*When speaking Enlglish it appears like this.*

It was 5am and you were sat waiting for your cousin to debark off a plane at the airport. She’d been wanting to visit you out in Korea for a while now and she finally managed to save up and make it happen. You hadn’t seen her in years so the excitement you were feeling inside was almost overwhelming. There was so much that you two had to catch up on, there was so much you had to show her here in Korea, so much food to make her taste – the list was unending. Your cellphone rang and you quickly glanced at it to see who it was. You answered it with an apologetic voice. “I’m sorry it’s taking so long, babe… The flight arrived a little late.” You explained. Your boyfriend laughed on the other end of the phone. After reassuring you that it was fine, he said bye before hanging up. He was waiting outside the airport in the car to drive you and your cousin back home. Despite having to work today, he still got up at the ridiculous hours of the morning to help you. You felt guilty that this was probably going to make him exhausted. Suddenly your thoughts were interrupted as people finally started to walk through the gates. You searched frantically with your eyes until they landed on your little cousin jogging towards you with an ecstatic smile. You pulled her into a hug as soon as she was in reach and she squeezed you back in return.  “Wah… you’re grown so much! I can’t believe it!” you told her, eyes wide with disbelief. She was very different. She’d grown into a lovely young woman and it made you so proud.

Not wanting to hang around in this crowded place or keep your boyfriend waiting longer than you needed to, you quickly ushered her out and lead her to the car park. You reached the car and tapped on the window, gaining your boyfriend’s attention. He quickly clambered out the car and opened the boot before lifting your cousin’s bags in like a gentleman. Your cousin let out a chuckle. “Woah. You’ve got him well trained!” she joked in English. You laughed and nodded. “Yes, I know! He’s really well behaved most of the time!” you joked back, cupping his face in your hands. He blinked at you with a confused face, which only made you two giggle more. “This is Sungjong.” You told her. “Ah yes, I’ve heard a lot about you.” She retorted, wiggling her eyebrows at him. His face remained blank. “Sungjong, this is my cousin, Maya.” You introduced him. He nodded and smiled before coming out with an awkward “Hi. Nice to meet you.” She said the same back and then continued to talk to you about all the things that had gone on with her lately. “Come on! Let’s get going!” Sungjong said suddenly, clapping his hands and ushering your cousin to climb in the back seat. Still chuckling, you informed your cousin who was looking and Sungjong strangely as he kept waving at her, “He wants to get going.” “Oh!” she laughed, realizing the situation. With that, she climbed in and closed the door. You caught a glance at Sungjong’s face, he looked a little annoyed but you didn’t say anything. He was probably tired from the lack of sleep. You went and climbed in the front seat and Sungjong followed suit, getting behind the wheel.

The whole ride back you and Maya continued to chat and chat and chat where as Sungjong never even muttered a single word. This wasn’t normal but you were too pre-occupied to take much notice of it. Maya was completely worn out from her long trip and so crashed out as soon as you reached your apartment that you shared with your boyfriend. She was going to be staying with you for the entirety of her trip so you’d spent the last couple of days frantically cleaning and organizing and forcing Sungjong to do so, too. It was now approaching 7am and you decided to let her sleep until around 10am before waking her otherwise her sleeping pattern would get messed up. Switching the TV on, you settled on the sofa and let out a satisfied sigh. However, you were interrupted by a loud noise. Curious, you quickly hurried to where it was coming from. You entered your bedroom to find Sungjong stood on a ladder, pulling books off the top shelves in search of something. “Sungjong, what are you doing?” you asked. He didn’t even look at you before replying “I’m looking for my text books from high school.” You frowned. “Why on earth are you looking for them now? What do you need them for!?” He sighed. “My English book is with them…” he admitted. “English book? Why do you-“ “So I can learn some more English so I don’t look like an idiot all the time when I can’t understand!” he blurted out, frustrated. Your heart softened. He was so adorable when he acted like this. “Oh, Sungjong-“ you said sympathetically before he cut you off again. “You two talked the whole hours car journey and I could barely pick up on a single word! It’s so frustrating!” he said, beginning to throw a little tantrum, making the ladder shake. “Yah! Sungjong, get off that ladder now.” You said coldly. He shook his head. “No, I need to find my book.” “Aish” you exhaled quietly. “Look, I’ll translate everything back and forth from now on, okay? I’ll tell you everything Maya says in great detail so you don’t feel left out.” Sungjong’s eyes brightened a little. “Really? You’ll do that?” you nodded and he quickly jumped off the ladder and pulled you into his arms. “I’m sorry~ I promise I’ll learn for the next time your family visit.” He mumbled, burying his face into the crook of your neck. “It’s okay but don’t you go throwing any more tantrums… you hear me?” you said seriously. He lifted his head to face you and nodded as he looked at you with his puppy eyes. “Sorry” he said innocently. You rolled your eyes. “You’re not 5 years old, Sungjong!”