Falling For You - ENHYPEN FF

51

The restaurant's warm lighting and cozy atmosphere made it the perfect place for their dinner. Amid the soft murmurs of other diners and the clinking of cutlery, Jeena sat across from her father at a table by the window, enjoying their meal. Lighthearted jokes occasionally passed between them, filling the air with a warmth they didn't always get to share.

But as their plates emptied and the waiter replaced their glasses with warm tea, their conversation took a more serious turn.

"When was the last time we had dinner together like this?" her dad suddenly asked, leaning back in his chair with a thoughtful look.

Jeena paused for a moment before chuckling. "Just the two of us? That must've been ages ago. But if you mean our last dinner before this... wasn't that with Jay's family?"

Her dad raised an eyebrow, thinking back. "Oh, right. That time Jay's parents invited us over. I was actually surprised to find out you already knew him."

Jeena nodded slowly, the memory replaying in her head, making her blush a little.

"If I remember correctly, Mr. and Mrs. Park were kind of trying to set you two up," her dad added teasingly.

Jeena immediately shot him a look. "Dad!"

Her father chuckled at her reaction. "What? I'm just stating facts."

Jeena sighed, staring into her cup of tea, trying to suppress the shy smile threatening to appear. Even though it had been a while, remembering how Jay's parents had openly tried to match them up still made her flustered.

Her dad leaned back in his chair, watching her closely. "So... is there anyone you're close with these days?"

Jeena frowned. "What do you mean?"

"A boyfriend," he said bluntly.

Jeena almost choked on her drink. "Uh—right now, I just have a lot of really close friends."

Her dad nodded, his expression understanding. "That's fine. Enjoy your youth."

Jeena smiled before realizing this was the perfect chance to turn the tables. "By the way, you never really talk about your younger days. How did you and Mom meet?"

Her dad paused for a moment, as if sifting through old memories. Then, with a nostalgic smile, he began his story.

"Your mom and I actually went to the same high school. Same class, too. I had a crush on her from our first year, but I never had the courage to approach her—not even after we graduated."

Jeena leaned in slightly, intrigued. "Why?"

Her dad chuckled. "Your mom was really popular, Jeena. Beautiful, smart, kind to everyone... of course, a lot of guys liked her."

Jeena nodded, picturing what her mom must have been like back then.

"And not just one or two guys," her dad continued. "There was this group of boys—handsome, athletic, smart, basically the most popular guys in school. And all of them... had a crush on your mom."

Jeena's eyes widened. "Wait, seriously?? I can totally see that—was Mom, like, the school's It Girl?"

"Pretty much. And those guys made it very obvious they liked her. Your mom was close with them too, which made a lot of the other girls jealous."

Jeena suddenly felt a strange tightness in her chest.

This story... felt too familiar.

She bit her lip, trying to shake off the unsettling feeling creeping up on her.