Chapter 55

"Happy new year too, Eonni!" Yeojin sang to the phone.

Areum laughed on the other end. ["Send my regards to your family."]

"I will." Yeojin smiled then took a beat. "Umm." Hugging herself and staring up at the dark sky, she hesitated before finally asked, "Are... Are you with Luhan oppa's family."

["...Yeah."]

"I-is Sehun alright?" Yeojin bit down her lip. The temperature outside seemed to dropped more. "I mean after the year end party, he didn't-"

["Yeojin, don't worry about him. You're with your family now. You're with Kris. Have fun. Spend time with him."]

"I know..." Yeojin sighed. "It's just that I don't want him to hate me."

Areum giggled. ["Sehun's not a kid, Yeojin. He'll get over it. Maybe this way he can be more mature and learn something."] She heaved a soft breath. ["Sometimes loving means letting go, you know?]

Yeojin didn't really know what to answer. She didn't really understand that concept of love, so she just hummed.

["And right now, I think you need to think about someone else more."]

"Yeah. Maybe. Anyway, let's meet up once I'm back, Eonni."

Areum agreed and after bidding good bye, they ended the call.

"Why are you out here?"

Yeojin jumped when someone suddenly appeared beside her. "Ya! Can you not suddenly appear like that!" She glared at Kris hitting him on the arm.

Kris just laughed. He looked up at the sky and he huffed an almost visible breath. "Were you calling someone?"  

The scowl on her face disappeared and she bit down her lip instead. "Areum eonni called." She expected him to look anxious or uneasy or discomforted, but instead he smiled.

"Ah, she did?" He turned his body to face her and she mirrored him.

Yeojin nodded. "She sent a new year regard."

Kris hummed with a smile. He took a step closer as if they weren't already close enough. Grabbing her upper arms, he pulled her toward him. They almost bumped into each other causing her to look up at him with rounded eyes. Yeojin only receive a small smile in return. His eyes weren't holding that usual cold nor teasing glint. They even look almost somber and sad. Yet, he suddenly bended down leaning closer to her.

Yeojin's heart pounded and she squeezed her eyes shut. A second later, she felt his breath softly caressing her lips followed by a breathy chuckle, then a press of his lips on her forehead. Her eyes flew open and she tilted her head back to look up at him.

Kris smiled a small smile. "Happy new year, Jin." Then, his arms enveloped her in a hug.

Yeojin stayed silent taking the time to feel his warmth in the cold winter night. But she couldn't understand why there was a little disappointment inside her. Was she expecting something more earlier? She wasn't sure. And then there was that sad look in his eyes she couldn't ignore. In fact, he didn't look that happy around her since yesterday too though he tried to smile from time to time. She had a guess why he acted that way. It was her fault for pretending.

However, she didn't want to make hasty decision when it came to her heart. But honestly, Yeojin was getting sick of her own fear of losing people she loves and who love her. If she was okay with liking Sehun without fear, shouldn't it be possible to love Kris without fearing she would lose him? With Sehun now ignoring her, maybe it was a sign to move on from uncertain feelings and to face her fear. Kris did promise he wouldn't leave her anyway. Maybe it was time for something new this new year.

With her head resting on his chest, she tipped her head back and gulped down her worries. "Happy new year, Kris." She squeezed her eyes shut as she pulled away a little, tiptoed, then planted a chaste kiss on his cheek. She saw his eyes growing wide before they settled on her. Trying to muster a smile but only feeling heat creeping up her cheeks, she said, "I love you-" she hugged him and buried her face on his chest to hide her blush- "Yifan oppa."

She hugged him tighter when nothing but silence grew between them. She could only hear the fast beating of her heart before she finally heard Kris clear his throat.

"Ya- you- that was- I thought you said-"

"I remembered," Yeojin confessed. "I know what I said that night. I remembered my confession, but I was just too embarrassed to admit it when you asked. And-" she gulped "- I was afraid. Of what we will become. Of losing you." She lightly chuckled. "Just about everything."

Kris gently pushed her at an arm's length and stared into her eyes. He brought a hand to cup the side of her face caressing it with his thumb. Yeojin's heart drummed in her chest when his face came closer to hers; his head tilting to the side.

"Hyung! Noona!" Jinho came running out from the house.

Yeojin bit the insides of her cheeks as she closed her eyes while Kris chuckled and turned towards the boy embracing her only with an arm.

"Come, come! We're going to light up the sparklers!" He ran to them and grabbed their hands to get them moving.

While Jinho ran ahead, Kris grabbed Yeojin's hand and intertwined their fingers. She flinched looking at her hand in his blinked up at the smiling Kris. They followed the boy and arrived at the earlier barbecue spot. The other family members were already there. Lin, in particular, noticed their intertwined hands.

Lin smirked and rolled her eyes. "Hear that? I think it's the sound of a wedding bell! Congratulations, guys!" She joked and Yeojin felt her cheeks getting warmer.

"Shut up!" Kris ruffled her hair then turned to Yeojin with a smile.

Everyone then grabbed a stick or two of the sparklers. Lighting them up, they played with them with laughters. Jinho was obviously the happiest out of everyone. They then took turns taking pictures. First the Kwon's then the Wu's. The four younger ones took several pictures too. Most with Jinho posing here and there while the other three laughed at him.

"Why don't you two take a picture? Just the two of you," suggested Grandpa pushing Kris to Yeojin.

"Aish! Stop staring at each other and just take a picture already!" Lin complained when they just stood facing each other bashfully.

Kris scoffed at his sister before putting an arm around Yeojin's shoulder. Lin held the camera and counted. Yeojin smiled holding up her sparkler just like Kris. The moment Lin counted to three, Kris pressed his lips on her cheek and her heart immediately skipped a beat.

"Aish!" Lin clicked her tongue. "Go get a room guys!"

Kris gave out a smug grin. "Do you want to exchange rooms then?"

Lin only hissed and narrowed her eyes at her brother. The moms and Grandpa laughed at them. Only Yeojin wasn't really paying attention to them. Her attention were solely on her smirking husband. She pursed her lips trying to hide her own growing grin.

 

It was way past midnight, but Yeojin still couldn't sleep. She had stared at the ceiling for the longest time, and looking at that plain surface strangely reminded her of the confession she made just earlier. Yeojin shut her eyes and sighed before glancing at the already sleeping Lin beside her.

Her phone suddenly vibrated on the bedside table.

Kris [02.17]: are you awake?
[sent 02.18]: yeap
Kris [02.22]: meet me outside your room in two minutes!

Yeojin blinked at the message feeling her heart picked its pace again. Not in nervousness, but in sudden unexplainable excitement. Carefully she rose up and got out of the bed. She tiptoed her way to the door and glanced back at her sleeping sister before opening the door and slipping outside. Once she carefully closed the door, she spotted Kris coming out of the room he shared with Jinho. 

"What is it?" She asked in a whisper raising a brow.

Kris rubbed his nape and bit down his lip seeming unsure. "Can I kiss you?"

"What?"

"Wait. That's not what I was going to say. I- Okay I messed up the order. What am I actually saying?"

Yeojin just stared at him with rounded eyes while he talked to himself. She found herself giggle at the sight of this Kris. "Kris," she called him. "Breathe. What do you actually want to say?"

"Alright." He calmed himself down; the whole thing actually amused Yeojin. "So I've been thinking."

"About?"

"Your confession."

Yeojin's heart skipped a beat yet again. Suddenly she couldn't bear looking at Kris in the eye without feeling shy, so she looked away. "W-what about it?" She tucked few strands of her hair behind her ear.

Kris cleared his throat. "Well... I know I'm not the only one you love."

The statement made her look up at him. Her heart was pinched.

Right. Her half-awake self did confess about loving Sehun too.

"I was happy when you said you love me just earlier, but... I don't want to force myself on you. I don't intend on giving up though." He tousled his hair. "But then it all feels uncertain."

Yeojin's gaze found the floor. She didn't know she made him feel that way.

"I'm tired of these uncertainties between us, Jin." He gently grabbed one of her hands.

"I'm sorry." Yeojin lowered her head even more.

"Don't be." Kris said with a smile. "Just answer this one question." Yeojin looked up and wait for the question. Kris took a deep breath before he let it out and asked, "Will you be my girlfriend?"

Yeojin blinked once. Twice. Silence ensued filling the gap between them as seconds passed. Kris waited for her answer with bathed breath; Yeojin suddenly let out a confused chuckle instead.

"Kris, are you drunk? I'm already your wife!"

"You are," he quickly replied. "Only on papers," he added in a mumble.

"What?"

Kris sighed. "I want us to start over. We were friends, but then we suddenly became husband and wife. We didn't marry because we love each other. I don't want that. I want to know where your heart is." His thumb softly grazed her knuckles. "We didn't get to experience having our feelings slowly grow for each other. It's like we just jump right to our current feelings. So, I want us to start over from scratch. I'm not forcing you though. I just want you to be honest with your feelings."

He grabbed her other hand and stared right into her eyes. "So, will you? Be my girlfriend?"

Oddly enough, Yeojin didn't feel as nervous as before. Instead, she felt this feeling of peace. Of safety. For a brief second, she was reminded of Sehun, but there was a determination in her that she wanted to try it with Kris. Her lips curled into a smile and she nodded.

Kris seemed surprised by her reply. "Really?"

Yeojin softly snickered. "Yes, Kris." She nodded once.

A look of disbelief crossed his face before it turned into that of joy. Without missing another chance, he pulled her into his embrace hugging her tight. With a smile, she encircled her arms around his torso. It felt like a burden had been lifted off her chest. She told herself that it was the right choice.

"Can I kiss you now?" He whispered and she playfully scoffed while pulling away a bit.

She narrowed her eyes on him. "What's with you?"

Kris shrugged. "Can't I have a good-night kiss from my girlfriend?"

Yeojin pursed her lips in thought then tiptoed to give a peck on his lips. "There! Good night!"

Kris grinned and pecked her in return. "Good night," he whispered and smile.

"Good night," Yeojin whispered softer and gave him a longer peck.

When she pulled away from the kiss, she could feel him smile to it. As he dipped his head and pressed a hand on her back to bring her closer, she just smiled and closed her eyes. Then his lips captured and slowly moved against hers.

Yeojin felt butterflies in her stomach and a growing bliss building up inside her. The way they slowly kissed taking their time was different than the kisses they had been sharing before. Their first kiss was as sudden as their second one. And the last time they kissed, Yeojin was driven by clouded thoughts and they were both fueled more with lust than love. 

But this time, Yeojin knew it was different. When he deepened the kiss, it wasn't in haste. Instead of lust, there was giddy nervousness. This time they knew they had mutual feelings. And that made the kiss wonderfully raw to her. She felt... just like a girl kissing her boyfriend for the first time.

Kris pulled away for some air before kissing her some more. When they had really pulled away, there were only smiles and soft chuckles.

"Good night." Kris pressed a kiss on her forehead.

Yeojin snuggled to his hug, bidding a final good night afterwards. Even when she slipped under the blanket and lay beside Lin, she couldn't wipe the smile off her face. For some reason, she could easily find sleep after that. 

The cold Kris was slowly shedding off. The family was at first taken aback by his sudden bright aura. They figured quickly enough that the couple had finally come to terms with their feelings. Whenever they went out to vacation spots in Guangzhou, Kris would just stick to Yeojin's side like a gum. He often had her hand in his, the family noticed. Once, Lin caught him back-hugging her when they were queuing for tickets to a circus. But none of the family members knew of their little night rendezvous outside their rooms.

Giving each other a good night kiss had turned into a ritual though they spent more of the time silently hugging each other before giving quick pecks. Sometimes, however, they gave each other a proper kiss. Tonight, Yeojin followed Kris to the living room.

Kris thought of this idea when Grandpa called him there in the morning. They had been in Guangzhou for almost a week and would go back to Korea in two days. So, he wanted to look through the photo albums Grandpa showed him with Yeojin this night. She was no less happy with it. In the dark with only a dim light from the lamp sitting on a table there, they sat side by side on the ground resting their backs on the couch while each had an album on their laps. 

Looking through the album, they laughed at some photos while Kris told stories behind some other. There were some pictures of Yeojin when her family visited Guangzhou too. Seeing the smile on her face, Kris felt content. Just having her by his side, knowing she loved him too was enough.

This wasn't the first time he had a girlfriend. He felt like he was finally his age (or maybe even younger) nonetheless. It wasn't the first time he was serious of a relationship either. He took his relationship with Areum seriously back then, yet somehow, it felt different when it came to Yeojin. It was as if he was finally where he belonged. A home found in a person.

Yeojin leaned her head on his shoulder while looking over a photo of them when they were kids with Lin. A gentle smile grazed her lips. Unknowingly, Kris mirrored the smile.

"You know," Yeojin started, "I think I actually did decide on marrying you because of love."

Kris snorted at her sudden thought and she laughed.

"Just saying." She shrugged. "I might have loved you from a long time ago but didn't realize it."

"Likewise," Kris replied with a sigh. "At least we've finally reached this point."

Yeojin hummed in the quiet night.

"By the way-" Kris leaned his cheek  on top of her head "-can you call me oppa again?"

Yeojin clicked her tongue. "You were the one who insisted I shouldn't call you that anymore back then." She lightly nudged his side with an elbow.

"I know. But I like how you say my Chinese name plus an oppa. So can you call me that again?"

"No way!" Shaking her head, Yeojin replied without missing a beat.

Kris frowned. "Why? You called me that when you confessed."

"I was half awake," she retorted.

"Ya!" Kris pulled her into a headlock prompting her to yelp.

"Let me go!" She whined but then giggled.

"Not until you call me oppa!"

"Go to hell!"

"Aish!" He playfully knocked her head with his knuckles then ruffled her hair.

She laughed then struggled to look up at him with his arm still around her neck. Her laughter gradually died down when their gazes met. She smiled and Kris felt like he was going crazy. He wondered if this was how teenagers in love felt.

"I think it's getting late," Yeojin told him above a whisper. "Good night?"

Kris knew what it meant and gave her a lopsided grin. He leaned down and captured her lips with his. They both smiled to the kiss. He wished that whatever feeling he felt whenever they kissed would never go away.

"Ew, guys! Seriously! Go get a room!" Lin's voice made them pull away.

Yeojin shoved Kris to the side in surprise causing him to groan. She glanced at Lin only to look away the next second when she felt her cheeks getting warm.

"I told you we should exchange rooms," Kris replied.

Lin clicked her tongue annoyed.

"Why are you here by the way?" Yeojin asked clearing .

Lin scratched her neck with her index finger. "Just... I-I was looking for you, Eonni."

Kris snorted at his sister's obvious lie. Lin's phone rang right at that moment startling the owner. She cussed under her breath while her finger hurriedly rejected the call.

A corner of Yeojin's lips curled up and she crossed her arms. "Jongin?"

Kris quirked a brow. "The dancer?" Yeojin turned to him and nodded. He frowned. "Why?"

Yeojin chuckled. "You don't know?"

Kris glared at his sister. "You two dating?"

"No, we're not!" Lin quickly retorted waving her hands.

"Yet," Yeojin added.

Lin pouted and stomped her feet. "Eonni-" She was cut off with her phone ringing again. "Geez! This guy!" She muttered.

"Guy?" Yeojin smirked to .

"Lin," Kris uttered her name in warning.

"Eonni!" Lin whined and Yeojin laughed.

"Alright, alright. I'll stop." She then closed the forgotten album and set it aside before standing up.

"Where are you going?" Kris who was still seated grabbed her hand.

"Sleep," Yeojin answered nonchalantly and untwined their hands. "Good night, Kris!" She sang while walking away.

Kris huffed a breath throwing his head back on the couch before giving his sister a glare. Lin only raised her brows and shrugged. Her phone rang again causing Kris to roll his eyes.

He stood up from the ground closing the album. "Just pick up the call already." He gathered the albums and placed them back on the shelf at a corner. "Go on! Pick it up," he told her crossing his arms. "Tell him to spare a time to meet me." He turned to walk away.

"Why?" Lin furrowed her brows.

Kris continued walking while he said, "I'll kill him for calling you at such ungodly hour."

Lin loudly scoffed watching her brother disappeared to his room.
 

Closing the door behind her, Yeojin bit her lip to prevent her grin from growing wider. She ran toward the bed and threw herself on it. Covering herself with the blanket, she kicked her feet in the air. It didn't seem to be possible for her giddiness to die down. A part of her was so embarrassed of how childishly girly she was. But she just wanted to sink herself in the feelings.

Her phone chimed and she immediately sat up. She pouted when Sunhee's name popped up instead of Kris', but she unlocked her phone anyway.

[00.09] I know it's late
[00.09] but I think you should see this

A few seconds later, a screenshot popped in their chatroom. It was a screenshot of an online magazine article. Her eyes widened reading the headline.

Oh Sehun's Girlfriend Revealed

Her eyes grew wider when she scrolled down to see the same pictures of her and Sehun that were used to start the rumor of Sehun having a girlfriend. Except, this time, her face wasn't blurred.

Ola!

First of all, Happy Suho Day and [again] HAPPY BIRTHDAY, bul225 UNNIE! I was inspired to write this chapter quickly remembering it's your birthday. I can't give you anything but this chapter. So I hope you like it.

Btw, I think this chapter has too much smiles and kisses lol. Forgive me for that. I actually cringed at all the fluff. Do you think they progress too fast?

Anyway, second, I need to deeply apologize. I haven't updated in a while and now I have to tell you all that I won't be able to update until the end of June because of the current load of work. I'll be around though. You can dm me if you want to talk about this story or just anything haha. So, "see" you around!