It was a picturesque day for couples everywhere, during the transitional period between springtime and summertime. As flowers stayed in bloom, the sun shined amidst baby-blue skies almost every day. Lovers could be seen all over South Korea, from beaches to cafés to parks, and none more common than those of high school and college age. Once such couple was enjoying a nice picnic at one of the more popular parks, munching delicately on the consumables they brought with them.

“Ji Hoo sunbae, thanks for asking me out today. I really am having a good time with you,” beamed Jan Di as she paused from her eating.

Looking in her direction, Ji Hoo smiled before responding. “I am also glad that you could come… it seems that nowadays you are nothing but stressed out, so I wanted to help you get away from it all.”

Jan Di could only reply with a grin. She picked up a bunch of grapes from her picnic basket and plucked one from it. “Say ah,” Jan Di said to Ji Hoo, raising her hand near his mouth.

Ji Hoo did what he was asked, but at the moment the grape grazed his lip, Jan Di quickly retracted it. “Nope,” she simply said and plopped the plump fruit in , smiling at her companion while chewing on it.

For a moment the male looked astonished, but soon composed his face back to neutrality. He started clearing the blanket of everything that was not being eaten from or used.  Jan Di could only look on in confusion as she wondered what he was doing.

“Ji Hoo, what are you doing? Are you finished eating? I thought we weren’t going to leave for another thirty minutes or so,” she trailed off while finishing the last of her grapes.

Ji Hoo only looked at her in response and put away the last of the food containers. After he saw that she had swallowed her last grape, he took the leftover vines and placed them in a nearby trash can. When he returned, he moved the picnic basket about 4 feet from where the edge of their blanket was, and intently stared at Jan Di.

“Okay, you’re really starting to creep me out, Ji Hoo sunbae. What’s wrong?” Jan Di questioned.

“You really want to know?”

“Yes…”

“Well,” Ji Hoo started, “you were being very mean when you teased me with the grape, and so you need to be punished,” he stated. All it took was for him to raise his hands and flex his fingers so Jan Di could figure out what he was about to do.

Jan Di did know what he was going to do, and her eyes grew wide as she tried to make a getaway. Her attempt to flee was foiled as Ji Hoo was much quicker than her, and she tumbled down the moment his arms caught her waist.

Ji Hoo immediately began tickling her, getting her waist and abdomen as they were her most ticklish spots. While she put up a good resistance by thrashing around, he still was able to restrain her and continue his attacks, ignoring the many people in the park that were looking at the couple.

“Ji Hoo!”  Jan Di managed to get out between fits of laughter. “Okay, okay, I’m sorry! HAHAHAHA! People are looking! HAHAHA! Stop, I give up! I give up!” she exclaimed.

Ji Hoo immediately relented and moved away. He laid down next to Jan Di and waited until she got her last few laughs out to begin talking to her.

“Jan Di ah, I’ve just got to know…” he started.

“Know what, Ji Hoo sunbae?”

“I just want to know why you chose me over Jun Pyo. I know that you loved him dearly, and I felt bad about influencing you to leave him. I still do.” he said, looking away.

Jan Di moved so that she was facing him. Grabbing his face in her hands, she looked into his eyes. “You are my comfort food, that’s why.”

 Ji Hoo looked very confused and his eyes asked for an explanation from Jan Di.

“With Jun Pyo, I had to be a certain way. I was always on edge. I had to be proper, act formally, as if I was at a banquet or something like that. But with you, I can be myself. I can be silly and not get reprimanded for it. You’re like my comfort food,” she finished.

Ji Hoo could only smile after hearing what Jan Di confessed. It seemed that all of his effort in fighting for her was well rewarded. He took his hand in hers and proceeded to lie in her lap. Ji Hoo slowly drifted off to sleep, but not without one last disturbance from Jan Di.

“Hey, Ji Hoo, guess what?”

Ji Hoo opened his eyes slightly. “What is it?”

Jan Di quickly secured his lips with hers and smiled before he could do otherwise.

“I love you.”

With that said, Ji Hoo drifted off to sleep with the image of his smiling girlfriend in his head.