From Past To Present, I Still Love You 53 An Awkward Car Ride

As they drove along the road, the view of her university campus was quickly replaced by high-rise buildings against the blue sky. However, her mind couldn't help but ingrain Jaemin's face into her memories. It was too shocking. To frightening.

Chills ran up her spine.

She shook her head, trying to keep those thoughts away. No, they were over. She had to divert her attention on something else. Focusing on Jaemin wasn't going to do any favors. To her, the Moon siblings should be dead. The years they spent all together were meaningless.

Her eyes moved to the window, where she could see the bustling city. This was better.

Minhyun noticed the weird mood surrounding Yoona. He wondered what was wrong. When his driving started to stabilize, he quickly glanced over. "Are you okay?"

Seeing him worried for her made her smile. "Yup, I'm fine!"

There was no need to talk about that topic on such a lovely day. It would ruin the whole atmosphere. Instead, another thought entered Yoona's mind.

"Oh actually... You know what, there was a question I wanted to ask you," she began. Her eyes sparkled with curiosity. Flashbacks of Minhyun against his car door appeared in her mind. "Why did you wait outside of the car? I thought you didn't like attention. It was surprising to see."

Even people who didn't personally know him, such as the group outside, still knew he was a private person. Unless he had to join for business reasons, the man rarely went to social events. It was rare to see him in person. So why would a guy like this, blatantly expose himself to a university crowd.

He cleared his throat slightly. How should he word this? He had to be careful. "Well, I saw Jaemin Moon while in the driver's seat and I thought it would be interesting to see his reaction to our interaction. After all, he did also cause some harm to you as well. Sorry for not telling you beforehand, I know you don't like attention too but it was by impulse."

Yoona nodded. So that was what his intentions were. In all honesty, they aligned with hers so it didn't matter. In fact, it made her much happier.

Yoona laughed "It's totally fine. Um, I'm actually quite glad you did that. You know, two days after the anniversary incident I became the laughingstock of school, but after I walked through that crowd, I saw everyone change. Now, i'm not saying I want to be well loved or anything but i'm glad that i'm not seen as dirt anymore."

She sent him a thumbs up. "So either way, you helped me a lot. Thanks for that."

"You're welcome." With the swipe of his fingers, he turned on the left signal to change lanes.

"Mhm," Yoona hummed.

After their little moment came silence. A wave of awkwardness crashing over them.

Yoona fiddled with her fingers, wondering what type of other conversations topics they could talk about. If Eunha would here, she'd just randomly blurt out a statement and would keep everything rolling. However, she was not here in the car. It was only Yoona and Minhyun.

Plus, since it had been fifteen years since the two had talked, she didn't know what exact questions would be insensitive and how to carry on the conversation. After all, they rarely had anything in common. She could essentially bring up their pasts, but since they were in the car, it did not seem like the right moment to talk about this topic. Minhyun was busy driving, so a light-hearted conversation was better for him to concentrate.

Usually, Yoona was quite good with making conversation, but for some reason she couldn't. And there was a clear reason why. Minhyun was a really nice guy from what she could tell - but sometimes, not to be mean, it felt like she was talking to a robot.

All his responses were positive. All of them agreed with exactly with what she was saying. There was no push and pull. The conversation was similar to small talk. It was great talking to him about certain things but in the end, the conversations always died down. It happened once at the restaurant but luckily, Lucas picked it up with his questions.

It wasn't his fault. She could tell he was holding himself back from saying things. He was sugar-coating his words. Why? She had no idea. Maybe he was nervous because they were meeting for the first time.

But there was one thing Yoona knew for sure. She was also guilty of committing the same actions [she was being a hypocrite really], but she didn't know how to steer away from being polite. After all, the two of them weren't comfortable with each other. Time would only tell if this would continue.

"So-," Yoona finally said. She finally thought of a simple topic. "Where are we going?"

When Minhyun had his dinner break, he asked Secretary Kim if there was any good places to bring Yoona around the area. At first, since Secretary Kim was also a workaholic, he did not know much about nice locations. But after some research and thought, they decided that the beach was the best place to go according to Yoona's tastes. Although the drive would be quite long, they would make it in time for dinner.

Minhyun removed his right hand from the wheel and quickly brushed his hair between his fingers. "We're going to the beach. I thought it would be nice to enjoy the view and eat at a nice restaurant by the seashore."

Yoona widened her eyes. From his attire, she never expected to go to such a normal destination. She assumed he would bring her to a fancy restaurant or an expensive show. Those were the usual places she was used to going with her rich peers.

However, she couldn't help but feel glad that they were going to the beach. It was a normal, simple location anyone could go to. Plus, she loved the beach. The glistening water under the sunlight, always made her feel warm. As someone who grown up near the seaside for most of her life, it was the place she felt most safe in as well. Everything about the sea gave her nostalgia.

He really did pick the perfect place.

"I love the beach!" She exclaimed while clasping her hands together. "Wow, i'm really excited now. I haven't been there for quite some time. I miss seeing the clear blue waters and the pale sand."

"That's great," he said. "Apparently, there's a good restaurant near there selling fish and other seafood dishes so I wanted to visit there with you."

"Sweet. I'm excited," Yoona replied. "Do you visit the beach often?"

Minhyun shook his head. "I don't have the time too. I don't think I've been to the beach since years ago when I went to the Bahamas for a trip."

"Wow," she exclaimed. "The Bahamas. That sounds fun. I've never been abroad in my life."

Since Minhyun went to school in New York like his father had planned, he had actually stayed out of country more than Korea. Additionally, he also flew numerous countries for business meetings.

"It was nice," he admitted. "There is definitely something really amazing about the Caribbean. I should take you one day."

Yoona shook her hands before letting out a nervous chuckle. "Oh dear! You don't need to bring me to those fancy places. I'm fine with just Jeju-island here. That's the only island I think I could handle going to. But thank you so much for the offer."

"I want to bring you there," Minhyun stated. "It's can be my treat for not being there for you for fifteen years."

See. This is what she didn't understand. He didn't need to pay for anything. Not seeing her for the last fifteen years was no way his fault at all. Although they were childhood friends, she was only six while he was nine. Sure, they helped each other through hard times but since they were young, she thought the meaning would disappear to him as they got older. After all, he had more important duties such as his business.

Since he wasn't her boyfriend or anything, she couldn't comprehend why he would go through such lengths for her. Perhaps, thousands of dollars wasted on her was no big deal for Minhyun's wallet. But no person spent money for no reason. There had to be one.

Yoona couldn't take it anymore. She had to voice her thoughts.

When they were to reach land and arrive at the restaurant, she was going to come clean to him. Ask him all about his true motives and tell him her true thoughts about the whole situation.

Who knows what could happen? He could possibly get hurt and leave her. Lucas's whole restaurant plan could get ruined! However, she did not want this weird relationship to continue. She didn't want to fake her personality.

Dragging the situation till the end would only amplify the negativity. Asking him today was the least messiest way to handle things.

She took a deep breathe, hoping he wouldn't get hurt.

Chapter end