Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A beautiful woman stood in an unknown place, bright lights and the noise of a bustling city around her. She stared at a poster of a handsome man holding a bouquet of flowers, with the words “You did well today” written beneath his image. “I did well today, right?” she whispered before walking up to the poster and gently kissing the face of the man. “See you tomorrow” she says, with a bright smile on her face. The perfect image of a happy woman; nobody sees the tears roll down her face as she turns away….

No Eul woke from the dream, startled to find traces of tears on her pillow. That was the third time in as many weeks that she had dreamt of that man; each dream was more vivid than the last. Looking at the clock, she groaned and slowly rolled out of bed. 4:30 am. No point trying to sleep when her alarm was set to go off in 15 minutes. No Eul didn’t have to be in court to testify until 9 am but it takes her a long time to fully wake up in the morning. As the first case on the docket, No Eul had to make sure she was prepared for anything the defense could throw at her. She didn’t want this case to be messed up because she wasn’t fully awake!

A few hours later No Eul strode into the courthouse, turning heads along the way. While not particularly pretty, she had an aura that made people around her stop and pay attention. With her effervescent smile and confident stride, it was hard to resist taking a second look.

One prosecutor in particular found himself unable to look elsewhere.

Prosecutor Shin Joon Young felt like he’d seen that woman before but he couldn’t put his finger on where. He turned to find his best friend and defense lawyer, Ji Tae’s gaze fixed on the same woman.

“Hyung, do we know her? It seems as though I’ve seen her somewhere before…”

Ji Tae didn’t answer but his brows were furrowed as if he too were trying to recall where he’d seen the woman before. “Never mind that now” says Ji Tae, “we have to be in the courtroom in 10 minutes.” The pair strides into the courtroom, disappearing from sight just as No Eul looks back in their direction…

Later that night, No Eul and her friend Na Ri are hanging out at their favorite restaurant drinking to celebrate the successful conviction of the man No Eul had testified against earlier. As they get up to leave, No Eul glances out the window and sees a group of men standing in a semi circle across the street. Thinking nothing of it, she and Na Ri, exit the restaurant and start to walk home. Before they get 2 blocks away, they hear a woman’s shouts coming from behind them.

“Don’t do it, No Eul” Na Ri mutters. “Just call 119 and let them handle it!” The words aren’t even out of her mouth before No Eul has turned and started running towards the sounds of the shouting.

No Eul spots the group of men she saw from the restaurant earlier circled around a lone woman and charges up to them.

“Ya! What do you think you’re doing?! Get away from her!”

The men turn towards her, glowering. “Don’t interfere lady. We wouldn’t want to have to smash that pretty face, now would we?” This comes from a squat, bald man with a long scar slashing down the side of his face.

No Eul hears Na Ri’s voice from the other side of the street rattling off street names and decides to stay put. The unknown woman has used this distraction to quietly inch away from the men and is now on the fringes of the group. As the men advance on No Eul, she tries to come up with a way to get herself out of this situation without turning the men back on their original target. Before she comes up with anything, the eyes of the men before her shift slightly to the left and behind her.

Suddenly, she feels the slight pressure of an arm being draped across her shoulders and a silky smooth voice says “Is there a problem here?”

“What does this have to do with you?!” the squat man from before shouts, “this is between us and the woman!”

“Well,” replies the velvety baritone “that’s all well and good….. except this is my girlfriend.”

No Eul whips around, startled, and finds herself face to face with the man she last saw holding a bouquet of flowers. The man from the poster in her dream.

Chapter Text

Joon Young stood rooted in the doorway of the noodle restaurant. Across the street a woman stood firm in front of a large group of thugs. Her hands were planted on her hips as she tossed her head back and yelled at them for their actions. Just a minute earlier, the group of men had surrounded another woman and Joon Young had happened to spot this through the window of the restaurant where he and Ji Tae were dining.

As he got up and wove his way through the crowded tables, Joon Young kept his eye on the woman across the street. When he reached the door, he spotted another person charging up to the group before him.

“Ya! What do you think you’re doing?! Get away from her!” The vaguely familiar voice carried across the street and froze Joon Young in his tracks, as a long forgotten memory emerged.

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“What do you think you’re doing?! Get away from him!” A blur with pigtails came running up to the prone Joon Young, fists flying. When all the boys surrounding them had been knocked to the ground, she turned to Joon Young with a sunny smile and helped him up.

“Hi! I’m No Eul!” She chirped. When faced with such a radiant smile as the one before him, Joon Young couldn’t help but smile back. “Hi. I’m Shin Joon Young.”

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Joon Young shook himself out of his reverie and strode towards the fierce woman across the street. He quickly closed the gap between them and slid smoothly in beside her. Casually draping his arm across the woman’s shoulders, Joon Young glared disdainfully at the group of thugs before drawling “Is there a problem here?”

At the sound of his voice the woman tensed almost imperceptibly, briefly interrupting Joon Young’s concentration as he wondered why the sound of his voice, not his touch, had caused her to tense up. Did she remember him?

Before he could dwell on it, the leader of the thugs spoke up. “What does this have to do with you?!” he shouted. “This is between us and the woman!” Joon Young paused and gave the man a slight smirk before replying. “Well, that’s all well and good…..except this is my girlfriend.” As the girl whipped around to face him, Joon Young heard the sound of sirens in the distance.

The thugs heard it as well and glanced around uneasily at the crowd the ruckus had drawn, before slowly edging their way out of the spotlight. Before the police cars had even come into view, the thugs had melted into the crowd and disappeared as thoroughly as if they had never been there at all.

As the policemen left their cars and began interviewing witnesses, the woman peeled herself out of Joon Young’s grasp, gave a curt “thank you” and made her way across the street to where her friend stood waiting.

Ji Tae wandered up to Joon Young, whose gaze seemed glued to the woman across the street. “What was that all about?” Ji Tae asked.

Joon Young was quiet for a moment as he played back the encounter in his head. “She recognized my voice” he muttered softly. Ji Tae laughed mirthlessly and replied “You must have really done something to piss her off judging by all the glares she’s been sending your way!”

You could say that. Joon Young thought but didn’t voice aloud to his friend. As the police broke away from the slowly dispersing crowd, Joon Young watched the woman and her friend climb into a taxi and drive away…

A few hours later, Joon Young sat in his spacious living room contemplating how he could manage to see her again. His beloved dog, Pororo, lay partially on Joon Young’s lap, gnawing on a bone. Joon Young absentmindedly stroked Pororo’s fur and contemplated his next move.

A friend in the police station had procured the No Eul’s number for him under the guise of using her as a witness to prosecute the thugs when they were found. Joon Young was certain it was her now. Using his connections, he had managed to discover that she was indeed the same No Eul who went to school with him before. After the way they had last parted, Joon Young wasn’t certain she would be willing to see him again. Therefore, he was determined to face her in a setting where she couldn’t run away.

He had messed everything up before, he wasn’t about to do it again.

Chapter Text

No Eul flopped onto the bed face first and groaned. Of all the people who had to be there at that moment, of course it would be him! “Seoul is such a large city,” No Eul had thought when she moved earlier that year, “there’s no way I’ll run in to him again.” Yet here was fate, determined to prove her wrong.

Today in the courthouse, the hair on the back of her neck had prickled as if she were being watched. She had glanced around behind her and seen nothing out of the ordinary until she spotted a familiar silhouette retreating into one of the other courtrooms. Knowing that Joon Young now worked as a prosecutor, No Eul had prepared herself for the possibility of running into him at the courthouse that morning. What she hadn’t counted on was running into him outside of the courthouse. And in that way!

No Eul pulled a pillow over her head and screamed into it. She had hoped the next time she saw Joon Young, she would be cool and composed, nothing betraying the inner turmoil she was sure to feel at running into him again. Instead, she was caught in a situation she couldn’t control and had required saving.

No Eul kicked her feet in frustration. It wasn’t as if Joon Young hadn’t seen her in these kinds of situations before! They’d been friends for years when they were kids and she had never been good at minding her own business. Scarcely a day went by where No Eul didn’t come home with new scratches obtained by trying to help someone else.

The scene tonight was nothing new to her either. Whenever she had gotten herself in too deep before, Joon Young had always been the one to come to her rescue. It had become a running joke in middle school that wherever No Eul went charging in, Joon Young wouldn’t be far behind.

Her thoughts and emotions in turmoil over the day’s events, No Eul slowly drifted off to sleep.

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No Eul stood around the corner from Joon Young’s house, practicing the words she would say.

“Joon Young… I know you’re popular with girls but from now on I’m your destiny! No, no, no. I can’t say it like that. He’ll freak out and never talk to me again” She took a deep breath and tried again.

“Joon Young ah, I like you… no, I love you. Let’s date…. No. That’s still coming on too strong. What if he says no?!”

No Eul had almost talked herself into going up to the door when the sound of voices drifted through the air.

“Joon Young ah.. We’re dating now, ok? You can’t say no!”

No Eul stopped moving entirely and hissed out a breath. She knew that voice. That was definitely the class beauty, Jeong Eun. What was she doing here?! No, wait. The why was obvious but Joon Young was just going to go along with it? No way. He’d never date someone as vicious as her!

No Eul edged closer to the end of the wall, straining to hear Joon Young’s reply…

---------------------------------

The sound of a phone jolted No Eul awake. With her eyes still closed she rolled to the side in order to grab her phone and instead found herself in a heap on the floor, blankets tangled around her. Growling in frustration, No Eul pulled at the covers until she freed an arm and managed to grab the still ringing phone before it clicked over to voicemail.

“Yeoboseyo?”

“No Eul”

No Eul’s eyes flew open as she pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the screen.

*unknown caller*

“Eul ah, lets date.”

The sound of his deep baritone could be heard clearly even with the phone held a foot away. No Eul cursed and pressed the end call button. How did he get her number?!

The phone rang again.

*unknown caller*

No Eul groaned, put the ringer on silent and tossed the phone to the other side of the room before clambering back on the bed and going back to sleep.

----------------------------

“Eul ah, lets date”

“No Eul, date me”

“Eul ah….”

“No Eul…”

Joon Young’s voice echoed in her head.

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After three days of phone calls and texts from Joon Young, No Eul had had enough. She didn’t know what he was up to but she was determined to put a stop to it! She flagged down a taxi and made her way to the courthouse building. Stomping up the steps she angrily made her way to Joon Young’s office, intending to give him a piece of her mind, but when she flung open the door the room was empty.

“Can I help you?”

No Eul turned to see a handsome man she recognized as Joon Young’s friend, Ji Tae, standing a few paces behind her.

“Um.. I’m looking for Shin Joon Young. Do you know where he is?”

Ji Tae smiled and replied “He’s not here today. He asked for a leave of absence to take care of some personal matters.”

“Personal matters huh,” No Eul grumbled internally. “I’ll show him personal matters!”

With a hastily uttered “Thank you” No Eul was off, leaving Ji Tae staring astonished at her retreating form. Unsure what Joon Young had done to this girl to make her so angry at him, Ji Tae could do nothing but chuckle and go back to work.

-----------------------------

No Eul slowly made her way home, still fuming. This joke that Joon Young was pulling had gone on way too far. She needed to end it soon! No Eul kicked a pebble in frustration and wondered if she would have to make an appointment with Joon Young in order to clear things up. For some reason, this thought irritated her more than his persistence in carrying out this little joke.

No Eul pulled out her phone and scrolled through the address book until she got to a recently saved number; gae sae*

She clenched her teeth and was about to hit the call button when she spotted a tall man in a scarf and sunglasses standing by the side of her apartment building. He was peering around the corner as if trying to catch someone unaware.

No Eul strode quickly toward him, angry at the unknown man for daring to lurk around her building and cause her day to become even more stressful. When her senses kicked back in and she finally realized who the man was, No Eul was standing a mere 10 feet behind him. Stopping in her tracks she planted her hands on her hips and called out,

“Ya! Shin Joon Young!”

Chapter Text

Joon Young felt like an idiot. Never before had he been forced to resort to stalking a girl in order to see her and yet that’s exactly what he found himself doing now.

Leaning against the side of the building where No Eul lived, he pulled the scarf high up on his face so that he wouldn’t be recognized and peeked around the corner yet again. So late in the morning and yet there was still no sign of her. Joon Young wasn’t even sure why he felt the need to do this.

After a few days of phone calls that got him nowhere, Joon Young was getting desperate to see No Eul again. He thought she’d gotten over her anger at him during the years she was gone but apparently that wasn’t the case.

He sighed but kept his eyes glued to the door of her building, wondering what he would do if she didn’t appear. He couldn’t keep this up forever but he knew if he let her get away this time, he’d regret it.

“Ya! Shin Joon Young!”

Even though it was raised in anger, the familiar voice sent a smile creeping onto Joon Young’s face.

Caught.

“What do you think you’re doing?! You think you can call me and come to my house all the time like we’re close?! Just who do you think you are to me?!”

Joon Young slowly turned to face No Eul but didn’t bother to hide his smile. Even with her face contorted in anger, he still thought her beautiful.

“Have you eaten?” he asked.

The look No Eul gave him was as if he were insane to ask her that. Looking at her stunned reaction, Joon Young couldn’t help but to broaden his smile.

“Lets eat.” He said, then took her by the hand and strode quickly down the street.

“Ya!” No Eul tried to protest but Joon Young just ignored her and kept going. When they reached their destination, No Eul looked up in surprise.

“This is….”

“Of course.” Joon Young shot her a grin over his shoulder. “Where else would we go?”

When he’d looked up her address, Joon Young had noticed that it wasn’t far from the noodle shop they used to frequent when they were younger. With No Eul’s temperament, there was no way she’d move back to the same neighborhood they grew up in if she hated him. There was too much chance that they’d run into each other since both of their families were in this neighborhood as well.

In fact, Joon Young had intended to use that to his advantage if he hadn’t managed to run into No Eul today.

After sitting down at a table, Joon Young ordered for both of them while No Eul continued to glare at him from across the table.

“Why are we here?” No Eul hissed at him.

“Date.”

With a twinkle in his eye, Joon Young took in No Eul’s shocked expression. Though he’d caught her off guard, he knew it wouldn’t last long so he wanted to savor this moment.

“Shin Joon Young.” No Eul uttered his name with a voice full of warning. “What are you doing right now?”

“Who was that man?”

He’d startled her again with his words but she recovered quickly.

“What?” No Eul asked again, confused.

“The man with you in the courthouse, you walked out of the courtroom with him.”

No Eul ignored him and asked “Why are you doing this?”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“I didn’t realize you saw me at the courthouse,” No Eul said evasively. “I only saw you from behind, so I almost didn’t recognize you.”

“He’s your boyfriend, right?”

No Eul pursed her lips and asked again, “What are we doing here?”

“How long have you been dating him?”

Joon Young watched No Eul’s mouth go tight as she bit her tongue to keep from lashing out. Almost there, he thought, as No Eul ignored his question once again and asked one of her own.

“How long have you been a prosecutor? You must have been one for a while since you’re...”

“What does he do?” Joon Young interrupted, “He can’t be a prosecutor since I haven’t seen him around the courthouse before. Your boyfriend I mean.”

“He’s not my boyfriend!” No Eul burst out angrily.

“Good job.”

Joon Young smirked gleefully at her outburst and then proceeded to dig in to his food like a starving man.

Curling her lip at him in disgust, No Eul slammed her chopsticks onto the table. Grabbing her bag as she rose from the chair, she quickly stomped away.

Joon Young continued to eat his food with relish. “She doesn’t have a boyfriend” he thought gleefully. There would be no other man from whom he would steal her affection. Perfect. A less determined man than him would have taken her refusal to answer his questions as disinterest but he knew better.

No Eul had a fiery temper that she was clearly trying to keep in check. Too bad for her, Joon Young knew all the right buttons to push to get her to tell him the one thing he really wanted to know. She hadn’t changed much from how she was in high school. She was definitely still the No Eul he knew and loved.

His No Eul.

Chapter Text

No Eul stormed from the restaurant, throwing dark glances behind her, and stomped up the road towards the apartment she shared with Na Ri.

Date her? Is he insane?! Just what is he trying to do?!

And how dare he act like he has a right to know about her private life! What does it matter to him if she’s dating the guy from the courthouse?!

“Crazy bastard.” She muttered.

No Eul stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, took out her phone and began composing a message.

“Is this some kind of sick joke?! Do you think that because you’re a famous prosecutor now you can play with people like this?!”

Her finger hovered over the ‘send’ button for a bit before she finally sighed and erased the entire thing.

No. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he got to her. If he knew, he definitely wouldn’t leave her alone! It had been like this back in school too.

She resumed walking home as the memory washed over her.

*****

“No Eul…”

“No Eul…”

“Be my girlfriend No Eul…”

Her heart skipped a beat.

The words were said in a serious tone but the cheeky grin on his face made it undeniable that Joon Young was just doing this to annoy her.

She rolled her eyes and kept walking towards their next class.

Throughout the entire lesson, notes were tossed onto her desk by Joon Young. No matter how many glares she sent his way, the notes kept coming, his smile growing wider every time she crumpled one up and shoved it into her bag angrily.

“Knock it off, Joon Young!”

He just shrugged and replied, “Why? It keeps the others from pestering me.”

But it’s okay if they pester her?!

No Eul screamed in frustration.

A few days later it got even worse.

She had spent the night before at Na Ri’s house so she hadn’t walked to school with Joon Young like usual.

As they walked up to the gates of the school, they saw a large crowd gathered there.

No Eul glanced at Na Ri, thinking maybe yet another suitor was waiting to confess their undying love to her. Pushing through the crowd, she and Na Ri made their way to the middle to see who the poor, besotted fool was this time.

When Joon Young came into view, Na Ri smirked and said to No Eul, “I don’t think this one is for me.”

No Eul gaped at him. He was holding a large teddy bear and scanning the faces of the crowd, obviously looking for someone. When Joon Young spotted her, he flashed his megawatt smile and strode in her direction.

“Oh, no. Not again!” No Eul groaned as her stomach dropped. She hates this and Joon Young knows it! Who in their right mind would want to accept so public a confession from the school’s most popular guy?! That’s just asking to be hated by the female half of the student body!

But before she could turn and run away, Joon Young had reached her.

He thrust the teddy bear into No Eul’s arms, wrapped his arm around her shoulders and dragged her to the middle of the gathered crowd.

“Happy 100 day anniversary, No Eul!”

No Eul stared at him in disbelief. Does he not realize what will happen to her after this?! She can already see some of the girls in the front whispering to each other and shooting murderous glares in her direction.

Joon Young was holding her so tightly that she could barely move, let alone escape. All she could do was stand there, glaring, and wait for the crowd to wander off.

As soon as they did, she shoved the teddy bear back at Joon Young and stormed away, one word left hanging in the air behind her.

“Bastard.”

*****

By the time No Eul reached the corner store next to her building, she was livid. Thinking that a drink might help calm her down from the mess Joon Young was turning her life into, she walked in and bought a couple bottles of soju to drink with Na Ri.

When she walked in the door of their shared apartment, the first thing No Eul did was call out for Na Ri.

“Na Ri! I brought soju! Let’s have pork belly tonight!”

Na Ri came out of her room and looked at No Eul’s face. If she brought soju home, something was wrong.

“What’s the occasion?” she asked warily.

“Oh, nothing!” No Eul replied, “just some bastard turning my life upside down again!”

*****

Na Ri chuckled quietly. She knew exactly who the ‘bastard’ annoying No Eul was. She was the one who had told him the places No Eul frequents now.

Na Ri would be the first to say that No Eul is biased against Joon Young. Considering what happened in high school it was hardly surprising, but Na Ri knew something No Eul didn’t.

Na Ri knew Joon Young’s true feelings about No Eul back when they were in school.

As far as she could tell, they hadn’t changed a bit in the past 7 years.

*****

“No Eul!”

“No Eul!”

Na Ri walked up to Joon Young. He was standing outside No Eul’s house, calling her name hoarsely. It was clear he’d been there for a long time.

“You’re too late.”

Joon Young whirled around to see Na Ri standing behind him.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean she’s already gone!”

“Gone? Gone where?”

Joon Young looked incredulous. Na Ri supposed it wasn’t surprising to see him here. Even before this, Na Ri could see that No Eul and Joon Young were very close. That’s what made it all the more surprising that Joon Young didn’t already know.

“She moved to the U.S today. Didn’t you know that?” Na Ri frowned.

Joon Young looked as though he had just been punched in the gut. “But…. I….She….”

Na Ri looked closely at his reaction. She’d always wondered if maybe Joon Young actually liked No Eul and just annoyed her to get her attention, but this was the first time she’d seen him so out of his element like this.

“You wanted to confess to her right?” Na Ri asked with a sympathetic smile.

Joon Young could only stare at her, silent.

“She’ll be back eventually you know. She always loved this place. I think she just needed some time away from everything.”

Joon Young’s eyes flickered for a moment, a hurt expression briefly crossing his face.

“Why didn’t she tell me?” he said hoarsely. “She should have told me!”

“Come on, Joon Young. You know why she didn’t tell you!”

Joon Young looked at Na Ri for a moment, then gave her a curt nod and walked away without another word.

Na Ri watched him from behind and gave a little sigh.

“Oh, No Eul. If only you had waited another day”

*****

Na Ri pulled herself back into the present and looked at No Eul. Whatever was going on between Joon Young and No Eul, they’d figure it out themselves. There are some things a person has to discover on their own to believe.

Before the first bottle of soju was empty, No Eul had already ranted to Na Ri about Joon Young twice.

“He’s such a bastard. I can’t believe he asked me to date him. What is he playing at?! Does he think that those kinds of things will work on me? I may have fallen for him in high school but everything is different now! I know just what kind of bastard he really is!”

Na Ri poured shot after shot as she listened to No Eul vent her anger. When she started running out of steam, Na Ri gave voice to her own thoughts.

“What if he’s serious?”

“What do you mean?” No Eul asked.

“I mean, what if he’s not kidding about wanting to date you? Don’t you think he’s being really persistent for someone who’s just playing a joke?”

No Eul thought about that for a moment before saying, “There’s no way. We’ve known Joon Young since we were kids. Has there ever been a time where he treated the girl he likes like this? No! He’s always a perfect gentleman towards them! There’s a reason he was called ‘Prince Charming’”

Na Ri knew otherwise but held her tongue. It would do no good to tell No Eul that Joon Young only acted like that with girls he didn’t like. He was the most popular guy in school back then because of his smooth ways with girls but that didn’t mean he liked them. As far as Na Ri could tell, the only person Joon Young had ever had sincere feelings for was No Eul.

“Well he’s grown up now, No Eul. Maybe he’s changed more than you think he has!” Na Ri replied. “You should at least give him a chance this time.”

Na Ri quickly closed her mouth but No Eul didn’t notice the slip.

“Na Ri, even if he’s changed that doesn’t mean he’s suddenly going to think of dating me. Trust me, he’s just doing this because….”

“Why? No Eul, what could possibly be the reason a handsome prosecutor like that would harass you if he wasn’t interested?! It’s not like he has to beg for a date! Women practically line up on his doorstep to try to catch his interest!”

No Eul looked at Na Ri thoughtfully.

Na Ri continued her rant. “I think you’re just not willing to give him a chance No Eul! You keep saying that he’s holding a grudge and there’s no way he could be interested in you but as far as I can tell, it’s the exact opposite! It’s not him who has the grudge, it’s you! You are the one unwilling to give him a chance!”

No Eul frowned at that, but remained silent.

“If you’re really not interested in him then tell him directly! And don’t blame anyone but yourself when you regret it, because anyone with eyes can see that he likes you and you still like him!”

With that parting shot Na Ri stalked back to her room, leaving No Eul alone with her thoughts.

*****

Over a week went by without No Eul hearing anything from Joon Young. She’d been mulling over the conversation she’d had with Na Ri for several days but couldn’t figure out what to do.

As she walked past a fancy restaurant on her way to grab dinner, she happened to glance inside. At a table near the window sat Joon Young. A beautiful woman sat across from him with candles and flowers between them.

No Eul froze in horror.

She’d been right. Joon Young was just playing with her. She shouldn’t have gotten her hopes up.

At that moment, Joon Young lifted his head and glanced out the window.

Their eyes locked.

No Eul’s head was filled with a buzzing sound as she recalled the time in high school when she had worked up the courage to confess to Joon Young.

*****

“Joon Young ah.. We’re dating now, ok? You can’t say no!”

There was a slight pause and then:

“Ok. Let’s date.”

Chapter Text

Joon Young could feel the blood roaring through his head when he spotted No Eul through the window of the restaurant.

“Oh shit” he thought.

Although he had no interest in dating the woman in front of him, he had been set up on this date by one of his sunbaes and could not cause them to lose face by not showing up at all.

He would just have to find No Eul and explain later. Hopefully she would listen to him.

Just thinking about her reaction made his blood run cold. How could he have run into her now?!

Joon Young watched with exasperation as No Eul sneered at him through the window before turning and walking quickly away.

The woman in front of him was still talking, but Joon Young hadn’t heard a word she’d said. His thoughts were only brought back to her when she waved her hand in front of his face, having just asked him a question that he had no idea how to answer.

Joon Young thought it was probably better to end this as quickly as possible.

“Can we end this? You’re not my type.”

The woman was stunned silent for a moment. Then she abruptly stood from her chair, said a curt “I don’t think we need to see each other again,” and stalked out of the restaurant.

Joon Young smiled sardonically when the waiter brought him the check. At least she hadn’t had time to order more than a bottle of wine, though even the price of that had him raising his eyebrows. Clearly the girl had intended to test his spending limit.

Walking out of the restaurant, Joon Young headed the same direction that he had seen No Eul go, peering into the windows of the nearby restaurants until he spotted her eating in one of them.

He grinned as he watched her angrily shovel food into her mouth.

When she looked up and spotted him, he just motioned for her to continue eating and then turned to face the street. He patiently waited for her to exit the restaurant, glancing back every once in a while to see if she was done eating yet.

When he looked back again and saw her with yet another full bowl of rice, he decided it was time to do something.

Quietly slipping into the restaurant, he slid up next to No Eul as she was craning her neck to see out of the windows of the shop. Knowing she ate so much she gave herself indigestion, Joon Young is more than a little annoyed when she sighs in relief at the fact that he appears to be gone.

Before the sigh has been fully voiced, he’s already grabbed her by the hand dragged her roughly out of the store, throwing money for the cost of her meal on the table first. He hails a taxi and barks an address at the driver, No Eul glaring daggers at him all the while.

“Where are we going?” She’s clearly angry at him. “Let me out.”

“We’re going to someone who can help you. You ate too much right?” Joon Young grumbled, “It wouldn’t have killed you to come out and talk to me instead of eating until you made yourself sick!”

No Eul said nothing. Crossing her arms, she stared out the window, pointedly ignoring him.

Very shortly, they pulled up to a brick faced restaurant advertising a discount for those that use Joon Young’s company for their legal needs. Joon Young grabbed No Eul’s hand again and dragged her out of the taxi and into the half empty restaurant.

“Eomma!” he calls. “Eomma!”

He smiles when a pretty, dark haired woman comes out of the kitchen area, nagging at the man behind her not to over season the kimchi.

When Joon Young pulls No Eul over to his mother, she can’t help but notice the radiant look on her son’s face. Looking closely at the girl in front of her, she surmises that this must be the one Joon Young has been waiting for.

“Eomma, I found her!” He confirms her suspicions with one sentence. She doesn’t miss the sharp glance the girl throws at her son.

Nodding her head briefly, she watches No Eul battle her discomfort for a moment and realizes the girl has indigestion.

“Come with me” she says and leads No Eul back through the kitchen.

Joon Young watches them go.

*****

After he drops No Eul off at home, Joon Young heads home to grab his car and find something to eat. He had just finished when he gets a text from Na Ri.

“No Eul bought enough soju for an army. I have to work tonight. Spare key will be under the fire extinguisher.”

Joon Young chuckled to himself. No Eul really is predictable.

Knowing that it would take her a while to get drunk, Joon Young parked in front of No Eul and Na Ri’s building just as the latter was leaving for work. Seeing his car, Na Ri smiled, waved, and headed off to work with one less worry.

Joon Young resigned himself to waiting for a while, it would be much worse for him if he went in the house while she was still sober. His thoughts drifted to the earlier conversation he’d had with his mother.

*****

“That’s her?” his mother had asked pointedly. She had just pricked No Eul’s finger* and sent her out to the front of the shop to wait while she talked to her son.

Joon Young smiled and nodded.

His mother pursed her lips, saying nothing.

“Eomma, she didn’t know.”

“How could she not know my son likes her? Is her head full of rocks?”

“Eomma. I mean it. She didn’t know. I didn’t want to let her know, until it was too late.”

“Yes, you’ve told me. But I know you! You’ve been trailing after her since the both of you were kids! How could she be around you that long and not figure it out!”

“Eomma” Joon Young said softly. “It’s going to be different this time. I’m going to make sure she knows. I won’t make her suffer. I’ll make sure she knows that I love her. Only her. I’ll make sure she’s happy for the rest of her life.”

“Hmph.”

*****

Joon Young glanced at the clock and saw that he had been sitting there for nearly an hour. Pulling himself out of the car, he glanced up at the windows of the building before heading in. Taking the stairs two at a time, he quickly made it to No Eul and Na Ri’s apartment, finding the key exactly where Na Ri had said it would be.

When he entered, Joon Young looked around and shook his head. She really hadn’t changed much at all.

The coffee table was littered with empty soju bottles. There were a couple half full bottles on the floor as well. No Eul herself was passed out on the couch, mumbling incoherently in her sleep.

Joon Young picked No Eul up off the couch and swiftly carried her to her room and placed her gently on the bed. He hesitated a bit before deciding to remove her jacket, knowing that she would be angry about it later if she found out.

After covering her with a thin blanket, Joon Young went back out to the living room and began cleaning up all the bottles from No Eul’s drinking binge. He felt a bit bad for Na Ri, since his misunderstandings with No Eul kept causing problems for her, and felt that the least he could do is make sure she didn’t have to clean up this mess when she got home from work.

At first, he didn’t notice No Eul come out from the room to go to the bathroom but somehow her alcohol addled mind recognized him.

“Joon Young ah….. jerk……playing me….” She slurred before closing her eyes and walking blindly back to her bed.

When Joon Young went in to check on her, he found her face down on the mattress.

He turned her face up, pulled the blanket back over her, and then sat in the corner of the room. He wasn’t sure what he was afraid of but he didn’t want to leave her alone in this state so he just stayed there. He watched her sleep with a thoughtful expression on his face.

At some point during the night, she began tossing and turning in the bed, possibly having a nightmare. When she rolled off the bed, Joon Young had just enough time to dive under her and catch her on his chest so that she wouldn’t hit the ground.

He was stuck.

On the one hand, he wanted to leave so that he wouldn’t be caught by No Eul when she woke up but on the other hand….

No Eul nuzzled deeper into his arms in her sleep, the nightmare gone.

Unable to resist the warmth of her so close to him, her head nestled above his heart, Joon Young tightened his grip around her and slowly drifted off to sleep.

He wasn’t awake to see No Eul’s eyes open.

Nor did he notice her grip on him tighten as she realized who it was. A smile playing on her lips, No Eul’s eyes drifted closed once again.

In the morning, Joon Young was gone and No Eul was sleeping deeply under blankets on the floor. There was no trace that Joon Young had been there at all, save for the neatly lined up soju bottles waiting to be taken out to the recycling.

Chapter Text

No Eul woke in the morning with a splitting headache. Fragments of a dream where she was sleeping on top of Joon Young were swiftly replaced by pain when the blazing morning sunlight hit her eyes. She shook her head to clear it a bit, only to regret it a moment later when the world tilted on its axis.

“Ugh.” She groaned and slowly sat up. For a minute, she couldn’t figure out why everything looked out of place and then…

“Why am I sleeping on the floor?!”

More fragments of dream came to her. Waking up. Smelling the scent of Joon Young. Opening her eyes and seeing his face right above hers before going back to sleep.

“Stop dreaming No Eul,” she rebuked herself firmly. “There’s no way he was here last night!”

But if she just rolled off the bed in her sleep, how did she end up with her head on a pillow?

Thinking about it just made her head hurt more, so instead she got up and walked out to the living room. No Eul remembered buying eight bottles of soju last night; she remembered drinking at least four of them. Yet when she walked into the living room, there was no sign of the mess she was sure she had left behind. If it weren’t for the smell of alcohol permeating the room, No Eul would have thought she’d made it all up.

“Na Ri must have cleaned it up when she got off work.” No Eul made a mental note to buy Na Ri dinner tonight in thanks.

As she took a hot shower to clear the remaining cobwebs from her mind, No Eul let her thoughts drift to Joon Young.

She remembered the profile of the woman she saw him with last night and felt a spike of piercing hatred. The depth of the feeling took No Eul aback. Was she jealous?

Stupid question. Of course she was jealous!

“Yeah. He’s always liked pretty women. You knew that No Eul.”

It still hurt to see him on a date with another woman. She knew he hadn’t been serious when he asked her to date him but the rejection still stung.

No Eul heard a knock at the bathroom door. Na Ri’s voice faintly carried over the sound of running water:

“No Eul, are you okay?”

“I’m fine!” No Eul called back, “Just washing up. Thanks for cleaning up the mess I made! I’m sorry I left it for you to clean up when you got home.”

“What are you talking about No Eul? What mess? I just got here!”

No Eul turned off the water and said “What? Then who cleaned up the mess from last night?!”

But Na Ri had already walked away.

“Seolma….”

Joon Young?!

*****

She and Joon Young were hanging out at his house after school one day. He was supposed to be helping her out with her homework but as usual, he had given up on trying to teach her and just let her figure it out on her own. As a result the desk and floor were covered in balled up pieces of paper.

“You could at least try to aim for the trash can” Joon Young said irritably.

“You could at least try to aim for the trash can” No Eul mimicked.

Joon Young picked up a piece of paper and threw it at her head, glaring.

No Eul glared right back at him.

“Fine! I’ll pick it up when I’m done!” she grumbled. “You know, you could at least help me figure it out instead of watching me waste all this paper!”

Joon Young smirked and tossed another piece of paper at her head.

The grumbling and paper tossing continued.

It took less than five minutes for No Eul to give up on her assignment and start tossing the paper balls back at Joon Young.

An all out war ensued!

For the next hour, the only sounds coming from the room were battle cries and laughter.

------

“You still have to clean up the mess.”

Joon Young said this as he sat down at the desk to finish No Eul’s homework for her.

“Such a neat freak.” No Eul thought, as she rolled her eyes.

She stuck her tongue out at his back and proceeded to pick up all the wads of paper. Most of them she put in the trash, but not all….

*****

After No Eul had finished getting ready for work, she sat at the table across from Na Ri, contemplating.

“Na Ri.”

“Hm?”

“Set me up on a blind date.”

“What? No.”

“Why not?!” No Eul was whining now. “It’s okay for Joon Young to go on blind dates but not me?!”

Na Ri was confused. “What are you talking about? Joon Young’s going on a blind date?”

“He already did.”

Bastard. No Eul’s inner thoughts about it were far from friendly.

Na Ri’s brow wrinkled in confusion. She made a mental note to text Joon Young and ask him what No Eul was talking about. She knew Joon Young had no intention of letting No Eul slip away again so why was she talking about him going on a blind date all of a sudden?

“So you’ll set up a blind date for me now right?” No Eul tried wheedling.

Na Ri raised a brow at her and said “Shut it.”

For the remainder of the time they were eating, No Eul pouted. Why wasn’t Na Ri willing to help her? She was just trying to get over her crush on Joon Young!

No Eul was in a foul mood on the entire way to work. She was so preoccupied with what had happened last night that she forgot to grab her wallet before she left the house. By the time she went back to get it, she had missed her bus and had to wait for the next one. On top of that, she was still brooding about the fact that Na Ri wouldn’t help her find a blind date.

Her mood lifted slightly when she reached her desk and saw a bouquet of flowers waiting for her.

At least somebody was interested, even if Joon Young wasn’t!

Her spirits slowly rising as she inhaled the scent of the flowers, No Eul found the card and opened it:

Miss No Eul,

I wanted to thank you for the immense amount of help you gave my sister and nephew during the trial. Please allow me to take you out to dinner tonight to show my gratitude.

Below was the address of an upscale restaurant with a time; 7pm. No signature.

No matter. She would find out who this mysterious sender was tonight at the restaurant!

No Eul was giddy.

Who needed Na Ri to set her up on a blind date?!

By the time 6pm rolled around, No Eul was dressed to the nines but more than a little nervous. What if this person was not someone she liked?

Her nerves getting the best of her, she went and knocked on Na Ri’s door.

“Na Ri.”

Another knock.

“Na Ri.”

The door opened a bit and Na Ri looked out at her, but refused to speak.

She had not spoken to No Eul since No Eul had told her about the bouquet of flowers and dinner invitation.

“I’m a little nervous. Come talk to me?”

“If you’re that nervous, don’t go.”

“Come on Na Ri. Don’t be like this! Why is it so wrong for me to go on a date?”

“You know why.”

“Na Ri.”

“No Eul”

No Eul sighed and turned to walk away.

“He’s being serious you know.”

No Eul turned back.

“Joon Young. He’s serious.”

No Eul stared at Na Ri, her already tumultuous emotions ratcheting up a notch. She shook her head and said:

“No, he’s not. If he were serious, I would not have seen him out on a blind date.”

Na Ri just shrugged and went back into her room, leaving No Eul to her thoughts.

-----

At 6:30pm, No Eul could not wait any longer.

Though the restaurant was only a few blocks from her house, she could not stand to sit at the house and watch the clock in silence. It was better to arrive early for the date, especially since she did not know exactly who had asked her out.

When she got to the restaurant, she was still 15 minutes early. She scanned the seated patrons, trying to spot anyone that looked familiar. To her surprise, there was someone. When she saw his face, she almost laughed aloud.

It was the man from the courthouse before. The one Joon Young had mistaken for her boyfriend.

Her dark mood was immediately lifted due to the irony of the situation.

Joon Young had mistaken him for her boyfriend earlier, and now he might truly become her boyfriend.

She was smiling as she walked to the table. As she got close, her figure drew the attention of the man sitting there and he stood up to greet her.

“Miss No Eul.” He said with a smile. “I’m glad you decided to join me after all. I wasn’t sure you would.”

“It’s my pleasure Mr….”

“Lee. Lee Seung Joon.”

“Mr. Lee. Thank you for the flowers. They made a dismal morning much better.”

“Oh? That’s good. I was hoping they would brighten your day. I owe you much more than a bouquet of flowers for helping out my family.”

“It’s no trouble at all. I enjoy helping those in a bad situation escape it. My dad always said I was too nosy, but now my nosiness helps rescue those in need.”

No Eul shrugged as if her deeds were nothing special.

Lee Seung Joon smiled across the table at her. It was clear from the look on his face that he was enamored.

A giant of a man strode up to the table.

Thinking he was a waiter, Lee Seung Joon was about to rattle off their order when he glanced up and saw the dark expression on the man’s face.

Confusion spread through him.

No Eul glanced up when she noticed the shadow looming over her.

Joon Young.

Her breath caught in her throat.

“How…..?”

The word had not even left her mouth before Joon Young bent down and kissed her mouth, hard.

No Eul was stunned.

For the second time in No Eul’s life, Joon Young had kissed her like she was the only thing that mattered.

He had kissed her again.

He deepened the kiss, touching his tongue to hers lightly, and all other thoughts slid from her mind.

Chapter Text

“Joon Young, why are you dating her? I really don’t understand. Tell me what is so good about her so I can understand!”

No Eul was standing in front of him, clearly upset.

“She’s pretty….” He began.

“She’s pretty?! That’s the most important factor?! Don’t you know the kinds of things she does to the other girls?! Don’t you know what she does….”

No Eul clamped her mouth shut but Joon Young thought he knew what she was going to say.

“What? What she does to you, No Eul? Help you with your assignments? Lend you her books when you forget yours? Yes, she’s a terrible person! I don’t know how anyone could be attracted to her!”

Joon Young saw No Eul’s lip curl but didn’t understand. Why did she hate Jeong Eun so much? Was it jealousy? Was it because Jeong Eun took up time that used to belong exclusively to No Eul?

No, that couldn’t be it. No Eul didn’t seem to have any problems with them dating before. This had only started recently. So why…?

“You know what? Just forget it!”

No Eul stormed away, leaving Joon Young staring after her, confused.

The cold war had begun.

4 days later:

Joon Young was attempting to sneak off campus when he glanced across the athletic field and saw No Eul with 3 of the girls in their class.

Joon Young recognized the girls as Jeong Eun’s closest friends so he shrugged it off, thinking that they were just gossiping. He frowned and began walking again.

He rounded the corner and ran into one of the patrolling teachers.

“Skipping class are we?” The teacher grabbed Joon Young and dragged him into the office.

After being lectured for what felt like forever, Joon Young was released to go back to class. He sat at his desk, looking at the window towards the athletic field. His mind was on No Eul and the fact that she hadn’t talked to him since their fight a few days ago.

Though their families were close and frequently spent time together, No Eul had even been avoiding coming over with the rest of her family. Joon Young had asked her little brother what was going on but he just said that No Eul was too busy doing getting ready for exams.

It was a flimsy excuse and they both knew it. No Eul had not studied for an exam without Joon Young’s notes since they were kids. Her own notebooks were filled with random doodles that she drew while the teachers were lecturing. He wasn’t even sure she knew how to take notes.

Lost in his thoughts, he barely registered what the group of students in front of him were saying until he heard No Eul’s name.

“……No Eul. It’s been going on for a long time, right? I wonder why Joon Young hasn’t said anything about it.”

“Those are probably just rumors though. Joon Young and No Eul have been friends forever. If that was really happening, do you really think he’d keep dating Jeong Eun?”

“I don’t know…. I’ve seen them sometimes. It’s scary…”

“No Eul would tell Joon Young about something like that though.”

“I doubt it. You’ve seen him around Jeong Eun, would he even believe No Eul? And you know how she gets. No Eul would rather die than say anything to him. I’m still surprised that he’s dating Jeong Eun though. I always thought it would be him and Eul!”

“I know! He was always with her too. Whenever she got into trouble, he’d be following right behind her to clean up her mess! I always figured it was a matter of time before they started dating!”

The voices dropped to a whisper before continuing. Joon Young had to strain to hear.

“I’ve seen the way No Eul looks at him sometimes. She definitely likes him. It has to be that Joon Young doesn’t like her that way.”

“Are you sure?”

“Why else would he date someone as nasty as Jeong Eun?”

As nasty as Jeong Eun? What were they talking about? Joon Young rose from his desk and strode over to the speakers.

“What do you mean ‘someone as nasty as Jeong Eun’”?

The one who had said that flushed in embarrassment while the other paled and stuttered a reply:

“Just that… well… Jeong Eun isn’t exactly the nicest girl in the class…. She’s pretty… but she cruel too… Some of the things I’ve heard she does to No Eul are just downright horrible!”

“What kinds of things?” Joon Young barked.

“Uh… Um….Things like ripping up her textbooks… … knocking her lunch tray on the ground… just… you know… nasty things…. Making her life hell….”

Seeing the look on Joon Young’s face, he backtracked immediately.

“I just… I mean… It’s just rumors you know… but sometimes I wonder….”

Joon Young thought of No Eul’s textbooks and all the pages that were taped back into place. No Eul had said that she had left it out on accident and her dog had shredded it, thinking it was a toy. But now that he thought about it, Joon Young realized he hadn’t seen any bite marks on the book.

The pieces of everything that happened between him and No Eul the last few months started falling into place.

No Eul’s stuff going missing….

No Eul’s textbooks being shredded…

Jeong Eun grabbing No Eul’s arm like they were best friends while No Eul looked at her with disgust…

All the fights he and No Eul had been having lately over stupid things…

Over Jeong Eun….

Joon Young suddenly jumped from his desk and strode out of the room towards the athletic field.

If those rumors were true…

He picked up his pace, becoming more worried with every step. All of a sudden, the ‘gossiping’ he’d seen from across the field didn’t look as innocent as before. With the way the other girls had been standing, what he had misinterpreted as mere talking could have actually been the beginnings of a fight.

By the time he reached the area where the girls had been before, they were gone.

-----------

Joon Young searched for any signs of the 4 girls for the rest of the day but didn’t see them anywhere. Even Jeong Eun had disappeared.

For the next week, Joon Young stayed home from school due to family matters. When he came back, the first thing he did was look for No Eul, but he couldn’t find her anywhere. Giving up on finding her for the moment, he went to find Jeong Eun instead.

Originally he had intended to act like he knew nothing but by the time he located her, Joon Young was too angry to pretend nothing had happened.

“Why?!” he greeted Jeong Eun icily.

Though her face turned a few shades paler, she pretended she didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Why what?” she asked innocently, twirling her long hair around her fingers.

“Why have you been messing with No Eul?”

Jeong Eun frowned and looked up at Joon Young coyly.

“What are you talking about? Messing with No Eul? We’re friends! Why would I do that?”

Joon Young just glared steadily at her until she cracked. It didn’t take long.

“I have been your girlfriend for two years now,” she screamed, “and yet whenever I want to do something it’s always ‘lets see if No Eul wants to come’ or ‘I don’t know, I’ll ask No Eul.’ Everything you say is about her! No Eul, No Eul, No Eul!”

Joon Young was startled for a moment. Did he really do that?

Jeong Eun continued her rant.

“If that weren’t enough, you constantly blow off our dates to go spend time with her too! I’ve done everything I can to make you spend more time with me but you’re still so indifferent! No matter what we’re doing, if No Eul calls, you will drop everything! I’m sick of it! So yes, I told her I wanted her to stay away from you!”

“More like threatened her. I know No Eul. She wouldn’t avoid me just because you told her to… Not unless you threatened her. I know you’re the one who’s been destroying her stuff too.”

Jeong Eun clenched her teeth. She hadn’t expected him to know about that. She thought he only heard about her and her friends threatening No Eul.

“I bet she told you that! It’s just like her to try to blame me for something she did herself! How can you be friends with that kind of person?! I never even touched her book!”

She realized her mistake a split second too late.

“I never said it was her book.” Joon Young said icily. “Jeong Eun, we’re done.”

She sneered and walked away after delivering one more parting shot.

“It’s too late now anyways. Even if you want to confess, you’ll never find her.”

----------

Joon Young stood rooted to the spot for a few moments, thinking things over. To anyone who had just witnessed the fight between him and Jeong Eun, it looked as though he were upset over what she had told him; but that wasn’t the case.

Joon Young was thinking of No Eul.

No Eul in pigtails, running up to save him….

No Eul holding a teddy bear and glaring at him….

No Eul sitting at her desk, looking annoyed as he tossed her notes….

Anything memorable in his life had always had No Eul there beside him. The fact that they had been fighting lately had taken its toll on Joon Young.

He missed her.

He didn’t want them to fight anymore. He just wanted to be around her again.

They’d grown up together and Joon Young was not used to No Eul not being by his side. These past few weeks of them fighting had been torture. When she refused to talk to him, it pained him. He tried to convince himself that it was only because he was so used to her presence that it felt as though a piece of him were missing. It couldn’t be any other reason.

But after hearing Jeong Eun, Joon Young realized that No Eul had always been in his thoughts. Even when he was dating another girl, she was always there. He couldn’t remove her from his mind if he tried.

He’d had a crush on her forever; it was hard not to develop one when their lives were so intertwined. He had always pushed it to one side though, for fear of ruining their friendship.

He’d tried to tell her once, in his own way, but she hadn’t responded. So he’d soon given up on that idea and resigned himself to only being friends with her. When Jeong Eun had asked him out, he’d jumped at the chance to date someone, anyone. His crush on No Eul was starting to feel pathetic since she obviously didn’t reciprocate it.

But now he wondered if that choice had messed up any chance he’d had of being with her.

Determined not to waste any more time, Joon Young raced off campus and to No Eul’s house. He knew she wasn’t at school today so she had to be at home.

However, knocking on the door and ringing the doorbell brought no answer.

Assuming No Eul was still mad and just avoiding him, Joon Young resorted to calling her name and throwing pebbles at her window.

He stayed there for hours until Na Ri walked up and gave him the news that No Eul had left the country.

Feeling dejected, he slowly walked home.

He resolved to study hard and make himself into someone No Eul would be proud to know.

He knew she would come back some day. Everything she knew and loved was here.

Until she did, he would be waiting. He wouldn’t be the one to let go first; he couldn’t be. Joon Young loved No Eul too much for that. When she came back, he’d do whatever it took to make her his.

For now, he waited.

Chapter Text

Late in the afternoon, Joon Young was awakened by the sound of his phone ringing. For a moment his heart leaped, thinking it was No Eul, but then he remembered that she had not forgiven him for what she saw at the restaurant. He hadn’t even had a chance to explain everything to her yet.

He lay in bed for a minute, thinking of how it had felt to wake up with her in his arms this morning and wishing the same were true now. If everything went according to plan, he’d be able to do that everyday.

But first things first, he needs to clear up the most recent misunderstanding.

There always seem to be misunderstandings…

Picking his phone up off the nightstand Joon Young checked the message that had woken him up. It was from Na Ri.

“What the hell happened last night?!”

He thought of the way he had woken up that morning, his limbs entangled with No Eul’s, and smiled happily before replying:

“Nothing. I cleaned up the mess and put her in bed.”

Less than 30 seconds later, a reply came back.

“Oh really? Then why is she asking me to set her up on a blind date!”

Joon Young froze. A blind date?

“What do you mean? No Eul wants to go on a blind date?”

“Yes. She was going on and on when I got home from work about how I should set her up on one.”

He started composing a message to ask Na Ri to arrange No Eul’s blind date to be with him when his phone signaled another incoming message.

“I told her I wouldn’t do it…. But then someone sent her flowers at work today and invited her to dinner!”

Flowers? Dinner?!

Joon Young was wide awake now, rapidly punching the buttons on his phone to send a message back to Na Ri.

“Who? Did she say yes? Did she tell you where they were going for dinner?”

“She didn’t say and I didn’t ask. I do know that they arranged to meet at the restaurant at 7pm…”

Joon Young looked at the time. 5:43pm. He leapt out of bed and hurriedly started getting ready. He had to make it to her house before she left! He knew that he probably couldn’t stop No Eul from going on the date but he could at least check out his competition, right?

----------------------

By the time Joon Young made it over to No Eul’s house, it was already 6:15pm.

He scanned the streets, looking for any sign of that familiar figure but saw nothing. He’d asked Na Ri on his way over how No Eul was getting to the date and had been told that she was walking, so he knew the restaurant couldn’t be far.

Joon Young pondered his options for a moment.

He finally decided to stay put in the car for 15 minutes and if he still hadn’t seen her, then he would go looking for her in all the restaurants in the vicinity. Joon Young wasn’t sure what he would do when he found No Eul but some monster inside of him rose up viciously when he thought of her going on a date with someone else.

Luck was with him though. Before his allotted 15 minutes were up, Joon Young spotted No Eul coming out of her building. She was dressed up. The beast inside him roared in anger.

Resuming his stalker ways, Joon Young watched No Eul walk down the street as he casually followed her. When he saw which restaurant she had gone into, he crossed the street and stood on the other side, seeking out her face in the crowd.

There.

She was sitting at the table in the middle, looking around as though she were trying to find the person she was meeting. Joon Young smiled smugly, thinking that maybe her date had stood her up, but then he saw a familiar man taking deep breaths just outside the doorway of the restaurant.

Recognizing him as the man he’d seen in the courthouse with No Eul, Joon Young’s posture went rigid. She’d told him they weren’t dating!

It took him a moment to remember all the details Na Ri had texted him. Like the fact that the card No Eul received with the flowers had not had a signature on it. She couldn’t have known that the sender was the same person Joon Young had asked her about.

That didn’t stop him from feeling a stab of jealousy.

He watched as the man walked into the restaurant and over to the table where No Eul was sitting. If he didn’t know No Eul as well as he did, Joon Young might have been disheartened by the smile she gave the man. But having grown up together, Joon Young recognized the returned smile as one of politeness, not interest.

This lifted his mood a bit, but not enough to change his mind about crashing her date.

Joon Young strode over to the restaurant, thinking that he would walk in and pretend to have met the two by coincidence.

All that went out the window when he caught a glimpse of the enamored look on the face of the man in front of No Eul.

Rage boiled up inside of him.

Before he had time to think, Joon Young found himself standing next to No Eul’s table. He hadn’t intended on doing anything to stop the date she was one but somehow that all went out the window. All he could do now was try to salvage the situation.

He stood there glowering for a minute before No Eul finally noticed him.

“How…..?”

The word had not left her mouth before Joon Young leaned down and kissed her hard. He used the kiss to express some of his anger and jealousy over the fact that she was on a blind date even though he had been doing his best to get her to date him.

At that moment, he didn’t care that she was mad at him for what happened at the restaurant.

He didn’t care that all eyes were now on them.

The only thing he cared about was making sure that No Eul understood his feelings.

He deepened the kiss, pouring all his pent up feelings into it.

Unaware of the world around him, Joon Young lost himself in the pleasure of kissing her. When he broke it off, it took a second for him to regain his focus. When he saw the dazed look on No Eul’s face, his lips curved up.

He addressed the flabbergasted man still sitting at the table with No Eul.

“I’ll be taking her now.”

The man sat gaping as Joon Young grabbed No Eul’s hand and pulled her from the chair and out of the restaurant.

It was easy to lead the still disoriented No Eul to his car but when they got there, she suddenly came to her senses.

“What are you doing? Why are you playing with me like this? You’re dating someone already so why are you still messing with me?”

“What?” Joon Young was hopelessly confused.

“You were just playing with me right? Because it’s fun?”

“Who said that?”

“Nobody needed to. I saw you at the restaurant, remember? I know you saw me there!”

“It’s not what you think.”

No Eul scoffed.

“Sure. You’re a big shot prosecutor now. You can do whatever you want… play with people’s feelings whenever you want and it doesn’t matter.”

She looked away before returning her gaze to his face and continuing:

“That’s right. It never made sense that you would actually want to date me. We haven’t event talked in years. Why would you be interested in me?”

“I know what you think, but you’re wrong. I can explain everything.”

“Doing things like this… playing with people. It’s not right…”

No Eul was holding back tears at this point. Joon Young stared at her with growing panic.

“It’s really not like that. Please just listen to me!”

“I should have stayed away from you! I should never have listened to Na Ri when she said you were serious!”

“No Eul, I love you….”

No response.

“I love you No Eul!”

“Stop it Joon Young. Just stop.”

“No Eul! I love you!”

“Damn! How can you keep doing this to me?! You’re seeing someone else but you’re still here telling me these things! It’s all lies!”

The pain in No Eul’s eyes was reflected in Joon Young’s face.

“I’m the crazy woman, I’m the crazy one! I actually believed you! Damn it! I never should have…..”

Joon Young grabbed her face and kissed her again.

When he broke the kiss this time, he kept his hands cupped against her face. In a ragged voice, Joon Young said softly:

“No Eul… I love you. Please just give me a chance….That girl… I…. It wasn’t what you think. My boss set me up…. I couldn’t get out of it….”

Joon Young stammered through his explanation, desperate to make No Eul understand.

Unexpectedly, No Eul’s eyes softened as she listened to his words.

“No Eul….”

No Eul knew Joon Young’s character. He would not look so desperate for her to believe him if he were just telling a lie. For a moment she remembered how lonely she’d been in the US without him. Was she really unwilling to give him the benefit of the doubt this time? Did she really want to go through another long stretch of time without him?

No.

No Eul reached up and wrapped her hands around Joon Young’s neck. Standing on her tip toes, she pulled his head down for a kiss.

It was Joon Young’s turn to be stunned speechless.

She forgave him!

When she had lashed out at him, he had expected her to storm off. He thought she would not believe what he had to say. The No Eul of the past would have done that. He had to admit that this understanding No Eul was even more alluring. Her fiery temper obviously wasn’t gone but she had definitely learned to be more rational over the years.

Joon Young regretted that he had not been around to see the transformation. He vowed to himself to be around to see any other changes that might happen from now on.

No Eul broke the kiss, hiding a small smile. She quickly turned and got herself settled into the passenger seat of Joon Young’s car, leaving him standing outside the door with a goofy grin on his face.

Chapter Text

No Eul sat in the passenger seat of Joon Young’s car, looking out the window. At least that’s what it looked like she was doing. In reality, she was using the reflective surface to watch Joon Young without being caught.

She saw him glance over at her for the millionth time and couldn’t resist teasing him.

“I’m so pretty! You can’t keep your eyes off of me!”

“No way! I’m amazed at how ugly you are!” Joon Young snarked back.

“Nope! I’m definitely dazzling you right now!”

No Eul laughed at the look on his face and then asked:

“So where are we going anyway?”

Joon Young just tossed a smile in her direction and kept driving.

When they reached the night market, No Eul laughed aloud. Hot shot prosecutor Joon Young chose a place like this for a first date?

She was not the type of girl to prefer the standard date fare. Flowers, candles and romantic atmosphere made the time spent together seem more like work and less enjoyable. Joon Young already knew that about her and chose his location according to her tastes. But still she wondered what the girls at the courthouse would think if they saw their precious prosecutor haggling with an ahjumma over squid.

Joon Young and No Eul strolled through the stalls hand in hand. They talked and played as they wandered around, taking turns trying to haggle with the stall owners as they gathered the ingredients they would need for dinner.

To those around them, they looked like a newly-wed couple; their antics similar to a couple on their honeymoon. Just watching drew smiles from the older generation as they remembered their own youth.

As the night market drew to a close, No Eul and Joon Young took their spoils and went to the car.

They had decided to go back to Joon Young’s house to make dinner. Though No Eul had offered to do the work, Joon Young had insisted on cooking. No Eul supposed he hadn’t forgotten the time she’d tried to make him food in high school.

Somehow, she had mixed up the salt and sugar measurements and ended up making something unpalatable. Joon Young stoically ate it all but when he snuck off to go brush his teeth, No Eul had finally tried a bite of her own concoction and nearly choked.

When Joon Young came back to the table and started eating it again, No Eul was flabbergasted. It took her a few seconds to register what was going on before she’d snatched the plate back and dumped the food in the trash.

--------------------------

They soon established a routine for seeing each other during the week.

On days that Joon Young had no early cases, he would come pick No Eul up and drop her off at work. If they got off work at the same time, he would pick her up and they’d go to the market to get ingredients for dinner.

When No Eul came home from their date that first night, she had been on cloud nine. Na Ri was sitting on the couch watching a re-run of Running Man. She saw No Eul’s face and muttered: “It’s about time.”

No Eul just floated off to her room.

---------------------------------------

These days, No Eul spent a lot of time at Joon Young’s house. Even if he had to work while he was at home, she still enjoyed it there.

That afternoon, she was painting a sign to add to Pororo’s doghouse. Joon Young had gotten caught up in a phone call about a recent case of his so he was inside the house working on it.

Humming as she worked, No Eul had an idea.

With a mischievous smile, she dipped the paintbrush into the green paint in front of her and then proceeded to sneak her way into Joon Young’s house.

As she’d expected, he was still sitting in his office. When she saw that his back was turned towards her, her eyes gleamed.

Holding the paint laden brush behind her, she snuck up behind him as quietly as she could; not even daring to breathe. When she was right behind him, he spoke, and she froze in her tracks.

“No Eul.”

Joon Young turned around to face her and No Eul took the chance to reach up with the paintbrush and wipe some paint on his nose.

Joon Young blinked in surprise, giving her time to get another swipe of paint on his cheek before tearing out of the room. She was laughing so hard she almost didn’t hear him get out of his chair and start chasing her down the hall.

When she got to the door leading outside, she paused for just a second to decide whether she should stop and get more paint on her brush or keep running. That split second was all it took for Joon Young to catch up to her and grab the paint brush from her hand.

No Eul turned and looked at Joon Young just long enough for him to get a glob of paint on her nose. He grinned at her stunned expression, then tried to swipe her face with the brush again.

“Ya!” she said laughingly. Holding back his arms, they wrestled with the brush for a little bit before No Eul turned and ran back towards the house, shrieking. Joon Young ran after her and grabbed her from behind. He hugged her tightly for a minute before using his finger to smear the paint from his face onto No Eul’s cheek.

They laughed again and No Eul turned in his embrace and grabbed his face in her hands. She planted a kiss on his lips before moving a step backward.

“Let’s go out tonight.”

“Hmmm. Ok.” Joon Young agreed happily. “Where are we going?”

“You’ll see.”

Joon Young looked at her in exasperation. No Eul tossed a laugh over her shoulder as she headed into the house to wash the paint off.

------------------------------------

Later that night they headed into the city for dinner, ending up at the same restaurant where Joon Young had first seen No Eul again.
Joon Young glanced out the window to a spot across the street and smirked.

Following his gaze, No Eul quickly deduced what he’d been thinking of. “Thank you.” She said softly.

“You’re welcome”

“Did you know it was me..? When you came to help I mean.”

“Not at first. All I saw was this little feisty woman surrounded by big tough guys. My protective instincts kicked in.” Joon Young replied with a grin.

No Eul kicked him under the table. “As if I needed your help! I had it handled.”

“Only because I showed up.”

Knowing he was right, No Eul could only glare at him.

The two took their time eating and talking. Though they’d grown up together, they found that they still had many things to talk about.

When they got up to leave, Joon Young suggested going for a short walk around to let the food digest and No Eul readily agreed. Even though they’d known each other for most of their lives, neither of them was ready to jump into living together just yet. They wanted to slowly take their time dating and enjoying the other’s company.

As they walked past a dark alley, they were too wrapped up in each other to notice the group of men that had silently appeared behind them.

No Eul was the first to notice that something was amiss.

“Joon Young.” She whispered. “There’s people following us!”

Joon Young quickly glanced over his shoulder and noted the men before scanning the empty streets. He and No Eul had sped up their walking as soon as she whispered to him so they were only a block away from the restaurant they had eaten at earlier. But before they could make it to Joon Young’s car, more men had come out of the alley in front of them and blocked their route.

“We meet again.”

The voice came from a mean looking man with a jagged scar that No Eul instantly remembered as the leader of the thugs she had faced off with before.

Joon Young moved himself and No Eul closer to the wall of the building on their right and placed himself in front of her. No Eul’s view was mostly blocked by Joon Young’s frame but she could see the glint of metal in the hands of some of the thugs.

Pipes and knives.

The thugs closed in and immediately started bashing Joon Young with the pipes. The ones with knives slashed their arms through the air, trying to get close enough to land a blow. A few did.

There were slices on his arms and a few on his torso but Joon Young never wavered.

He fought them off valiantly but the fight was extremely uneven. When he finally managed to create a gap in the circle of men, he used a few precious seconds to shove No Eul toward it and commanded:

“Run!”

No Eul took off towards his car but turned back when she reached the restaurant.

She saw Joon Young still fighting off the blows from the thugs and frantically searched her pockets for her phone to call 119. When she finally freed it, her hands were shaking so badly that she couldn’t punch in the numbers correctly.

At that moment, the workers from the night shift at the restaurant came out and No Eul ran to them, terror shining in her eyes.

“Please help! They’re going to kill him!”

No Eul turned back to Joon Young just in time to see a metal pipe connect with the back of his head. She screamed.

“Joon Young ah!”

Chapter Text

One of the waitresses called 119 on her phone as No Eul and the men tore across the street and over to the thugs.

While the men worked to subdue them, No Eul cradled Joon Young’s head in her arms and spoke to him with tears streaming down her face.

“Joon Young, wake up….. You have to get up…. Joon Young, don’t leave me…. Joon Young, please!”

--------------------------------

No Eul sat stiffly in the hospital chair beside Joon Young’s bed. It had been 5 days since the incident. 5 days where she hadn’t slept much. Every time she closed her eyes, the scene replayed in her mind.

She turns around to run back to him……

The metal pipe swishing through the air…..

Connecting with the back of Joon Young’s head….

Joon Young crumpling to the ground like a rag doll…

She wakes up in terror every time.

Sighing, No Eul gets up and walks to the window. She knows she can’t do anything for him here but she can’t bring herself to spend her time elsewhere. She stares out at the inky blackness beyond the window for a few minutes before turning back to Joon Young.

As she cleans his face with a damp washcloth, No Eul remembered the last time she had taken care of Joon Young while he was sick. They were still in high school and were in the middle of their cold war but when she heard he was sick, she immediately coaxed her dad into making soup and brought it over to his house.

She did the same thing every day for a week.

It was a rough week for her, going back and forth between school, her house and his house but No Eul knew if she didn’t help take care of him now, she’d regret it. After all, she’d be leaving Korea soon anyways and hadn’t had a chance to tell him because they’d been fighting. He had been conscious then, but delirious and muttering Jeong Eun’s name.

This time was different though.

Joon Young had been unconscious for almost a week now, with no sign that he would be waking up anytime soon.

When they first reached the hospital that night, Joon Young had been immediately admitted and taken into the operating room to deal with his injuries. The pipes and knives had done their jobs too well.

Four broken ribs, a few relatively deep stab wounds and a punctured lung weren’t even the worst of the damage. The worst part was the blow he’d taken to the back of the head.

Because Joon Young hadn’t woken up yet, the doctors couldn’t assess the full extent of the damage that occurred. The only thing they knew right now was that his brain had swollen a bit and they’d done their best to diminish the swelling as fast as possible. But every day he stayed unconscious, the chance that he would wake up decreased.

He might never wake up…

No Eul started to feel like she was suffocating in the room.

Quickly she got up and strode out but then stopped just outside the door. She might not be able to stay in the room with her thoughts but she couldn’t leave him either. Leaning on the wall next to the doorway, she slid down into a crouch as tears poured from her eyes.

She was terrified he wouldn’t wake up.

Please let him wake up. Please.

If you let him wake up, I’ll do anything.

If you let him wake up, I promise I’ll never leave him again.

If you let him wake up, I’ll do everything I can to make him happy. Anything!

Just please… please let him wake up!

Please..

No Eul wasn’t sure how long she sat in the hallway outside his room but when she finally got up, her legs were numb and sunlight was streaming through the windows.

She went into the bathroom to erase the traces of tears from her face before checking on Joon Young.

Still no change.

No Eul bent down and pressed a soft kiss to his lips before walking out of the hospital to get ready for work.

She didn’t see the number indicating Joon Young’s heart rate skyrocketed for a moment before returning back to normal.

-------------------------

The days slowly turned to weeks.

Though the doctors said that Joon Young had shown signs of waking up soon, he never opened his eyes. No Eul spend her days trudging through work and then trading shifts with Joon Young’s mother to take care of him.

They didn’t talk about the fact that the chances of him waking up were dropping with every day that passed. Instead they focused on taking care of him in the few ways they could.

After a month No Eul was losing hope that he would ever wake up. More often than not, she spent her nights by his bedside. She was there so much she had even brought a suitcase of clothes with her. Though the nightmares had diminished a bit, she still woke up with tears on her face. She refused to completely give up hope.

During this time, No Eul established a new routine.

--------------------------

Wake up.

Get ready for work in Joon Young’s hospital room.

Kiss him goodbye.

Go to work.

Pick up something from a food stall on the way back to Joon Young.

Stay in his hospital room for the rest of the night.

--------------------------

Na Ri came to visit her that night.

“No Eul, you can’t keep doing this. He wouldn’t want it.”

“…”

“No Eul!”

“What?”

“You need to get out of this room! You’re suffocating here! Do you really think this is what Joon Young would want for you?! No! He would want you to continue living your life!”

Na Ri grabbed No Eul’s arm and tried to pull her out of the room but No Eul brushed her off.

“Well he’s not awake to stop me is he?”

“He’s not but I am! Your family is worried about you! I’m worried too! Jik tells me you haven’t called him in weeks either. It’s not like you!”

“Na Ri, the person I’ve loved for most of my life is unconscious right now…..Because of me. He might not ever wake up. Do you think I can live my life happily?! Do you think it would be easy for me to pretend this didn’t happen? That he isn’t like this because of me?! This is all my fault!”

“None of this is your fault No Eul! There was no way you could have stopped this from happening!”

“If I hadn’t taken them on in front of the restaurant that time, this would never have happened!”

“If you hadn’t confronted them then, the girl you protected would be in Joon Young’s place or maybe even dead. How could you know that they would be looking for you after that? How could you know that this would happen?!”

No Eul paused to think, tears streaming down her face.

“I can’t replace him Na Ri. He means too much to me.”

“Nobody is asking you to replace him No Eul, we just want you to live your life!”

“I am living my life! This is the way I choose to live! If you don’t like it, you can just leave!”

Na Ri threw her hands up in exasperation but softened her voice.

“No Eul. Listen to me. Joon Young wouldn’t want this for you. It would kill him to know you’re doing this to yourself.”

Behind No Eul, Joon Young’s hand twitched but neither girl noticed it.

“I know you’re sad, but you can’t keep beating yourself up over this. Whether Joon Young wakes up or not is out of your hands now. Shutting yourself in here isn’t helping him at all. You’re just making yourself sick.”

Joon Young’s eyelashes fluttered as if he were working hard to open his eyes….

No Eul realized that Na Ri wasn’t intending to give up. She knew that Na Ri was right about everything but she still wanted to stay with Joon Young no matter what.

“Okay.” No Eul said hoarsely, “Just let me stay with him tonight…. I promise I’ll take better care of myself starting tomorrow.”

Na Ri sighed and relented.

“I’m coming to get you first thing tomorrow morning. You’re taking the day off work too. You need to take a day to yourself. I’ll leave you here for tonight though.”

After Na Ri left, No Eul sat on a chair and lay her head on the bed next to Joon Young. She lay with her face cradled in his palm, gazing at his sleeping face. The tears continued to trickle out of her eyes but she ignored them.

Eventually the exhaustion of the past month caught up with her and she fell into a deep sleep.

Joon Young’s eyelashes fluttered on his cheeks a little more before going still.

Chapter Text

No Eul trudged around, in a daze.

She had received her acceptance letter just that afternoon but the excitement she thought she’d feel hadn’t arrived. Instead she was feeling melancholy. Four years without Joon Young.

She sighed.

She hadn’t expected to be accepted. Although her grades weren’t bad, they weren’t even close to being the top of the class. No Eul figured the reason she was accepted was because she hadn’t applied to an Ivy League school, preferring to set her sights lower.

It’s not that she didn’t want to go study in the US, she did, but she hadn’t told Joon Young that she’d even applied to schools overseas. Now she was accepted and had to be there in a couple weeks to take a crash course in English.

Resigning herself to the fact that she’d have to tell Joon Young that she was leaving, No Eul turned her steps towards his house. She was so lost in her own thoughts that she almost walked right past it.

Walking through the front door, she greeted his parents by habit and headed into Joon Young’s room.

“No Eul!” he crowed. “I hadn’t expected you to show up tonight! Perfect timing! You can rescue me from studying.”

Joon Young winked and pulled her out of the house and to the small park in their neighborhood.

They sat on the swings in silence for a moment before Joon Young finally said:

“Jeong Eun was over earlier. We were talking about applying to the same schools. You’re going to apply with us right?”

No Eul got up from the swing and walked forward a few steps but stayed silent.

Joon Young continued talking about the things he and Jeong Eun were planning to do together but No Eul just tuned him out.

Finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.

“Why are you dating her?” she said softly. She had said it so softly that she was sure Joon Young wouldn’t have been able to hear her at all. But he had, almost.

“What?”

Startled that he had heard her question, it took No Eul a minute to reply.

“Joon Young, why are you dating her? I really don’t understand. Tell me what is so good about her so I can understand!”

While she was speaking she had turned to face him, getting angrier with each word that left her mouth. Months of torment at the hands of Jeong Eun flashed through her mind so her words came out more venomous than she’d intended.

“She’s pretty…” He began, but No Eul cut him off.

“She’s pretty?! That’s the most important factor?! Don’t you know the kinds of things she does to the other girls?! Don’t you know what she does….”

To me.

No Eul finished the sentence in her mind but Joon Young knew her too well.

“What? What does she do to you, No Eul? Help you with your assignments? Lend you her books when you forget yours? Yes, she’s a terrible person! I don’t know how anyone could be attracted to her!”

No Eul curled her lip in disgust. Jeong Eun only does that nice stuff when you’re around, she thought. When you’re not around, she’s awful. You think I actually forgot my books that many times?! No! She shredded them so that they’re unusable! She throws my gym clothes in the trash nearly every day and has her lackeys follow me around the hallways just so they can cause me to trip and drop all my stuff. Jeong Eun isn’t nice at all…

But she didn’t say any of that out loud.

“You know what? Just forget it!”

No Eul stormed away. Somehow the whole conversation had gotten sidetracked.

She hadn’t even told him she was leaving.

The cold war had begun.

4 days later:

No Eul was walking through the hallways of the school, trying to keep an eye on Jeong Eun’s lackeys behind her. She knew that they were just waiting for a good time to send her sprawling on her face. Since the hallways were so crowded right now, they couldn’t do anything without word getting back to Joon Young.

She was safe, for the moment.

All of a sudden, Jeong Eun’s friends sped up. No Eul braced herself for the shove that she had become used to.

But it didn’t happen.

Instead, two of the girls grabbed her arms and propelled her out of the school and onto the far side of the athletic field where they wouldn’t be happened upon by a teacher.

-----------------------------------

“Hey No Eul, what’s up with you and Joon Young? I thought we told you to stay away from him!”

No Eul scoffed.

“Keep dreaming. We’ve been friends since we were kids. Our families are friends too. As if I’m going to end our friendship just because of girls like you.”

“Sure you don’t want to re-think that?” one of the girls sneered, “You might just end up costing your little brother his scholarship...”

The girls laughed menacingly.

No Eul’s blood ran cold.

“What are you talking about? Why would Jik lose his scholarship?”

“Oh, didn’t you know? Jeong Eun’s dad is on the board of directors. All it takes is one little word…” the first girl said mockingly.

“And poof! Little Jik’s scholarship fun will go to someone else” said the second girl.

More laughter.

At that moment, No Eul saw Joon Young looking at them from across the field. She tried to catch his attention but her arms were held to her sides by Jeong Eun’s friends. She managed to free them and beckon to Joon Young just as he turned away.

No Eul was positive he saw her. He knows she’s not close with Jeong Eun or her friends so why didn’t he realize something was wrong?

Was he just ignoring her?

Jeong Eun’s friends weren’t done yet.

“Don’t even think about telling Joon Young. If one word reaches him about this, you can be sure we’d make your life hell and your brother would never get another scholarship!”

No Eul was livid.

She knew these girls were the type to stoop low, but messing with her brother’s scholarship just to get back at her? Unacceptable!

“You know what? Forget it.” No Eul said. “I’m leaving in a couple weeks anyways. I’ll stay away from Joon Young….But if you touch my brother in any way, I will hunt you down.”

Her eyes flashed with fury, making the other three girls uneasy.

This No Eul was scary.

The girls were fearful for a moment, wondering if they had made a huge mistake by threatening Jik. It was what Jeong Eun had told them to do though. If No Eul were going to take her anger out on anyone, it should be Jeong Eun…

“N..No Eul…”

“Shut up! If you dare touch my brother after this, I won’t let you off!”

With that, No Eul turned and stormed off the campus.

-------------------------------------------

The next week, Joon Young was out of school.

Through the adults in their families, No Eul found out that he was sick to the point of delirium.

Though the threat from Jeong Eun worried her, No Eul figured it was safe to help take care of Joon Young.

She spent her days at school and her afternoons and evenings helping Joon Young’s family take care of him.

Each day she brought a new container of soup over for him to eat. This time, his parents had left them alone in the house so they could go grocery shopping.

While No Eul was sitting on the floor, Joon Young woke up and looked at her. She got up and brought the soup from the kitchen, intending to coax him into eating some of it. When she returned to the room, she found his eyes were closed again and he was muttering something in his sleep. She went back to studying on the floor.

Before long, Joon Young was looking at her with glassy eyes again. He rolled himself off the bed and over to where she was sitting. Still halfway in dreamland he said “No Eul.” And then plopped his head into her lap and fell back asleep.

No Eul pursed her lips but the eyes that were gazing at Joon Young’s face were soft. She brushed his hair off his face with a sigh and leaned back against the wall to relax. Eventually, Joon Young woke up enough that she was able to get him back into his bed before heading home for the night.

------------------------------------

On her last night at his house, No Eul was content to simply sit and watch Joon Young while he slept.

He tossed and turned in feverish dreams so she went over to him with a damp washcloth and started wiping the sweat off his face.

At the touch of the washcloth on his brow, Joon Young’s arm whipped up and grabbed No Eul by the wrist. His eyes flew open to look at her.

In the next instant, he’d pulled her face down to his and kissed her before releasing her wrist again. He immediately closed his eyes and went back to sleep with a slight smile on his face.

No Eul was in shock.

She had no clue whether Joon Young was still in a state of delirium or if he actually knew that he was kissing his childhood friend rather than his girlfriend.

At that moment, Joon Young turned and muttered a name in his sleep: “Jeong Eun.”

No Eul felt her heart shatter like glass as all her hopes went up in smoke.

With that one name, she realized she would never be Joon Young’s girlfriend. Instead, she would have to watch as he dated other girls and eventually married one of them.

The knowledge hit her like a sledgehammer. With that, No Eul immediately packed up her stuff and walked out of Joon Young’s room. As she closed the door behind her, there was a soft click. As of that moment, she closed the door on her feelings for Joon Young.

The next day, No Eul boarded a flight to the US.

Chapter Text

“Joon Young ah!”

No Eul’s scream was the last thing he heard before passing out. Then came the sensations.

Cold, hard ground.

Soft hands, stroking his hair.

“…BP 95/60, pulse is thready”

“Joon Young, please wake up…please…”

The voices drifted in and out of his mind. Sirens.

Then it was dark and quiet for a while. Soon after everything went quiet, memories started drifting through his mind.

No Eul with pigtails, helping him up off the ground in elementary school.

Himself, writing “I like you. Go out with me No Eul.” on pieces of paper then folding them up and throwing them on No Eul’s desk at school. No Eul, tossing a glare his way and then shoving all the notes into the bottom of her backpack without reading them.

The teddy bear he’d spent hours convincing himself to give to her. No Eul, fire blazing in her eyes, shoving the bear back into his arms. Disappointment that she had been angry with him instead of happy.

No Eul coldly telling him “We’re not dating. Stop playing with me like this.”

No Eul feeding him soup when he was sick during their cold war. He was delirious but he still pulled her into his arms and kissed her. Waking up after his fever broke to find his room empty.

No Eul, brave and beautiful, talking her way out of danger.

And then as he’d last seen her, bent over his prone frame; her light haloed face a mask of fear. “Joon Young!” The scream echoed in his memory as he remembered the sheer terror in her eyes. No Eul….

“No Eul..”

Joon Young slowly opened his eyes and then blinked at the brightness. His hand was numb.

Joon Young let his gaze drift towards his numb hand and saw No Eul sleeping there. Her face was turned toward him and she had hair falling across her eyes.

He smiled and brushed the hair out of her face before softly caressing her cheek.

His No Eul.

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When No Eul woke up a few hours later, Joon Young was watching a program on the muted TV.

He hadn’t moved his hand from under her face so the first thing he felt was the shift in her breathing pattern, indicating that she had woken up.

“You’re awake?” he asked.

No Eul looked at him and blinked the sleep from her eyes.

Joon Young raised his eyebrow as he held back a laugh.

“My hand thanks you. I haven’t been able to feel it for a few hours now.”

No Eul stared at him blankly for a few more seconds before her brain woke up and registered what was going on.

She gasped and then threw her arms around his neck, hugging him hard.

“Joon Young! You’re awake! Oh my God, you’re awake!”

Joon Young laughed and hugged her back.

“Did you really think I was going to leave you to deal with your blind dates alone?”

“It’s been over a month now! You were showing signs of waking up but when you didn’t…. I…. I was so scared…..” No Eul kept babbling, tears forming in her eyes.

Joon Young pushed her up a little before grabbing her face and turning it towards him. He kissed her softly to stem the flow of words streaming from her lips.

“I’m not leaving you, No Eul” he said softly. “I could never leave you.”

“Good.”

Joon Young glanced around the room at No Eul’s belongings that were all over the place.

“Looks like I’m going to need an extra closet too.”

“What?” No Eul was confused. An extra closet? What is he talking about?

“Well,” he said gesturing around the room, “if this is what you use in only a month, I can only imagine how many sets of clothes you have lying around at home…. We’re going to need more closet space to fit it all.”

No Eul’s mouth hung open in an ‘O’ of astonishment.

“Are.. are you… proposing to me?!”

“Well…. Not yet…”

No Eul’s mind froze.

“But I will… soon.”

No Eul covered her mouth but didn’t move until Joon Young grabbed her hand and tugged her closer to him, their mouths only inches apart.

“Well….? Are you going to answer me?”

No Eul nodded.

“Is that a yes, you’re going to answer me or a yes, you’re going to move in with me?”

“Both!” No Eul burst out, still nodding.

Joon Young smiled and closed the remaining distance between them.

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A few months later:

No Eul sat on a bench at the park. Joon Young was supposed to meet her here any minute but she was content to wait.

The last months had been the best in her life. She had Joon Young now.

They’d moved in together soon after he’d been released from the hospital. She thought it would be difficult to adjust to living together with him but it hadn’t been.

In fact, it wasn’t much different than the time they’d spent together in his room before….

Except now they spent a lot more of their time in each other’s arms and a lot less on homework.

Of course, they still fought like they had before but now they only stormed to another room of the house instead of to another continent.

No Eul was happy.

----------------------

When Joon Young came over, he smiled at the picture No Eul made. She was leaning back on a bench, smiling up at the cherry blossoms above her.

Without hesitations, Joon Young walked over to her and lay down on the bench with his head on her lap.

She glanced down at him with her heart in her eyes before looking back up at the sky. Joon Young lay there contentedly and watched her for a while before letting his own eyes drift closed, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

The cherry blossoms drifted down prettily around them but in their mutual contentment, neither of them noticed.

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20 Years Earlier….

Little No Eul was walking with her dad past the recently closed restaurant around the block.

In front was a moving truck and a family of three was climbing out of the cab. The little boy looked to be around No Eul’s age but she paid him no attention.

“Appa, can we get tteokbokki? Can we? Please!”

“Not today No Eul. Your brother has been with the neighbor all day. We need to get him. I’ll make you food when we get home.”

No Eul pouted but continued to follow her father.

Behind her, the little boy watched the pigtailed girl and her father walk down the street.

He gazed steadily at them until a voice called out:

“Joon Young! Come inside and help your mom unpack your toys!”

Little Joon Young shifted his eyes away from the girl and ran into the house.

Little No Eul, looked back in time to see him disappear through the door. Shrugging, she ran towards her father and grabbed his hand.

The two talked and laughed their way down the street and out of sight.

Chapter Text

Timeline:

5 y/o: NE/JY meet for the first time.
• NE save JY from bullies.

15 y/o: JY/NE in his room doing homework. Paper fight. 100 days before teddy bear
incident. [When JY realizes he wants more than friendship with NE]
• JY toss notes at NE.
• 3 days after note tossing = teddy bear [100 days after JY realizes he has feelings for NE]

16 y/o: NE realize she has feelings for JY. Goes to confess. Overhears JE/JY.

18 y/o: JY/NE fight about JY dating JE.
• 3 days later: JY sees NE dealing with JE’s friends on the athletic field. Learns about JE’s manipulations.
• 1 week: JY out of school because he’s sick. NE takes care of him. First kiss
• Following week: JY confronts JE. No Eul leaves to US. JY talks to NR in front of NE’s house and decides to wait for NE’s return.

25 y/o: Start of main story.