"Oh, God!" Hana screeches so loudly, it gathers the attention of the sparse number of onlookers who are left on their home balconies. Conscious of what she did, she lowers her voice. "Seriously! He has a girlfriend and you still love him? Bong-soon, you should wipe away all the feelings you hold for him! Just forget him already!"

"You think it's easy to forget someone you love?" Bong-soon shakes her head and tears her gaze away from the flower shop.

Pretty flowers on the display appear as just colourful dots from the distance. The shopkeeper is shuffling them back into the store, flipping the closed sign towards the street. Guk-doo is no longer in the vicinity.

Bong-soon looks at Hana. "Don't worry. It's been a year already since he's been with... Heeji and... I'm fine." Though her chest hurts a little she puts on a smile like she always did, praying Hana won't notice. "I'm just fine having these feelings for him."

Hana sighs heavily, wrapping an arm around the girl, pulling her into a side hug. "Oh Bong-soon, I wish you didn't have to bear this burden."

Bong-soon barks a laugh. She's not sure if she's in pain or is bearing a burden. The feeling has gotten so much older. She doesn't know what she feels anymore. If there's one thing that remains certain all through the mess, that's her love for Gukdoo. She still loves him. He's her then, now, forever.

She drops her head, ashamed of hanging onto the feelings. He has a girlfriend and she shamelessly is holding the candle of flame all for him inside her heart.

Hana ruffles her hair, perhaps realizing what's going on in her head. "Let's go to the art studio of yours! I've only seen it on the phone and never got to visit. Guk-doo said the roads aren't safe, let's hang out a bit longer in your studio."

***

"It's small but it's mine. I call it Studio Do!"

Bong-soon pushes open a framed wooden door leading to a single room attached to the side of a cottage. The cottage and the room both face the street, receiving plenty of sunlight in the day.

No high-rise buildings are around. Small wooden picket fence framing the entrance, ivy adorning the outer walls, it's a small but cosy place, perfect for making art. And it has a great, unobstructed view of the street from the inside.

The interiors are prominent. The space could be less than 200 sq feet but neatly organised. A desk lined near the south window, a single foldable bed propped against the far northeast corner, indoor plants tastefully arranged near one wall while the other holds a mirage of paintings hung on them.

Two chairs and a coffee table are in the middle while several works in progress stay scattered, canvases of various sizes sitting atop easels of the same variety.

"Wow... you're so talented." Hana can't help but praise her best friend's work. One in particular a lone woman running in a flower field captivating her eyes more than any other. Titled Freedom Run. The everyday cityscape and every other piece — Bong-soon did a splendid job of capturing the essence of what she was painting.

"I knew it..." Hana sighs appreciatively, touching a WIP, relieved that her fingers didn't end up with wet paint on them. "I knew you were talented but this is at another level. Your art improved a lot. I'm so proud of you. You've been working so hard, clearly. Have you considered starting a YouTube channel or something like that? You have to showcase your talent. Recognition doesn't come to you dear, you have to chase it, Bong-soon! Put yourself out there."

Bong-soon plops down on a wooden chair with a sigh. "I know... it's not like I'm waiting. I'm figuring out my options and maybe my time hasn't come yet. I tried a few graphic designer jobs but nothing was working. No art dealer's accepted my hand-painted works either. I'm not disappointed, no. I'm just waiting for things to get right."

"I hope they do very soon."

"Yeah. But this isn't bad. I get to help my Pa and make art with the money I earn there. Buy my art supplies, pay the rent here. Yes, I do crave something bigger. Live the life of my dreams... Be loved by..." She stops herself with a rueful laugh. "I'm drifting away too much. Well whether I get to live the life of my dreams and my dream man or not, I need a job. Papa is paying me but if Mama gets to know this... I'll be done."

"Right. Mrs Do is strict, isn't she? And dotes a lot on your brother because he's a doctor."

Bong-soon admits to the bitter facts Hana stated with a half smile. "Yeah... it's okay, honestly. I'm not going to give up."

"I'll support you, Bong-soon-ah! I'm here for you. We'll see, together... All of your dreams will come true."

They share a hug after which Hana leaves, leaving a few more safety instructions in her wake.

"Use your bike more. Be safe on your way home. Hana sounded like Guk-doo." Alone in her studio, Bong-soon lets out a laugh, twirling around just to perk herself up.

Just then her phone, stuffed into the pockets of her sweater beeps. A message from Gukdoo asking if she went home safe. Bongsoon types a quick reply, an exasperated smile playing on her face. Yes. She sends him the white lie along with a smiling emoji.

Then collapsing on the chair again, she lets out a shaky breath.

"Geez, don't text your friend when you're with your girlfriend, you idiot." She murmurs with endearment and picks up her brush. She still has one hour to go home in time for the family dinner starting at 9.30.

What to draw? Before she knows it, she draws a portrait of herself and Hana on the sidewalk, ice cream cones in their hands. And then a watercolour portrait of Gukdoo holding a bouquet of flowers. The second part is partly from her imagination. She couldn't have a clear view of Guk-doo from her vantage point. A few minutes later, she's talking out loud, appreciating her work.

"Ah, you look good with flowers, Guk-doo-ah. I could never associate with them since you've turned into a gruff cop. But then you got a girlfriend... All these portraits I drew aren't creepy, okay? Well, you're still my friend and I'm allowed to draw your face. I'll gift you a portrait I drew of you on your birthday. Just dont think I'm weird, okay?"

With a laugh, she dips her brush into ink blue just to add highlights to his gorgeous hair.

****

The afternoon sun again casts soft mellow golden light on the streets the following day. Bong-soon looks at the man blocking the entrance to her art studio.

Returning from Walnut Pie, she's been inside the cosy space of Studio Do for a good ten minutes when there came a rap, incessant on the door. When she opened it, there was this man — the crook of a guy, the owner of both the adjacent cottage and this rental space.

"Mr Han? What do you—"

Mr Han drags Bong-soon by the arm before she finishes the sentence. Though displeased by the way she's treated, Bong-soon is glad he didn't push her in and made his way inside.

Mr Han demands a rental hike, having let go of her arm, not caring his shouts are garnering the attention of a few passers-by. Of course, they are standing pretty much on the sidewalk if not for the little fenced area.

Bongsoon stares at him, slack-jawed for a moment. Her fist tightens, eyes narrow as she realizes where this malice comes from. It's because she declined to have tea with this icky man every single time. Turned down his passes at her in the guise of a friendly old man. It's because she wasn't sweet talking to him, let him have his way. Sickening.

The headache started two weeks ago. With the change of ownership of the cottage and the room. A week ago, she reprimanded the new owner Mr Han, asking him to leave her alone. And that's when he started finding these new innovative ways to harass her. The previous owner had been a kind old man and here's an old scum.

Bong-soon wants to slam her fist into Mr Han's jaw. But she reigns herself in. She could avoid him again today, then vacate this place. Peaceful, nonviolent ways of putting the matter to rest. Of course, she wouldn't find affordable rental spaces but that's secondary.

"Mr Han... I already paid the rent two weeks ago, which was double the previous amount. You can't ask for a hike in a week. I don't pay weekly rent. I will vacate this place soon. Maybe you can find a client that pays high rent."

Mr Han is outraged hearing the words "vacate" and "new client."

Mr Han takes a step closer, hand reaching for her bangs. Bong-soon readies herself in defence, all the taekwondo moves she could use on the man, the moves she still practices every morning. But it's unnecessary.

A tall figure steps in between them. "Guk-doo!"

It happens in a moment, he puts her behind him and slams his palms against Mr Han's chest who stumbles backwards.

"How dare you lay your hands on her?!"

Mr Han trembles at the rumble in Guk-doo's voice. Even more so at the police badge pinned to the new man's civilian jacket. "She refuses to hike the rent! I did nothing!"

"Guk-doo. He's the new owner. He already took double the rent two weeks ago, the old scumbag!"

"Bong-soon." Guk-doo controls the rage boiling in his dark eyes as he looks at her. "Did you rent this place? Since when? Why didn't you tell me? You're not hurt, are you?"

Her negative response only propels his fury. He whirls on Mr Han.

"How dare you touch her? You think you could hide your ugly persona behind your age!? Well, look at you. you're not that old. 50 plus, maybe?" Guk-doo scratches his chin, the light in his eyes savage. "You want to bother a young woman for fun? Try that on me... Try it. Come on. Come on, now. Don't back off. What?"

With each syllable, Guk-doo jabs his finger into the man's chest, at a precise pressure point that by the end of his speech, the man is lying on the floor clutching his chest, wheezing in pain.

"Guk-doo!"

Bong-soon's voice stops him just as he aims a low kick at the crumpled figure on the ground. He puts his foot down. "I despise scum like you. Touch her again and I will kill you! Heck, touch any girl and you're dead! Arresting you is a waste. I will deal with you my way!"

Even with Bong-soon holding onto his arm, Guk-doo can't resist kicking her offender's butt.

"Guk-doo, stop it! He's still older than us!"

Her desperate plea finally works. His attention switches to her.

"What were you thinking?" His voice rings in her ears, loud, demanding. "Since when were you dealing with the scumbag? Why didn't you call for help? Why didn't you tell me you rented this place!"

Before Bong-soon can reply it's been three weeks since the ownership change, Mr Han recovers and runs off. Guk-doo whirls again and yells after him. "Bring an agreement tomorrow! I will sign on Bong-soon's behalf. Be on your best behaviour around the girl. Know that she has a friend in the PD who looks after her!"

He rakes a hand through his hair to calm himself and then looks at Bong-soon. "Are you okay?" he asks, tenderly.

Only a moment passes between them before he's raising his voice again. Bong-soon can tell why he's mad on her behalf. His concern is why he's like this. It's been the same in their school days but he wasn't this loud.

"Seriously. How stupid are you? Why're you putting up with him and why don't you ask me for help? And what are you doing here... what's this place?"

"Gukdoo!" Bong-soon whispers his name reaching for his hand again. But he's already racing for the door to the studio Do, dragging her after him.

"Is this your..." His eyes soften taking in her paintings. "Your art? Wow... I never knew you were continuing..."

"Because we don't hang out so often." Bong-soon sighs, releasing his arm. "This is where I can paint in peace."

She hangs her head somehow unable to meet Guk-doo's eyes. "You know how mom is. She always compares me to Bong-gi and..."

"Mn..." Guk-doo hums unsympathetically but Bongsoon knows he's moved inside. He always hasn't been good at showing or expressing how he feels. He was her friend so it wasn't needed.

"Honestly. I was about to manage the old scum myself. Just decided I'd vacate this place..."

Guk-doo's hand lands on her head. Bong-soon looks up. Whoa! Is that a soft smile? "I'm glad I stepped in when I did. I'm glad you're okay."

Heart racing, Bong-soon nods vigorously. Trying not to blush, she speaks in a hoarse voice. "Would you... would you stay for tea?"

Those simple words from earlier play in her head as she looks up into his eyes. And when he grabs her shoulders to peer into her face, that deep voice softening to an ardent whisper, she's done for.

"Bong-soon. Tell me when you're in need of me. Rely on your friend, won't you?"

That soft smile is gone. Guk-doo's eyes are solemn as he straightens up, sweeping off his hands from her shoulders, moving into the pockets of his jeans. "Well, that scum won't dare to look at you, I'm sure. But don't forget what I said."

Bong-soon is surprised. Stiff fingers tap her cheek. Then Guk-doo takes a step back.

Bong-soon sighs, left alone again. "He didn't stay for tea as usual. Our interactions may be small but they're meaningful. Yeah, nothing's changed past few years. But I wish I were in school again. Maybe I'd have dared to confess."

She sighs heavily again.

"Oh Guk-doo!" she closes her eyes, fists tightening into the stiff fabric of her skirt. "This is why..... This is why I keep falling for you every single time. How am I supposed to get over you like this? You even have a girlfriend. But I love you so much with each passing day, it's starting to hurt. I'm losing my mind."

Her eyes remain closed but her senses alert her to someone's presence again. Someone is back!

"Guk-doo?"

She panics, wondering if he listened to her loud monologue. But his passive facial expressions tell her he didn't. She's both relieved and disappointed, and embarrassed.

"That must have been stressful. Can you make art after that?" Guk-doo stares at her intensely as he usually does. "Would you like to have coffee with me and go home? And oh, I'll be patrolling the neighbourhood. Tell me when you're going home. I will drop you off each day. It's unsafe, particularly in the evenings."

Bong-soon can only blink and nod, and follow him out after locking the door to her studio.

"I'll find you a better rental space than this." She hears Gukdoo whispering. "Bring your cycle around, we'll walk."

"But your patrol car?"

"My partner will take care of it. Or I can bring it around next time."

***

AN: There! The past week was so stressful. It's why I managed another chap. Please vote and comment guys. I hope I can update soon.

<3

I will finish this story so our baby KJS gets his girl :) :D in a story. Coz like I feel he's never had a proper main role for him and then he had to enroll, and the scandal... I can't wait for his return <3 I hope he's been well. I trust he is :) Take care, everyone.  To who'all reading, I wish you the best.