Description

It's date night and Junhoe's home from work, but Chaeyoung's already fast asleep.

-🍁-

"Honey, I'm home."

The first thing Junhoe sees after opening the front door is his wife sleeping on the dining table, again. He heaves a sigh, fingers loose around the plastic bag with her favorite vanilla ice cream, and goes inside. After changing into his slippers, he walks next to her and stares at the mess on the table. It's like papers exploded everywhere, multitudes of opened books, and colorful pens with them. It's like college over again, only this time, Chaeyoung's not the student anymore. Her job requires her to be creative, said it's to keep the short attention span of 'her' kids.

Junhoe heaves a sigh. Chaeyoung's using her arms as a pillow, on top of the numerous papers below her. After the opening of classes at the school she's working at, this is always the sight he sees. They say teachers have jobs running 24/7. Junhoe feels that's never been more true as he stares at his wife.

The tie around his neck's starting to suffocate him so he tugs it down before removing it. He hangs the tie around Chaeyoung's backrest, the coat after. Fatigue's wearing down his shoulders but the moment he catches sight of his wife's sleeping face, he's too preoccupied to mind.

He shoves the ice cream container in the freezer and arranges her things laid on the table, back to where he thinks it's supposed to be. Like any other night, Junhoe's left with the job to carry her back to their bedroom. He tried leaving her with a blanket one time, but that only resulted to her screaming, "Why did you leave me out like that?"

Junhoe wanted to tell her she didn't want that when she was half-asleep, but he saw that she was too upset for him to make sense.

Pulling a chair in front of her, he leans his cheek on his closed fist. Junhoe brushes away hair in front of her face and tucks it behind her ear. His fingers stall in the air when it causes her to shift in her seat. It's not enough to cause her awake so he relaxes.

It's already ten minutes to midnight, Junhoe realizes. Like Chaeyoung, his job requires a lot from him too. There are paperworks to sign, employees to train, and higher-ups to satisfy (mostly his grandmother). He hates staying late out but he has to, now that the system's down and everything has to be done manually. Mostly, he hates overtime because he doesn't get a chance to catch his wife awake. It's a struggle for them to spend time nowadays. Either she's out early and he's still sleeping or she's already sleeping and he just got home.

Still, the two are trying. Tonight, Chaeyoung promises she'll stay awake for him, even requested that he buys her vanilla ice cream. Even though he was expecting this night will turn out a little different, he understands. She's tired and she needs to sleep.

He stands up and tries his best to slot it back under the table without any noise. Junhoe leans over, hooks his arms around his wife's legs and back, something that stirs her half-awake.

"Junhoe?"

"Sorry," he mumbles at the slight intrusion.

She shakes her head and leans on his chest, like a meek child asleep on his arms. A little smile plays on his lips. Chaeyoung can act like a kid sometimes. Most of all, she looks cute doing it.

Junhoe opens the bedroom door with his foot and beelines for the bed, setting his wife above the sheets. He then untucks the sheets, tugging it with soft pulls to ensure she doesn't get awake again, and drapes it over her body. After doing his night routine of changing clothes and brushing his teeth, he goes beside her and hauls her close.

It's a movement that wakes her up again as she tries to rise from the bed. "But, the ice cream..."

He pushes her head down and although he wants to chuckle that the first thought she has is ice cream, he doesn't, in fear it'll wake her up to smack his arm. "No. Sleep."

She doesn't protest anymore. Chaeyoung leans back and snuggles close to his chest. She dozes off again, evident on her silent snores. He smiles, although he knows she can't see it, and kisses the side of her head.

"Good night," he whispers.

end.