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She does not notice him until maybe her fourth visit to the nearest laundromat from Yulje Medical Centre.
By then, there is slight recognition that stirs within her when Songhwa sees the young man unloading clothes into machine number 5. It comes with the realisation that he must be someone with a force of habit, because he would always use that same machine while doing his laundry. The next time she visits the laundromat again, she subconsciously avoids using machine number 5, knowing that he would want to use it when he arrives.
Maybe it is because Songhwa is naturally observant. Maybe she is just curious. But she is intrigued, to say the least.
The laundromat isn't one that is frequented by many people. The only reason she has made this her to-go-to place for laundry has been largely due to the fact that it is the closest to her hospital.
As Chief Resident of the Neurosurgery department, Songhwa has hardly any time for herself. She barely even goes home, and it is through sheer luck that she’d been able to request not to be given a night shift on Thursdays. With some compromises and verbal agreements, that is how Songhwa finds herself in the laundromat every Thursday after dinner, seizing that one, tranquil hour to read a book while waiting.
Except, the book in her hands is forgotten as her eyes linger at the young man’s side profile. Songhwa isn’t one to judge, but she finds herself forming assumptions in her head from the way he is usually dressed; he is probably living nearby in the neighbourhood, probably a freelancer of some sort. She couldn’t imagine him as someone who works a desk job from 9 to 5, for some reason.
Just then, the young man glances her direction, and for a brief moment, their eyes meet.
Songhwa finds her breath hitching, a little afraid that he had caught her looking. Before she could tear her eyes away though, the young man gave her a small and polite smile, head bowed slightly.
She tips her head in reflex, a quick smile forming on her lips.
The young man settles himself a few seats away from her, and spends the rest of the night listening to his iPod while Songhwa attempts to continue reading her novel.
She fails, no words registering in her mind. She wonders why.
He is here again, the young man in his black beanie and bag of laundry.
Songhwa thinks it is a little funny that she has grown so accustomed to his presence when they haven’t even spoken one word to each other. She blames it largely on the fact that like her, he comes to the laundromat at 8PM every Thursday without fail.
Today, she is slightly later than usual, which means that instead of her getting the chance to observe him coming into the laundromat, it is the other way round that evening.
Songhwa tries to ignore the fact that she feels self-conscious, feels like he is studying her every move. Her heart thumps as she settles her bag down in front of machine number 8. She moves at a pace that is a lot slower than usual, wondering if the young man is observing her just like how she would to him every time he unloaded his laundry before this.
But she dares not look into his direction. It’s silly, really, whatever it is that she is feeling at the moment.
Instead, Songhwa heads to the token machine as nonchalantly as possible. Luck doesn’t seem to be on her side that evening though, as she finds herself inwardly cursing at the short of one 1000 won bill. She fumbles, digging through her handbag and her pockets, hoping that miraculously she would be able to find the note.
“Here,”
The voice that greets her nearly makes her jump in her sneakers. She glances up, and immediately meets the calm gaze of the young man. Her eyes darted from his eyes to his hand holding a 1000 won bill. Before Songhwa could regain her bearings, the young man casually slots his money into the machine.
The clang of the token falling into the container below is enough to break her reverie. Songhwa straightens her back, almost comically, and the young man lets out a soft chuckle before turning around.
“W-wait,” Songhwa calls out after grabbing all her tokens, “thank you,”
“It’s no big deal,” He tells her with a shrug, going back to his seat quietly.
It takes Songhwa an additional minute, after she had set her clothes to wash and settled back into her own seat — two seats away from him, she realises — before she speaks, again. “So, uh, I realised you always do your laundry around this time.”
No sooner had the words left her that Songhwa mentally screams at herself. Great, she berates herself, way to go at making someone think you’re a full time stalker—
“I realised the same with you, too.” His reply comes two seconds after, the tone of his voice at ease, completely unaffected at the connotation of Songhwa’s earlier words.
She blinks in surprise.
“Not that I was stalking you or anything,” He quickly explains, turning to look at her.
Somehow, that denial only makes her laugh. Songhwa shakes her hands, as if dismissing his statement. “Oh no, don’t worry. I think you’re just observant.”
He grins. “I guess that makes the two of us.”
Silence lapses between them, but it isn’t one that is of discomfort. He is the one to break the silence after that, jutting a hand out towards her. “I’m Lee Ikjun, by the way.”
She accepts his hand with a blush on her cheeks. “I’m Songhwa. Chae Songhwa.”
“A doctor, I assume?” Ikjun asks, and for a moment, she is shocked to hear him make such an accurate assumption. Until he nudges his chin at her I.D card dangling on her bag.
“Oh,” She regains herself quickly, a little embarrassed. “yes. A Resident, actually.”
“Same difference,” He grins again, “that explains it.”
“What does?”
“Your job.” Ikjun answers. “And why you seem to only have the time to come here at this hour and day of the week.”
Songhwa pauses. So he really had noticed.
“Yeah,” She finds herself being honest, though. “It’s the only free time I have. I work the night shifts almost every other day, so I almost don’t get to see the sun beyond the hospital.”
He frowns, shaking his head. “Sounds like a tough job.”
“It is,” She agrees. “but it is my dream job, you know?”
Ikjun smiles, and Songhwa finds herself wondering how and why she is so comfortable sharing all this with a complete stranger.
“That’s great, I’m glad to hear that.” He tells her, and she finds it surprising that she could almost sense the sincerity in his tone.
“What about you, Ikjun-sshi?” She braves herself to ask. “What do you do for a living?”
“Well,” He pauses, looking away. “I’m actually a musician.”
She perks up at that, interested to hear more. “Really? Do you play in a band? Are you also a song-writer?”
Ikjun nods. “I’ve written a couple of songs for some indie artists, and I do play in a band as my side gig.”
Songhwa’s eyes lit up; music has always been a topic she holds dear to her heart. “No way! Do you think I’ve heard any of the songs?”
“I don’t know, maybe,” He replies, reaching for his earphone and iPod. Ikjun fiddles around with it for a few seconds before passing them to her. “They weren’t really hits, but here,”
She plugs his earphones into her ears and presses the play button. After a few seconds, a distant memory seems to stir within her, but not quite that she knows what song she is listening to. Still, it’s a pleasant song to listen to, and Songhwa pays extra attention to the lyrics. She comes to an ardent conclusion two minutes later that she likes it; both the song and the lyrics.
“It’s good,” Songhwa smiles. “I like it.”
Ikjun chuckles. “But you probably haven’t heard it, right?”
“Well,” She pauses to search for the right words to say, “it seems familiar, the tune, but I wouldn’t know since I hardly have the time to even listen to music.”
“Fair enough.” He nods, still smiling.
Songhwa returns him his iPod and earphones, and another round of silence stretches between them.
“Do you live nearby?” She decides to ask after a long pause. Songhwa honestly has no idea why she even wants to keep their conversation running; normally, she would be totally fine in just letting a conversation die down by itself.
“Yes,” Ikjun answers. “Just around the block, actually. Uh, my washing machine broke down and I never got the time to fix it, so…”
“Ah,” Songhwa nods in understanding. She doesn’t think it would be appropriate to pry further, so she leaves it at that. “The hospital I work in is nearby. This is the closest laundromat, should I get paged suddenly.”
Ikjun furrows his eyebrows together, recalling the words he’d seen on her I.D earlier. “Yulje Medical Centre, right?”
She nods.
“You must be really smart then, to be able to do your residency there.” He remarks as if it is a fact, which surprises her. Ikjun offers an explanation. “I have a best friend who is also a Resident, but he works in Kangwoon Hospital. He always tells me that Yulje is one of the best in Seoul to do residency, but he didn’t manage to get a spot. He’s in cardiothoracic surgery.”
“Oh!” Songhwa exclaims, “Kangwoon is well known, too. Your best friend should give himself some credit.”
“Ah, he’s like that. Always grumbling and complaining.” Ikjun waves his hand dismissively, before meeting her gaze once again. “Which department are you in, if you don’t mind me asking?”
Songhwa smiles, albeit a little embarrassed. “Neurosurgery.” She doesn’t know if he would be aware of the implication of specialising in that particular department, but judging from the way Ikjun’s jaw has gone slack, Songhwa figures he does, to a certain extent.
“Amazing.” is all he says, clearly in mild admiration.
“It’s honestly nothing,” Songhwa puts in modestly.
“I politely differ,” Ikjun says without hesitation, “from my limited knowledge in the field of medicine, I definitely am aware that Neurosurgery is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, area of specialisation.”
Songhwa merely shrugs, not knowing what to say.
“Why did you decide to choose Neurosurgery?”
“It’s interesting.”
“I bet it’s because you like to study.”
That statement elicits another chuckle from Songhwa’s throat. “What an assumption to make.”
“Medical dramas have educated me on the difficulty of this practice area, Songhwa-sshi,” Ikjun says lightly, almost teasingly, and she shakes her head in amusement. There’s just something in the way Ikjun carries the conversation, maybe it’s his tone and his overall disposition, but Songhwa finds herself completely at ease, comfortable in front of a stranger she’d just officially spoken to in a span of twenty minutes.
The rest of the night goes by in a blink of an eye, and Songhwa is pleasantly surprised when Ikjun waits for her load to finish before taking his leave. It’s an unexpected gesture that he insisted on doing, and though he’d cited that it is because he doesn’t have anywhere else to be after this, Songhwa has a feeling it is due to the suspicion that he is a gentleman concerned for her safety.
“Do you want me to walk you back to Yulje?” Ikjun asks seconds after, confirming her suspicion. Songhwa finishes keeping her clothes back into her bag before she turns back to him with a polite shake of her head.
“It’s fine, don’t worry. It’s really not that far, and the way back is still alive with music and people.”
Ikjun looks like he wants to argue on that point, but swallows the words on the tip of his tongue. Instead, he nods. “Alright then. It was nice meeting you, Songhwa-sshi.”
She tells him the same thing, and they say their goodbyes for that evening.
Needless to say, something as mundane as doing the laundry has now turned into something that is a lot more interesting with the presence of a new acquaintance.
On Songhwa’s only day off, she decides against sleeping in and instead, finds herself in a bookstore near Yulje. She’d wanted to get some Neurosurgery related books to review for her upcoming board exams, and her Professor had mentioned she could get those titles in that particular bookstore. The bookstore, though quaint and rather small, had an array of books ranging from all sorts of genres she wouldn’t otherwise have expected if not because it was recommended by her Professor.
Her second surprise for that day comes shortly after she’d picked her second book, and Songhwa whirls in surprise when she hears someone calling her name.
Her eyes widen, her face breaking into a natural smile. “Ikjun-sshi?”
The young man from the laundromat stands in front of her in casual attire; jeans and a black tshirt. He looks slightly different from how he normally would in the laundromat, but Songhwa could still recognise that smile he is already giving her.
“I’m surprised that you remembered my name.” He tells her as soon as he is within earshot, and Songhwa flushes as a natural reaction.
“Well, you remembered mine,” She retorts, and he laughs as a response.
“Don’t think I’d be able to forget the name of a young woman as pretty as her namesake.”
He’d said it so casually, that Songhwa nearly misses the words Ikjun had used. But before she could react to that, Ikjun had already looked away, towards the books in her hands instead. “Ha, medical books. See, what did I say about you and studying?”
“I don’t have much choice,” She admits sheepishly, “my board exams are next year, so I have to prepare.”
“You’ll do well, I’m sure.”
“I don’t know about that, the failure rate is pretty high…”
“Nothing you wouldn’t be able to overcome.”
Songhwa feels heat on her cheeks. “You have an awful amount of confidence for someone you just met.”
“I have a good intuition.” He winks at her direction, before randomly taking a book from the shelves. Ikjun pretends to read what is written at the back cover, and Songhwa resorts to just looking at him in amusement.
“Anyway, I wouldn’t have expected to bump into you again in a bookstore of all places.” Songhwa pauses. “You’re not stalking me, are you?”
Ikjun turns flustered at once, eyes snapping towards her. “W-what, no, I would never!”
“Relax,” She giggles, a thought flitting into her mind at how adorable he’d looked two seconds ago, “I was just joking,”
“I don’t want you to misunderstand,” Ikjun quickly explains, “I live nearby, remember? This is actually a place I like to visit during the weekends.”
“Okay, Ikjun-sshi.” Songhwa smiles. “Let’s just say it’s fate that made us cross paths again then, shall we?”
He nods, finally able to smile again.
They navigate around the bookstore in silence after that, with Songhwa continuing her quest to search for one final book, while Ikjun flits away to find his own book, too. They unintentionally meet again halfway moments after, much to their obvious amusement as Songhwa chuckles at their somewhat aligned timing.
“Hey, Songhwa-sshi,”
“Hmm?”
Ikjun pauses, shoving a hand into his pocket. “Do you want to get coffee together?”
Songhwa takes a slow sip of her cup of coffee, eyes focusing on nothing in particular. She stalls her time as much as possible, unsure of how to break the ice between them again.
Ikjun though, seems to have a knack for making people comfortable. In just a short time, he’d managed to ease Songhwa’s nerves by offering to buy her a cake - a Saturday treat he thinks she deserves. Before she could protest, Ikjun had already leapt up from his seat, heading towards the counter.
Well, Songhwa thinks to herself, who is she to refuse a slice of cake, and a free one at that?
He returns shortly after with a slice of blueberry cheesecake, and Songhwa smacks her lips unintentionally at the sight of the desert. Ikjun reacts with a chuckle, pushing the plate towards her as she slices into the cake without an afterthought.
It is maybe three bites later that Songhwa becomes aware of how possibly rude she had been to a new found friend, and immediately, she straightens her back and covers a hand over her mouth. “Ah, I’m so sorry,” She apologises sheepishly, unable to meet Ikjun’s eyes.
“No, no,” Ikjun quickly shakes his hands, “don’t worry about it. Please continue eating,”
But Songhwa pushes the plate towards his direction instead. “Have some, Ikjun-sshi.”
“It’s really okay,” He insists, nudging the plate back towards her. “It’s for you, anyway. Though I’m a little curious; is the hospital starving you or something?”
She flushes in embarrassment, even though she knows that his comment had been one that is to tease her, rather than it being an offhand, judgemental remark. Songhwa attempts to explain weakly, “I have three brothers…”
“Oh,” He understands at once, breaking into chuckles. “I completely understand. I have a sister too and she’s a food fighter. If I hesitate for a few seconds, everything would be gone in a blink of an eye.”
Songhwa laughs. “Exactly.”
As she continues eating her cake, Ikjun resorts to just drinking his coffee. A comfortable silence in the air until the peaceful ambience is interrupted by Songhwa’s phone ringing suddenly.
Immediately, Songhwa is on high alert as she snatches her phone, answering it without hesitation. “Yes? Yes. Alright, I understand. I’m coming.”
She meets Ikjun’s slightly alarmed gaze, and Songhwa clasps her hands together. “I’m really sorry, it’s my colleague. I need to go, there’s an emergency—”
“No need to explain,” Ikjun says hurriedly, as if anxious on her behalf too. “go, I’ll get the bill.”
“Thank you, Ikjun-sshi.” Songhwa is already halfway out of their table, “I owe you one.”
But Ikjun stands abruptly, interrupting her from rushing away. "I'll see you at the laundromat this Thursday?"
Despite the urgency, a natural laugh escapes her. She nods in confirmation. "Same time, same place."
As Songhwa rushes out of the cafe and starts to sprint towards the hospital, she finds herself suddenly looking forward to Thursday evening.
A few Thursdays went by with Ikjun and Songhwa continuing their quests of getting to know each other. By now, Songhwa has learned of Ikjun’s likes and dislikes, interests and hobbies. She has also learned that he was born in Changwon but shifted to Seoul for university — a music degree from Seoul National University. She’d let slip that she was an SNU graduate too, and joked about how they’d never bumped into each other on campus despite being from the same intake in 1999.
“That’s because med school is on the other side of the campus,” Ikjun remarks rationally.
“No, it’s because med students are boring people who don’t go out,” Songhwa disses herself, tears in her eyes from all the laughter leading to that conversation.
As they wait for their clothes in the dryers, Songhwa suddenly finds herself hungry. It is almost nine, which is almost the perfect time for supper considering she hasn’t had the opportunity to eat dinner yet.
Truth be told, her shift had lasted longer that evening, and Songhwa had rushed to the laundromat the second she was able to step out of the hospital. In her mind after her shift, she really hadn’t been thinking about anything other than the fact that Ikjun may be waiting for her, and that she couldn’t text him to inform him about her delay because she had chickened out halfway the last time when she wanted to ask for his number.
Her heart skipped a beat the second she had laid eyes on Ikjun, who was already in his usual spot and reading a book. He glanced up, sensing her presence, a wide grin of relief forming on his face. “You’re late today,” He had stated at the same time Songhwa had crashed into the seat beside him, trying to catch her breath.
“Was held up by a surgery,” She had replied breathlessly.
Ikjun had helped unload her laundry into the machine after that, before they fell into their usual conversation starter; to ask how their respective week had been thus far.
“Oh, right,” Ikjun says all of a sudden, taking out his phone casually, “can I have your number? If you...don’t mind, of course.”
The tinge of red returns across her cheeks, and Songhwa nearly stumbles with her own number as she recites it to him. Her heart leaps that he’d finally asked for her number, before chiding herself to not get ahead of herself.
Songhwa keeps herself grounded — him asking for her number didn’t necessarily have to mean that he is interested in her as well, right? It could just be...to avoid something like this evening from happening again where she was late and he got worried for her.
Her stomach growls, and Songhwa sends a quick prayer that Ikjun had not heard that. She glances at her machine, sees the gleaming figure of 8 minutes, and turns to Ikjun.
“Ikjun-ah,”
They’ve dropped their honorifics some time ago ever since they found out that they were of the same age. But honestly, it still makes her heart flutter whenever Songhwa calls him by his first name so casually.
“Hmm?”
“Do you have any plans after this?” She asks as nonchalant as possible, even though her heart is racing in anticipation.
Ikjun shakes his head two seconds after, “No, I’m heading home after this. Wae? ”
Songhwa hesitates, watching Ikjun taking a long sip from his bottle of water.
“Ramyeon meok-go gal-lae?”
At that innocent question, Ikjun nearly chokes on his water. His face turns into a shade so bright that leaves Songhwa absolutely confused, wondering immediately if she had said something wrong.
Ikjun lapses into a coughing fit, managing to croak out, “W-what ?”
“Ramyeon,” Songhwa repeats, eyes wide with surprise, “would you like to have some together?”
It is the way she is looking at him; that confusion and innocence in her eyes that made Ikjun push all inappropriate thoughts into the back of his mind. He hits his chest a few times to stop himself from coughing, asking her, “y-you mean like the actual food, right?”
She nods, suddenly self conscious that there is another implication of her words. Songhwa had uttered that sentence because she had heard Jihye say it a couple of times, and thought that it was perfectly normal to ask someone out for ramyeon - especially for supper.
“Yes, I'm really hungry. I didn't manage to eat dinner earlier…"
Ikjun forces himself to smile, trying to calm himself from the shock earlier. “Ah, sure, there’s a pojangmacha nearby which has a variety of late night snacks. We can go there after this.”
Songhwa beams at him, already nodding her head in agreement.
The next day, Songhwa slides into the vacant seat beside her best friend, Obgyn Resident Song Jihye, in Yulje’s cafe. Her best friend is already in the middle of gobbling up her rolls of kimbap, clearly famished from having worked the night shift. Unlike Songhwa who looks more refreshed, since she is only starting her shift while her friend is ending hers, Jihye barely acknowledges her best friend’s presence until Songhwa asks her a question without warning.
“Jihye-ya, what does it mean when someone says would you like to have some ramyeon ?”
Songhwa is startled when Jihye erupts into a similar reaction like Ikjun had, which is a wheezing round of coughing fit. At once, she pushes the glass of juice into Jihye’s hand, reaching out to pat her back.
Jihye recovers in a few quick seconds, this time, bursting into a fit of giggles that leaves Songhwa even more confused. Her forehead creases, and she waits for Jihye to calm down.
“Chae Songhwa,” Jihye starts after a while, finally regaining her senses, "did someone ask you to have ramyeon together at night?"
"No…" Songhwa blinks, " I was the one to ask him if he wanted ramyeon,"
"Oh my god!!!" Jihye covers her face at once, trying to stifle another laugh before she quietens down. "Songhwa-ya, my dearest, most innocent friend…"
"Wae?" She is impatient now, nudging her friend’s arm roughly, "What's the implication??"
Jihye leans forward to whisper. Just one word. “Sex.”
Instantaneously, Songhwa's eyes widen, her cheeks suddenly burning in shock and embarrassment. "W-what?!"
But Jihye is unfazed over her reaction, elaborating, "An invitation to have ramyeon together at night, is basically an invitation to intimacy and...well, naturally, sex,"
It all makes sense now - Ikjun’s reaction, the blush on his face and the inability to look at her in the eye after that. For a second, Songhwa wishes the ground would just open up and swallow her whole. She is embarrassed as hell, and within seconds, she buries her face into her hands and let out a muffled scream of despair.
Jihye could only watch her best friend in amusement, taking the opportunity to tease her, “I can’t believe you do not know what that line means.”
“How would I know the lingo kids use these days?”
“Kids?” Jihye is horrified, “Songhwa-ya, this line has been trending since 2001, ever since that movie Lee Young-Ae starred in. Don’t tell me you don’t know?”
“I don’t have time for movies!” Songhwa whines, almost comically, knocking a hand against her forehead a few times. “Oh my god, what should I do, Jihye-ya? He’s going to think I’m crazy— ”
“Hold up,” Jihye holds a hand up abruptly, “ Who ?”
Songhwa pauses, her mind suddenly drawing a blank. Jihye is eyeing her suspiciously, her eyes narrowed as she crosses her arms — in all truth, Songhwa had, perhaps, maybe, most probably, definitely kept her newfound friendship of three months a secret from her best friend. For the very reason Jihye is giving her the eye, and Songhwa relents by letting out a loud groan.
“It’s just...someone...I met at the laundromat.”
“The what?”
“Laundromat.” Songhwa deadpans, “you know, the place where we can do our laund—”
“I know what a laundromat is!” Jihye screeches at an acceptable loud pitch, before lowering her voice, eyes twinkling, “heol , is this why you always disappear on Thursday evenings? So that you could do laundry with this new friend of yours?”
“Uh...is doing laundry another code word for…” Songhwa waves a hand, blushing slightly, “you know?”
Jihye ignores her, even though it is as what she thinks it is. “You haven’t answered my question, Chae Songhwa. Who, when, how? Spill the beans .”
Songhwa sighs, knowing she has no escape from this, especially since her shift doesn’t start until another half an hour. There is no way Jihye would let her escape, not when she already knows the preliminary information about her newfound friendship. “His name is Lee Ikjun, and I met him at the laundromat. He always does his laundry at the same time and day like me so naturally, we started talking…”
“And is this Lee Ikjun good looking ? Impossibly Hot? Out of the world cute? ”
Songhwa groans loudly. “Oh god,”
“What? It’s a normal question to ask!” Jihye retorts defensively.
Songhwa contemplates for a few seconds if she even wants to answer her friend’s question. From the way Jihye is looking at her, she knows that she doesn’t have an option not to, so she sighs softly. “Yes...”
Jihye squeals, clapping her hands excitedly. “Finally! After a gazillion years, Chae Songhwa is finally dating again!”
“Hey,” Songhwa flushes, “I didn’t say anything about dating! We’re just friends!”
“You know what they say, it all starts from being just friends…”
“You’re incorrigible, Song Jihye.”
“And you’re in denial, Chae Songhwa.”
“In denial of what, pray tell?”
“Oh come on, Songhwa-ya!” Jihye rolls her eyes playfully, “if you don’t like him, would you even be going to the laundromat just to meet him every Thursday? Would you even be inviting him for ramyeon— ”
“I really need to do my laundry and I really meant the food!”
“—or even talking about him with me right now?” Jihye’s eyes are gleaming. “Admit it, Chae Songhwa. Whoever this Lee Ikjun is...you are attracted to him.”
Songhwa opens her mouth to argue, but finds no words in her mind.
There are no words, because deep down, she knows Jihye is right.
The next time Songhwa meets Ikjun, her face flushes like no tomorrow at the simple reminder of what she’d said to him a week before. In the days that have lapsed before laundry night, they’d texted each other a couple of times — but Songhwa didn’t mention about her little slip-up, even though it was all she could think about whenever she had moments to spare from work.
Seeing Ikjun face to face again is enough to send the jitters of nerve down her arms, the obvious embarrassment etched in her heart as she directed her attention onto the floor instead. If Ikjun notices something is amiss with her that evening, he doesn’t point it out. Instead, he talks about his band performances and ends up inviting Songhwa to one of his upcoming performances.
“Only if you are free, though,” He stresses, knowing just how busy her schedule is.
“I’ll let you know if I can make it,” She tells him quickly, running through her schedule in her head and realising she honestly may not be able to squeeze time for it. It makes Songhwa feel somewhat guilty; she really wishes she could watch Ikjun play, especially since she could already predict how good he is with his guitar.
“It’s honestly no big deal even if you can’t come.” Ikjun continues with a smile.
“I really want to though,” Songhwa insists, hoping he could sense her sincerity from her words alone. She takes out her planner, flipping pages after pages until she lands her fingers on the calendar. “Hmm…”
She curses inwardly; there are a few surgeries she is supposed to assist her Professor with for the next few days to come, and the evening Ikjun is to play in his band is also her deadline to submit her thesis.
“You’re not free, are you?” Ikjun teases slightly, still smiling. From the look Songhwa has on her face, it is already telling that her schedule is crazy packed for the next few weeks to come. Ikjun doesn’t even realise the disappointment in his heart until Songhwa glances up from her planner and gives him a sheepish look of apology.
“Hey, I understand,” He quickly says, not wanting her to feel bad. “Your job is demanding, and you’re saving lives. I completely understand if you can’t make it, so don’t feel bad, okay?”
Songhwa nibbles her lower lip, seeing the quick flash of disappointment in Ikjun’s eyes. Still, she doesn’t promise him anything, knowing how unpredictable her schedule could get. Inwardly sighing, she decides to switch topics instead.
“I wanted to apologise.” She starts slowly, to which Ikjun raises an eyebrow in curiosity. “For what I said the other night. I didn't know that inviting someone for ramyeon could connote... that,"
The tips of Ikjun's ears turn pink.
"It's okay, really!" He finds his words eventually, laughing nervously. "Don't feel bad, I was just shocked, that's all. I figured eventually that you had no clue it could mean that..."
Songhwa is already blushing as she rubs the nape of her neck. “I told you...I’m really bad at movie references,”
“Well, at least now you know,” Ikjun smirks, “so don’t go around asking guys if they want to eat ramyeon because not all of them would understand that you don’t mean sex…”
“Yah!” Songhwa hits his arm on reflex, and Ikjun bursts into another fit of laughter.
The next few days went by in a blink of an eye as Songhwa sacrificed some hours of sleep to sprint write the remaining parts of her thesis. She figured that at the very least, she should get that out of the way if she wanted to increase the chances of her being able to leave early that Saturday evening — just in time to catch Ikjun’s performance.
Lady luck seems to also be by her side for the scheduled surgery she was initially supposed to assist her Professor had been pushed to the following day due to the patient’s sudden change of condition. That leaves the rest of her hours before her shift ends empty, and all that is left for Songhwa to do is to pray that there wouldn’t be an emergency which would crop up suddenly without any warning.
She dares not text Ikjun about her situation though, not wanting to give him false hope that she may be able to catch his performance after all. Deep down, Songhwa is giddy with excitement at that prospect of watching him perform live for the first time.
“Songhwa-ya,” A voice interrupts her thoughts and she snaps her head towards that direction. Songhwa stands at once, meeting the gaze of her Professor as he waves a file in the air. “could you please take a look at this file and tend to the patient?”
Her heart sinks. She hesitates, but only for two seconds before she tips her head slightly. “Yes, Professor.”
She takes the file from his hands, and the look of disappointment etched on her face must have been extremely telling, for her Professor raised an eyebrow.
“Is there anything wrong?” He asks kindly, and immediately, Songhwa flushes as she shakes her head rapidly.
“N-no, nothing’s wrong.” She says hastily.
“Really?” The Professor questions, crossing his arms. “Something is bothering you, though.”
Songhwa bit her lower lip, contemplating if she should tell the truth to her Professor. He isn’t someone that is unreasonable, after all. “I…”
He waits patiently, with a small smile. Then, the Professor speaks, “Do you have somewhere you need to be tonight?”
Songhwa’s eyes widen in utter surprise, and the Professor lets out a chuckle. “I see. Must be a date, huh?”
“A-aniyo,” She stammers, though the blush on her cheeks must have given her true feelings away, for the Professor continues with a grin, “don’t worry about the file. It isn’t a complicated matter. You should be done in half an hour, and then you can leave on the dot. How does that sound?”
Songhwa bows her head immediately, clutching the file against her chest. “T-thank you, Professor. That sounds great!”
He taps her shoulder once before walking away with another laugh. “Aigoo, I should be happy that my Chief Resident still has the time to go on dates…”
Songhwa covers her face with the file, slightly embarrassed at the proclamation — a few nurses at the station dart quick glances towards her, all of them wearing smiles that are clearly borne out of amusement.
“How envious, Dr. Chae,” One of the nurses giggles. “I didn’t know you’re seeing anyone lately…”
“I’m...I’m not,” She says weakly.
“You should hurry and check on the patient, then.” Another nurse exclaims, jutting her head towards the file Songhwa is holding. That snaps her out of her reverie, and she nods before scurrying away from the nurse station.
Songhwa is almost breathless when she stumbles into the bar, slightly disoriented by the poorly lit ambience and the crowd around her. She takes another glance at her watch, realising that she barely made it in time for Ikjun’s first song.
She squeezes past the crowd, managing to secure a place near the corner — that is the best she could do, being a latecomer in this clearly popular gig.
Songhwa huffs, brushing her hair away from her face, heart racing in anticipation. That is when she spots Ikjun climbing onto the stage, a frenzy of cheers in the bar suddenly echoing around its four walls. She jumps in her loafers, slightly alarmed by his popularity.
“Good evening!” Ikjun speaks into the mic, waving his hand. “To those who knows me, welcome back! To those who don’t, my name is Lee Ikjun, and I will be performing a few songs for all of you tonight!”
She beams at him, clapping along with the rest of the crowd.
Ikjun strums his guitar, and the noise hushes into a blanket of silence.
Songhwa holds her breath.
He sings the first note, and her jaw drops open in awe.
Two songs and some better lighting later, Ikjun spots Songhwa in the crowd. He naturally smiles at her, transfixing his gaze on her, as if to tell her, you made it tonight,
Songhwa doesn’t realise just how fast her heart is beating against her chest. She doesn’t realise the extent of their friendship, or her feelings for him until moments after as Ikjun says; I dedicate this next song to a special friend whom I met at a laundromat,
Her cheeks color. Her breath hitches in her throat. Her heart races a mile.
It hits Songhwa suddenly, in a way that is akin to waves crashing into the shore; fast, hard and relentless.
Oh.
The next time Ikjun meets Songhwa at the laundromat, he comes with a question falling from his lips.
“I need to ask you for an advice.”
Songhwa looks at him with a curious gaze, eyes gleaming, prompting him to continue his sentence.
He doesn’t meet her eyes. If she is to look at him carefully, she would have noticed the blush on his cheeks.
“There is this girl I like,” He starts off, and Songhwa feels her heart dropping in her stomach. “but...I don’t know what to do, or say.”
She schools her features, clearing her throat. She doesn’t allow the tremor in her voice to show. “Why not?”
Ikjun glances at her. “Uh...I don’t know if she likes me back. I don’t want to make things awkward between us. I...I enjoy her company, very much.”
“Are you afraid of rejection?” Songhwa asks, forehead creasing just a bit. There are a million thoughts that are flooding her mind, and she doesn’t know what to make of them. Is that disappointment spreading across her heart? She shakes her head quickly, fear of knowing the unknown.
“I think so.” Ikjun admits sheepishly. “I...I don’t want to lose her as a friend.”
Who is this person? Songhwa feels the lump in her throat. She doesn’t dare to even think that he could possibly mean—
“You should do something so she knows you like her,” She blurts out without thinking. “Maybe buy her some flowers or...or something. A clear gesture of some sort, so she knows.”
“Really?” He asks, tilting his head to the side. “You think she would like that?”
Her heart is still pounding.
She nods.
Two days later, Songhwa is about to fall asleep on her feet when she enters the neurosurgery office, and is greeted by an array of exclamation and claps...directed towards her.
She blinks away her exhaustion, unsure of what is happening until one of her fellow residents thrusts a huge bouquet of flowers into her hands. She is squealing loudly, “You got flowers, Songhwa-ya!!!”
For a moment, Songhwa is stunned. Her eyes widen, taking in the pale pink roses in her hands. She is completely speechless, her brain not quite registering that she’d gotten flowers, until her same resident friend waves the card in front of her face. “Open it! See who is your sender!”
She opens it with slightly trembling fingers, and sees the name—
To: Lee Ikjun
Ikjun-ah…
To: Chae Songhwa
Yes?
Songhwa bit her lower lip nervously before typing the words out.
To: Lee Ikjun
Can I meet you tonight?
She holds her breath and waits for his reply. It comes a minute after, and her heart soars.
To: Chae Songhwa
Okay, sure.
Songhwa pauses.
To: Chae Songhwa
But where?
She laughs.
When Songhwa sees Ikjun in the laundromat later that evening, her face forms an ardent smile, her cheeks flushed with what she could only describe as shyness. She reacts that way because of what she foresees, the conversation between them that she is anticipating.
She hasn’t felt like this in a long, long time.
To be so enamoured over a young man. To have feelings so strong for him that all it takes is a smile from him to make her heart skip a beat…
“Songhwa,” He says, getting up from his seat to greet her. Ikjun rubs the nape of his neck sheepishly. “Uh...how are you?”
She stifles a laugh — why does he look so nervous? “I’m good, thanks. What about you?”
“I’m…” Ikjun pauses, as if hesitating to say what he truly feels. “...nervous.”
Songhwa arches an eyebrow, taking a step closer. “Why?”
“Because...I have something to tell you.”
She almost couldn’t hear herself over how loud her heart is pounding. “What is it?”
“I...my washing machine has been fixed,”
Not quite what she wants or expects to hear, but Songhwa is patient. “Hmm?”
Ikjun continues his admittance. “A long time ago, actually.”
Songhwa doesn’t get it. Not at once, anyway. Then it sinks in, and she finally realises what he had meant.
“I still came here every Thursday,” He says softly, “because I wanted to see you.”
Her heart is soaring, thundering beneath her chest. It’s a feeling she doesn’t know how to describe, truly, because it is her first time feeling this way. How did she fall so hard for him, Songhwa has no idea.
“Since the first day...I was enchanted to meet you.” Ikjun takes a tentative step forward. “You captivate me, week after week. I really do mean it when I said that I enjoy being your friend. But...but lately, I found myself wanting more. Is it okay for me to feel this way?”
Songhwa tilts her head upwards, to meet his gaze. She drowns in the way he is looking at her, taking in the soft and gentle way his brown eyes seem to communicate with hers.
“Ikjun-ah,” It’s her turn now. Her voice turns out more stable than she would have expected. She braves herself to continue. “It is more than okay for you to feel this way.”
And Songhwa leans upwards, pressing her lips against his lightly, carefully. Barely touching, until Ikjun snakes his arms around her lower waist, pulling her closer into his embrace, deepening their kiss. It is electrifying. It is exhilarating. It is everything Songhwa has imagined her first kiss with Ikjun to be, and more.
When Ikjun draws back, almost breathless, it is to ask her a question. "Wait...does this mean we are officially dating?"
“Eo,” She nods shyly, "T-today is our first day."
The grin on his face is telling, and Songhwa blushes.
“Ikjun-ah,” She whispers.
“Hmm?”
“Do you want to get ramyeon?”
Ikjun laughs and asks, “Which one?”
Songhwa slaps his arm, and collapses into another round of laughter.