24 Dates || SOOSHU

Date Twenty

Place: Seo Residence

Time: December 25th, 2016 6:00 pm

Yelp: N/A | Date: 1/5 Dad's to get through

Shuhua fiddles with her cardigan as Soojin rings the doorbell. The house is huge, actually - it's not even a house. It's a fucking manor.

"Nervous?"

Shuhua swallows in and nods.

Soojin takes her hand, but looks away - as if she's still too shy to do it. It makes Shuhua smile. "Daddy will like you."

"You didn't like me."

Soojin rolls her eyes. "And now I'm taking you to meet my parents. You grow on people. Like...like bacteria."

"You know, that really isn't helping my nerves," Shuhua says back.

Bacterial growth; because that's what every girlfriend aspires to be.

Soojin leans in close, forcing Shuhua to turn. "How about this," she says before kissing Shuhua gently on the lips. That's when the door chooses to open. Hurricane Soojin strikes again.

Her dad is there, of course. Along with a red-headed woman Shuhua takes to be Mom. She certainly looks a lot like Soojin.

Soojin's dad gives a tight smile, so does her Mom. "Ms. Yeh, come in," he says, cordially.

They do introductions. It's awkward and Shuhua feels gross shaking hands since she's sweating despite the freezing temperature outside. Soojin's dad acts as if he's constantly surrounded by a bad smell. It's painfully reminiscent of Shuhua's first introduction to Soojin, and Shuhua cringes because both of them know how well that went.

Her Mom seems nice enough, though. Or she's at least trying, like when they're eating dinner and talking about what they did for Christmas, she asks Shuhua specific questions. How's your family? Did you two exchange gifts? (They did, kind of. Shuhua told Soojin she'd have to wait until later - Soojin gave Shuhua a very pretty necklace with a music note as the charm.)

When Soojin's father asks questions they're more direct, less personal. Like when he asked how much she traveled, and Shuhua knew it wasn't actually asked because he cared about traveling.

The thing is she wants him to like her. She wants everyone to like her, in all honesty. She cares what people think and wouldn't be a successful idol if she didn't. So she smiles and answers his questions earnestly.

When they're done eating, it's Soojin's father that asks to speak with Shuhua privately. It's a relief because at least she doesn't have to think of an excuse to be alone with Soojin's parents, but it also makes her start to sweat again.

Soojin doesn't ask why, just nods and leaves, but not before squeezing Shuhua's shoulder.

When she's gone, there is a bout of silence between them. Soojin's parents are on one side of the table, Shuhua on the other. She misses Soojin occasionally touching her hand under the table. Misses the pulses of body heat.

Shuhua laughs and rubs the back of her neck, a strained and painful laugh but it's something in the midst of the quiet tension. "Is this the "I'll kill you if you do something to my daughter" talk?"

Soojin's mom gives a genuine smile, while her dad just kinda stares.

"Before that, I just want to say," Shuhua starts off, "I--" she fiddles with the bottom of her cardigan again and swallows in. A part of her wants to switch into her idol persona, that comes naturally, that's easy. But it's not appropriate for the subject. "I love Soojin. So much." She stops and thinks about her next words. She can be good with words when she puts on a personality, she can be. But now everything is so real. It's hard. She's so good at talking except for when it counts, it seems.

Shuhua sighs, and fishes in the pocket of her cardigan; pulls out a small, black box. "I want to marry her. I want to always--" breathe, "I always want to be with her."

Soojin's father sets his mouth into a hard line, while her Mom just seems sympathetic. "You do?" he says, stating more than questions. "Why are you telling me this, Ms. Yeh?"

"I want permission."

"No."

Shuhua jolts at the hard, simplicity. " Huh?"

"Ms. Yeh, are you aware of the current rate of divorce? Worse than that, the current rate of celebrity divorce. And are you aware of who my daughter is?" He tenses his knuckles, and Shuhua starts to feel sick. "Who she's to become and what she's going to do? I can respect your feelings, but I cannot condone an obvious distraction in what is now a very prominent time in my daughter's life."

"Honey--" comes the soft voice of Soojin's mother, almost chiding but not quite. She places her hand on his shoulder.

"Could you promise that this would never be a mistake?" he then asks. "Could you tell me, honestly, that you think this would be good for her?"

Shuhua's face falls. She can't say that, can she? She doesn't know the future, she doesn't know what could happen or why or when. When she doesn't answer, Soojin's father looks up, "Soojin?" he calls. Calm, casual. Maybe even happy.

They finish the evening like everything is normal, and Shuhua didn't just get struck with the idea of her and Soojin being temporary.

When Soojin mentions the gift, Shuhua clutches her pocket. "Silly Shuhua! Minnie must still have it because I left it with her," she laughs and hopes it doesn't sound fake.

Soojin looks at Shuhua, her lip wedged in between white teeth. "Are you okay? Did Daddy scare you because--"

Shuhua kisses her, long and hard. She doesn't cry, she won't do that. But she puts everything she's feeling into the kiss, clutches Soojin's hair, her hip, traces the line of Soojin's lips with her tongue, tasting her.

Soojin doesn't ask anymore questions that night.