"Wow, this place is nice," Changkyun said as we were seated in a private room. A fancy table was set up in a very ornate room.
I was excited to eat, but I couldn't forget about my goal tonight.
"Yeah, it's really nice," I agreed absentmindedly, taking my seat.
I could already smell the food that was wafting in from the kitchen, making my mouth water. But I was quickly distracted by from hunger.
Changkyun stared at the menu while I stared at him, admiring his face.
How can someone possibly be so attractive?
Changkyun is way out of my league! That made me second guess myself.
'How should I do this?' I wondered, 'Should I tell him now, or tell him later?'
I planned on simply easing into things. We might as well eat first, then I'll confess my undying love to him.
So I would flirt with Changkyun for now. And if he flirts back, he probably likes me too.
"I wanted to thank you, again, for saving me," I said, grabbing his attention.
Changkyun looked up suddenly, forcing a bit of a smile, "Oh, yeah. No problem," he cleared his throat, "I mean, it's no big deal. I break doors all the time."
I had a feeling that was not true.
"You must be really strong," I pressed, smiling at him.
Changkyun shrugged, turning back to the menu.
"I guess I am," he replied. I could tell he was fairly smug about that.
I pegged Changkyun as one of the physically weakest members in the group. After all, he was very skinny, and it's hard to compete with solid bodies like Shownu and Wonho.
But I guess, under the right circumstances, he turns into the Hulk.
A waitress came by to take our order.
"What would you like to drink?" She asked.
Changkyun and I responded at the same time.
"Champagne," I said.
"Cola," Changkyun replied.
We looked across the way at each other.
"Cola and champagne it is," The waitress chuckled, walking away.
'Is it a bad sign that he's ordering cola on a date?' I wondered, 'What if he doesn't think this is a date?'!
I worried I was making a fool out of myself.
"Ah, that was good," Changkyun sighed as we walked out of the restaurant. We had gorged ourselves on a variety of delicious Chinese food. While Changkyun was on the verge of falling into a food coma, I was still on edge.
I hadn't seen the right opportunity to confess yet. And I began to worry.
What if I spoke up at the wrong time? What if I said the wrong thing?
Or, worst of all, what if Changkyun didn't like me back?
On the way home, I was trapped in my own mind while Changkyun had a one-sided conversation with me.
Meanwhile, I rehearsed what to say in my head.
'Hey, Changkyun, buddy'
Wait, no, that sounds stupid.
'Changkyun, so, here's the thing...'
No, that sounds like I'm in trouble.
'Come on, Jiyeon. We can do this!'
I've taken down drug rings, loads and loads of criminals. And somehow, I'm letting a boy make me nervous?
I puffed out my chest, suddenly confident.
We had made it to the apartment building, now making our way down the hallway, back to the room.
"And that's exactly why I think Spongebob is the best cartoon of our generation-"
"Changkyun!" I finally spoke up, cutting him off.
We stopped just outside the apartment door, Changkyun turning to face me.
He was obviously confused by my outburst, raising his eyebrow at me.
"Yes?" He asked, voice low and deep.
I took a deep breath.
Words obviously weren't going to work. So I decided to rely on action instead.
I made a move, stepping closer to Changkyun. He opened his mouth to say something, but I stopped him, sealing his lips with a kiss.
I felt relieved, like a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
'This feels... right.'
I eventually pulled away, seeing Changkyun had a shocked expression on his face. He looked like a deer in headlights, frozen in stone.
"I... like you, Changkyun," I said, staring down at my hands nervously. I started rambling, unsure of myself, "That's why I asked you out today. I want to confess my feelings to you. And I know it might seem out of nowhere, but I think I realized it yesterday. If you don't feel the same, it's okay. I just-"
Changkyun cut me off, pressing his lips against mine.
It was my turn to be surprised now. Changkyun had confidently wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me tight against him.
I felt an immense spark between the two of us. I knew I made the right decision...
5 Years Later...
After I confessed to Changkyun, we decided to start dating each other. We kept it secret for a little while, because part of me was worried that things wouldn't work out.
But, after years, we stayed together.
And time only made us stronger.
Oddly enough, Monsta X was very supportive of our relationship. Instead of being jealous, they were really happy for us.
There were no hard feelings, because Monsta X and Jiyeon will always be a family.
Changkyun went on to join a rap show as a judge. And he's become an idol trainer on television shows.
To say the least, Changkyun has found a lot of success.
In the meantime, I've remained Monsta X's bodyguard.
And on the side, I work as Changkyun's manager.
If he had trouble with anyone, I take care of it. So far I haven't had to fight anyone, sadly...
Today Changkyun was free. So he was taking me somewhere "special." It was a surprise, but I knew I had to dress nicely. I put on an oversized blazer that I belted with a wide, black belt. I topped off the look with over-the-knee boots.
Changkyun was dressed nicely, too. So I had a feeling we were going somewhere important.
After a rather long drive, we eventually pulled into a suburban neighborhood.
'Where are we going?' I wondered, my eyes scanning the nice homes that we passed. As we kept driving, the homes only seemed to get bigger and fancier.
Just as I was opening my mouth to ask, the car pulled into the driveway of the nicest house on the street.
"Changkyun," I asked him lightly, "Where are we?"
He winked at me before getting out of the car, coming around to open my door for me, "It's a surprise."
"Well, I hate surprises," I frowned.
"You'll love this one, I promise," Changkyun said, grabbing my hand and squeezing it lightly.
Together, we walked up the cobblestone driveway to the front door of the house. Changkyun rose his hand on knocked. I could hear the loud echo as we waited in silence, my heart racing.
The door finally opened to reveal an older man, who looked exactly like Changkyun.
That's when I realized...
'I'm meeting his parents?!'
Why didn't he tell me beforehand? I would have brought them a gift!
I always planned on leaving the best impression when I met Changkyun's parents. Now, five years later, I'm going in completely blind!
I stood there, dumbfounded, unsure of what to way as Changkyun hugged his dad tightly.
"And this is your girlfriend, right?" Mr. Im, asked, turning his attention to me.
"Yes, that would be me," I replied nervously, starting to bow. But I didn't had the opportunity to do a full bow before Changkyun's dad pulled me into a hug.
"I'm so happy to finally meet you!" Mr. Im exclaimed. "I've heard so much about you! Ever since you started working as the bodyguard for Monsta X. Changkyun would text me at night about-"
"Dad!" Changkyun cut in, a blush forming on his face.
"All that matters is that your here now," Mr. Im smiled, "Come in! I'll show you around."
The home was filled with boxes, and a crew of men worked on unpacking things.
"Did you guys just move in?" I asked, looking around the extravagant, but mostly empty, house.
"Yes, today actually." Mr. Im chuckled, "We've finally moved back to Korea. I'm glad we're home."
"Me too." Changkyun sighed, "You've been working yourself too hard in Europe."
"But at least I lived in Europe," Mr. Im shrugged, "Now we are just a short drive away from each other."
'Short?' I wondered.
It took at least an hour to get here.
"Hopefully I can see my son and daughter-in-law much more often!" Mr Im said, leading us to the backyard.
"Sorry, what?" I asked, unsure I heard him correctly.
But my attention was redirected to a beautiful woman who was sitting in the backyard. This must have been Changkyun's mom.
"Honey, Jiyeon is here!" Mr Im called.
My heart raced, the nervousness setting in again. I knew that the hardest person for a girlfriend to impress is usually the mother!
'Hopefully she likes me...'
But my worries were quickly set at ease when Mrs. Im got to her feet and hurried over to hug me.
"What about me?" Changkyun pouted, "I'm here too!"
"I know, honey, but I see you all the time! I'm so excited to meet Jiyeon."
"You haven't seen me in years!" Changkyun argued.
Mrs. Im pulled away from the hug, looking closely at my face before smoothing my hair back, "You're prettier than I could have imagined!"
"Thank you." I smiled.
"Are you sure you want Changkyun? He can be a little childish sometimes. He is my youngest son, after all. If you're ever interested-"
"Mom!" Changkyun yelled.
"Let's have tea!" Mr Im said, motioning to the patio. "I even ordered some pastries just for this." We all took seats at the glass table, an array of pastries and glasses set out in front of us. I was looking at the delicious pastries, happy to pick one out, when Mr. Im said, "I got one specially for you, Jiyeon."
"Thank you," I smiled, Mr. Im setting a tiny cake before me.
I picked up a fork, ready to dig in, when I noticed some icing that read: Marry my son, please. You're our only hope.
I looked up in shock to see everyone was acting normal, as if my cake didn't have a secret message on it. I pretended not to notice too, digging into the delicious sweet.
"So, how are things going with the work?" Mrs. Im asked, looking across the way lovingly at Changkyun.
"Good," Changkyun replied, fixated on his dessert. There was a bit of frosting on his face, that his mom quickly wiped away, "I'm actually in talks to be a judge on the 50th season of Produce 101."
"Wow!" Mr Im gushed, giving him a thumbs up, "I love seeing my son on television, it's like I'm on television!" he then started laughing at his own joke.
We sat in silence, eating out desserts in the tranquil backyard, for a moment. I admired the home that they would be living in. And I was even more in awe of their beautiful family dynamic.
'So this is what it's like to have two parents?'
Needless to say, I was jealous.
Out of nowhere, Mr Im spoke up, "You guys ought to hurry up and get married, I want grandsons!" My mouth fell open, in shock of his straightforwardness. "You'll never be able to find a girl as perfect as Jiyeon," Mr. Im continued. "Especially not someone who's willing to put up with your, sometimes crazy, fans!"
I looked over at Changkyun, who seemed just as surprised as I was at his father's outburst.
"Now, now, don't say that." Mrs. Im spoke up, sipping her tea. I let out a sigh of relief, glad she was saving me from this awkward conversation, "I want granddaughters, girls are just so much cuter!"
"Hey!" Chankyun pouted, arms crossed
"Not you, dear. You're perfect." She winked at Changkyun, "But you would be cuter as a girl."
When we left Changkyun's parent's house that night, it was a breath of fresh air. I loved meeting them, and they were very nice. But they were a bit... much.
I know I'm getting older now, and Changkyun and I have been dating for five years. But we hadn't even talked about getting married yet. It wasn't even on my mind.
It was strange hearing about marriage from Mr. Im's mouth.
As we got in the car, Changkyun looked across the way at me.
"You okay?" He asked, noticing I was silent.
I nodded.
"You like my parents, right?" he pressed, "Because they really like you."
"Yeah, I can tell," I laughed.
He stared at me, and I looked over at him.
Sure, Changkyun's parents were overbearing, and they would definitely be a lot to deal with.
But...
If Changkyun and I were together, then it was well worth it. Our families might be strange, uncomplete and unorthodox.
But that's just who we are, and that's just what makes us special.
"Let's get married." I muttered, staring out the window.
"Huh?" Changkyun asked. He didn't hear what I said.
A smile spread across my face as I knew what was in store for us. Changkyun and I had a future ahead of us, and a fun one.
"Let's go home."