Stolen Moments | Yang Jeongin

Twelve

As the afternoon sun filtered through the blinds in Jeongin's room, casting soft golden light across the bed, I couldn't help but smile. It was one of those rare, lazy afternoons where everything just felt... right. Jeongin was next to me, his legs stretched out lazily, and I was leaning against him, my head nestled on his shoulder. For once, we didn't have to sneak around or worry about Hyunjin's knowing glances. We had the place to ourselves, and it was bliss.

"Hey, you know what we should do?" Jeongin said, breaking the comfortable silence. He looked down at me, eyes twinkling mischievously.

"What?" I asked, curious but also a little wary. That look usually meant trouble.

"Let's call Halmeoni," he said with a grin.

I blinked. "Wait, what? Why? You want to just randomly call her and... what? Tell her we're dating?"

Jeongin shrugged like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Why not? She loves you. She's been asking about you nonstop. She probably already knows, honestly."

I stared at him, trying to gauge if he was serious. "Jeongin, are you sure? I mean, I don't even know how to begin that conversation. 'Hey, Halmeoni! Surprise, your favorite granddaughter-in-law candidate is now officially dating your grandson'?"

He chuckled, nudging me playfully. "You're overthinking it. She's going to be thrilled. Honestly, she'll probably say something like, 'Finally!'"

I raised an eyebrow, still a little unsure but warming up to the idea. "Okay, fine. Let's do it. But if she yells at us for not telling her sooner, I'm blaming you."

Jeongin smirked, already pulling out his phone. "Deal."

He hit the dial, and after a few rings, his halmeoni's voice came through, warm and familiar.

"Jeongin, my darling! How are you? You never call unless you need something," she teased in that loving way only halmeonis can.

Jeongin grinned, putting the phone on speaker so I could hear. "I always want to talk to you, Halmeoni. But actually, I do have something to tell you today."

"Oh? What is it? Did you get a pet? Or... maybe it's Minji! Is Minji there with you?" Her voice lit up at the mention of my name, and I felt my heart warm at how fond she was of me.

I leaned closer to the phone, my face flushing. "Hi, Halmeoni! It's me."

"Well, hello, sweetheart! How are you? I've been wondering when you'd come visit again."

Jeongin nudged me, urging me to speak, but I motioned for him to handle it. He rolled his eyes playfully and took a deep breath.

"Actually, Halmeoni, we wanted to tell you something," he began, suddenly sounding more serious. I had to fight back a laugh at how dramatic he was making it. "Minji and I... we're together now. We're dating."

There was a pause, and for a split second, I felt my stomach do a nervous flip. Then, she let out a hearty laugh, the kind that makes your own lips curl up into a smile.

"Oh, it's about time!" she exclaimed. "I was beginning to wonder when you two were going to stop dancing around each other."

Jeongin looked over at me, a smug grin creeping onto his face. "Told you."

His halmeoni's voice came through again, stern but affectionate. "Now, Jeongin, listen to me very carefully. You better take good care of Minji, do you hear me? She's a gem. If I hear even one word about you being anything less than the perfect boyfriend, I'll come down there myself and set you straight!"

I burst out laughing, leaning into Jeongin's shoulder. "You're in trouble now," I teased, poking his side.

Jeongin chuckled, shaking his head. "Don't worry, Halmeoni. I'll take good care of her. I promise."

"Good," she said, her tone softening. "You two make a beautiful couple. I'm so happy for you both. Now, don't forget to visit me soon. I want to see you two lovebirds in person!"

"We'll visit soon, I promise," Jeongin said, before we said our goodbyes and hung up.

As soon as the call ended, Jeongin turned to me with that goofy smile of his, looking so pleased with himself. "See? That wasn't so bad, was it?"

I grinned, rolling my eyes playfully. "She practically scolded you more than she congratulated us."

He shrugged, pulling me closer. "I'm used to it. Besides, you heard her—she's been waiting for this."

I let out a small laugh, resting my head on his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. "You're so smug. You think you're everyone's favorite, don't you?"

"Well, I am," he teased, pressing a kiss to the top of my head.

I tilted my head up, meeting his gaze. "Are you sure it's not me that's the favorite?"

Jeongin grinned, leaning down to kiss me softly on the lips. "Okay, maybe you're the favorite. But I'm the one who gets to kiss the favorite, so really, I still win."

I laughed, snuggling deeper into his embrace. "You're ridiculous, you know that?"

He smiled, his fingers gently tracing patterns on my back. "Maybe, but you love me anyway."

I couldn't argue with that. "Yeah, I do," I admitted, feeling my heart swell with warmth.

We lay there for a while, the world outside forgotten as we enjoyed our stolen moments together. Jeongin's fingers gently brushed through my hair, and I closed my eyes, letting the peaceful rhythm of his heartbeat lull me into a sense of calm.

"So," he said after a while, his voice soft, "now that my halmeoni knows, when are we telling Hyunjin's halmeoni?"

I burst out laughing, hitting him lightly on the chest. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely," he said, grinning. "Hyunjin's halmeoni deserves to know too. Maybe she'll scold him for all the teasing he's been doing."

I groaned, playfully smacking his arm. "I swear, if you actually call her, I'm breaking up with you."

Jeongin laughed, pulling me closer. "Don't worry, I'll keep it between us. For now." He winked, and I couldn't help but giggle at how mischievous he looked.

As much as I wanted to stay like this forever, we both knew it wouldn't be long before someone barged in. But for now, in this small bubble of happiness, we didn't care. We were together, and that was all that mattered.

Jeongin leaned down again, pressing a lingering kiss to my lips, his hand cradling my face as if I was the most precious thing in the world. And in that moment, I knew—no matter what happened next, we'd always find our way back to each other.