o28 || firsts
the pursuit of happiness
Feeling down, Jaehyun decided to skip work since he's late anyway. Instead, he made a trip to Sicheng's office, ready to give his best friend the lecture of his life. He boarded the elevator to Sicheng's office, giving his secretary a nod, before barging inside the room.
Sicheng looked up from his computer screen in surprise when the door to his office slammed open loudly.
"Dong Sicheng, you piece of !"
Sicheng took in Jaehyun's sudden rage with a laugh. He knew what the guy was about to rant.
"Got a nice unpredictable visit, huh?"
"Nice your ! Why would you give her my address?!"
Sicheng cackled, "Would you rather I give her the address to your parents' house?!"
"Probably better to see Jungwoo grill the life out of her. You almost put my relationship with Yerim in jeopardy!"
"Serves you right! I was supposed to be the first friend you told when you proposed but no?!? It was Dejun!"
"Well, it was also accidental. He wasn't su—"
"So, you're planning to keep it a secret?!? Dejun found out after a month! And I knew you since we're in diapers! You were my best man!"
"And you'll be mine. If the wedding happened. You don't know the ruckus Hana caused in my place last night, Cheng," Jaehyun sighed tiredly before flopping on the chair in front of Sicheng's desk.
"What happened?"
"Well, she came while I was in the shower so I don't really know. But it was a bad day for us since Jeno almost got buried by cartons of ramen in the grocery store. We got home later than usual, and then Hana came when Yerim hadn't finished cooking so she delayed the kids' meal time. My kids were already fussy and hungry and tired and then she came and made everything worse!" Jaehyun complained.
Sicheng laughed and stood up to approach him and pat his back sympathetically.
"Poor dude. Well, so what did Hana do exactly?"
"Like I said at first, I wasn't there when she first came but I knew it certainly didn't impress Jeno since he just...despised her existence. Hana was about to sit next to me during dinner and Jeno nearly threw a tantrum. And well, she did make a lot of mean comments regarding Yerim and the kids, so probably except Sungchan, everyone in the household hates her."
Sicheng doubled over in laughter, "How did Yerim react?"
"Well, she's always so chill. She talked to Hana in English. But I know she's very uncomfortable and now we're in a silent war and I'm depressed," Jaehyun groaned as he buried his face with his hands.
"Give her some time to… cool off. I mean, do text her or something, but like, meet her again tomorrow? I believe she needed time to process that she just met the only ex you ever had."
Jaehyun sighed and nodded.
"Now, go away and don't you have work to do?"
Jaehyun grinned, "Nope. I skipped work. So, as a revenge for putting a strain on my relationship with Yerim I'm gonna bother you until lunch time!"
"What the , Jung Jaehyun! I’ve got a business to run here!"
Yerim rolled her sleeves before going down on the dough in front of her. She had a light dinner and now she's ready to start making her pie. She was planning on making a pecan pie for Jaehyun. A sort of…. Peace offering?
To be honest, she wasn't mad at Jaehyun. She's just playing with him and she knows he probably needs to sort his head after meeting that mutant barbie two nights ago. Truthfully, she hates not speaking to him. She missed him and his stupid dad jokes, and his scent, and his kids especially. She had decided to bake him his favorite pie and probably talk it out with him tomorrow. Tomorrow's Saturday, a weekend, which means it's time to stay at his place and spend time with him and the kids.
She wrapped the dough in plastic wrap before starting on the filling. She started by toasting the pecans on the oven before she started weighing down her dry ingredients. She finished measuring them and waited for her nuts to finish toasting. She was in the middle of cleaning the counter when she heard the door beeped, meaning somebody who got hold of her passcode came in! She grabbed a rolling pin in alarm and turned around only to see a distraught looking Jaehyun entering her apartment.
The guy let out a relieved sigh before rushing to her side and embracing her in a tight hug.
"Jaehyun? What's wrong?"
"Oh, my god. Let's not fight again in the future, I can't stay having you mad at me, I think I went completely mad without looking at your face or hearing your voice," he rambled.
"Okay."
"God, I miss you," he groaned.
"Well, it's your own fault for not contacting me," Yerim shrugged as she pulled away to continue cooking.
"No, I wasn't! I responded to your texts, duh!"
"What? I thought you were mad at me?!"
Yerim blinked and grinned sheepishly, "I wasn't actually."
"My mother spanked me with a newspaper earlier this evening when I told her I had a fight with you and we're actually not fighting at all?!"
Yerim laughed as she crushed up the toasted pecans.
"That's why you should stop being a worry wart!" She stuck out her tongue before ignoring him to start mixing the filling for the pie.
"Just…. Let me hold you, okay? The few past days were horrible without you," he murmured against her head. She chuckled and nodded as she concentrated on cooking.
"What are you making?"
"Pecan pie!"
"Oh, my favorite!"
"I know. I was planning on meeting you tomorrow, that's why I'm baking it now."
"Well, good. We could just wrap it up and bring it to my parents’ house as a peace offering because my mom held my children hostage and banned me from coming home until I brought you along and proved to her that we've made up," Jaehyun muttered.
"Yep. That's why I'm upset right now. Can I stay the night here?"
Yerim shrugged, "If you're okay with sleeping in that outfit then yeah."
Jaehyun realized he's still in his work attire and he has yet to shower.
"Mind If I slept ?" he said playfully.
"Ouch!"
"Go sleep with the security officers in the lobby downstairs."
"Fine. I'll keep my boxers then."
"Your undershirt too."
He groaned but he nodded, "Alright, deal."
Yerim nodded and tried to pry him off.
"Good. Now go take a shower while I bake."
"No. I'm latching on you like a leech. Bear with me."
Yerim clicked her tongue on his stubborn behavior. She relented and let him cling to her like a koala while she baked the pie.
"It's baking now so go take a shower before I chase you out with a rolling pin!"
He grinned before pecking the corner of her lips, "Aye aye, captain!"
Jaehyun exited the shower in his undershirt and his boxers, feeling a little shy, to find Yerim playing with her phone on the bed. He made his way towards her and slipped under the covers beside her.
"Did you know that I called Sicheng and ranted his ears off yesterday?" Yerim blurted randomly which made Jaehyun laugh.
"Well, I came personally to his office and annoyed him until lunch time. I had a blast."
"Serves him right for sending that…. mutant barbie ex of yours to your place," Yerim shrugged.
"Mutant barbie?!"
"Why that name?"
"I don't know… like bleached hair… fuchsia lips… polka dotted dress… that screams barbie to me," she shuddered.
"Well, to be honest I like your fashion sense better," Jaehyun shrugged.
Yerim grinned as she scrolled through her notes. Jaehyun took a peek. Recipes. Typical Yerim.
Yerim laughed, "When Jeno opened the door she started yelling in English. It must've confused him. She just had this…. attitude, you know. And oh, she called me your newest plaything."
"She what?!"
"Seriously, I don't know your exes after her but how do you go from that…. human, to me? Like, I almost feel like an entirely different species from her," Yerim shuddered.
Yerim closed her phone and snuggled to his side, curious.
"Only ex? The only one? How come she's the only girl you've dated?!"
"Well, and then there's you," Jaehyun bopped her nose and she scrunched it in annoyance.
"No, I mean… I left you for ten years and that's the only girl you've ever dated? Like, Jaehyun! You can get any like...cute American chick if you want to!"
Jaehyun laughed as he squeezed her side affectionately, "It was partly your fault. You left a very lasting impression, you know."
She gave him a side eye, "What? You had a crush on me?"
"Oh my god, I can't believe that!" She exclaimed in disbelief.
"What? Don't tell me you have a crush on me as well?"
Yerim shrugged as rolled her eyes, "Every girl who's not a lesbian has had a crush on you in high school, Jung Jaehyun."
Jaehyun gaped, "Why don't you tell me?! We could've dated earlier in life!"
Yerim scoffed, "In nature, there's no written history where the egg ran after the , okay. You're the guy, then do the chasing!"
Jaehyun sighed exasperatedly, "I was just afraid I will ruin our friendship! Like because out of the other guys, you're the closest to me."
"And that's because we share the same brain capacity. Ten and I didn't share the same brain wave. And Sicheng… is Sicheng!"
Jaehyun laughed as he kissed the top of her head, "Well, that's true."
"Ugh, I thought we're over this?"
"Nope, Mister. Not a chance. I want to know the full details from you, unless you want me to call Ten up for some tea spilling session."
"Oh god, not Ten. Alright, alright, I'll tell you. So, in college, on the first year we were obligated to live in dorms and I share a room with this cool upperclassman guy named Taeyong hyung. Sicheng shared a room with Youngho hyung, and Ten shared a room with a fellow batchmate, Doyoung. And then we all sort of form a group? And Hana is Youngho hyung's younger sister."
"So, she's one of your underclassmen?"
"No. She's like two years younger? And I have like zero interest in her. Back then we frequented Youngho hyung's house the most, that's why I saw Hana often. And she had, like, a crush on me, I guess? She confessed to me multiple times. And the other dudes told me to just accept her and you know…"
"Give it a try?"
"Yeah. I was very hesitant but I felt bad for Youngho hyung since she's his sister so I said yes. But I made it clear to her that I probably was not the kind of guy she wanted to date but she insisted. We dated for like… five months? Until I got enough of her and I can't tolerate her anymore. So, before I graduated and went back to Seoul, I broke up with her."
"Why do I feel like the story doesn't end here?"
Jaehyun chuckled, "Well, you're right. I apologized to Youngho hyung and the dude was cool about it, he knew his sister is a bit of a wack, and he apologized as well for pushing me towards her and unknowingly pressuring me to date her. We were all cool, I was back in Seoul, but then Youngho hyung had to start working in another country and he couldn't keep an eye on her anymore. She started coming to Seoul and demanding that I get back with her. And Jungwoo was…. Infuriated by her. It's always funny to see him try to shred her. And if you called her a mutant Barbie, you should hear all the funny names Jungwoo made to address her."
"So, Jungwoo was your repellant?"
"You can say so. She had stopped appearing for like two or three years and she suddenly came back like that."
Yerim nodded understandingly.
"Okay, now onto you."
"Me?"
"Yep. Tell me about the cute Japanese boys you dated while you're in hiding."
"You disappeared for ten years, Yerim. You were definitely in hiding. And no, I don't believe you! How come you didn't date anyone?"
"I was just... Not interested? Like, we think alike, Jaehyun. If it wasn't for your friends who pressured you into dating Hana, you would probably stay single until now, right?"
He nodded solemnly.
"Well, we could be the beginning and the end of each other then."
"You are, to me. But I'm not your beginning! You had Hana!"
"No, she didn't count. End of discussion, let's sleep, good night, I love you!"
"Eomma! I missed you!"
Yerim laughed when Jeno crashed himself into her legs.
"Hi, buddy! I missed you too!" Yerim beamed as she knelt on the floor to give the kid a proper hug.
"Are you still fighting with appa? I can still call you eomma, right?"
Yerim blinked her eyes in confusion.
"Whoa, what? Who told you that?" Jaehyun asked immediately.
"Halmae said appa and eomma are fighting. And halbae said appa made me and Sungchanie stay here so appa can talk with eomma. Then Woo samchon said, if appa and eomma kept fighting, eomma will go and she won't be my eomma anymore," Jeno spoke innocently.
Yerim looked up to see Jaehyun's father who was holding Sungchan in his arms.
And now Jaehyun had to physically facepalm himself.
"What? Hey, you ignored me for two days!" Jaehyun protested.
"You never called me! I didn't say you can't go to my place either!" Yerim retorted defensively.
Jaehyun groaned exasperatedly as he followed them inside.
Yerim grinned at Jungwoo who was lounging on the couch with his mother.
"I bring pecan pie and tiramisu!" She exclaimed happily as she handed the paper bag to a maid so she could serve it.
"Ah, thank you darling. Come sit here!" His mother beckoned kindly.
Yerim plopped down next to her and felt the couch dip as Jaehyun sat next to her.
"Alright, now that you're here, please tell us the whole story on how you tame that ursula!" Jungwoo grinned.
"Ursula?"
"Yeah. That maleficent incarnate, Seo Hana."
"What the hell, Woo!" Jaehyun groaned and buried his face on Yerim's back who was laughing merrily.
Really. Can Jaehyun disown himself from his family?
"But we want to know all the juicy details! We want your testimony," his mother added.
"Oh, for the love of God. I'm getting out of here!" Jaehyun groaned as he took his leave.
Yerim grinned, "Sure!"
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