*Sunjung's POV*

 

You yawned as you prepared to leave. Today was the first day of the lunar new year, and you were wearing a hanbok that was pink, light blue, and purple. 

The doorbell rang, and your umma went to get it. 

"Sunjung-ah! Ren is here!" she called. She knew that Ren was your boyfriend and often teased you about it when he wasn't in earshot distance, and you cursed your family at times. 

"I'm coming, umma!" you replied, attaching your earrings and walking down the stairs. 

Ren smiled to you as you walked down, and his eyes grew bigger when he saw you in your hanbok. 

You noticed that he was wearing one too. 

"Ah, Sunjung, you got fitted, that's great," your umma sighed a breath of relief. "Well, make sure to come home early tonight. I've prepared a dinner with the family."

Usually, when your umma said 'the family,' it meant that the whole family was invited and you had to be a slave after the party and clean up, picking up empty and half-filled beer bottles, and used napkins. 

You nodded dismissively, and followed Ren out the door, saying goodbye to your appa and umma. They were also prepared in a hanbok as well. 

As Ren closed the door for you, he turned and held out his hand for you to hold. 

You smiled as you slipped your fingers through his, the ring that he gave you for Christmas, shining on a chain that hung around your neck.

"Do you like it?" he asked, curiously. You nodded. 

"It's on a chain because I'm afraid of losing it," you explained. 

"Ah," he nodded comprehendingly. "Well, I love the scarf and hat. Too bad I couldn't wear it today." he sighed, as if he was missing out.

You giggled and replied, "It's okay. Next time."

He nodded, and you asked, "Where are we going today?" 

"The same church as Christmas," he answered kindly. "But you should keep holding my hand because it's as crowded as last time." He winked and you rolled your eyes, laughing a bit. 

"Smooth," you replied. 

"I try my best." he said. 

Soon, you and him arrived at the church, and your boyfriend was correct. 

The church was packed with people and you were surprised, counting the amount that you could see. 

Couples in hanboks were everywhere. 

Ren pushed his way inside, still holding your hand firmly. 

You were surprised at his strength. 

Well, he was tougher and stronger than you'd ever give him credit for. 

Soon, you found yourself next to the door, but still inside. 

You could see the giant stained glass windows clearly, and stared in awe. 

Turning to meet Ren's gaze, he released his hand from yours, putting them together. 

Needless to say, you did the same, turning your head to face forward. 

Closing your eyes, and bending your head down a bit, you started to pray. 

Annyeonghaseyo, God. We meet again! Have you been well since Christmas? I'm back again~ Are you cold in heaven? I hope all these prayers are making you warm. Well, I hope that this year will be amazing and that I will spend the rest of my second year in happiness, before I go to my third year. Please make it enjoyable! Kamsahamnida. I hope you have a good time up there! I'll talk to you next time!

You pulled your head back up and just like before, you saw Ren pull his head up a second later. 

He turned to look at you, and you smiled at him, slipping your fingers through his again. 

"Did you pray well?" he asked. 

You nodded vigorously. 

"Good," he grinned. 

"Is this it?" you asked. "Are we going somewhere else?"

Ren eyed you curiously, and he replied, "Well, I was thinking of taking you home. Your umma asked if I wanted to come to the party, and I agreed. I want to spend every second with you." 

Hearing that made you blush, and Ren pushed his way out. 

You felt the chilly wind blow through your hair and smash your body as you walked out of the warmth of the church. 

"This feels good," you softly laughed. 

"Yeah," Ren agreed, kissing the top of your head.

"I wish time could just stop." you admired the white snow that blanketed everything, tugging at your jacket with your free hand. 

"Well I don't," Ren smiled. "I want to go on with life so I can get married to you, have children, and grow old together."

You blushed as Ren pulled you, rushing you home so that you wouldn't get sick. 

 

You soon arrived home with him. 

"Annyeong umma, appa," you said, slipping out of your shoes. Ren followed suit, and slipped out of his shoes as well. 

"Ah, back so soon? You've only been out for half an hour!" your umma exclaimed. "Anyways, Sunjung, help me in the kitchen." 

Your umma beckoned you and you followed her. 

"Ah, Ren, let's talk," your appa gently smiled at him and Ren smiled back. 

"Okay," he replied, nodding. 

When they sat down on the couch and started talking, you got worried. 

What could they be talking about?

Was your appa trying to scare your boyfriend? 

You hoped not. 

Sighing, you followed your mother into the kitchen and she asked for you to prepare the tteokguk meat. 

You nodded, rolling your sleeves up and starting to wash your hands before grabbing a knife and cutting the seafood and meat into thin slices

(A/N: Tteokguk is a traditional Korean meal that is eaten every new years). 

"Umma, do you need the meat right now?" you asked after you had carefully sliced them all. 

"Ah, ne, kamsahamnida," your umma rushed to get the cutting board that had all the meat on it and she gracefully and skillfully eased it into the pot, barely making the boiling water splash. "Aish, can you also get the nian gao from the fridge? I need to fry it." 

(A/N: Nian gao is a traditional Chinese dessert that is eaten during New Years. It symbolizes a higher year.)

"Ne," you replied, rushing to the refridgerator, and pulled at the handle, taking the bowl that held the nian gao, and as you closed the door, you put it on the table, grabbing a new knife. 

You sliced it in squares and carefully placed it on the plate that was in front of you. 

"Aish, New Year's so busy," you rolled your eyes, and inspected the cutting. 

"Ne, ne," your umma sighed. "Where are the mandu's?" 
(A/N: Mandu's are dumplings in Korean)

"Ah, didn't you put them in the fridge?" you said calmly, picking up the plate to hand to her. 

She took it hurriedly and went to the fridge to grab a plate that held several mandu's. 

"Aish, Sunjung-ah, please give your appa and Ren these," your umma gave you a bowl that held delicate looking mochis, and you took your time walking there. 

"Appa," you said, "here are the mochi."
You gave him the bowl and he took it gratefully. 

"Do you want some?" he asked. You shook your head and bowed a bit. 

"Umma wants me to help out, so excuse me," you answered, walking back to the kitchen. 

"Ah, okay okay," your appa called, and turned back to talk to Ren. 

 

Ren's POV

"So, Ren, Sunjung is my only child and my precious daughter." he continued when you were out of earshot. 

Ren nodded, and took a mochi, nibbling on it. 

"So if you ever marry her, I want to entrust her to a good man," he added, tears forming at his eyes. "When I'm not there anymore... I want her husband to be the person to love her the most. So if you want to marry my little Sunjung, please love her more than I do."

Ren gave a kind smile. 

"Not to be rude, and please excuse me for saying this, but I think I've begun to love her more than both you and her umma combined." he spoke, his eyes glinting with affection. 

Your appa smiled back, and said, "And you must take care of her well. My Sunjung cannot live like an ordinary person. She must live under your love and care and be like a princess." 
"She's always a princess to me," Ren replied. 

Your appa stared at him in approval. 

"You know," he started to say. "I've taken care of Sunjung since she was born. I've watched her since she was little and I've listened to her problems every time. Yet, when she started growing up, I think that there's this distance between us now. I feel like I'm never in her life anymore." 
Ren stared at him silently. 

"Yet, I've always wanted her happiness. She is truly a beautiful daughter. I wish... I just wish that in the future, there will be someone that'll give her  eternal happiness." he stopped. 

"I'm sure you've given her enough happiness." Ren assured. "Please don't worry, I'll take care of Sunjung for as long as we'll date." 

"Well, how long do you think you are going to keep on dating her?" your appa looked at him seriously in the eyes. 

Ren gazed back, smiling. 

"Forever."

 

Sunjung's POV

You sat down at the table tiredly, resting for a second before going back to your umma. 

"How much food are we making tonight? This could feed the whole army," you groaned. 

"Enough for your family. You know how much they can eat." she said, not looking at you. She was carrying the galbijjim and setting it on the table. 

(A/N: Galbijjim is short ribs cooked in a soy sauce seasoning with assorted vegetables.) 

You sighed, thinking about all the things you had to clean up tonight. 

Then, you focused back into reality and followed your mother, preparing until your relatives had arrived.

 

It was about 5 PM.

You and Ren and your family had gathered around the table outside, sitting down and preparing to eat. 

Your younger cousins sat at a kiddy table nearby. 

Ren was next to you, and your aunts and uncles had wondered who he was. 

"That's Sunjung-ah's boyfriend," your appa explained. 

"Oh my, what a cute, young boy!" your aunt exclaimed from across the table. 

"Sunjung, you've really gotten yourself a handsome man!" your uncle grinned.

"Kamsahamnida," Ren said bashfully. 

"Ne, ne. Eat up, eat up!" your other uncle said, insisting on putting meat in his rice bowl. 

You silently cursed under your breath because they were slightly embarrassing you, but when you saw how happy Ren was, you just smiled, and started to eat alongside him. 

"Ne, Sunjung, you and Ren-ah are a cute couple. Renjung hwaiting!" another uncle cheered. 

"Ne, ne, Renjung hwaiting!" all of your relatives cheered for you and you blushed bashfully, and so did Ren. 

"Are you guys gonna get married soon?" one of your relatives teased. 

"Ani..." you said, looking down at your bowl shyly. 

"Aw! Sunjung-ah looks so yeppeo! She's blushing, aw!" your relatives laughed and joked around. 

You blushed and didn't dare meet their gaze, and instead just nibbled on your food. 

 

After you had finished eating and set your bowl in the sink inside, Ren followed you to the kitchen and put his bowl in. 

"Aish, your family is so fun," he chuckled a bit. 

"Ani, they're just idiots." you rolled your eyes. 

"Not to me. They're my future family members when we get married," Ren said, going behind you to slip his arms around your waist, kissing your cheek. 

You blushed. 

You two stayed that way for a minute before one of your younger cousins called you. 

"Sunjung unnie!"

You heard them running and Ren let go in alarm, jumping at least a good five inches. 

Sighing, you saw your five year old cousin, Kangdae. 

His eight year old sister, Sunhi, followed him. 

"Sunjung unnie! Who's this?" Sunhi looked at Ren curiously, her eyes glinting. 

"My boyfriend," you smiled, squatting down to meet her eyes. "His name is Ren."

Ren squatted down as well. 

"Annyeong," he grinned. 

"A-annyeong," she blushed and you felt a pang of jealousy. 

"Sunjung-ah!" Kangdae gave you a big hug, and you pat his back, laughing a bit. "Are you busy? I want to play with you and Ren hyung!" 

"Me too! I want to play with Ren oppa!" Sunhi looked at your boyfriend pleadingly. 

"Ah, ne, ne, let's go," he said, standing up, and smoothening out his hanbok. 

You were about to stand up, but Ren held out his hand for you to take. 

You accepted it, smiling, and he picked you up with ease. 

Following your younger cousins, Ren kept on holding your hand and didn't let go, but was interrupted by Sunhi. 

She somehow separated your hand from his, and put hers through his. 

Ren stared in surprise, and awkwardly played along. 

"Sunjung noona! Carry me~" Kangdae grinned widely to you. 

"Ne, ne," you replied, heaving him up, and settling him on your left side. 

"Yaay~" he giggled. 

You followed Sunhi and Ren to the couch in the room that held the shrine. 

Sitting down, you watched jealously as Sunhi kept on flirting her eight year old self out, and Ren just pretended along, sitting on the floor with crossed legs. 

Who would've thought that your eight year old cousin would flirt with your boyfriend?

"Sunjung noona~" Kangdae yawned. "I'm tired." 

He frowned, and you gently rocked him, humming quietly.

He fell asleep, and you stood up. 

"Where are you going?" Ren looked up at you, stopping his and Sunhi's playing. 

"Ah, I'm going to put in him bed," you answered, and noticed Ren getting up. 

"Let's go," he smiled to you. 

"No, Ren oppa, stay with me, I don't like being alone! Let's keep on playing," Sunhi stubbornly pulled at him, and you silently cursed under your breath. 

"Don't worry," you said, forcing a smile. "I won't take long." 

"Are you sure?" he looked concerned. 

You nodded, and quickly walked off. 

Going into the guest room, you carefully placed Kangdae under the sheets, and you sighed. 

Well, there was no point in getting mad and fighting Sunhi because she was only eight, she was your cousin, Ren was hot anyways, and it'll probably be the last time she'll see him. 

You slipped upstairs, into your room to change out of your hanbok, and into a clean pair of dark blue skinny jeans, a tank top, and a white shirt. 

Trudging back to the room where Ren and Sunhi were playing, when Ren saw you, his eyes glinted, and he stood up again, going towards you. 

"Helpmeyourcousinissoannoying," he said in a quiet and strained voice, but keeping a smile. 

"Ren oppa? What are you doing?" Sunhi asked. 

"Oh, Sunhi," you laughed a bit. "Ren and I are going to leave."
"What? Why?" Sunhi looked disappointed. 

"Because we're gonna go out to play." you said.

"Why can't you guys play here?" Sunhi pouted. 

"Because we want to play alone." you instructed sternly, but playfully, and lift a finger to tease. 

"I'm telling my umma!" Sunhi wailed, scrambling off, screaming for her umma. 

"Oh my goodness..." you sighed, rubbing your aching temples. 

"What are you going on about- ah! Ren, Sunjung, are you leaving on a date?" your aunt asked kindly. 

You and Ren nodded. 

"Then go have fun-" 

"No!" Sunhi interrupted. "I want to play, I want to play!" 

"Shh, shh, let Sunjung-ah and Ren-ah have their fun time." your aunt scolded. 

Bowing a bit, you said, "Ah, kamsahamnida. Also, please tell my umma and appa I'll be heading out for a bit." 

She nodded, and tried to shush the stubborn Sunhi, and you and Ren escaped out the door after slipping your shoes on, and you grabbing your purse.

"Aish," you groaned as you got out the door. "I'm glad we got out." 

Ren nodded in agreement. 

"Sunhi was making me crazy," he sighed. 

"Well," you said, slipping your fingers in between his, "we're alone now." 

"Yeah," he smiled, kissing your lips. 

Once he pulled away, you looked into his dark eyes, and asked, "What are we gonna do now?" 

He laughed, and said, "I know a good boba shop?" 

You giggled a bit, and said, "Okay. Let's go," 

 

It wasn't long before you and him arrived in the shop. 

It was a cute, pink boutique-like place that had Kpop posters plastered everywhere. 

You looked up at the menu, deciding on what you wanted. 

"One medium strawberry watermelon boba," you ordered with a smile. 

"Okay, that'll be $9.52." the cashier person smiled back. 

You turned to Ren.

"Did you already order?" you asked. 

He nodded. 

"Oh," you reached into your purse for cash, but before you could give it to the cashier, Ren had beat you to it. 

You turned to him and he stuck his tongue out. 

"Too late, too late, you were too late," he teased. 

"Ren! I thought I would pay this time!" you complained, as you made your way to a table.

"Ah, sorry, sorry," he said, sitting next to you. 
"Hmp!" you pouted. 

He gave you a kiss on your cheek.

"Better?" he laughed. 

"Order for two!" the cashier said loudly before you could reply. 

"Ah, sorry, I'll get that." Ren quickly stood up, and came back shortly, handing you your drink. 

"Kamsahamnida." you said, reluctantly accepting it. 

"Ne," he grinned.

Sipping your drink, you searched around the room for a Nu'est poster. 

"Hey, look," you pointed out to the very top of the wall in front of you. "There's your picture." 

Ren looked to see, and when he finally found it, he nodded. 

"I look hot, huh?" he said teasingly and you rolled your eyes. 

"That's because I'm your girlfriend," you countered back, sticking your tongue out. 

"Ne, ne," he replied, sipping his drink. 

There was a pause between you two as you searched through the posters. 

"You know..." Ren started to say, and then you turned your head to face him. "I was really jealous when Kangdae started to be a little baby to you." 

"Pabo," you flicked him gently. "He's only five and he's my cousin. Besides, I was really jealous when Sunhi started, um, how do I say it..." 

You looked flustered, but Ren just chuckled and gave you a kiss on your cheek. 

"Pabo," he said. "She's only eight." 

"Yet, she has a crush on you," you pouted. 

"Please, I'm nine years older than her." he rolled his eyes. 

"And I know when my cousin likes someone. She gets all possessive." you shuddered. 

"Oh, ew, that's weird. She's only eight and she's like that?" he asked, creeped out. 

You nodded. 

"I have no idea where she gets that. It's not like anyone in the family to be so possessive and weird like that," you said, slipping your boba. 

"Well, just know that I'd choose you over her any day," he kissed your forehead and you blushed. 

"Kamsahamnida," you replied. 

"Ne," he grinned, then checked his watch. 

"Well, it's getting late. We should go back to your house." Ren said, and you nodded. 

Standing up and stretching, you blinked tiredly.

Ren stared at you curiously, and smiled.

"You should go to sleep when we get back," he replied. You nodded innocently, and he slipped his fingers in between yours.

You both started to walk home, and you felt yourself struggling to stay awake.

You managed well the whole way though.

And to your relief, when you arrived, Sunhi was already asleep.

"Ren, you should go home. It's already late. Come on, I'll drive you," your appa said kindly.

Ren nodded, and when your appa left to get the keys, you stood on your tippy toes and kissed his lips.

Pulling away, you smiled.

"I'll see you soon?" you asked. 

Ren nodded.  

"Now go to bed," he gave you a sweet kiss on your forehead and you nodded. 

Slipping your shoes off, you saw your appa come back with the keys, and he and Ren headed out the door. 

Trudging tiredly to your bed, you barely had enough energy to change into your pajamas and brush your teeth, but afterwards, you just fell onto your bed and tucked yourself under the covers, falling asleep instantly when you closed your eyes. 

------------------------------------------

Aiya ^^; This is such a long chapter. 

But I'm proud of it~

Except for the face that I slightly rushed it >.<

ohwell. 

I think everything else is okay. 

Well, I'm thinking up more fun and cute ideas♥

Byebye~

 

~Subs, comments, recommendations please~