I'm Fine (Stories inspired by Crash Landing on You)

Crush

Captain Ri Jeong-Hyeok shaves in front of the mirror, careful not to nick himself. He then brushes his teeth and rinses with mouthwash. Afterwards, he selects a short-sleeved button up shirt from his wardrobe and checks his reflection. He hesitates, changes his mind and settles instead for an army t-shirt and jacket – similar to the uniform he wears every day. With a comb, he parts his hair to one side. He gives himself a once over and starts to leave. Halfway to the door, he goes back to the mirror and ruffles his hair so that it falls on top of his eyes. Satisfied, he then picks up his fluffiest towel.

His men are outside the gate by the time he heads to the yard. He lets them in and proceeds to give them instructions on the clams and soju bonfire. Staff Sergeant Park Kwang-beom asks if he should pick up Yoon Se-ri from the senior colonel's house. Jeong-Hyeok waves him away as he affixes the towel on the front part of his bicycle, testing it out a few times to check for comfort.

He heads off the small, meandering roads at dusk, smiling as he remembers how his brother used to scare him by turning the lights off while he was reading his horror books. After a few times, Jeong-Hyeok just turned his lights out early and read with a small, bedside lamp.

Whistling the simple, first part of "Fur Elise," Jeong-Hyeok chuckles, making a mental note to tell Se-ri about its almost romantic, heartbreaking origins: Beethoven and his beloved – forever separated by a misspelled name. The title of the piece should have been "Fur Therese."

He reaches the house and hears Se-ri's singsong voice talking to the senior colonel's wife, her tinkling laughter breaking the nighttime sounds of the neighborhood. He manages to time himself, going back and forth, so that he is in front of the house as she leaves.

He feels heat creeping to his face as she guesses that he is there to pick her up. He fails to give an adequate alibi for his surprising presence, but Se-ri just takes this as her due and hops on the soft seat on his bicycle. With his hands on the handlebar and his arms on either side of her, Jeong-Hyeok pedals back to his house.

She feels so small, sitting in front of him, her side to his chest. She smells of shampoo and his soap. He notices the fine, wispy baby hair at the back of her smooth neck and sees how her dainty ears have turned dark pink on the edges. He reminds himself to get her some warmer clothes and earmuffs. He edges a little closer and shields her from the nipping night air.

She turns to him with beaming eyes and a smile, the flickering streetlights illuminating her delicate face.

Jeong-Hyeok's knees weaken and his bicycle slows down. He blinks twice, clears his throat and moves his eyes back on the road.

A/N Apologies for the CLOYing sweetness. Nyahahaha.

A/N Photo from Windowseat.ph