Jongin is late. He glances at the wall clock and tries not to bite his lower lip under his medical mask. He has to stay focused as he ties up the nerve endings in Kwak Songah’s wrist. Her future function all depends on him. The attending specialist hand surgeon, Dr. Cho, stands next to him, following his every move to make sure he doesn’t do anything wrong. Jongin needs to learn from this case, because an opportunity like this doesn’t come every day. It’s a case simple enough that Jongin can learn on it with reasonable safety for the patient, but anything involving suturing nerves is very difficult. Hand surgery is a specialist field, and a possible option for Jongin to specialise in one day, like Dr. Cho, rather than being a general orthopaedic surgeon. He blinks hard, focuses through his binocular loupes and regrips the suture needle. 

Songah was in an accident at her workplace involving a mechanical saw. It’s only sheer luck that she didn’t bleed out then and there from the cut on her wrist that severed the nerve endings. They have already closed up the traumatic amputation of two fingers and all there’s left is to hope for the best possible outcome for function in the remaining fingers as Jongin sutures the nerve endings in the wrist back together. She’s young so there’s reasonable hope that microsurgery will have a good outcome. Otherwise they would have had to do a nerve graft, something Jongin is not ready to do on his own.

As time passes by, Jongin feels himself stress more and more. A bead of sweat rolls down his neck and he takes a deep breath. He forces himself to stare through his loupes. He has just put in the last delicate suture on the nerve when Dr. Cho tells him to stop. Jongin goes still immediately. When he is deep within the body with sharp instruments, any sort of movement might harm the patient.

“I’ll take it from here,” Dr. Cho says. “It’s okay, the microsurgical repair is fine, but I can close up. You seem a little distracted.”

Jongin feels his face go hot as embarrassment crawls up his body. He drops the suture needle into the tray, takes a step back and bows forty-five degrees to his senior, but the other doctor waves him off. There’s a feeling of inferiority gnawing at his chest as he steps out of the OR to take off his surgical scrubs. His hair sticks in every direction from under his cap and Jongin sighs as he pulls it off. He’s so late and he needs a shower. 

He shouldn’t have agreed to do this surgery, knowing that he was pressed for time, but he could hardly refuse when the attending asked him. The doors behind him open when another doctor steps inside, probably about to start preparing for the next surgery in the adjacent OR that shares the scrubbing room. Jongin ducks out of the room and runs up the stairs to the orthopaedic floor, the lifts too slow and too far away from the orthopaedic ward. He’s panting as he throws his doctor’s coat over his office chair haphazardly and just closes the door - he will deal with the mess tomorrow. 

Traffic at this time of day is horrible, as usual, and by the time he finally gets to Sohee’s house, he’s over an hour later than he promised to be. He jumps from the car and runs up the stairs to her first floor apartment, only to get his breath taken away for a second time. Sohee stands in her living room in the most beautiful red dress Jongin has ever seen. His heart skips a beat and a ‘wow’ that might be him sounds throughout the apartment. Sohee turns around where she’s standing and lets her hands down over her stomach, one creeping over and trying to subtly hide her midsection. She sends him a smile, but her eyes are anxious.

“Is it okay?” she asks. Jongin feels dumbstruck, like all his words have been stolen and there’s no way to get them back. Sohee grabs a stray lock of hair and twists it around her finger. She hunches her shoulders just slightly, curls in on herself. 

“It’s more than okay. You look beautiful,” he tells her and walks closer. Sohee lets go of her hair and walks into his embrace, hiding her face in his shoulder. She’s styled her hair too, wavy curls falling from her high ponytail and down her neck. He’s rarely seen her in anything but jeans or her zookeeper’s khakis. He didn’t even know she owned a dress. Did she buy it specially?

“But do you think it’s good enough?” she mumbles, and it’s not like her. Sohee never sounds insecure like this. Jongin takes her shoulders and pulls her out of hiding so he can see her properly again.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asks. Sohee shrugs and covers her midsection with her hand again.

“Nothing,” she says, but Jongin has figured it out now. 

“Sweetheart, you are absolutely gorgeous, but you don’t have to wear a dress if you’re not comfortable,” he tells her. Sohee shakes her head, curls bopping behind her.

“It’s the Signiel Seoul, I have to wear a dress! I can’t show up in a place like that looking like I just got out of the lion enclosure, and you’ll be wearing that fancy suit you left here the other night, I don’t want to let you down...” 

Jongin kisses her to stop the flow of worried words, then pulls back to look her in the eye. She sends him a stubborn look, but this time she isn’t going to win.

“You don’t have to wear a dress if you don’t want to, and you wouldn’t let me down even if you were dressed in bin bags,” he tells her. She giggles and smacks his shoulder. That’s better, he thinks. “What about that nice suit you have?”

Sohee wrinkles her forehead. “Which suit?”

Jongin lets go of her and leaves her in the lounge to go through her wardrobe. He has seen the jacket in the closet before, but it seems to have disappeared as he goes through all her clothes. 

“The one with the black and white jacket,” he says, continuing to look for it. When she places a hand on his shoulder he turns to look at her. She has a relieved look on her face.

“Do you really think it would be okay? I know girls are supposed to wear dresses to places like this, but I really do hate them and I don’t want to make a bad impression...” 

Jongin smiles at her. “Sohee, I promise you, it’s fine. Taeyeon will love you no matter what you’re wearing.”

Sohee smiles, and Jongin feels oddly shy as he looks at her, still in the red dress. It suits her beautifully, but her comfort and happiness makes her even more beautiful.

“I’ll find a suit I like and you go take a shower,” she tells him and runs her fingers through his disaster hair. Jongin catches her hand.

“Don’t, it’s so gross, I was in surgery for hours...oh my god,” he suddenly remembers how late that surgery had made him. “We’re so late, oh my god -”

Sohee laughs and lets go of him to push him towards the bathroom. “Don’t panic, just go shower,” she calls after him.

Jongin showers at top speed, drying his hair with a towel as he steps into the bedroom to find his suit. Sohee is in front of her full-length mirror, dressed in a black suit. She’s wearing black flats and looks a lot happier as she puts a pin in her hair. She turns around when she notices Jongin in the mirror and he sees the suit jacket has a pattern of black and white on one side. 

“That’s the one I meant!” he tells her excitedly. She chuckles, her eyes scrunching up in happiness, and she’s even more gorgeous than he’s ever seen her before. He reaches out towards her to bring her closer, but she evades his embrace and pokes his bare chest.

“You need to get dressed, baby,” she tells him. Jongin nods rapidly and grabs his shirt, watching her leave the bedroom as he shoves his arms into his sleeves. He’s crazy in love with her and he can’t wait for Taeyeon to meet her.

They leave her apartment about fifteen minutes later than they’d originally planned. Jongin knows Taeyeon will understand about surgery, but he still feels bad. It’s her birthday and he didn’t want to be even a little bit late. Sohee tells him about a new playground they’ve been constructing for the lions and Jongin listens carefully as he drives, memorising the details and picturing the construction in his mind. He loves hearing her talk about the zoo, perhaps now more than ever, and when he casts a quick glance at her, he can see her passion radiating. She’s talking animatedly with her hands, describing big logs and horses made of soft wood. 

They reach Songpa-gu and as Jongin parks in front of the main entrance to LOTTE World Tower, Sohee’s jaw drops. She looks around nervously as she steps out of the car and wraps her arms around her. Jongin hands the valet his car keys, who takes them and bows ninety degrees. Jongin takes Sohee’s hand and leads her through the grand marble entrance. Sohee looks around, wide-eyed. Her curiosity is adorable. He squeezes her hand and she looks back at him, awed. 

“This place is ridiculous,” she whispers as they wait for the golden lift doors to open. Jongin chuckles. 

“I guess it is a little extravagant,” he says. Sohee nods fervently as the lift arrives and they step inside.  

“It’s crazy. What kind of people can even afford to stay in such a place?” 

Jongin smiles a little awkwardly and presses the button that will take them to the 76th floor. A second later Sohee gasps and turns to face him with horror in her eyes. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean -” she starts but Jongin shakes his head and smiles. 

“It’s okay,” he tells her. He feels - not exactly nervous, because he trusts and knows his family will accept Sohee with all the same openness they accepted him and all the emotional damage he came with, but still somewhat on edge. It’s just strange being back in the world of the upper class he left behind, but he has Sohee beside him now, and that makes all the difference.

The lift doors open to a grand hall and a reception desk at the far end of the room. A beautifully dressed couple sit on lounge chairs and look out over the Seoul skyline as they sip from glasses of wine. Sohee turns her head from side to side, trying to take in everything at once. Jongin gently pulls her with him as he walks towards the reception desk.

“Hello,” he greets the woman behind the desk. “We’re here for Lee Taeyeon’s private party.” She asks for their names before nodding and typing into her computer. 

“It’s held in STAY on the 81st floor. Someone will you in a minute,” she tells them and Jongin nods politely before he feels Sohee tug on his fingers. They slip from his a second later and she walks towards the large windows. When she turns back around towards him, there’s a large grin on her face. 

“Seoul looks beautiful from up here,” she tells him and then notices a man looking towards her with a disapproving gaze. Her cheeks redden. Jongin walks towards her and turns to look over the city skyline with her, a hand securely wrapped around her waist as he agrees with her. 

“Don’t let the s get you down,” he whispers in her ear. Sohee hides a giggle behind her hand, but presses a little closer to him. A man in a black suit meets them a minute later and takes them to the small private room Taeyeon has reserved in the restaurant. All six occupants in the room turn towards them when they enter. Taeyeon sends them a large warm smile and hurries towards them. She’s dressed in a royal blue dress that suits her perfectly, silver hair in a bun like always.

“Jongin, you made it,” she says and reaches out to embrace him. “I was beginning to wonder if the OR had swallowed you alive.” There’s teasing in her voice, but it softens when she turns to Sohee with a kind smile. “And this must be Sohee.”

Sohee nods and bows, smiling brightly as she straightens up, but Jongin can tell she’s nervous. Taeyeon introduces herself and the rest of the family to Sohee. Her husband Namgi, and Taehee and Taeah. Jongin knows Taehee’s husband, Minho, but there’s another man beside Taeah that he doesn’t recognize. Jongin raises his eyebrow at Taeah and she blushes. Jongin grins delightedly. For once he might actually not be on the receiving end of all the teasing tonight.

Taeyeon ushers them to the table. Sohee seems so small next to him in all the luxury, as if she shrinks, and he grabs her hand under the table, links their fingers and squeezes gently. 

“So, Sohee,” Namgi starts and folds his hands on the table. “What do you do for a living?” 

It turns out that Namgi has visited a few zoos around the world and he’s very interested as Sohee starts to talk about her occupation. The more she talks about the predators she looks out for on a daily basis, the more comfortable she gets, until she lets go of Jongin’s hand so she can mime a particular gesture the cheetahs did earlier this week. Satisfied that Sohee is doing fine, Jongin turns to Taeah and pokes a finger into her side. She glares at him, but that doesn’t stop him.

“Who is he?” he whispers in her ear. 

“His name is Kangjoon,” she whispers back. Jongin raises an eyebrow and pokes her again. A name is not enough. They’ve started dating recently, she explains in a whisper, and mom insisted she invited him here. Kangjoon looks comfortable, so Jongin guesses this isn’t the first time he’s meeting the family. 

As the appetizer is served, Jongin glances towards his girlfriend. She’s so caught up in her conversation with Namgi and Minho that all the awe that was there when they entered the tower has disappeared, and the happy brightness that is so Sohee is radiating off of her. Jongin knew she was going to be loved. Taeyeon sends him a knowing smile over the table and this time it’s him who flushes scarlet, much to Taeah’s joy. She prods and pokes at his ribs until he gives in and turns to pout at her, making her giggle delightedly at having gotten the reaction she wanted.

The dinner passes by full of pleasant conversation. Jongin tells Taeyeon about the microsurgical repair he’d been doing a couple of hours earlier and they spend thirty minutes talking about orthopaedics until Taehee interrupts them and begs them not to talk about work anymore. He hears all about Taehee’s twin girls and how much they’ve grown, and Namgi and Minho invite Jongin to a game of golf that he politely declines. 

When the meal is over, they move to the lounge area for coffee. Taeyeon has rented out a section of the lounge and the waiters arrive with small cupcakes. Sohee sits next to him with a smile and rests a hand on his thigh. Jongin ignores the sly looks Taehee and Taeah send him, until suddenly Taehee pipes up with the question of how Jongin and Sohee met. 

Sohee turns around in her seat to grin at him before turning back to his sisters. Jongin feels the colour creep up his neck at the memory of their first meeting.

“It’s not interesting,” he tries, but Taeyeon has tuned in now. She shushes him and takes a sip of her coffee. 

“I’d love to hear it!” she says and Sohee smiles. She shifts in her seat and leans against him. Her fingers start drawing random circles on his knee. 

“It was raining so hard and this one had forgotten his umbrella,” Sohee starts, and Jongin interrupts as Taehee and Taeah start giggling already.

“The one day in June when it’s raining! It wasn’t fair to expect me to think of an umbrella,” he protests and Taeyeon chuckles. Sohee rolls her eyes but there’s a soft smile on her lips as she explains how they’d met in front of a café, Jongin staring sadly at the rain trying to figure out how to get to the subway without getting soaked. Sohee had been carrying an umbrella and she’d offered him to share. Jongin had followed her to the bus stop, only to be caught with another dilemma when the distance to the subway station was still too long to cover without getting soaked. Taehee laughs at the image and Jongin pouts again. He’d ended up riding the bus with Sohee, wound up in the wrong part of the city, but with red cheeks, a heart skipping a beat and a new number in his phone - all of which was really Sohee’s doing because he’d been too shy to even hope to meet her again. 

Taeah coos at the story. “It’s just like a romantic drama,” she says and her sister agrees. Jong