Four months into their relationship, Jong Kook dropped on one knee and asked Ji Hyo to marry him. She said yes.

Everyone thought they were going too fast. Others speculated that Ji Hyo had gotten pregnant. Their family and friends were beyond ecstatic when they heard the news. They, on the other hand, were too happy to care. As Jong Kook put it, they’ve wasted enough time over the past ten years and were more than ready to make things official.

The proposal was perfectly planned by Jong Kook— private and simple, just as he knew Ji Hyo would prefer it.

____________________________________________________________________________

On a cold December afternoon, Jong Kook surprised Ji Hyo when he unexpectedly showed up at her agency’s photoshoot. He became the center of attention, making her staff gush with his good manners and considerate personality because of the snacks and coffee he brought for the whole team. He explained that it was his peace offering for his sudden interruption— not that anyone minded at all.

He was on his best behavior as he patiently waited for his girlfriend. He situated himself in areas where he did not block anyone’s way or steal their focus away from Ji Hyo who has been tirelessly working hard the whole day.

Jong Kook couldn't hide his grin as he watched her pose from one frame to another and sneaked a couple of shots and videos when she wasn’t looking. He was beaming with pride as his eyes continued to trail on her every move. He couldn’t wait to spend the rest of his life with her. All he needed her to do was to say yes.

When she was finally done for the day, she excitedly rushed to the corner where her boyfriend was quietly standing and wrapped him in a tight hug.

“What brings you here?” she smiled widely.

“I just wanted to see you,” he kissed her cheek. “You look gorgeous.”

She rolled her eyes, ignoring his compliment but couldn’t hide her smile, “But I thought we weren’t gonna see each other till tomorrow. Aren’t you supposed to be in a meeting with Gap Jin?”

“Should I go? It seems like I’m unwanted here,” he teased, earning him a playful smack from Ji Hyo.

“You came here unannounced. Do you have any plans?” she raised a brow at him.

He pursed his lips, “Maybe. Is the lady free after this?”

She smiled, “What’s up?”

“Gap Jin informed me that he was able to book me an appointment to visit one of the decent apartments I’d been eyeing on. Can you come with me to have a look?”

“Sure. Have you already seen the other apartments from your list?”

“Not yet— I was hoping to ask you to accompany me on those visits too. I need a second set of eyes to check them out.”

“I’d love to. What time is your appointment?”

He took out his phone to check the time, “Right about now.”

“Give me 5 minutes to pack-up and we can get going,” she untangled herself from their embrace but was abruptly stopped by her boyfriend.

“Huh? What is it?”

Jong Kook surprised her with a peck.

She gasped in response and quickly looked around if people saw them.

“Relax,” he chuckled, “I made sure they weren’t looking.”

She stuck out her tongue and removed herself from his arms, “Five minutes.”

“Okay.”

____________________________________________________________________________

“I’ll give you some time to look around the place yourselves,” the real estate agent said.

“Thank you so much,” Jong Kook and Ji Hyo bowed before the agent took his leave.

The moment they were alone, Ji Hyo roamed through the living room and scanned the details of the bare area. From her point of view, she saw the spacious kitchen and a big hallway leading to the 5 bedrooms and the common bathroom.

“Where did you find this place, oppa?” she asked, her eyes filled with amazement.

“You like it? I got lucky when the agent told me that this was still on the market.”

“Yeah, it’s huge though. I didn’t expect you were considering a large space and in Mapo-gu too!”

“Come here. I’ll let you know what my plans are,” Jong Kook grabbed her hand and led her to the hallway.

“5 rooms. The first is for my closet space, the second is for my home gym—”

“Home gym?” Ji Hyo’s eyes popped.

“Yeah. Next year, I’m going to get busier with new projects on the pipeline. I might not be able to go to the gym so I’ll have to settle for the workout from arrangements on some occasions,” he explained.

“That makes sense. And the third room?”

“Third room is for omma or appa, if they choose to sleepover so we won’t have to cram ourselves in my bedroom. I was also thinking if there are other people who would like to stay over, I have an available guest room ready.”

“Kim Jong Kook entertaining guests?! Is that a change of heart?” she grinned at him teasingly.

“My friends are stubborn. Even if I tell them off, they’ll just barge in,” he reasoned.

“Hmm, you don’t scare them anymore.”

“That’s not true,” he frowned, “I still have leverage over those punks.”

“Not quite,” she smirked.

“What did you say?”

“Face it, oppa. They’ve outgrown you,” she pointed a finger at his chest.

He pinched her nose lightly, “You’re a little mischievous today, aren’t you?”

“Hmph.”

“Come on,” he chuckled and tugged her hand gently and guided her to the master’s bedroom.

“Daebak,” she commented as they stopped in the middle of the room, facing the beautiful city view from the massive window.

Jong Kook came behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, “So what do you think? Should I get this place?”

She leaned on him, “Hmm, why are you still asking me? It seems like you’ve already made a choice.”

He smiled and kissed her head, embracing her tighter, “Just wanted to get your opinion. If you were in my shoes, would you consider getting this place?”

“In that case, I think it’s going to be a good purchase,” she looked back at him with a smile.

“Then it’s settled. I guess I better start packing.”

“That quick?!” She turned her body to face him and laughed, “Aren’t you even gonna look at your other options?”

“Wae? The features of the other apartments don’t come close to this. Plus, I already bought the place.”

“I beg your pardon? Oppa, are you alright?” she touched his forehead with the back of her hand, “What’s gotten into Mr. Frugal? You’re not usually this impulsive.”

Jong Kook chuckled, taking her hand to his lips, “I will be after this…”

Ji Hyo froze in her spot as Jong Kook came down on his knee and brought out a black velvet box containing a simple yet elegant diamond ring.

“What in the world?” she whispered, utterly stunned at the sudden turn of events. “Are you for real?!”

“Ji Hyo,” Jong Kook nervously breathed as he gazed at her, “I promise to keep this short cause I know how much you hate long speeches—”

“Oh gosh,” she giggled and her eyes were beginning to brim with tears.

“Ji Hyo-ah, I didn’t know what I was missing out from till you came into my life. We went through so many things together— from ripping name tags, winning gold bars, booking tanning sessions, getting kicked out of the job, going on extreme rides, pretending to be lovers to actually becoming one. I don’t want to throw another 10 years away and wait before we could start and build a home together—”

“Ye—”

“Ji Hyo, I’m not finished yet.”

“You told me you were going to keep this short. Palli!” She wiped her tears frantically, overwhelmed with emotions.

Jong Kook laughed. Even in this moment, Ji Hyo did not fail to make him genuinely happy.

“Let’s start building our home together, Ji Hyo. Will you marry me?”

Ji Hyo nodded, tears freely flowing, “Yes… YES!!!” She shakily gave her hand as Jong Kook inserted the ring in her finger.

Jong Kook couldn’t stop himself from grinning from ear-to-ear and immediately stood to his feet and looked into her eyes as he wiped the tears off of her face, “I love you.”

“Omg, we’re getting married?” she returned his gaze, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that she just got engaged.

“Yeah, we are,” Jong Kook leaned in for a quick kiss, “How are you feeling?”

“You tell me. How long have you planned this?” she giggled with her hands locked around his waist.

Jong Kook’s laughter echoed in the room, “A little over a month—”

Ji Hyo made a face, checking if her boyfriend, erm, fiance was messing with her.

“I’m serious and I’ve even gotten us this place!”

She giggled and linked her fingers around his neck, “How did I get so lucky?”

“You’ve always been lucky,” he chuckled as Ji Hyo hit his arm lightly and he took her in for another kiss.

____________________________________________________________________________

“Nervous?”

Ji Hyo casted a small and timid smile at Jong Kook as he pressed his lips on her knuckles before placing her hands around his neck and sliding his fingers on her waist.

“A little,” she admitted, aware of the watchful eyes and camera flashes directed at them.

Jong Kook released a chuckle as he stared at his beautiful wife. Yes, he couldn’t believe it either. He was finally married.

Had it only been several months ago when they found themselves in a similar situation— acting like lovers to fool his ex? A foolish deception that backfired horribly on the both of them, leaving them to deny their feelings until they eventually gave in.

Thank God they stopped fooling around one another and bravely chos