Letting Go { Jung Jaehyun Series }

Chapter 4

"Guys, everything has to be perfect, OK?" warned Jaehyun as all the band members hurried about, preparing for the romantic dinner that Jaehyun was planning for Rosa. The short table had been decorated with pink roses and a collection of glass beads that had been placed in swirling circles over the table.

Taeyong and Doyoung both stood in the tiny kitchen. Taeyong was tending a pot of kimchi stew while Doyoung was grilling pork belly.

"Why am I grilling the meat?" Doyoung asked Jaehyun. "You're the meat guy."

"Look, I'm in more of a managerial position right now," replied Jaehyun. "I'm kind of nervous. I can't concentrate on grilling meat right now," he defended.

Just then, Johnny slid into the already overcrowded kitchen. "Listen, take some advice from 'Everybody's Oppa.' Just be yourself and everything will be fine."

"I'm not sure being myself is always the best idea," Jaehyun opined as he exited the kitchen and returned to the living room.

Haechan put his arm around Jaehyun and bounced around like Tigger on too much caffeine. "You're the best, buddy! The absolute best! Who's better than you?" he questioned rhetorically. "Huh? Huh?" he continued to ask, poking Jaehyun in the sides.

Taeil pulled the bouncing Haechan off of Jaehyun. "Let him be," he cautioned. "He wants skinship, but not with you right now. He's not up for your frenetic energy when he's already freaked out."

When everything was ready, the members decided to make themselves scarce before Rosa arrived. As curious as they were to meet her, they decided that their presence would only end up being overwhelming for Rosa, as Jaehyun had told them that she was very introverted. As Mark, the last member to leave, stopped half-way out the door, he peeked his head back into the apartment. "Buena suerte!" he called to Jaehyun. "That's Spanish for 'Good luck,'" he added. "I looked it up," said Mark, clearly proud of his linguistic prowess.

About 20 minutes after the boys left, Rosa rang the doorbell. Jaehyun opened the door to find Rosa standing in a red minidress with matching heels. Her hair had been straightened and now it hung long and glossy well past her shoulders. He tried not to stare, but he had never seen her all dolled-up before. Her long lashes, extended by a coating of mascara, touched the lenses of her black glasses when she blinked. She wore a swipe of mocha lipstick on her full lips. Jaehyun shook himself back to reality and asked Rosa to come in.

She surveyed the apartment and nodded approvingly when she saw the table decorations. They sat down to eat, but before touching the food, Rosa bowed her head solemnly and made the sign of the cross over herself.

"Are you Catholic?" asked Jaehyun.

"No, I'm just Mexican," Rosa laughed. "I'm just so used to making the sign of the cross every time I eat, or drive, or leave the house," she responded. "I spent a summer in Mexico with my Abuelita and she wouldn't let me leave the house until she had blessed me. She was almost superstitious about it," Rosa explained.

Jaehyun accepted the information with a nod. "So, since it's Valentine's Day and my birthday, I thought this would be a perfect time to have you over."

"Wait! It's your birthday?!" Rosa asked him incredulously. "Why didn't you tell me? I didn't bring you a gift or anything."

"I don't need a gift," he responded. "Having you here is gift enough." He wrapped a slice of pork belly in a piece of lettuce and held it to Rosa's mouth. "Here, try it," he coaxed. "Doyoung made it. I can vouch for his cooking skills since I'm a cook myself."

Rosa looked uncomfortably at the tightly wrapped packet of food he held out to her. Slowly, she opened her mouth as Jaehyun carefully tucked it behind her coffee-colored lips. His index finger brushed her bottom lip slightly as he pulled his hand away. Rosa chewed slowly. A smile crept to her lips as she tasted the rich, salty pork belly.

Jaehyun opened a bottle of soju and poured them both a drink. Rosa eyed the clear liquid cautiously.

"I'm more of a wine girl than a hard-liquor girl," she said. "But when in Rome...." She took the tiny cup between her fingers and sipped at the burning contents. She coughed slightly.

"Too strong?" asked Jaehyun, taking his shot quickly.

Not to be outdone, Rosa shook her head and took the rest of the shot in one gulp. Jaehyun's eyes grew wide as she took the bottle and poured them both another shot. As the evening wore on, they continued to eat and drink. Jaehyun lost count of how many shots they had taken. It wasn't foremost on his mind since he could handle three bottles of soju on his own.

After dinner, he stood and told Rosa, "I've prepared a surprise for you." She giggled, somewhat uncharacteristically. Her cheeks were flushed pink and her usually wide eyes were drooping slightly.

Jaehyun connected his phone to a speaker and began to play, "A Whole New World." He sang with evident sincerity. He was surprised when the typically shy Rosa chimed in on Jazmine's parts. When they finished, Rosa ran to him and hugged him tightly.

"How did you know that I've had a crush on Aladdin since I was a little girl?" she asked. She leaned back in his embrace and gave him a slow grin. Then, suddenly, her full lips enveloped his. Her lipstick tasted like sweet Chai tea. Jaehyun was overcome. He slipped his tongue between her lips and kissed her more deeply. She kissed him back passionately as she pushed him toward the couch. He fell backward onto the couch, and she landed on his lap with one leg straddled on either side of his.

Rosa felt like a woman possessed. Somewhere in the deep recesses of her mind, she heard a voice calling for caution, but it was suppressed by the effects of the soju. Her lips found his again and she resumed her relentless attack on Jaehyun's self-control. His fingers wound through her newly straightened hair as his lips trailed down her tan neck. Her breath came in short gasps as she pulled his hands to her bottom. Jaehyun broke away from her for a moment and looked at her intently. Her flushed face left no room for questions. She was beyond tipsy.

"I can't do this," said Jaehyun as he moved her off of him. He grabbed a throw pillow and placed it on his lap.

"No?" questioned Rosa coyly. "No? No?" she continued as she leaned over to try to kiss him again. He pulled away from her embrace.

"Come on, Rosa, stop. You're drunk," he replied.

Rosa tried to lift the pillow from his lap. "What's this?" she asked, giggling. "What are you hiding under there?"

"Stop!" demanded Jaehyun sternly.

Typically, a rebuke like that would have crushed Rosa, but she seemed unaware of it. Suddenly, she tipped over as her head fell to the couch, unconscious. Jaehyun lay her down carefully on her side and covered her with a blanket. He spent the next few hours sitting on the floor beside the couch, watching her breathing.

Well after midnight the guys returned to the apartment. Jaehyun jumped up immediately to hush their loud chatter. He pointed to the couch where Rosa lay peacefully sleeping like a young child.

"Oh, dude, you're fucked," teased Mark. "How much did you give her to drink?"

"Man, I didn't think it was that much, but I can handle a lot of soju. I guess she's more of a wine girl," he defended himself against his friend's teasing.

Yuta slapped Jaehyun across the back of the head. "I hope you behaved yourself," he said seriously, despite the wide grin on his face.

"Of course, I did," said Jaehyun. "I'm just afraid she's going to think I got her drunk on purpose."

Johnny punched Jaehyun playfully. "I agree with Mark. You're fucked, man," he said, laughing more than was appropriate for the situation.

"I'm glad you find this funny," groused Jaehyun. "Get out of here, already."

The guys all filed off to bed, leaving Jaehyun to await his inevitable downfall.