Start-Up

Ramen

Ji-pyeong set down a bowl of ramen in front of In-jae. "Careful, it's still hot," he cautioned as he went back into the kitchen to bring out the rest of the dish.

He loved mornings like this, when he and In-jae had nothing on the agenda and could just enjoy each other's company.

She was reading the news on her phone as she blew on the noodles before taking a bite, and he smiled as he watched her sitting across him in her tank top and shorts.

He sipped on the warm broth of his ramen then said, "Mmm, by the way, when does the lease for your apartment expire?"

"Soon," she replied distractedly, "I've already told my landlord that I won't be renewing it."

Ji-pyeong's spoon froze in mid-air as he processed what she had just said. "Oh?" he asked, trying his best to keep his voice neutral even as his heart was pounding in his chest.

"Mm-hmm," she said as she scrolled through her phone, "I don't have a lot of stuff anyway. What's still over there will easily fit here, I'll just need to find a place for it."

Ji-pyeong's hand shook as he stirred the noodles into the broth. He had listened carefully to what In-jae just said, and for the first time since they had been together, he couldn't detect a single trace of the fear that was ever-present whenever they talked about taking things further. He had always felt like he had to tread lightly, carefully, when they talked about the future. But just now, In-jae herself had declared that she was moving in with him, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

Could it be, that they were finally on the same page about their future?

Ji-pyeong reached across the table and placed a hard-boiled egg into In-jae's bowl, and she smiled at him.

"In-jae?" he asked as his heart thundered in his chest over what he was about to say.

"Hmm?" she replied before slurping on the noodles.

"Will you marry me?"

Time seemed to stop as Ji-pyeong nervously awaited her reply to the most important question he had ever asked in his life.

He watched as she swallowed the noodles, took a sip of water, wiped her mouth with the napkin, then looked him in the eye as she said simply, "Yes."

His heart was in his throat and he was about to leap out of his chair in delight, when she suddenly stood up and said, "But--"

But?

In-jae walked over to the hall and grabbed an envelope from her bag, then went back to Ji-pyeong at the table and handed it to him.

"But, I want to get this done first," she told him as she sat across him again, and he opened the envelope and took out its contents.

Petition for the Dissolution of Adoption, the first page read.

Ji-pyeong looked at her questioningly, and In-jae said, "When I marry you, I don't want to be Won In-jae. After everything my stepfather had done to me -- from firing me, to that ransomware attack, and even going up against us with their own self-driving car project-- I want to completely disassociate myself from him. I don't want to carry his name anymore."

Then she looked Ji-pyeong in the eye and gave a small smirk, "I want to marry you as Seo In-jae, just as how you first met me."

Ji-pyeong smiled at that, and nodded. "Okay," he said, "But for the record, I don't think your name has anything to do with who you are. You're just In-jae, this strong, amazing, independent woman who I love and somehow loves me back. It doesn't matter to me what your last name is, but I understand how important it is to you."

She smiled back at him and said, "Thank you for understanding."

They went back to stirring the noodles in their ramen and each took a bite, before they put down their spoons and chopsticks and looked at each other.

"So we're engaged?" In-jae said, a slow smile creeping into her face.

"You did say 'When' you marry me, not 'If,'" Ji-pyeong pointed out, and they both stood up.

"We're getting married!" they both exclaimed as they rounded the table and met in a tight embrace.

"Should we tell people?" Ji-pyeong asked as he kept his arms around her.

In-jae shook her head, "Not just yet. I think we should wait until we have a date. Besides, I don't know how long it'll take for a decision to come out."

He nodded, "Right. So I guess let's start with getting your things from your apartment so that you're officially moved in?"

In-jae rolled her eyes at him, "I'm here every day, every night. I've considered myself 'moved in' months ago."

He laughed incredulously at the realization that she had actually been ready for quite some time, and all he'd had to do was ask.

"I love you, Han Ji-pyeong," she looked up at him, her eyes shining happily.

"I love you too... Han In-Jae," he teased, and she blushed. "That has a nice ring to it," he said, his dimples deepening as she slapped his arm playfully and admonished, "We'll get there soon enough!"

Unable to keep their smiles off their faces, Ji-pyeong bent his head as In-jae tilted hers up as they sealed their engagement with a sweet and gentle kiss. "We got engaged over a bowl of ramen," In-jae murmured, and she felt Ji-pyeong's laugh against her lips as he replied, "Yes, we did." He felt her smile as he deepened their kiss.

Finally, Ji-pyeong could start counting down to forever with In-jae.