The Reason? - Yoon Jeonghan

Chapter 54

Knocking on the door brought Ophely away from her work on the coffee table, she looked up to find Miss Byung not present. Normally people don't knock on doors in Korea. But she stood up, checking the time on her phone. Only to find three missed calls from Jeonghan and a few messages, the last one reading - I'm at your door.

Wait, wasn't he on tour? Checking the date again, the tour had concluded the day before, and it was definitely most likely that Jeonghan was actually at her address. It was really him standing there once she opened the door.

"Hi." He smiled awkwardly.

"What are you doing here?" "I brought Chimaek." They had said at the same time, both followed by laughing at the situation. Ophely graciously took the take-away bags from him and guided him inside.

"Thank you." She said opening the bags in the kitchen, the food smelled so good. "I'm sorry, I was just not waiting on anybody, sorry if I was not very polite."

"Nah, it's fine. I did surprise you, it was the point for you not to expect me." He groaned tiredly as he took off his shoes in the entrance booth, making a B-line for the couch a few paces down.

With the chicken plated and the beers in her other hand, Ophely joined him in the living room space of the small apartment. "Why are you not with the boys celebrating the end of the tour?" He only sighed and let himself be engulfed by the soft couch. Ophely understood without him voicing it out.

"Needed calm." It didn't surprise her, the boys were very kind, but the loudness could get to one. Calm parties were more her thing even though energetic celebrations were welcome. But each moment had a time. "And space. I've been with them for over three weeks, sharing rooms and most of the time working. Space is good."

It was sweet, really, that he came to her for some quietness.

"So you talked to my roommate for our address to have some space?"

"I didn't bribe her with anything." That did not reassure her. "I just asked if you would be willing to have Chimaek, and she just sent me your address." Ophely looked at him. "I swear!" With his hands up, half off the armchair and on the flour, she could not take him seriously.

"Aish, you're a child..." But still she opened the can of bear, handing him one and cheering together before digging into the fried chicken.

It was good. I was going very well. Ophely realised as they ate silently, and then chatted. Discussed his Japanese Tour, the comeback already in preparations, his other schedule, her work, the comeback she was working on, her schedule. And her new apartment. It slowly flowed into what she had done and enjoyed that month, what he had visited and discovered overseas. And just banter.

By the end, after two beers and no more for her, it was just the two in the living room laying against the sofa and watching a movie. She couldn't even be bothered to remember what it was other than Disney and wasn't one of the main ones. Her brother had brought it for her at Christmas as a joke, but she couldn't deny that it was her favourite. Right now, her mind was elsewhere, thus not bothering to know what it was she was actually seeing on the TV screen. Jeonghan had already fallen asleep beside her.

Ophely cradled the can of beer she had yet to finish. She felt good.

She stood up brushing away the tears that had started to appear. Why was she feeling melancholic? She gave out a chuckle, deciding to clean the table up to occupy her restless hands.

Seeing as Jeonghan was already out by- she looked at the TV - a third of the movie, she suspected that all of the boys were as tired and had retired relatively quickly for the night. It warmed her heart to know that he came to her first. Logical in the way that things were going between them, but still unsure. She thought his rest was more important than having a night out the day back home for break.