The next morning I woke up before Dokyeom and decided to get to work. A very important task I had to achieve by hook or crook. A while later a messy haired Dokyeom walked out of the bedroom and widened his eyes looking at me.
"What is all this?" he asked as he sat beside me on the couch.
"Practice" I answered without taking my eyes off of my very important task.
"For what exactly?" he asked, baffled as I narrowed my eyebrows, increasing my focus.
"Wait" I murmured and finished my task and got up from the couch and walked towards the kitchen counter and picked up a tray full of bowls and side dish plates and placed it in front of Dokyeom.
"Taste these and tell me how they are, and does this look fine?" I said opening the lids of the bowls showing him the traditional Korean breakfast that I had prepped early in the morning. The very important task that I had taken up was peeling an apple, the sleek classic way.
"What is all this? What happened to half burnt bread slices and eggs?" Dokyeom teased me and I slapped his arm.
"I've never once fed you half burnt bread or half burnt anything!" I complained
"Right, full burnt" he teased further and snickered, enjoying it.
"Yah! You really want to fight early in the morning?" I whined, putting on an exaggerated pout.
"Sorry, sorry" he chuckled and analysed the breakfast.
"Soup looks wonderful, even smells too good. Rice looks fine" he said and moved his eyes towards the peeled and cut apple. "You know for a person in fashion, mom would at least expect some kind of sculpture out of it rather than just slices." he said and I nodded understanding then quickly looked at him.
"Wait, how do you know that I'm doing this for your parents?" I asked and he hugged me and leaned back on the couch with me in his arms.
"Hannie-ya, my parents don't expect you to do all this. Neither do I. I know a Choi Hana who was all like 'I'll cook what I can instead of learning to do something new'; and everyone's okay with it. They don't want you to peel apples for them. They don't expect you to cook for me my whole life. We do the cooking together, like we've always done, it's not your job or responsibility. It's our responsibility; together. Okay?" he asked, giving a slight shake to me to wake me up from my overthinking.
"If not cooking, I don't know what to do to impress them. I'm not trying to say they're old schooled that only cooking will impress them but what else do I do?" I sulked, pouting and he chuckled.
"We can just bring them a box of traditional confectioneries and they'll love it" he told me and my face brightened with a smile.
"Really? They like those? I know where we can get them from!" I said excitedly and he pecked my forehead.
Days later, Dokyeom and I fixed a date when we'd meet his parents. I was getting myself mentally ready to face the questions, for some reasons it felt like I was going to be taken to an interrogation session. I had my dress planned out, my shoes, down to my accessories and perfume, everything was ready. I was never this nervous even for the most important meetings of my life but this? this was prominently important to me.
As the day arrived to meet his parents, anxiety hit me. The anticipation of meeting Dokyeom's parents brought a mix of excitement and nervousness. The ride to his parents house had me foot tapping which Dokyeom tried his best to calm down.
"You're gonna be fine, just relax, they're not gonna eat you." Dokyeom chuckled as he rang the bell to his parents house.
I took a deep breath and calmed down my nerves. Not that it helped but at least I tried.
As the door opened a woman in her late fifties with a charming smile met my eyes. Just as beautiful as Dokyeom's smile. She radiated a welcoming vibe.
"Wah! Come in, come in!" Dokyeom's mom welcomed us in and closed the door behind us. As we entered the warm house, the smell of homemade food hit our noses.
"Eomma~" Dokyeom happily hugged his mother, it was clear they had a beautiful bond. I knew the mother-son duo hadn't met recently either so it was a long due hug.
"Dokyeom-ah, so this is your Hana?" Dokyeom's mom asked with a gleeful expression as she made her way towards me. The excitement that his mom had on her face was the same that Dokyeom carried everywhere, maybe a little toned down but yet same. I bowed in respect and she held my hands in hers.
"Hana, it is very nice to meet you. You're as beautiful and radiant as he has always described" She welcomed me and her words warmed my heart.
"I'm very happy to meet you ma'am. Dokyeom never stops talking about you and how much he loves you," I expressed with a smile, feeling a sense of warmth in the welcoming atmosphere.
Dokyeom's mom chuckled, patting his shoulder. "Is that so? Well, I hope he's been saying good things."
"He's only ever had praises for you," I assured her, earning a playful smile from Dokyeom.
The house exuded a cosy ambiance, and as we settled in, the anxiety that had gripped me earlier started to dissipate in the warmth of Dokyeom's family.
"Is she here?" I heard a heavy voice, Dokyeom's dad walked in the living room, with his hands behind his back and a stern expression on his face.
"Hello, I'm Choi Hana" I introduced myself by getting up from my place and greeting him. He looked intimidating, I guess I had to warm up to him to see his cheerful side.
"Appa~" Dokyeom snickered and greeted his father as well, which left me wondering why he and his mom had a funny expression on their faces.
"Dokyeom-ie told me that you're nervous to meet us, I want to see just how nervous you are." He replied and sat right across from me. "Answer a few questions of mine."
I nodded, a pit forming in my stomach.
"Do you like your cucumbers?" he asked, surprising me.
"I do like them, yes" I answered sitting in a formal and sincere posture. Dokyeom's dad slightly looked over at Dokyeom to which his son simply nodded trying to contain his laughter.
"Hmm, what do you think Seokmin's job?" another question.
"I think it's not something anybody can do and Dokyeom's an ace within himself. But he does it effortlessly" I answered and Dokyeom's father raised an eyebrow.
"Not something anybody can do but also effortless? How so?" he asked and Dokyeom's mom patted her husband's shoulder probably asking him to stop.
"Anything that looks effortless just means that it has received so much hard work that it comes off as a natural trait to other people, that way." I answered and Dokyeom's dad nodded while Dokyeom only kept looking at me, sincerely, the smile off of his face.
"Do you think you can handle my child's shenanigans?" Dokyeom's dad asked and everyone's lips curled into a smile.
"It's his shenanigans that keep our relationship exciting and full of laughter. I wouldn't trade them for anything," I replied with a smile, hoping to lighten the atmosphere. Dokyeom's dad's stern expression softened, and a small grin tugged at the corners of his lips.
"Do you eat well? Or do you nitpick everything out of your plate like he does giving the excuse of his diet?" Dokyeom's dad asked and the room fell into laughter.
"I eat everything, mostly." I started but Dokyeom interrupted me.
"Except for half cooked meat" he answered and earned a small proud smile from his mom.
"What kind of a girlfriend are you? This might be too personal of a question maybe" Dokyeom's dad added but it wasn't made to sound rude or questioning, it was simply out of curiosity of what kind of girl his son was dating.
"Me? I go to our house, I steal his clothes, I eat what he cooks, I steal his side of bed at times, I steal his books, I've started reading a little bit of poetry, he doesn't know it yet." I spoke the last part looking at Dokyeom who raised his eyebrows in surprise. He was trying to get me to liking poetry instead of the usual types of books I read.
"Since when?" he asked with an endearing smile
"Since you're away for tours, I read your books," I confessed and he knew I didn't have to explain the further part where I told him I read it because I'd miss him terribly.
"It's beautiful, you both suit each other" Dokyeom's dad commented and finally my anxious body and fast heartbeats slowed down in comfort.
Soon all four of us sat down at the dinner table and I gave them the confectionaries that I had earlier gotten for them.
Dokyeom's dad wasn't a stern or a serious person, in fact amongst all four of us at the table, he was the one with the best humour. If anything, knowing how his son's last relationship had ended, he was testing if I was the right choice.
"We heard you have two little nieces, Dokyeom mentioned them a few times." his mother asked and I nodded.
"My elder sister's daughters; YuJin the elder one, she absolutely adores Dokyeom, I think he's a rank above me in her favourite people list and MeJin, the younger one, she's still a baby but her face lights up everytime he makes her a funny face." I explained and his parents' lips curled into smiles of amusement.
"Eomma, they are so cute, you should meet them someday." Dokyeom expressed before eating rice.
"I hope so too, they seem adorable." she replied genuinely.
Dokyeom's parents listened attentively, their eyes reflecting warmth and genuine interest. It seemed like sharing these family stories was helping to bridge the gap and build a connection. I couldn't help but smile, realising how much these seemingly simple moments mattered.
As the dinner progressed, we talked about various topics, from work to hobbies, and even shared some light-hearted jokes. I felt like I was already a part of this warm, welcoming family. His parents were as sweet and soft spoken as he was. I could see how his playfulness came from his father while his cheeky expressions came from his mother. If anything, Dokyeom's family bond was a strong support for him and he was theirs.
After the meal, Dokyeom's mom insisted on showing me around their house. The walls were adorned with family photos, capturing precious moments and milestones. The cosy atmosphere and the laughter that echoed through the halls made me feel more at ease.
As the evening came to a close, Dokyeom's dad approached me with a smile. "You passed the test, Choi Hana. You've got a good head on your shoulders, and you can handle our mischief-maker here," he said, motioning towards Dokyeom, who grinned sheepishly.
Dokyeom's mom added, "We're glad to have you as part of our family."
Hearing her say that was like a warm hug to my heart and I wished Dokyeom would have met my parents in different settings too.
"I know you both haven't had the proposal yet, nor are we pushing you both to so don't be pressured, but you can call us mom and dad. We know you're the one." she continued very confidently and I wondered how.
The sincerity in their words touched me deeply, and I couldn't help but smile gratefully. It felt like the beginning of something beautiful, a new chapter in my life intertwining with Dokyeom.
"Thank you," I replied, a mixture of emotions bubbling within me. "I'm truly honoured, I'm sorry I can't find the words to express my feelings right now."
"Don't worry about it. In fact, you should come here, home, when you have free time and he is away on tour. Seokmin-nie told me you wanted to learn some kimchi from me." she warmly added and I nodded happily.
"I do! I think I'm the one who eats it more than him." I answered and she chuckled.
"I'll teach you everything you want to learn, and in the meanwhile I'll let you in on a few childhood memories of Dokyeom and what he has told us about you" she winked and I chuckled.
"Yah, show her your room" His dad suggested and his parents excused themselves and moved to the living room.
Dokyeom closed the door behind me as I entered his bedroom. His room had a keyboard, a guitar and a few of his childhood pictures.
"I love them! They're so nice" I whispered and Dokyeom chuckled
"They love you too, you don't know how excited they were to meet you."
"Your mom said she knew I was the one, am I the first girl you've brought home Lee Dokyeom?" I teased raising my eyebrows as I sat down in front of his keyboard and Dokyeom put his hands on my shoulders, standing behind me.
"No, you're not the first girl I brought home. But when I was telling my mom and dad about you, they were surprised that I didn't stop talking about you. I told them that you may not have been the first girl that I brought home, but you'll be the last, and I hadn't said that about anyone before." He confessed and I relaxed into his arms, a small smile forming up my lips. Usually words like these from all my past boyfriends, felt as if a pressure had been brought upon me, Dokyeom's words only brought warmth and comfort to me.
"That means a lot to me," I said, turning around to face him, "I feel the same way, Dokyeom. You're not just a passing chapter in my life; you're the whole story."
He nodded, brushing a strand of hair from my face as he sat in front of me. "I'm honoured to be loved by you, Lee Seokmin" I said and softly kissed his lips. I felt him smile against my lips as the kiss lingered for a minute more; nothing could match this feeling. Dokyeom then left a soft peck on my forehead and hugged me, close.
As we sat there, wrapped in each other's arms, I couldn't help but feel grateful for his presence in my life. We had faced challenges, but we were stronger for it. Our love had weathered the storm, and now, in the quiet moments of his room, I knew we were building something, enduring something that would last.
Thank you for reading, it was a little too long of a chapter :")
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