off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ one hundred and seven

When Irang had knocked on Yujin's door, she hadn’t expected him to open up in such a state. They'd set up a specific time to meet, and she wasn’t in advance at all, yet he looked like he'd barely jumped out of bed. His hair was still damp, tousled in all directions, and he still wore what she recognized to be his favorite pajamas. As soon as their eyes met, his lips turned into a pout.

"I'm so sorry, I missed my alarm," he whined, slapping his cheek. "I just showered, but I still need some time to prepare."

Irang chuckled as she stepped into the entrance hall. "That's fine, I can wait a bit."

After all, it wasn't like she had much to do today. She'd cleared her entire schedule so she could spend as much time as possible with him. Not to mention, she was a little happy she'd gotten to see Yujin in such a disheveled state. These days, it almost felt like he was trying to be too perfect for her.

"Jiyeon," he called out to his sister who was sitting on the couch, her phone in her hands. "Can you entertain her while I get ready?"

Yujin didn’t wait for her answer, and immediately ran back up the stairs, letting out a yawn. Jiyeon peeked her head out from the living room, a bewildered look on her face as Irang removed her shoes. It seemed she wasn’t quite prepared to entertain a surprise guest. Irang hesitantly walked into the living room, her hands joined in front of her.

"Oh, um, you can sit down," Jiyeon said in a small voice, patting the empty space on the couch beside her.

Irang did as she was told and plopped herself down onto the couch, making Jiyeon bounce with her weight. Then, silence settled in the living room, and neither of them dared say a word. Despite being well acquainted with one another, Jiyeon's awkwardness always seemed to overpower her friendliness. Irang watched her from the corner of her eye, as she let her gaze drift all over the room, searching desperately for anything to break the ice.

Then, she gasped.

"Right, our family photo album," she said as she jumped to her feet, running to the bookcase in the corner of the room. "Let me show you a few photos of Yujin from when he was a kid!"

At that, Irang's eyes turned into beads. "Oh, he'd hate that... But it sounds too fun to pass up on!"

Just like that, the awkward atmosphere between the two evaporated, as Jiyeon pulled a thick photo album from between other books. She blew on it to get rid of the dust, but judging by how little there was on it, it seemed the Han family looked through it quite often. A new pep in her step, Jiyeon sauntered back to the couch with the album in her arms, a giggle on her lips.

"I think this one starts from when he was born," she mused to herself, opening to the first page of photos.

Irang's eyes immediately caught onto the images, filled with a newborn Yujin, snugly swaddled in a pink blanket decorated with a bunny pattern. She couldn’t control the sound of awe that came out of her mouth as she scooted closer to Jiyeon, who was balancing the album on her knees.

"Before he was born, my parents were convinced he would be a girl," Jiyeon explained, a dreamy tone in her voice. "Even his room was completely pink!"

"He looks so cute and small! He's a little chubby," she commented with a chuckle.

Jiyeon laughed, her fingers brushing over his face in the photo. "Yes, he had the biggest face I'd ever seen on a baby. Everyone wanted a bite of those cheeks."

Even so many years ago, Irang could almost recognize his features, buried under the chubby cheeks of a newborn. Whenever her parents showed her pictures of herself when she was that young, she always found it hard to believe she'd ever been that age, so small, so innocent. Irang couldn’t help but wonder if she'd have more memories of that time, had she met Yujin a little earlier.