KFPCA 11

Chapter 11

“Fine, you’ve convinced me.”

There was no need to change clothes—she grabbed her car keys and they headed out together.

**Author’s Note:**
*As we grow up, we often only share the good news with our parents and hide the bad. Many emotions are hard to show in front of them—we’re afraid they’ll worry, and afraid they won’t understand.*
*But in front of friends, there don’t seem to be as many reservations.*
*They won’t get together that quickly. At this point, their relationship is indeed still just friends.*
*As for what’s in their hearts—who knows?*
*Although I also enjoy the sweetness of being together, the flirting and ambiguity are what’s most fun, aren’t they?*

**Chapter 7**

Dinner was set at IL Gabbiano, a seaside restaurant about a ten-minute drive away.

Upon entering the restaurant, they immediately saw the sunset that everyone praised on Instagram.

It was just at sunset, with the golden sun casting its glow over the shimmering sea—just sitting there felt like it could put you in a state of complete relaxation.

Kwon Ji-yong perfectly played the role of the guest, acting like a hands-off boss as he followed behind Kim Seung-hyun, watching her communicate with the staff and place the order.

Kim Seung-hyun didn’t see any problem with this either—this was how they had always operated.

One person takes full charge, the other follows without complaint or hesitation—it was perfect.

Clearly, New Haven was her territory, and she should play the part of a good host.

Kwon Ji-yong took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and felt the sunset glow and sea breeze wash over him together. He let out a long breath and felt his whole body relax, his voice even becoming languid.

“It’s really comfortable…” Kwon Ji-yong’s gaze at Kim Seung-hyun was somewhat unfocused. “I can’t remember the last time I just sat down like this and rested quietly.”

Since debuting—no, to be precise, since the day he decided to become a trainee—his life had been on fast-forward.

Every day was a rush between school, the company, and the dorm. After debuting, life became nothing but recording shows, recording music, filming MVs, and whatever little rest time remained, he would squeeze out to write songs.

Although rest time was scarce, it did exist. But that was just resting his body—his mind remained constantly tense.

This wasn’t a complaint about that life. It’s just that suddenly being in such a relaxing environment made him realize how wonderful it felt.

Kim Seung-hyun imitated Kwon Ji-yong, leaning back in her chair, inhaling the scent of the sea and exhaling the stale air. “That’s because you’ve never stopped along the way—you’ve just kept moving forward.”

Even though he knew Kim Seung-hyun was right, he still wanted to banter with her.

“Kim Sparkle, in Chinese we’d say this is ‘six of one, half a dozen of the other,’ wouldn’t we?”

“Wow, so impressive.” Kim Seung-hyun gave a perfunctory round of applause. “You even know Chinese idioms now!”

“Ya, don’t be sarcastic.” Kwon Ji-yong continued, “You say I’ve been running nonstop, but aren’t you the same? You’ve been in the US for five years and you hardly ever go out to eat.”

Then what did she do with all the time she saved from not eating out? Kwon Ji-yong didn’t even need to guess—she must have used it for studying.

At their core, Kwon Ji-yong and Kim Seung-hyun were the same kind of person.

Kwon Ji-yong had a clear dream; Kim Seung-hyun had a clear goal. From middle school, or even earlier, they had both been working toward the achievements they wanted to reach.

“I think, if in the future someone really develops nutritional supplements or capsules or pills that can replace food, you’ll definitely buy them.” Kwon Ji-yong said to Kim Seung-hyun very seriously.

Kim Seung-hyun lifted her chin. “You would too, GD-ssi.”

“Aniyo.” Kwon Ji-yong denied without hesitation. “I still need to enjoy life.”

After saying that, under Kim Seung-hyun’s skeptical gaze, he sheepishly added, “After I’m done with work.”

“What a coincidence. Me too.”

“Pfft…” Kwon Ji-yong laughed and shook his head, but couldn’t help swatting Kim Seung-hyun’s outstretched right hand.

See? They really were alike.

Kwon Ji-yong’s teenage years were spent racing between school and the company, sweating it out in that damp basement, working toward a dream with no visible future.

Kim Seung-hyun’s teenage years were spent in the back seat of a car.

From a very young age, after Kim Seung-hyun showed an interest in the humanities, Mr. and Mrs. Kim had already mapped out her future education and career path.

At the start of middle school, the three of them held a formal family meeting. After confirming that all three parties agreed with the strategic plan, they proceeded to implement it step by step.

This included, but was not limited to: what standards her middle school grades should meet, which high school to attend, which tutoring classes to take, which volunteer activities to choose, which overseas summer school programs to apply for, which high school electives to take, when to start preparing for the TOEFL and SAT, and so on.

Therefore, from middle school onward, Kim Seung-hyun’s after-school routine, unless something unexpected happened, was: getting into the back seat of her father’s or mother’s car, eating the dinner her parents had prepared at home earlier, and heading to her tutoring center.

The drive from school to the tutoring center took thirty minutes—just enough time for Kim Seung-hyun to eat.

Classes started at 6 PM and ended at 10:30 PM.

The drive home from the tutoring center was another thirty minutes.

Those thirty minutes were the family’s rare leisure time. Kim Seung-hyun wouldn’t think about schoolwork, her father wouldn’t think about his research, and her mother wouldn’t think about her teaching plans. They chatted about everyday trivialities just as they had when she was little.

Once home, they’d do a quick review, plan the next day’s study schedule, then wash up and rest.

This wasn’t just a test for Kim Seung-hyun—it was also a challenge for her parents.

Every day, one of the Kim parents would make sure to prepare dinner for Kim Seung-hyun, pick her up from school, and drop her off at the tutoring center. No matter how busy they were, at 10:30 PM both parents would be waiting together downstairs at the tutoring center to pick her up and bring her home.

They did this for six years without fail.

Kwon Ji-yong and Kim Seung-hyun had both witnessed each other’s hard work, and perhaps that was why they had become friends.

Because they were alike enough, because they had seen each other struggle, they understood and could empathize with each other’s choices.

So

Kwon Ji-yong would never urge Kim Seung-hyun to eat out more with friends, try more delicious food, or have more fun—because he knew that wasn’t the focus of her life.

Kim Seung-hyun would never urge Kwon Ji-yong to slow down, put down his burdens, sleep more, and rest properly—because she knew that he couldn’t sleep and couldn’t let go.

This incident had become a rare opportunity for the two of them, who had always been on the move, to slow down and slowly take in the scenery around them.

Kwon Ji-yong rested his elbow on the armrest, propped his chin on his fist, and gazed without blinking at the perfect sunset before him.

“Do you want to come sit over here?” Kwon Ji-yong looked at Kim Seung-hyun, who was resting her chin in her hand, staring blankly into the distance, looking somewhat dazed.

“Hm?” Kim Seung-hyun was a bit confused and didn’t react at first.

“The view from here seems more beautiful.” Kwon Ji-yong pointed at the scene in front of him.

From Kwon Ji-yong’s perspective, the platform extending toward the sea and the bridge crossing the water looked like an artificial horizon. The sunset began at the horizon, gradually blending from deep to light as it rose upward.

The closer to the horizon, the deeper the orange; the closer to the sky, the lighter the orange, gradually replaced by a purplish-blue sky.

Kim Seung-hyun didn’t know how beautiful Kwon Ji-yong’s view was, but she took his advice and moved over without hesitation.

Looking in the direction Kwon Ji-yong had been looking, she said, “It really is prettier than from my side.”

Kim Seung-hyun copied Kwon Ji-yong’s posture, propping her chin on her hand as she continued to gaze at the distant scene. “We still need to work hard. If we could see this kind of beauty every day, it wouldn’t be so breathtaking anymore, would it?”

“…” Kwon Ji-yong opened his mouth, at a loss for words. “Kim Seung-hyun, if I remember correctly, you’re a humanities student. How can you say something so mood-killing?”

“But it’s the truth.” Kim Seung-hyun looked completely innocent.

“It’s the truth, sure, but isn’t that too rational? Are you that rational when you read books too?”

“Reading is different.” Kim Seung-hyun analyzed seriously. “From the beginning of civilization until now, over tens of thousands of years, humans have accumulated hundreds of millions of books. I probably won’t finish reading them all in my lifetime, so I probably won’t get used to them—I’ll probably keep being amazed.”

“But scenery is the same.” Kwon Ji-yong countered. “Nature is the most uncontrollable thing. Even at the same location, the view is different every day—the temperature, the color of the sunset, the sound of the wind, the sound of the waves, even the sound of people talking. If just one thing changes, the whole scene changes too.”

Kim Seung-hyun tilted her head, seeming to consider this seriously, then nodded quietly. “What you said makes sense too.”

Kwon Ji-yong, who had been using both hands earnestly to express his point, suddenly laughed at seeing Kim Seung-hyun’s serious, thoughtful look of agreement. He reached over and rubbed her hat-covered head vigorously, exclaiming, “Aigoo aigoo, wuli Kim Sparkle really takes Oppa’s words to heart—so cute~”

Kim Seung-hyun glanced at Kwon Ji-yong, straightened the hat he had knocked askew, and nodded proudly. “Ne, I take everything seriously, and I’m extremely patient.”

“Patient?” Kwon Ji-yong thought of the chat screenshot his sister had sent him. “Tell me more about that. What kind of patience?”

“Hmm…” Kim Seung-hyun wiggled her finger side to side, looking at Kwon Ji-yong with disapproval. “People should have a spirit of discovery. If you want to know something, you should discover it yourself. How can you always expect others to give you the answers?”

“Ya! You little brat, you’re being all mysterious now.” Kwon Ji-yong was displeased. “We’ve known each other this long—how could I not know what kind of person you are?”

Kim Seung-hyun pouted, shaking her head adorably. She turned to thank the server who brought their food and, as if she hadn’t seen the expression on Kwon Ji-yong’s face, urged him, “Try it—I ordered all dishes with high ratings.”

“…Aish~” Kwon Ji-yong shook his head, resignedly picking up his fork. “Let’s eat!”

Since online reviews said the portions at this place were large, Kim Seung-hyun hadn’t ordered much—just four dishes for the two of them.