“I said I don’t want to go anywhere,” you repeated as Sunggyu nudged your arm. “Whatever I pick is too boring or tiresome for you.”

“Don’t be like that, jagiya,” he said. “I’m sorry about what I said; let’s go on that zoo date together.”

“Leave me alone. Just go and practice or spend some time with the guys. Have fun.” You wrapped yourself in your blanket so you didn’t have to see him. You felt him let out a soft sigh and then Sunggyu’s weight off the bed.

Last night when he’d gotten home you told him you wanted to spend some time together and suggested a date at the zoo. It was a cute and fun idea for you. And it was one of those things you really wanted to do with him as a couple. As soon as you said it, he started complaining about how boring and how tiring it was going to be for him to just walk around some place all day looking at animals. One thing led to another and you ended up being mad at him for being so inconsiderate of your feelings.

“This guy,” you muttered, hitting your pillow, something Sungjong had taught you was a great stress reliever. “He’s worse than an old man. He never wants to have any fun. Staying home and watching movies gets boring. He should be the first to know since he always falls asleep halfway through…” You went on and on and hit the pillow while picturing Sunggyu instead.

After a while in bed, you got hungry so you stepped out of bed to get dressed and be at least presentable. You were so mad you didn’t even put much effort into looking what you considered pretty. You headed to the kitchen so you could have something to eat. After fetching yourself something, you went and turned the TV on, sitting down and starting to flip the channels. But you were tired of watching TV, so you ended up turning it off and throwing the remote on the couch in frustration.

The day went on and there were no signs of Sunggyu returning. You tried not to care about it much but the more you pushed the thoughts away the more you seemed to think about him. Suddenly, there was someone at the door. Prepared to send him away again, you went to answer it, only to find yourself with something you weren’t at all expecting.

“Sunggyu, what are you doing?” you asked, still trying to process the sight in front of you.

“You wouldn’t come with me to the zoo so I brought the zoo to you,” he said matter-of-factly, his face almost covered in stuffed animals of all sorts. You didn’t know how to react to this.

“Yah, let me in!” he said and you opened the door wider so he could go through, the dozen animal plushies threatening to fall. He went directly towards the couch and put everything there. “I also took pictures.” Taking out his camera, he started going through all the pictures he’d taken with the animals. He smiled his genuine smile, which you could tell since his eyes got as small as ever. “This was actually really fun. But it would have been even better if you’d come along.”

You looked at him and found him staring at you as well. “Didn’t you get tired, grandpa?” you asked.

“You have no idea, I didn’t even see it all and my legs were already killing me,” he admitted. “But it was worth it. I wanted to make up for what I did and show you I’d really love to go on that date with you. Anything is good as long as I get to spend time with you.”

Such display of affection from Sunggyu had you at a loss for words. You could feel a lump forming in your throat and how the tears in your eyes got activated. It suddenly hit you how much you loved Sunggyu. It had all been just a meaningless fight. Without hesitation, you wrapped your arms around him and he hugged you back, your head as he did. “Let’s not fight anymore. I love you.” He kissed the top of your head.

“I love you, too,” you replied. You then turned your attention to the stuffed animals, taking a lion plushie in your hand. “What am I supposed to do with all of these?”

“I don’t know but I spent a lot of money on those so I better see you taking care of them,” he nagged, making you giggle. No matter what he might do or say, you still loved him the way he was.

-tiffawol