You know he's the one, but does he feel the same? You think he does, but you've noticed he's been acting a little strange lately — not just "strange because he's a man," but strange. Proposals may be best left to a surprise, but if you’re ready to sniff out your partner’s plans, here are some expert signs that he’s about to pop the question.

 

You shift your gaze away from the computer screen and the look on Yoora’s face gives you a sense of déjà vu. And once again, you shoot her a withering look.

 

“Just because it worked once, doesn’t mean it’ll work again,” you tell her, rolling your eyes.

 

“But don’t you want to know whether he’ll propose or not? It’s been years since you started dating. I can practically feel it now. The proposing vibes are here.”

 

“There are so many things on this list. How could I possibly mark them all?”

 

“You did it before, and you can do it again. Read it, and you can thank me later.”

 

“Fine.” Once again, you concede. You scroll down the page which is filled with pictures of wedding dresses and wedding parties.

 

And that is how it all starts.

 

 

He’s acting really shady. If a guy can't account for lost time, hides his phone, and generally acts sketchy, there are usually only two reasons why: He is either cheating on you or planning a massive surprise.

 

“Hey,” you greet, pressing the phone closer to your ear with the help of your shoulder as you fumble with some bowls. “What time are you coming home for dinner tonight? I thought of cooking something nice instead of eating out.”

 

Junmyeon hesitates for a bit. “I’m not sure. I’ll probably be home quite late.”

 

“It’s okay. I can wait.”

 

“I might have to eat out with some clients from out of town though,” he says after a pause. It almost sounds like an excuse. “You shouldn’t wait up for me.”

 

You sigh. He must be really busy. “Fine then. Maybe I’ll just pay my parents a visit or something-”

 

“No! Er, I mean,” he stutters, and you can hear the sound of something falling over in the background. “They might be busy. Why not have some alone time? I know you’ve been working hard on your songwriting, so maybe it’s best if you take a nice break for yourself.”

 

You furrow your eyebrows, setting the bowl down onto the table. “Are you alright? Why are you acting so weird?”

 

“It’s nothing, babe. Just nervous about meeting the clients.”

 

“It’s okay, you’ll charm them like you always do,” you laugh. It is unlike Junmyeon to be so nervous. Perhaps they are really important people.

 

“I hope so,” he mutters under his breath, but you manage to catch it. They must be really important people.

 

“Good luck, I know you can do it,” you give him some words of encouragement to get him back to his usual confident self. “Fighting!”

 

He says his goodbyes and you hang up the phone. Perhaps it would be a good time to see your parents, like you had mentioned earlier to him. Since he can’t make it to a home-cooked dinner, you might as well enjoy it with your parents.

 

Dialling the phone again, you wait for the line to reach your mum. She picks up after a few rings, and has a cheery tone to her voice.

 

“Oh, hello dear! How are you doing?”

 

“You must be in a really good mood,” you chuckle. “I’m doing well. Listen, how would you and dad like to join me for dinner? I’m in a mood to cook up some stuff and Junmyeon went to go see some clients.”

 

“Dinner? Well,” there is a pause for a moment. “I don’t think we can make it, dear. We have a guest over.”

 

“Oh, who is it?”

 

“Um, um… You wouldn’t know him. He’s just one of our friends.”

 

“He could have dinner with us too! There’s definitely room for another.”

 

“Oh, I’m not too sure about that,” your mother says. “But could you call back later? We’re busy talking about something right now.”

 

“Okay then… We’ll have it another day.”

 

She hangs up shortly after, leaving you to sulk in your loneliness. The house feels emptier than ever with everyone seemingly being too busy to spend time with you. The urge to cook something up dissipates with every passing second and you soon find yourself slumped over the dining table.

 

In the end, you just decide to just whip something simple up like eggs and canned meat. Funnily, dinner tastes strangely bland despite adding extra soy sauce. You miss Junmyeon.

 

-

 

You slowly awake to the feeling of someone lifting you up. Without opening your eyes, you can already tell that it’s Junmyeon just by the feeling of his steady arms and firm chest you are cradled in.

 

“Jun… myeon?”

 

He shushes you and gently places your limp body onto the bed. You whine at the loss of warmth. The sound of the television plays in the background as you open your eyes sluggishly. You are greeted to the pleasant sight of your boyfriend looking over you fondly.

 

“I told you not to wait up for me, didn’t I?” He shakes his head at you. “I came home to you sleeping on the sofa with one of those late-night dramas on the TV.”

 

You merely hum at his words. The sight of him here can make you smile no matter what he says.

 

“I’ll go take a shower first,” he says, already beginning to his shirt. “Go to sleep, baby.”

 

Right as he hops into the shower, you hear the sound of a vibration from the bedside table. You instinctively reach out for the device, typing out the password with your eyes half-closed. However, when the tell-tale click of the phone unlocking doesn’t sound, you force your eyes open. It turns out to be Junmyeon’s.

 

The fact that it’s his phone doesn’t ease your tension. The both of you actually have the same passwords for your mobiles, and the space in between your eyebrows crease when it fails to unlock after another attempt.

 

You squint at the screen to see a text from one of his friends, Sehun. It is something about money and instruments, which is understandable since the both of them work in the same department which pertains to music. You try the password a third time, and it still doesn’t unlock.

 

You are still staring at his phone when he emerges from the shower. He clucks his tongue at you. “Why are you still up and on your phone? Go to sleep, I’ll join you in a minute. I have to turn the TV off first.”

 

“Did you change your password?” you ask, cutting straight to the point. The tone of your voice is almost accusatory.

 

He pauses for a moment before swooping down to snatch the phone from your hand. “Yes, I did. The guys at work got hold o