Chapter 32 - Date Night

It has been around a week since the wedding. The newlyweds, Daesung and Mina, are currently busy moving into their new home. Jinwoo is most probably the happiest of them all. Well who wouldn’t be, when you get your own playground in your backyard. Mina, however, has been complaining non-stop, trying to stop her husband and father-in-law from spoiling her son too much but always to no avail. Those two just love the little boy so much even though they are not blood related at all.

Mina is more than grateful for that, sure, but she fears that her son would turn into a spoilt brat if they continued buying him things. Things that he does not necessarily need. Not to mention that Mr. Gong has also hired a personal maid just for the boy. She is going to make sure that her husband would fire the poor woman by the end of the week. Or at least, assign her to another task instead. She really does not want her son to be too dependent on others.

Minzy and Yongguk, on the other hand, are doing just fine despite their very hectic schedules. They have not spent time together ever since they made up so the couple cannot be happier to finally see each other again tonight. It has really been a while so they are both very excited. Too excited, in fact, that the male cannot stop smiling the whole entire day like a madman. Himchan is so close to calling a psychiatrist for his best friend.

“Are you sure you don't need any help?” asks Minzy, eyeing her boyfriend, who is cooking – or at least, trying to – in the kitchen with worried eyes.

Yongguk has insisted that they hang out at his place tonight. Come to think of it, this is probably their first time having a date at his place. They have always had movie nights at Minzy’s before this and therefore, the girl just agreed to her boyfriend’s suggestion. Besides, his newfound aegyo is really getting on her nerves these days. Sure, it was adorable the first few times but now… well, let’s just say Yongguk and aegyo just do not go together really well.

“My house, I cook,” Yongguk states firmly while flipping an egg, before giving her a loving smile, “Besides, you’re the queen of the day so all you have to do is just sit back and relax. Let me do all the work, okay?”

Minzy smiles back at him, her insides fluttering like crazy. Yongguk is really good at swooning her heart with his words. And the most annoying part is that he knows he is good so he always uses it to his own advantage. Casting her boyfriend another worried glance, the girl then saunters back into the living room. She plops herself onto the sofa and her eyes begin to wander around.

There is not much things to do. She could have the TV but there was nothing in particular that she feels like watching at the moment. Minzy is not much of a TV person to begin with, anyways. There is also a Playstation 4 sitting on his TV cabinet that she can play but playing alone would not be as much fun. And then her eyes shift to Yongguk’s vinyl collection.

Wow!

Minzy’s eyes twinkle in fascination as her fingers trace the rough surface of the exquisite pieces of art. Music has been a part of her for as long as she can remember. She enjoys listening to, dancing to and making music, although she is still in the learning process especially for the latter part. She also loves how one song can move someone in so many different ways.

The girl cannot deny that Yongguk has an unbelievably great taste in music. And an impressive range of genres, too. She hums a random melody as she goes through the collection until she spots an Etta James album. Damn, this beauty is rare! Minzy, herself, has been searching for a copy for years! Without second thoughts, she puts the record onto the player, places the needle and presses play.

A satisfied smile instantly decorates her lips once the music starts playing. Nothing beats the sound of an old record, nothing. Not even the most advanced modern equipment could reproduce the scratchiness of a vinyl record. The sound is just so relaxing and calming, somehow. Naturally, her body starts moving ever so slowly to the beautiful rhythm of the melody.

“At Last by Etta James, nice choice,” a husky voice whispers into her ears as a pair of arms wrap around her waist from behind.

“Hmm, one of the greatest love songs ever created,” Minzy hums in agreement, resting her head comfortably against Yongguk’s broad shoulder.

The couple then begins to sway from side to side, as if doing a slow dance.  Their eyes are closed as they enjoy the slow beat in each other’s warm embrace. It is so out of the blue but romantic nonetheless. It feels almost like they are teenagers once again, so carefree and so in love. “This feels like prom all over again,” Yongguk chuckles, bringing her back from her reverie.

“It does, doesn’t it?” Minzy smiles, still with her eyes closed, as she reminisces the good ‘ol times.

Yongguk tightens his hold around her body and leaves a chaste kiss on her temple, wishing that they could stay like this forever. But hey, this ain’t any fairytale. Besides, his tummy has been rumbling for a while now, waiting to be fed. So reluctantly, he pulls away. This, in turn, causes Minzy to turn around with a frown on her face. The guy can only chuckle at her cuteness.

“Come on, let’s eat. Dinner’s ready,” he chuckles, pinching her cute nose; and as if on cue, Minzy’s stomach, too, starts making some noise causing Yongguk to laugh even harder, “See, your stomach seems to agree with me.”

The girl simply rolls her eyes, faking annoyance, and stomps her way into the small dining area of his apartment. Her eyes are wide and agape as soon as her eyes land on their dinner on the table. “Wow,” she gasps a tad bit too dramatically.

“I know right! I’m such a grea-”

“What is this thing, an omelet or rubber?”

“Hey! I did my best, alright?” Yongguk grumbles with a tiny pout on his lips.

“I’m just kidding, babe!” Minzy laughs, ruffling his hair, “It looks awful but I’m sure it’ll taste better.”

“Good, ‘cos you’re going to marry this horrible cook!”

“Are you sure about that?” the girl wriggles her brows teasingly as she takes a seat, causing the guy to pout in protest even more.

His aegyo level has surely increased over the weeks. Ignoring her sulking boyfriend, Minzy begins filling her plate with food. And as she has expected, they really do taste better than they look. Way better, in fact. The omelet is well seasoned and the mushroom and cheese fillings make it all the more tasty. It really goes well with the kimchi fried rice, too. All in all, although it was just a simple dinner, it is really quite filling and nice. At the end of the day, it’s the thoughts and love put in that matter the most.

A loving smile decorates Yongguk’s face as he stares at his girlfriend happily eating his sloppy food. He is not really a good cook and for that, he feels slightly guilty. But he, at least, wants to try and cook something for her every once in a while. It has always been one of his dreams to cook a feast for his loved one. He may need a little work on a few things but this is definitely a good start. He will definitely make sure to keep practising in the future.

After dinner, the two decide to just relax over a game of Monopoly. Yongguk is winning the game thus far, having bought some of the most expensive properties on the board, much to Minzy’s frustration. Not to mention that he is only one house away to build his first hotel. After a few more rounds, and after the nth time Minzy has to pay rent, her most feared nightmare happens. Yup, Yongguk is finally building a hotel and it annoys the hell out of his girlfriend.

“Ugh, monopoly !” the girl cries, throwing her rapidly thinning bundle of cash onto the board.

“Aww, is my babygirl giving up already?” Yongguk coos teasingly, earning himself the deadliest glare.

Minzy continues to let out a stream of complaints and whines as Yongguk laughs his off. He would have felt guilty about it but no, he is more amused and entertained by his girlfriend’s outburst. He really does not expect her to be so frustrated over a plain, silly board game. It is kind of adorable, to be honest. No, in fact, it is very adorable that he cannot help but keep teasing her about it just to elicit more reactions out of her.

It is not until the girl gets up on her feet and walks away that he finally stops his fit of laughter. Alarmed, Yongguk runs after her, then grabs her wrist and pulls her back to sit on his lap. “You’re so mean!” Minzy pouts as she elbows him on the chest rather harshly.

Yongguk lets out a painful shriek but still manages to keep his arms enwrapped around her protectively, preventing her from running away again. “I’m sorry,” he whispers into her ear, hugging her even more tightly; his voice so calm and sweet, “I’ll sell my most expensive property to you, how about that?”

“Do I look like I want to play again?”

“Then let’s play another game. Hmmm, how about Jengga?”

“N- No, I just… I just…”

“You just what, Mulan?” Yongguk asks, turning her face slightly by the chin so that they are looking each other in the eyes.

“C- Can we just stay like this for a while?” Minzy asks shyly, a tint of blush slowly showing on her cheeks.

Yongguk cannot hide the happy smile that stretches across his face upon hearing that. In all honesty, he would stay like this for hours, days, weeks, months or even years if he really could. Nothing would ever beat the feeling of having her in his arms – being able to inhale her sweet scent everyday, to shower her with light and feathery kisses. And more than gladly, he pulls her back to lean on his chest and tighten his embrace around her.

The couple stays like that for a while in complete silence. No words are spoken as they both focus on relishing the tranquil moment. Minzy feels safe and secure being in his arms, she feels protected. She closes her eyes and a small smile adorns her face as she feels his heart beating steadily against his chest. Yongguk snuggles her in his arms and nuzzles his face into her hair breathing her in. He loves the way her hair smells, a combination of herbs and flowers. Strong, yet not overwhelming. Intoxicating, yet calming.

“Mulan,” Yongguk mumbles softly after a while.

“Hmm?”

“A- About Minseok..”

“He’s just a friend, Gukkie,” Minzy immediately replies as she turns slightly to look him in the eyes; her tone, serious and firm, “I repeat, just a friend. Nothing more and nothing less.”

A very relieved sigh escapes his mouth upon hearing that. It feels like a really heavy burden has been lifted off of his shoulders. He is quite unsure, himself, as to why he had to ask that in the first place. It is not like he does not believe his girlfriend, he does. Perhaps, it is Minseok that is the main problem. After everything that happened between them, he cannot really trust that guy, not anymore.

“Besides, he already has a girlfriend,” the girl continues with a slight frown on her face.

“He- he does?” Yongguk sounds rather skeptical, he really did not expect that but then again, he has not talked to Minseok in ages.

“Yes! And if you didn’t suddenly drag me out that day, I would’ve met her! He was gonna introduce her to us, y’know.”

“O- oh, sorry.”

“You better!”

“So, does that mean he’s not into you?”

“Oh my gosh, Gukkie! Are you really that insecure?” Minzy has not meant to say that to offend him or anything, but she did.

Her words sting his heart like a bullet. It has somehow dug the deepest of his painful memories and brought it back out in the open, haunting him, mocking him. Yongguk was, indeed, a very insecure man. After finding out that he was cheated on by the girl whom he thought was his soul mate, he could not help but feel useless, worthless. He has not, however, looked back at his past in quite a while so when he is suddenly reminded of it, the walls he has worked very hard on building over the year come crumbling down little by little.

“S- sorry. Baby, I’m really so sorry, I didn’t mean it that way,” Minzy apologises non-stop, wiping the tears that have managed to leave his eyes.

“That’s okay, I’m alright,” Yongguk assures with a sad smile and of course, he is far than alright but he will be, just as long as his Mulan is here with him, “But can you promise me one thing?”

“What is it?”

“Promise me that you’ll love me, that you’ll stay by my side for as long as I do?”

Minzy shifted slightly so she is now facing him while straddling his lap. Her thumbs continue wiping the remnants of his tears. She feels really bad now. She really did not mean to hurt him like that, let alone make him cry. No, that is probably the last thing she ever wants to happen. The girl slaps her face mentally for being so stupid. The guy has gone through a lot, how could she forget that fact?

Yongguk can feel that his girlfriend is having a mental conflict with herself for her slip of words but it was not really her fault. It was his. If only he were not being overly sensitive. When the girl is not responding, he grabs hold of her hands and gives them a reassuring squeeze. Only then, Minzy dares to look at him in the eyes. “Only if you promised me the same thing,” she finally says with the softest and most loving voice.

“I promise,” Yongguk smiles widely.

“Then with all my heart, Gukkie, I promise to love you and stay by your side for as long as you need me to,” she mirrors his smile, both feeling contented with the presence of the other.

“Thank you, and I love you.”

Completely disregarding the deal she had him made when he first confessed, Minzy does one thing that she thinks and feels is right at the moment – she kisses him, on the lips. Yongguk is quite taken aback at first. It feels as if the time has stopped right there and then. He is not dreaming, is he? Everything just feels so surreal, so good to be true.

But this is not just a dream. This is really happening, his girlfriend is really kissing him. All kinds of butterflies are flying in his stomach by now, his heart keeps doing flips that he probably cannot even do in real life. He is unsure why she suddenly decided to break their little deal but he chooses not to question it, for now. So with a contented smile, he cups her face and pulls her even closer to deepen the kiss.

TO BE CONTINUED.

Author's note: Eep! Minzy kissed Yongguk, guys! She kissed him! On the lips! /squealinglikeacrazyfangirl/ Hahahaha! I really didn't plan for them to kiss this soon but I felt like it was about the right time they did. I hope you felt the same way too. :) Sorry for the late updates, guys. I've started working recently and is still struggling to manage my time accordingly. Everything is still a bit messy. Lol. But I will try my best to update as fast as I could. No promises, though. Thank you for your patience. I really appreciate the support and everything. The next chapter will unravel some untold stories between Yongguk and Minseo so stay tuned! ;) Don't forget to subscribe, upvote and comment! ^^ Love y'all!

p/s: Guess who's my bias in B.A.P! :D

Story by: afagyel | Poster and background by: Tomoe Graphic Shop