Just My Size - Ch. 13

Third-Person point of view

Author’s Note: Even though their school days are set up like how mine were in high school (I’m American), I’m still having their school years run like South Korean school years. According this Wiki article, the school year started on March 2nd. Their vacation will be from mid-July to late August.

This story started in late April. I’m gonna say the 25th (yes, I’m just pulling this out of my as I type this up. XD). YAY JINKI AND JI-EUN HAVE AN ANNIVERSARY DATE NOW. That means the Club chapter happened May 2nd. So this chapter starts in early June. :D

...And this whole story actually takes place in 2015. XD; That’s when the dates match up!

Anyways, sorry for rambling! XD; On with the story!

 

---

About a month has passed since that magical night at the club. Now, it’s nearly summer, and Ji-Eun, Jinki, and their friends are getting ready for their upcoming month-and-a-half-long vacation.

Since that night, Jinki and Ji-Eun have been getting closer. They still have their awkward moments, but they are much more comfortable with each other overall. Both of them have realized this and are grateful for it - they have no idea what will happen after graduation, so they want to make the most of their time together. Even though February is a long ways off, they know it’ll sneak up on them sooner than they think.

 

Before their vacation, however, they have a lot to prepare for:  mainly exams (ugh), but also the school’s annual Sports and Cultural Festival. Minho, of course, was super-psyched for the soccer tournament; Mi-Sun and Hea-Jung had signed up to be cheerleaders for the games; Jonghyun, Jinki, and Taemin signed up to play on an outdoor stage, too - Ji-Eun was surprised to learn that Jinki could play drums and Taemin was a guitarist; Key was in charge of the Seniors’ snack tent, and kept looking up easy, quick recipes that his classmates could make.

 

Ji-Eun had no idea what she was going to do. The Senior snack tent didn’t seem to need any help (in fact, it seemed like it would be crowded in there); she didn’t have anything to perform on the stage (even though Mi-Sun kept telling her she should choreograph something for herself, she refused); she wasn’t on any sports team. She knew a few other kids had gotten out of any duties and were just going to enjoy the Festival, but Ji-Eun actually wanted to be a part of something.

 

“You could always join us in cheerleading!” Mi-Sun suggested during homeroom one day.

 

“I don’t think my ‘stony glare’ would inspire the players,” she mumbled as she rested her chin on her hands. Hea-Jung patted her shoulder.

 

“Maybe it’s for the best,” her soft-spoken friend started. “I’m pretty sure Minho’s game is at the same time as guys’ performance.” Hea-Jung’s expression dropped a bit - that meant she’d be missing Jonghyun’s performance in order to cheer. “It’d be a shame if neither of us could watch them.”

 

The bell rang just then, and first period started.

 

---

In the weeks leading up to the Festival, Ji-Eun saw all her friends less and less. Everyone was so busy preparing, and she didn’t want to get in the way.

One night, she did go over to Jonghyun’s house with the guys and listened to them practice, but Jinki kept messing up because he was distracted. Jonghyun, as lightly as he could, asked her to leave. She could see he hated to do it, and Jinki and Taemin were really sad to see her leave, but she agreed that her departure was best. After a hug and kiss goodbye from her boyfriend, Ji-Eun walked dejectedly home.

 

After the first week, she got used to being alone most of the time. She took the time to practice her Chemistry (boy, did she wish Jinki was there to help with that), Skype with her American cousins, and catch up with her sister, who also had nothing to do for the Festival. Since the event was open to the public, the sisters and their mother decided they would all go together.

 

Ji-Eun was thankful for cell phones. Jinki would text her just about every night until they fell asleep. Once the school day was over, that’s about all the communication she had with him. But each morning, he’d text her when he woke up, and when he was on his way to pick her up.

 

For a while after they were told off by Mr. Go, they didn’t touch at all once they entered the school gate. But as time went on (and the other two couples slipped up and started sharing parting kisses in front of Ji-Eun and Jinki again), they got braver. They’d hold hands in the halls mostly. A couple times they tried to hug quickly before parting, but the hugs always lingered. A stern glare from Mr. Go ended that, though. Then one day before she headed into the girls’ locker room, Jinki swiftly kissed Ji-Eun. He then ran towards the boys’ locker room at top speed. From that day on, they realized they could keep their kisses short, and that became their usual parting gesture.

 

But once the school day was done, so was her time with Jinki. He would walk her home at least, but then he was practicing with Jonghyun and Taemin till late. They hadn’t even had a homework date since Festival preparations began. Ji-Eun wondered when Jinki was getting his school work done; between band practice and his job at Hot Topic on Saturday afternoons, he certainly had no time, she reasoned.

 

“He is looking more tired these days,” she thought. “He’s probably cutting into his sleep to get his work done.” She wished she could help him somehow.

 

---

The week before the Festival was filled to the brim with exams. Ji-Eun couldn’t believe she passed them all! Not spectacularly, but at least she didn’t fail.

Jinki was really happy for her, but when she asked about his grades, he faltered.

 

“I’m sure you passed them all with flying colors!” She playfully slapped his shoulder, and he grimaced a bit.

 

“I, uh, passed alright,” he stuttered. Ji-Eun’s eyes grew concerned. Jinki held up his hands palms out and assured her, “My grades were OK, really.”

 

“Just… not what you expected?” Ji-Eun guessed.

 

“I kind of expected these ones,” Jinki replied. Ji-Eun nodded in understanding. “I’ll be glad when the Festival is over.”

 

---

Saturday, July 18th. The day of the Festival finally arrived! Things kicked off at 10am with a thrilling 100-meter dash.

And by thrilling, I mean predictable.

 

Minho had been asked to run in it - it was just an exhibition, not an actual event. He said it’d be a good warm up for his first soccer match at noon. It must have been, because he won handily.

Mi-Sun screamed her lungs out for him from their place on the small hill next to the track and field, and Hea-Jung reminded her that their cheerleading hadn’t even begun yet.

“You should save your voice for the soccer matches,” Hea-Jung suggested as she rubbed her temples. Ji-Eun did the same.

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Mi-Sun pouted, but immediately sprung up when Minho jogged over to them. They embraced quickly and shared a brief kiss. Many “oooohhh”s were heard from the younger siblings of their classmates that surrounded them, but they didn’t care.

Ji-Eun’s younger sister, Ha-Eun, addressed Ji-Eun. “I’m gonna go see what Key-Oppa’s cooking up. Wanna come with?”

“Sure,” Ji-Eun said as both sisters got up and made their way to the snack tent.

As they waited in line, Ji-Eun looked around at the school grounds. There were other tents and colorful banners all over the place. Finally her eyes rested on the stage. The performances didn’t start till noon, but sound check was going on. There was a group of Junior girls practicing their vocals in the middle, but there was motion behind them…

When one of the girls moved, she saw Jonghyun and Taemin helping Jinki set up the drum set! She tried to wave and catch her boyfriend’s attention, but Ha-Eun pulled her along. “We’re gonna lose our place in line if you don’t move!” Ji-Eun looked back one last time, but Jinki was still concentrating on putting the set together.

By the time the sisters left the tent, their arms were loaded up with about 4 different kinds of Mandu, a couple of Hot Dogs, and three drinks. Poor Key had been super flustered, running all over and directing his classmates, so they didn’t talk to him much. He had shouted “Thanks girls!” at them as they exited the tent, though.

Just as they were heading back to where their friends and mother were seated, they heard a guitar tuning up. As Ji-Eun turned toward the sound, drumsticks hit a cymbal, and a walking bass line started up. Ji-Eun’s face lit up as Jinki, Jonghyun, and Taemin started their sound check.

“Go watch, Ji-Eunnie,” Ha-Eun giggled as she started taking some of the food from her sister. Ji-Eun smiled her thanks, then ran over to the stage with her own drink, some Mandu and a Hot Dog in hand.

There was a small crowd watching the sound check, but they looked mostly like other performers. Ji-Eun found a seat near the edge, and was enraptured by the guys’ playing.

She admired Jonghyun and Taemin’s skills on bass and guitar, respectively, but of course her Jinki drew her attention the most. She always had a thing for drummers, and finding out that he could play excited her.

It didn’t sound like they were playing anything in particular, just jamming. Once they were satisfied with how their instruments sounded, Jonghyun started doing a vocal warm up as well. Jinki and Taemin followed suit, and Jinki started to harmonize with Jonghyun. Jonghyun looked back at Jinki, and they grinned at each other while they sang and played. Taemin started giggling and had to step back from his microphone to stifle the noise.

It was about that time that Ji-Eun realized something - all the other girls around were staring at the guys, mesmerized as well. It became apparent to her that that’s what the guys were so amused by. Ji-Eun forced her gaze away from the stage and really looked at the other people listening. She could swear she saw the makings of fangirls amongst the growing crowd; wide eyes, hands clasped together, a couple letting out squeaks, even some recording with their phones. She rolled her eyes and focused her attention on the stage again.

All too quickly, it was over. “OK, we’re done,” Jonghyun announced into the mic as he flipped his guitar strap over his head. Taemin did the same, and Jinki stepped out from behind the set. The guitars got unplugged and set just backstage, and all three guys scooted the drum set carefully there as well. The girls in the audience let out a collective whine and started to disperse.

It was when they were done moving the set that Jinki finally spotted Ji-Eun in the crowd. She almost spilled her food when she tried to wave, and Jinki giggled. He jogged across the stage and jumped down easily. She was sitting on the end just a couple rows back, so in seconds he reached her.

“Hey, baby,” He greeted her in English, and a sweet chill made its way down Ji-Eun’s spine. She blushed heavily.

“You guys s-sound good!” She managed to get out as Jinki took her precariously-balanced pile of food from her as she stood. They smooched quickly, and made their way over to the soccer field.

“Thanks!” Jinki beamed at her. “Can I have a sip of that…?” He pointed to the drink in her hand, and she offered him the straw. He gulped down a large portion, and Ji-Eun thwapped his arm.

“That’s way more than a sip, you silly!” She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him as he relinquished the straw.

Jinki leaned in close and whispered, “Don’t stick it out unless you’re gonna use it.” Ji-Eun retracted her tongue as her face turned bright red. It wasn’t just his comment, but the memories it stirred too, that made her blush. They’d only shared quick kisses since that night at the club, and Ji-Eun felt herself craving another make-out session suddenly.

“You look really cute today!” Jinki happily observed once his girlfriend’s face returned to a more normal color.

“Aw, thanks!” Ji-Eun replied and smiled sweetly. Jinki hadn’t gotten many opportunities to see her in full-blown Lolita, and Ji-Eun was happy he liked it. Her main style was Gothic, of course, but she also had lighter pieces for sunnier days such as this. Today she was wearing a cute, short-sleeved Sailor Lolita coordinate in white with navy blue accents. It was made out of a light, swishy material that kept her relatively cool.

She regarded her boyfriend’s attire and was a little puzzled. “Is that what you’re wearing for the performance?” Jinki was wearing super-casual clothes; just a plain white t-shirt, old sweatpants, and ratty old sneakers. His hair was simply brushed down.

“Ah, no,” Jinki suddenly looked embarrassed. “Key insisted that he just had to style us for our song, so he told us all to come in today like this.” He gestured to his outfit. “He wanted a ‘blank canvas’ to work with.”

Ji-Eun nodded. “Ah, I see. Yes, we must let the artiste work his magic.” They chuckled as they sat down with their friends and Ji-Eun’s family.

---

Even though they were towards the end of the show, Jinki, Jonghyun, and Taemin had to go back over to the stage to get ready when Minho’s team started warming up for their match. All four friends wished each other luck, and parted ways.

Hea-Jung and Mi-Sun got up then too, and went over to the gathering cheerleaders.

“What are you gonna do?” Ha-Eun asked Ji-Eun. “Watch the match or the show?”

“I’ll watch a bit of the match,” Ji-Eun thought aloud. “Then I’ll go over to the show later. Jinki told me about what time they’d be on, so I’ll head over a little before that.” Ha-Eun nodded her approval.

“So many friends, so little time,” Ji-Eun thought as she watched her besties stretch. “Never thought I’d have this problem!”

---

The soccer game was almost a joke. Minho was, no doubt, the school’s best athlete, and he practically carried the game himself. Mi-Sun could be heard over all the other cheerleaders, and Ji-Eun couldn’t help but be amused by that fact. Mi-Sun really was Minho’s biggest fangirl, even though most of the time she acted like she couldn’t stand him.

At about five minutes before Jinki and the guys were to go on, Ji-Eun made her way over to the stage. When she got there, she was lucky to find an empty seat in the back row. The audience had swelled greatly, and people were even standing around watching the acts.

The girls that Ji-Eun had seen earlier warming up - six Juniors who called themselves A Pink - had just started their song when she sat down. It was a cute song, and they were all wearing matching outfits. She had missed what the name of the song was, but given the chorus, she gathered it was called, “No No No.”

Even though Ji-Eun was a rock fan, she couldn’t help but bop along with the sugary-sweet pop song. The choreography looked really nice too, and they used their numbers well to create lots of interesting formations.

Part-way through the song, the seat next to her freed up, and was immediately filled by a young man who looked vaguely familiar.

“They’re pretty good, huh?” He whispered to her.

“Yep,” she responded shortly. She then met his eyes, and suddenly remembered who this guy was.

“I’m Lee Joon, by the way,” he grinned and extended his hand. Ji-Eun took it and they shook. She couldn’t help but admire his foxy facial features, and hoped she wasn’t starring.

“Nice to meet you, I’m Han Ji-Eun,” she replied, and they broke the handshake.

“Maybe you know my dongsaeng,” Joon started. “He goes by Onew.”

Ji-Eun knew it! This was Jinki’s older friend who had graduated last year. Rumor had it that he got scouted by JTune Camp, a talent agency run by the legendary KPop singer, Rain.

“Y-yes, I do!” She managed to reply. She was about to explain just how well when her attention was brought back to the stage. One of the girls - Ji-Eun was pretty sure her name was Eunji - hit a crystal-clear long note. Ji-Eun held her breath, then clapped wildly when Eunji rejoined the group and the chorus picked up again.

When the song was over, both Ji-Eun and Joon stood up with the rest of the audience to applaud the girls. The group bowed, then headed offstage. They passed right by Jinki, Jonghyun and Taemin, who were standing by with their instruments.  One of the girls - Naeun, was it? - said something to Taemin, and Taemin grinned widely and responded. It was probably an exchange of “good luck” and “good job,” and Ji-Eun thought it was adorable. Taemin was still smiling as he brought his guitar out on stage and plugged it into the amp.

While they were setting up, the MC announced that they had no band name, but they would be performing the song “Left-Handed.”

The night she had listened to a bit of their practice, they hadn’t decided what song they were going to perform. But Ji-Eun knew this song, and was excited to hear their rendition of it.

Once both guitars were plugged in, Jonghyun and Taemin helped Jinki bring out the drum set. As soon as Ji-Eun’s eyes landed on Jinki, she let out an audible gasp.

“Thank you, Key. You are a styling God,” she thought. Key had coiffed Jinki’s hair in that flipped-up style she loved so much, and dressed him in a loose black tank top that read, “BURIED ALIVE” in stylized letters. He wore white pants that showed off his thighs very well, and his ever-present wallet chain was dangling at his hip.

Ji-Eun was pulled out of her reverie by Joon poking her shoulder. She looked over at him, and he handed her his phone. On the screen was a KakaoTalk conversation between Joon and Jinki. Ji-Eun gave Joon a surprised look, and he nodded. “Go on, it’s OK to read it.”

Ji-Eun nodded, and started reading.

Onew
Hyung! I finally have a girlfriend! ^___^

Joon
Wah, daebak! Congrats!
 

Onew

Isn’t she so cute? :D

[insert a photo of the two of them Jinki had taken at the park rather randomly]

Ji-Eun didn’t even read what the response had been - she just started freaking out. “Oh my God, I can’t believe he sent you that!” She handed the phone back to Joon and covered her face in embarrassment. It wasn’t an inappropriate photo or anything like that, but Jinki had surprised her, and she hadn’t been posing or prepared for it.

“No need to worry, Ji-Eun-sshi,” Joon chuckled as he put his phone back in his pocket. He then leaned over to her again and whispered, “You looked super cute in that photo.”

Ji-Eun just got even more flustered over that comment. Joon laughed some more.

The guys were finally done setting up, and Jinki counted them off. “1, 2, 3, 4!” He banged his drumsticks together on each number.

Taemin started playing a riff, and Jonghyun put his mouth to the mic. He introduced each member, and encouraged the audience to stand up. Everyone did, and Ji-Eun started grooving a little bit. When Jonghyun’s bass and Jinki’s drum parts kicked in, the song really started rocking!

While Jonghyun was still talking, Taemin and Jinki did the “whoo-hoo!” parts.

Then the first verse kicked in, and Ji-Eun just couldn’t take her eyes off Jinki drumming. The constant practices had really helped developed his arm muscles, and she liked what she saw.

Her only “complaint” about the song was that Jinki was only doing back-up vocals; Jonghyun sang the main parts himself. But she was OK with that too; she knew she could hear Jinki sing whenever she wanted.

When the song was over, the audience erupted with cheers and applause. Ji-Eun and Joon yelled enthusiastically and jumped with excitement. While she jumped, Ji-Eun waved her arms, and managed to get Jinki’s attention. His face lit up like a spotlight was on him, and he waved right at her.

Once their instruments were all packed away, Jinki ran out from behind the stage straight to Ji-Eun. Her and Joon had vacated their seats and were standing just off to the side of the crowd. When Jinki got to her, he picked up and spun her around. They laughed heartily, and Jinki set her back down.

“Good job, my little dongsaeng,” Joon clapped Jinki on the shoulder, and Jinki turned to face his hyung.

“Joon-hyung! Wah, I didn’t know you were here!” He hugged Joon enthusiastically, and Joon chuckled.

“You really do have eyes only for her, huh?” Joon questioned when they broke. Jinki turned to face Ji-Eun, and smiled sweetly at her. Ji-Eun could only blush in response.

“Yeah, I guess so!” Jinki replied. “So, let me formally introduce you! Ji-Eun, this is my hyung, Lee Chang-Sun, also known as Lee Joon. Joon-hyung, this is my girlfriend, Han Ji-Eun.” The two shook hands once again and smiled at each other. It felt so good to hear Jinki call her his girlfriend, especially with his voice so full of pride.

“Please take good care of my dongsaen-” Joon started, but was cut off by a tiny woman shoving her way into their circle. She was followed by a taller man.

“You played wonderfully, dear Jinki,” she started, “but why did you not tell us sooner that you were dating someone?!” Her voice rose higher with each word, and her face flushed. She was quite scary despite her short stature.

Ji-Eun looked back and forth between Jinki and these two adults and quickly realized-

Jinki bowed deeply and replied, “I’m so sorry Mom, Dad. Please forgive me.” He straightened back up and motioned to Ji-Eun. “This is my girlfriend, Han Ji-Eun. Ji-Eun, these are my parents.” He scratched the back of his head out of embarrassment and glanced between his mom’s dagger-like glare and Ji-Eun’s petrified expression.

After a few tense seconds, his mother spoke evenly. “Miss Han, please walk with me.” She then took off towards the snack tent. Ji-Eun met Jinki’s eyes, and with his expression only, told her to go with his mom. She whimpered a bit in response, but followed the tiny woman.

“So, how long have you and my Jinki been together?” She asked point-blank as she got in line for food.

“Almost two months,” Ji-Eun replied cautiously.

“Are you the ‘friend’ he was having Sunday study dates with?” She eyed Ji-Eun suspiciously.

“...Yes,” she nodded.

“I thought it might be a girl. He would have told me if it was one of his usual friends,” she nodded as well, but didn’t sound mad. Maybe a little hurt, though.

“I hope we haven’t been causing trouble for you,” Ji-Eun bowed deeply. To her surprise, she felt a hand lightly pat her shoulder. She brought her torso back up, and saw Jinki’s mother slightly smiling at her.

“You seem like a nice girl, Han Ji-Eun. I am glad,” she sighed then. “I just wish Jinki had been honest with us.” Ji-Eun nodded in agreement. She remembered back to their first Sunday homework date when Jinki had been on the phone with his mom. When he had told his mom he was with a “friend,” it had stung.

“I wish so as well,” Ji-Eun softly replied.

“Ji-Eun, how was the performance?” Her mom called and jogged over with Ha-Eun in tow. “Oh, hello Lee-sshi! It’s nice to see you outside of the restaurant!

Ji-Eun was a little confused. “How do you-?” She started.

“Whenever I get together with my old friends from college, we always go to Lee-sshi’s place! Excellent food, really,” Ji-Eun’s mom smiled kindly at Jinki’s mom. “And I always get our meat from her husband’s butcher shop.”

“Park-sshi,” Jinki’s mom addressed Ji-Eun’s mom, Yee-Eun, “You have a lovely daughter. I hope she can take good care of my Jinki.” She bowed a bit, and Ji-Eun’s mom returned the gesture with a slightly confused look on her face.

Then understanding dawned on her. “Oh, I had no idea you were Jinki’s mother! Wow!” The two women shared a smile, and Ha-Eun scooted over to Ji-Eun.

The younger sister lightly elbowed the elder while the moms made small talk. Ji-Eun leaned in, and Ha-Eun whispered, “Meeting the in-laws for the first time, huh?” Ji-Eun almost screamed at her sister’s audacity, but all she could do was turn bright red and cover her wide-open mouth with her hands. Ha-Eun laughed heartily.

“Is it safe to come over?” Jinki whispered in Ji-Eun’s other ear from behind her. That time she let out a squeak of surprise, and Jinki chuckled.

“Jinki!” His mom called him sternly.

He made like he was going to run away, but Ji-Eun grabbed his arm fast. “Hey, I wasn’t really going to run away,” he winked at Ji-Eun as he stepped towards his mother.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were dating such a nice girl?” She crossed her arms and put on a mean face, but she wasn’t red like she was earlier. Ji-Eun’s mom actually adopted the same stance. Poor Jinki was facing two moms; twice the wrath.

Jinki grimaced and bowed deeply one more time. “I am so sorry, I truly am.” His mom thwapped him lightly on the back of his head. He rubbed the spot as if it had hurt, then straightened up.

“So?” His mom demanded.

“So… what?” Jinki raised an eyebrow apprehensively.

“When are you two coming to the restaurant for a meal?” She made a gesture that practically said, “Duh, silly boy.”

“Oh!” Jinki was honestly surprised by that response. “Uh,” he looked at Ji-Eun, and she stepped forward and took his hand. “Whenever’s good, I guess.”

Jinki’s mom eyed her boy critically for a few agonizing seconds. Jinki put his free hand up in front of him to try to shield himself from the Wrath of Mom, then stuttered out, “OK! We’ll come by tomorrow at noon!” Ji-Eun smiled and nodded in agreement.

“Good.” His mom, satisfied with his response, grinned kindly at her son. She reached up and patted his cheek. He leaned down and gave her a kiss on her cheek, and Ji-Eun heard her whisper menacingly, “Don’t you dare be late.”

Jinki nodded fervently as they broke, afraid to tick off his mother. “Yes ma'am!” He saluted.

It was at that time that Jinki’s dad and Joon caught up with them. Everyone stood around talking for quite a while, the food line forgotten.

---

The rest of the Festival time was jam-packed with fun. Taemin and Jonghyun finally found Jinki, and jumped into the conversation. Minho’s team won the soccer tournament (no surprise there), and he, Hea-Jung and Mi-Sun met up with the Lee and Han families as well. Key as even able to get a much-deserved break, and the kids decided they would go explore the rest of the Festival. Ji-Eun’s mom invited Jinki’s parents back to the Han household for refreshments, but they politely declined.

“We’ll take a rain check, OK?” Jinki’s mom patted Yee-Eun’s hand fondly as they parted ways. Jinki’s mom got her son’s attention and he leaned down once again. “No curfew tonight, but don’t be too late.”

Jinki grinned widely and hugged his mom. “You got it, thanks.” She kissed her son, and turned to go. His father gave him a reassuring smile, and waved to Ji-Eun. She waved back, and they rejoined their friends.

“Ji-Eun, we’re going to the Sophomore’s Café first, right?” Hea-Jung pleaded.

“We gotta go to the Haunted House put on by Juniors, c’mon!” Mi-Sun retorted and pulled Hea-Jung’s arm teasingly.

Before she could respond, Joon tapped both Ji-Eun and Jinki’s shoulders. “Hey guys, I’m gonna get going.” Jinki nodded and “bro-hugged” his hyung. Joon then turned to Ji-Eun, and offered his hand. She thought they were going to shake once more, but Joon brought her hand to his lips and kissed the back of it softly instead. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Han.”

Ji-Eun’s mouth went slack and her face turned tomato-red. Jinki broke their hands apart and rounded on his hyung. “What do you think you’re doing? She’s taken.” He then draped his arm protectively around Ji-Eun’s shoulders.

“Just being a gentleman,” Joon replied smoothly as he theatrically bowed. He then straightened up and addressed their small crowd of friends. “I hope to come see you guys again. Take care everyone!” He waved and everyone said their partings to him as he walked away.

“What a ham, huh?” Jinki shook his head as he and Ji-Eun turned to their friends.

“Yeah, but a nice ham,” Ji-Eun replied and giggled.

“He better not get too close to you.” Jinki had that possessive look in his eyes again, and smirked ily. Ji-Eun’s heart fluttered.

She also became aware - yet again - of the fact that Jinki was wearing a tank top. She’s never seen him in anything sleeveless before. “So, will I get to see you in more tank tops this summer?” She poked his forearm that was dangling over her shoulder.

It was Jinki’s turn to go bright red. “I, uh… I told Key I wasn’t so sure about wearing a tank top without something over it,” He muttered.

Key then burst into their conversation. “Didn’t I tell you she’d love it?” He turned to Ji-Eun. “You love it, don’t you?” He nodded earnestly.

“Yes, I do,” Ji-Eun replied matter-of-factly. Jinki was still blushing, but he shot Key a grateful look.

“You’re quite welcome,” Key nodded once as he turned back to the rest of the group. Even though Jinki was the one that had expressed his silent thanks, both of them were very sure that Key had addressed Ji-Eun with that.

Jinki slid his arm down to Ji-Eun’s waist and pulled her close. They chuckled and shared a brief kiss.

When they broke the kiss, Ji-Eun spotted two of the girls from A Pink walking very quickly towards their group. She wanted to tell them they did a great job, but the girl in front - the one who hit that beautiful long note, Eunji - looked like a girl on a mission. She had a container of Mandu in one hand, and was dragging her groupmate Naeun with the other. Naeun looked nervous, and kind of cowered behind Eunji.

Eunji stalked right up to Key and put the Mandu right under his nose. “They told me you made these, Kibum-sshi.” Her expression was intense.

Key’s eyes darted between the Mandu and Eunji rapidly. Slowly nodding, he confirmed her accusation. “Y-Yeah, I did… Why?”

“Because,” she lowered the Mandu, and her entire demeanor changed. She smiled widely and exclaimed, “These are the best Mandu I’ve ever had!”

Key still looked shocked. “R-Really?” He raised an eyebrow suspiciously.

“Yes!” Eunji’s eye smile was almost blinding, and Key started to relax. She let go of Naeun’s hand at that point. “Naeun, go talk to him!” She pushed her friend next to Taemin, and both kids grinned sheepishly at each other.

“H-happy birthday, Oppa,” Naeun mumbled, and all Taemin could do was grin broadly at the ground.

Ji-Eun thought the whole exchange was like something out of a drama, and the way that Naeun and Taemin looked at each other was adorkable.

“Our mission is to find cake for Taeminnie’s birthday!” Jonghyun announced, and everyone - including the two new additions of Eunji and Naeun - agreed.

---

Their whole huge group ended up doing just about everything the Festival had to offer - they got lovely drinks and huge slices of cake at the Café, took silly pictures in old costumes at the photo booth, played carnival games to win cheap prizes, and even dragged Hea-Jung through the Haunted House. Much screaming ensued.

Once the sun began to set, the Festival started wrapping up. Tents came down, tables got folded up - but more help was needed in the tear-down process. Jinki and Ji-Eun decided to help, and the others pitched in as well.

Minho and Jonghyun ended up getting in a macho competition to see who could carry the most tables back to the cafeteria. After a while, they both started making up numbers, so no one really knew who won.

Jinki, Key, and Taemin helped the girls fold up the chairs scattered about, and they were brought back into the auditorium. Some of the classroom chairs were even brought out at some point, so they were put back as well.

Once the last of the chairs were brought in, Ji-Eun plopped herself on top of a desk in a darkening classroom. The sunset left gorgeous colors in the sky, and she sat admiring it for a bit. She swung her legs back and forth, and noticed something on her dress at the bottom of her vision. Looking down, she saw a couple of brownish marks on her white dress.

“Aw, no!” She tried to rub at them, but they didn’t budge. She sighed. “Guess I should have known better than to wear white to an outdoor festival.” She frowned at the stains, willing them to fade away.

Suddenly, a pair of bare arms wrapped around her stomach. She squeaked in surprise, then heard Jinki’s throaty chuckle in her ear. Ji-Eun calmed when she realized it was her boyfriend, and he nuzzled her cheek.

They stayed there for a second, admiring the sunset. “Areumdawo,” Jinki crooned yet again, and Ji-Eun shivered in delight. Jinki gave one soft “heh” noise, like a short laugh. He then stepped around and in front of her, and draped his forearms over her shoulders. He leaned towards her, and their foreheads touched.

“Did you have fun today?” He whispered.

“Yes, loads,” Ji-Eun replied, her voice equally soft. Jinki chuckled again.

“I’m glad,” he mumbled as he moved to kiss her. She lifted her head and their lips met.

It was tender and sweet. Jinki moved closer, so his thighs were right up against the desk Ji-Eun was sitting on. To do that, Ji-Eun needed to spread her legs. She felt her cheeks heat up at the feeling of Jinki’s legs between hers, and wondered where this was going…

Jinki supported the back of her head and placed one hand on her lower back. He then deepened the kiss, and pulled Ji-Eun closer to him. Her arms wound around his waist, and she hugged him tightly. She also squeezed the sides of his thighs with her knees, and Jinki smiled through the kiss.

Jinki couldn’t help it, he just started chuckling. He broke the kiss, but didn’t move away from her. Ji-Eun gave him a questioning look.

“I just…” He shook his head. How could he describe the things that were going through his mind without scaring her off? In all honesty, he wanted to push a couple of desks together, lay her back, and-

He took a deep breath in to try and clear his head. He turned around and faced the blazing sky on the exhale, but remained within the confines of Ji-Eun’s thighs. She squeezed her legs together again a couple times to get his attention. He looked over his shoulder at her, and saw hurt in her eyes.

“Did I do something wrong?” Her eyes were huge, and it looked like they were starting to tear up. Jinki’s eyebrows knit together in sympathy, and he turned back towards her again and hugged her tightly.

“No, not at all,” Jinki whispered into her hair. “You’re perfectly fine, everything’s fine.” He heard her sniffle, and made a comforting noise. “Aw, c’mon baby,” he said in English. Ji-Eun giggled a little; she loved it when he talked in English.

She lifted her head and their eyes met. A couple tears had indeed escaped, and Jinki wiped them away. Ji-Eun smiled, and Jinki returned it.

“So,” she looked down for a second, “what’s going on?” She looked up again and tapped his temple so he knew she wanted to know what was going on in his head.

Jinki sighed. What to say? He needed to comfort her so she didn’t think he was having any second thoughts about dating her. Quite the contrary - he was glad their friends had shoved them together. He felt like she really got him. Even though it hadn’t even been two whole months since they started talking, he felt like they’d known each other forever. She really had become his best friend, his true confidante.

He thought she was amazing, and that he wasn’t good enough for her. She was so caring, and genuinely kind. Even though she was shy, Ji-Eun absolutely shimmered when she let those walls fall away. He felt blessed to have witnessed that on multiple occasions now, and even dared to think that he might have had a hand in causing that.

As he gazed into her eyes, he appreciated her looks, too. She wasn’t glamorous like her girl friends, but her own brand of beautiful. Her smile was dazzling, she was graceful - most of the time - and he adored the feminine curves of her body.

It dawned on him why he wanted to do such intimate things with her. It wasn’t just that he found her attractive, but how attracted he was to her. Finally, he found the words to let her know what was “going on” in his mind. He hoped they were the right ones.

“I just… I just want you to know that,” he paused and looked her right in the eyes, “I love you.”

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ONLY TOOK 13 DAMN CHAPTERS

But really, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It kind of came up randomly, but I had a lot of fun writing it. :D
 

As always, comment if you have anything to say! ^__^