I was smiling while I listened to my boyfriend's voice over the phone and I didn't care if people looked at me as if I was weird. He was - animatedly, I imagined - telling me about something that had happened at school that day and I listened to every single word he had to say even if I didn't know what he was talking about half the time. Himchan's excitement automatically brought a smile to my face and I didn't want to change that.

"How did your paper go?" I asked him when there was a natural lull in the conversation. I steered my shopping cart down the vegetable aisle to find stuff to use for the dinner I was going to make for myself. "Did you do well?"

"I pretty much pulled it out of my last minute." The small huff he let out indicated that he had most likely laid down. I could just picture him lying on his bed in his room in his parents' apartment. I was sure it hadn't changed much since high school. I had been there a couple of times, but only when we had the chance to be alone. Himchan said it was because he liked my place better, but I was pretty sure it was because he didn't want me to hear his parents fighting. "I'll probably get a decent grade. The professor loves me."

"Not more than I love you, right?" I pouted even though he couldn't see it. He laughed anyway.

"You're kind of cute when you're jealous, but my professor is a woman and on top of that she's forty years older than me. At least. I don't think you have any reason to feel threatened." I hummed in response and he chuckled again. "Look, I have to go, my mother is yelling at me. I'll text you later, okay?"

"Alright."

"I love you~." He made loud, obnoxious kissing noises for a while and I had to bite my lip to hold back my laughter.

"I love you too, Chan-ah," I mumbled, feeling a little embarrassed, and I quickly hung up my phone. When I turned around I almost bumped into one of the other customers, who had apparently approached me while I was on the phone with Himchan. "Oh, I'm sorry." I bowed to him a couple of times and motioned to walk away, but there was something about the way he was looking at me that made me pause. "Is... is there something I can help you with?"

The middle-aged man gave me a onceover and narrowed his eyes at me once they were directed at my face again. I swallowed thickly. Even though I was physically larger than him he had an intimidating aura that was overwhelming. "Are you Bang Yongguk?" he asked. Even the tone of his voice was menacing.

I'm pretty sure my eyes almost fell out of my head with the way I was gawking at him, but I tried to stay collected. I cleared my throat. "Y-yes, yes I am. How did you...?"

My voice died out halfway through as I was silenced by his harsh stare. He gave me another onceover. His unrelenting gaze made me feel uncomfortable, but I tried not to show it too much. "My son has a couple hundred pictures of you in his room. If not a couple thousand. It's not that hard for me to recognize you."

It took a few seconds for me to comprehend his words, but when they sank in my eyes widened and I bowed immediately. "I'm sorry, I-I didn't know..." I had seen pictures of my boyfriend's father before, but I had never met him in person even though I had been with Himchan for seven years. The man was always busy so he wasn't around the few times I got to go to Himchan's home. "It's nice to finally meet you." I did the best attempt at a smile I could muster at the moment.

"I wish I could say the same," he sighed. My smile became a bit more strained. His eyes raked over me again. He was obviously judging me. "So you're that rapper who has brainwashed my son into thinking he's in love with you?" I nodded. "Did Himchan tell you that I don't approve of your relationship?"

"He didn't."

"Well, I don't. I used to like you because you made my son happy, but then you broke his heart."

"I'm sorry."

He scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kick your right now."

I swallowed the lump in my throat with a bit of effort. "I'm really sorry you don't like me, Mr. Kim," I said slowly, pensively. "But I love your son more than anything in the world and I have no intention of changing that any time soon. So it would probably be better if we get along. For Himchan's sake."

The man narrowed his eyes further and if I wasn't so terrified I would have probably made a snarky comment about his ability to actually see me through those thin slits. I resisted the urge to back away when he came closer. I stood my ground. He didn't need to know that I was freaking out on the inside. "Fine," he hissed. "I guess I will have to tolerate you. But if you ever hurt Himchan ever again and I find out about so help me God, I will..." He cut himself off before he could finish his sentence, but he didn't need to. I got the general point of it. He inhaled sharply and took a step back. I realized that he had been standing on his toes to come off as more intimidating. To be honest I didn't think he needed that.

"I didn't mean to hurt him. I won't even hurt him again, I swear."

"You better not," he growled before he turned around and began walking away from me. "Oh, by the way, we should have dinner together. I need to meet the people who raised you. I'll have my son call you with the details later and I will trust you to contact your parents." Himchan's father was gone before I could even accept or decline, but I was pretty sure it was more of a demand than an offer anyway.

*****

A/N: aaand thus yongguk meets himchan's father for the first time ever. kind of an intense first impression, don't you think? and I'm sure you can already guess that the next chapter is going to be about the dinner (because it is going to be about that). I wonder how that will go. fantastic, I'm sure. *cough*
I don't have anything else to say so I will leave you with this:

feioghoerhgeorhgiohroishorihgioheb.