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Midnight Snack

In-jae awoke in the middle of the night and wrinkled her nose. She hated it when she reeked of alcohol.

She opened her eyes to see Ji-pyeong fast asleep beside her, and she carefully crept out of bed. Quietly opening a drawer, In-jae pulled out a tank top and a pair of shorts, then made her way to the bathroom to take a shower.

She took her time in the shower, relishing the feeling of the warm water cascading down her body as she washed away the stench of alcohol. She decided to skip using the hair dryer to avoid waking Ji-pyeong, and wrapped her hair in a towel instead. She could get some work done while waiting for her hair to dry before joining Ji-pyeong in bed.

She toweled her hair off as she walked out of the bathroom, and was surprised to see Ji-pyeong in the kitchen, standing in front of the stove. "Why are you awake?" she asked, and he startled at the sound of her voice.

Ji-pyeong looked at In-jae standing there in a pair of short shorts and a tank top, and he felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't decide what he liked better: the sight of In-jae in his shirts, or seeing her just like this. "I felt you get out of bed and figured you'd be hungry," he said, and as if on cue, In-jae's stomach began to grumble.

She turned red as she placed a hand on her stomach, and Ji-pyeong laughed. "You're adorable," he said with a smile, nodding his head to the table, "Go on and sit down, this is almost ready."

In-jae hung the towel on a chair and sat at the table, and moments later, Ji-pyeong brought over a bowl of hangover soup. "You didn't have to get up in the middle of the night to make soup," she said as she dug in. 

Ji-pyeong shook his head, "I didn't. I made this while you were out, I just got up to heat it for you." He went back into the kitchen and joined her at the table with a cup of tea for himself.

"So, it looked like you had fun tonight," he said as he took a sip of his tea.

In-jae recalled how she, Dal-mi, and Sa-ha gossiped and laughed throughout the night and smiled. "I wasn't really expecting to, but I did," she admitted.

"Why were you guys chanting Chul-san's name anyway?" he asked, and In-jae laughed as she filled him in on the events of the night, or at least what little she could remember.

Ji-pyeong shook his head with a smile. "Can you believe those guys are almost done with their contract at 2STO? They'll be back in Korea soon."

In-jae nodded. "Dal-mi will kill Do-san if he doesn't come back. Besides, they've been giving so much input on the self-driving car project, there's no question that they're joining Cheong Myeong Company the minute their contract with 2STO expires."

She suddenly thought of Sa-ha and Chul-san and laughed, "It'll be interesting to see what happens when Chul-san finally comes home, if Sa-ha will figure out her feelings for him once and for all."

Ji-pyeong smiled at her, "I'm happy to see you making friends."

At that, the smile on In-jae's face disappeared as she looked at him worriedly. "But what about you? I mean, you could probably be friends with Do-san and the guys--"

Ji-pyeong shook his head and reached out to squeeze her hand. "I've always been a lone wolf, don't worry about me," he reassured her, "It's just that, you grew up with Dal-mi. You were used to having a sister. So even if you didn't really say anything, I've sensed through the years that you were lonely sometimes. It's good for you to have girlfriends now."

In-jae was overcome with emotion by how he read her so well and how well he cared for her now. She stood up and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around him. "But you know that I'm always here for you, right? That you can tell me anything?"

He grinned at her and nodded, "Of course I know that. And I love you for it." He touched her nose affectionately, then wrapped his arms around her. "I love having you here all the time, looking just like this."

In-jae blushed as she realized how skimpy her outfit was, but had no time to be shy as Ji-pyeong captured her lips in a slow and gentle kiss. "Thank you for always taking care of me," In-jae whispered in between kisses, and she felt Ji-pyeong smile. "Thank you for loving me," he murmured back as he deepened their kiss.

She gave a yelp of surprise as Ji-pyeong stood up and held her, and she locked her legs around his waist as he walked them into the bedroom without breaking their kisses. It was past midnight, but as In-jae and Ji-pyeong tumbled into bed, they both knew that the night was still young, now that they were in the mood for love.