CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Jessica swears she almost spilled her coffee when her sister revealed that she’s finally dating Jongin, not that she didn’t like the idea, but was surprised that it took them so long. Suddenly, she was wide-awake when just moments before she didn’t even bother on focusing on what Soojung was saying. Even Donghae was surprised upon what he heard.

“I thought you guys were already dating.” Her brother-in-law says, handing Soojung her coffee before sitting next to Jessica.

“Yeah, I thought so too.” Jessica mumbles.

“We’ve always had this close relationship, but we never really got together until recently.” She explains. She could feel her cheeks blushing a bit as she gets embarrassed talking about them. She has never thought of this ever happening. “Anyways, I’m inviting him over but he’s scared of unnie so please don’t frighten him.”

“Nice. I like intimidating people.” The older Jung smirks, only to be stopped by Donghae.

“Well, I’m very happy for you Soojung. I can’t wait to hangout with Jongin later.” Donghae exclaims.

“Hey, we have a date tonight. Have you forgotten?” Jessica glares at him, but Donghae proves unaffected by it. Instead, he looked astonished, as if he had just realized something.

“Ah, is that why Soojungie invited him over? To have some alone time with him?”

Feeling their eyes on her, Soojung just silently sips on her coffee. She didn’t want to answer the question, because frankly she does want to spend some time with him at home but was too shy to say it. When asked again, she pretends like Doyeon was calling for her name in the sitting room.

Despite being the same room together, Jongin doesn’t know what to do with Soojung’s niece Doyeon. Soojung had gone to take a quick shower so he had the babysitting duties momentarily. He would catch her looking at him, and he would look at the kid back, but that’s the most interaction they would have. Even Princess Sofia on the television doesn’t help on their quietness.

When the show is over, Jongin finally stood up from his seat, bored and wanting attention from his girlfriend but he didn’t want to seem like a creep waiting on her door for her to finish. Instead, he looks around the pictures around as it was actually his first time inside. Most of the pictures are of the Lee-Jung couple, a picture of Doyeon and Doyeon in Mokpo.

“Babe! Come!” He finally hears Soojung shout from her room so he does what he was told do. Once in her room, Jongin sees her in a white floral maxi dress as she did her makeup. “How’s Doyeon doing?”

“Still watching Disney Channel.” He tells her, sitting on her bed just opposite her table where she’s doing her makeup. “She really doesn’t like me.”

“She’s just like that at first. She’ll warm up eventually.”

“I don’t understand how Jinri is so closer with her. How did she manage to become her godmother in the first place? I thought I was closer to your family.” He sulks, laying down at the bed.

Soojung chuckles at the sight of him looking lonely. To cheer him up, she walks over the bed to pat his head and sit next to him. “First of all, Jinri was an endorser of my sister’s clothing line, which is how they got close. And believe me when I say that Doyeon wasn’t close with Jinri at first. It took her countless visits and gifts for them to be close.” She leans closer to him, whispering. “That kid is so much like her mother.”

Now that she’s so close to him, Jongin smiles. He pulls her closer to his chest and plants a kiss on her nose. “Hmm, you smell like lavender.” Jongin wraps his arms around her, making it impossible for her to leave him.

“I didn’t know you liked the smell of lavender.”

“I don’t. But I do now.”

Soojung rolls her eyes, but still had a smile on her face. She wiggles herself from his grip and he finally lets him go but not before he kisses one more. The fact that he kisses her a lot makes her wonder if he has some kind of obsession to it. Though now she’s been released from his grip, their loving glaze at one another doesn’t move away.

“I just remembered something!” She suddenly hits him, ruining the whole romantic moment. “You! Don’t do anything stupid on my graduation, alright?”

“Why would I even do that?”

“The look that you were giving when we were talking about my graduation was suggesting it. I know you’re the master of surprises. You’re probably already planning to go to Boston just so you could be on time for my graduation. Don’t tire yourself and just stay here in Seoul.”

“I would do no such thing.” He defends himself, insisting that he’s not going elsewhere on the day of their graduations despite that cheeky little grin on his face saying otherwise.

“You’re exactly that kind of person who would do such thing!” She argues.

“I just thought of facetiming your headmaster while you receive your diploma so I could see you, but I guess I can’t do that now, can I?” He tells her and knowing him, it might actually not be a joke. “In all seriousness, I’m upset that I won’t be there to cheer you. I wish I’d be there on your special day.”

“But baby, everyday that I’m with you is my special day.”

Taken aback from the sudden cheesiness when it’s usually him who would say things like that, Jongin’s heart flutters and was unable to speak up for a moment. Instead of saying anything, he just laughs shyly and closes his eyes to avoid her gaze. She kept teasing on how embarrass he got when he felt someone else’s presence. He opens his eyes and sees Doyeon in between them.

“Ma, I’m hungry.” She tells her, scooting next to her. “I want to eat.”

“I’ll cook something for my princess but first, auntie has a question.” Soojung whispers not so quietly, “Do you think uncle Jongin, who cooks the best pancakes in the world, is handsome?”

The little girl look at her uncle, and then back to her auntie. “Not really.”

The older Jung just chuckles, while Jongin shrugs, saying that he appreciate the kid’s honesty. “Doyeonnie, you know uncle Jongin is auntie’s boyfriend, right? Since I’m going for a few days, could you keep an eye on him and play with him?”

“Will auntie bring me something from Boston then?”

“Of course.”

“Okay then.” Doyeon agrees immediately. She then drags Soojung out of the room to the kitchen.

“Wow… those two, looking very lovey-dovey. Remember when we were once like that?” Jaejoong mumbles quietly at her wife as he and the rest of the family stared at her sister giggling with Jongin from the other side of the airport lounge. “Ah, I don’t remember the last time I saw Soojungie like this. It’s really nice to be young, huh?”

Despite knowing that the Jung family is complete and is literally in the same room as they are, Jongin and Soojung are unaffected by that fact and are complete immersed in their own, but mainly it’s because all this time they’ve been thinking that they’re staring at Jaesung and Doyeon who are running around the room.

“You know, Jinri called me this morning. She’s so upset that we’re not meeting before I leave.” Soojung tells her boyfriend. “She’s also upset how I’ve spent my whole time with you.”

“Come on, the two of you have been spending time these four years that you were away. I didn’t even see you then.”

“And whose fault is that?”

“Mine because I’m a bloody idiot.”

Because of his on-point answer, Soojung laughs hard even forgetting that she in a public place, or that her family is there. The only thing that made her stop was when Jaesung’s toy car rolled over to where the young couple was. Not used to see his auntie laughing so hard, the little boy stared at her until she finally noticed him, lifting him and letting him sit on her lap.

“Jaesungie. Tell me, is uncle Jongin handsome?” She asks the kid, who was too shy to even look at the older man. Instead, he buries his face on her shoulder whispering something. “Hmm? What did you say baby?”

“This kid is such a cutie.” Jongin chuckles, ruffling Jaesung’s hair.

“Ohh, is that so?” Soojung tried to make him face her boyfriend after Jaesung seemingly whispered something to her. “If you don’t tell him, uncle Jongin wouldn’t go.”

But Jaesung kept on hiding from Jongin that Soojung had to make him stand up in the end. Jaesung kept on clinging on his aunt, though ultimately, he looks at the older man and says, “U-Uncle, please play with me one day.”

The cuteness of the five-year old boy has melted Jongin’s heart as he immediately agrees to his request with much enthusiasm. He then grabs the kid, letting him sit in his lap to mischievously tickle him. Doyeon was intrigued by her cousin’s loud laughter so she abandons her toys to join the group.

Amused by the scene upon her, Jessica could help but to smile. Maybe he wasn’t used to see Jongin like that, afterall they don’t see each other as much as her sister sees him, but seeing Soojung so cheerful. Not that she has been looking like a depressed, tired college student when she around them. It’s just the smile that her sister has when she’s with Jongin… it’s different. It’s almost angelic in a way.

Soojung has always been quiet and obedient when it comes to the family. She had no voice over her older siblings, much less her parents, since she is the youngest. But now they’re all closer because of her. Plus she was graduating from Harvard, and she finally had her soulmate with her. Jessica couldn’t be happier for her little sister.

And the whole family felt the same way.

“I’m impressed that you’re not crying.” Soojung teased Jongin moments prior to their separation. Their flight to Massacchusets has just started boarding and her siblings and her mother have just started saying goodbye to the kids with Donghae and Catherine. Jongin took this as a chance to wrap his arms around her waist.

“Why would I cry? I’m going to see you again anyways.”

“Let’s see each other back in Seoul.” She emphasized. “Don’t go to my graduation, Jongin. I’m very serious. I don’t want you to get tired.”

Jongin sighs. That was probably the 21sttime she has said that. “What’s in Boston that you firmly insist that I don’t go? Hey, are you cheating on me?”

“Idiot. How could I when we literally just started dating?” She flicks his forehead, causing him to groan.

“But I think I’ll miss you too much.” He mumbles with a sigh.

“I thought that I’ll be the clingy one once we start dating, but look at you sulking.” Chuckling, Soojung playfully presses the bridge of his nose. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”

“Hey, what’s your family doing right now?” He asks her quietly as he holds her waist once again. He had his back on them so he doesn’t really know. Apparently, they were all focused at Doyeon who was now crying for whatever reason. Hearing this, Jongin pulls her closer to kiss her quickly before her family could see. He then followed it with a cheeky little smile.

“I know I’ve said this, but I just want to remind you of how proud I am of you.”

“I could say the same to you.”

After quite a while of eye flirting, Soojung was finally called by her family to board. She bids goodbye at Doyeon and Jaesung and quickly follows the rest of her family in the queue but not before glancing at Jongin one last time, who threw her a flirtatious wink. While watching the Jung family board, Jongin silently walks over where Donghae and Catherine were, who was carrying Doyeon and was holding Jaesung respectivel