Jay exhaled tiredly as he leaned against his chair. The computer work was stressing him out and he has been working on it for almost six hours. The door to his office got knocked and he frowned, "Come in."
The door opened and Daera walked in. He cleared his throat as his cheeks started forming a warm pink colour. He sat up straight and watched as she took a seat across from him.
"Sunghoon is on a vacation so I was thinking if I could ask you the permission to have a few days off. It's been a while since I've visited my parents and I want to check if my dad is okay," she asked shyly, clasping both of her hands together.
He smiled and nodded, "Sure. Do you want me to send you there? It's been a while since I've been to Pohang. Your mom makes the best spicy seafood noodles."
"If you insist. Dad would love to see you again too," she said before standing up and bowing at him. She left the office to let him continue his work.
He waited for her to close the door and got up from his chair, jumping around.
Is it appropriate to send her there tho? Why did I even ask her that?!
He ran around in little steps and plopped himself on the couch, burying his face into the pillows.
•
Jay waited in front of the apartment building, wearing his sunglasses and humming a lively melody. He was wearing a white t-shirt and rolled up the sleeves to his elbow. He paired it with his black trousers and a pair of black expensive leather shoes.
People who walked past him and his car whispered to each other, complimenting his looks. The high school girls stood far away from him, admiring him. He smirked and leaned against his car, seeing Daera struggled to carry her bags out of the building.
He rushed towards her and immediately took her luggage before putting it in the back of the car. She looked around her and saw people watching them from afar. Most of them were questioning if they both were a couple.
She chuckled and looked at him, "You have some fans here, professor."
"I know," he smirked proudly, "And don't call me that. It makes me nervous."
She scoffed and watched as he opened the car door for her. She got in and waited for him to get into the driver's seat.
The car ride was silent except for the songs that were played on the radio. Daera's favourite songs were played on loop and he hummed with the music melody. She nodded to the music beat and looked at him, "Where will you be staying later in Pohang?"
"I tried to search for a hotel but all of them were fully booked. Looks like I have to go back before the sun sets."
She was nervous about suggesting that he could stay at her house. Although her parents were there, what will the neighbours think? She cleared her throat, "You can...stay at my house? My parents would love you there. It's been a while since you've seen them and you even helped to pay their hospital bills when I was in America."
"Can I?"
She nodded and hummed in response. He smiled happily and relaxed his body a bit from being tensed.
After a few hours of driving, they finally arrived at Pohang's famous port where they sell seafood they caught in the sea. They got out of the car and the raw fish scent was lingering in the air.
"I can't remember the last time I was here," she looked around in awe. Her eyes widened when she saw a familiar grandma cleaning squids with her friends.
"Grandma Song!" She ran towards the lady. Grandma Song gasped excitedly and dropped her knife before running towards her.
They were about to hug but the old lady stopped, putting out a hand to make her stand away from her. "My clothes are filled with raw fish scent. Stand back. Let's just shake hands," she said.
They were about to shake hands but Grandma Song pulled her hand away, "My hands are dirty."
"Okay, let's just hug when I visit your house later," Daera suggested, earning a nod and a laugh from the grandma. Jay approached them, earning a confused expression from Grandma Song.
"Why do you look familiar?"
"Nice to see you again, Grandma Song. I came here before to send Daera and my sister Edlyn. It was 8 years ago," he said.
"Oh! You're Jay! You've grown up to be a handsome young man now!"
"You better hurry up now. Your parents must be waiting for you," Grandma Song motioned them to go. Daera glanced at Jay before looking at her, "Actually I didn't tell them I was coming. It was supposed to be a surprise."
"Oh, well then. I hope you enjoy your stay here, Jay. And Daera, welcome back, sweetheart."
They both bid goodbyes with Grandma Song before going back into the car. She exhaled in relief and rested her head against the seat, "I love this kind of atmosphere."
"I hope to live here with my grandparents. I've never experienced this type of lifestyle. The neighbourhood looks lively and you have gatherings almost every single time," he laughed, admiring the lively old people cleaning seafood at the port.
"Well then, I'll make sure you experience this kind of lifestyle and have fun during your stay here," she smiled.