now playing: every summertime - niki
"baby, i fall in love again come every summertime"

she loved the summertime.

there was nothing more serene than lying on the grass with the warm sunlight on her skin as she dozed off into a much needed afternoon nap.

“hey, kang seulgi!”

she opened one eye warily, lifting one hand up to shield the sunlight in her eyes as she watched the figure approach.

“if you stay out in the sun for too long, you might get burned.”

a smile stretched across seulgi’s face as she watched joohyun raise her hands above her so that the shadow would cover her face from the sun’s rays.

“but it’s nice.” seulgi said, holding out one hand for joohyun to take and joohyun rolled her eyes slightly with a smile as she took her hand and let herself be pulled down. she put her backpack aside before she laid down beside seulgi with their heads touching slightly and she stared up at the blue sky.

“not a single cloud.” joohyun murmured, holding a hand to her forehead to shield her eyes from the bright sunlight.

“how was your class?”

joohyun heaved out a sigh, “i almost fell asleep because he was so boring.” she complained, making seulgi chuckle.

she heard seulgi shift on the grass so that she was lying on her side with her head propped on her hand.

“you must be tired.” she commented, reaching to fix a strand of hair on joohyun’s head that had gone out of place after she laid down on the grass.

“a little.” joohyun tilted her head to the side to look at seulgi who gave her a soft smile. “your fault for making me watch that horror movie last night.” she said, but there wasn’t any malice in her voice.

“watch? you had your eyes covered for the entire movie.” seulgi laughed lightly, “but you can sleep now.” she said.

joohyun’s brows furrowed, “we both have class soon.” she reminded her. it was their first year in college and while she still took everything seriously; going above and beyond for her classes, seulgi had already become accustomed to the laidback college student lifestyle.

“but it’s so nice out here.” seulgi said, flopping onto her back and sighing in content with her eyes closed.

joohyun eyed her for a moment, reaching over to pull down the corner of seulgi’s shirt that had hitched up to expose a bit of her stomach and she thought carefully about the risks and benefits of taking a nap.

“just a quick nap?” she asked.

“yeah.” seulgi replied in a murmur and she sounded like she was half asleep already.

joohyun lifted seulgi’s arm up to make space, moving until she was right beside her and felt seulgi automatically hug her closer.

“you’re so warm.” joohyun whispered, feeling the heat radiating off seulgi’s clothes after she had been basking in the sunlight for a while now.

seulgi just hummed in response, the sound resembling a contented cat’s purr and joohyun smiled wider.

it had been summertime when they first met and ever since then, seulgi became associated with summertime, the sun, and clear skies.

ever since then, joohyun had loved the summertime.

she fell asleep with a smile on her face, seulgi’s arms around her, and the sun warm on her skin.

they never made it to their classes that afternoon, but joohyun had no complaints.

~

“i’m not kidding, feel my palms.”

joohyun grabbed seulgi’s outreached hands and laughed in surprise and disbelief. “why are you so sweaty?” she asked.

“why do you think?” seulgi exclaimed, her naturally mellow voice sounding choppy and strained.

“it’s nothing to be worried about.” joohyun calmed her down, running a hand down her arm. “you’ll be just fine.”

seulgi gulped, turning to peer out the window of the taxi to check how close they were to their destination.

over the one year they had been together, joohyun had never seen seulgi act this way before. she never even thought seulgi could be so anxious over something.

seulgi cracked her knuckles nervously and joohyun stopped her by holding her hands.

“seul, it will be fine.” she said reassuringly.

“maybe we’re moving too fast.” seulgi blurted. “i mean, maybe it’s better to wait a bit longer before meeting each other’s parents so that it’s like..i mean- i don’t know, i- maybe we should do this after we graduate or something-” seulgi rambled quickly and without much thought because she was too nervous.

“so now you think we’re moving too fast?” joohyun raised an eyebrow, challenging her and seulgi stopped abruptly, realising her own words.

“that’s not what i meant baby.” she said, reaching for her hand to placate her just in case joohyun wasn’t joking and actually felt upset by her words. “i’m sorry, i didn’t mean it like that. i don’t know why i said that. i’m just not in my right mind because i’m terrified.”

“right.” joohyun pursed her lips as an awful, insecure thought crossed her mind that seulgi didn’t love her enough to overcome these obstacles for her, or that she didn’t see their relationship seriously enough. she pushed the thoughts out of her head, “but you have nothing to be scared of. my dad is kind.”

“i trust you, but i just… can’t help it.” seulgi said, biting her lip.

joohyun opened to say something but she realised the taxi had stopped and after a quick glance out the window, she realised they had arrived back at her house in her hometown.

without another word, joohyun got out of the taxi to retrieve their belongings from the trunk which only consisted of her small suitcase and seulgi’s duffel bag. joohyun was strangely quiet as she paid the driver and turned to start walking down the path through the front garden.

“joohyun, wait.” she heard the sound of seulgi’s bag hitting the ground and seulgi ran up to her, turning her around to face her. “i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to be such a coward and say those things. i know i should be braver and more confident, but it’s just that the thought of messing this up scares me so much.” she confessed and joohyun’s gaze softened at seulgi’s sincerity.

“the thought of your dad not liking me terrifies me because i love you so much and i really want to be with you and i want him to like me being with you. i don't what i would do if he disapproved of us being together, i think i would die.” she said seriously.

“you would not die.” joohyun said with a small smile tugging on her lips.

“yes i would.” seulgi responded with a pout. “you told me that he had high expectations for who you choose to date.”

“that is true.” joohyun nodded, hiding her smile. “he said to choose wisely and try to find a big, strong man with a good paying job.” she exaggerated.

seulgi visibly deflated, “see!” she said with a whine. “and i’m the opposite of that. how will he think i’m good enough? oh i’m screwed.” she fretted.

joohyun laughed, making seulgi frown at how relaxed she was while it felt like the world was ending for her.

“but you know what he said after that?” she asked, reaching out to hold seulgi’s hands and seulgi looked at her with a shake of her head and curious eyes. “he said to just find someone who makes me happy, and if i have that, then nothing else really matters.”

“well…” seulgi’s voice trailed off thoughtfully and joohyun punched her arm lightly, already knowing she was going to make a serious comment on how a good paying job was important.

“what i’m trying to say is,” joohyun huffed, “he wouldn't disapprove of you or us because he knows how happy you make me and how much i love you. also, you don’t even have to try and everyone that meets you will naturally like you.” she said, making seulgi blush.

“and even if he did disapprove for some reason,” she said, seeing a hint of worry flash in seulgi's eyes. “do you think i would let that stop us from being together?” she asked. “i’d fight for us even if it takes years, until the day he approves.”

seulgi let out a breath, nodding. “i would fight for us too.” she said, sounding more determined and less anxious. “i’d prove to him that i can take care of you.”

joohyun’s heart did a small skip at how seulgi sounded so assertive. “but we’ll be fine.” she reiterated, pulling seulgi’s arms to bring her closer and she reached up to cup her jaw. “hey,” she said, smoothing her thumb across her cheek to relax seulgi’s tense expression. “i love you.” she said.

“i love you too.” seulgi whispered, holding joohyun’s waist as she leaned down to rest her forehead on hers. “thank you for reassuring me.”

she met her halfway for the kiss and joohyun momentarily forgot where they were as she was filled with desire to show seulgi exactly how much she loved her and how certain she was about her being the person she wanted to bring home to her dad.

seulgi gasped quietly when she heard the sound of a voice clearing their throat behind them and she pulled back from the kiss, her face paling when she realised joohyun’s dad was standing at the doorway watching them.

“well, this wasn't the first meeting i had imagined.” joohyun’s dad commented and joohyun blushed, knowing he was only teasing, but seulgi was frozen in fear thinking that she had really offended him.

and when joohyun’s dad cruelly decided to prank seulgi by acting displeased, joohyun had to do her best not to laugh out loud at the way seulgi was sweating bullets again.

seulgi was at the doorway bowing repeatedly with apologies and hasty explanations when her dad looked met joohyun’s gaze from where she stood in the garden, surrounded by the magnolias blooming in the summertime.

“i like her a lot.” he mouthed to joohyun and joohyun had never smiled wider.

seulgi looked like she was near tears but then joohyun’s dad burst out into amused laughter that reminded seulgi of joohyun’s laugh and he pulled her into a fatherly hug, “welcome to our family, seulgi.” he said warmly.

joohyun’s world seemed to brighten a whole lot more when seulgi turned to look at her with a disbelieving but relieved expression. joohyun tilted her head with a raise of her eyebrows as if to say ‘i told you so’, to which seulgi just smiled back widely with pure happiness in her gaze and it felt like all the flowers in the garden were smiling for them too.

seulgi was the first person she had ever brought home to meet her dad, and seeing seulgi here, standing at the door to her childhood home and giving her the sweetest of smiles, she fit right in.

they were only 18, but joohyun caught herself hoping seulgi would stay for a long, long time.