“What?!”

Haerin bites back a smile at Kyungsoo’s sudden burst of surprise during breakfast.  She glances at Mr. and Mrs. Do, who were looking back at her as they chuckled.

“Haerin, why can’t you talk about things like this to me first?” Kyungsoo sits across from her and starts making gestures with his hands.  “I told you I wanted to help you.  This, Son Haerin, is one of the times you let me help you.  And here you are, sitting with us for breakfast, announcing that you’ll be looking for a new place as soon as you got here!” He throws his hands up in the air in exasperation.  “And you two! I’m starting to wonder if she’s your child instead of me!” He points at his parents, who had been laughing since his second sentence.

“Kyungsoo,” His father starts.  “Kyungsoo, calm down,”

“No, I am not calming down,” Kyungsoo retaliates.  “I was worried sick about-“

“We know, we know,” His mother jumps into the conversation quickly after, still laughing along with her husband. 

But Kyungsoo doesn’t give up, because he keeps on talking.  “Which is why I-“

“Do Kyungsoo,” Haerin speaks up, walking over towards him.

“..told her to stay as long as-“

“Do Kyungsoo,”

“..she wants, which doesn’t mean that she should leave the day after I said-“

“Mrs. Do, Mr. Do, shall we leave?” Haerin finally says and that completely ended Kyungsoo’s train of unstoppable words.

“No, don’t!” Kyungsoo reaches out to slip his arms around her waist, holding her back from moving towards his parents.  

“Ya!” Haerin hits his arm and breaks away from him as he flinches, repeatedly shaking her head.  “That was not necessary, nor was it appropriate!”

Kyungsoo, shocked, lowers his head in an instant.  “Yes, I’m sorry,”

“Good,” Haerin sighs, drinking her glass of water, bottoms up.  She joins in the laughter as she refreshingly breathes out afterwards before patting Kyungsoo’s shoulder and taking his hand.  “Should we go and look for that place?”

Kyungsoo’s parents had work, even in the weekends, so the ‘help’ that Mrs. Do had told Haerin the other night included a list of addresses that they could go to, instead of having them directly take her around town to look for places she could rent out for herself and for her brother.  Yunjae was requested for real, this time, at part-time, so it was just the two of them.

“Kyungsoo, I am not here to listen to you complain about this whole situation,” Haerin cuts him off before he could put her seatbelt on for her.    

“But- but-“ Kyungsoo lets out a strangled cry through his gritted teeth.  He keeps on grumbling as he turns the wheel.

Haerin laughs at his behavior.  “You’re acting like a child,” 

“I’ll act like a child all I want to,” He snaps.

The ride towards the first address is silent.  Kyungsoo is ultimately irked that Haerin didn’t talk to him first about her decision to find a new place so soon.  Well, I mean, not that I’m her dad or something, but I’m still her boyfriend and I care about her, he thinks.  Haerin, meanwhile, knows that it was the wrong move to not tell Kyungsoo about finding a new place, but she was absolutely sure that if she did discuss it with him first, it wouldn’t end up a discussion.  Kyungsoo would be against it, all the way from the beginning to the end.  She wanted to make it clear to him; that she didn’t want to be a burden and as comfortable as living in his house gets, it would be more comfortable for her and Yunjae to live by themselves. 

I should cut her some slack, shouldn’t I? Kyungsoo asks himself while he looks for the first address on the list.  He glances at Haerin and sees her looking out the window.  Maybe he was being too harsh on her.  He was the one who started the silent treatment and yet here he is, giving up.  

“I’m just really worried, Hae,” Kyungsoo quietly says, turning his eyes back to the road when Haerin looks at him.  “Just- okay?”

“Yeah,”

“I don’t- I’m bad with words, so this is how it comes out,” Kyungsoo explains.  “Me being angry is me being worried.  How would you do, how would you manage, will you stay healthy, will you eat properly, I can’t help but wonder, and nobody can answer that,”

“Yeah, I’m sorry for not talking to you about it,” Haerin sighs as they park.  “At least we’re looking for the place together,” She grins.

Kyungsoo looks at her and lets out a smirk.  “Yeah, I’m going to stall and drive slowly and mistype addresses into the GPS,”

“Whatever you say, Mr. I’m-bad-with-words,” Haerin rolls her eyes and steps into the apartment written on the first address.

Throughout the whole day they went around town looking for the perfect place.  Whenever Haerin was about to make up her mind, Kyungsoo manages to find a flaw in the heating system, in the kitchen, in the bathroom, air conditioners, and everything else possible.  He wasn’t making it up; he was being meticulous.  His girlfriend is going to live in that house with her brother and it’s supposed to be beyond perfection.  

“Hey, what was wrong with that one?” Haerin complains as they get in the car to move on towards the last address on the list.  

“You have to kick the generator to get the heating system going!” Kyungsoo argues.  “No way,”

“It’s just kicking!”

“No, way,”

“Kyungsoo, don’t make me regret taking you with me to find a new place,” Haerin scolds.

“Well, the AC in that apartment you liked leaked and gave out hot air,” He mutters.

“What about the 4^th one? The one with the blue walls?”

“Plumbing is messed up.  Gas stove, too,”

“The pretty one with the veranda?”

“Fishy neighborhood.  Not safe,”

“Urgh,” Haerin pulls up her hair into a ponytail.  “I wonder who’s the girl here,”

“Hey!”

“I don’t even fuss that much,” She crosses her arms.

“Who wanted a new place? You.  Who am I doing this for? You.  Who’s your boyfriend? Me.  Who’s supposed to take care of you? Me.  Case closed,”

Haerin scoffs as she opens the door and leaves the car to get inside the last apartment.  “Why does it seem like ever since I dated you, all we do is argue?”

Kyungsoo gives her a look.  “We dated for two days, Hae,”

“Yeah, and within two days, we had two arguments,” Haerin points out.  “The dress, and now this!”

Kyungsoo ignores her and instead, bows at the landlady, who had been standing there all along.  “I’m sorry,” He apologizes.  “She’s tired,”

“Yes, ma’am,” Haerin follows suit, glaring at him afterwards.  “Of him,”

The landlady nods in understanding.  “Must be good to be married at such a young age.  My husband and I don’t even argue anymore.  We just go with whatever works,”

“See,” Haerin nudges Kyungsoo.  “Go with whatever works,”

“We’re not married,” Kyungsoo sticks his tongue out at his girlfriend, who raised her hand to hit him.  “Okay! Okay! I’ll stay quiet,” He steps back and puts his palms out in surrender.  “Yeesh,”

“We’ll take a look, ma’am,” Haerin smiles sweetly at the landlady.  “And we’re not married, he’s right.  Who would marry someone like him?” She makes a face at Kyungsoo as she enters the apartment, leaving him gaping at the door.

Pushing aside every single word of Kyungsoo’s nagging, Haerin settles with the last apartment.  She hated to admit it, but it really was the best out of all the places they visited that day.  It’s a scar to her pride to admit it to herself, and she’d die first before she has to admit it to her very annoying boyfriend.  He was particularly clingy that day.  Was he really that reluctant to let her live by herself? Why would he, really? It’s nothing big to worry about.  As expected, Kyungsoo is a worrywart.  He doesn’t change.  

“Haerin-ah,” Kyungsoo calls out in the car.

“What,” Haerin snaps.

 “I was being immature and selfish today,” He slumps.  “I acted that way unconsciously, I, umm, I’ll make you dinner, okay?”

“Why would you make me dinner?” Haerin chews at her lips to hold back the grin that’s threatening to form.

“Because, you know, I pissed you off today,”

If she was the one couldn’t say ‘thank you’, it’s something else for Kyungsoo.  “What does pissing me off have to do with making me dinner?” She pushes.

“I’m kind of hoping it’ll make you less pissed off, at me, that is,” 

“Because I’m sorry, Haerin,” Haerin quotes.  “Learn to say sorry and accept your mistakes, Kyungsoo, my dear,”

Heat rushes to the boy’s face and he starts grumbling about how she’s copying him and all.

Laughing, Haerin realized, that her arguments with Kyungsoo, always ends up like that.

Short and simple.