"Your mother was telling me what you were like when you were younger" Taemin revealed later as the two were washing and drying the dishes alone. She glanced over at him. "And?" "And i'm happy that you've let me in your bubble, she said you don't like expressing yourself to others but you do to me. She said when you were younger and wanted to cry you only did it alone without others to comfort you. But when you had a nightmare you called me..." he stopped there, and she thoughtfully stared out the window. "I've always liked pleasing people and making them happy, i think it' selfish to bring other people's mood down with mine so i hid it the best i could. My father..." she couldnt bring herself to say anything else and swallowed the painful lump in . "Our family wasn't happy when i was a child so i tried my best to hide any sadness. When that didn't cheer anyone up i tried to hide my smile as well, i hid all of my feelings". "And why did you hide away so much?" he continued, continuing to wash the plates and hand them to he rone by one to dry and put away. "I found places that were quiet so i couldnt hear my parents arguing. My closet, under beds, i even found a huge tile had been cut out of the wall and 6 year old me was small enough to hide there..." she laughed, imagining trying to do it now. "I also hid away because i had... a thing, about people touching me..." She frowned, struggling to remember exactly why she had the issue with touching. There was a blurry image of when she was 5, someone coming into her room and large rough hands grabbing her. She shivered and shook her head to clear it, it was probably just a nightmare not a memory anyway. Taemin nodded and smiled, seeing she didn't really wanto to discuss it further. "You have something on your face..." he said. She rubbed her cheeks and he shook his head, so she moved her hand to the other side of her face. "Here?" she asked, to which he shook his head again. "Here?" she asked, pointing to her forehead. "On your nose, right here" he said, pulling his hand covered in bubbly froth from the diswashing liquid and placing one finger on her nose to cover it in white foam. They giggled and she plunged her hands into the dish water and brought them to his cheeks so he had a foamy white beard while he flicked bubbles in her hair. She cupped his cheeks and bought his face to hers, causing him to gasp again. But instead of kissing him, she brought her nose to touch his and stared into his eyes, smiling coyly. Neither of them said a word, lost in the world that lay beyond eachothers eyes. But Naeun was the first to snap out of it and grabbed the glass from his hand before it slipped from his soapy hands and reached the floor. She laughed seeng that she'd left white mess on his nose as well, while he let out the sink water and wiped the benches she finished the dishes and breathed a sigh of relief that the work was done. "My mother wants us out in the backyard, she made tea..." her smile became wider and sweeter as she brought him out through the back door. "You do have a backyard!" he exclaimed, looking around at the greenhouse that the door immediately led to. "Mmm" she replied, walking down a row of cherry tomato and grape vines. "We grow our own food because it's cheaper than buying vegetables and fruit and all three of us here like gardening, did i tell you that when we were with the other two couples gardening and cooking?" he shook his head and she tilted hers in surprise. "Hum... must have slipped my mind..." she walked ahead of him and turned to where a small table lay set out with tea cups and a kettle and her mother sat. "I need to use the bathroom if you'll excuse me..." Naeun said, turning back and leaving him with Hyo-sul. She indicated politely for him to sit and poured him a cup of tea, bringing her own to her lips. "While we're alone i feel like i should ask you something..." she started, setting the cup down and leaning towards him. "What are your intentions towards my daughter?" he almost spat up the tea and turned to the woman half-choking. "What do you mean?" he asked, his tongue burning. She rolled her eyes and threw him a handkerchief. "It's too obvious that you have feelings for her, but i'm happy you're an honest person..." she admitted. "I can never be sure of what that girl is thinking but i think she feels the same way about you, i just wnat you to be careful with her Taemin. She's been hurt by men in the past..." her dark look worried him. "With ehr ex boyfriend? i'm sorry to hear about that but i think she's a great girl and i wouldn't ever hurt her..." he reassured, bringing a hand over hers. Hyo-sul squeezed his hand with both of hers. "I feel you need to know before you go any further with her, Naeun had a very painful childhood. Even more than you know, she..." she took a deep breath before continuing. "She was... abusdd, both physically and ually by her father. It was a very long time ago and the reason we never see the girls' father anymore is because he's in prison now". She watched his reaction, where he took a sharp intake of breath, leaning as far away from her as he could. "I... don't..." he couldn't speak properly, now the shock was wearing off and he was starting to see red. He was angry now, that someone so cruel and heartless would do these kinds of things to a little girl, it was... sickening. "Honestly i more than anything want to kill her father..." He shook his head and stood up to pace back and forth accross the table, kicking a stone with all his might so it rebounded against the fence that bordered their property. "I'm telling you this so you know why i'm telling you to be more careful when you try to get intimate with her" Hyo-sul said, watching his pacing movements. "And i knkow you're the sort of person who wouldn't go spreading these things around, we all have our secrets to keep Taemin" she said finally, "she just has a few more than others..." He turned to stare at the woman who eyed him back wearily. She was only looking out for her daughter, and he could understand and respect that. But still questions were swimming in his mind and he wanted to unleash them, but they'd cause harm to everyone and only end up hurting Naeun the most. "Alright, i understand..." he said firmly, sitting back down. Naeun returned and they both put their smiles back on, though Taemin was straining a little. Afterwards she walked him to the front door and stood with him by the car, staring at the ground. "Well goodnight" she said shyly, scuffing her shoe accross the ground. "Goodnight" he said, standing there and waiting for her to make the first move. When she still didn't look up, he grewimpatient like he always did when she was like this. Only this time he took a deep breath and refrained from teasing her, instead he pulled her into an embrace and her hair, listening to her erratic heartbeat. "I want you to kiss me first" he said, moving away from her and standing with his arms at his sides. "I'm going to let you touch me instead of the other way around because i want to reciprocate instead of initiate". She looked at him hesitantly, biting her lip. "I think i'm more comfortable when i touch you, but less when you reach for me..." she revealed, bringing a hand up to his face and run her fingers through and down his hair. "You like to know other people and explore, but you hate when people try to explore you..." he chuckled, letting her do what she wished. "I do" she replied, drawing her hands under his arms and towards his back, kissing his neck. "I think i can get used to your touch though, even my mother and sister hardly ever hugged and kissed me" She finally reached his lips and hovered in front of them, closing her eyes. "I like when you touch me, i like to be in control but it's nice when you take the lead..." he breathed in the scent of her hair, refreshingly like peppermint. She kissed him on the mouth, chastely, but his bottom lip before drawing away. "Goodnight" she said, turning and waving as she walked back into the house. She glanced at him once when she was in the doorway, where they waved to eachother goodbye and she watched him drive off into the night.