the clock read 7:34 pm. jihyo said she would be home from practice at 7. you know activities with twice can’t always be pinned down by the minute, but her being this late made you worried. you sat curled up on the couch, wearing one of jihyo’s bigger sweatshirts. with a cup of tea in your hands, you continued to watch your favorite kdrama. jihyo always commented about how obsessed you were. 

“jagiya, it’s just a plot!” she would say, watching you get overworked. but it’s not just a plot to you, the characters the actors the actresses the set the-

your thoughts were interrupted by a door knob turning. you jumped up from the couch (spilling some tea in the process) and ran to the door. 

“baby? i’m home” jihyo says before turning around. you planned on greeting her with kisses and hugs and smiles but her facial expression warned you to back off. her hair was tied up in a knot rather than a bun, her shirt and skin covered in sweat, holding what looked like a lyric book and a book bag. she was clearly out of breath. “hey...why are you all messed up? did you drive straight home or something?” you ask her, pulling up her chin with your pointer finger. her eyes widen, and she quickly sighs and avoids your gaze. “i...i missed you. i wanted to come home as soon as i could.” jihyo puts her head on your shoulders and you rub her back to comfort how overworked she is. giving her a quick kiss on the top of her head, you take her things out of her arms and set them on the table. 

“you need to shower, go ahead and i’ll make dinner okay?” you ask, leaning in for a kiss on her lips. to your surprise, she pulls away. 

“no! it’s my turn to make dinner, you made dinner last night,” jihyo pouts. despite her being tired and constantly overworked, she still makes you her number one priority, even if that means something as simple as not letting you skip her turn to make dinner. you shake your head and push her playfully towards the bathroom. 

“shower! i’m making something quick so don’t be too long.” she finally agrees to you, and giggles on her way in. 

after making dinner, you hear the bathroom door open and are greeted by steam escaping the small room. out from the steam comes your tiny girl, wrapped up in a towel, hair still soaking wet. she types something on her phone and looks back up at you. she blushes, realizing her appearance and jogs off to your room to get dressed. you make your plate and hers and carry it into the room where you see her just putting on her shirt. 

“here baby, let me take my plate from your hands, it must be hot.” jihyo says, reaching out to you. you let her take it and sit down next to her on the bed. she opens her laptop and pulls up your favorite drama to watch, even though it’s not necessarily her favorite. you feel her head rest on your shoulder and her body scoot closer to you. 

a soft whisper falls from her lips. 

“i love you, thank you for taking care of me”