Their ride home was quiet. Nira could see from Jeongguk's clenched jaw that he was upset, but neither of them spoke with the driver within earshot. She was nervous that they were going to have their first fight, but was not quite sure exactly about what. She stole a glance at him. He was deep in thought looking out the window but he had not let go of her hand in the car.
When they arrived. Jeongguk asked if he could come in. Nira opened the door and they silently went up the stairs. In the middle of the living room, she turned and saw that he had a pained expression on his face.
"Jeongguk..."she began, but he stopped her.
"Please let me speak first." he said earnestly. He ran his fingers through his hair. "I'm sorry." he started. "I'm sorry for the attention I just put you through. I wasn't thinking and I was overcome with jealousy." Nira walked towards him and let Jeongguk put his arms around her waist. "The thing is, I still have a lot to work through, but I really hope you'll still choose to be with me as I sort it out."
"I already made my choice," she assured him, touching his face, running a finger across his sharp jawline and cupped his cheek. He rested his face against her hand.
She pulled away slowly and walked towards the speakers. "There's this old song from Taehyung's mix tape that I liked," she said as she turned it on and searched for the selection. "I'm not sure if you're familiar with it, but I wanted you to hear it."
A trill of piano notes filled the room. Tori Amos' voice filled the silence. She walked back to him and put her arms around his neck. He buried his face in hers. She translated the lyrics in Jeongguk's ears as they danced. Listening intently, Jeongguk couldn't help but smile. He was deeply moved by her way she chose to express how she felt about him.
You say the word
You know I will find you
Or if you need some time
I don't mind
I don't hold on
To the tail of your kite
I'm not like the girls that you've known
But I believe I'm worth coming home to
Kiss away the night
This girl only sleeps with butterflies...
When the song finished, they stopped swaying but neither let go. Nira felt Jeongguk's lips lightly touch her skin. He raised his head and looked deeply into her eyes before bringing his lips a few inches near hers, asking permission to kiss. She met his lips. He deepened the kiss with his tongue pushing in. She lightly ran her tongue over his in acceptance. One step at a time, Jeongguk moved them both until Nira's back was against the wall.
Behind her, his hand slid up to find the zipper of her dress. When his finger caught it, he slightly tugged at it. Jeongguk then broke the kiss and searched her face for permission. To Nira, Jeongguk's soft face was transformed. His eyes were intense, his gaze needy. His breath was hot, inches from her lips and he looked staggeringly beautiful. Something in her ignited. She gave him a nod and Jeongguk brought his lips down to hers again for a hungry kiss.