Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Jae-yi looked down at the photo on his phone and compared it to the brick building in front of him. The real thing was less polished than the one in the photo, but the signages remained the same. This must be it, he thought, before he shoved his phone back into his pocket and made his way to the front desk.

He’d already made an appointment with the nurse yesterday. He had been treating a patient when it suddenly dawned on him that he could search for her father’s clinic on the internet. 

It took less than five minutes to find a Dr. Go Joo-hwan in her hometown, and he cursed himself for having taken so long to think of this. So, the moment he’d heard that she only worked in the mornings on Saturdays, he’d asked his nurses to reschedule all his afternoon appointments, and immediately booked an appointment with Dr. Go Ah-young right before lunchtime. 

She’d scoffed when he showed up at her father’s clinic, asking her to grab some food with him because he’d had no one else to eat with. It was a pathetic excuse, but he’d realised belatedly that it was true - Ah-young was the only person he ever hung out with, and during the time she had been away, he hadn’t been able to bring himself to look for anyone else; it just felt wrong.

“I’ve heard that this place serves really good ssambap,” he said as he added an extra portion of meat into the wrap before he gathered it all up and offered it to her. “Eat up.”

Her brows furrowed as she looked at the wrap apprehensively before saying, “It’s too big. The portion. I can’t…”

“Oh, oh right,” he smiled sheepishly as he placed the wrap on his own plate and gathered another for her. 

“I can do it myself, thank you,” she reached out to grab the lettuce. 

Jae-yi handed the spoon to her reluctantly and she began preparing her own wrap. He passed the bowl of toppings and studied how she placed just the right amount of toppings over the rice before gathering it up and delicately placing it into her mouth. 

Within seconds, the tension left her body, her eyelids closed and her face melted into a look of utter bliss. 

“It’s good, isn’t it?” he couldn’t help the grin that spread across his face. She looked like she was enjoying herself tremendously, and his heart leapt at the thought that he was the one behind this. 

“It’s amazing! How did you find this place?”

“I just saw an ad on my phone and knew I had to come here.”

He lied. He could not tell her about how he’d asked his nurses to recommend any good restaurants they might know from the area (earning him a few giggles and knowing glances from them), or that he’d scoured through at least six different food review sites before he finally shortlisted this place. 

If she knew the lengths he’d gone to to get to her, she’d run even further away, and then, he’d really never see her again.

“So, how’s Joon-hyung? I heard that his mother has come back for him.”

“Ah, yes, but she just returned to Canada. Poor Joon-hyung, to have met his mother under these circumstances. It’s a good thing he had Bok-ju to rely on.”

“Ah, I’m glad,” Ah-young breathed a sigh of relief and a grin spread across her face. “I knew the two of them were great for each other.”

Jae-yi carefully spread the topping onto the rice - the same amount that Ah-young had placed on hers - and dropped the wrapped ssambap into her bowl. “Here you go. You should eat more. You look like you’ve slimmed down since you’ve moved here. Slimming down too fast can be very unhealthy.”

She sighed, “Stop lecturing me like I’m one of your patients, Jae-yi.”

Jae-yi was afraid he’d said something wrong again, but the teasing smirk on her face told him that she was just joking. He laughed, relieved that it felt like they were back to how they used to be. If only they could stay like this forever, he thought. 

He could stay like this forever.

Ah-young had just picked up the wrap he had offered when her phone rang, and she dropped it back into her bowl.

“Yes, Dr. Go Ah-young speaking…” she paused before the mention of the caller’s name lit up her face. “Ah yes, Mr. Choi! Of course I’m available right now!”

She spoke animatedly, her voice going on a higher register that Jae-yi and their mutual friends had affectionately referred to as her ‘Doctor’s voice’. But this time, the slightly more casual way she spoke betrayed a sense of… excitement? 

Jae-yi looked up, his palm still cupping the leaves of the next ssambap he was about to wrap for her. The warmth and sweetness in Ah-young’s voice surprised him; he had never heard her speak to anyone like this, not even their sunbaes. Jae-yi searched his memory of his last phone call with her and realised that her voice had been gruff and teasing, like they were old friends. He felt himself deflate a little at the thought.

The call went on longer than expected, and the small mountain of ssambap that Jae-yi had wrapped for her had already unfurled their leaves, exposing the fillings inside.

“Ah, yes yes… Hmm… I understand. I’ll check that for you when I get back to the clinic… No, it’s no trouble at all! I’ll call you later. Have a good rest!” With that, she finally put away her phone.

“I didn’t know you gave your patients your number,” Jae-yi remarked, picking at his rice. He suddenly didn’t feel so hungry anymore. 

“I don’t, but Seo-won has multiple drug allergies and asked for my number just in case something happened.”

That’s a lousy excuse , Jae-yi thought before he stopped himself. When did I become so mean? “You two sound close… going on a first-name basis and all.”

“He’s been to the clinic a couple of times, I guess we just naturally fell into that pattern after a while,” she smiled at the memory. “One time, he came in wearing a Blackpink shirt and I got so excited, we talked about it for the whole consultation! I didn’t even realise we’d talked for so long until the nurse came knocking on the door!” 

She shook with laughter, and the cup in her hand spilled barley tea into her bowl of wrapped ssambap. 

“Ah… what a waste…” She quickly put down the cup and tried to transfer the wraps into a fresh bowl, but it was too late; the wraps were thoroughly drenched and their contents were falling apart.

“That’s okay, I can make more. Here.” Jae-yi tried to keep himself from wincing at the disaster as he picked up another lettuce leaf and quickly piled on the rice and toppings. But he had added too little fillings this time, and the wrap looked small and pathetic. He smiled apologetically as he handed it to her. 

She devoured it quickly and gestured for him to hand over the bowl of toppings. “It’s okay. I can handle it.”

He reluctantly handed the spoon and bowl to her and watched as she made wrap after wrap, quickly devouring them as she did. His hands felt empty, so he shoved them under the table instead.

“So… uhm… what would you like to do next?” he prompted. 

“Sorry Jae-yi, but I’ve got to head back to the clinic. I still need to check Seo-won’s prescription,” she said, quickly stuffing her mouth with another ssambap. 

“How about after that? We could go catch a show. The nurses said that the one with Gong Yoo is really popular.”

She coughed and pounded her chest to dislodge the food from her pipes. Jae-yi refilled her cup of tea and placed it in her hand. She received it gratefully and took a large gulp.

“No thanks,” she said, still a little breathless from nearly choking on her meal. “I’m going to take a nap. I’m tired. Besides, I’ve still got a few more boxes to unpack at home.”

The reminder that she no longer lived in Seoul brought a dull ache to his chest. He had hoped that she would be moving back to Seoul soon, but he knew that she needed the change in environment to get away from the stress of living in the big city. 

“How… how long are you planning to stay?” he ventured to ask.

“Hmm… I’m not sure,” she said nonchalantly. “A month or two? Maybe a year?”

“I see…” The pang of disappointment hit him like a punch in the gut. A whole year? What would he do for a whole year without his best friend? The past week was agony, knowing that she was more than a phone call away. It didn’t help that she had refused to pick up his calls and he had no other means to contact her besides visiting her father’s clinic. 

“I have to go,” she downed her tea like she was chugging soju and laced her purse across her shoulder. “Thanks for the meal.”

He stood up quickly, not ready to let her go so soon. “Wait, I’ll take you there.”

“You don’t have to. It’s just a couple of blocks away.”

“Please, let me take you there. The weather has been cold lately. You don’t want to catch a cold and pass it to your patients, do you?”

“I guess…” She stopped to consider this, her brows furrowing slightly as her eyes searched his for any signs of foul play. Jae-yi put on his best poker face - which was more of an earnest I’m-too-nice-to-ever-be-up-to-no-good kind of look - and crossed his fingers behind him. After a brief pause, she said, “Alright, you can take me there. It will be faster anyway.”

As she turned to leave, Jae-yi’s face cracked into a grin of triumph, and he promptly rummaged through his pockets for cash before hurrying after her. 

The ride back to the clinic was quiet. Ah-young stared out the car window throughout the ride, no doubt reminded about how things had changed since the last time she sat in his car. There so many things he wanted to say - ‘ Come back to Seoul’, ‘I’ve missed you’, ‘It feels so empty without you’ - but he couldn’t bring himself to say them, not when the car ride would only take ten minutes at the most. 

“Here we are,” he said awkwardly as he switched off the car engine and unbuckled his seat belt. 

It wasn’t until Jae-yi had opened his car door that Ah-young snapped out of her train of thought and made to get out of the car. Just as she reached for the handle, the car door popped open, Jae-yi holding out the door like a perfect gentleman. 

“Ah… you didn’t have to trouble yourself,” she said as she stepped out of the car, her eyes not quite reaching his. “I can open it myself.”

Jae-yi smiled earnestly, “I know, but I wanted to. I thought we should… switch things up a little.”

She looked at his innocent expression and scoffed, but didn’t say anything else. Jae-yi locked the car and followed her into the clinic. 

When they reached the reception area, the nurse at the desk hurried to hand her a document. “Dr. Go, I have the file you requested for Mr. Choi Seo-won.”

She smiled at her in gratitude and leafed through the pages for the information she needed, before she handed the file back to the nurse. 

“Thank you. Sorry to make you stay behind to find this for me.” 

“It’s my pleasure,” she replied with an almost-conspiratorial smile. “After all, he’s my favourite patient too.”

Ah-young laughed. “Alright, I won’t hold you back any longer. I’ll just grab another file from my office and I’ll be on my way.”

“Yes, Dr. Go,” the nurse replied and returned to packing her things.

Just as Ah-young was about to enter her office, she turned around with a puzzled look, as if finally noticing that Jae-yi hadn’t left.

“I’ll wait for you here,” he offered before she could tell him to leave. 

She looked like she was about to say something, but she simply turned and headed into her office.

Jae-yi knew it wasn’t his business, but something about the exchange between Ah-young and the nurse gnawed at his heart. When did Ah-young have a favourite patient besides Joon-hyung?

He strolled over to the reception desk. “Uhm… excuse me.”

The nurse perked up. “Yes? How can I help you?”

“This Choi Seo-won… does he come here often?” he ventured, before noticing her suspicious glance. “Oh, I’m Ah-young’s friend from Seoul. I’m a doctor too.” 

She seemed to relax a little before she said, “We’re not supposed to share information about our patients, but I can definitely tell you that whatever illness Mr. Choi is suffering from, it’s less to do with his body, and more to do with his heart.”

Jae-yi frowned. “His… heart?”

She sent him a conspiratorial look, leaning over as her voice dropped to a whisper. “It’s love -sickness.”

Seeing that Ah-young was still rummaging through her office for the file she needed, the nurse continued, “The man is in his 20s and he looks fit as a fiddle. But he comes often, complaining about aches and pains that Dr. Go can never find the source of. She treats him like the biggest medical mystery she’s ever seen, while he treats her like a personal goddess. You should have seen him when he started wearing Blackpink T-shirts to his consultations after he heard us talking about how much Dr. Go likes them. He’s a lot younger than Dr. Go, but the way he’s going, I wouldn’t be surprised if he captures her heart very soon.”

A million thoughts went through Jae-yi’s head. He thought that seeing Ah-young again would have been the balm on his soul that he needed. But somehow, the weight that had been pressing against his chest all week suddenly grew heavier, and for a brief moment, he almost felt like he couldn’t breathe.

“Jae-yi?” the sound of Ah-young’s voice penetrated the fog in his head. “Jae-yi, I’m done. Let’s go,”

He nodded and followed her out of the clinic.  

He was vaguely aware of them locking up the clinic and of the short drive back to her family home, before the long journey back to Seoul. And for the rest of the day, Jae-yi found that his mind kept coming back to his conversation with the nurse. 

Ah-young deserved someone who could make her happy, and this Choi Seo-won seemed to know exactly how to do it. It had only been weeks since she had moved here, and Choi had already turned up in a t-shirt featuring her favourite band. But in the ten years that they had been friends, Jae-yi had never known what Ah-young truly liked. 

If there was ever a time to be considerate of someone, this would be it. But for once in his life, Jae-yi didn’t want to be kind or considerate. 

He knew that Ah-young came here to forget him, and being considerate would mean giving her the space she needs so that she could forget him. 

His heart twisted at the thought.

He’d have to be unkind then, he decided. He’d keep showing up at her clinic. Every single day. Whatever it took to convince her that he deserves a second chance - that they deserve a second chance.

Whatever it took, however long it took…

… he’d keep trying.

Chapter Text

Jae-yi was late. 

He looked at the watch on his hand, willing the time to slow down, but to no avail. The professor at the other side of the lecture hall was nearing the end of his presentation, but he kept deviating from his powerpoint and making joke after joke to engage his audience. 

To his credit, it was working, and Jae-yi would normally be the kind of guy to make these kinds of jokes at a seminar, but now he found himself wondering if his audience had also been secretly hoping that he would just get on with it.

When his nurses had reminded him of the seminar this afternoon, he had rushed to close the clinic and forgotten to grab his portable charger when he left. Now, the battery on his phone was dead and he had no way of telling Ah-young that he would be late.

“And that is why breakfast may not always be the most important meal of the day,” the professor finished, and took a bow, signaling the end of his lengthy presentation.

The seminar complete, everyone rose from their seats and began filing out, eager for their evening plans. 

Jae-yi took this as his cue to leave, and was about to rise from his seat when he heard his name. “Dr. Jung, I have yet to congratulate you on your amazing work with your patients.”

“Yes, Dr. Park,” he shook the professor’s hand. “Wonderful presentation as well. The audience was riveted.” 

“Thank you,” the smile on the professor’s face widened. “Now, about that last patient you mentioned, I’ve been wondering-”

“Sorry to interrupt, sir, but I’m late for an appointment,” Jae-yi smiled politely. “Perhaps we can talk over lunch some other time?”

“Of course,” the professor said, leaning in conspiratorially. “You should not keep your lady waiting.”

Jae-yi couldn’t help but smile, a blush rising up his face at the comment. “Thank you, sir.” He bowed and quickly headed for the exit before another eager colleague could stop him for a chat.

He looked at his watch and considered the fastest route that would take him to her clinic. He could still make it there before 8pm if he took the highway, provided the after-work traffic wasn’t too bad. He thought about stopping to buy a bouquet of flowers, but decided against it as a detour would cost him another 15 minutes. 

He should really have thought this through when he decided that tonight was going to be it. But he was so happy when he discovered his feelings that he couldn’t stop picturing Ah-young’s face when he asked her to be his girlfriend - again. 

Hoooonk! The car behind sounded its disapproval at Jae-yi’s abrupt change of lanes. 

“Sorry!” he said reflexively, before he laughed at himself for thinking that the driver behind could possibly hear him over the glass windows.

Ah-young would have had a good chuckle at this, he thought.

Lately, his mind had been occupied with thoughts of her - how she was doing, whether she was facing any troubles at work, if Choi Seo-won had come back again after she rejected him. 

The nurses had told him about how the boy had visited the clinic one day with a dozen roses to ask her out, and how, after fifteen minutes in her office, the boy had emerged with a look of dejection while Ah-young asked the nurses to dispose of the flowers instead. The roses ended up in a vase in the corner of the clinic, but Choi Seo-won was never seen at the clinic again. 

The story renewed Jae-yi’s hope that maybe he still had a chance; maybe he could still win her back. 

Last night, he had sent Ah-young home after dinner and drinks. He had not had any, of course, since he knew he would be driving. But Ah-young had insisted that she needed a glass or two after the crazy week at work. He had to stop her before she could relive her days as a wild med intern. 

When he finally reached home, his mother did not even bat an eye.

“How is Ah-young?” had been the first thing that she asked. “Is she moving back to Seoul anytime soon? I made a fresh batch of japchae this afternoon. Maybe you can bring it to her tomorrow?” 

A warm smile cracked across Jae-yi’s face at his mother’s blatant attempts at matchmaking. But even without her meddling, he would have done the same himself.

After assuring his mother that he would pack some japchae for Ah-young, he noticed that Joon-hyung was sitting alone at the balcony, a juice box in hand. Jae-yi grabbed himself a can of beer and joined him.

“How are things going, Joon-hyung ah?” he asked his brother. Though they were technically cousins, Jae-yi always felt that they were more like brothers, especially having grown up together under the same roof. “I heard that the Weightlifting Nationals are coming up.”

“Yea,” Joon-hyung took a swig from his juice box. “It’s happening next week.”

“I see,” Jae-yi said, noticing the forlorn look in Joon-hyung’s eyes as he gazed at the bright full moon overhanging the city.

“I miss her,” Joon-hyung mumbled. “I don’t like that we’re so far apart.”

Jae-yi didn’t know what to say. He hadn’t seen his brother so openly-vulnerable in a while. Joon-hyung had always put on a strong bubbly front, even in front of his family. 

“Taereung is so far away, hyung,” Joon-hyung continued. “I want to be there for her. I want to be close to her. But Taereung is so far away… I should have worked harder to get to her.”

He sounded a little drunk, and Jae-yi’s eyes swept across the balcony before they found the crunched-up can of beer in the corner. Joon-hyung took another swig from his juice box.

“I miss her so much, hyung. Do you know how it feels to miss someone so much, you wish you could just grow a pair of wings and fly to them whenever you want?”

To Jae-yi’s surprise, he knew exactly what his brother was talking about. 

He thought about all the times he’d gone to a restaurant alone only to instinctively flip the menu to the meat section first and consider what Ah-young would order. He thought about how he’d played the CDs she had given him over and over again, trying to conjure an image of her. He thought about how he watched the clock eagerly everyday, wishing time would go faster just so he could see her.

How did he not see this sooner?

“Joon-hyung ah,” Jae-yi said. “How do you know you’re in love with someone?”

Joon-hyung paused mid-sip, and turned to look at his brother. 

Jae-yi could feel the heat creeping up his neck as a thick silence descended upon them. “Uhm… forget I said anything,” he coughed, and made to leave, but Joon-hyung grabbed his hand before he could step into the house.

“You’re in love with Dr. Go, aren’t you? That’s why you’re asking, isn’t it?” 

The teasing grin on Joon-hyung’s face made Jae-yi blush a deeper shade of red. 

“Does she know?”

Jae-yi looked away. “I don’t… think so.”

“Then you have to tell her!” Joon-hyung said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. Tell her? What if she rejects me again?

“It won’t change anything,” Jae-yi let out a laugh. “She’s rejected me so many times.”

“Why should you let that stop you?” Joon-hyung asked, his eyes wide and innocent. “Do you want her to get over you?”

“She said she needed to heal. From the hurt I caused her. She moved back to her hometown to avoid me.”

“And do you think she would still be having dinner with you everyday if her plan was working?”

Jae-yi paused to consider this. Ah-young was a determined woman. If she really meant to get over him, she would have rejected his invitations to dinner. Maybe there was still hope? Or maybe she was just being polite? 

“You have to tell her, hyung,” Joon-hyung repeated, an earnest expression on his face. “You have to try before she moves to Taereung and you never get to see her again.” 

Jae-yi wanted to ask why Ah-young would ever move to Taereung when he realised that Joon-hyung was probably still drunk from the beer. He couldn’t help the feeling that his brother was being a little too melodramatic, but he was right. Ah-young could move away again, possibly to somewhere unreachable, and he had to do something before it was too late.

But this time, she could not say that his love was charity. His love was real, and he would find a way to show her.

“I will,” he promised. “Now, go to bed early. You still need to return to campus early tomorrow morning, don’t you?”

Joon-hyung sighed, a teasing grin on the corner of his lips, “Since when did you become so naggy?”

Jae-yi laughed and stepped back into the house. He’d tell her tomorrow, he thought.

Now, as he pulled up against the large brick building that was Ah-young’s clinic, he glanced at his watch and let out a barely audible groan at the time. Surely, she would have locked up for the night.

But as he made his way towards the clinic, he noticed that the lights were still on. A hopeful grin spread across his face. 

“Ah-young ah,” he called, as he stepped into the threshold and tried to steady his heartbeat.

This time , he thought, he had to succeed .

Chapter Text

Jae-yi reached over, his heart thudding loudly in his chest, and their pinky fingers brushed against each other. 

He stole a glance at her. If she noticed his scheme, she showed no signs of it. 

He took a deep breath. It’s now or never , he thought and reached over to clasp her hand in his. There! 

She looked up at him in surprise, her face flushed, and he couldn’t stop the grin from spreading across his face. “What…” she let the word hang in the air, unsure how to phrase her question.

“I wanted to hold your hand,” he said matter-of-factly. 

She scoffed, and her cheeks turned a deeper shade of red.

They had been dating for nearly three months since that fateful evening, and like a dutiful boyfriend, Jae-yi had driven to her clinic every evening to take her out for dinner. 

Now that they were officially a couple, Jae-yi could shower her with affection as often as he liked. He had thought that Ah-young would be used to holding hands with him by now, but everytime he reached over, her face reddened as if it were the first time. 

Tonight, they had visited a nearby restaurant as Jae-yi had an important seminar tomorrow morning. He had initially thought to bring her out for a fancier dinner, but she had insisted that he should head home early that night so that he had ample time to prepare. But Jae-yi wanted to spend more time with her, so they settled for a short stroll in the park after the meal instead. 

In the three months of their relationship, Jae-yi and Ah-young still hadn’t gone beyond hand-holding yet, and Jae-yi was starting to feel anxious. Sure, Ah-young had given him a few pecks on the cheek when she was feeling particularly generous, but they still hadn’t shared a kiss yet. Jae-yi wondered if Ah-young was feeling as nervous about it as he was. 

“Ah-young ah,” he stopped in his tracks and pulled her closer. 

“Hm?” 

He bounced on his feet, not sure how to begin. “I’m nervous…”

She smiled understandingly. “Are you nervous about the seminar tomorrow?”

He smiled sheepishly, “A little. But… that’s not what I’m nervous about.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Hm? Then, what is it?”

He took a deep breath. “Well… we’ve been dating for three months now… And I was wondering if… it was okay if I… if I ki-”

“Ah-young ah!”

All of a sudden, Ah-young pulled her hand away and shoved him aside.

Stunned, Jae-yi watched as she bounded up to the elderly couple ahead of them. “Appa, Eomma! What are you doing here?”

“Your father and I are just about to visit the convenience store for a snack.” Mrs. Go asked. “Are you heading home? Have you eaten? Would you like to join us?”

Ah-young glanced over and smiled apologetically at Jae-yi. 

“Oh, if it isn’t Jae-yi!” Finally noticing him, Mrs. Go approached Jae-yi with a bright smile. “You’re sending our Ah-young home, aren’t you? Ah-young is so lucky to have you as her friend.”

Jae-yi nodded awkwardly. Ah-young hadn’t told her parents about their relationship yet. 

You know how my mother can get with these things. The moment I tell her, she’ll start planning our wedding, naming our unborn kids, and shortlisting future colleges! I just need to find the right time to tell them, she’d said the last time they’d had this conversation.

Jae-yi knew that Ah-young needed time. But he probably wouldn’t have minded it so much if not for the niggling thought that Ah-young might be embarrassed of him.

“You should come in with us,” Mrs. Go offered. “Have some tea.”

“Eomma…” Ah-young tugged at her mother’s arm. “Jae-yi was about to head home. He has a seminar early tomorrow morning.”

“Well, you were so nice to see our Ah-young home.” Mrs. Go pleaded. “You should at least have a cup of hot tea for your troubles.”

Jae-yi glanced at Dr. Go who tilted his head meaningfully as if to say ‘Just do what the old lady says or she’ll keep this up for the rest of the night’.

Jae-yi nodded politely. “I would love to.”

The walk to the apartment was short, as Mrs. Go had promised. Jae-yi had been here many times during his med school days. The hospital where he and Ah-young interned for the summer was just a couple of blocks away, so the two of them often hung out here after their shift. He had stopped by a few more times after Ah-young moved here from Seoul, but he usually stopped at the entrance, not wanting to impose on her parents. 

Ten years did almost nothing to change the place. Besides the addition of several photos of Ah-yeong at different stages of her life - graduating from med school, getting her first job, receiving awards for her contributions to Haneul Sports University - all littered across the space, the living room remained the same. 

Jae-yi even spotted the small indent on a wall in the corner of the room, left behind from their first time drinking soju together and a bottle cap scraped off the wallpaper after popping off the bottle.

He marveled at how far they had come. 

“Do make yourself at home,” Mrs. Go gestured towards the couch. “I’ll get you some tea.”

“Thank you,” Jae-yi smiled and sank into the couch. It felt smaller than he remembered it. That said, Jae-yi wasn’t nearly half as big back then. 

Ah-young plopped herself into the seat next to him and sighed. “I’m so sorry about this. I know you needed to prepare your speech for tomorrow.”

“I’m almost done with it,” he said. “I wanted to spend more time with you anyway.”

He resisted the urge to place his hand on her knee like he’d gotten used to doing. Dr. Go and Mrs. Go could emerge from behind any second now, and he didn’t want to put Ah-young in a spot. but his hands ached to touch her. He shifted and placed his hands under his thighs instead.

“Alright, here we are,” Mrs. Go emerged from the kitchen carrying a tea tray. “Jae-yi hasn’t had my dasik in a long time, eh? Go on, try some. See if it tastes the same.”

Jae-yi picked up a piece of the dasik and was momentarily overcome by a feeling of deja vu. He remembered how Mrs. Go would bring the same tea tray and offer him some snacks after a long day of work. She was always particularly proud of the dasik, and would smile warmly whenever Jae-yi praised it. 

“Ah, I’ve missed this taste,” Jae-yi said appreciatively. “Your dasik has always been tastier than others, eomeoni. I can never stop at just one!”

Mrs. Go glowed from the praise, and Jae-yi noted Ah-young’s approving smile from the corner of his eyes. “Go ahead then, have as much as you like,” Mrs. Go placed more on his plate.

“Eomma, Jae-yi’s just being polite,” Ah-young said, sipping on her tea. “He can’t possibly finish so many at one go.”

“Don’t praise her too much, Jae-yi,” Dr. Go chimed in as he seated himself on the couch opposite Jae-yi and Ah-young. “Or she’d make more of them, and then Ah-young and I would be forced to eat it at every meal for the next month.”

The room erupted into laughter and Mrs. Go swatted at her husband playfully. It was clear that the two were deeply in love with each other. They reminded him a little of his own parents, and Jae-yi found himself wondering if he and Ah-young would be the same in the future. He grinned secretly at the thought.

“You should come more often, Jae-yi,” Mrs. Go urged. “Or the two of them would gang up against me.”

Jae-yi sipped his tea, washing down the sweet taste of the confectionary.

“Oh yes, before I forget,” Mrs. Go pulled out her phone. “Ah-young ah, you’re free this weekend, right? Mrs. Kwon wants to meet us for dinner this Saturday.”

“Mrs. Kwon?” Ah-young looked on in puzzlement. “You mean your friend from that hiking club? Why does she want to meet us?”

“Her son is back in town, you see,” Mrs. Go lifted her glasses and squinted at her phone. “Ah, here it is. Kwon Jung-rok. He’s a very outstanding lawyer. Look, and he’s handsome too!”

Mrs. Go shoved her phone at her daughter, using her thumb to swipe through the series of photos as Ah-young leaned away in embarrassment. “Please, eomma, not in front of Jae-yi.”

“What’s wrong with that? It’s not like Jae-yi is a stranger to our family.” Sensing that her daughter would not be cooperative, Mrs. Go changed her strategy and redirected her attention to Jae-yi. “Besides, Jae-yi understands that eomeoni is just trying to help, right? Our Ah-young spends all her time at home or at the clinic. She rarely has the chance to meet other eligible young men! It’s not like she’s getting any younger…”

“Eomma…” Ah-young pleaded, and sent her father a glance as though begging him to help. Dr. Go pretended not to notice and leaned further into the plush seat.

“Look, Jae-yi,” Mrs. Go swiped to her favourite photo of the illustrious lawyer. “Isn’t he handsome? He’d make a good match for our Ah-young, wouldn’t he?”

Jae-yi was perfectly comfortable sipping his tea and letting Ah-young handle her lovable but meddlesome mother. But the moment his eyes landed on the photo, he knew he had to intervene. 

“Ah, actually, Mrs. Go,” he started, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. “Ah-young and I have already made plans this weekend.”

Mrs. Go’s brows furrowed slightly. “Ahh… but perhaps you can postpone your plans? It’s not everyday that Mrs. Kwon’s son is back in town.”

Ah-young looked over at her father, but he looked away and shifted in his seat uncomfortably. 

Realising she was being ganged-up on by her parents, she sent Jae-yi a pleading glance.

“The two of them have so much in common,” Mrs. Go went on, reaching over for the pot to pour more tea. “Mr. Kwon loves fighting for the less privileged people in our society, and Ah-young is such a kind and caring doctor. They’ll make a wonderful couple together, don’t you think? Besides, Mr. Kwon is so good-looking! He and Ah-young’s children would look especially beautiful-”

“I’m sorry to interrupt, eomeoni, but if Ah-young goes, then…” Jae-yi forced a smile across his lips. “What about me?”

Mrs. Go froze mid-pour. A yelp came from Dr. Go as the proclamation made him stub his toe against the coffee table. 

In fact, all three members of the Go family seemed to be frozen in time. 

A deafening silence fell upon the room, occasionally punctuated by the sound of tea dripping out from Mrs. Go’s teapot, which, by now, seemed to be trembling. 

Dr. Go’s gaze darted from Jae-yi to Ah-young, and back again. His eyes fell upon Jae-yi’s teacup, and he jumped when he realised it was overflowing. He quickly alerted his wife before he grabbed the tablecloth nearby and dabbed at the spill. 

Even Ah-young was surprised, her eyes wide and questioning. Jae-yi reached over and squeezed her hand, communicating to her that it would all be okay. 

Then, he turned his gaze back to the middle-aged couple, and smiled sheepishly. “Please forgive me, but… I just can’t let her go.”

Mrs. Go exchanged a meaningful look with her husband. As though sensing that Jae-yi and Ah-young had a lot to discuss, Dr. Go let out a cough and tugged at his wife’s sleeve. “We’ll, uh… leave the two of you alone.” 

Jae-yi felt a light pat on his shoulder as Dr. Go exited the room. Mrs. Go gathered the empty cups and dishes and hurried after him. Though, unlike her husband, she was not quite able to hide the grin on her face.

When Jae-yi was sure they were gone, he turned back to Ah-young. “That… was probably not the best way to break the news to your parents, eh?”

Ah-young’s look of astonishment morphed into a glare.

“Ah-young ah,” he coaxed. “Please don’t be mad.”

“Jung Jae-yi… really…” she took a deep breath. “How can I not be mad, after you basically did what I told you not to do? Now they’ll hound me day and night to find out every little detail about us.”

“It’s… not so bad, is it?”

“Not so bad? They’re the most meddlesome parents in Korea! They’re probably planning our wedding by now, and naming our unborn children!”

“That’s… not too different from what I’ve been thinking lately,” Jae-yi said, his lips quirked in a hint of a smile.

“That’s not-” she said before she realised what he had just confessed. In a matter of seconds, all anger seemed to have fled her body. “Wh… what are you saying?”

“What I’m saying is…” He pulled her close, enveloping her in a gentle but firm hug. “I’ve been thinking about us. In the future. About how beautiful you’d look on our wedding day, how kind and caring you’d be as a mother, how fortunate our kids would be to have you as their eomma… We’ll lead happy lives together, the two of us.”

“Is this… a proposal?” 

He grinned widely, and was about to respond when she pulled away.

“No,” she said resolutely.

“No?”

“No. I mean, yes- but no.”

Jae-yi’s brows furrowed slightly. “Are you saying… that you won’t marry me?”

A bright flush crept upon her cheeks. “I… I’m not saying I won’t marry you now . I’m just… I mean, we’ve only been together for three months…”

“-and ten days,” he corrected.

She looked at him pointedly, before she let out a cough. “What I mean to say is… I don’t think we’re ready for that stage of our lives yet.” She took a breath as she considered what to say next. “Besides, I’m still working at my father’s clinic. I want to set up my own clinic one day, and I want to do that first, before I feel ready for… m-marriage…”

Seeing how unnerved she was, he took her hands in his and patted them gently. “I understand, and I want you to know that I’ll fully support you, no matter what you want to do.”

Relaxed, she smiled appreciatively. “Thank you.”

His smile dimmed as he thought back to the subject of their argument. “When I thought about how you’d meet this Kwon guy, and he’d charm you, I just couldn’t stand it. I had to do something. Please forgive me, Ah-young ah. I really didn’t mean to tell your parents before you were ready to do it, but I couldn’t think of anything else.”

Ah-young’s smile turned sly and teasing. “Oh? Is that jealousy? It’s actually a good colour on you…” She reached up to brush her hand against his cheek. 

He captured her hand in his and brought it to his lips. 

Feeling a sudden rush of courage, Ah-young placed her hands on the sides of his face and leaned in. It was a quick peck on the lips, but the touch sent a jolt of electricity through his veins. 

The shot of adrenaline that emboldened her to kiss him quickly faded away and was replaced with embarrassment. “I uh…” she said, her eyes not quite meeting his. “I think I heard my father calling me.”

Before she could get up from the couch, Jae-yi pulls her back into an embrace, their faces only inches away from each other. 

“I love you,” he said, gazing deep into the abyss of her dark eyes. Then, he leaned in and captured her lips in his for a soft and sweet kiss.