Start-Up

In-Jae's Place

In-jae tossed her bag into the passenger seat and settled into the driver's seat of her car. She turned the key in the ignition, but the car sputtered and refused to start.

"Shit," she cursed as she tried it again, to no avail.

Heaving a frustrated sigh, In-jae took out her phone and dialed his number.

"Ji-pyeong? Are you still home?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Yup, just about to leave for Sandbox. What's up?"

"Well, my car won't start--"

"Text me the address, I'll pick you up," came his voice on the other line, and she exhaled in relief. Even if he had already been her boyfriend for so many months now, In-jae still wasn't used to flat-out asking for help.

She texted him the address and decided to wait for him in her apartment.

It was a small place that she only rented so she could get out of her stepfather's house. She'd never had Ji-pyeong over because why would they want to suffer in this cramped space when they could be in his apartment with the beautiful view?

She had just finished tidying up a little when her doorbell rang.

She rushed to the door to let him in, and Ji-pyeong stepped inside. "Do you realize this is the first time I've ever seen where you live?" he asked her.

In-jae waved dismissively at her apartment, "It's nothing, it's too small and cramped."

Ji-pyeong looked around and smiled when he saw the books on her bookshelf lined up by color and by height. "It's cozy," he said, reaching for her and pulling her close to him.

"It's tinier now that your huge, manly frame is here," she complained and he laughed, hugging her tighter.

"Now come on, let's go to work," In-jae tried to pull away, but Ji-pyeong held her even tighter.

"Do you have anything urgent this morning?" he asked, and she shook her head.

"We're both always so early in the office anyway. Let's take our time today. I like starting my day with you," he said, looking down at her and tucking her hair behind her ear.

She rolled her eyes at him and relented, "Okay, but we can't get used to this."

"Why not?"

In-jae stilled when she saw the serious look in Ji-pyeong's eyes. A familiar feeling of fear gripped her heart as she felt as though the question would open a conversation she didn't feel ready to have yet. But instead of trying to run away from him, In-jae ducked her head and buried her face in his chest, hugging him tight around the waist.

Ji-pyeong tightened his hold around her and tucked her head under her chin. Even if he and In-jae were so happy together, he knew that she still had some fears about giving up her independence to be with him. But he loved her independence, and actually valued his own independence himself. He was willing to wait for her to be open to discussing how they might figure out that balance between staying independent and also relying on each other.

"Have you had breakfast?" he asked instead.

She shook her head, "And don't say let's make something. The fridge is empty."

His laughter rumbled in his chest. "Let's go grab breakfast on the way to Sandbox then. We could say we have a breakfast meeting."

He felt her nod against his chest, and he started to pull away. Ji-pyeong's eyes widened in surprise when he felt In-jae pull him closer to her and hug him tighter.

"Just one more minute," she murmured, listening to his heart beat against his chest.

He melted at those words and wrapped his arms around her again. "We have all the time in the world."