“You are too quiet sweet girl, say something.” Jiyong said as he drove us to wherever it was that we were going to eat.

“I don’t feel much like talking.” I smiled at him and looked out the window. I was lost in my mind again. Thinking about being home, worrying about the next steps in my life, trying to figure out how to date my best friend, missing my son, it all just consumed my mind. I wasn’t sure if he could tell or not, but Jiyong reached over and grabbed my left hand, holding it, our fingers intertwined. It was weird to have someone that for so long was just my friend, holding my hand and loving me, but I enjoyed it. I enjoyed it in spite of the fact that I was still unhappy with his choice in Dara. I enjoyed his touches even if I wasn’t sure what exactly we were to each other at that moment.

“OK babe, we’re here.” Jiyong said, pulling into a parking lot at a park.

“Why are we at a park? I’m hungry.” I said.

“You trust me right?” He said smiling and squeezing my hand as he unbuckled his belt with this other.

“Of course I trust you.” I said. I may have been disappointed in him for his choice of a certain woman, but I loved him, he had been my best friend forever and now he was the man I wanted to love forever. I would always trust him, even if he acted like a moron sometimes.

“Ok, then close your eyes.” He said with a mischievous look in his happy eyes.

“What? Why? Jiyong come on…really?”

“If you trust me, then close your damn eyes babe.”

“Fine.” I closed my eyes and crossed my arms pouting.

“Now don’t move and no peeking.” He said chuckling and then kissing my cheek. I heard him open his car door and then close it. Jiyong always had a way of surprising me and this time was no different. I loved that he was surprising me, that he had put thought into it and that even in spite of the weirdness of the afternoon and the fact I had just gotten back, he had thought up a surprise.  I sat waiting for what seemed like an eternity and finally heard my car door open. “Ok babe.” He said, grabbing my hand and instructing me. “Stand up but no peeking. Ok? You trust me?”

“Jiyong, I swear if you ask me one more time…YES I trust you. I wouldn’t be standing here with my eyes closed if I didn’t.” I said waiting and wanting to know what was next.

“Ah, good. Now, walk with me.” He said slipping his right arm behind me and around my waist while using his left hand to help cover my eyes. “I won’t let you fall, I have you. Just lean on me and let me lead you.” He said almost poetically. I obeyed as we walked forward, I could hear sounds that led me to believe we were near water. My senses told me we were near the Han River, Jiyong always loved to come here and take time to write and enjoy the views, sights and smells. He pulled me closer to him and didn’t say much. He seemed focused on leading me and making sure I didn’t trip or fall. After about ten minutes we stopped.

“Keep those beautiful eyes closed just a little longer.” He said as he let go of my waist and came right in front of me, grabbing both of his hands in mine, helping to position my body to a small angle from where I stood. “Ok, babe, on the count of three, you can open your eyes, ok?” He said happily with an extreme excitement in his voice. I nodded and waited for him to count to three. “Hana, dul, set.” He counted in Korean. When I heard him say set (say) I opened my eyes to see his face within inches of mine. His eyes were smiling, his lips were smiling, he was so happy it gave me goose bumps.

“Welcome to our first date.” He said, leaning in and kissing my forehead then stepping out of the way to reveal a riverboat. “Your chariot awaits.” He said, making a gesture towards the boat.

I smiled and looked at him. Suddenly I forgot all about the stress, anger, sadness I felt and all I could focus on was the happiness in my heart and the excitement coursing through my veins. “You did this for…me?” I said.

“I did it for the woman I love and that, beautiful girl, is you.” He said, leading me towards the boat. It was a beautiful spring evening and the air was filled with the air of the river. Jiyong held my hand tightly as we were greeted by the staff of the boat and ushered on and to a table set for two. “You still hungry?”

“Y, yes.” I said as he pulled out my chair and helped me to sit. He walked over to his side and took off his jean jacket putting it on his seat. Sitting down he smiled at me and said, “Good, because you’re far to skinny, so I have loads of food here.”

“Please don’t kill this moment Jiyong.” I said laughing.

“Aye, but sweet girl, look at you, you’ve withered away.” He said. “You look different. Your hair, it was better blonde and what’s with the piercings? Why so much change?”

“Because, Ji, I needed it.” I sighed because just like that the mood went from feeling so special to tension filled. “When Top died, Deni died with him and I realized that when I was home. Deni was the timid, can’t stand up for herself, overly sensitive, push over he loved. She was the blonde girl with glasses that was just a little too overweight and too clean cut.”

“But I loved Deni, hell I still do.” He said, reaching his hands across the table giving me a look that made me realize he wanted to hold my hands in his. I smiled and reached mine out to hold his, his thumbs each rubbing my hands lightly.

“And what about MiRae? Will you love MiRae?” I said. “Because, that’s who I am. I’m stronger now, though still sensitive. I am happy with who I am now. I’m able to stand on my own and make my own decisions and be proud of that. I may be a bit too skinny, yes, but I love my hair, my piercings, and my tattoos. And I want you to love me like this, I want you to accept me as I am now.”

“I do accept you…wait…tattoos?” He said confused.

“Yup.” I said letting go of his hands and pulling up the arms of my sweatshirt. “See.” I pushed them up to reveal my two tattoos. Jiyong took each of my arms and ran his fingers over each tattoo. On my right wrist was “James” for my son. Ji, traced it with his finger and smiled. Then he focused on my left wrist and traced his finger over that tattoo “사랑해”

“Why I love you?” He said.

“Why not? I think it’s beautiful written like that.” I smiled.

“You only have two?”

“No, I have another.” I smiled. I wasn’t about to show it to him, it was far too special to reveal to him right now. He didn’t know that I had inked my body with his name. I wanted him to find it on his own…someday.

“What is it? Where is it?” He said, looking me up and down as if trying to unclothe me with his eyes so he could find it.

“It’s something you will see eventually.” I smiled.

Jiyong looked surprised and taken aback with my little game. “Aren’t you sneaky?” I smiled as a server brought out our food. The server placed a vast assortment of both Korean and American specialties.  “Ok, what do you want, I want to make sure you eat, a lot. You’re too skinny.” Ji winked.

“I know I am, will you lay off.” I said laughing. I piled my plate full of kimchi, some chicken and spaghetti to start off. Jiyong and I enjoyed our dinner, hardly saying a word, both of us being so famished. As we did, I noticed his phone would buzz every so often with what looked like text messages. I attempted to ignore each buzz, but it began to grow on my nerves the more his phone would buzz.

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“, with all that’s gone on today, I never told you about my meeting.” I said.

“You sure didn’t. So, what kind of music are you wanting to do, what kind of beats? Have you written anything?  He said, putting on his producer hat. “I want to make sure that you get exactly what you want out of your new album. President Yang has grand ideas for your comeback. As your producer I have ideas as well. I want your comeback to be big, huge, perfect for Choi MiRae.”

“Jiyong,” I whispered, almost ashamed of my decision. “I didn’t resign with YG Entertainment.”

Jiyong sat forward and looked at me. “You didn’t resign? What the hell? Why would you not resign?” He said forcefully.

“Jiyong, don’t be so upset. I love YGE, I love President Yang, I love everyone there, but as I told YG, I can’t stay somewhere with those kinds of memories. I would feel too under the shadow of Top. I don’t feel I would put out my best music if I stayed there. Also, I can’t work with my..with..with you. Not that I don’t want to, but it seems wrong to be…whatever we are…and work together. What are we?” I said, wanting a definition.

Jiyong looked up at me then reached in his pocket to pull out his phone, it was vibrating again. He sat it down beside him on the bench and looked at me, smiling. “What do you mean what are we?” He asked.

“It’s a simple question Jiyong. I want to know what this is, us…what we are. I mean, we both have these feelings and we obviously have missed each other. I want a definition for whatever we are.” I said looking at him for an answer. He smiled and stood up, grabbing my hand with his and pulling me up too. He took my face in his hands and smiled widely looking deep into my eyes.

“You, you are my girl.” He said.

“If that was supposed to be romantic, it wasn’t Jiyong.” I said smiling, trying to coax him into asking me and making it special. Catching on he smiled and took his hands away from my face. He backed up and sweetly smiled.

“Choi MiRae. I’ve loved you a long time and have waited for this moment. Would you do me the honor of being my girlfriend and letting me love you and support you and care for you?” He looked at me smiling. He had gotten it right and even though I was sort of distracted by his phone vibrating on the bench, I was still able to respond.

“Kwon Jiyong…” I said walking up to him as grabbed his face with my hands smiling as I looked in his eyes. I answered the only way I knew I wanted to, leaning in and lightly pecking his perfectly red lips.

“Is that a yes?” He said laughing as he searched my face. Finally I felt him wrap his arms around my waist and pull me in close to him, attacking my lips with his. I allowed myself to melt in his arms as I rested my arms on this shoulders, my hands behind his head. I thought it would be weird to actually kiss him, to be near him like that. After all he was my best friend and I used to kiss Top like that, but it wasn’t. It was normal. It was perfect, it was like we’d kissed a million times.

---------

“Home? Jiyong, I don’t have a home.” I said. “I have a hotel room, you can just take me there.”

“Hell no, you’re coming home with me.” He said.

“Jiyong, I don’t wanna move in with you, at least not right now.”

“I am not asking you to move in, I am asking you to come stay with me so we can be together more.” He said, letting go and walking around to stand in front of me. “I will not take no for answer.”

“Ok.” I said, quietly.

“Babe.” Jiyong said, grabbing my hands. “I just want to bring you home, we can watch a movie, cuddle. There are no ulterior motives, I promise. I don’t want you to be alone, you just got back and we have much to catch up on. Please, I already had your bags sent there.” He winked.

I smiled. Truth was, I didn’t want to go to my hotel, I wanted to go be with him, be held by him, and have him hold me all night long. I’d waited for a long time to be with him, to be his girlfriend, to kiss him and if I allowed myself to run in this moment, I’d never forgive myself. I thought about Youngbae’s words from earlier. It was time to give Jiyong my all and allow this relationship to happen. To allow my heart to be open and to just simply love him. I smiled, “I love you.” I said as wrapped my arms around his waist to hug him, putting my head on his shoulder. “Let’s go home.”

A/N

Hi readers! Thanks for bearing with me. I'm back finally! I hope you enjoyed this fluffy chapter. I know I don't have many subscribers, that's ok. I do this mostly for my own enjoyment anyway. I need it, writing is like my therapy. My writing style is this...I love fluff and happy endings. I am not one for a lot of angst, though I see some ups and downs for Jiyong and MiRae. Not every relationship is perfect, I know that. This one though, has been a long time coming. I see some issues with "her" and issues when MiRae starts at her new company

Happy Reading!