You sat in your room, trying to drown out the noise coming from the living room.

“How could you just spend that money like it's nothing?!” Your mom screamed at your father, her voice carrying down the hall.

“I work, I make the money. It’s mine to spend however I want!” Your dad yelled back.

They had started arguing during dinner earlier this evening and just kept nit-picking at every little thing the other did wrong. It was making you sick. This didn’t happen very often, but when it did, you never knew what to do. You’re their kid, it’s not your place to break up a fight.

As the yelling continued you decided you needed some fresh air. You put on your sneakers and hoodie and quietly closed your bedroom door as you headed to the front door. You could still hear the yelling coming from somewhere else in the house now, so you took the opportunity and hurried.

“I’m going for a walk.” You said quietly to your little sister who was sitting watching anime, apparently unphased by all the arguing going on. She just looked up at you, nodded, and returned her attention to her laptop. You sighed, opening the door to the cool air and stepped outside. Probably should’ve grabbed a thicker jacket. Oh well. You stuck your headphones in and pressed play, hoping to drown out the screaming you could still hear in your head.

You walked away from the house, down to the sidewalk that lined the street of your neighborhood. It was already almost eleven at night, so you were grateful that the overhead streetlamps illuminated your path. You continued until you reached the park. It wasn’t illuminated as well as the streets, but there was enough light to see the outline of your favorite swing.

You sat on the swing and kicked your legs back and forth for a little bit before actually starting to swing. After about ten minutes you heard gravel crunch behind you and stopped yourself. Turning around, you could see a short male walking towards you. You didn’t even have to see their face to know who it was.

“Hey Jongup. What are you doing out so late?” You asked in a flat voice. The two of you had only been friends for a year once you had the same dance class together at your university. But it felt like longer. He was so sincere. And kind of awkward. But it was okay because it was adorable.

“I was going to play some soccer with my ghost friends.” He said with a straight face as he sat in the swing next to you. You raised an eyebrow at him and his face cracked into a grin. “Kidding. I could see you out here from my window.” He nodded his head in the direction of his high rise apartment a block away.

“Ohh, right…” You said, looking back down at your feet as they played with the gravel below. A comfortable silence stretched out for a few minutes between you before he finally broke it.

“So, you get that math assignment done? I couldn’t figure out the last part and just gave up.”

You glanced at him in bewilderment for a moment before realizing he was talking about the homework due tomorrow. “Oh, uh yeah, I finished it. Not sure if it’s right, but it’s finished.”

“Wah…. Can you help me??” He got down on his knees in front of you and begged, his bottom lip sticking out. “Please? I’ll make you cookies.”

“Pfft, you can’t cook, what’re you talking about??” You said with a small smile. “But sure, we can meet before class tomorrow.”

He threw his arms up. “Yes! Thank you!” He hugged you around your waist and you kicked your legs lightly to get him off. You laughed a little, almost forgetting why you had come out here in the first place. Until he pulled away and looked up at you. “Ready to talk?”

You bit your lip and looked at him. It wasn’t that you didn’t trust him enough to talk to him. You had told him about your family stuff before. You just hated saying it out loud. You didn’t like people knowing your business.

But this wasn’t just anyone. It was Jongup. He had earned a lot of trust. You sighed and ran your fingers through your hair before standing up and moving to sit next to him on the ground. “My parents were arguing again.”

“Ah, I see. Did you throw up again?” He turned to looked over and you shook your head.

“Thankfully I slipped out before it got that bad. They’ve just been going at it all night.”

Jongup put his arm around you and you leaned your head on his shoulder. “I’m sorry…” He said while rubbing the side of your arm. You just shrugged, not really having anything to say about the subject. You sat in silence again for a while before he started chuckling.

Frowning, you sat up. “Yah! What’s so funny? I’m in distress over here.”

He pressed his lips together and looked away. “Sorry. I was just remembering the time we played basketball over there and I whipped your .”

You glanced across the park to the empty basketball courts and scoffed. “Yeah right. You must be thinking of someone else. I am great at basketball.” You tried not to smile. That was a lie, and you both knew it. You were probably the worst player on Earth.

“No, I’m pretty sure it was you ‘cause you kept getting distracted by the squirrels running around the trees.” He grinned his stupid little grin at you and you playfully shoved him.

“Just you wait until I find something I’m actually good at. Then I’ll show you!” You stood up. It was getting late and you should probably head home to get some sleep before classes tomorrow.

“You’re good at lots of stuff!” Jongup said as he stood up with you. He hesitated as you raised an eyebrow at him again. “Like… Like dancing! You’re a good dancer.”

“Whaaat? No I’m not. Have you seen your moves, boy?” You rolled your eyes and set off toward your house. Then he grabbed your arm and stopped you under a streetlight.

“I mean it, but if you don’t believe me, that’s fine. There’s plenty of other things you’re good at.” He paused, reaching his hand down to hold yours. “For example: You’re exceptionally good at making my heart race. You always look amazing in everything you wear. You’re better than me at math, which isn’t hard to do, I know, since I’m so bad, but still.” He looked into your eyes and smiled. “Don’t be so quick to put yourself down so low. You never know who thinks you belong on top.”

You just blinked at him. Was he being serious? Was he making a ual reference? Who was this person? He started to lead you towards your house and by the time you got there, you were still confused.

He chuckled slightly at your expression before leaning in and slowly pressing his lips against yours. After a momentary shock you kissed him back, feeling his soft lips against yours. It was a short, sweet kiss, but it still took your breath away. When you opened your eyes he was smiling at you again.

“I… Uhm, what..” You couldn’t even form a coherent sentence.

“I gotta go, I have cookies to burn.” He said with a cheerful grin.

“Oh, right…” You were still in a daze. Come on, pull it together!

“Be my girlfriend.” It wasn’t really a request or a command. More like an invitation. One you really couldn’t turn down.

Pulling yourself together, you nodded. “Of course.”

His grin grew wider and he leaned in, kissing you again, this time a little bit longer. He pulled away slowly, as if he didn’t want to stop, before pulling you into a tight hug. He kissed the top of your head and pushed you toward the door. “Get some sleep. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“At least let a few of the cookies be edible!” You called out to his retreating back. You could hear him laugh and saw him wave as he passed under a streetlamp. You waved back and walked inside, not even hearing your parent’s voices anymore.