Woohyun let out a content sigh as he casually strolled down the sidewalk. He decided to surprise you with a bouquet of flowers and an offer to take you out to lunch. He did these kinds of things often because “that’s what boyfriends are supposed to do for their girlfriends”. Or at least, that’s what he believed.  

He smiled to himself as he neared the small bookstore and tightened his grip on the bouquet of flowers as he pushed the door open.

“Hello? Anyone here?” he called.

One of the owners, a middle-aged woman, looked up from the cash register, “Oh, Woohyun-ah!”  

Woohyun gave her a polite bow and smile, “Is ______ here?” he asked as he got on his toes in an attempt to look over the rows of bookshelves.

“Yeah, she’s shelving books in the back but –“

“Thank you!” Woohyun cut her off and scurried off before she could finish her sentence.

As he went further and further into the store, he smiled when his ears picked up your voice. He hid behind a bookshelf and felt himself start to get giddy with anticipation.

“This is really a bad idea,” he heard you mumble warily.

Woohyun glanced around the bookshelf he was standing behind and froze in his spot when he saw another guy standing next to you.

“Why?” the guy raised an eyebrow as he casually leaned against the bookshelf next to you.

“Don’t you think this is cutting it really close? I mean, I hate sneaking around like this.”

Woohyun quickly hid back behind the bookshelf and knitted his eyebrows together.

“Stop worrying!” the guy laughed, “Everything is going to be fine!”

“But so many things could go wrong!” you exclaimed, “What if someone catches us?”

“______-ah,” the guy sighed, “Our plan is full proof. Dinner, a stroll around the park, and putting locks on the gate at Namsam tower.”

Woohyun’s eyes widened and he body went numb in horror.

‘Is she … cheating on me?’

“It’s perfectly safe,” the unknown male continued, “Everything is going to turn our perfect and no one is going to get hurt.”

‘Except for me,’ Woohyun frowned as he glared at the cellophane wrapped flowers in his hand.

“But –“ you argued.

“No buts!” the guy slapped his hand over your mouth and gave you a smile, “I’ll come pick you up at seven okay?”

Woohyun couldn’t take anymore and rushed out of the store, barely hearing the owner call his name as he left.

You looked away from the boy standing next to you and threw his hand off of your mouth when you heard the shop door open and close, “But what if mom and dad don’t like it? This whole photo album thing of all of their dates? I mean this this is their gift from us for their 25^th anniversary. What if they catch us? What if they don’t even like the album with they get it? What if they think we’re creepy children?!”

“I told you to stop worrying!” your brother rolled his eyes, “They’ll love it! And who cares if they catch us, I’m pretty sure mom will cry when she sees it anyways.”

You couldn’t help but let a small smile stretch across your lips, “Yeah I guess you’re right. I mean, mom cried when we gave her an apron with her name on it for Christmas last year.”

---

You threw yourself into your apartment and haphazardly took off your shoes and jacket.

As you stumbled into the living room, you noticed a broken bouquet of flowers next to your boyfriend’s keys and wallet laying on the coffee table. But you simply shrugged it off, too tired to even question anything at the moment. Who knew chasing around two adults and would take so much energy?

“Woohyun?” you whispered as you opened the door to your bedroom as quietly as you could, “Are you in here?”

Woohyun jumped when he heard your voice and instantly turned his back to face you, furiously wiping his eyes with his hands.

You stood in the doorway in shock of the sight in front of you, “Are you … crying?”

“No,” he lied, but the thickness in his voice told you otherwise.

You walked into the room and sat down on the bed next to him, “What’s wrong?”

Woohyun flinched and recoiled away from you when you reached out to place a comforting hand on his knee. The small action stung a little, but not knowing why your boyfriend was crying hurt even more.

“Woohyun …” you breathed.

“Did you have fun?” he asked suddenly.

You stared at him, utterly confused, “Huh?”

“On your date,” he muttered.

“Date?” you knitted your eyebrows together and you were sent into further confusion.

Woohyun looked up at you and your heart broke when you saw how red and puffy his eyes were, “Yeah, with that guy from the bookstore.”

“Bookstore…” you mumbled to yourself and your eyes widened when you realized what was going on, “No, Woohyun, you don’t understand. He-”

“You know, I was going to surprise you today because I know that you always work really hard and I was just trying to be a good boyfriend,” he said hollowly.

“Woohyun, if you can just let me explain –“

“But no,” he continued, like he didn’t even hear you at all, “I find out that you’re sneaking around with other guys behind my back!”

Woohyun stood up and started pacing, something that you knew he did when he was upset or stressed.

“Woohyun, please,” you clenched your fists in an attempt to not let your frustration get the better of you.

“I was faithful this whole time!” he exploded, “I never once looked at other girls, even when they were trying to flirt with me! But you-“

“He’s my brother!” you screamed.

Woohyun froze in shock as you took deep breaths to calm yourself down.

“If you would sit down and give me a chance, I can explain everything to you,” you muttered.

Woohyun mutely sat down and continued to stare at you with wide eyes.

You took one last deep breath and felt your anger and frustration subside.

“What you heard in the bookstore was me and my brother planning something for my parents for their anniversary,” you explained, “That thing about the dinner and the park, that was my parents’ plan for their date. Me and my brother were just going to follow them around and take pictures of them to make a scrapbook. We weren’t going on a date and no, I’m not cheating on you with my brother or anyone else for that matter.”

The two of you just sat there for a while, you blankly staring out the window at the night sky and Woohyun biting his lip as guilt rushed over his body.

“How could you even think that I would cheat on you?” you asked, a little disappoint.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered and hung his head, “But I see the way other guys look at you when we go on dates or when we go shopping together. You could get another boyfriend so easily that I just … worry that you’ll realize it one day and leave me.”

You let out a sigh and rested your head on Woohyun’s shoulder, grabbing his hand and lacing your fingers together.

“Don’t you think I worry about the same thing?” you kept your eyes on your intertwined hands.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled again.

You closed your eyes and shifted closer to your boyfriend, “It’s okay.”

“Don’t you want to lie down?” he asked, glancing at the pillows to his side

“No, this is comfortable. Let’s just stay like to this for a little while,” you murmured, half asleep.

Woohyun pressed a kiss to your forehead before leaning his head on top of yours with a sigh.