coffee

EIGHT - perfect man

Yerim stormed through the front door that evening, letting the door fall on him as he pushed it off and followed her, begging.

"Please, Yerim, you don't understand! I —"

"I don't understand? Jeongguk, it's quite clear to me now that you've addressed all this. I'm not a pabo, and I do understand!" she retorted angrily, fists balled up at her sides as she yelled at him.

"Yerim, please just listen. For just a minute."

"Jeongguk —"

"Yerim! Seriously! I wouldn't be trying like this if I didn't care about you. I wouldn't be making an effort to fix this," he explained, tears in his eyes. He took a breather. "Listen. You are the absolute best girl I have ever had the chance with. I know I should've told you earlier, but I just didn't. And I didn't want to lose this opportunity with you."

"Oh, Jeon —"

"Yeri. You are perfect," he admitted, sighing as he said it.

She looked down, embarrassed.

"And I'm not saying that to win you over. To get you back or change your mind. Because even if you do dump me, you will still remain the most perfect girl I've ever laid eyes on." He chuckled softly, "You're sweet, and smart, and beautiful and you smell good and you dress so appropriately, and —"

"Jeongguk."

He looked down, knowing his battle was lost.

"Jeongguk, I'm sorry."

He looked up, a tear rolling down his cheek and he quickly looked away, attempting to discreetly swipe it off of his pretty skin. He blinked, looking back at her, his eyes still glassy.

"I know," he said. He sniffed, turning away, and she took his shoulder, spinning him back around to face her again.

"I mean I'm sorry, that just because of some stupid habit, something you struggle with, I was about to just drop it all. That wasn't fair of me at all, and I'm sorry."

He paused. "I'm earnestly trying as hard as I can to stop —"

"Shh," she put a finger to his lips, shushing him gently like a mother would their child; in a comforting way. He relaxed his shoulders, staring straight at her.

"So you mean....."

"Yes," she answered, "let's just try to sort of ignore all this that happened. I know you won't forget it, but it's my own dumb fault." She looked him directly in the eyes, promising, "I am sorry."

He shook his head, "I'm the one who's sorry. You shouldn't be."

"But I judged too quickly. And it was a ridiculous thing to attempt to leave a perfect man for."

His heart swelled up, his gaze focused on her as a little smile grew across his lips. "Do you really mean that, Yerim?"

"I do. And keep calling me Yeri, I love it. It's my own personal nickname you've given me," she 'uwued', as some may call it — and blushed hard, shyly smiling a small smile up at him.

He was beaming now, unable to mask any feelings whatsoever now. Jeongguk tucked her collar into the neck of her sweater again, pulled out from being messed up. "Okay, Yeri. I will." He leaned forward, saying, "But now you have to give me a nickname. It'll finalize — if you will — our relationship," he joked cutely, smiling wide as he looked down at her.

Then he pulled away again, and her smile faded the tiniest bit when he looked the other way for a second, a tiny bit disappointed.

She didn't want to sound like a princess, but.....

No kiss? Still?

Lord, that man was slow.

But she knew, in her heart, it was truly an amazing quality for a guy to have. One that her man had. The guy she called her man.

She watched him rub the back of his neck while looking at his shoes shyly, grinning adorably and like a baby bunny, it reminded her of, and she smiled so big, tears surfaced even a little.

My boy. My man. My Jeon.