Cherish + r.k

busan

the atmosphere in the car is very comfortable, no tension between two of them even in silence. chaeyoung is looking outside of the car window, watching as the snowflakes slowly covering the whole city. the scenery in front of her is calming, somehow she couldn't stop herself from feeling anxious.

"hey, chae," jeongguk's voice brings chaeyoung back to reality. she turns towards her boyfriend who is driving beside her, eyes wide open while mumbling a small, "y-yeah?"

he looks at her for a second before focusing on the road ahead of them. "you alright?" he asks her softly and chaeyoung just nods, indicating that she's fine. but of course, jeongguk knows better. he has known his girlfriend for three years, he knows what she likes and dislikes and he knows when chaeyoung is lying to him. like right now.

he usually would tease chaeyoung about it, but he lets it slide for today. he knows she is nervous about meeting his parents in busan. smiling, his hand reaches for chaeyoung's freezing one and holds it tightly. she is taken aback by the sudden warmth of his hand on hers.

"remember when you nearly bumped into me when you were running towards the cafeteria?" jeongguk says, as he tries to calm her down. he chuckles when the scene from several years ago flashes through his mind. "hey! i thought we agreed to not talk about that again. it's embarrassing," chaeyoung pouts and jeongguk's always finds it adorable. that's one of the reasons why he likes to tease her.

then he continues again, "that's when it all started, remember? i was beyond grateful that day."

chaeyoung's expression softens. of course she remembers. the first encounter between them was very embarrassing— she had avoided jeongguk for days after that incident— but it was one of the greatest blessings for jeongguk to stumble across his crush.

he was a popular student years ago, and chaeyoung was just an ordinary student who always scored excellent grades in all subjects. he himself wasn't bad in school either, except for english. when he'd had enough of getting four out of one hundred three times in a year straight, he gathered up his courage to ask chaeyoung for tutoring. in exchange, he offered to teach her to play basketball and chaeyoung gladly accepted his offer. in the end, jeongguk managed to score b grade for the last term examination, and earned himself a tight hug from chaeyoung which made his heart burst in joy.

chaeyoung looks at jeongguk dreamily, admiring his side profile. a lot of thoughts running through her mind at the moment. now they are twenty two, she always wonder if he loves her as much as she loves him. she couldn't help herself but feeling scared if jeongguk's gonna leave her one day. she just couldn't stop thinking about it.

"i can feel you staring." here comes jeongguk's voice. "i'm not staring, i'm admiring you." chaeyoung teases. she chuckles because she finds him cute when he blushes. jeongguk doesn't know exactly why he's blushing, either because of his soon-to-be wife was admiring him for two minutes straight or the way she teases him.

"can i ask you something?" chaeyoung asks, biting her bottom lip. jeongguk hums as he brakes the vehicle when the light turns red. he now sets his attention fully on chaeyoung, "what is it?"

she plays with his calloused fingers, knowing the fact that her boyfriend has been busy with his works lately. sometimes he would spend his free time in the gym that he usually goes to. despite being busy, chaeyoung is grateful because jeongguk would make some time for her. having a small talk on the couch while eating pizza in the middle of the night is more than enough for chaeyoung.

"do- i mean," she pauses, still looking at their hands. her heart is beating wildly in her chest. "if.. if your parents don't approve of me, would you still love me?"

jeongguk looks at her fondly with a reassuring smile plastered on his face. "of course baby, why wouldn't i? besides, i am sure my parents gonna love you." he says and chaeyoung looks at the man with a questioning look.

"how'd you be so sure? what if—"

"hey, look, babe," jeongguk stares into her dark brown orbs deeply. "you think too much. just trust me, alright? everything's gonna fine."

chaeyoung sheepishly smiles and nods, heat radiating to her face when jeongguk leans in and gives her a peck on the cheek. at the same time, the traffic light finally turns green and they are ready to continue their journey again.

she really hopes everything will be just fine, just like what jeongguk has said.

♡

i'm sorry for my grammar mistakes,, i will try to improve to be better !! ily
— lia