♪ can you love me

There was a deafening silence surrounding them as Suho took a seat besides Aejin. The young woman had her hands placed onto her lap and he could see that they were clenched into fists (a sign that she was nervous). She was slightly trembling and he would be lying if he said his body wasn’t doing the same thing. “Answer me, Joonmyun.” His mother spoke again, this time her tone being harsher than the first time. “Who is this woman and what is she doing in your home?”

“Omoni,” Suho bit his lip and forced himself to tear his gaze from Aejin. “Why are you here?”

“Answer your mother’s question, son.” Mr. Kim cut in, his voice just as unwelcoming and uninviting as his significant other.

“Please do not tell me she is some harlot you’ve invited into your house.” The older woman hissed. That one word hit close to home and Aejin involuntarily flinched. She knew what kind of people Suho’s parents were. It wasn’t hard to tell that they were just like her parents. Close-minded and judgmental. She also remembered her first conversation with Suho back at the ice cream parlor and when he had walked her home at night. “Just because your engagement was broken off does not mean you can do whatever you want! Did you forget the morals our family holds?”

Aejin flexed her jaw. She desperately wanted to get up and defend herself against these people, these monsters. Who were they to say such callous things to her when they were nothing but strangers? Didn’t anyone teach them manners? It was one thing to be called a by her own parents but now to hear it from strangers. She couldn’t believe how cruel the world could be. Just as she opened to say something, Suho had beaten her to it.

“She isn’t a harlot,” he sneered, taking much offense to his mother’s snide and hurtful remark. “Her name is Aejin.” He then took her hand and held it in his own. “And she’s staying here as my woman.” Even his bold words surprised Suho but he didn’t care about any of that at the moment. He was angry. No, enraged was more like it. He did not appreciate how hostile and rude his mother was being. Who was she to judge Aejin so brutally? She didn’t even know her like he did! She had no right to degrade such an amazing woman.

Growing up, Suho never thought that there would be a day when he would have to talk back to his parents. He would always cater to them, obey anything and everything they asked of him but now, he refused to even listen to them. They had no right to come into his house and belittle his woman. Especially not while he was there.

They didn’t know how hard Aejin works and studies every single day. They don’t know how great of a storyteller she is even though she’s too exhausted to do anything. They don’t know how beautiful she is on the inside just as she is on the outside. He was not going to tolerate them if they were just going to look down on her.

“Excuse me?” His father asked, baffled and angry. “What did you just say?”

There was no backing out now. He wasn’t going to recant his words or pretend like he had made a mistake. For Park Aejin was no mistake at all. He could feel her gaze fall on him and then she squeezed his hand. It was though she was telling him it was alright. That he didn’t have to do this for her. That he could step away from all of this. Step away from her but he wasn’t going to have it. He said he was going to stick by her side and if it meant going against them, he was willing to do it. For her, he was willing to do anything.

Suho loved his parents but they were wrong. They were the villains here and he had to protect Aejin from them. “You heard me, abeoji.” Suho declared challengingly. “Aejin is my woman.” Next, Mr. Kim stood up, marched over to his son and slapped him across the face. The action stunned Aejin and an image of her own father doing the same deed to her flashed in her mind.

“You idiot! She has a son, doesn’t she?” Mr. Kim roared indignantly. “And don’t you dare try lying to us. We saw all of his clothes and toys in the room along with that picture he drew! Tell me he isn’t yours! Tell me that you didn’t break your chastity pledge before you got married, especially not whe