*Chapter 17

“Babe, are you ready?” Jongin opens the door to check on his wife who is getting ready.

“Give me five. I’m having a hard time with this hair.” The girl said as she pulls out the iron curler from her hair.

Jongin smiled at the sight before he takes steps closer to the pouty belle. He slips his arms around her waist and nuzzles to her neck. “Just leave it like this, you’re beautiful already.”

“I’m not. I’m so fat I look like a ball.” She puffs her cheeks and blows her fringe. Jongin chuckles at her words. “See, even you agree with me.”

The man pokes her cheek with his forefinger. “Yes, you do look fat.” He chuckles a bit, earning an angry glare from the younger, “But I promise you, there is no other woman prettier than you. I swear!”

“Liar!” She says, but then she smiles. “Go get the car ready, the queen doesn’t want to wait for you to take it from the garage.” Jongin leaves a kiss on her cheek then rushes out from the room.

The couple is going to attend Suho and Soo Jung’s engagement this evening. It didn’t surprise them that the two will finally be engaged tonight. Suho and Soo Jung were often seen together these days. Sometimes Soo Jung stopped by his office in the mid-day, bringing boxes of lunch for the two of them. Everyone in the office wondered who this girl was. And that moment, when Nara saw Suho’s sparkling eyes when the two were talking, she felt so relieved. She finally knew that Suho had found someone.

It is the first time she feels this way. Heart beating incredibly fast. Speechless. Nervous. All at once. She keeps checking on her makeup, making sure that the colour of her lipstick matches well with her eyes. The girl also keeps checking on her white dress, worried that there is a stain somewhere that could ruin the beauty. She sits down in front of the mirror, carefully examines her own features. Is this really what she wants? She remembers how she ruined the three engagements that arranged for her before. She ran away exactly at that time, right after she asked herself in the mirror.

Soo Jung looks at herself. The feeling is different. She won’t run away this time, because she knows that she already fell in love with the man. It is all started when she came to his house bringing a basket of fruits. She probably needs to thank her father for forcing her to come. His classy attitude simply made her interested at him. Her love grew bigger when the man came saving her. That time when she lost and couldn’t go home because she was too scared even just to stop a taxi. His childish act, when he asked her to go out from the car, surprised her. She didn’t expect him to have that kind of side. Day by day, the man started to text her, asking her if she was fine, offering ride if she ever needed to go somewhere, just to make sure that she wouldn’t go alone ever again. How could she not fall deeper? But then, she remembers how he asked her about the engagement. She got the feelings like he would refuse it. She is contemplating. She is afraid now. Afraid that she will be the one that left by him.

A middle-aged woman comes inside the room approaching the anxious girl. “Hey sweetheart, are you ready?” She asks the younger. The girl could see a glitch of worry on her eyes.

Soo Jung answers her with a smile. She holds the elder’s hand. “Yes, Mom. You don’t need to worry. I won’t run away this time.” Her mom smiles to her and squeezes her hand. After exchanging some words, she goes out from the room to welcome the guests. Soo Jung is still there, preparing herself before decided to go out from the room, following her mother.

She was about to open the door when suddenly it bursts open, revealing a panting Suho behind it.

“Hey, what happened?” Soo Jung asks him.

Suho looks nervous he tries to control his breath. “Nothing.” He says. “I’m just…” Breathe. “Making sure that you won’t… run away.” He grins, feeling shy at his own words. Soo Jung literally just laughs at him.

“I won’t…” She says with a smile.

Suho comes closer to her. “You look so beautiful.” He says while looking at her in the eyes.

“I know. I have always been.” She winks at him. Suho blushes red, earning a chuckle from the girl. “Come on, the guests might think that I’m running away again.” She laughs and gestures him to come with her.

Suho suddenly reaches out to her hands, stopping her from going away. He pulls her and gently plants a kiss on her lips. Soo Jung looks surprised. She doesn’t know what to do. There are some pretty seconds when Soo Jung thinks about what she should do. Her eyes still wide open. Her brain is still processing what is going on.

It feels really awkward. He doesn’t even know why he suddenly pulled and kissed her. He just feels like doing it. The man somewhat feels so relieve. He’s feeling grateful because the girl didn’t run away. Soo Jung is so stiff. She doesn’t kiss him back. Suho is afraid that he might scare her, and he decided to stop it. But when he was about to pull away from her, Soo Jung carefully closes her eyes and starts to kiss him back.

From that moment, Suho knows whose heart that he is going to treasure dearly.

The sun already got halfway through the day. A lot of people are spending their weekend under the sun. Some are having their small gathering, sitting on a wide-spread plaid fabric, talking, laughing, and eating watermelons. Some are just staying at home, doing things because they simply hate the heat. And some are wandering around the shopping street, busy choosing which pair of socks that suits them better, or just doing the window shopping with their friends.

Jongin and Nara are one of them. They have been going in and out some baby stores, buying a lot of things since they know the time is getting closer. Their hand clasped around each other. The couple walks slowly, since it is a bit troublesome for the girl. But still, she doesn’t mind. The doctor said that walking is really good for a pregnant woman. When the girl looks a bit struggling, Jongin would ask if she was fine, should they go home, which she simply refused with a smile. The man brings all the shopping bags on his right hand while his other hand holding the girl tightly. Others would complement what a perfect couple they are. Some ahjummas who sell their goods on the curb even pray for the birth process after the couple bought some things from them.

“I think it is enough, Oppa.” Nara says as she looks at Jongin’s hands which are full of shopping bags. “God, we really bought a lot. Give me that, I can bring some.” Nara asks him and tries to reach some of the bags. But Jongin refuses, saying it is okay for him. He doesn’t want her to bring those heavy things. Nara just smiles at him. “Alright! Let’s go home, I feel so uncomfortable. It’s aching.” Jongin could see her bit wincing while speaking.

Nara helped him to open the door before Jongin carefully puts all the bags inside the trunk. He walks to the passenger side an