Waterfalls || Yeonbin

chapter 25: parents

July 21, 1940

"So, when do I come and meet them?" Yeonjun asked, the small smirk on his face as he spoke.

I rolled my eyes, "I would prefer if you didn't. My family situation is... complex." I replied as I finished cleaning the last dish from breakfast. I placed it in the drying rack, grabbing the tea towel to dry my hands.

"Darling, I won't embarrass you. I'm not going to expose us either." Yeonjun said, his voice almost sounding like he was pleading to meet my parents.

I sighed, turning around to meet his gaze on the other side of the kitchen. He was leaning against the counter, arms crossed over his chest as he waited for my response, "Not happening."

He raised an eyebrow, confusedly asking, "What is so terrible about your family that you won't even tell me? You've told me about how much your father drank. Is it that?"

I hesitated for a moment, "Can we please discontinue the subject?" I replied, feeling embarrassed to talk to him. It's like the first month we were together, constantly nervous and scared I would say the wrong thing.

He reached up, taking his hat off his head and placing it down on the counter. I didn't know what he was going to do as he pushed himself off the counter and stepped closer to me. It gave me comfort that his eyes appeared to be soft, reaching out to gently grab my hand as he said, "Soobinnie, you know you can tell me anything, yes?"

I quietly nodded, not feeling as though I needed to speak as a reply. He audibly sighed again, inching closer until his lips pressed against my cheek. I let my eyes close at the feeling of his warm kiss, hearing the small sound of him pulling away right after. My eyes fluttered open, feeling him rub my knuckles as he asked, "Is everything alright?"

My head nodded on its own, almost feeling involuntary. I quickly leaned forward, capturing his lips with mine. I melted into it, even just a simple kiss still makes my stomach flip. It fills with butterflies every time I see him, even though we've been doing this for months. It's like I haven't gotten used to the feeling of his lips; leaving me craving more. I haven't gotten used to him holding me; making me whine when he pulls away. I haven't gotten used to his touches; my breath lightly hitching with every gentle movement. Something about Yeonjun pulls me back to him with every mood, and it's quite strange.

He pulled away with a little smile on his visage, making me give a small smile back. I felt my dimples digging into my cheeks as I said, "I'm fine. Don't worry."

. . . . . . . . . .

I took a deep breath as I walked to the front gate, getting a telephone call about how my parents were here. I sort of expected this, knowing they need a special identification card in order to enter the base. Although, I did make sure they were on the list of people who could come in for the day. I guess everyone must just be on edge because of the war. I was surprised to see that they were both actually here together, but of course they were already in the middle of an argument.

I rolled my eyes and moved closer, getting their attention as I called out, "Eomma! Appa!" They went silent, putting on fake smiles for me as I handed my identification card to the guard at the front entrance. I apologized about how they were yelling, and he was actually really understanding about it. Apparently, there's a new policy where they need to double check people who are trying to enter, and I don't blame them. With the current state of the war, I wasn't surprised in the slightest. He asked a few questions before he finally let them inside.

I wasn't even able to greet them before my father began to complain, "We take an hour-long train to come here, and you don't even put us on the list?!" He raised his voice, making people turn their heads to us since we were speaking in Korean. I tried to walk fast so we could get to my house, but my parents aren't necessarily quick.