"Are you ready, jagi?" asked Sunggyu.
"How can I be ready? These are your parents! I might as well be meeting the president!" you said as you raced across the room. You frantically adjusted your clothes and pat down your hair at the same time while studying the mirror. Sunggyu chuckled and placed a hand on your shoulder.
"You’ll be fine, I promise." He smiled at you through the reflection.

You and Sunggyu had been dating for quite some time now, and he felt it was time to introduce you to his parents. You’ve heard many good stories about them, but it didn’t make the situation any less intimidating.
Mustering up the rest of your courage, you grabbed your things and left the house with Sunggyu. It wasn’t a very long commute, and before you knew it, the two of you were standing on his parents’ doorstep.

Ding dong~

You gulped. Sunggyu placed a hand at the small of your back and straightened up as the door opened.
"Sunggyu!" a lady called as she tackled your boyfriend. Sunggyu laughed and pat her back.
"Umma, I missed you…"
You smiled at the the hugging mess beside you, feeling awkward and hoping that this night would go quickly. Sunggyu cleared his throat and gently nudged his mother off of him.
"Umma, this is _______," he introduced you.
"Ah, nice to meet you," she said quietly, with a smile. The two of you nodded at each other, making you feel more awkward still.

Sunggyu’s mother led the two of you inside to the dining room. You could smell something cooking nicely in the kitchen, accompanied by the sound of boiling water. Mrs. Kim said she’d return in a bit, and went to retrieve her husband.
Sunggyu pulled out a chair for you and you sat down, taking in the sights of his parents’ home. There were many decorations about, and you wondered if they had been there when Sunggyu was a child.
"Ah, this place has not changed a bit," said Sunggyu, half to himself. He picked up a fork from the table and stared at it.
You held back a giggle as you realized how he was acting. Although everyone goes through nostalgia, Sunggyu’s “grandpa” image accidentally made its way here as he sighed deeply at the fork. It’s just a fork, what could you possibly be reminiscing about? You wondered.

"They’re in here," said Mrs. Kim to someone else as she entered the dining room. Behind her followed a man that looked eerily similar to Sunggyu. Realizing that it was his father, you stood up without thinking, bumping your knee on the table and knocking over a glass.
"Ouch," you muttered under your breath.
"Are you o—" his mother began.
"Pleasure to meet—"
Sunggyu suddenly burst into laughter, interrupting your introduction. You and his parents stared at him as he shook his head, pointing at you. You could feel your face grow red as Sunggyu’s mother turned her back and walked toward the kitchen. His father kept glancing between you and Sunggyu.
"Why are you laughing?" he asked shortly.
"Because… Because she…!" Sunggyu couldn’t control his laughter.
Unable to take the embarrassment any longer, you excused yourself out of the room and out the front door.

“Yah…”
You sat on the landing, staring down at your feet. Sunggyu crouched down in front of you and cocked his head to the side.
"Are you ignoring me now?"
You said nothing as he watched you in silence. Sighing, he gave up and sat down next to you. He placed a hand on your back and rubbed it lightly.
"Let’s go back inside," he said, "It’s time to eat."
"I don’t want to go back inside," you protested.
"Come on," Sunggyu brushed some hair out of your face. "My parents aren’t that scary, are they?”
"No…" You poked the ground. "But you didn’t have to laugh."
Sunggyu paused as he took in what you said. Holding back a chuckle, he responded, “You really are clumsy. But sorry. You know, for laughing. Now let’s go inside or else the food my mother made will get cold.”

You could tell Sunggyu didn’t mean any harm from laughing, so you forgave his weak apology and agreed to go back inside. His mother welcomed the two of you so lovingly, she reminded you of your own mother, in a way. His father seemed a little cold at first, but after the short introductions and a good meal, the two of you got along fairly well. This dinner wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

As you and Sunggyu left his parents’ home, they sent well wishes, and to your surprise, you found yourself hoping to see them again soon.