“You know, those kind of flirtatious acts never work on me. Them other girls would probably already be in your arms by now if they were me, but come on, you know me better, Jongin.” She keeps her eyes still to the computer in front of her, as Jongin leans in, his head on her shoulders and his eyes staring to the same monitor where hers stares at.

“Mmm… Never? Are you sure? In my opinion, failing only happened to me a few times. I ain’t got titled as a Playboy for no reason, you know.” He playfully retorts and chuckles. His ego was something he loves to show off, and to most of the female beings he ever knew, it only added in his hotness. 

“Yeah, right. I didn’t fall for them; I did it because I wanted to do so.” She smiles mischievously as her eyes playfully glances him back.

“Oh come on, Love. You’ve been staring at that damned computer for hours! Rest your eyes for a bit. And your body, most of all.” He slightly grins, eyes tingling sneakily as he inhales the scent of her hair. Giving up was never part of Kim Jongin’s vocabulary book. He just wants to win. He just has to.

“You can spend another hour waiting for me to get off my computer, if you want. I have to get this done by today. Tomorrow’s gonna be hectic so… Yeah. Wait—didn’t I tell you that?” She turns her head a bit towards him and looks him in the eyes, slightly putting a questioning look. He ghosts his lips upon hers, “You did, but I didn’t care.” And he pecks her.

“You’re such a jerk, Kim Jongin.” She laughs and pushes him off, not giving up on her work. University was never her friend the past few weeks, and having Jongin around at the same time at her place hasn’t really been helpful. He was always there to bug her, telling her to get some time for the two of them to go out or something.

He was—is—such a tempting devil. Irresistible, most of the time.

He’s going to be there for her whenever she needs him and be protective over her, but sometimes he gets to be this irresistibly-hot-and-annoying-devil again who needs to own her and be with her in their own world. Yes, Kim Jongin is her boyfriend, and to think that he’s such a Playboy, she herself thinks that she’s lucky... Or probably even more. Playboys don’t get attached with a certain girl for more than 6 months, but there they are, being in an intimate relationship for 14 months.

As her long fingers dances around the keyboard, her mind wanders through memories, bits by bits at a time. They flash, replacing one another, all showing nothing but moments she spent with him. Though one stuck particularly…

__

The sun was scorching hot. Her hands hovered over her forehead, covering those blazing hazel eyes from getting in direct contact with sunlight. Taking a pair of shades from her messenger bag, she slung the bag over to her bicycle. She put the shades on, glided on her bicycle and rode on. Joy was written all over her warm face. Everyone else on the road was heading towards the beach. Some held their kids in their arms, some linked arm to arm with their lovers, some were enjoying their ice cream—trying not to let them melt. She whistled as she rode her bicycle casually, occasionally standing on it after a few cycles.

As she arrived at her favorite bookstore, she parked her bicycle next to the owner’s. Jung Soojung, the owner was. She knew her ever since highschool, and considering they’ve always been best friends since then, whatever belonged to Soojung was hers as well and vice versa. So she locked it to the rails and went in. The bookstore had a couple of customers in. All were interested in different kinds of books. She headed right to her favorite corner, where the second-hand classic books were sold. Soojung was nowhere to be found, so she shrugged the thought of searching for her and gazed at the big rack of books. As her eyes caught an interesting one, she took it and opened the book.

“Scarlett Letter? Why, you interested in those kind of old civilization?” A young man in knee-length worn out jeans, linen shirt, and a pair of Vans stared questioningly at her with warm dark brown eyes. His hair was tousled, messy in a neat way—if that was even possible.

“Not really. I just like how they write at this era. Captivating, in a way.”

“How about the lady?”

“The main character? Personally, I think she’s an idiot.”

He let out a spontaneous chuckle and raised an eyebrow of amusement. “An idiot? Well, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard someone say it out loud. So I conclude you’re a blunt, straight forward person, unlike her?”

“Well, you could say so.” She smiled back and offered a handshake. “Park Jungrae.”

“Kim Jongin.” And a handshake it was.

They began a conversation of books—that most people must have considered very, very boring—from the classics to the mainstream ones and found themselves still lost in that continuous conversation hours after that. They took seats in the nearest café and ordered their drinks.

She decided that he was someone so much like her, but a lot unlike her in some ways. The way he acted around people showed that he knew he was attractive. But it didn’t mean he was trying to milk it, he only recognized it and didn’t give a waste of it. Like trying to nice-talk a waitress to get them a table by the window on a very packed hour. Usually, she’d hate that kind of person right the very first moment she knew them. Stuck-ups, she used to label them. But this one attractive guy who knew he was hot, just didn’t annoy her at all. On the other hand, he decided that she was attractive. She had wits, her auburn hair and hazel eyes were just compliments for her interesting personality. Obviously, both their first impressions were wonderfully potential to lead to something much more than just friendship.

That one conversation led to another, a couple of days after. Led to others, in a month. Few months passed, and they were dating.

__

Kim Jongin was never nervous. He wouldn’t budge, even if a crowd requested him to sing a song he didn’t know at someone’s birthday bash. Kim Jongin was one heck of a confident young man. But that day, his eyes were hazy of nerves, his hands had a little sweat, and swinging side to side back and forth was all he did when he strolled at the beach with her, watching the sun set. She thought he was worried about the rain that the newscaster broadcasted this morning—which he already flailed the whole day of—and decided she’d just ignore him. She wouldn’t have thought in a million years of what would happen in the next half an hour.

He started to walk a little slower than her, wanting to watch her enjoy the rays of sun before it sets. The sky was all pastel colors, the rays were proudly shining, some reflected on her wavy hair. She looked very decent that day, all vintage-looking with floral high-waist shorts and white chiffon blouse. Her small messenger bag was slung over her slender figure, slightly bouncing up and down as she skipped several steps away. He held both of their sandals, and as he caught up with her, he let those fall to the sand, his hands reaching for hers.

He’d made up his mind.

“Park Jungrae. You are one heck of a competitive, hard-to-impress young lady, who I’d normally probably hate. But these past few months I’ve grown to really, really, adore you, with all your stupid jokes, your lonely dimple on your left cheek. I’ve been looking for a lot of explanations as to why I always need to show you things that I’ve discovered, found, or simply see. I want to tell you how my day has been, how I felt when my dad had to leave us again to work overseas for another year. I’ve always been looking forward to our stupid, nonsense, late night calls, and I’ve been dying to taste your cooking for breakfast. I wasn’t trying to impress you, to play around with you like I used to with numerous other girls. You’ve caught me. In a way I cannot explain. I want to be the guy that will sweep you off of your feet, tell you I’ll adore you no matter what, and sing to you a stupid birthday song first thing in the morning when it’s your birthday. You beguile me, Park Jungrae. I love you. Will you… Please… Be mine?” His eyes bore into hers, dark brown to hazel. She stood there stunned, amazed, by the confession that young man had just made in front of her. That one, young man that had never lost her attention, her sights, her feelings.

“You had me at ‘Scarlett’.”

__

Her laptop warns her of it’s running-out-of-power battery, taking her back to reality as she was dazed for too long, drawn into that sweet, sweet memory of hers she knows she’ll forever cherish. She takes the charger out from the drawer beside her, plugs it in, and closes her laptop. Smiling, she rises up from the chair and heads to the sofa.

“You know, maybe it really is, time for me to rest for a while.” She reaches over to cup his face with her hands. And as she traces his chiseled jawline with a finger, they share a soft, warm, loving kiss, much more meaningful to the one they first had, at that beach.

“Well, well, Miss Park. Your moods change so randomly I might need another me to comprehend you with.”

“Oh shut up, Kim Jongin. You, and only you, will forever be my mood-booster. I love you.”

_____

My first oneshot ever. First post ever in AFF. Laugh at my work and please comment below. I'd love to hear your feedbacks. Thank you! ;) x