starlight |jw

-14-

-Jackson Wang-

"How do I look?" I asked BamBam as I turned around from the mirror, facing him; he was helping me choose my outfit for the dinner with Sunhi's parents. Since I packed for the award show, I had various options I could also use for this dinner, but none of them convinced me fully

"You look good, man... make sure to style your hair nicely, and don't forget to wear the accessories we picked," he said, standing up from his place on the bed and standing next to me instead, patting my shoulder as we both stared at my fit on the mirror.

"Thanks, Bam," I said with a soft smile, that he returned. To say I was nervous was an understatement, even after meeting Mr. Lee yesterday, I still was reviewing what words I should and shouldn't be using, my outfit still failed to satisfy me, and every single thought of what could go wrong tonight was running wild inside of me. This was such an important event for both, Sunhi and I, I couldn't afford to make any mistakes.

"Welcome, bro... and don't worry too much, yeah? Just be yourself and everything else should be alright tonight" He patted my back once more, leaving the room a few moments later, being only myself and my thoughts in the room now.

A sigh escaped my lips; the more I stared at myself the more insecure I grew, but I decided to turn my thoughts off for a while, turning music on and singing along to it as I added the finishing touches to my look tonight.

"you got this, don't worry," I said to myself, taking a last glance at myself.

I walked downstairs, meeting Mark who was on the living's room couch, watching TV

"So you're meeting her parents, huh?" Mark said as I sat down beside him
"Yeah... I'm... kinda nervous" I said, staring down at the expensive watch wrapped around my wrist
"It's normal to be nervous, don't worry... I'm sure they'll love you" he patted my back reassuringly
"But, what's the purpose of this dinner? Are you proposing to her or something?" He questioned with an amused smile, in response I pushed his arm in a joking manner
"No, I'm not, they were the ones to request the dinner actually... but I am planning on popping a question tonight" I replied with a smile, side-glancing at my older friend

"Won't she decline again though? Last time she seemed determined on her decision"

"I think she might change her mind," I said with a confident smile. Truth be told, I wholeheartedly wanted to claim Sunhi as mine, because I knew very well that she was to leave after graduation, which was right around the corner, and I couldn't bear the thought of her falling in love with someone else just because I was too slow

"All my good wishes to you then, good luck"

"Hey, it's only dinner! You're not sending him off to war or something" the voice I knew all too well said from the top floor, both of us turning her way.

As cliché as it might sound, I literally felt as if the breath I was holding was taken away from me as she appeared right before me; she looked completely stunning, making my self-consciousness return stronger; her short, rose gold, sequin dress, hugged every one of her features, her makeup was light, making a contrast with her outfit; in short, she was the embodiment of a goddess tonight, more than ever.

She looked at me with a soft smile as I extended my hand for her to take.
"You look stunning," I said, intending to sound confident, but it didn't come quite that way

"You don't look bad yourself," she said with the gorgeous smile that light up my days, kissing my cheek tenderly; a smile grew wide on my face as the feeling of her lips on my skin washed away every insecurity that had built up in the past few hours.

"You look good, Sunha" Mark said with a smile
"Thanks, Mark" She replied, mimicking the gesture

"Should we leave now, m'lady?" I asked with a smile and the fake British accent I knew she loved.
"Then lead the way, gentleman" she replied in a similar accent, but slightly better than mine; i chuckled softly as we walked out.

________________________

"Mom, Dad, I want to formally introduce you to... one of my best friend's, Jackson Wang" she said and I smiled, bowing at the elder couple

"It's nice to finally meet you, Jackson! Please, make yourselves comfortable" Mrs. Yeonh said, making all the remaining worries I had, vanish.

Both of her parents were lovely, and fun to be around; they joked, laughed, shared interesting experiences, and overall, seemed very happy to be sharing this moment with us.

"So, tell us about your projects, son. What are your plans for the future?"
"Well, I have many plans for the future, sir... I'm starting my own company soon, this will also be the start of my own career... actually, next week I'm flying to China to film a music video for my first single, I'm excited for you to listen to it" I answered with excitement
"That's nice, I'm excited to listen to it too," he said with a smile of approval, this made me smile even wider.

"That's nice Jackson, what about marriage? Is that also in your plans?" Michelle said, joining the ongoing conversation; the moment those words came out of her mouth, Sunhi choked on the piece of chicken she was eating, I turned to her and offered water, from which she drank a little
"Oh, honey! Are you okay?" Her mother asked with concern
"Yeah, I'm fine.. but what's with that question mom," she said shyly, her cheeks turning a bright crimson
"Oh, come on, darling... it's no secret you guys like each other, I just want to know if I can entrust my daughter to you! So, let me ask again... What are your plans with our Sunhi?" her words sounded stern and serious, but her face expressed tenderness and warmth as she spoke.

A soft smile made it's way to my lips as I felt the heat rise up to my face as the question was thrown out at me so suddenly; I cleared my throat before speaking

"I-I do plan to date Sunhi, if she accepts me... she knows this, that I love her dearly and I definitely picture her as my bride, actually... she's the only one I picture myself marrying to" I said, and in return, I got a sweet smile from the woman sitting across from me, a smile of approval. And lord, was I thankful for that!
。。。

"I can't believe mom asked that out of nowhere" Sunhi groaned a little and I couldn't help as a light chuckle left my lips; I swung my arm around her shoulders, wrapping her in my embrace, bringing her close as we strolled around the famous Ueno Park we both wanted to visit.

"Don't stress, I actually was expecting that question"
"We are not dating though, and she knew that very well when asking"
"We can change that though"
"Uh?" She asked, puzzled, stopping as I finished the sentence. I examined her face carefully, my breath was stolen for the nth time tonight, she really was beautiful...

I nervously nibbled on my lip, and before I could stop myself, the words left my mouth

"Lee Sunhi, please, be my girlfriend?"