Chapter 22

“We have to get up!”

“No,” Jiyong whined as he nuzzled his face into my bare chest.  “I want to stay in bed forever.”

“Well that’s unrealistic.  President Yang will kill the both of us.”

“You don’t work for him anymore, so its okay,” Jiyong mumbled beneath my flesh.  A small giggle left my lips while I felt his voice vibrating against my skin.

“Come on,” I urged once more.  “I’ll make us something to eat.  I’ll make you egg rolls.”

Jiyong’s head instantly perked up at the magic word and a small laugh escaped my lips.  I flicked his forehead with my finger and rolled my eyes.  If egg rolls were the thing to get him out of bed, I should have mentioned it two hours ago.

“Fine,” Jiyong said as he jumped out of bed.  My eyes watched as he quickly ran to his closet to grab a pair of colorful boxers.  My head rested on my palm as I watched him change in front of me.  He caught my wandering eyes and he smiled playfully, “ert.”

I rolled my eyes at him before he threw one of his shirts towards my face.  I slipped the shirt over my head and ran my fingers through my tangled mane.  Jiyong kissed my neck quickly before heading to the bathroom to freshen up.  My feet made its way towards the kitchen and I smiled at the sight before me.  Gaho sat there patiently waiting for his morning bowl of dog food, and when he saw me enter the kitchen his tail began to wag in happiness.

“Good afternoon, Gaho,” I said as I patted his large head.  “Let me get you something to eat.”

After feeding Gaho I heard a small rumbling noise coming from the bedroom.  I glanced over and saw Jiyong’s phone lighting up from the bed stand.

“Jiyong,” I shouted from the kitchen.  “Your phone is ringing!”

“Got it!” I heard him yell from the bedroom.

The images of last night replayed in my mind and I felt a heated blush make its way towards my cheeks.  I shook my head at myself and flipped the egg roll over in the hot pan.  Perfect form!  I set the neatly presented egg rolls on a plate for Jiyong and waited till he was done with his phone conversation.  My head rested on my palms as I overheard bits of his phone conversation in the next room.  Jiyong’s voice wasn’t as cheerful as it was just moments ago and that did not go unnoticed by me.  My back straightened itself as I began making my way towards the bedroom.  I  leaned against the doorframe while I felt Jiyong’s shirt hit my thigh slightly with my shift in weight.  Jiyong was slightly leaning forward on the bed, his facing me.  I never realized how skinny he had gotten while working on his solo album.  I need to start making him food more often.  The bones in his spine were protruding out towards me, much like his accentuated collarbone that his little VIPs loved so much.  Jiyong shifted his posture and sat up straight on the bed.  His formal goodbye was spoken into his phone and he hung up with a sigh.  My feet made its way towards him and I wrapped my arms around his bare shoulders.  Jiyong slightly jumped from my touch but he soon rested into my warmth.  My lips made contact with the side of his face and I felt him lay soft butterfly kisses along my arms.  His kisses made its way towards my knuckles as he began to lay an individual one on each finger and knuckle.  A small giggle escaped my lips as he playfully shot me a smirk.

“How long were you there?” Jiyong asked quietly as he made his kissing trail up my arm.

“Hmmm,” I mumbled as his lips tickled my skin.  “Not long.  Why?”

Jiyong’s lips made its way towards his favorite spot in the crook of my neck.  He laid a gentle kiss there and a small sigh left my lips.  My arms involuntarily made its way around his neck as I pulled him down so our chests made contact with one another.  Jiyong chuckled against my skin and I felt his cold fingers play with the edge of his shirt that was currently gracing my body.  His fingers were slowly dancing its way towards the insides of his shirt.

“Tease.”

Jiyong smiled at my words and suddenly I felt a loud rumbling on my stomach.  Jiyong started making obnoxious noises against skin, with the vibrations tickling me and making me scream in annoyance.  Jiyong held me in place as he began his tickle assault on me.  I was completely helpless against his strength over me.  The sounds of our laughter filled his bedroom that even Gaho came over to check if we were both in the right state of mind.

“Okay, okay,” I said breathlessly as Jiyong towered over me.  “Truce!  Truce!”

Jiyong arched his eyebrow at me and a small grin made its way to his beautiful features.  He released his grip on me and quickly planted a kiss on me while he still had the upper hand on me.  My hand made contact with his chest as I pushed him off of me.  I had forgotten how quick Jiyong was because as soon as I pushed him off of me, he was grabbing me back into his embrace.  A small grumble left my lips.

“Jiyong,” I managed to say against his hard chest.  Jiyong laughed at my position and I felt a kiss on my forehead.  “Your egg rolls are cold already!”

“No,” Jiyong whined as he kissed my forehead again.  “Not the egg rolls!”  Jiyong slurred the last words dramatically and I giggled into his chest.

Jiyong finally released me from his death grip as I sat up on the bed.  My hands ran over the soft sheets and I felt Jiyong lay another kiss on my shoulder.  A smile made its way to my lips as I stared at the man before me.  The man who had made love so gently to me last night and made me feel like nothing I have ever felt before.  My heart started beating rapidly as Jiyong stared into my brown orbs as well.  I wondered if he felt the same way I was feeling every time we were together.  My eyes slowly dropped my to hands and I felt Jiyong grab them without hesitation.  Again, our eyes met and I watched as Jiyong played with my fingers.  I giggled at the sight and remembered back to our conversation about his father and how his hand developed.  Jiyong shot me a playful warning look and I rolled my eyes in response.  Jiyong inched forward and buried his face into my neck.

“I have to go to the office for a bit,” Jiyong mumbled into my neck before laying another kiss on my skin.  “I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

A small groan escaped my lips as Jiyong chuckled in response.  He nibbled on my shoulder a bit and I swatted him away before he tried to devour anymore of my body.  In complete comfortable silence we both showered and dressed each other for our day ahead.  Even though it was late in the afternoon, Jiyong ate my egg rolls contently as I watched proudly.  With a kiss on the forehead, Jiyong left Gaho and I in his apartment for the rest of the day.  I remembered scanning the bachelor pad and realizing that nothing had changed since the first time I came here with an inebriated Jiyong in my arms.  A small smile formed on my lips as I thought back to the first memory we had with each other.  Gaho nudged my arm slightly and I saw that he had his leash in his mouth.  Smart dog.  With little convincing, Gaho and I made our way towards the park that was located down the street from Jiyong’s apartment.

Seoul’s air was still crisp and cold, but the temperature was slowly rising each new day that inched closer towards Spring.  Children littered the playground with their infectious smiles and laughter while older couples walked hand in hand through the barren trees that lined the parks paths.  Gaho was currently leading the way, making a beeline towards a female dog that was only a few feet in front of us.  My eyes landed on a small boy playing in the sand box by himself.  He was frustrated at his failed creation of a sand castle.  He huffed and puffed and attempted to make his creation stand on it’s own, but eventually it would fall every time.  I secretly wanted to walk over there and help him but soon enough I saw a young girl make her way towards him.  She slightly pushed him out of the way and started helping him make the structure stand on it’s own by using twigs found near by.  The girl proudly dusted her hands off and turned towards the boy with a smile on her face.  She casually walked away and the little boy was left dumbfounded.  Soon enough, he was up on his feet chasing her around the playground with a smile on his face.

After watching that scene take place, images of Jiyong and I swarmed my mind.  I wonder what our kids would look like?  Quickly I shook my head and reverted my attention back to Gaho who was currently trying to attack the female dog in front of us.

“Oh my goodness, I’m so sorry,” I said to the other pet owner before pulling Gaho away from the scared female dog.  “Come on Gaho, control your hormones.”

I wonder if we’d make a good-looking elderly couple like them?  I walked ahead and saw a nice elderly couple feeding each other some vendor bought ice cream.  I laughed when I told myself that I’d probably be the one smearing ice cream all over his face rather than feeding him nicely.  Gaho began to speed up as we both headed towards a small pond located near the center of the park.  Gaho and I made our own little spot at the edge of the pond.  I watched as Gaho began chasing ducks near the water and splashing a mother and child near-by.  I smiled apologetically towards them, but the child seemed to enjoy the splashes.  I was almost lost in my own inner monologue when I finally felt my phone buzz in my pocket pants.

I saw the caller ID name and smiled.

“Hey daddy.”

I heard the familiar chuckle on the receiving end.  He hadn’t heard me call him ‘daddy’ in a while.  “Hey sweetheart.  How are you?”

I made sure Gaho wasn’t running off anywhere before I got settled into the cushioned grass that surrounded me.  I sighed contently, “I’m doing amazing actually.  Just at the park with Jiyong’s dog right now.  How are you and mom?”

“We’re good.  Tell your boyfriend thanks for sending those treats again.  I swear your mom ate almost all of them in the first day,” he said chuckling. “You know your mom, one day she’s on a diet and the next she’s eating the whole refrigerator.”

“I heard that!” My mom’s distanced voiced was heard while my dad’s laughter filled my ear.  “Don’t listen to him, ______!  He drank all of the Korean beer Jiyong sent, so it was only fair that I ate the pastries!”

“That isn’t fair at all, woman,” my dad said while I heard my mother let out an agitated groan.  “Stop trying to interrupt our conversation, you talked to her a couple days ago, now it’s my turn!”

“I am still on the phone, you know,” I said giggling.  My fingers ran over the chilled grass as I heard my parents playfully bicker for a while longer.  Gaho was still running after the ducks that were too quick for him to catch.  I called out his name a couple times so he realized that we were still in a public place, and the slaughtering of another animal would probably leave us with a hefty fine from the police.

“I think I talk to that boyfriend of yours more than you,” my dad said jokingly.  “I need to brush up on my Korean.  Sometimes we get lost in translation and its just like silence for a couple minutes on the phone.”

I threw my head back and laughed.  I could imagine Jiyong sitting down on his bed with his English dictionary in his lap, trying to quickly translate what my father was saying before he could muster up a response.  A smile graced my lips when I thought of how thoughtful it was of Jiyong to make sure to call my parents to inform them of how I was doing.  Jiyong really was the perfect gentleman.

“His English is improving though,” I heard my dad said.  “You should talk to him in English for an entire day, I think that will make him learn faster.”

“Or you could just brush up on your Korean.”

“Hey now,” he jokingly warned.  “He’s my son-in-law, he should be speaking my language!”

Son. In. Law?

“Wha—what?”

My dad laughed loudly through the phone and I already could feel my cheeks burning at the mention of my dad’s new name for Jiyong.

“Well, future son-in-law,” he said calmly like it was the most obvious thing in the world.  “We all know it’s going to happen eventually.”

“Dad,” I said softly.  “We aren’t even thinking about that yet.  I really hope you’re not calling him that when you talk to him on the phone.  Don’t put ideas into his head when---”

“He already called me abeoji, why can’t I call him son-in-law then?”

Oh. My. God.

My palm made contact with my forehead and I heard my father speak a bit more before I realized that he was asking me a question.

“What?”

“Were you not listening again?  Just like your mother, I swear.”

I sighed, “Sorry, repeat it one more time.”

“I asked, have you guys not talked about marriage yet?  I mean, your mom and I aren’t idiots.  We both know that you guys are adults and that sometimes adults you know—encounter situations where one---”

“Dad…” My stomach suddenly felt like it was ready to empty out all its contents at the moment.  “Are we seriously having this conversation now?”

“Well I mean, I know I didn’t educate you about this when you were younger.  I mean, you never really seemed interested in boys like Mina, so I thought maybe you didn’t need to know this.  I think I even gave Mina this talk when she was in high school.  But seeing how you and Jiyong are---”

“No. Just no!”  I moved my ear away from the phone and refused to acknowledge that my father was trying to have the ‘’ talk with his grown 23-year-old daughter.  Of course this would happen the night after Jiyong and I have , of course!  Its like they knew.  “Dad, stop!  I beg you!  I know enough, please we don’t have to talk about it.”

“I’m sorry.  This is awkward right?”

“Very.”

“Are you uncomfortable talking about with---”

“Yes.  Now just, no.  Stop, I beg you.”

I let out a relieved sigh when I heard my dad change the subject and started talking about my aunt that recently purchased a house near our own.  My mind kept wandering back to what my dad had mentioned earlier about Jiyong and I.  Marriage.  Marriage was something definitely not anywhere near our futures right now.  Jiyong was still in his prime and still wanted by the many fans that he had gained over his years with Big Bang.  Marriage for Jiyong would mean that thousands of fans would finally realize that their oppa could no longer be available for them.  Marriage for me…well, it was just scary.  I worked my off for years to get to the position I am now.  I moved up so quickly in my company because I was able to get up and leave at any notice for another assignment in a different location.  I had no attachments holding me back with my job, meaning I had no one to stop me from doing what I had to do for my career.  But I hadn’t even thought about what life would be like since Jiyong and I are now together.  Would that mean we would both have to start giving things up for each other?  Like our careers or our other goals that were yet to be accomplished?  My head suddenly started to pound as these questions began entering my mind.  I wasn’t ready for this type of commitment.  I mean I only just slept with him last night!  Now I am thinking about marrying him?!

“But then I realized maybe a cat wouldn’t be so bad.  They basically just take care of themselves…”

I hadn’t realized my dad was blabbering on about something the entire time I was having an inner panic attack with the thought of marriage.

“Cats are cool.”

“Your enthusiasm is killing me.  Calm down, sweetheart.”

Yup.  I definitely get my sarcasm from him.

“Anyway, since my cat dilemma seems to be boring you at the moment, can you tell Jiyong to call me back?”

“What?  Why?”

Suddenly I felt my insides begin to twist.  All this talk of marriage was getting to my head and having my dad and Jiyong secretly discuss things behind my back was getting me paranoid.

“Because he called me a couple days ago and I missed his call.  You’re acting weird, is everything okay?”

“Yes!”

I answered a little too quickly because I heard an unconvinced “mhmm” from my dad in response.  Gaho had finally returned to our spot near the pond and he was panting heavily after running after the ducks for a long time.

“Okay weirdo,” my dad said chuckling.  “I just wanted to let you know that even though you aren’t really thinking about you and Jiyong’s future together, I just want to say that you have a really good guy on your hands.  I completely, 100% approve of him.  I wouldn’t want any other guy to be with my baby.”

“Daddy…”

I hadn’t realized that my dad’s words would affect me so much.  A couple of stray tears fell from my eyes and landed on Gaho’s paw near me.  The dog whimpered a bit and my hand, offering his assistance if I was in need of any.  It meant so much that my father approved of Jiyong.  Not only there was a language barrier separating the two men, but there were also culture differences and other things that both men didn’t understand of each other.  Literally, the only thing they had in common was…me.  And to hear that the man who raised me and protected me my entire life, was completely content with letting another man take over his position as my protector…well, my heart couldn’t handle the love I felt for both of them.

“Are you—crying?”

“No,” I said sniffling.  “When do I ever cry?”

“The only time I saw you cry was when you came back from Korea after fighting with Jiyong,” he replied.  “He is literally the only one that makes you cry, and now you’re crying after I mention him.  Maybe I don’t approve of him…”

“Dad!”

“Kidding,” he said quickly while chuckling.  “I’m kidding.  Those better be happy tears, kiddo.  Or I swear I think someone replaced you as my daughter.”

“Shut up, dad.”  I said giggling in between my last round of sniffles.  The back of my hand dried up the remaining tears that managed to escape my eyes.  Gaho’s head was now resting in my lap while I ran my fingers over his many wrinkles.  “Thanks though, for saying that about Jiyong.  It means a lot to me.”

“No problem, kiddo,” he said.  “Now head back inside!  I still don’t know the time difference between us but I think it’s almost dinnertime.  Get back in before it starts getting dark.”

I hadn’t realized how long Gaho and I stayed out at the park.  I quickly glanced at the phone screen and realized that it was indeed almost dinnertime, meaning that Jiyong would be back from his meeting soon.  I cursed silently under my breath while trying to manage to get Gaho up from his late nap.  The children in the park had all left with their parents and the elderly couples all had gone home as well.  The nighttime vendors were opening up their carts and lining the paths of the park, while some college students were heading back home after a long day at the University.

“Okay dad I am heading back now,” I said breathlessly as I finally managed to get Gaho up and walking towards Jiyong’s apartment.  “I will tell Jiyong to call you back too.  Tell mom I love her and I will talk to both of you soon.  Love you.”

“Love you too, sweetheart.  Goodbye!”

Gaho and I quickly began to make our way towards the apartment before the sun set over the horizon.  Though, the large beast was not cooperating fully because he was completely drained from his park activities.  I shouldn’t have let him run around for so long, poor guy.  With much effort, and me basically carrying Gaho up towards the apartment, we finally made it back just before darkness enveloped Seoul’s cityscape.  Gaho and I both went up in the elevator quietly as we waited patiently for our stop.  With the familiar bell ringing, Gaho knew that we had made it to our destination, and quickly darted towards Jiyong’s apartment.

“Gaho, come back!”

Of course I was greeted with his retreating figure down the hallway.  I rolled my eyes and dashed after him before he trampled anyone that got in his way.  I found him whining in front of the locked door of Jiyong’s apartment, staring up at the cold doorknob that was just above his nose.  I giggled at him before I quickly unlocked the door so he could finally rest in his own warm home.  I was greeted with darkness as I entered the familiar apartment.  I hadn’t noticed Jiyong’s shoes by the door as I went over to the kitchen to put down my keys and take off my coat.

“Hey baby,” Jiyong whispered as he wrapped his arms around my waist.  I jumped a bit at his touch but then relaxed into his embrace.  “Where did you guys go?”

I turned around in his arms and quickly pecked him on the lips.  “We went to the park for a while.  Sorry, I kind of lost track of him.  Gaho’s pooped, he was chasing ducks for a long time.”

Jiyong and I both glanced at Gaho, who was currently passed out on his dog bed near the couch.  We shared a laugh and I quickly noticed Jiyong’s slightly sad smile.  My hand made contact with his face and I gently caressed his warm cheek in my hand.  Jiyong leaned into my touch and closed his eyes as he let out a small sigh.  He seemed to have a completely different mood from the time he had left his afternoon.  My eyebrows furrowed a bit as Jiyong locked his eyes with mine.

“I missed you,” he whispered against my hand.

I giggled a bit.  “You were only gone for a couple of hours.”

“That’s a couple hours too long away from you,” Jiyong said softly before kissing my forehead.

“So cheesy,” I replied playfully.  Jiyong gently rocked us back and forth while holding me close to his chest.  Something was off with him, but I couldn’t put my finger on what exactly was different with him.  His heart was beating rapidly against his chest that even I could feel his pulsating organ.  His palms felt slightly damp when he leaned in to kiss my forehead.  He seemed almost nervous, but I couldn’t understand why.

“Oh, my dad called,” I said against his chest.  My fingers began tracing random shapes into his body while I felt him inhale my scent.  “He said to call him back.”

“Okay, thanks for telling me,” Jiyong spoke into my hair.  “I actually have to talk to you about something.”

My eyes instantly shot open.  For some reason, my heart began beating like crazy, like I had just run a mile under two minutes.  Whenever I heard that line “I have to talk to you”, I was never greeted with good news…ever.  But something inside of me was telling me that this wasn’t bad news that Jiyong had to tell me, but rather the opposite.  Just then, my father’s words popped up in my mind.

“Well, future son-in-law.  We all know it’s going to happen eventually.”

I tightened my hold on Jiyong as I replayed those words over and over again.

Oh God.  No, this can’t be it.  Not right now. 

My head slowly raised itself from Jiyong’s chest as our eyes locked with one another.  Jiyong smiled down at me and pushed some hair away from my face before putting it back behind my ear.

“Okay, what do you need to talk to me about?” I asked nervously.

Jiyong smiled and shrugged slightly.  “Just some important stuff.”

I gulped loudly.

Jiyong grabbed my hand and then my coat from the kitchen counter.  I watched as he grabbed his shoes by the door and quickly put them on before helping me with my coat.  Gaho perked his head up from his bed and looked towards us.   With pleading eyes, I looked at Gaho for some sort of help with the current situation.  But with no avail, Gaho went back to sleep when he realized what Jiyong and I were doing didn’t concern him.  God damnit, Gaho.

“Lets take a walk,” Jiyong said while he opened his apartment door.

“Wait,” I said while trying to pull him back.  “Lets just talk in here, I don’t want to go outside again.  I just---you know, hate people.”

Jiyong threw his head back in a loud laugh and grabbed onto my arm.  He pulled me back towards his chest and successfully closed the door behind me.  I cursed under my breath.

“I know you hate people, but you’re going to be talking a walk with me.” Jiyong said laughing.  “Besides, its prettier to walk outside and talk.”

Oh God.  This is it isnt’ it?  This is why he wanted to talk to my dad so bad?  Oh God. 

I was currently cursing myself with Jiyong lead me down the elevator with me in his arms.  The crisp night air hit my face while we headed out towards the busy streets of Seoul.  Jiyong quickly covered up his face with a scarf and hoodie, making sure no one noticed him at this hour.  He glanced over at me and realized that my hands were currently shaking.  Honestly, they were shaking because I was nervous of what Jiyong had to say, not because of the weather.  Though, Jiyong took that as a sign of me being cold, and took my hand in his before placing our joined hands in his pocket.  I glared at him quickly before trying to grab my hand out of his pocket.  Even though no one knew he was G-Dragon, I still didn’t want to be known as a touchy couple in public.

“Come on, weirdo,” Jiyong said laughing, not letting go of his hold on me.  “Lets take that walk.”

A.N.

FINALLY AN UPDATE!  I'm so sorry that it has taken so long for me to update!  I've been busy with school and life and adhadhalhdal!  I hope you guys like this chapter!  And OMG, only 2 more chapters left I think :O I hope I get some thoughts on this update, I love hearing from you guys!  Thanks again for supporting this story and me!  Again, have a nice day and happy reading! :D