Irene fell asleep against Joonmyeon’s shoulder, a red line running across a student’s paper as her hand fell to the side. The two made a simple system whenever Joonmyeon offered to help grade (which was everyday); the actual teacher graded the papers and projects, where as Joonmyeon graded tests and quizzes, provided he had an answer key. They would argue over students’ doodles and funny pictures, but in the end Joonmyeon rewarded every picture depending on the quality anywhere from one to five extra credit points, much to her amused annoyance.

Irene was dead tired and Joonmyeon felt sorry for her. They’ve been practically attached to the hip since their meeting nearly three weeks ago and he began to wonder if he should give her space. He was just so damn happy to finally meet his soulmate after all this time; he just wanted to love and take care of her.

He gently took the marker out of her hand and set her pile of papers on the coffee table before he went ahead and finished grading the pile of quizzes and tests. It was only about an hour later and he neatly set the papers down in a pile before he gently stood up and shook her. “Hey… Irene…”

She mumbled and rubbed her eye before yawning, “Oh… sorry… I must’ve fallen asleep.”

“Why don’t you go to bed?” Joonmyeon asked, coming some of her hair back. “It’s almost midnight; don’t you get up at like six?”

She hummed with eyes closed for a moment, before she lifted her arms and pouted, “Carry me?”

Finding the woman amusing, he leaned down and held her hands, pulling her up to her feet, only for her grin and pull him on top of her, giggling. He blushed and chuckled at her playfulness before he stood back up, pulling her to her feet. He turned her around and pushed her, letting her guide them to her room.

He wasn’t surprised by the disorganization of the room, with clothes strewn on the floor and her bed unmade. He was surprised to see a plate and cup on the dresser, but at least she wasn’t a complete slob. He knew that if she wasn’t busy working herself to accommodate for progress reports and the grades, her room might have been a bit cleaner. He watched her walk over to the dresser and pulled out some clothes before setting them on her bed. She sat on top and held out her arms, sleepily pouting and asking him to stay the rest of the night.

Joonmyeon would have usually refused, trying to be a gentleman, but he couldn’t resist how cute she looked, with hair falling over her face and her trying to stay awake. He walked closer to her and she instantly grabbed the hem of his shirt before pulling him to lay down next to her, instantly wrapping her body around him like a koala. Her tired actions were preventing the man from telling her how cute she looked because she pushed her face into his chest and hummed, mumbling about how nice he smelled.

When Joonmyeon was certain that she was asleep, he waited just a bit longer before he pulled away, selfishly rubbing his hands up her back and waist as he made a plan to remember every curve of her body. He stood up and pushed and pulled the woman to lay on the properly, setting her head on the pillows and throwing her comforter over her, the clothes she grabbed forgotten. When his finished with his handiwork, he caressed her cheeks and gave a kiss on her forehead, whispering her sweet dreams before he attempted to make a quiet escape to the living room.

A certain color caught his eye peeking out of her closet, and though he was raised not to snoop, he looked back at his softly snoring soulmate and thought it wouldn’t hurt to take a peek. He pulled out a pink and white striped skirt, and grinned, imagining her wearing it during her day as a teacher; more so to introduce her properly to his mother and brother. He placed in back in the closet and left the room, closing the door as quietly as possible.

He faced the living room and piled the papers in an order, such as those that needed still needed to be graded and those that were, before straightening the living room. When he finished, he wrote a note and left it on top of the pile of papers before grabbing his things and leaving the apartment, an empty sort of feeling where his heart was.

It was more so like a small pressure than an empty feeling; he really wanted to stay and cuddle with Irene in her bed, just to whisper to her sweet things and make her feel safe. He was really wanted to stay in the apartment and feel at home with her; just to start his life with his soulmate. He found himself extremely lucky that she was beautiful and has a personality that was easy to meld with his. He began to fantasize about their life as they got older; how many children they would have, and how they would embarrass them when they got older. He imagined taking her out to the country-side just to watch the stars; taking her to a historical battle reenactment and have her explain what led to it.

When he got home and finished showering, he was drying his hair on his bed and looked up to the box on the dresser, biting his lip. He wanted to give it to her the first day they met, however he was glad they waited. He wanted to make sure that she was on the same page as him before going further; he noticed at times she would step back, and it would pull him back into reality. He didn’t realize it, but Joonmyeon didn’t care if it’s been a short time since they met. He believed that as soulmates, they were destined for each other. At times, it felt like he’s know Irene for his entire life, but then he learns something that makes him realize how fast they must’ve looked to other people. He couldn’t help it; she was very easy to fall in love with.

Wendy never tried to dress up when it came to Jongdae; he actually told her shortly after he stole her first kiss that he liked it when she dressed in blue jeans because she could make anything look classy. She hadn’t really worn jeans, only wearing them for school presentations, however, as she made her way down to one of the audio booths, she bit the inside of her cheek. Last time she wore the jeans, she could feel him play with the loops; as if he was holding himself back from ripping them off her. This made her sweat at the idea, rubbing her hands against the familiar blue denim.

She stared at the room number on the door, worried if he was going to do such things since she’s given him no death glares or spiteful words in the past two days as he would take advantage and hold her hand, kiss her cheek, and call her pet names. She gave a lot of credit to her best friend; he held himself back compared to the actions he did now. Wendy thought of him like a needy puppy a bunch of times when he would whine at her, and then she would begin to question why she even enjoyed all the affection he was pushing unto her.

She sighed, and figured that whatever happens would happen, letting herself fall into a false sense of security as she opened the door, his head bobbing to the sound of his head phones. He looked up as soon as he saw her step closer, and she felt herself melt for the thousandth time at his smile as he greeted her, taking his headphones off and pausing his work. He even reached out and pulled her close, wrapping his arms around her legs and placing his head on her stomach in an awkward position of a hug.

She let out a small smile as she ran her hair through his hair, pushing it back and watching it stand up. “Hi,” she let out, finding it odd to not hear it ring through the room with all the foamed walls around.

He looked up at her and she felt his hands travel the back of her thighs down to behind her knees, sending goosebumps on her skin. “What’s with the jeans? Did you have a presentation today?”

She blushed a little, pulling her hands away. She felt embarrassed when he watched her give him any sort of affection, as if pretending that it doesn’t count if he doesn’t know how just freaking infectious he can be. “No… I wore them because I wanted to…”

He hummed, letting his hands roam around her thighs more before resting them next to her knees. He didn’t stop smiling and informed her how gorgeous she made them look, causing her to blush a brighter pink and look away. She felt her heart quicken and found it absolutely difficult to pay attention to anything but his hands. Then he asked if she was wearing them for him, and when she didn’t look at him, unable to answer and blush deepening, she felt his nails drag down her thighs.

She bit her lip and stepped away because God damn, that felt good. At times, she could feel the heavy between them, and other times it would sneak up on her. She wasn’t blind to how attractive her best friend was, and she would have moments where she would eye his back, his arms, and his chest. She would have those dangerous thoughts the would emphasis that, okay, she might be a teeny-tiny-itty-bitty attracted to him. She had great self-control though, and the constant reminder of the lie she told him was always a helpful reminder to not jump him whenever he picked up something while wearing a tight shirt.

“Um… so what are you wor