THE TRANSFER STUDENT

A New Chapter, Pt. 5

"Byul-ah? Could you come here for a while? I need you to help me taste this kimchi stew. I haven't cooked in a long while and I don't know-"

Seokjin stopped abruptly when he felt Byulyi's thin arms wrap around his waist. He turned around and saw Byulyi, with her head resting against his back and smiled. "Why? Was work difficult today?"

Seokjin felt Byulyi's head bounce side to side on his back. "It's nothing. Let's just stay like that for a while."

Seokjin grinned as he stirred the kimchi stew with his wooden spoon. "You sure you don't want to try this?"

"Nope."

"Alright then," Seokjin turned the gas off, turning around to face Byulyi, wrapping her tiny hands in his big strong ones. He smiled sweetly, looking into her sparkling eyes with his own gently brown ones. "Why? Did something happen? Why did you suddenly come and hug me?"

"I just felt like it," Byulyi pursed her lips, hesitating slightly.

Seokjin just observed quietly.

"I just," Byulyi sighed. "I just don't know what I did to deserve someone like you."

Seokjin just stared at her, his eyes widening with concern. "How can you ever say that?"

"My grandma told me what you said, Seokjin," Byulyi couldn't look into Seokjin's eyes anymore, so she turned her eyes towards the ground instead. "About you wanting to marry me?"

"She told you that?" Seokjin laughed. "What... I told her to keep that a secret between us."

"But... you really do?"

Seokjin's facial expression turned serious. "I do, Byulyi. I mean- if you're willing to marry me of course, in the future, sometime, when we're graduated, and we're all settled down-"

Byulyi's face froze. "You really love me?"

"What are you saying?" Seokjin patted Byulyi's head gently, smiling down at her with the most gentle expression on his face. "Of course I do. Haven't I made it clear enough?"

"But why?" Byulyi frowned. "Why would you want to marry someone like me? I'm not that smart, I'm not that pretty, I'm not that kind either and the list goes on. I'm average at everything at best, Seokjin. Meanwhile, you are- you are..." Byulyi swallowed hard. "Perfect."

"Hey, hey-" Seokjin spoke gently, caressing Byulyi's face with one hand. "Shh- Look at me."

Byulyi looked up, biting her lower lip to stop herself from crying.

"I know we got together so quickly it could be difficult for you to process," Seokjin whispered, tracing Byulyi's cheekbone with his thumb lightly. "But I want you to know that I love you and you are literally perfect in my eyes. I mean, I am perfect but you are, too. Isn't that great? We match."

Byulyi smiled a little, momentarily distracted from her worries because of Seokjin's self-centred talk. But as soon as the humour died down, the frown came back to Byulyi's face. "But how? Why? How can you love someone like me?"

Seokjin frowned. "Something really did happen at work. You were fine earlier today."

Something did happen. Except it wasn't just today. It had already been going on for a while. A long, long while. Ever since the day she had taken up that part-time job at that restaurant.

"What happened?"

"A co-worker has been asking me what my plans were for the future," Byulyi began on a shaky note, hesitating to continue. But now was too late to stop. "And it was today that I realised I didn't have any."