“You know,” I started, loading a suitcase into the back of the car. “We still have a chance to back out now. I can think of at least three excuses we can use.”

“I know you’re nervous about me meeting your parents, but don’t you think we should at least get it over with?” Sungjong set his suitcase next to mine, and closed the trunk. His hand grabbed mine and he smiled at me reassuringly. “I doubt you’ll have to worry about me not getting along with them.”

That’s not what I’m worried about, I thought but only nodded. “You’re right, I shouldn’t be worried one bit.”

“So what are we waiting for?” Sungjong dropped my hand and almost ran to the passenger seat, excited beyond compare. I on the other hand tried to draw out the steps as much as I can, and lumbered over to the door. I flopped down onto the seat and put my seatbelt on.

“I heard Mokpo is nice this time of year,” I hinted but Sungjong just gave me a stern look.

“Hoya, we are going to meet your parents. We’ve waited long enough as it is.” He was right, as he almost always is, and so I put the car into drive and started down the long stretch of road that lied ahead of us. The radio started playing a familiar song, and as Sungjong sang along, my mood brightened a bit. I doubted it was even possible not to be in a good mood around him. Maybe that was why I found him so attractive when we first met.

We met in a dance class, ballroom dancing to be exact. With dance being my passion, I wanted to extend my knowledge of it by at least getting introduced to the many different forms while Sungjong just saw a poster of it and decided to sign up. That was the kind of person he was, impulsive and fun loving. Before we even danced with a partner, the kid tripped over his own two feet at least three times, but got up after each stumble with a smile. At the end, I noticed him slightly limping out of the room, and going against my usual quiet nature, I asked him if he was alright.

“I think I just twisted something,” he said brightly. I shook my head and led him to a stool.

“Wait here,” I told him, and though he looked completely dumbfounded, he stayed as I ran to the convenience store next door. Lacking ice packs, I bought a few popsicles, and brought them back for him. “You should at least ice it for a little while,” I instructed him awkwardly, and when he smiled with those big doe eyes, I was a goner. We introduced ourselves, started to meet outside of the class, and within a month, I had worked up the courage to ask him out on a proper date. Surprising me to no end, he accepted. After another year, we moved in together.

I looked over at Sungjong as we entered Busan and smiled at his sleeping face. Trying to be gentle, I shook his shoulder with one hand, succeeding at waking him up.

“We’re almost there,” I told him.

“Mm, really?” He stretched, still seemingly half asleep. The sun had already sunk below the horizon and street lights lit the area but I could still make out parts of the city I grew up in.

“See that school?” I said jerking my head to the left. Sungjong nodded. “That’s where I went to high school. And that tree? I fell out of that when I was sixteen and broke my arm.”

“Wow, really?” I nodded. “This is so cool!” I pointed out a few other notable places along the way, such at the park where I first danced to whatever the radio played for tips and the music store where I had my first part time job to begin to pay for college. When we finally reached a little suburban neighborhood, my nerves started to grow tense as I got closer and closer to the inevitable. I pulled up to the curb in front of a little two story house and let out a deep breath.

“Ready?” I asked and my only answer was a squeal and the door flinging open.

We grabbed our suitcases and Sungjong couldn’t even stand still for a second.

“Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go,” he repeated like a mantra, urging me to move faster since apparently normal human speed wasn’t fast enough. We got to the front door, and Sungjong knocked before I could.

“Hoya!” My mom called as soon as the door opened and I was knocked back a few steps as she forcibly hugged me. She stepped back with a big smile and looked to Sungjong. “And you must be Hoya’s friend, Sungjong. Boy, you’re a pretty one.” As she hugged him too, Sungjong looked at me and mouthed “Friend?” I winced and shook my head.

“Come in, come in,” she said, pulling us into the warm house that smelled of delicious food. “Sweetheart, they’re here.” My dad walked into the room, giving me a hug and shaking Sungjong’s hand as he introduced himself.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Lee,” Sungjong said, sounding like the perfect person to bring home.

“You two should get your things upstairs,” my mom told us, pushing me by my shoulder to the staircase. “Sungjong, you can have the guest room on the right.”

“You don’t have to go through the trouble,” Sungjong said, making up an excuse while I knew that anger and irritation was building up inside of him. “I can just sleep in Hoya’s room.”

“It’s no trouble,” she dismissed. We headed up the stairs and I went to the left while Sungjong grudgingly went to the right. I set my suitcase on the bed, preparing myself for the rant that faced me later soon.

You’re an idiot, I thought to myself, rubbing my face in frustration.

“You never told them?” a voice asked and I looked up to see Sungjong with his arms crossed, leaning against the door. “Hoya, how could you not tell them? I told my parents and after meeting you, they’re wondering why we don’t visit them more often.”

“It’s just-”

“It’s just what?” he interrupted, glaring down at me.

“I’ve always been a disappointment to them,” I started, cringing as his expression worsened. “I didn’t get the grades I should have, didn’t go into a career they wanted. I don’t want to disappoint them again.”

“You think I’m a disappointment?” he asked incredulously.

“Babe, that’s not it.” I stood up and started towards him, but he shook his head and took a step back. “You are-”

“Boys, dinner is ready!” Mom interrupted and before I could say another word, Sungjong left the room. I could feel his anger radiating from him. We made it to the table where plenty of dishes were laid out. I let myself smile at my mom’s enthusiasm and sat down in the seat next to the one Sungjong chose. Without a moment’s hesitation, we all started to dish out our portions.

“I hope you like this, Sungjong,” my mother said, passing him the plate of chicken. “Hoya told me over the phone it was your favorite.” I had all but forgotten the conversation I had with her the other day when she asked what Sungjong would like for dinner, and I looked to Sungjong to see if that simple action had scored some points with him. He refused to look at me.

“It’s wonderful,” he said after taking a bite, and smiled handsomely at her.

“Hoya doesn’t bring too many people home, and he hasn’t really told us about you, so I was wondering how you two became friends.” Sungjong allowed himself to raise an eyebrow at me and then turned back to look at my mom.

“After the confusion of the move, everything probably slipped his mind,” Sungjong covered easily.

“That’s right, Hoya did say he finally moved in with the person he loves.” Mom clapped her hands together and smiled brightly. “It’s so nice to know my little boy has found his special someone. Do you know what she’s like, Sungjong? Hoya refuses to speak of her.”  I watched my boyfriend grit his teeth as he tried to smile at her once again.

“She’s pretty, very pretty,” I said, hurriedly. “And she’s fun to be around, and she’s always smiling brightly, except in the morning when she thinks she looks her worst. She’s fun and loving and just incredible. I love how I can’t be upset around her, and how she sometimes puts the sun to shame with her optimism.”

Smooth, Hoya, smooth, I thought as my mom gushed about how wonderful she was, and how my father even seemed proud, congratulating me on finding such a girl. Sungjong even glanced at me with a light blush on his cheeks at the compliments.

Somehow dinner went rather nicely after that, and Sungjong grabbed my hand under the table, almost startling me, but I smiled as I realized I had been forgiven, at least for the moment.

“I’ll help with dishes,” Sungjong said as we stood up from the table.

“Don’t worry about it,” my mother dismissed.

“I want to help,” he said, and started to gather the plates to take into the kitchen. Mom just took them out of his hands.

“You must be tired after the long drive, you two should probably get some rest.” When Sungjong opened his mouth to argue, she added, “I’ll let you help me tomorrow morning.” I rested my hand on his shoulder and steered him into the living room, where my father had already taken his seat with the daily newspaper.

“So, Sungjong,” my father started, and already I felt like this was going to be some sort of interrogation. He always had been more critical of me than Mom, but I knew Sungjong could pass his interview. “What kind of job do you do?”

“I work as a barista for now, until I get out of college, and I’m studying to be an elementary school teacher.”

“Really? I’m sure your family is happy with your decision.”

“They are,” he assured. “They were a little worried when I said I would move to Seoul for school, but I visit them as much as I can.”

“You sound close to them,” he noted.

“I am,” he said with a smile.

“Good, good,” my dad said, closing the newspaper. “Your mom’s drama is on, Hoya, so would you mind turning the tv to it?” I grabbed the remote off the coffee table and flipped it to the channel she would want. Some things don’t change. We waited for my mom to join us and during commercials, or slow moments in the drama we would catch up on the things that they had been missing out on since the last time I visited.

At the end of the two drama episodes we watch, we all unanimously decided to go to bed. My parents headed to their bedroom as Sungjong and I stalled in the hallway.

“We should go to bed,” he said, leaning against his door. I sighed and took a step to my room, but then turned, grabbed his arm, and pulled him into my room.

“Your mom wanted me to sleep in the guest room,” he whispered, looking surprised.

“And I want you to sleep in here,” I told him, smiling mischievously, and pulling him to the bed.

“I’m still mad at you,” he said firmly, but the tone didn’t match his expression.

“I’ll tell them, I promise.” I sat down on the edge of the bed and pulled him onto my lap.

“You better.” He leaned close with a smile, and gently pressed a kiss to my lips. “Tomorrow?”

“Tomorrow,” I agreed, returning the kiss.

The next morning, Sungjong was up and out of bed before I could even properly open my eyes. For the next ten minutes, he shifted through his suitcase for the best clothes to wear. This morning it seemed like nothing he had looked good anymore, in his opinion.

“Babe, you look fine,” I said, coming up behind him, and wrapping his thin body in my arms. “How could you even think I find you a disappointment?” I mumbled into his shoulder.

“You said-”

“I said that my parents found me disappointing,” I told him.

“It didn’t look like it last night,” he said.

“Things were different a few years ago.” I sighed, and turned him around, looking into those doe eyes. “You are quite honestly the best thing in my life. I was just afraid that my parents would find it disappointing that you aren’t a girl. I was afraid that they would make me choose between you and them.” I cupped his face and kissed his soft lips. “And I would choose you every time.” He smiled, and wrapped his arms around me. We kissed once more, letting our lips linger this time.

“Hoya-” I heard in the back of my mind and it took only a moment for it to registered that my mom was at the door. I pulled away, and turned to face her. “Oh my,” she said, covering with her hand.

“Hoya and I were just…” Sungjong started.

“Sungjong and I are dating, and he’s the one that moved in with me, not a girl.” I waited in complete silence for anything. I watched her expression, looking for any sign of disapproval.

“Sweetheart,” she called out to my dad. “You owe me twenty bucks.” She rushed in and hugged us both, as my dad walked inside the room.

“You couldn’t have waited one day to tell us? Just one more day?” he asked. I raised my eyebrows in surprise.

“You guys knew? And you’re ok with it?” I asked.

“Of course,” Mom said. “I knew when you first mentioned that you would be taking Sungjong instead of this supposed girlfriend to meet us that you two were more than just friends.”

“See? Nothing to worry about,” Sungjong said, grabbing my hand.

“We’ll leave you two lovebirds alone for a minute. Breakfast is ready by the way.” Mom ushered my dad out of the room. Sungjong gave me no warning as he leaped into my arms, and kissed me once more.

“So now that you have your parents approval, what do you say about coming here more often?” Sungjong asked. “I heard Busan is beautiful in the spring.”

“I still think Mokpo would be better.” He laughed and I carried him down to breakfast. Still, I knew we would be coming here again soon, now that I had nothing to fear.