Holiday Ruse

One Step

Of all day, today is probably quite traumatic for Jin Woo. Despite having been the speaker of many business and game conferences, Mi Jo is pretty sure he never had to deal with so many questions related to his feelings. And today, he has to answer it all.

"Tough question?" Mi Jo asks softly. As soft as she did it, it still startles him. He diverts his attention from the road for a moment to look at her.

"More like— loaded," Jin Woo smiles sheepishly before turning his attention back to the road.

Indeed, the question is never intended to take a shot at him. It only encapsulates what she experienced in one year without him.

She had to carry on. Alone. She might not be the happiest, but she had made peace with it. And she was proud of herself; she made it to the other side.

"I have been living my life without you since last year. Picking up the pieces, one step at a time," she murmurs quietly.

Jin Woo stiffens at her statement and sighs. "I'm sorry."

She looks up at him when she hears the apology and realizes, she sounds like she have just taken him to a guilt trip again. Mi Jo shakes her head and breathes deeply.

"Jin Woo-ya, I'm sorry. I wasn't blaming you, I'm just putting my question into context," she chuckles lightly, "I have learned to live my life without you. So, there is a chance that my deliberation will draw unfavorable conclusion for you. If that happens—"

"If that happens— I will come back the next day."

Mi Jo frowns as she glances at him. He glances back at her with a raised eyebrow. "You don't think I will give up that easily, do you?"

"Well, you did, once."

"Ouch."

"Sorry. Sorry, it just came out of nowhere."

Jin Woo doesn't answer letting the silence hangs between them. As they stop at red light, he leans forward to the steering wheel and speaks his mind again.

"I know you mean it, that last comment. I did a number on you, didn't I?"

Mi Jo keeps her silence, giving him the time to process his thought.

"That's why— I said your question was loaded. It certainly seems easy enough to answer, but I doubt you want to hear the easy answer, the one which is probably filled with empty promises." Jin Woo continues.

"You hate empty promises."

"I do. Promise is made to be kept, my love," he winks at her and that's enough to make her blushing. Jin Woo looks ahead to the road pensively before stepping on the gas when the light turns green. It seems like their conversation is over, until his deep baritone voice fills in the car again.

"As hard as it is for me to hear you have learned to live without me, now I have an idea how hard it will be to make you love me again."

She looks at his side profile and admires how gorgeous the man is; the sharp jaw line, the dimples playing hide and seek, and the crease line on his forehead as he thinks. All of those external traits along with the caring, charming and persistence side of him compose the man she loves.

Oh, is there ever a doubt? Of course, she loves him. Still. He only needs to show up in front of her and all the feels that laid dormant this past year resurfaces again. Love is never the problem.

He will always be her one great love.

The problem lies on whether she trusts him not to break her heart again. She needs to know he'll stick around and not leaving her when the going gets tough in their lives. That they will always be each other's strength and shoulder to cry on.