18

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It was after school, the couple was quietly walking down the hill, a pregnant silence filled with unspoken thoughts embracing the air above them.

Gyujin was embarrassed by how he went on a tirade about his none-stop bullying and how unfair the teacher has been. He feared he scared Yeorin by letting out his pent-up frustration so publicly, he feared she won't look at him the same way.

"I didn't scare you, did I?" Gyujin muttered, avoiding looking into Yeorin's eyes.

"No." Her response was so quiet, he almost didn't hear her.

That only squeezed his heart tighter in his chest with distress.

"I'm sorry." He sighed defeatedly.

"For what?" She turned to the side to look at him, only to see his eyes glued to the ground.

"For crashing out like that. I know you don't like violence, I just..... I'm just tired of Seongjun and his bullshit." Gyujin finally lifted his head and looked into her eyes.

She saw how distraught he was. She saw the downed emotions behind his troubled eyes, making her heart twist in her chest.

Reaching over to his face, she tenderly turned his head to face him and gave a small, meaningful kiss on his mouth.

"There's nothing in this world you could do would scare me." She spoke with such a gentleness in her voice. It almost made him melt in the spot.

"How about a date? To reconcile our feelings about everything." Gyujin suggested, hiding his red face from her.

"A real date? Our first date?" She asked, excitement shining in her eyes.

"Yeah, we should go eat somewhere affordable." He smiled at her excitement, thinking how adorable it was.

"Uuh, I know a great place where they have amazing fish cakes." Yeorin grinned, pleased with the idea.

She didn't mind the date is at an affordable place, she would be more comfortable there than in a fancy place with very pricey food. She liked the idea of something small, more meaningful than luxurious.

"Sure, what ever you'd like." He smiled.

A comfortable silence fell over them, yet neither of them minded it.

It wasn't until a figure appeared in the crowd, making the couple stop in their tracks.

Yeongdong was standing in their way, looking at them almost pleadingly.

It was like Yeorin could feel what he wanted from the two. She gave him a tight lipped smile as a greeting, then looked at Gyujin beside her, who was avoiding looking into his eyes.

"We should talk to him. He goes through the same thing we did." She whispered into her boyfriend's ear.

"What about our date?" He asked.

"We can have all the date we want later. He looks like he needs someone to talk to." Yeorin gave him a reassuring smile.

Gyujin looked at her, rethinking her words before kissing the side of her head and nodding.

"We're going to a small restaurant to have dinner. Would you like to join?" Yeorin asked Yeongdong, kindly smiling at the lost boy.

Yeongdong was surprised by the sweet gesture and nodded in agreement.

Suddenly Yeorin's phone started ringing in her pocket, making her reach for it.

Seeing the caller ID, she let her mouth form a small smile.

"I'm sorry, I have to take this." She motioned to her phone.

She quickly took a step back and accepted the call.

"Uncle Baekie." She greeted him.

"How's my moonpie doing?" Her uncle chuckled into the phone

"I'm doing alright. How are you?" She asked sweetly.

Ever through the phone, her uncle could hear how happy she was. He was glad to hear that familiar tone of happiness in her voice as he used to when she was younger.

"I'm doing great, moonpie. Though, I should ask you, what has made you this cheerful?" Yeorin blushed at his question.

She had a feeling he knew what had her this cheerful.

"Nothing much....." She bit her lips, trying to keep her voice controlled.

"Yeorin, is everything alright?" Gyujin asked when he saw her red face.

"My, my.... Is that a boyfriend I hear in the background?" Uncle Baek asked with a teasing voice.

Yeorin giggled lightly, not even denying it. She had planned to tell her uncle about Gyujin, yet somehow the topic never came up. She was glad it had now.

"Maybe.....?" She smiled at Gyujin, showing her everything was alright.

"Ah, my little niece is growing up." Uncle Baek groaned, yet his face formed a smile uncontrollably.

"Anyway, I'm finally in town. We should meet up and have our dinner together sometime." Her uncle suggested.

Yeorin smiled brightly, liking the idea of seeing her uncle after such a long time.

"Yeah, I'd like that. Just text me whenever you're free." She stated.

"Alright, moonpie. I gotta go. Stay safe." Her uncle bid goodbye before hanging up the phone.

"Shall we go?" Yeorin asked as she joined the two boy, whose were patiently waiting for her to finish speaking on the phone.

"Yeah." Gyujin nodded and held out his hand for her to hold.

Yeorin happily clung to his hand.

"Who was that on the phone?" Gyujin asked out of curiosity.

"My uncle. He's finally back in town. He asked if we could go eat sometime." She answered.

The boy didn't pry, he just gave her a soft smile before the three of them started making their way to the restaurant.

Meanwhile, Yeorin's uncle was deep in thought, about the certain boy his niece decided to bring into her life.

He had no idea who he was, he just hoped the boy would bring happiness into her already messed up life.

He always hoped his beloved niece would found a person she feels safe with. As much as he loved it whenever he was the person who kept her safe from the cruel world, he knew the time will come when Yeorin would find the right person for the job.

What he didn't know was the person she had chosen, was the same boy he sent those guns to.