The protector

Picnic (Se-ri's POV)

Author's note: happy Diwali!!!

Seoul, 2027, September

"Gu!"

The appointed was standing in front of his wife. Hands behind his back, he was swaying, shifting the weight of his body back and forth in waiting for her response. The smile on his lips turned from poorly hidden into deliberately flashy as he made sure that Se-ri was appreciating what she was seeing.

"For me, they'll be perfect for tomorrow."

"For me, you're losing it," she protested, but with a smile that was of the kind that had his knees weakening. Even if Se-ri was seemingly scolding him, he could see how, deep down, she was delighted, the crescent moon eyes growing on her face like any time she was amused or glad. There was this special thing in her, Seo-jin thought to himself for the nth time since when they got married: she was someone used to have everything and could easily buy by herself whatever she didn't already own. Yet she wasn't picky when it was about receiving, the very opposite.

Once she had felt she could relax with him – oh, it had needed time! It wasn't as if his wife had trusted him right off the bat, he had worked hard to earn her trust, small step by small step. Through the first months, their relationship had been like the one of two persons who stayed on the same floor of a luxury hotel – she had begun to show gratitude for everything.

Well, maybe 'show' wasn't the operative word. She didn't really show. But it was visible, um. Or, at least, he could see it. She managed to look cold, as if she was some sort of picky princess that nothing could surprise. But that just was a façade, because whatever he did for her, Se-ri hesitated for the shred of a second, then made a swift breath in, as if she was assimilating that what he had done really was for her. And in the end, she looked at him with the eyes, the halfmoon more or milder pronounced depending on how surprised she was.

Se-ri's eyes would have forever been etched in his memory, they could pierce and cross over him.

In this, they really were the perfect couple. Giving to his loved ones was something he adored, and it was as if he was a natural in giving to her. It made him feel good. And receiving seemed something she was not that natural in, but that made her feel good. Their characters perfectly compensated each other.

Now, in front of that pair of white Chanel sneakers, with small pink-coloured edges decorating the platform – his little Yoon would have never shown herself outside without a little help, whether it was high heels or 'smart shoes' like those – was looking at him with the eyes that wanted to say 'stop being such a Chanel weirdo' but were actually saying how much that fact amused her.

"And I was thinking about... matching outfit for tomorrow," Seo-jin squeezed his eyes striking a challenging pose. Oh, she surely wasn't expecting it, but he felt relentless on that evening. Nobody could have stopped him.

"What?" And this time, Se-ri's eyes expressed exactly the bewildered stupor she was actually feeling, "you..."

"Yes, tell me what you think about it: matched. We'll be matched. Of course, what we'll wear is your choice, don't want to depose the Queen, but matched. I'm sure everyone will be."

"No. Gu ssi, no. Everything but matched. It's something my brother and his wife do."

"If we're being honest, the only thing I admire in your brother and his wife is this. They look like a united couple, it's cute. Sure, a couple of idiots, but cute idiots. If you're an idiot, it better to be in an idiot cute couple, no? At least you're decorative."