“I’m going to go out for dinner with some co-workers, okay? Don’t wait up for me,” Seung-Jo said as we stood on the foyer.

I straightened out his tie and nodded an okay.

“Do you want me to drop you off at work or will you take the bus?” He asked.

“Um, I think I’ll take the bus today. I have some cleaning left to do and my shift doesn’t start until later anyways,” I replied.

He shrugged with a smile and dropped a small kiss on my forehead. Seung-Jo was getting better at showing his affection. It was always in small ways, but it was just like him. If it was any different I would feel weird anyways.

I watched as he walked to his car and then finally walked back into the house when I couldn’t see his car anymore. I guess I would have to fall asleep by myself tonight.

I hated falling asleep by myself. Once, I tried to tell him that but he simply brushed it off.

I heard Seung-Jo open the door and enter our room quietly. I opened my eyes and followed him as he walked to the bathroom to change. The light flooded the room and he saw me watching him with lidded eyes.

“Why are you still awake?” he whispered, trying to be quiet even though I was clearly awake.

“I can’t sleep without you.”

He gave me a weird look. “How old are you again?” he asked me. I sighed in defeat. It wasn’t as if he could change his shifts anyways; he was a doctor after all.

I guess he could be crass sometimes. But that was just him. I knew he loved me. He showed it in the small things he did like kissing me on the cheek when he thought I was sleeping, or cutting my food for me when we went out to eat.

Today I was alone in bed again. The other side of the bed felt empty and cold. I felt even worse knowing he was probably out laughing with his colleagues and I was laying here all by myself. I probably should stop pitying myself, but I can’t help it. Beak Seung-Jo is all I can think about. Maybe I should have invited my friends to go out for dinner tonight as well.

Thinking back on it, I really can’t remember any exact time that I noticed him or even realized that I liked him. It seemed that every time I remembered my high school years, there was no moment where I didn’t not like him or even not know about him. Every part of my high school years was filtered through with Seung-Jo and maybe that was good, maybe that was bad. I didn’t really know, but what I did know was that I liked it that way.

I buried deeper into the covers trying to get warmer. I was absolutely freezing and my toes were so cold. I wished Seung-Jo was here so that I could hug him tightly; he was always so warm. And then he would grumble about my sleeping habits. We had a system going.

Beep. Beep. The screen of my phone glowed as it alerted me of an incoming message. I stretched to grasp the phone and unlocked the screen to read a text from Seung-Jo’s phone but written by a friend.

You might want to come and pick up your husband. It seems that the ice prince has a low tolerance for alcohol.

I wondered how much the doctors were drinking as he wasn’t really a lightweight at all. My thoughts flashed back embarrassingly to when I had gotten drunk at a family gathering and yelled at Seung-Jo in front of our whole family. I couldn’t help it though, telling the truth I mean. He needed to know how much he was frustrating me, tearing my heart apart.

I smiled to myself in smug happiness. But now I could proudly call Seung-Jo my husband. You could say that I was clingy, but in reality what would you do to get the one you loved? Would you let him walk away? Would you never tell him? At moments I had even doubted whether my actions were right or not, but if I had never pursed him so I would have never been sleeping in this bed tonight. I wouldn’t have been Sung-Jo’s wife. That quiet revelation made my heart heavy. I had chased him, not the other way around.

I pushed my morose thoughts to the side and grudgingly crawled out of the finally warm covers. I quickly slipped on a coat and pulled on my rain boots. I ran to the nearest bus stop and waited for the next bus. It finally came and in no time I was at the front of the bar Seung-Jo ah and his coworkers had come or drinks.

I walked into the slightly high class bar and squinted my eyes through the dimly lit room to try to find my husband.

Suddenly I was yanked to the side and pulled into a booth. I fell into the distinct lap of a man and I was about to shriek at the top of my lungs before a hand reached around and clamped down on my mouth. I twisted wildly, my eyes frantically scanning the dimly lit bar. No one noticed anything as I was pulled farther into the booth.

“Stop moving,” slurred a voice strangely familiar. I whipped my head around to face the shinning eyes of my husband who was currently very drink. I fluttered my hand against my chest, trying to calm my racing heart.

“Don’t scare me like that!” I admonished. He completely ignored me and reached for me, crushing me against his chest.  I breathed in his scent which was tinged with the distinct smell of alcohol.

“Yooou smell so goooood,” he slurred and he nuzzled his nose into the crook of my neck. I was so unused to Seung-Jo being so open, especially in public, that I sat there stock still. I could feel my face turning bright red as it grew hot.

“Let’s go home,” I told him, but I wasn’t strong enough to pull him out of the booth with me. Suddenly I was hefted up and placed on his lap, my legs straddled around him. I didn’t have any time to protest our provocative position because Seung-Jo had pulled my lips to his and captured my mouth in a passionate kiss.

His lips covered mine, kissing me hungrily. His tongue slipped out and gently traced my lips, leaving a fiery trail in its wake. I gasped in surprise and he let his tongue tangle with mine. My hands drifted up from his arms to the back of his head, and I gripped him tightly, pulling him closer to me. My sense of propriety dissolved, and I forgot where we were, leaning into him without thought. I gasped as his hands drifted downwards to cup a more private area. He squeezed lightly, and I let out a quiet squeal.

“Beak Sung-Jo!” I gasped in horror, pulling away from his eager kisses. I placed my hands on his chest to keep him away from me, but the warmth from his hands still radiated onto me. I had no doubt that I was blushing red in a mixture of embarrassment and arousal. 

“Ha Ni-ah,” Seung-Jo said, slumping forward slightly. “You are so… so…” he paused and hiccupped. “So cute!” he exclaimed, his voice shooting up three octaves at the end.

I stared at him incredulously and then giggled. I couldn’t believe that he was acting like this. I needed to record this or he would never believe me when he woke up tomorrow morning.

“You’re too drunk, Seung-Jo-ah,” I said, sliding out of his grasp and tugging him out of the booth and to his feet. “Let’s get you home.”

He followed after me like a small puppy, a lopsided smile of his face. I had to document this. I took out my phone and stood next to him.

“Say cheese,” I told him and took a selfie with him wearing a drunken smile on his face, his arm draped around my shoulder. This was forever going to be my background. Or, I would just have to get him this drunk again soon.

“You are very pretty,” Seung-Jo said suddenly, turning around to tightly grasp my face between his hands. “Very, very, pretty,” and he punctuated each “very” with a kiss to my lips. I think if I let him continue like this I would die of a heart attack. I reached into him pocket to grab his car keys and he squealed like a little girl, skittering away from me. 

“That tickles!”

I stared at him in utter shock—I think my mouth was actually hanging open. “Did you just squeal?” I asked in horror and amusement.

He gave me a cheeky grin and started to walk way. I lunged and grasped his arm and steered him towards the parking lot where his friend said he had parked. I unlocked the car and shoved him into the passenger seat. Then I slid into the other side and pulled away.

/_-_-_\

I made some soup for Seung-Jo and placed on the table for when he came down. I then cleaned the living room and the kitchen. As I was finishing up, Seung-Jo trudged downstairs.

Umma had gone shopping and Appa had gone to work. Seung-Jo’s little brother had gone to school and for once we were alone in the house together in the morning. Usually Seung-Jo went to work at this time as well but he didn’t have a morning shift today.

His hair was mussed and he had dark circles under his eyes. His face looked gaunt and tired. But he still looked handsome as usual.

“I made some soup for you,” I said softly, knowing that he must have a pounding headache.

He must have been extremely tiered because he dug in without any of his usual questions or snide remarks about my cooking.  Anyways, this time I had Umma help me make it so that it would actually taste decent.

I sat in the chair next to him and watched him eat in silence for a while. I couldn’t help it; I started to grin as I recalled the events of last night.

“What are you smiling at?” he asked, slightly grumpy, but not irritated.

“Last night,” I said with a small snicker. A look of embarrassment flashed across his eyes, but his face remained a mask, and I couldn’t tell if he remembered last night or not. That’s okay because my camera had recorded everything so we could relieve that night forever.

“What about last night?” he asked, caution seeping into his voice.

I pulled my phone out and wagged it in front of him and waved it tauntingly. “Everything from last night is recorded here.”

He lunged over the table and tried to grab it from my hand but I quickly stepped away. “So you do remember?” I asked with a laugh. “Everything?”

His face was slowly turning red.

“Maybe I should show everyone tonight on the tv?” I asked running to the other side of the table.

“Hey! Come here!” Seung-Jo yelled and chased me around the table. I slipped past his grip once more and ran into the living room.

He finally caught me by my waist and pulled my back to his chest. We stood there panting for a second catching our breaths. I tried to squirm away from him but he just held on tighter.

“You better delete that,” he whispered, his lips grazing my neck.

I snickered, trying to ignore his proximity. “Yea right! This is gold.”

He grabbed my hand that held the phone, but I only gripped the phone tighter. There was no way I was letting him delete this.

He twisted me around so that we were flush against each other.

“Okay, keep it Ha Ni-ah,” he said with a smile and kissed me. He let me go and I stumbled back onto the couch.

I stared at him in shock. Was he still drunk?

“I’m not drunk Ha Ni-ah. It’s much more fun to tease you this way.” He leaned over me, pressing me back into the couch. His lips came closer to mine, and I held my breath and closed my eyes in anticipation. He pulled away with a laugh. “I should take a picture of your face now.”

“Ya!” I yelled at him. How had he turned the teasing around?

“You better not show that to our parents!” Seung-Jo said as he walked to the kitchen to put his plates away.

I rolled my eyes, but I was still grinning. He definitely was getting drunk more often after this.