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Driving Home

In-jae was quiet as she sat in Ji-pyeong's car that night. Ji-pyeong sneaked a glance at her and knew that something was bothering her. He wondered if it had anything to do with this morning at her place.

"Ji-pyeong?" she said, breaking the silence.

"Hmm?" he replied, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I'm scared again," she admitted.

He kept quiet and waited for her to continue, but she sighed and looked out the window instead.

By now, Ji-pyeong knew that In-jae had difficulty articulating how she felt, and she didn't do very well with these types of conversations. If they weren't in a moving car, she might have bolted. But the mere fact that she brought it up now, when she had no escape, was already a big improvement.

So Ji-pyeong kept driving as he said, "Can I tell you how I feel?"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw her turn to him. "I've always been alone. Ever since I aged out of the orphanage, I've had to fend for myself. That time I stayed with your grandmother was a very strange time for me because I wasn't used to having someone who was watching out for me," he said softly, keeping his eyes on the road.

"So I've always been used to being by myself, being independent, needing to be strong. Because no one else would do that for me but myself."

He glanced at her quickly and saw that smirk that said she understood exactly what that felt like.

"But when you came along, I realized how much better my life could be. How great it feels to have someone who asks if I've eaten, if I slept okay, or how my day is going. How wonderful it is to care for someone else other than myself. I mean, if you took all that away, I would survive like I always have. But I would just be surviving, not really living," he shook his head.

In-jae sighed and finally said, "I'm scared that I'm turning into one of those clingy, needy girlfriends."

He smiled at that, "In-jae, you are anything but that. I am fully aware that you don't need me in your life. That's how awesome you already are. I'm just lucky to be along for the ride."

Then he glanced at her and flashed his dimples, "Of course, I like it when you cling to me, but that's different."

She rolled her eyes at that and he laughed. "So I understand that you're scared," he said, reaching out to pat her knee reassuringly. "But love doesn't reduce us to spineless and weak idiots who need the other person to prop them up. If anything, love only makes us stronger, since we're two people who are already strong independently."

As he stopped the car at a red light, Ji-pyeong turned to In-jae and said, "I don't love you because I need you. I need you because I love you."

She wrinkled her nose at those words, and he made a face. "Yeah, I heard how corny that was the minute the words left my mouth," he said as they both laughed.

The light turned green so Ji-pyeong hit the gas, and soon they were in front of In-jae's place. He walked her up to her apartment, and waited until she turned the key and opened the door.

"So I'll get go--" Ji-pyeong gave a yelp of surprise as In-jae pulled him to her and kissed him. He held her in his arms as she wound her arms around his neck, and they kissed passionately.

And then he heard the one word his heart had been hoping to hear tonight.

"Stay?" she whispered in between kisses.

Without breaking their kisses, he walked them into her apartment and shut the door behind them.

"Always."