“All done with this one too?”
Hyunji looks over her shoulder to find Jungkook standing there, watching her hang her last piece of clothing on her side of the closet. She notices that he was referring to her suitcase that now remained empty on the floor.
“Yup,” she hums and she watches as he folds the suitcase over to zip it up and then push it to the corner where they had left the others.
He dusts his hands and turns towards her.
“We got all the important stuff done right?”
“I would say so.” she nods, closing the glass door of the large closet they now share. “We should leave soon too, before it gets late.”
Jungkook tilts his head.
“It’s just three pm. Aren’t your parents coming back around six?”
Hyunji sighs in defeat.
“I know, it’s just…” she purses her lips, looking away for a moment, “I don’t know.”
Jungkook notices the slight worry spread across her features as she tries to hide them, but he’s soon stepping towards her.
“Hey, what’s bothering you?” he asks softly, catching her dark almond eyes, and Hyunji's shaking her head.
“It’s nothing.”
“Well, it’s clearly something.” he answers, “You don’t have to tell me, but I sure would like to know if there’s something bothering my fiance.”
He cracks a smile, and watches as she does too at his choice of words. And this time she gives in, hoping that talking about it might help ease the building storm inside of her.
“I’m just starting to feel nervous I guess, that’s all.” she answers this time, looking away for a moment. “I’m scared of what’s going to happen, and I have a feeling nothing’s going to be the same after tomorrow.”
Jungkook nods in understanding.
“That’s totally understandable. What we’re doing isn’t exactly something any parent would be happy about,” they lock eyes for a moment “But Ji, you have to understand that we’re also doing this because we don’t want this life anymore. We’re choosing to make this change, unless of course you don’t think it’s something you want anymore, which is completely fine by me.” Jungkook continues, his hands shoved into his jean pockets now as he speaks. He gives her a genuine look of reassurance, and if it were the case that she wanted to back out, he made her feel comfortable to do so.
Hyunji purses her lips and looks away for a moment.
“I do want this,” she sighs right after, brushing her hair back, flickering her eyes up to him. “Like I said, I’m just anxious I guess.”
“Which is totally okay.” he gives her a reassuring smile, “But no matter what happens, I’ll be there for you, I promise.”
Hyunji looks up at him with her innocent round eyes, feeling a pool of warmth grow in her chest from his words.
“Thank you,”
“That’s what husbands are for.” he shrugs, to which he gets a shove in his arm by her, the both of them back to their usual selves now as his lips spread into a large grin.
“We’re not married yet,” Hyunji playfully scoffs.
“Keyword, yet, darling.” Jungkook grins cheekily as she cringes at the pet name.
“Alrighty then, darling is off the list. I guess I’ll have to think of something else, honey boo.”
“Oh my gosh, stop,” Hyunji groans as she hears Jungkook snicker as she begins to walk away towards their couch across from the bed.
“How about sweetie pie?” he asks, following her with a curl of amusement along his lips and a playful glint in his eyes.
“I think you should give up.” Hyunji deadpans once she sits down and he tsks in disapproval.
“Every married couple has a pet name, and therefore we need one too. I’ll find one that you’ll love soon, don’t worry, honeybun.”
She crinkles her nose and watches as he takes a seat next to her. He momentarily pulls out his phone and they both go silent for a few minutes until Hyunji gets the courage to bring up what she had been wanting to for the past few days now.
Yes they had been planning on getting married, but with how spontaneous they had made everything, she realised that they had never actually talked anything through. What did being Jungkook's wife mean to him? What were his expectations from her, and her from him? There was more to getting married than just getting married. There’s responsibilities, finances, and taking care of each other.
She always knew that these were important topics to talk about with her future husband, and had been planning to when the time she found someone came around, but with the spontaneity of them getting married now, she realised later that they should probably talk.
For all she knew, he could force her to be just a housewife.
Not that Jungkook seemed like that type of guy, but still.
“Jungkook?” Hyunji calls his name and he hums in return, scrolling through his phone. “Can we talk?”
Jungkook lifts his eyes from his screen now, shutting off his phone as he curiously gazes at her.
“About what?”
“All this. Like how this is going to work out.”
He looks at her for a moment, twisting his body towards her on the couch, getting comfortable.
“Wanna be more specific?”
Hyunji lets out a puff of air.
“Like our expectations from each other for example. We’re pretty much only getting married to explore our…desires, yet I don’t know what you expect from me, or what me being your wife entails, if that makes sense.”
Jungkook nods along, listening carefully and thinks about it for a moment.
“Well,” he begins, “if you think I’m the type of guy to put all the house chores on you, then you’re mistaken, first of all. We’re both studying, and I’m taking up a job here, but we should still split things equally. If you’re comfortable with it, we can open a joined bank account so that we can track our spending and income-”
“But it’s your money,” Hyunji cuts in for a moment and watches a faint smile spread across his lips.
“Yes, but I’m working for us. Not just myself. I don’t want to be the guy that gives you a weekly allowance or some shit for you to spend. If we’re living together, and I’m earning money for us, then you have the right to have access to that money too.”
Hyunji is left surprised with how mature he seemed to be approaching the topic. With how foolish he was at times, just like minutes ago, it was interesting to see his thought process on such a topic.
And she liked it.
“Thank you,” she smiles lightly.
“Don’t thank me,” he chuckles, “I’m just doing what’s right.”
“Anything else?”
He thinks for a moment, slightly twisting his lip.
“Well, I do want to make sure we’re on the same page about something,” he says slowly, and Hyunji tilts her head curiously.
“What is it?”
“We will be having sex, right?”
And there it goes, on cue her cheeks reddening as her eyes widen in surprise. He said it almost so casually, as if it was a mutual topic they always talked about. Although she knows that this was pretty much the reason why they were getting married, it took her by surprise to be asked such a question.
She feels baffled and Jungkook catches on immediately.
“Well I’m not saying immediately, of course, we’ll probably take it slow depending on whether we feel ready or not. I just wanted to ask, I don’t know.”
He’s rubbing his nape now, feeling slightly embarrassed. He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable, or like he was some pervert just trying to get in her pants, but he just had to make sure they were on the same page.
“I mean, yes? Probably?” Hyunji finally speaks, cheeks still red while avoiding his eyes.
“Okay good-I mean cool, um,” Jungkook clears his throat. “What’s your thoughts on protection then?”
It was only fair that he was asking if they were agreeing on being sexually active, but again, the flush of red along her cheeks just wouldn’t go away as she tries to develop an answer.
“I mean, I’m not exactly sure yet, but I think it would be better if we stick to condoms, until I ask about getting a prescription for birth control if I decide to use it, I guess.”
Jungkook nods his head in agreement.
“Yeah that’s fair.”
They sit in silence, and Hyunji feels herself holding her breath. Seconds barely pass by before he's clearing his throat, grabbing her attention
“Is there anything specific you’ve been wanting to try?” his voice sounds hesitant to ask.
Oh God, she probably looked like a tomato now.
“N-nothing specific really.” she gulps, “You?”
“Same,” he answers, and this is the first time she notices the red shading his ears as he briefly looks away, which she only finds odd considering he liked to get real cocky on the topic. “We’ll just start slowly and see where that leads us?”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
He takes a deep breath, glancing back at her. A heart beat passes by.
"Hyunji," he begins before hesitating a bit, clearly trying to figure out how to word what he was about to say. But what surprises her the most is for him to be calling her by her name rather than the nickname he had picked out for her, and clearly prefered to use.
She waits for him, curious to see what he had to say.
"I just want you to know that I want us to have an open communication about everything." He nibbles on his lip slightly, turning his gaze to her now and holding it. "There might be something that I enjoy, and you don't, and I don't want you to feel, um…forced into it, and vice versa. If we're going about as far as getting married for this, then I only think it's fair that we're honest with each other, yeah?"
Hyunji slowly nods to this, agreeing.
"I think so too."
He smiles this time.
"Awesome." He says before shifting and leaning a bit closer towards her, out stretching his hand with his pinky held up, "Pinky promise?"
She suddenly has the urge to laugh, and can't contain the giggle that escapes before she's extending her hand towards his, intertining her tiny pinky with his longer one.
"I pinky promise to be honest with you."
He grins at her until they're both laughing, the awkward tension from before easing around them until they begin to calm down and Hyunji gives him a look that he finds difficult to decipher. She's smiling at him.
"What?" He asks, curious to know what's on her mind.
"Nothing, you just kinda surprise me sometimes." She replies.
"Why is that?"
She shrugs slightly.
"You act like a fool one minute, and the next you're making us promise to communicate with each other."
Jungkook leans back against the couch with a grin.
"I'm just perfect husband material aren't I?"
Hyunji rolls her eyes teasingly.
"I don't think I'm capable of commenting on that just yet."
He almost laughs but keeps his composure.
"Well, you've got twenty-four hours left till you're faced with the best husband ever."
"Oh gosh, don't burst your ego."
"Oh I assure you, you won't be regretting any of this, baby."
°•°•°
After sticking around in their new home for another hour, and unpacking what they found necessary, Jungkook had driven Hyunji home. Once her driveway was in view down the road, she felt the anxiety within her relax at the absence of her father’s car. It meant her parents had not returned yet which was relieving to know considering the consequences if they had seen her out of the house without telling them in the first place.
Jungkook parks his car, and hyunji grabs her purse, stepping out while thanking him for the ride.
“Ji,” she hears him call out from inside the car, his doe eyes looking up at her with a hint of concern. “We’re going to be alright, okay?”
She takes a breath in and gives him a small smile.
“Okay.”
She closes the car door, and walks up to her front door, hoping that his reassuring words would have been enough to calm the whirlwind inside.
And they never did, even as she found herself staring at the reflection staring back at her in the bathroom mirror the next day, a simple white flowy dress hugging her body with its skirt reaching a few inches below her knees.
It was nothing excessive. Just a cute outfit that would have been perfect for a nice picnic our day out in the summer with her friends.
But the occasion was completely different.
Hyunji picks up the earrings resting on the counter in front of her, hooking the small golden loops into her ear.
It was unnecessary maybe to try and dress up for your not so eventful marriage, but the dream bride inside of her wouldn’t sleep. It wasn’t like she was going to show up at city hall in a pair of sweatpants anyway.
“Hyunji, are you leaving soon honey?”
She almost jumps at the voice of her mother who happened to appear by the bathroom door, watching as she hooked in her second earring.
“Oh, yes. I’ll probably be leaving in a few minutes.”
“And you said you’ll be meeting at Sumni’s house?”
Hyunji nods.
“I’ll just walk there.”
“Okay,”
She watches her mother linger for a bit more, her eyes studying her carefully.
“Are you not drinking your detox drinks?” she asks, noticing the few pimples by the side of her face that she clearly tried to cover up with makeup.
Hyunji looks away, putting away the makeup she used.
“I haven’t been keeping up with it, no.” she mutters quietly, zipping her makeup bag closed.
“Hyunji-”
“I think it’s time for me to go. I don’t want to keep Sumni waiting.” she says, cutting her mother off before pushing past her and down the hall to her room.
She was in fact not meeting Sumni.
It was all a part of the plan to have her parents let her go out before the scheduled dinner at her home later that day with the Jeons.
Her soon–to-be in-laws.
She takes a breath in, and a black sedan rolls to a stop in front of her as she waits on the sidewalk, a street down from her home.
The window rolls down, and a familiar face is revealed from inside.
“Need a ride?”
He has a smile on full display joking with her as she releases a laugh and pulls on the car door handle, getting in.