Sound of Silence

Chupa Chups

"Jagiya, I wish you didn't have to pull an all-nighter. Maybe we should have an early night today." Hyun Bin suggested.

"That sounds good." Ye Jin turned to face Hyun Bin.

Suddenly, she remembered something and she wriggled out of the hug to reach over for her bag. She was suddenly wide awake and teeming with excitement.

"I requested this from Jenny a while back. She has a few clients from Japan and they occasionally get snacks sent back from home. It finally came today." Ye Jin rambled as she dug through her bag.

Hyun Bin simply watched her in confusion, wondering why she was so excited about this particular snack. It was food, yes, but she wasn't usually this excited, not even over tteokbokki.

"Aha!" Ye Jin finally pulled out a particular packaging that Hyun Bin recognised immediately.

Are those...

"Your favourite, love! Chupa Chups! And it's a special edition too!" Ye Jin waved it in front of him, deliriously happy to have found such a gem for her big baby.

"Those are the Tokyo Assorted Ramune Chupa Chups, Eon Jin! I...is this real? Am I dreaming?" Hyun Bin pinched his arm.

"No, silly! Of course this is real! Here!" Ye Jin placed the packet of lollipops in his hands.

Running his fingers around the edges of the packaging, Hyun Bin's eyes were wide in anticipation and disbelief as he took the special surprise in. He briefly mentioned wanting to try these flavours a few weeks back but he didn't think Ye Jin would go above and beyond to get them for him.

His eyes were light with happiness as he wrapped Ye Jin in a tight hug, almost squeezing the life out of her.

"Oof, Tae Pyung." Ye Jin felt the breath leave her from the hug.

Hyun Bin was so happy he was simply smiling like an idiot as he held onto his precious girlfriend before he released her.

"May I?" Hyun Bin bit his lip shyly, all the while smiling widely, causing his dimples to deepen.

"Of course." Ye Jin giggled, knowing exactly what her big baby wanted to do.

Uncharacteristically, Hyun Bin did a small happy dance and ran to the kitchen to retrieve his Chupa Chups box where they usually kept the precious sweet goodness. Pouring them out on the table, Hyun Bin began rearranging the lollipops with his special system in mind. Ye Jin watched on in amusement, shaking her head at how child-like Hyun Bin was now. He looked like a kid who just received the present he wanted all year round on Christmas Day.

Strawberry, Cherry Blossom, Strawberry Cream, Japanese Lemonade Soda. Oh wait...or should it be Yuzu first?

"Love, Yuzu or Japanese Lemonade Soda first?" Hyun Bin had each flavour in one hand as he held them up to Ye Jin.

"I've honestly never even tried Japanese Lemonade Soda before. But you usually prefer Yuzu over lemonade. I would say Yuzu first." Ye Jin thought deeply about it.

Hyun Bin pursed his lips before he agreed. Ye Jin knew his tastebuds better than him sometimes. He trusts her verdict. Ye Jin hummed happily as Hyun Bin continued arranging the lollipops on the table. Seeing him so happy made her happy.

Strawberry, Cherry Blossom, Strawberry Cream, Yuzu, Japanese Lemonade Soda, Orange, Vanilla, Coca-Cola.

"Love, we're running out of strawberry ones." Hyun Bin pouted.

"Well, you keep eating those. Maybe give the other flavours a chance too?" Ye Jin teased.

"They're all good...but you know Strawberry is my favourite." Hyun Bin pouted again.

Ye Jin chuckled as she reached over to cup Hyun Bin's face gently, running her thumb lightly on his cheeks. "I do know that. We'll get more tomorrow, sounds good?"

Ye Jin always knows exactly what to say to appease him. He loves her for that.

"I can't wait to try the new flavours, love. I can't thank you enough for getting these for me." Hyun Bin smiled again.

"Why wait? Let's try one now." Ye Jin beamed up at him.

"Can I? I already had one today after my interview." Hyun Bin admitted.

Yes, they had a limit set on the number of lollipops he could have in a day. His love for Chupa Chups was bordering on the line of obsession and Ye Jin cared too much about his health to let him eat too much of it in a day. Since he understood her health concerns, Hyun Bin agreed to it. Besides, he did set a similar limit on her caffeine consumption as well. They were both simply watching over each other's health.

Health is wealth after all...

"Well, as long as you don't make this a habit, this one time should be fine." Ye Jin's eyes lifted into the familiar crescent moons.

That was all Hyun Bin needed to tear through the Cherry Blossom flavoured lollipop, drawing satisfaction from the familiar crinkling of the wrapping paper as it opened to reveal the heavenly goodness.

"Want one?" Hyun Bin offered the box to Ye Jin.

"Why not?" Ye Jin responded cheekily before she grabbed her favourite Strawberry Cream flavour.

With that, the two lovebirds began enjoying the sweet goodness as Hyun Bin closed his eyes in delight. The sweetness melted into his mouth, leaving behind a tinge of the scent of flowers. Fragrant, sweet... Just like someone he knows.

Opening his eyes, Hyun Bin's eyes darkened in intensity when he saw Ye Jin sucking on hers. Such an innocent activity was quickly turning into a guilty pleasure for both of them. Perhaps it was his deep gratitude for her, or perhaps it was his overwhelming boundless love for her. At that moment, Hyun Bin wanted to kiss Ye Jin.

As quickly as the thought of kissing her came, Hyun Bin had removed the lollipop from his mouth and closed the distance between them. Ye Jin barely had time to react and remove the lollipop as well before his lips were on hers. When their lips met, the world melted around them and all they could taste and smell, was the lingering sweetness from the Cherry Blossom and Strawberry Cream Chupa Chups.

Slowly, the fruity, rich, caramel-like notes of the Strawberry Cream mixed with the fragrant sweetness of the Cherry Blossom as the two lovebirds created a new flavour together. With that, all Hyun Bin could think of was how this was his new favourite flavour. Not Strawberry, not Cherry Blossom, but Ye Jin.

Pulling back, Hyun Bin and Ye Jin smiled at each other, their eyes never leaving each other.

"I love you, Eon Jin."

"I love you, Tae Pyung."

"And I'd choose you; in a hundred lifetimes, in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you" – Kiersten White, The Chaos of Stars