A/N: So, my plan was to do all of the dates together in one chapter. Because of the amount of photos I am using for one date in particular I decided to break them up. Otherwise I am pretty sure I wouldn't have been able to use them. Not to mention that the the two dates I have finished are at least 3000 words long. The activities during the final date will probably make it even longer (I only have a little over 1000 words written and the date hasn't really officially started yet), which bothers me a bit but I wanted to replicate what being at the location felt like as much as possible.
Per normal, links to the items in the images will be provided. Although, and I forgot to say this as I was going, I can't vouch for the websites or products involved. I only used them as inspiration.
Alternative Title: Jung Hyun's Date
3349 words
My soulmates and I had been texting each other all throughout that first week. Sometimes together in the group chat, which I could only assume was partially so we could all begin to grow accustomed to the dynamic of the four of us living our lives with each other from here on out, and sometimes each of them would message me personally in an effort to strengthen each of our bonds individually as well.
Jung Hyun was probably a bit more forthcoming than the others that first week, and I chalked that up to the fact that his date was the first one coming up.
Me: So, what should I wear on our first date?
Jung Hyun: Something casual and older that you aren't afraid to ruin.
Me: Not afraid to ruin?
Jung Hyun: It will make more sense the day of. I promise.
I couldn't help but be curiously confused, but instead of dwelling on it I refocused on the task of finding something that would suit his suggestion. I ended up selecting an outfit that was casual while still hinting at being flattering to my figure. I chose a pair of old, loose fit, ripped jeans and paired them with a ribbed gray crop top. Over the crop top I was going to wear a pair of suspenders and an oversized black flannel top unbuttoned. I planned on wearing my hair in braided pigtails with a pageboy style hat on top of my head. On my feet I chose to wear a pair of black Converse hightops that I've had for years now.
On Saturday morning, when Jung Hyun picked me up, his eyes immediately gazed over me from head to two. I couldn't help but feel immediately shocked when the smoother features of his face began to harden followed by the deep frown that pulled down both of the corners of his mouth. Even his eyebrows pulled downward above his eyes. His gruff sounding voice surprises me even more as he growls out a question. "Whose flannel shirt is that?"
I grab the tail end of the shirt and glance at it as if it was my first time seeing it, even though I have owned this shirt for at least half of a decade now. "Mine."
"Whose was it before it became yours?" He roughly asked me once more.
"It's always been mine." I still answer in confusion. Then I do a mental inventory of my entire outfit, and I realize that the shirt is about two sizes larger than I would normally wear. "Did you...? Did you think it was an exe's shirt or something?" That at least gives justification to his current surly mood. I can only hope that he pulls out of that mood rapidly so we can start our date on a more cheerful note.
He chewed on his bottom lip and averted his eyes to the side, focusing instead on the horizon. I could only attribute both actions to a combination of nerves and embarrassment over his reaction, which he now knows to be completely baseless. I can't have him mentally berating himself for responding that way, in fact it is honestly nice to know that his emotions are already deeply rooted enough that he could grow jealous so easily. I reach out and grab his hand in mine, lacing our fingers together. It's my olive branch to show him I am already willing to move past this moment and get our date started, but he also needs to comprehend something about me first. So, I take a deep breath and share with him a bit of my past. He doesn't need the details, only a sense of understanding. "The only exes I have had have been in high school, and believe me when I say that the few of them that existed meant nothing to me. Not to mention, even if I did own an article of clothing from an exe, which I don't, the idea of wearing something like that on my first date with one of my soulmates simply appals me."
He takes a moment or two to regain his composure before offering me a smile that at least somewhat softens out all the edges I saw on his face before he guides me over to the passenger side door of his car. He opens it like a gentleman, and despite the fact that his shoulders are still stiff due to him being a bit on edge after that conversation, his face manages to grow even softer as he looks me in the eye to give me another cherishing soft smile before shutting my door.
About a half an hour later we pulled into the parking lot of a craft supply store. Well, this would definitely not be somewhere I would expect to go on our first date together. So before he has the chance to offer his own explanation I find myself asking about it."What are we doing here?"
"So, because we are both artistically creative, I thought we could have a date at home based around that concept. Only, I thought the both of us could step out of our comfort zone regarding our selection. In other words, pick things we wouldn't necessarily normally gravitate toward. I figured we could pick a total of three to four art kits and work on them either at my apartment or yours."
I knew he was offering to do it at my house in case I was uncomfortable alone with him, but I also knew, both in my gut and from the chivalrous way he closed the car door behind me, that he is a complete gentleman. Because I had this basic knowledge, I found myself having no problem with the idea of working on it at his place, and I told him so to relieve his obvious concern. "I don't mind going back to your place to work on the kits together. You probably have things already set up so you are ready to work on these. I think I probably have too much clutter scattered about in my apartment." I blush after saying that, because I honestly didn't mean to admit that last part. It just kind of burst from my mouth of its own accord.
He smiles at me in a way that somehow relieves the momentary stress I was just experiencing. Then he pokes me on the end of my nose before giving me a comically fake stern expression. "Stay in your seat." He says before he gets out, and comes over to open my door once more. Once the door is closed behind me, our hands find each other and interlock before our fingers also weave together naturally. It's almost as if we have been doing this for months already, if not years.
Once inside the store, we sought out the listing for the aisle we needed that housed the large array of different art kits before heading down it and beginning to search through the options available. He turns to me before we grow too involved in our task. "I'm thinking we should keep at least one really simple, and perhaps do two that give us more creative liberties."
I nod and scan the kit boxes. "What about that one for the simple one?" I point at a box labeled window art, and the minute I see it I literally begin to daydream about the sun shining through the colorful stained glass-like pieces of art that happen to be displayed on our own kitchen windows whenever we end up moving in together. Do not share that with him out loud. I have to tell myself over and over again like a mantra.
He nods and picks it up. "What about something like this for one of the other ones?" He picks up a rock painting kit.
I look it over and have to admit that the creativity would only be limited by the size of each rock. Then I find myself frowning at the box in confusion. "It says 'hide & seek.' at the top."
He nods. "Perhaps we can have a group date after all these first dates and hide them from the others to find. Or perhaps we can stow them away in a keepsake box and pull them out on our first anniversary and hide them together then."
I'm not completely sold on the idea of hiding them at all, but he is right about the fact that we wouldn't be able to hide them. After all, they would have to dry before we could do that. "If we were to have a group date in the near future where we do that then we would have to take pictures of the finished products. Perhaps even post those pictures on a poster board or something. I mean, it wouldn't be fair if only the two of us knew what they looked like when we were hiding them." Those were my only concessions to the possible idea he had regarding the 'hide & seek' idea.
I picked up another one that looks interesting to me. It's a marbling paint kit, and the idea of it strikes potential fashion ideas in me as well as looking like a fun concept. I bet after I play with this I will be wanting to replicate a slew of organic patterns for shirts, dresses, and a slew of possible cloth accessories.
I ask him to hold up the two kits he is carrying so I can glance at each of them once more and frown. "I think we should also buy a kit of acrylic paints. I'm not sure that the color selections in these will be enough."
"Hm. That's probably a good idea." He nods in agreement before taking the final kit from me.
I frown when I realize he is sort of having difficulty juggling the three kits in his large arms. If it had been one box of approximately the same size as the three all put together then it probably wouldn't be a problem, but the boxes are simply not wanting to stay lined up appropriately in his arms and it's bound to cause him to drop them. "I'll be right back." I told him before I bound off to the front of the store to grab a cart.
When I bring it back he frowns at it. "You didn't have to do that. I could have managed it."
After pulling the boxes from his hands and putting them in the bottom of the cart I take his hands and put them on one side of the handle while I take up the other side. It isn't a traditional size cart; it's quite a bit smaller, which means the handle isn't very long and due to the paltry space the side of my left hand rubs against the side of his right . "Yes, but then we wouldn't get to do this." I smile up at him and my chest grows warm at the sight of his reciprocating smile.
We head off to the aisle that houses a slew of different acrylic paints. Some are sold in singles, for artists who tend to use one particular paint more than another, or are unable to find the specific color they need in a kit. Then of course there are kits in amounts ranging from a kit of only nine colors to a huge kit that has sixty colors. I can't help but completely abandon the cart as I gravitate toward the large sixty color one. I'm only stopped by the sound of Jung Hyun's chuckle. "I really don't think we need sixty colors for these projects."
I literally feel like a deflated balloon as an almost childish whimpery sounding sigh escapes my lips. "So, I have to admit something."
I almost want to laugh when he looks down at me in concern. "What's that?"
"I'm obsessed with colors." I pause to think of a good instance so I can explain this properly to him. "In primary school, you know how the school supply list would always suggest a 24 box count of crayons?"
"Let me guess you had to double the amount and get the 48 count?" Jung Hyun smiles down at me affectionately.
"No." I have to pause for a moment simply because of the warmth infusing my cheeks. "I insisted that I needed the 96 count big box." I can't help but chuckle at myself. "I was the envy of all the other kids in my class, which I imagine is part of the reason they recommend only getting the 24 count. So, everyone is equal. I just simply couldn't help it." I pause for a second to really drive the point home. "Over the years crayola has legitimately kept adding colors to their list. From 96 to 120. From 120 to 152. They also came out with a special large plastic box of 200, and you can bet even though I now use colored pencils more often that I snatched that up to."
"Okay, I'm definitely understanding your obsession with colors now. However, we are still not getting the sixty count." I can't help but frown at that. "I want you to look at the sixty count box again." I do as he asks, but all I see is the vast array of colors on the box. "Look at the size of each individual bottle."
"Oh." Each individual bottle only contains 12 milliliters of paint.
He picks up another box and shows it to me. "Now, I am willing to compromise and get this box instead."
I glance at the box and silently read to myself. 48 count and each individual bottle contains 58 milliliters of paint. I glance at the price tag below where the box was on the shelf. "Are you really willing to spend so much on a kit of acrylic paints for our date?"
He chuckles. "No, I'm willing to spend ₩50,000 on a set of acrylic paints that I know will get used over and over again several times in our future."
I can't help my automatic reaction to that. I immediately jump into his arms and hug my own arms around his waist. I almost feel like sobbing; it's kind of a ridiculous reaction over pain in all honesty. "Thank you. Thank you so very very much."
I feel a light touch on my head. I can't be certain, but I think it was his lips pecking my head. Despite the hat I'm wearing I still feel a slew of warmth spread through my entire body. "Let's get these purchased so we can start on our projects."
The trip through the checkout and drive to his apartment pass by me in a blur. Before I know it he is guiding me to the door of his apartment.
Once we get inside I find myself automatically tracing my eyes over my surroundings, and I can't help but be immediately surprised. I hadn't had any preconceived notions about what his space would be like, but I didn't expect something like this honestly. The living area and kitchen area, while attached, both had obvious copious amounts of space for each of them. He separated the two areas by placing a breakfast bar between the kitchen table and the living space. I think I might have thought that his space would be cluttered, much like my own, and perhaps smaller, but this was definitely the opposite. I couldn't help but wonder if he cleaned a lot before picking me up, or if he just happened to be obsessed with a need to be tidy.
It takes us no time to pull out the first project kit we planned on working with, the window art ornaments. I select a butterfly as my first piece, and he selects a hot air balloon. I start randomly asking him 'this or that' questions, and he responds by automatically starting to ask some of his own.
"Cat or dog?" I ask him.
"I prefer dogs, but I don't have a problem with cats."
He pauses for a second as he thinks of his own. "Do you prefer to spend your free nights out or in?"
"I don't get a lot of free nights to myself. I'm almost constantly working, but when I do have some free time I tend to just stay in." I pause for a second and add on to that, because I want to be 100% honest. "I do however love to go shopping also during some of my free time." I consider my next question carefully, and I mentally giggle to myself as I realize I just want to know if the current state of his apartment is normal. "Do you prefer to keep your living space tidy, or do you tend to have messy clutter lying around?"
He indicates his space. "Believe it or not this is pretty much my norm. The only time you will find any clutter is when I am on a creative kick, and I haven't done anything but focus on that creativity." His ears turn red. "Actually, this is the room I sleep in." He indicates the couch behind him. "It folds out into a bed. The actual 'bedroom' I use for both storage and as my creative office space." He considers his next question. "Would you rather receive a sentimental homemade gift or an expensive brand name gift?"
I feel my own cheeks turn pink. "While I do love fashion; I am more likely to buy brand names for myself. I prefer to get something more personal as a gift. I wouldn't say it necessarily had to be homemade, but I want it to obviously have some thought put into it." My next question spawns from my own growing hunger. "Street food or restaurant food?"
"Not a fair question. Both." He studies for me. "Was that a hint that you were hungry?" He punctuates the question with a smile.
"I wouldn't say it was a hint, but I do think it spawned from my growing hunger. Did you have plans on feeding me?"
He rolls his eyes as if my question is completely ludicrous. "Of course I had plans on feeding you." I'm unsurprised when he pulls out a slew of takeout menus from a drawer in his kitchen.
The rest of the date basically goes the same, although I store away the fact that when I asked him a specific 'this or that' question regarding the size of family he wanted that he made sure to say large. "I can't say small, because we are already going to be on the large side with you having three soulmates. Honestly though, I never necessarily wanted a small family to begin with. I would have at least wanted two or three children even before learning that I would have to share my soulmate with others."
I'm really not surprised that while we were working with the Marbling Paint I got a few specific ideas from the artwork we made together. He didn't fuss when I pulled my phone out to jot down notes and take some pictures. I couldn't help but be thankful that he was not only understanding about it, but that he also was able to empathize with what can happen when a creative thought strikes you. The world is simply put on hold until you at least jot down your thoughts, because if you don't those thoughts can easily get buried with other things that go on throughout your day.
At the tail end of our date we shared a second meal on his balcony. The fact that we were comfortably spending so many hours with each other speaks a lot for how well the date went. Yet, once we are done eating he still asks my own opinion about how the date went. "So, on a scale from one to ten how would you rank our first date?"
I shake my head at him. "I'm not going to rank it, but I think I can openly admit that this date was not only sweet but also comfortable. I was honestly nervous when we started talking about our first dates together, but you definitely set a precedent on how these three dates should all go for me. I don't want to talk about the others, but I can't help but admit that I want them to be just as easy going as this one."
When he takes me home he insists on once again opening my car door for me. I'm surprised when he pulls me into his arms after I get out though. I'm even more surprised by the soft but sweet kiss he punctuates the end of our date with before I head inside and give myself a chance to relive those moments over and over again before going to sleep that night.