In Love with Mr. Dimple #17

#17 

[Soo Il’s POV]

Jungsoo turns to me and start.

“Two years ago, two years and a day to be exact, we met for the first time. It was the day before my parent’s anniversary. Kyu and I was looking around for their presents at the ET Mall when someone suddenly bumped into Kyu and fell on the floor. It was you. You stood up and bow at us while saying sorry and leave us.” He stops.

“That’s it? You like me just because of that?” I ask.

He laughs. Not too much but enough to tell me that what I’ve said is wrong.

“Of course it’s not. Our story didn’t stop at that. Few hours later, because I had nothing to do, I visit Reading Hut. You know the bookstore?”

“Reading Hut?” I said, thinking.

He just looks at me, giving me times to look back into my memory, I guess. I suddenly remember a café-like bookstore I use to visit when I was staying with my cousin for awhile few years back, who is actually - now that I think about it - living in the same area as the Park family.

“Reading Hut?” I ask again, and add,

“The book-café that was in Gangnam-gu?”

He nods.

“That’s the one. I was thinking of buying some books but then I decide to stay and just read my book there, in the café. I was just sitting there, reading when something suddenly took my attention. I heard some noise from the back of my seat. There was a knocking sound and I heard a girl groan.

“Was it me?” I ask, and he nod, right away.

“Did I knock my elbow or my knee on something again?” I ask, a bit mad at the fact that I hit things, a lot.

He chuckle.

“It’s your head. I think you bump your forehead on the table while leaning to take something on the floor.” He let out a small, light laugh after that.

“I don’t really remember that actually. Well, I do hit things A LOT.” I sigh.

“I can see that.” He said, still smiling.

“I’m one clumsy girl. I heard that, A LOT too.” I said, emphasizing the ‘a lot’ again.

“I can see that too.” He teased.

I give him a glare, and got his laugh as a response. I roll my eyes and then fix my eyes on the stars. I know he’s looking at me. I can sense it. Or is it just my feeling? I smile at the thought.

“Why?” he asks.

“What?” I ask him back.

“Why did you smile just now?”

“Oh...that. Hehe...nothing. Something just came into my mind.” So he did looking at me, huh?

He raises his left brow, looking at me. I need to stop him from asking, didn’t I? If not, I’ll be the one who get embarrassed.

“So, what happened next? You fall at me because I knocked my head?” I sarcastically joke.

He let out a big laugh. Is it me or he does look handsome when he laughs wholeheartedly like that?

“Kind of.” That’s his answer. What? What kind of? You look kind of handsome when you laugh like that?

“Kind of?” I ask him back.

“Yeah. Kind of. Your clumsiness is part of things that make me fall for you.” He said. Haha…silly me. It’s not like he’s reading my head. How can I forgot that I asked him something before? Of course he’s answering that.

“There are a lot of things I like about you. There are so many things that I love in you. In fact, I love everything about you. But, you, asking everything – about how I fall at you directly like this, weren’t you being a bit bold? Girls rarely do that.”

“Oh…they do. A lot of them do. They always do, in fact. Girls always curious on what makes their man love them.”

“Really? No one ever asked me once.”

I look at him, raising my brow. Realising what he has said, he turn to me and wave his hands in front of me.

“Ania, ania…ani…I mean in the past, before I met you. I do dates few times, but that’s before I met you.”

Few times? Wow…this guy. And I weren’t even once, ever, date yet.

“Soo Il-ah, are you mad?” he asks, while he lower his head so that his face is at the same level as mine.

“No. No, I don’t. I’m not mad. I don’t even say anything, didn’t I?”

“That is why I asks if you’re mad.”

“No. I don’t. I was just…thinking.”

“What are you thinking?”

“Nothing. Now, can we keep going with your story please?” I try to escape from his questions and thank god he agree to.

“Few days later, I went to Reading Hut again. While I was looking for my friends who I promised to meet, I saw you once again, heading to the exact table you sat the other day. Since then, every time I go to Reading Hut, I’ll naturally look for you. There even times where I went to Reading Hut, just to see you. You’ll be there, at the same table – every time. Kyu said, that’s my worst habit. The weirdest one.” Again, he chuckle, then continue,

“I’ll always sat somewhere near you so that I can look at you, see you get immersed in your reading, see your sudden smile while reading, see your annoyed face when you were disturb and all.”

I know there’s a lot playing in his head right now because his eyes are staring at something far away, if you know what I mean. He stops for a while and I take that chance to tease him a bit.

“You know you sound like a stalker right now, right?”

“I do?” he asks, turning his head to me.

I tried to suppress my laugh but failed to.

“You do. A bit.” I reply.

“At least, I’m not a bad stalker.” He accepts that? I can’t believe him.

“So, what happened next?” I ask, even when I already know what might have happened. I know I stay here for a while back then but I move back to my parent’s house, my hometown when they were back to Korea.

“That last for nearly a year. But, to my disappointment, you suddenly disappear. You stop coming to Reading Hut. I though you are sick or something. I keep waiting and waiting but you didn’t come anymore.” He looks a bit sad.

“You already like me that time?”

“I don’t even know that I did. I was lectured by Kyu for hundreds of times before I realize it. Heh…he might even become a counsellor with that. An evil one. But  he really did make me realize that I love you.”

“Even when you don’t even really know me?”

“I’ve been looking at you for a year. I’ve ‘analyze’ you much. By looking at how you react with things around you, that’s enough for me to know the real you. The person inside you. That’s how I fall for you, unknowingly, and get to know the ‘Soo Il’ that I know now make me love you more.”

“Don’t you ever think that that’s just your emotion playing with your heart? You don’t actually love me but it’s just that you are too used to see me there that you miss me when I wasn’t around?”

I thought of that so many times already Soo Il. More than you can imagine. Do you think I’ll wait for you till now if it is just a confusion? I was so happy when I saw you again for the first time at the library. My heart was jumping. My heartbeat skips their normal beat. That’s how nervous and happy I was when I see you again. I even though that I was dreaming. Remember when I smile after I look at your student card? That was because I’m too happy too. I finally got to know your name. Kim Soo Il. I’ve been wondering for more than a year. But, you’ve misunderstood me and though that I was mocking you. That look you gave me that time. You really kill me you know?”

Both of us are quite for a while. I need to think, properly.

I look at him, looking for the sincerity in his story. To be honest, I know he didn’t lie. I don’t even need to find that sincerity because I can feel it. I can feel how sincere he is when he is talking.

Few moments later, he continues.

“You already know the rest of the story.” He turns to me and takes my hands into his.

“I love you, Kim Soo Il. I really do. Like I said when I first confess to you, I’ll wait. I’ve been waiting for two years. Another two years is nothing to me. So, just take your time.” He let go of my hands and with one of his, he pat my head.

“Let’s go home.” He said and turns around.

We’re leaving. Will there be any different even if I’m given more time?

“Park Jung Soo.”

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