THE YOUNG LADY was never proud to have sighing as her hobby.

To: That Person
Hello. Good evening.
7:01 pm

To: That Person
This is Park Seoyeon.
Your schoolmate in highschool,
and Jeon Jeongguk's best friend.
7:04 pm

To: That Person
I got your contact number
from the police station.
I have something to ask.
7:05 pm

One block away from home, she has been sitting on a bench for minutes and waiting for the latter to answer. Seoyeon ponders whether she should call the guy or not. Yet there she is, patiently waiting for a text. She fiddles her phone while rapidly tapping the rough surface on the ground with the tip of her heel, a tiny way to lose track of time.

"Why is he taking too long to reply?" She says, almost inaudible for she's pouting. "I even spammed him. This is embarrassing. He should be awake now, right?"

She herself wondered why of all policemen she could choose, she picked him to be interviewed and have herself disappointed like this. Perhaps she still has a crush on him. Heol! Though she has to get herself ready for her office report tomorrow, she ought to start her book immediately. Not wasting time is a rule of an effective writer.

"Should I just give up on him- A-a!"

A hand suddenly appeared, placing a very cold material on the side of her neck that sent shivers to her body and almost took her soul away. She soft-slapped the hand out of her judgement.

"You startled me!" Seoyeon eished, accepting the wrapped ice cream in her hand.

"What? You should thank me." Hooded Jeongguk jogged from behind her to her side and sat on the fixed wood as well. He pulled his face mask down below his chin afterwards. "That's supposed to be mine." He smiles proudly, probably mocking.

"Heol. Look who's talking. It's past seven o'clock! You're supposed to do your part time job. The dinners I've spend with you isn't free." She queried, narrowing her eyebrows as she slowly unpacked the edible material in her hands.

"Look." The younger scooted closer to her and lifted his hand. "Do you think they would let me deliver pizzas with this thing on my face?" He remained pointing the corner of his lips with his index finger.

The older was dumbfounded as she eyed the latter's lips, and then yanked the boy's hand in instant. "What's the purpose of that face mask then?" She averted her gaze from him to the lake in front of her.

"My shift starts at six, so it's too late anyway." Jeongguk slouched his back and leaned deeper against his seat, facing the certain view as well. "Besides, I want to relax this evening. You know, do some walk. I'll just do overtime tomorrow." He chortled.

Then the young man sighed.

"It's been a pretty long day." He muttered to himself, but it is loud enough for her to hear. "How about you, noona? Why are you sulking here at the middle of the park?"

"It's nothing."

"Or because of Yoonki hyungnim?"

With that question, Seoyeon turned her head and eyed the latter who still kept his eyes on the horizon. "Probably." She said.

"He's always like that. Always." Said he. "Too bad I don't have any contact of him anymore."

Lies. You're getting full of lies, Jeon Jeongguk.

──────────✧──────────

"I think you're mistaken." Yoonki smirked, stuffing a hand in his jaggerpants' pocket while the other nudges his nose. "I'm a policeman, not a teacher, okay?"

"I know, but that's not exactly—"

His phone chirped in all of sudden. "Just stay there, or else I'll charge you of trespassing." He gritted his teeth and sharpened his gaze, making her gush, before he steps to get the thin material that was laying peacefully above his beloved piano. He left an inch gap between the door and its frame.

From: unknown
Hello. Good evening.
7:01 pm

He raised an eyebrow out of confusion. It is either they're mistaking him twice today, getting another spam, or someone is trying to scam.

"Wow. Your unit is a mess."

Yoonki instantly turned his torso, finding out that his door is now widely open and the annoying girl is at fault. "Wah. You're really shameless." He scoffed and walked towards her again. He was about to close the door but the latter kept on speaking.

"Those soju bottles, empty cup noodles, and used tissues have told me that you love having picnics indoors." Jia smiles, shifting her gaze from the floor to him. "I can clean that up in seconds, and you don't even have to pay me money. Great deal, isn't it?"

"What deal?" He let out a muffled snort. "You know what, I'll let you pass this time. Just go home and stop wasting my time."

From: unknown
This is Park Seoyeon.
Your schoolmate in highschool,
and Jeon Jeongguk's best friend.
7:04 pm

"Just hear me out! You help me learn piano, I help you clean, and for the bonus, I'll give you 20% of my profit." Jia hates rejection, but she needs to be desperate to continue living. She tightened her grip on the guitar case with a huge smile on her face, anticipating for a positive response. "I can make you learn how to play guitar too. What do you think, Min Yoonki-ssi?"

Her words turned his attention away from his phone— to the point he never got to read the following messages— as they locked their eyes together.

From: unknown
I got your contact number
from the police station.
I have something to ask.
7:05 pm

"How do you know my name? . . . Who told you I teach piano?" His gaze became more stern compared before. He only taught one; only one. "Who are you?" His phone turned off by itself.

"I already told you. I'm Jia, Yoon Jia, your new student . . ." She scratched her nape as she smiled sheepishly. "and I'm J-jeongguk's girlfriend."

──────────✧──────────

"Let's go." Jeongguk holds her hand. He straightened his back and stood while putting his hoodie back on his head with his freehand.

"To where?" Seoyeon questioned, stepping on her heels as she flattened the invisible wrinkles on her skirt.

"Since we're on a park, why don't we scroll around as we wait for his most awaiting reply?" The corners of his lips lifted when Seoyeon got no choice but to agree. It is such a suffer to wait for nothing anyway.

The two begun to enjoy the sight of the lake on their left and the city view on their right as their footsteps continues. They friendly kept their hands in touch, until the young man felt uneasy. Gulps. Why . . . are we still- He let go of her hand as he hid his hands in his pocket. Apparently, Seoyeon is too attentive to her surroundings to notice this. Jeongguk chortled at himself. Why am I being silly? What's the problem with holding the hand of his elder friend?

It wasn't long before they found themselves walking through a path where vendors are placed on each sides. There are also booths, including a tricky one where you try to beat the host in playing Rubik's cube. If you lose, then you'll pay a thousand won. But if you win, then the host will give you more than half of his profit. Too good to be true.

"You're confident right now, but once I get to learn how to solve it . . . Ha!" Jeongguk sneered under his breath.

"Did you say something?"

"Did I say something?" Jeongguk mimicked that made her eyes roll playfully.

As they continue to walk, a booth suddenly caught their eyes. It might be the looks, or the sweet scent of the smoke coming out of it, that drives their attention. They exchanged gazes before deciding to check it out. Still, they stand side by side.

It's a pretty long table, sturdy as it looks, as a tall rack of circular things stood beside it. It displays a huge banner in front that contains English words which he believes is the booth's name.

"Welcome to Wish List Worth 5000 Won." Said the host of the booth. Jeongguk bit his lips and refrained himself from laughing for the old man himself got his tongue twisted in pronouncing his own booth's name. "Here, you can make your wishes come true!" The tone of his voice can fool people, it was majestic.

"I didn't know making a wish will also cost you money— what?" Jeongguk rubbed his arm after getting hit by his bestfriend. And what kind of a booth name is that?

"Mister, what about those . . ." Seoyeon, who gave interest easily, pointed something with her lips. "bracelets."

"Ah . . . let me explain, please." The eye-smile of the vendor never fades as he gladly shows every material on his desk. "You will write five wishes on this piece of paper. Then I'll burn it by using this candle."

"If you burn our wishes, then how do our wishes come true?" Jeongguk's choice of words made him successfully gain another killer gaze from Seoyeon.

"Don't mind him, please continue." She smiled, harshly patting the youngest's back that made him scoff in disbelief.

"Even if I burn it, even if it turns into smoke, your dreams will always remain in your heart and mind. But as I was saying! This candle is not ordinary . . . It is something special that will surely grant your wishes!" The elder continued. "After I burn it, I will wave your chosen bracelet at the special smoke coming from the candle that burned your wishes, and as long as you wear this certain accessory, your wishes will be slowly granted."

Jeongguk tilted his head. His eyes narrowed to crinkled slits, confusion is all over his head. He got a hard time grasping all the words he heard, and that made his decision firm. "We're not buying it—"

"I will take two, mister. Both black bracelets for each one of us." Seoyeon cut the young lad off.

"Good choice! Now, please kindly fill this paper." He immediately gave them the materials that one gladly accepted while the other hesitated. "Remember, only five wishes!"

Jeongguk was dumbfounded for a moment, but as long as it's free, then he can carry on.

Then they write silently, hiding each word from one another like it's the top secret of the government.

"Can I take another paper? I want to change something." Jeongguk said very sheepishly.

"Sure thing."

"Sorry, can I take one more? I kept on mistaking."

The host laughed and nodded. "It's okay. You can take as many as you want, but I can only burn one per bracelet."

Suddenly, Jeongguk smiled ear-to-ear as he took a glance from the young lady beside him. With her chin up and eyes skyward, she's looking for her wishes that are hiding in the air apparently, making the scenario quite funny and adorable. The youngest pondered what made the grumpy older become a wish enthusiasts. It's cute to be honest.

After a minute or two, they are finally finished. The youngest took the folded wish list from Seoyeon and passed it to the host together with his own.

"No matter what happened, a wish is still a wish, right?" Jeongguk asked when they finally received the smoked bracelets.

"Yes, a dream is still a dream." The host nodded, making an eye contact with the person on the paper bill before smelling the perfume of wealth. I knew it, Jeongguk smirked.

Just say that you sell the bracelets and go.

A sudden chirp interrupted his thoughts.

He then cleared his throat.

From: Yoon Jia
I already talked to Yoonki-ssi.
Thank God he'd let me learn from him.
7:23 pm

To: Yoon Jia
That's good!
When will you start?
7:24 pm

From: Yoon Jia
He told me to come back tomorrow.
7:24 pm

From: Yoon Jia
He's a tough guy and hard to persuade.
7:25 pm

To: Yoon Jia
Yeah, he is. ㅋㅋㅋ
So how did it go?
7:25 pm

From: Yoon Jia
Well, he is really, really hard to persuade.
So . . .
7:25 pm

To: Yoon Jia
Carry on. :)
7:25 pm

From: Yoon Jia
I told him that I'm your girlfriend.
7:26 pm

"What!" Jeongguk slap-covered his mouth.

"What do you mean by what? I'm hungry and I just want bulgogi." Seoyeon queried, raising an eyebrow. "What's so surprising about it? Stop being weird."

The lad dropped his hand and hid his phone behind his back. "N-nothing. I want it too, noona. G-Gaja!"