Chapter 2

Jennie's POV

I keep on checking my watch like every 10 seconds. This was the first time I've been this late for work. My eyes still felt quite droopy and I found myself falling asleep in the car every second. I had to keep slapping my cheeks and bulging out my eyeballs to keep me awake.

All of a sudden, I noticed that we weren't passing in my usual route to work. 

"Um, excuse me," I said, tapping the driver's shoulder. "This isn't the way to Business Square."

"We're taking a short-cut. You said you're running late," he grinned.

"Oh..."I mumbled, looking around. "Okay."

I swear this wasn't the way to my office. I've been living in Busan practically my whole life. I could even probably walk to work with my eyes closed.

"Okay, time's up. You need to go," said the driver, stopping the car on the side of the street.

I shot him a puzzled look. "Wait, what?!"

"My shift is up! I need to get me some burgers and cheese! A man's got to eat!" he said, pointing at his belly.

"But you didn't even bring me to my destination!" I said, practically yelling.

"I'm sorry! Just get out and get another cab. No need to pay me, just go," he grunted.

"God, son of a bitch," I muttered, stepping out and slamming the door shut.

What the fuck was that about? I wasted fifteen minutes in his cab only to get dropped off in the middle of nowhere? Who even does that?

I stood in the middle of the road with no idea where to go. There wasn't a single cab in sight, not even a bus, so I just kept walking while looking for my phone. I had to call my boss and tell her I'd be running late. Really, really late.

As I checked my pockets, I realized I didn't have my phone. I must have left it at home because I was in such a hurry. Great! This day couldn't get any better!

I just kept walking until I reached this dock by the bay. Wow, that driver must have taken one hell of a short cut because there was definitely no dock, nor was there a bay near where I worked.

My legs started to hurt so I decided to sit on one of the benches facing the dock. To be honest, I was even tempted to take a nap in it. I just felt so damn sluggish for some reason.

"Hey, are you lost?" said a deep, unfamiliar voice behind me.

I nearly jumped out of my seat when I saw there was a girl looking at me from behind, giving me a really strange look.

"No, I'm okay," I mumbled, pulling some hair strands off my face. It sure was windy out here.

She looked around and then looked at me again, "Are you sure? Because you really look lost to me."

I sighed and looked up at her hesitantly, "I need to... I need to get to Business Square"

"Business Square?" she repeated, wrinkling her nose. "Where is that?"

"How could you not know where Business Square is?" I said.

"Uh, I just don't," she shrugged. "Is it in the city?"

I looked at her like as if she was an alien. "Hello? Are you even from Busan?"

"No, actually I'm originally from Yeonsu." she smirked.

I stuck my tongue out at her and folded my arms.

"Amazing. Did you just stick your tongue out at me? Are you twelve or something?" she laughed.

I ignored her comment and said, "Do you at least know how I can get back to the city?"

She took out her bucket hat and run her fingers through her brown hair. "Well, I think the city is on the other side of the land. It's quite a distance really. How did you get here anyway?"

"I was in a cab and the driver said she'd take a shortcut to Business Square and for some reason we ended up here," I muttered.

"I can take you to the city if you want. You might find a way back once you get there," she offered.

"How will you get us there?"

"I have a car. " she smiled, pointing proudly at a white Mercedes-Benz parked by the end of the street.

I got up and fixed my eyes on the car that was parked a few feet away from where I was seated. I was still trying to figure out what was happening. How on earth did I end up in an old town like this? And why was I so far from the city?

That definitely wasn't a shortcut!

"My offer expires in exactly five seconds," she said, glancing over at her watch. "Five... four..."

"Okay, okay fine," I said. "I'll go with you."

"Wow thanks for making it sound like you're doing me a favor," she snorted, still smiling at me.

I forced a smile and touched her arm, "I'm sorry. Will you please give me a ride?"

"Are you being a sarcastic or –"

"Oh my gosh..." I said.

"Geeez I was kidding," she laughed. "Come on."

I followed her as we made our way down to where the car is.

"Okay, now you have to bend" she instructed, pointing at the car.

"What??" I shrieked.

She held her stomach and burst into a fit of laughter.

"Holy shit you should have seen the look on your face!" I noticed each cheek of her swoll as she laughed. They actually looked really cute.

Ignoring the charm of the cheeks, I playfully slapped her arm. "That wasn't funny!"

"You know, you really need to take a chill pill," she said, holding my hand as she led me to the passenger seat.

When I looked up, she was looking at me with the most genuine dark beautiful eyes I've seen, like she's not even trying. I immediately felt a pang of guilt for acting like a brat.

"I'm sorry... again. This is just the first time that I've ever been late for work," I said, trying to change my whiney tone. "We're having a meeting with a client in exactly thirty minutes and I still have to prepare my boss' presentation."

She led me to the front seat and made me sit down beside her as she started the engine. "Wait a minute, you're making your boss' presentation for a meeting?"

"Yeah."

"Well that's a little unfair," she said.

"Ahhh, nowadays, what isn't?" I said.

She grinned and turned to me, "My job."

"What exactly is your job?" I asked.

She unbuttoned the first few buttons of her blue-checkered polo to expose her thin white shirt inside, and then finally decided to answer me. "Well im handling a small coffee shop over there."

"You own that?"

"Yeah, I have a couple of branches around Ulsan too." she shrugged. "It was a family business. My dad decided to retire quite early in her career so I decided to take over instead of going to college. It's going really well so far."

"And you know the best part about the job?" she eagerly added. "I get to do whatever I want with my time. I don't have to look over the shops every time. There are three girls who work for me, well, originally worked for my dad, who do roundings. I just check things out from time to time. But basically, I have all the free time in the world."

"You are one lucky" I said, feeling extremely jealous. "What do you do with your free time?"

She looked straight into me with a twinkle in her eyes. "I go on my own adventures."

"You might want to elaborate?" I chuckled.

"You know how people love shelling out loads of money on plane tickets to every damn country they could think of?" she said. "I find it stupid. Of course I would love to be able to go around the world, but did you ever think what you might still discover in your very own town without having to spend hundreds of pounds?"

Not really, because the farthest place I've been to was my boyfriend's coffee shop, I thought.

"There's still so much to see," she went on. "Have you ever woken up extra early just to watch the sunrise from a rooftop? That sight alone is priceless."

I didn't say anything as I tried to process my thoughts. This woman seemed so passionate with her life, and I was far from it. I never even considered any of the things she just said. All I really cared about was getting by or coming up with a menu for the weekend.

"Hey, why are you suddenly so quiet?" she asked softly rolling down the window of the car.

"You know i love the fresh air." she smiles. The wind was blowing all of her hair together with her bangs against her face. She pulled the bucket hat that was scruffily tucked in her back and put it back on after pushing her hair back.

"Nothing, just thinking about the things you said that's all," I answered, trying to stop myself from staring at her beautiful brown eyes and extremely captivating lips.

"I tend to make people weigh the pros and cons of their life decisions," she teased, raising her eyebrows cockily but still focused on the road.

I laughed, "Believe it or not, you actually have that effect. And it's not a bad thing."

She just smiled and stopped the engine as soon as we reached the a park with a lot of pedestrians.

"I guess we're here?" I said, sounding a bit uncertain. It didn't really look like a city to me.

"Yep," she nodded before going out of the car and open the door for me taking my hand again as she helped me get out of the car.

I felt a shock of electricity spark all over my body when she touched my hand. I pulled my hand back quickly and tried my best not to react to it.

"Thanks for the ride," I smiled.

"No problem," she beamed, tipping her hat down.

"Um..." I said, swallowing hard. "I better go now and find a bus. Thanks for the ride."

"Anytime," she nodded.

I turned my back on her and started to head off.

"Wait!" she called.

"Yes?"

"You never told me what your name was," she said.

I smiled at her, "You can call me Jennie. And you?"

"My name's Li-" she began.

Her sentence was interrupted by a loud buzz that sounded a lot like my phone's alarm.

All of a sudden everything became a blur, and then the next thing I knew, Jongin was bending over the bed and stroking my hair.

I blinked for about five times before realizing I was in my own bed, in my apartment.

"What am I doing here?" I asked.

Jongin frowned and gave me a weird look, "Um, I was waking you up? You phone alarmed hundreds of times. If I hadn't taken a break from painting I wouldn't have realized you kept snoozing. It's already eight baby."

"Eight o-clock??" I repeated, throwing the sheets off. "Oh my god, why didn't you wake me up?"

"That's exactly what I was –" he said.

"Nevermind. It's ok, thank you. I'll go take a quick shower now," I said, speeding out of the room, leaving him there with a clueless look on his face.

I shut the door behind me and leaned on it still trying to gather my thoughts.

I can't believe that was just a dream. It seemed so real and quite bizarre at the same time. I never had a decent and clear conversation with anyone in my dream, until last night.

I stepped in the shower and continued to replay the scenes of my dream in my mind. As sad as it sounds, that was the most interesting moment of my week so far, and it wasn't even real. And as I closed my eyes and felt the water on my face... all I could see were her precious dark-brown eyes and mesmerizing smile.