Sunday

“You picked up the gifts, right?” JiYong asked on the way to his parent's house. Jodi nodded absently and made an affirmative sounding noise. She kept her eyes on her phone while she typed and smiled occasionally. “Who are you talking to?”

“Taec,” she answers, still not looking up.

“Why do you still talk to him?” JiYong asked, seeming genuinely curious.

Jodi shrugged and set her phone on her lap. “Because he's my friend.”

“He was your lover.”

“Was. Past tense,” Jodi emphasized, but ignore her phone the next time it vibrated. “I don't see what the problem is. I had a life before you, JiYong. Just like you had one before me.”

“Yeah, but . . . I don't keep in contact with my ex's. They're called ex's for a reason. Usually, because you didn't like them.”

“Nah. I liked Taecyeon just fine, but he moaned like a girl.”

“What!?” JiYong took his eyes off the road and shot her a surprised look. Jodi gestured for him to watch the road and he moved his gaze back. He laughed softly and said, “You're joking, right?”

“No, I'm not. It was quite confusing. He's this big, bulky guy, but during , he would let out these dainty, breathy, girl moans. It was off putting,” she admitted with a little scrunch of her nose and shake of her head. “I told him we needed to end things because it got awkward, I just didn't tell him what was so awkward about it.”

Luckily, they came to a red light, so JiYong was able to lean forward on the steering wheel and laugh. He couldn't stop laughing, the mental image was too vivid. He hoped he never had to look Taecyeon in the eye again. Feminine would be all he could hear.

“Alright,” he said when he was able to breathe again. “But why are you friends with him?”

“Because, once you've seen someone , you have nothing to hide. I know that I can tell him anything.”

“What about me? You can't tell me anything?”

“I haven't seen you .”

“We can fix that . . .”

* * * * *

JiYong walked in the apartment with Jodi's hand clenched in his. “I'm home!” he called out. He stepped out his shoes and put on slippers in second. Noticing that Jodi was just a few beats slower, he set the gift bags down and reached out to steady her.

“I got it,” she said in a rush and put her hand out to stop him. He raised an eyebrow, then grabbed an extra pair of slippers for her. She thanked him as she reached down to adjust her sock. When she looked back up, she saw his mother at the end of the hall. Because of how suddenly she froze, it made JiYong look around.

He grabbed Jodi's hand and brought her closer while he hugged his mom with one arm and kissed her cheek. “Omma, this is my wife, Oh Jodi.”

Jodi bowed with her palms pressed to her stomach. “Annyeonghaseyo.”

His mother looked her up and down briefly before smiling. She held her hand out, and after getting a brief nod from JiYong, Jodi grasped it. His mother patted her hand gently and walked her down the hall. “I'm glad you could finally join us. You must have a schedule as busy as my son's.”

“Oh, neh,” Jodi said hesitantly. I had been invited before?, she thought. She looked back at JiYong, who shrugged. Jodi looked around the apartment discretely while they walked. 'Opulent' was the only word she could use to describe it. A large chandelier hung low at the entrance. There were two floors and the windows stretched from top to bottom. Everything was white, neat and tidy. Jodi was afraid to touch anything.

An older man walked out of the dining room and Jodi bowed to him as well and introduced herself. He smiled at her nicely. “I guess this makes me your father-in-law. Please, call me aboeji.”

Jodi returned the smile politely and kept her gaze averted. The she gasped. “The gifts. They're—”

“I'll get them,” JiYong offered. He reached his hand out like he was going to touch her, and Jodi side-stepped him quickly. He looked at her curiously again before walking away. He came back with the bags and handed them to Jodi. She in turn used both hands to present them to each parent. They accepted graciously. “Is Dami here yet?”

“She called a few minutes ago to say she was in traffic,” his mother answered. She and his father sat on the couches, JiYong sat across from them. Jodi stayed standing until JiYong jerked on her arm to make her sit. His parents opened the presents, looked at each other and laughed. His mom pulled out a bottle of fifty year old Glenlivet scotch and his father displayed a blue, vintage Hermes scarf.

“I think there was a mixup,” JiYong explained.

Jodi dropped her head. She was mortified. “I am so sorry.”

“No, no. It's okay,” his father told her. He tied the scarf around his neck and adjusted it with a smile. “Does it look good on me?”

“Yeh, abeoji,” Jodi managed to get out passed the lump in . JiYong put his hand on her thigh and she brushed it off discretely.

“And I'll save this,” his mother said, brandishing the bottle, “for a quiet night when the men are away. Thank you, Jodi.”

Jodi got up, moved to stand before them, dropped to her knees and bowed her head. “I am making a lot of mistakes, but I hope you will look at me fondly in the future.”

“Let me show you my room,” JiYong suggest after he sprung out of his seat. He tried to grab Jodi's hand, but she shied away again. So he wrapped his hand around her upper arm, hauled her up and dragged her to the stairs. “We'll be down in a minute!”

“Leave the door open!” his father called back with obvious laughter in his voice.

Getting to the room, JiYong pushed the door open and closed it. He then went back and opened it a few inches. “Would you like to tell me what's going on?”

“I'm trying to be polite,” she explained.

“Yes, but you're overdoing, baby,” JiYong said softly. He came up to her and rubbed her arms. She looked at the door, tried to take a step back, but he stopped her. “That. That there. Why do you keep pulling away?”

“'Any display of affection is considered crass',” she recited.

“Says who?”

“Says the internet!” she retorted sharply. Jodi backed up a step and carded her fingers through her hair. “Look, I've never met a guys parents like this. Not formally. If I ever met them, it was either by accident, or just as a friend. Whatever our relationship is, JiYong, I don't want them to dislike me.”

“But they already love you, honey,” JiYong told her earnestly. “They've seen us together on the show. They know how we are. You doing this skittish thing is making a much worse impression, because it seems fake.”

“Should I have done a full bow?” she asked with her hand on her forehead.

“No! You shouldn't have!” He threw his hands in the air and turned away. He laced his fingers together at the back of his head and breathed deeply. “With other parents, you might have to go full traditional when meeting them. But not my parents, Jo.”

“When was I invited to dinner before?” she asked, changing the subject.

“Monthly, since the first episode.” JiYong rubbed his hand over his face tiredly. “I told you before, this place is where my relationships die. I wanted to wait until I knew how you felt about me before bringing you.”

Jodi said sarcastically, “But we're already married, right? So it doesn't really matter if they like me.”

“Jodi,” JiYong said through clenched teeth. He balled his hands into fists and pounded them lightly against his head. “They. Like. You. You don't have to try so hard.” Jodi folded her arms over her chest and JiYong approached her slowly. He placed his hands on her shoulders and rubbed gently. “Just relax, okay? My parent are nice and they like you. I talk about you to them. They like how you've raised your brothers. They like that you take your art so seriously. They like that you argue with me and call me an idiot on national TV. They like that you randomly stand behind me and massage my shoulders. They like that I'm always eating food you make for me. They like, that you like me.”

Jodi snorted softly and raised her brow. “Who says I like you?”

“I'm introducing you to my parents, young lady. You better like me.” JiYong tickled her sides quickly and she pushed him back. He did it a few more times until she laughed. He drew her into his arms and held her. “It's fine Jodi, really. They like you. You don't have to be nervous. Okay?”

She nodded against his shoulder. “Okay. I will do my best to be less awkward.”

He leaned back, gripped her chin and tried to kiss her. She pulled back. “Oh, come on. It's just us up here.”

“JiYong, what if—”

“Wanting to kiss you is a natural reaction when we're this close.” Jodi tried to wiggle out of his arms, but he held tighter. “Just one kiss, and I won't feel like I'm going so crazy. Okay?”

“One kiss?” He nodded. “Just one?” He nodded again. “Okay.”

The kiss started slow, just a soft press of her lips to his. But then there was the wet slide of his tongue to hers and it became so, so much more. Her hands wound around his neck, his landed on her hips. Jodi got wrapped up in the feel of his lip, so much so that she didn't realize he had maneuvered her to sit on the edge of his desk. She scooted back to give him space and he moved firmly between her legs