A/N: Before you start reading lol you can laugh at the title i laughed at it myself. anyway, enjoy!

Playlist: Day6 'I'm serious'

Hayi was the first to react. She stood up straight from her bowed position and put her unoccupied hand on her hip. Zico turned to glance at her and slowly rose too, hand still clasping hers for dear life. He swallowed the dry lump in his throat and looked at his girlfriend telepathically shooting question marks at her.

“Appa, why are you acting like some overprotective father all of the sudden?”

Zico looked at Mr. Lee in confusion. What on earth is going on here?

Mr. Lee’s serious expression eclipsed into one of amusement as he chuckled deeply, the slight paunch beneath his apron wobbling as he did. Hayi rolled her eyes before smiling up at Zico, pulling on their connected hands a little.

“I’ll give you a little know-how,” she whispered as she tiptoed closer to his ear, “Appa isn't the one you should be scared of. The real fire-breathing dragon is over there,” she said, eyes indicating to her mother who stood with her arms folded, eyebrows raised and expression smug.

Zico cleared his throat again, the hoarseness becoming more and more unbearable. “Eo-eomeoni?” he tried. She didn't seem so scary during dinner before, but in that moment her sharp gaze felt like it was piercing through his skull.

“‘'Eomeoni’? I was wondering why you were calling me that when it was the first time I'd ever met you,” she looked at him from head to toe scrutinizingly. Zico subconsciously stood straighter as she surveyed him.

For a brief moment he even wondered if she could read his thoughts. Because the way she stared at him as though she were peeling away at his skin, layer by layer, made him feel like soon enough his very skeleton would be exposed. He remained silent, letting himself be the subject of her boundless scrutiny.

“Do you intend to marry my daughter?” she casually dropped the question after the heavy silence. “I don't like it when boys date just to fool around, my daughter isn't some toy.”

“Eomma!” Hayi protested, blushing deeply. Her eyes met his for a millisecond before she looked away, making to untwine her fingers from his but he gripped onto her hand tighter.

Jiho bit his inner lip and steadily returned Mrs. Lee’s unwavering gaze. He fumbled over what to say for a while. It clearly wouldn't do to say no. But he wasn't even sure if ‘yes’ was the right answer either.

“I'll be completely honest,” he began, looking at Hayi briefly to gather the strength to speak his mind. It was borderline nerve wrecking for him to say this, especially right in front of her. But at the same time he was glad she was there. “I can't say for sure, since we've only been going out for a couple months... But I'm being one hundred percent sincere when I say that I honestly can't see myself with anyone other than her in my future.”

As he finished his last words he turned, affectionately looking at her. Hayi felt her stomach flip and this time it was her hand that started getting sweaty as her already flushed cheeks deepened another shade. Zico tried not to smile too widely at her reaction because her parents were present. But getting to say this to her felt kind of relieving. He doubted he could've ever summoned the courage to voice how he felt in private.

Mrs. Lee continued to watch him pensively. This boy looked like a player, but he was awfully serious, and even answered her question with such a straight face. She was always apprehensive of whoever was close to her daughter. Not that she didn't trust Hayi enough, and she knew her daughter had quite the fair share of close male friends and colleagues.

But just like any other mother, she was always wary of the boys around her daughters and their intentions. After a while, she gestured for him to walk over to her. Zico gulped and slowly retracted his hand from Hayi’s before boldly stepping towards her mother. He stood with his hands clasped in front of him as Mrs. Lee continued to scan him from head to toe.

“Name.”

“W-woo Jiho,” he stuttered at the sudden interrogatory tone in her voice.

“Age.”

“25.” (A/N: korean years btw fam)

“Occupation.”

“Come on, eomma, it’s not like you don’t already know-” Hayi interjected, and Zico turned just a little to look at her before turning back to his interrogator.

“Occupation.” her mother repeated, shutting her up.

Zico cleared his throat. “Producer, rapper, singer, performer and leader of Block B,” he answered, hoping he didn’t sound too boastful. Mrs. Lee nodded, expression still thoughtful.

“Leader, huh… so do you think you’re a responsible person?” she questioned.

“Well… I like to think that I try my best to be a responsible leader to my groupmates, but I’m still lacking and always looking for ways to improve.”

Mrs. Lee nodded again, apparently convinced that he was not just some guy looking to get into her daughter’s pants. “Do you think you can take good care of my daughter and always treat her like the princess that she is?” she asked as a final question and Jiho raised an eyebrow, smiling at her choice words.

“EOMMA!!!” Hayi groaned once more at her embarrassing mother.

“Shut up, you just sent me that selfie of you in a tiara yesterday,” she retorted, pointing a finger at her daughter who was massaging her temples.

“I’ll take good care of your princess, eomeoni. As far as I am capable, I will try to make her happy always, you can trust me on that.” Zico stated with conviction, earning a smile from Mrs. Lee as she patted his shoulder twice, hoping he was not just trying to earn her favour and that he was saying it with the sincere intention to follow through with that promise.

And he meant it, he really did. Every word. It felt kind of cheesy to say it out loud but he would say it a thousand times over. It was funny - he couldn't remember the last time he was in a relationship where he was sure that he'd want to stay with the partner for a long time. He could not recall the last time he was so set on making sure he would go to whatever length needed to ensure there was a smile on her face at the end of a day, no matter how hard it may have been.

Most of his past relationships always felt as though they had an expiration date printed on them from the moment they had begun. Every date was a step closer to the eventual doomsday. But he didn't want that with Hayi. He refused to even entertain the idea that there may come a day where they would return to being strangers.

It sometimes scared him, how rapidly his feelings for her were growing. Sure, he had always admired her from afar as a fellow artist. But after that day in the cafe, when he finally got a taste of her personality, he got more and more curious about her. And after spending time with her, asking her out, and to standing where they were at that moment. It all happened so fast that he wondered how it all passed in such a flash.

But just as he was overwhelmed by the torrent of emotions that she set coursing through him, she was terrified as well. Was this how all people progressed as they dated? She wasn't entirely sure. The only idea of love and romance she had was from all the books, movies and dramas she had consumed. All the songs she had sung and listened to; all the stories of butterflies and broken hearts.

He was after all, her first. Sure, she had a few crushes before, but those never went further than just mere crushes. Watching someone from afar was a lot different from actually being with them, she had come to realise. It was thrilling and petrifying all at once. She often questioned what he even saw in her - she wasn't as pretty as his exes, of that she was sure.

And what about herself? What did she see in him? Yes, she liked him. But was it more than that? Was she in love? She couldn't be sure - unlike him, she had nothing to compare her feelings to. Her inexperience in dating always seemed all too obvious, and it made her insecure. He may have found it endearing how she blushed at every little thing he did but to her she was always a little apprehensive about what his amusement meant.

Was he inwardly laughing at how flustered she got at the smallest gestures he made? Did he think she was just a cute innocent little baby and would he get bored of her as time passed? Would he get sick of her and think she was dull because of her lack of knowledge and experience in the whole dating scene? She had a thousand and two doubts and insecurities, but they somehow always seemed to melt away in his presence.

In the weight and feel of his touch; with his hand in hers.

A/N: hey guys! sorry this chapter came out a biiiit later than promised and it's shorter than usual - but it's short for a reason! this chapter is actually half of the original length i had written it as. i'm splitting it into 2 so yall can get your updates more regularly. i'll post the next one in the next 2 weeks. i'm pretty busy with school right now and i'm trying to finish writing this other fic that i have so i'm so sorry for making you wait D: also i was wondering if any of you like Day6, and what you think of me starting a drabble collection of sorts for them? tell me in the comments! as always, love you guys and stay awesome <3