"Looks like we're all done.  Why don't you grab Young-ah so we can start dinner?" Mrs. Dong peered outside her kitchen window and worried her bottom lip.  The snow was falling heavier now, its fat wet flakes lighting up her usually dark yard.

Amina looked up from setting the main course on the table.  Her smile dimmed a little upon hearing the concern in his mother's voice.  She nodded and bowed briefly before she left. 

Amina rounded the corner and peered into the living room, expecting Youngbae to be there.  But he wasn't... and neither was Boss.  His shoes were still where he left them, so he couldn't have gone far.  She headed towards the guest bathroom and noticed light shining from a room nearby.

"Bae-ah?" Amina called quietly as she came closer to the room.  The door was slightly ajar so she peered in.  A smile broke across her face upon the seeing the sight that greeted her.  Youngbae was sprawled across the bed, one arm folded behind his head while the other laid half across his chest.  His fingers were snuggled in-between the back folds of Boss's neck. 

She approached the pair quietly, hesitating when Boss popped his head up at her.  His big brown eyes glanced at her briefly before he leapt off the bed.  Youngbae continued sleeping.  Amina bit back her smile as she walked closer and sat down at the spot where Boss vacated.

Youngbae was breathing in deeply, his face relaxed and boyishly handsome.  She hadn't noticed before, but a five o'clock shadow had started to set in along the side of his jaw line and over the top of his lips.  He was all male and... for now, all hers.  She leaned down and quietly whispered into his ear. "Bae-ah... wake up."

He didn't stir.

She tried again, this time by placing a light hand upon his chest.  She rubbed gently.  "Oppa..." she implored, her face hovering inches above his.  "Please wake up... dinner is ready.  And I think your umma is worried that the weather is getting bad."

The sound of her voice broke through his unconsciousness, slowly surfacing him up from his deep sleep.  Youngbae took in a quick deep breath, his eyelashes fluttering open.  He stared at her for a few moments, uncertain whether or not he was still dreaming.

Amina could see that he was half-awake, his body still disoriented.  She gently spoke to him again.  "It's getting late... We should probably eat and go soon. Before the storm gets worse."

She could see that he would need a minute or two to shake off the sleepiness.  The cuteness of the moment made her smile into his eyes.  "Come out when you can."  Amina leaned down and placed an impulsive swift kiss on his cheek.  She stood up and left, quietly closing the door behind her.

Youngbae stared after her departure, a bemused expression on his face. 

He stared at the bowl in front of him. It was plain chicken stock soup, but Youngbae could already sense that the chopped greens floating on top were going to over-power the dish. He frowned slightly.

The ladies were still bustling about the kitchen, chatting up a storm about the latest herb known to cure colds.  His mother sat down and noticed his preoccupation.  She could tell he was about to say something about her soup.  "Is it to your taste?  Amina-ah made it."

Amina glanced up, hearing her name called.  She could see the mischief in his mother's eyes as she waited for her son to say something.

"Oh. Then it must be good then," he said as Amina sat down in front of him.  Youngbae noticed a small smile on her face as she shared a look with his mother.  It appeared they were both watching him, waiting for him to take the first move.

He tasted a spoonful of the broth, swirling it slightly around his tongue before swallowing.  It was bland. "Neh," he nodded, hoping his eyes didn't give him away. "It's really good."

Amina grinned at Mrs. Dong as they both dug in after him.  They looked at each other while they swallowed, their faces both unimpressed.

"Needs salt," his mother said.

"Yeh... and I can barely taste the chicken."

"I went overboard with the vegetables.  I always do that."  Mrs. Dong shook her head.  "Maybe I am losing my touch...."

 Amina smiled.  "It's alright.  It just needs a little seasoning, that's all."  She took the bowl of soup back up and headed towards the kitchen cupboard where the spices were located.  She scooped out the extra greens and added more stock, fixing the taste by adding more salt and pepper.

"So it was really good, huh?" his mother asked, her eyebrow raised.

Youngbae grinned quietly to himself, his face turning red.  He knew he'd been caught.

They continued with the meal, mainly laughing at his expense, while his mother re-told family stories about him from the past.  He joined in with them, straightening out his mother's foggy memory at every opportunity.  Amina smiled and laughed at their interactions, enjoying their conversation.  She hadn't enjoyed herself like this in a long time.  And better yet - Amina could see that Youngbae was enjoying himself as well, his body fully at ease.  The loving, teasing manner with which he spoke to his mother was another side that Amina hadn't seen of him.  It filled her heart with fondness the longer she watched them talk.

"Ah... it's been awhile since I've had such good conversation at dinner," Mrs. Dong smiled.  "It's too bad we don't live closer to the city.  I would invite you two over for dinner every night." 

Amina smiled as she looked over at Youngbae.  He was watching her as well, his eyes warm.

"Neh... with just his father and me, dinner can get pretty boring."  Mrs. Dong sighed.  "Maybe if we had grandkids..." She looked meaningfully at Youngbae. "Maybe we wouldn't be so lonely."

Youngbae felt his face heat.  "You're too young to be a grandma."

"Aish..." she scoffed.  "All of my friends have grandchildren... some are in school now.  While I... just have Boss-ah."  She looked down and shook her head sadly at Boss who was resting at her feet.  She glanced up and looked directly at Amina.  "Could you give me two grandbabies?"

Youngbae choked on his food.

Amina grinned.  "Just two?" she quipped in return. 

Youngbae raised an eyebrow at Amina, wondering how in the world these two teamed up forces so quickly within the last hour.  This was definitely the last time he brought a girl home with him.

Amina turned the power of her smile directly at him, her eyes sparkling with quiet mischief.

Neh, he thought to himself, his heart swelling with love.  This was the last and only girl he would ever bring home again.

"Be careful driving home," Mrs. Dong warned Youngbae as he was putting on his boots.

"Neh, umma.  I'll be careful."  He turned and gave her a hug, watching behind them as Amina retrieved her jacket.

"And don't forget to call me when you get there.  I will worry incessantly." 

"Neh," he smiled, trying to ease the worry from his mom's face.  "I'm sure we'll be... fine."  He opened the front door and paused.  The snow had blanketed the driveway and branches on the trees nearby.  It enveloped his car windshield and top, covering the black walls of his tires up to the point where his rims began.

He turned around in time to see Amina bow her thanks before his mother smothered her in a hug.  He smiled at the surprised look on Amina's face.

"And you're welcome over here anytime," Mrs. Dong said, her eyes crinkling in delight.  She pressed a bag filled with leftovers and jars of kimchi into Amina's hands.  "And if you ever need more, just let Young-ah know and I'll make you some more... or better yet, I'll just tell you about the secret family recipe.  It's really simple..."

"Umma," Youngbae interrupted.  "We need to get going."

She threw him an impatient look.  "Alright."  She hugged Amina one more time.  "Please take good care of each other." 

Amina blushed and nodded.  "Yeh." 

She walked them out to the door.  "And make sure he eats well... and gets plenty of rest."

Amina chuckled.  "Yeh."

"And maybe you can ask him to cut his hair... he doesn't seem to listen to me anymore."

"Y-yeh," Amina felt her body tremble with suppressed laughter.  She looked up to see Youngbae's humorous gaze on her. "Annyeonghasaeyo ajumoni..." She bowed one last time before following Youngbae to his car.  He started up the engine and worked on clearing the snow off his car.  After he settled back in, Amina turned to him.  "Your mother is really nice," she smiled.

"Neh... and real nosey too." He grinned at her.

The drive back to Seoul was painfully slow.  The ride took longer than usual due to the heavy snowfall that fell within such a short period of time.  The roads had yet to be cleared and a few cars were stranded in ditches or stopped on the side of roads with their emergency lights on. Youngbae carefully drove past as many cars as he could, slowing down marginally as some started fish-tailing.  His jaw locked up and his body became tense several times when he couldn't feel his car's traction underneath him.

Amina could sense that the storm was not letting up.  The closer they got to the city, the heavier the snow fell.  "Can I turn on the radio?" she asked.

He briefly glanced at her, his eyes still concentrated on the road.  "Neh."

Amina flipped through the radio stations, finally settling on one that was giving updates on the road conditions.  The newscaster informed them of a large car wreck up ahead, which explained why they were moving at such a slow pace.  It also appeared that snow was falling heavier on the north side of town... right where they were heading.

She glanced over worriedly at Youngbae.  "You don't have to take me all the way home.  Just drop me at the nearest transit station.  I'll take the subway home so you don't have to drive through this mess."

Youngbae looked over at her, slightly peeved.  "I'm not letting you take the subway home."

"Why not?"  Amina asked.  "It's going to take about two more hours to reach my apartment like this... and who knows how long for you to drive back.  With the snow..." She let out a worried sigh.  "You could get stuck... or worse."

"It's too late for me to stop now.  We've already passed the dormitory." He looked over at her and could see that his response wasn't going to appease her.  But she was right though, he thought to himself as he stepped on the brake once more.  They were almost sitting at a stand still.  At this pace, it would take all night to make it to her apartment. 

He looked at the road signs, checking their location before signaling off at the next exit.  He knew of one place they could seek shelter for the night.  Hopefully she would agree it was the best option for both of them.

Amina didn't question the change of direction as Youngbae drove through the streets of Seoul.  He was finally off the main highway and they were moving again.  That was all that mattered.  She waited anxiously as they passed by several transit spots.  But he never slowed down.

"I could have gotten off there," Amina said, watching them pass by another bus stop.

He scoffed under his breath.  "I told you.  I'm not dropping you off so you can ride the subway or bus home."  He looked over at her and could see she was about to argue with him.  "Do you see anyone there?  A blizzard is coming and you think they're still running public routes?  More than likely, they've suspended their schedule until tomorrow, when the roads are cleared."  He turned back to the road ahead of him.

Amina mulled over his words as they kept driving further south. He was right, she thought to herself, as they passed by more bus stops.  No one was around and she had yet to see any buses pass by on their drive.  She would probably freeze to death before someone came by to pick her up.

A round of heavy snowfall settled back in, blinding the roadway in front of them.  Amina bit her bottom lip as their visibility decreased.  By some miracle, Youngbae kept forging on.  She let out a small sigh of relief the moment he turned into a secured parking garage.  He punched in his security code and drove through the gates.

Youngbae cut off the engine and unbuckled his seat belt.

"Where are we?"

"My apartment."

"Your apartment? Wae?" Amina felt another type of panic set in.

"Because it's not safe for me to drive anymore. And it's the only place I know of that is close by."  He could see she wanted to ask something.  "Mwuh? What's wrong?"

Amina pressed her lips together, hating what she was about to ask.  "Are there any surprise family members living here that I should know about?"

He chuckled.  "Ani...  No other family members.  Although... We could still be surprised." 

She looked at him in confusion.

"I haven't been here in several months.  I have no idea what's waiting for us upstairs."  He smiled.  "C'mon."

Amina followed Youngbae as he walked inside the upscale condominium building.  A security guard greeted Youngbae by name, bowing politely as they walked by. 

"I didn't know you had your own apartment," Amina said as they stepped into the elevator.

"Neh." He grinned at her.  "Did you think I lived with my umma?"

Amina blushed.  "Ani... it's just that... You're always at the dorm."

Youngbae nodded his head at her.  "When we have a lot of practice or if I'm in the studio, I stick nearby YG because it's more convenient. But I try to swing by here every once in awhile.  A housekeeper comes by once a month, so it should be clean..."  They walked through a short hallway before he stopped in front of a door.  He unlocked it and let them in.

The floors were tiled in marble and everything in the condo was white, except for the black leather sectionals in the living room.  She took off her shoes and laid her jacket next to his on the sofa.  He the light in the kitchen that was directly off the entrance way.  Amina followed him to the refrigerator and watched as he sat the bag of food next to the bottles of Perrier that sat alone in the fridge.

"It's a good thing your mom packed a lot of food," Amina remarked, her eyes taking in the rest of the place.  It was true what he said - the placed looked brand new, like no one lived there.

He turned to face her, his eyes roaming over her face carefully.

"Mwuh?" She looked up into his honey brown eyes, seeing the warmness there.

"I'm just waiting," he replied.

"For?"

He started grinning.  "For you to argue with me.  For bringing you here."

She scrunched up her nose and smacked him the arm, her smile not far behind as he yelped.  "There!  Is that better?"  She smiled at him.  "What else can I do?  I'm not going to walk home... and I don't expect you to drive out there in this weather..."  She shrugged her shoulder at him.

His eyes smiled at her.  "You're so agreeable.  Does this mean we get to share the same bed tonight?"

Amina felt herself blush at his bold statement, opening in surprise. She turned quickly around so he wouldn't see her embarrassment, but gasped when she felt him pull his arms around her, his face breathing in her neck.  He had never been so bold before.  It made her heart race.

"Is that a yes?" He murmured into her ear, his embrace tight.

"Ani," Amina half-struggled in his embrace.  He eased up a little so she could turn around to face him within the circle of his arms.  She placed her hands on his chest.  "Just because you tell people that I'm your girlfriend... doesn't mean I'm your girlfriend."

He stared into her eyes, his lips curving slightly.  "Is that so?"

"Neh."  She tried to look defiantly at him, but it was hard.  It felt too good to be in his arms again.

He lowered his gaze, his eyes going to .  He his own lips before asking.  "So what do I need to do in order for you to be my girl?

Amina could sense the heaviness of his question, the emotion behind it.  She felt her breath catch.

"Did you like the gifts?  The chocolates... the candy.... the ice cream?"

"Neh," Amina replied quietly.

"And the painting... the jacket... the shoes?"  He stared deeply into her eyes.

She nodded her head softly, remembering all the notes he tucked in the gifts along the way.

"Did you like the song?" he asked, his voice lowering an octave.

"I loved the song," she reverently replied. 

"But it's still not enough for you to be my girlfriend?" he implored, his cheeks stained red.  He swallowed hard as he waited.

Amina looked into his eyes and felt her heart ache.  "Ani," she shook her head. 

Youngbae lowered his head beside Amina's shoulder, his face hidden from her view.  After several heartbeat moments, he took a deep breath and leaned back up to face her.  His looked deep into her eyes, his voice shaking slightly.  "Whether it's one month... one week... or just one day.  From now until whenever... I want you to be mine."

Amina pressed her lips together to keep them from trembling. 

"I don't want to be friends.  I want to be lovers." He stared intensely into her eyes, his voice growing more confident.  "I want to know you like no man ever will."

She took in a slow shaky breath, her eyes never leaving his.

"Even if it is just for a moment.... I'll take it.  Because I love you.  I love you like I've never loved anyone before."  He clamped his jaw shut and pressed his lips together, agonizing over the pain he felt inside as he waited for her to respond.

Amina felt time stop.  He loved her.  She blinked back the sudden tears that sprang to her eyes.  "Gomawo..." 

He creased his eyebrows in confusion, not believing he heard right.

She bit the inside of her cheek to stop from crying, but her voice continued to quiver with emotion. "Gomawo... for loving me." She sniffed as the tears started falling.  She wiped them away with her fist, her hand shaking badly.

"It's okay. I-I understand..." he lied, feeling alarmed.  He didn't know what to make of her reaction.  He started to pull away from her, his eyes hurt.

"Ani," she breathlessly whispered and cupped his face, pulling him back.  Her heart was pounding so fast.  "Gajima... today, tomorrow, until whenever.  Stay with me."  She started crying again, her words hitching, "B-because I've always loved you.... and I always will." 

She saw understanding dawn in his eyes right before he swooped down and captured her lips in a hungry kiss, their lips molding over one another. Amina clung onto his shoulders and felt his body shake from deep within.  He broke off their kiss and just squeezed her tightly in his embrace.  They were both breathing rapidly, their hearts pounding fast.

"Baby... you... scared me." He confessed, leaning back slightly so he could see her face.  "I tell you I love you... you tell me gomawo."  A lopsided grin on his face, he continued, "What will we tell our kids?"

Amina grinned into his face.  "Mianhae... I was overwhelmed."  Her face sobered.  "But I meant every word.  I really am thankful for your love."  She looked into his smiling face for a moment before cheekily saying, "You did just ask me to be your girlfriend right? B-because if that was a marriage proposal... with all the kid reference and stuff..."

He grinned wickedly at her and, without taking his eyes off her, he slowly started to bend down on one knee. 

"Bae..." she implored, her eyes turning to worry.

He bit his lower lip and hugged her behind her thighs, standing straight up.  He growled into her chest as he twirled her around. 

Amina shrieked in response, holding onto his shoulders for balance.  She cupped his face against her chest, her fingers gently rubbing his temples. She felt every inch of his torso as he slowly let her down.  She smiled into his eyes.

"Good... because I don't think I'm ready to be engaged again."  Despite her euphoria from moments before, Amina couldn't help but feel melancholy.  "What are we going to do?"

Youngbae tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.  "We'll figure something out..."  I'll figure something out, he told himself.  "And if not... I meant every word I said too.  I want to love you each and every day.... for as long as I can."  He cupped her chin gently and bent down and pressed his mouth on hers.  "Starting with tonight," he whispered against her lips.