time with you, guys. My precious friends." He smile widely.
Everyone make a puke face because of his cringy words.
"Besides, I can't pick a girl just to spend the valentine alone, we have to be in relationship first. There's steps." Wonpil explains like a good guy he is.
"Nice guy is boring!" Yumi shouts again, "Brian wins! Please keep flirting to many girls. We like it anyway." Yumi laugh then.
"But what about you? Why you keep pushing every guy?" Somi asked Yumi.
"Because they're useless, they show no sincerity. I always see 'pervert' written on their forehead. They are just want the good part and fear the complicated part they're just run away from it. Far."
Everyone silence. It's not often for Yumi to tell story about herself like this, so everyone listening with such seriousness.
"Why you so jealous with couples, then?" Jae break the silence, already start a new game.
"I'm not jealous of them!"
"You complaining about valentine's day means you jealous of them."
"It's not the couple, it's the tradition. The tradition of valentine's day that people always do."
"But why you complaining the tradition? People complaining about something means 'that something' is bothering them, or make them feel uncomfortable, or mistreat them. Which one are you?" Jae finally look up to Yumi.
The other is silence, holding their breath. Just as rare as Yumi talking about herself, Jae is rarely speaking. We can count how many times we heard and saw Jae talking with more than 20 sentences. This is one of those times.
They're looking at each other.
"Do you have a problem with me?" Asked Yumi quietly.
Another silence, but Sungjin take an action to finally call this a night. And no one complains when Sungjin do that, he somehow become our team leader. Everyone listen to him, and obey him without much complaining.
And like always, Sungjin, Brian, Dowoon, and Yumi take a cab to go home. They're going to drop Yumi first to her apartment, then they go to their house. Yes, they live in the same house, along with Wonpil and Jae. Jae is riding motorbike everywhere, because he likes it so much. He likes how the wind freshen his mind and soul, and he can think. When he's riding, he thinks a lot. Better than any other times. Meanwhile, Wonpil always take the train with Somi. Their house is not far, and Somi don't know why she likes train better than taxi. Taxi sure faster, but she feel more comfortable in the train. And Wonpil will be with her most of the time because he doesn't like letting a girl go alone in the night. What a gentleman.
"There's not room left for us in the cab." That's the word Wonpil often say if anyone asked him about it. Us means he and Somi. Kind of true, though.
So here they are, on the train, and people around them is either kissing or making out. How pathetic of them.
Wonpil pull out his phone to check the message that just arrived. The screen showing Somi's name along with a chat.
Somi: Yumi was right. Valentine is just their way to mocking lonely soul.
Wonpil smile then reply
Wonpil: just sleep, then.
Somi: can I borrow your shoulder?
Wonpil sigh, put the phone back to his pocket, and then leaning his body until it touch the back of the seat. Without waiting, Somi put her head on his left shoulder, moving her body searching for a comfortable position, then close her eyes. This is just the thing they often did.
"Prof Kang praise my essay today. You remember the essay I've been working on this past two weeks?" Wonpil's deep manly voice start to drift her into sleepy state.
"Hm, how he praise it? What aspects he likes?" Somi asked just so she still keep hearing his voice. It always like a lullaby song for her, and she likes it. Every single time.
Meanwhile, Wonpil likes how Somi never respond his achievement by 'I knew it', 'Of course you can do it', 'Of course you'd got a good score' or anything like that. Wonpil always working hard on the assignments, and hearing people just commenting like that when he got good scores makes it look so easy, while the truth is he really working hard on it. It was hard for him, too. Somi knows it, and thankfully she always asked him to tell her about that hardship he had been through. It's comforting.
Wonpil feels like telling a conclusions everytime Somi asked that. Like he learning all over again, summarize what's work and not in every assignments he did.
"So the most important thing for Prof Kang is not how amazing theories can break other theories, but how a theory makes sense so the old theory become invalid..." Wonpil knows the moment he starts telling her about it, she will drifting from the current state and go to the sleepland right away. But he keep doing that anyway, simply because it always feel comfortable for him.
And in the middle of that, there's always a slight wish to circle his hand on her back, to hold her and caressing her shoulder, so that she could sleep tighter. Recently, that wish feels much stronger than he ever felt. Recently, she looks more appealing, too. More pretty, more tempting. Like when she was put her hands up to tied her hair, Wonpil can't help to stare at her soft neck and there's this urge to touch and feel it in his hands. Lips, even. Or when her bang is messed after she ran to be on the same train with him, he can't help to notice it and there's this urge to comb it with his fingers and place a kiss on it. It gets hard recently.
But she has a boyriend. A lousy boyfriend he intorduced to her one day, saying he's a nice guy, and that apparently become her reference to said yes to his confession. Wonpil wish he never do that. He wish he never introducing them in the first place, and confessing his feeling instead.
What made him hesitate again, back then? Oh, because he wasn't sure if Somi had the same feeling with him. He never sure if this feeling is mutual. But the signs become clearer more and more these days. He noticed how Somi looking at him when she asked if she should just break up with her boyfriend just then, Wonpil realized exactly what she meant by that. But Wonpil can't get out from this good-guy-bubble of him. It will be unfair for her boyfriend, he is lousy but he still have a chance to be a better boyfriend to her. Wonpil never want to be a decision maker to her life, she must know what's best for her.
"So, should I just break up with him?" She asked again when they walking to Somi's house.
"Why ask me? Follow your heart, follow what you exactly feel about him."
She sigh, "He's nice... some days he really nice to me. But there's more days that he disappear and never think of me a little bit. Like now. And I always feel lonely. Sometimes when I'm with him I feel lonely, too."
"Talk about it first, talk with him and find the solution."
They're staring at each other, then she nodded her head. "Right, okay."
Another chance pass just like that, Somi feels frustrated once again. Should she just confess first to this man?
They arrived in front of her house, waving their hand goddbye just as usual, smiling for each other as usual. Ending their day like they always did, as usual.
But when Wonpil almost arrived at his house, he stopped suddenly. Something, he don't know what, force him to turn back. Maybe it's because of all the romantic acts he saw today, maybe Somi's stare today, the signs she keep gave him, or Brian's words that confronting him today, or maybe simply just because it's a valentine's day. He blink his eyes a couple of times then run. Without him knowing, or realizing what he doing, he run to Somi's house. He want her affection, her loving, her careness to him. He longed for it for years, he want it so badly now. He want to taste it. He deserves it. He deserve a try, to make her completely his.
He touch the bell, panting hard, his heart beats faster, but he's determined. He waits while he try to make his breathing and heartbeat steady again. Success with the breathing, but not with the heartbeat. It beats faster, though.
Somi open the door and look at him surprised. "Oppa, why are you here and out of breath? Are you running to here? Anything left out?"
Wonpil takes a long breath before he speak, "Break up with him."
Somi freeze for like 3 seconds full before she blinking her eyes rapidly. Her heart beats are as fast as him now.
"Break up with him and be with me." Now Wonpil stand more straight, more steady, his stare is as deep as ocean, see through Somi's soul.
Somi smiling, "Finally."
Wonpil lift up his eyebrows, confused at how easy it is.
"What took you so long?" Somi touch her ponsel here and there and showing him a chat. A message from her who tell her boyfriend to break up, two days ago. And there's not a single reply for that lousy boyfriend until now.
Wonpil clears his throat nervously.
"Guess I've been single for two days." She shrug her shoulder.
They staring at each other, long.
"What are you waiting for?" She asked a little bit annoyed.
Wonpil smile a little then step forward, closer until they standing to each other. And he don't stop, touch her cheek with his right hand while the other hands placed on her waist. He kiss her. Loosing his control on purpose for the first time.
She smiling at it and kiss him back, tilted her head to feeling it consume her. Then he put her hands on his neck, touch it. Feel him even more.
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