12. "are we good enough?"
"Hyo joo"
"...."
"Hyo joo ssi"
"..."
"LEE HYO JOO SSI"
"Yes sir" Hyo joo wakes from her short sleep in the class
----
Hyo joo wash her face, she look at her face at the mirror. her eyes look tired, her face a little pale. she wiped her face with small towel she always brought. she squeezes her hands to the stone desk at the sink.
----
few days ago Hyo joo get an assignment to make some report while their doing business trip to some company. which is m ean she needs more money for the transport and others misc. she get scholarship and live in the dorm. but all the food and transportation she must paid by herself.
Hyo joo works at supermarket after her class, restaurants in night and caffe at weekend. she is exhausting, but she needs to works and earn money. her professor give her some idea to get an extra money by helping her professors project. so she awake till dawn to do all the things. had a really short time for sleep or rest.
---
she walking out from the restroom, she can look her one and only person that can cheer her. it is her boyfriend. me. Shin Hyun Jae.
I run to her
"hyo joo, you look so tired. are you wake all the night again?"
I pat her shoulder
"hm"
"Let's eat, I'll treat"
I grab her arm and take her to our canteen.
"Hyo joo, do you have a plan this weekend?"
"Yes, I will go to our business field trip. I just want to say it today "
"Ah, it's okay"
"Why?"
"just, we have dating for a week now, but we don't had a chance to going somewhere nice"
Hyo joo smile to me
"thank you Hyun Jae, I'm the one who always can't go to our date. I always busy. I'm sorry"
I reach her hand
"nothing to be sorry. I'm happy even we just going to lunch like this. so don't take a pressure. dating suppose to be happily right"
she smile to me again, with a relief expression.
"You want to walk for a while after eat?" hyo joo ask me
"Oh sure, you don't have a class?"
"Yes I have ,one about 1 hour later. so we have some time"
"okay"
after lunch we walking to campus park, we holding hands and keep hide our blushing shy cheeks. we had dating for a week but, we are officially show it to everyone today. we still new and so shy. in fact this is our first.
we sit under the tree, the air so refreshing.
"Hyo Joo" I look at her
"if you feel tired you always can come to me. everytime. I know you wouldn't accept any help from me , cause you always handle everything perfectly. but if you need me, I'm here okay"
Hyo joo smile
"then can you do something for me?"
"tell me"
" Please hug me for a while"
"here? now?"
"Yes"
I hug her softly. her hair smell so good, I touch her hair, it's soft, the color is black, her hair is wavy. then I put my hand behind her back, I can feel she lost some weight from last time I hug her. I hug her more thight. like I don't want to let her.
"Hyo Joo, I love you" I whisper to her ears
"me too" hyo joo whisper too
"Ah, I feel so happy and my energy is filled"
---
"Hyo joo do you had a restaurant shift tonight?"
"Yes, and also I finished my professor project. so I can sleep well tonight"
"hm, okay. I'll come by to the restaurant. I'll eat dinner there and escort you back to dorm"
"okay"
"bye, I have class too" I wave to her
we separate and go to our class.
----
after class Hyo joo back to her dorm and change her clothes
"are you going to work?"
Nana, her roommate and best friend ask
"yes"
Nana stand
"Hyo joo. is it tiring? why you don't ask help from your mother? i feel so hurt looking you and your brother treat so different"
Hyo joo look down
Hyo joo and his brother Alex have different mother. Hyo Joo dad married Hyo Joo's mom, but after several years Hyo Joo mother wasn't able to give a child. her dad family was so embarrassed and ask her dad to married again. just a year after his second marriage, Alex born. Hyo Joo's mom then try everything to had a child. even she know having a child would be dangerous for her healthy. Hyo Joo's dad really loves her moms and never leave her side. and finally after many treatments Hyo Joo's mom pregnant. she carried Hyo Joo, the child she always dreamed. but as expected her health becomes worse and just a day after giving birth to Hyo Joo, Hyo Joo's mom passed away due to cardiac complications.
Make her step mother the only his dad wife. and Alex become the legal heir of his dad. Hyo Joo raised by her mom younger sister. her dad send money for her every months. her dad can't face Hyo Joo, he can't accept Hyo Joo's mom dead and blame it to Hyo Joo, so he can be at ease.
in the other hand, Alex life is way better than Hyo Joo. wearing branded fashion item, had much money. But Alex is the only one who cares about Hyo Joo. Alex look bad at the outside but he definitely a good brother to Hyo Joo.
when Hyo Joo start her high school, she moved to her dad house. she lived there with Alex, his step brother and his step mother, Lana.
Alex now his mother rule the money, and give Hyo joo just half from what she must had. Alex hate it and confront his mother. but he can't do anything. so he give Hyo Joo half of his allowance, but Hyo joo refuses. Alex said if she doesn't want help for money she can't refused others help from him. so since high school Alex always protect Hyo Joo and always around her since.
"Nana, you know all the story right"
"Yes I know, but seeing you like this makes me angry "
"Nana, I'm okay" Hyo joo smile and hug Nana
"thanks Nana"
Hyo joo left the room and go to restaurant where she work. she work from 6 to 10 at night. she had a permission from her dorm to come late.
---
Hyo joo, I wave from my table
"oh"
Hyo joo walking to me and smile so wide
"Are you ready to order?"
"hm"
"Okay, wait for your order okay. my shift will end at 30 minutes "
"don't worry I'll eat while waiting you"
I see Hyo Joo working so hard, she walking around restaurant, serve foods, clean table, greet customers and wash the dish. it must be so tiring. but she always smile like nothing happens.
---
I hold Hyo Joo hand and put in my jacket pocket.
"Hyo Joo"
"hm" Hyo joo look at me
I stop
"I love you, really. I really love you"
she smile to me but I know her eyes show some sadness
I pull her close to me and hug her. I pat her hair.
"Hyo joo if tired then say you tired, if you sad then tell me you are. if you need me then I'm here"
"Hyun Jae... I'm tired"
as soon after she said that I can hear her crying voices.
"Hyo Joo, take rest in my place tonight"
I don't know why I said that, but I don't want Hyo Joo go and crying without me.
Hyo Joo nodded
"let me piggyback you"
hyo joo look surprises
"but"
"I don't accept no"
I piggyback her to my appartment, since it's late we didn't meet anyone.
we enter my appartment.
"sit down, I'll clean my bed"
"bed?"
"Yes, why? you'll sleep in my bed tonight "
Hyo joo eyes getting big
I'm laughing so hard looking at her expression
"I'll sleep in the couch, you'll sleep in my room"
I hope to my room, open my wardrobe and find some pajama for Hyo Joo.
"here ,change your clothes while I clean my room"
Hyo Joo go to my bathroom. I'll make sure everything is clean and neat for Hyo Joo, I just want her to get rest.
Hyo Joo's phone ringing, it's Nana
"Hello Nana"
"Hyun Jae? where's Hyo joo"
"hm, Hyo Joo, she is in my bathroom "
"WHAT!!!" I can hear Nana yelling at her dorm
"she changing her clothes "
"WHAAAAAT!!!"
"aw, why you keep yelling?"
Hyo Joo comes out from the bathroom
"who is that?"
"Nana"
I give Hyo Joo's phone and touch my ear, is not bleeding isn't. Nana voice like a lightning sound.
"Yes, yes. I sleep at Hyun Jae place. hm.. yes... no... no... not like that"
Hyo Joo look at me as she explain to Nana.
"what she say?" I sit in the couch
"hm, she just asking many things. so I said I'll explain it tommorow "
"come here" I pat the couch give her a code to sit beside me. she walk and sit beside me.
"Hyo Joo" I look to her eyes and touch her hairs
"hm"
"are we good enough?"
"Why?"
"I just want our relationship as good as possible, as long as possible. but I don't want to push you. this my first time had a girlfriend. I don't have many experience in dating. I just afraid if I make you uncomfortable "
"no, you are not" Hyo Joo touch both my face.
"I'm the one who supposed to comfort you today but I ended comfort by you"
Hyo joo close her face with her hands, she is so shy. I open her hands, she still close her eyes.
I pull her and kiss her forehead.
she open her eyes slowly while I kiss her.
we look into each other eyes and smile and I hug her. I'm so relieved that I meet Hyo Joo.
are we good enough? I don't know, but are we working to be good enough , yes definitely.
---
the curtain move slowly blows by the wind, the lights from sun begin entering my room. I can feel some warmth, it feel comfortable. then I feel a hand link around my waist, I smell a familiar scent. I open my eyes slowly, first thing I see is , Hyo Joo face. it's shining by the sun, her eyelashes long and pretty. I stroke her hair and her face. I'm so in love with her. maybe people thing she is not too beautiful, but for me Hyo Joo had something that always attracts me.
"are we good enough "
I think we are, I hug Hyo Joo and kiss her forehead. I'm so happy. I just wish I can wake beside her everyday.