When We're Together [양정완]

08.

At last, the two arrived in front of Aera's apartment complex to find her father waiting for her.

"Dad? What are you doing down here?" the girl asked as the two entered the building.

"Chae Aera! You weren't picking up your phone so I got worried and-" the man paused, noticing the brown-haired boy who had still his arm wrapped around his daughter.

Seeing her father eyeing him, Jungwon realized his arm was still wrapped around the girl and he quickly removed it before bowing to the man. "Hello Mr. Chae, I'm Yang Jungwon, Aera's friend."

The man scanned the boy from top to bottom before finally speaking. "Aera, you didn't tell me you had any male friends other than Yuhan." He looked slightly offended as he turned to his, now very embarrassed daughter.

"I only met him like a month ago, Da-"

"A MONTH AGO?"

Jungwon pursed his lips to keep himself from laughing. He watched as Aera tried to explain to her father (unsuccessfully) that the two were only friends and that she had just forgotten to bring him up.

Suddenly all three of their phones buzzed. A weather alert had been issued for the thunder storm, advising people to stay inside if possible.

Mr. Chae looked from his flustered daughter to the innocent looking boy standing in the doorway. "Where do you live, young man?"

Jungwon pointed back where he and Aera had come from. "That direction, sir."

Aera raised a confused eyebrow at the boy. Hadn't he told her he lived in this direction? The boy glanced over at her but ignored her expression.

"Hmm," Mr. Chae put his hands on his hips before continuing. "If you'd like, you can eat dinner with us. It wouldn't be safe for you to walk in this weather." He smiled pleasantly at the boy as he patted his shoulder, ignoring the dumbfounded look on his daughter's face.

"Ah, It's okay, I wouldn't want to burden yo-" The boy's words were interrupted by a loud crack of thunder outside. Mr. Chae raised an eyebrow at the boy.

"Let me ask my parents." He shyly smiled as he pulled out his phone.

Jungwon:
Can I eat dinner at a friend's today?
It's raining pretty heavily, so I'm kind of stuck here

Mom:
Are you sure you won't be burdening them?

Jungwon:
Her dad was the one who offered

The other child:
It's a girl's house??
Since when do you have any female friends??

Jungwon:
Be quiet Eunyoung

Dad:
Sure, but be safe

Jungwon:
Got it

The boy looked up at Aera, who had her cheeks puffed with air, and her father, who was ruffling the girl's hair. "They said I could stay," he said, smiling.

As the three entered the elevator, Mr. Chae began asking the boy questions as Aera quietly stood to the side, still confused as to what had just happened and why Yang Jungwon was going to be in her home.

Finally, after what seemed like the longest elevator ride of her life, Aera, along with the two males, stepped off of the elevator and made her way to the door. She punched in the code and the door clicked open.

"Oh? Who's this, Aera?" Mrs. Chae asked upon seeing the unfamiliar, dimpled boy taking off his sneakers in the entryway.

"This is Yang Jungwon. He's my friend from school." The boy bowed and greeted the woman.

"I offered to let him eat dinner with us since the weather is too bad for him to walk home right now," Mr. Chae explained as he went to back hug his wife. She nodded and turned to the boy again. "You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like," she smiled as she and Mr. Chae headed back to the kitchen. Sometimes, the girl wished her parents weren't as hospitable as they were.

But regardless, she decided she might as well make the most of the awkward situation. She turned to the boy who had just been shyly standing beside her. "Let's go."

The girl made her way up the stairs game room with the boy close behind. She sat on the couch and wrapped a fuzzy, white blanket around her. She looked up to see the boy's sleeve was still drenched from walking in the heavy rain.

"Do you want a sweatshirt or something? Your sleeve is completely soaked," she gestured to the boy's arm.

Jungwon hadn't even noticed his sleeve, but he figured anything would be better than dripping rain water all over the girl's house, so he agreed.