“Why do we have to do this now?” Jonghyun grumbled, tossing his head back and shutting his eyes tight. “Can’t we do this some other time? It’s way too early in the morning for this.”

“Morning is the best time,” you said, leaning over and tapping Jonghyun’s shoulder. “There will be fewer cars on the road, so this is the best time to do this. Now, put on your seatbelt and start the car.”

Jonghyun sigh exasperatedly as loudly s he could and then gave you a sideways look. Frowning, you hit his shoulder. “Jonghyun!” you protested aloud and he threw his hands up in surrender.

“Alright, alright!” he said, putting his seatbelt on and starting the car as you commanded. You leaned back in the passenger seat and crossed your arms, feeling pleased. It was an early morning on Saturday, and you dragged your boyfriend out of bed and insisted that he let you give him a driving “review”. He refused to call it a driving “lesson,” claiming that he didn’t need a “lesson” since he already knew how to drive. The fact that he failed his last driving exam, however, did little to support that assertion.

You instructed Jonghyun to put the car in reverse and begin pulling out of the driveway, which he followed.

“You have to check your mirrors, first!” you said, and Jonghyun slammed down on the brakes just before the car’s rear could enter the street. Jonghyun widened his eyes, feeling slightly embarrassed. He made an exaggerated show of checking the mirrors and looking over his shoulder before looking to you for approval. Satisfied, you gave the thumbs up to continue backing out. You had to distract yourself by playing with the glove compartment to keep yourself from staring at the skin peeking out from his collar as he turned in his seat to look out the back window. You thought Jonghyun might have been considerate enough to wear a shirt with a less-seductive neck-line, though you supposed that at this point in your relationship, you considered pretty much anything he wore to be equally appealing.

“Okay, we’re on the road now,” Jonghyun said. “Well, this has been a nice little driving review, so can I go back inside and sleep now?”

“No,” you yelped. You reached into your bag and took out two pieces of paper, one blank and one scribbled. Jonghyun cocked his eyebrow at the papers. Then, he gaped.

“Is that my driving exam?!” he asked, attempting to reach out and snatch it. You dodged his hand and nodded your head.

“We’re going to go over your driving exam one more time,” you said. “So start going straight, let me plan out your route.”

“How did you get my driving exam?” Jonghyun asked.

“Eyes on the road,” you replied. “And Minho was very cooperative. He agreed with me that you needed more practice driving.”

Jonghyun scoffed. “Minho, that bastard,” he said, shaking his head. You smirked, directing Jonghyun to turn left and right at various intersections, testing his ability to switch lanes and park on the curb. Jonghyun begrudgingly followed your instructions, verbally complaining and still unable to believe that you woke him up at 6 AM on a Saturday morning so that you could play driving instructor with him.

“I’m a great driving instructor!” you protested, feigning hurt. Jonghyun smiled.

“Still, this isn’t right!” he said, and you raised an eyebrow at him.

“Why not?” you asked, and Jonghyun shrugged. He swallowed a lump in his throat and used one hand to scratch his head.

“Well,” he said, trying to think of an excuse. “Because you’re a… girl.”

You raised your eyebrows at Jonghyun, not quite sure whether to be stunned or angry at his answer. You’d never pegged your boyfriend as a chauvinist before. “Because I’m a girl?” you asked, testing Jonghyun’s reaction. “Well, so what if I’m a girl. Yah! Since when were you so ist?”

“I’m not ist!” Jonghyun complained, narrowly dodging a car that was changing lanes. “I’m just saying that most driving instructors are men.”

“Most driving instructors,” you said, leaning into him. “But not me! Why are you so upset to be driving with me?” You sat back down in the passenger seat, feeling angry and dejected. “I’m a great driver,” you said aloud to yourself.

Jonghyun bowed his head. “Yeah, I bet you are,” he said. “I know you’re good at driving it’s just… damn, this is really emasculating.” To relieve the awkward atmosphere, Jonghyun tried to turn on the radio, but you sat up and switched it back off immediately.

“No music!” you said, holding his driving exam to his face. “You can’t have music, it distracts you.”

“No, it doesn’t!” Jonghyun protested in a juvenile voice. “It’s too quiet in here, come on. Let me listen to music.” He turned the radio on again, and you only switched it back off.

“You have to focus if you’re going to prove to me that men are superior drivers,” you said, narrowing your eyes. Jonghyun scoffed.

“Oh, come on, jagiya!” he said. “You know that’s not what I was trying to say.”

“You missed more than half the requirements on your exam!”

“Oh, and you never made a driving mistake in your life?”

“I had a perfect score on my exam.”

“That’s barely an accomplishment; you get perfect scores on every exam.”

“Keep your eyes on the road!”

“Then stop talking to me!”

“It’s a red light!”

Jonghyun slammed down on the brakes again, stopping the vehicle just before it could hit the reflective-vest volunteer who was escorting school kids across the street. Both you and your boyfriend let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, and then you looked over at Jonghyun. You huffed your breath and pointed to the curb.

“Okay, pull over here; check over your shoulder first,” you said, and Jonghyun followed what you said. “Watch me drive.”

Jonghyun widened his eyes and he smile. “Wipe that smile off your face,” you said.

“Fine, fine,” Jonghyun said, unbuckling his seatbelt and stepping out of the driver’s seat. The two of you swapped place. Jonghyun sat in the passenger seat feeling as pleased as you did when you were in that seat. Jonghyun smiled gleefully, talking about how he was finally going to see his jagiya’s driving skills in action, and you gave him a similar sideways glance. Starting the car, you signaled, checked your mirrors and shoulder, and then pulled out onto the road.

The drive was smooth and quick and effortless for you, and even Jonghyun was nodding in satisfaction. After ten or fifteen minutes of smooth driving and calm conversation, you both started to forget that this was meant to be Jonghyun’s driving session. The streets were clear, and it just felt like a couple going on a drive on a Saturday morning. You laughed at Jonghyun’s jokes and even allowed him to sing to the radio a little bit. You talked about your plans for the rest of the weekend and complained together of his chaotic promotion schedule. Jonghyun talked about getting another dog.

“Maybe a dog like that one,” Jonghyun said, pointing to the sidewalk. Following his direction, you looked over and saw the cutest little Maltese dog you’d ever seen. Petite, white, and fluffy with large beady eyes that seemed to be perpetually smiling. You smiled seeing it and let out a soft “aww” of appreciation. It really was a cute dog, and you’d be at Jonghyun’s house every single day if he bought a new puppy like it.

“Jagiya, I think you’re going off –,” Jonghyun said, but before he could finish, the ground beneath the car suddenly sunk sharply on your side and stopped abruptly. The sudden change in velocity made you yelp in surprise and Jonghyun gasped, as well. You’d just driven the wheel into the side of the road, where there was a short pit. It wasn’t enough to cause any damage or injury, but it was enough to make the wheel catch and it was certainly enough to make you embarrassed.

Jonghyun got out of the car first, then he ran over to your side and helped you climb out. Thankfully, you had missed the puppy. Jonghyun looked at the car, the ditch, the wheels, and then he looked at you. A sly smile started to plaster itself on his face, and you grumbled. “Not a word,” you said, holding up a finger to him. Jonghyun burst out laughing however.

“You drove the car into a ditch!” he howled.

“You kept pointing at puppies!”

“I’m in the passenger side, I’m allowed to point out puppies! You’re the one getting distracted!”

“Well, you decided to wear that damn shirt today!”

“We weren’t even talking about my clothes –,”

“Yeah, well now we are.”

“What was that you were saying about your perfect exam score?”

“Shut up,” you said. You crossed your arms and turned away from Jonghyun. You were so angry with yourself that you could have cried. Not only did you disgrace your own driving performance in front of your boyfriend, you had also driven his car into a ditch. Your face was growing hotter by the second. How could you have been so easily distracted? You bit your lip, feeling more and more upset. Jonghyun suddenly shuffled behind you, and soon he was standing beside you again.

“Cheer up,” he said gently, laying his arm across your shoulders, giving you a reassuring squeeze. “I mean, at least you didn’t hit another car.”

You looked up at him, not quite comforted by his words yet. Jonghyun smiled and hugged you, kissing your hairline. He laughed a little. “Miss Perfect Score,” he said, and you hit his chest with your forehead. “So, should we just agree to disagree that we both at driving?”

“Urgh,” you said, muffling your voice with his shirt. “Okay, fine.”

“Sounds good,” Jonghyun said, pulling away and cradling your face with his hands. “That means only walking-distance dates from now on.” Jonghyun smiled, and you laughed.