freedom ;; xdinary heroes

nineteen

Jiseok tugged Seungmin into his house after they had taken their shoes off, squeezing his hand in encouragement. "Relax. She's excited to meet you."

"Jiseok, if this doesn't go well, I'm going to isolate for a week—"

"Hey, look at me." Jiseok put his hands on Seungmin's cheeks, gently stroking them with his thumbs. "It's all okay. They're good people, I promise. They'll absolutely love you."

Seungmin nodded, and the other quickly took his hand, dragging him further into the house. "Uwah—!"

"Mom, Dad, I'm home — and I brought Seungminnie with me!"

"Seungmin? Oh Seungmin?!"

"Bring him through!"

Jiseok was glad to hear that his parents were in a good mood. He grinned, holding Seungmin behind him as they walked to the kitchen. The two boys bowed their heads, uttering their greeting for the evening. The two parents stopped their actions, staring at the two in shock.

"Mom... Dad... this is Seungmin," Jiseok introduced slowly, "my boyfriend."

His mother's smile was first to glow brightly. "He's real, honey! Jiseok, we thought you were joking—"

"Oh, come, come, come — welcome, my boy," Mr Kwak laughed, patting Seungmin's back rather passionately. "It's very nice to meet you. Would you breathe already? You look very nervous, boy!"

"I am very nervous," Seungmin laughed.

Mrs Kwak cooed, grabbing Seungmin's cheeks, tilting his head here and there to multiple angles as she observed his features. "My, what a pretty boy. Nice eyes, nice nose — very good choice, Jiseokie."

"I know," Jiseok grinned, shrugging confidently. "What are we having for dinner?"

"Kimchi tofu jjigae," his father responded. "We'll be done with dinner in about 20 minutes."

"Jiseok-ah, could you and your lovely boyfriend please pick up some shine muscat and cream at the store? There's some money in my purse in the living room," his mother said, patting Seungmin's cheek. "When you two come back, dinner should be ready and we can talk then."

"Let's go to my room," Jiseok invited the other out of the kitchen, holding his hand as he guided him to his bedroom. "See? I told you it'll be fine."

"They're really energetic," Seungmin said with a little laugh. "I like them, they seem fun. At least they're not strict."

"They've never been strict with me, it's such a blessing," Jiseok said, closing the door behind them and taking off his backpack. "It doesn't really matter, though. They'll ask questions during dinner or whatever. It'll be fine."

Seungmin nervously took Jiseok's hands in his own, sighing heavily. "Jiseok, I'm still nervous. What if I do everything wrong—"

"What will you do wrong? I told them about you already, it was just a matter of meeting them and just talking," Jiseok said. "They'll love you, I swear. You'll be treated like family. Best in my mind, my mom will be asking for favours and such from you when you come over. She's very friendly."

Seungmin sighed, nodding and letting go of his hands. "Let's go to the shop for them, they're probably waiting."

•

"So — Oh Seungmin, was it?"

Seungmin nodded, chewing his food finished before answering. "My mother is Oh Yeonghan, you might know her. She runs the tteokbokki stall a few streets down."

"Yeonghan-ssi is your mother?! My goodness, she never told me she had a son!" Mrs Kwak exclaimed in shock. "Honey, Yeonghannie was one of the first people that invited me into the neighbourhood. She's extremely nice. She gave those cookies!"

"Oh, our moms are friends," Jiseok realised, laughing slightly. "That should make things easier, shouldn't it?"

"Have you told your parents yet, son?" Jiseok's father asked, looking up at Seungmin. The other timidly shook his head, causing the two parents to gasp in unison. "You should tell them! They're not proper parents if they don't accept you as you are. You seem rather lovely too."

"Oh, thank you, sir..." Seungmin thanked, dipping his head gratefully. "But they would possibly kill me. I can't tell them yet, at least."

"Oh, nonsense," Jiseok's mother scoffed, shaking her head. "Yeonghan is absolutely lovely, she'd have no choice but to accept you. I think that you should tell them, it'll be fine."

Seungmin smiled, bowing his head once more as he thanked Jiseok's parents for their advice. Jiseok could sense that Seungmin was still rather shaky and nervous, and as adorable as that made him, Jiseok still felt concerned. "Seungmin-ah, relax..."

"It's a shock, isn't it?" Mrs Kwak asked, putting jjigae into her bowl. "Surprised that we accept Jiseok so well? He told us how he felt years ago. He said he felt worried, concerned and scared that we'd hate him. We were confused at first, but taught ourselves that to experience the self is very important when growing up."

"We're very glad our son found himself — and someone to love at the same time," Mr Kwak smiled, causing the teens to look down shyly. "We love our dear son very dearly. His older brother already gave me a grandson, I have no familial expectations from him. My boy is allowed to love whoever he wants."

Seungmin's eyes brightened at the sight of the light encouragement in Jiseok's father's eyes. "You're... very nice..."

"We're just being decent human beings," Mrs Kwak smiled. "Life is short. Enjoy it while being yourself. These things don't bother us — as long as you're respectful and polite, which is exactly what you are, young man."

"He's very handsome!" Mr Kwak suddenly exclaimed. "I'm surprised someone this handsome would date Jiseok. Couldn't you do better, boy?"

"Don't say that about my sweet Jiseok!"

The married couple bickered between one another and Jiseok finally offered Seungmin a look of encouragement. Seungmin's once nervous eyes softened, his gaze filled with nothing but love for the boy in front of him. He was nothing short of happy — in fact, he was experiencing the most euphoria he had ever felt in a long time.

"I love you, Jiseok."

Jiseok widened his eyes in momentary shock. Seungmin didn't falter, raising a hand and gently running it through Jiseok's hair. "R-really?"

Seungmin nodded, picking up his chopsticks once again. "Mhm. A lot. Don't ever forget it, okay?"

Jiseok smiled brightly, letting out an excited nod. "O-okay..."

[ i just got a molar tooth extracted, im going to kms ]