locket.
locket.
onsica. fluff, angst(ish). au. 1926 words. g.
he still remembered the first time he realised he was in love with her.
note: originally posted on my comm (which i deleted) so i'm re-posting because i actually kind of liked this story.
Jinki couldn’t explain the way he felt when he looked at her in that white dress. It was just so perfect - she was so perfect - and his heart was pounding a million miles a minute as she walked down the aisle toward him, arm looped with her father's and looking happier than he had ever seen her before.
Despite having her right there in front of him, his mind wandered back to the day they first met fourteen years ago. It was funny how he could still remember almost every little detail about that day, right down to the clothing she was wearing.
Jinki’s neighbour was an old lady - Jessica's grandmother - who had always been lovely and taken care of Jinki when his mother was away on business trips or when he was sick and couldn't go to school. It was during one of these business trips that he was staying over at Mrs. Jung’s household baking cookies. They were for a "special visitor" who was going to arrive that night, Mrs. Jung had said, and Jinki was more than happy to help her make them because anyone special to her was special to him.
They had just put the cookies in the oven when the doorbell rang. Mrs. Jung bustled to the door excitedly, leaving Jinki alone in the kitchen. He didn't mind, though, and he sat down at the table and drummed his fingers on the wooden surface.
Jinki heard the front door open and close, and then the sound of something heavy being dragged up the stairs. Less than a minute later, Mrs. Jung returned to the kitchen, holding the hand of a girl who looked to be about his age. She was wearing a plain white singlet and a pink floral skirt. 'Suyeon, this is Jinki. Say hello.’
'It’s Jessica, not Suyeon,' the girl said, yanking her hand from her grandmother's. She took a few steps across the room to reach where Jinki was at the table and looked at him, studying his face carefully. She seemed to decide that there was nothing too awful about him and stuck her hand out for him to shake. 'Nice to meet you.'
Jinki crinkled his nose up in distaste and looked to Mrs. Jung pleadingly. She merely nodded her head at him and gave him a stern look, as though to say suck it up and be a man. At seven years old, the last thing he wanted to do was make friends with a girl, but he was going to be nice just for Mrs. Jung. He grasped Jessica’s hand in his own and shook it firmly (his father had always told him that, as a man, a nice, firm handshake was sure to leave a good first impression).
'She’s from America and she’s going to be staying here for a little while because she's on holidays. I hope you two can play nice and become good friends.'
'But she's a girl -' Jinki crinkled his nose once more, casting a look at Jessica, who was still standing in front of him '- and girls are annoying.'
'That’s okay, I don't want to be your friend anyway,' Jessica said, brushing past her grandmother to leave the room. He could hear her loud footsteps thumping up the stairs, and then the slamming of a door.
'Dear, oh dear.' Mrs. Jung frowned and followed Jessica upstairs, leaving Jinki on his own in the kitchen again.
That night, Jinki had been allowed to stay up a little later than any other night because Mrs. Jung had wanted to make another batch of cookies - the first had been burnt. When he finally did go to bed, he was as happy as any seven year old boy could be, having been allowed to eat as many cookies as he liked.
‘Goodnight.’ He waved to Jessica who was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She merely glared in response.
He could still remember the first night she had snuck into his bed, too. Three days after she had arrived, he was awoken by her poking his cheek and saying, ‘Jinki, psst, Jinki. Wake up!’ He sat up and stared at her, not bothering to ask what she wanted. She looked sad, almost worried, when she spoke again. ‘I don’t like sleeping on my own. Can I sleep in your bed with you?’
Jinki shook his head and lay back down. ‘Go sleep with grandma. Boys and girls shouldn’t share beds.’ She shook her head and grabbed his blanket, pulling it off of him for a second before scrambling into his bed and pulling it back over both of them.
‘Grandma’s old. I can’t wake her up,’ she explained before turning away from Jinki. At that point in time, he wouldn’t have guessed that she would invite herself into his bed every night after that, but he soon found he grew to like having someone to share his bed with. It didn’t even matter anymore that she was a girl.
He still remembered the first time he realised she was beautiful. It was winter this time as she and her parents had moved to Korea three years before, so she now visited twice a year.
She knocked on his window, startling him. ‘Yah, Jinki, it’s your birthday tomorrow, but I won’t be able to see you. Come to the back door and let me in, yeah?’
To say the least, Jinki was stunned when he opened the door. Her cheeks and nose were tinged pink from the cold and she was practically swimming in the winter coat she was wearing, but it only made her all the more cute. ‘Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to let me in?’ she laughed, pushing the present she was holding into his hands.
‘Oh, thanks,’ he said, placing the box on the dining table and letting her inside. ‘I’m not opening any of my presents early, but I’ll open yours first and call you, okay?’ She flashed a bright smile in his direction. They chatted idly for a few minutes before a car horn blared out the front and Jessica said that she had to go. They exchanged a brief hug before she scurried outside, hands buried deep in the pockets of her jacket.
He still remembered the first time he realised he was in love with her. She was seventeen and, although she was wearing a plain black dress and her eyes were red and swollen from crying, he had never seen anything more beautiful.
He’d held her hand all through the funeral, and even accompanied her up to the podium as she made her speech. He knew it was wrong, but he was so distracted by the feeling of her small hand in his own that he didn’t hear a word of what she had to say.
He still remembered when she had introduced him to her boyfriend just seven months later.
Just before her grandmother died, she had moved out of her parents’ house and into an apartment on the outskirts of Seoul. It was her birthday and he wanted to surprise her, so he’d put on his favourite jeans and a nice shirt, wrapped up her present, and set off to see her.
He rang the doorbell three times before she finally answered, looking mad for a second before recognising who it was. ‘Jinki, what are you doing here?’ she giggled threw her arms around his neck. ‘Please don’t tell me you came all the way here just for my birthday.’ He laughed nervously, nodding, and reached into his pocket, about to hand her the present, before deciding against it. ‘Come on in, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.’
His heart plummeted as she grabbed his hand, pulling him into the apartment. “I’ve got someone I want you to meet” - wasn’t that usually the standard way someone would unexpectedly be introduced to a romantic partner? She sat him down on the couch and disappeared for a few minutes. Jinki could faintly hear her voice floating through the walls. Something about putting clothes on and best friends. He was almost tempted to up and leave before she came back, not wanting to face reality just yet. He had left it too late.
When she returned, she was hand-in-hand with a man whom she introduced as Jonghyun. She gushed on about how she had met him, when she had met him, and how he had moved in with her a little over two months ago, and how they were engaged, and how the reception was going to be in the ballroom of one of the restaurants bordering the Han River. Jinki didn’t feel the need to wipe the frown off his face as he stared down at the ring she was showing him; he wasn’t frowning because he was jealous, he was frowning because he cared. Since he had met her, Jessica had always been one to rush into things and cause herself all sorts of problems, and he didn’t want this to turn out the same. It definitely wasn’t because he was jealous. Not at all…
As soon as the formalities were over and he’d heard enough of their wedding plans to make his trip seem worth it, Jinki was off. He’d said no to joining them at a special birthday dinner and left without even giving her the present.
Jinki had been so lost in his reminiscing that he hadn’t noticed that she had reached the end of the aisle. She cast a glance in his direction, smiling, and he tried his hardest to smile back, to be happy for her, and stop his left hand from creeping into his pocket to grasp the locket he never had the chance to give her, but it wasn’t easy.
The ceremony passed by in a blur, and soon the reception came and went as well, and was luckily free of disaster. Jinki - as Jonghyun’s best man (the two had become close through Jessica and were now good friends) - had given a speech, through which he stuttered and even dropped the microphone once or twice.
Jinki knew he was never going to forget the way she looked at him as he finally showed her the locket. Jessica had sought him out after the reception and found him sitting on a bench overlooking the lake.
‘It’s really beautiful,’ she said, clearly impressed with the diamond-studded locket. ‘Is it for someone special? I’m sure they’ll love it.’
‘It was,’ he said, standing up and walking to the water’s edge. He took a deep breath before raising his arm and flinging the locket into the water, ‘but I never really found the right time to give it to them.’
When he turned back around, Jessica was frowning, so he grinned at her and grabbed her two hands in his own. ‘Don’t worry about it. Anyway, you’re married now - you can’t be running off on your own with strange men anymore, especially not at night. Go find Jonghyun.’
Somehow, the steady click clack of her heels as she walked up the path seemed like a goodbye.
‘Jessica!’ he called out to her just before she’d left his line of sight.
‘Yes, Jinki?’
‘Nothing. I just… no, don’t worry. Have fun on your honeymoon.’ She smiled at him one last time as though to say are you sure? and he nodded encouragingly, waving her off and hoping the darkness had kept her from noticing the tears shining in his eyes.
- - -
a/n: originally posted at my comm (which i've now deleted). it's one of the few things i've written that i don't despise, which is kind of awesome.
comments are always loved. ♥
onsica. fluff, angst(ish). au. 1926 words. g.
he still remembered the first time he realised he was in love with her.
note: originally posted on my comm (which i deleted) so i'm re-posting because i actually kind of liked this story.
Jinki couldn’t explain the way he felt when he looked at her in that white dress. It was just so perfect - she was so perfect - and his heart was pounding a million miles a minute as she walked down the aisle toward him, arm looped with her father's and looking happier than he had ever seen her before.
Despite having her right there in front of him, his mind wandered back to the day they first met fourteen years ago. It was funny how he could still remember almost every little detail about that day, right down to the clothing she was wearing.
Jinki’s neighbour was an old lady - Jessica's grandmother - who had always been lovely and taken care of Jinki when his mother was away on business trips or when he was sick and couldn't go to school. It was during one of these business trips that he was staying over at Mrs. Jung’s household baking cookies. They were for a "special visitor" who was going to arrive that night, Mrs. Jung had said, and Jinki was more than happy to help her make them because anyone special to her was special to him.
They had just put the cookies in the oven when the doorbell rang. Mrs. Jung bustled to the door excitedly, leaving Jinki alone in the kitchen. He didn't mind, though, and he sat down at the table and drummed his fingers on the wooden surface.
Jinki heard the front door open and close, and then the sound of something heavy being dragged up the stairs. Less than a minute later, Mrs. Jung returned to the kitchen, holding the hand of a girl who looked to be about his age. She was wearing a plain white singlet and a pink floral skirt. 'Suyeon, this is Jinki. Say hello.’
'It’s Jessica, not Suyeon,' the girl said, yanking her hand from her grandmother's. She took a few steps across the room to reach where Jinki was at the table and looked at him, studying his face carefully. She seemed to decide that there was nothing too awful about him and stuck her hand out for him to shake. 'Nice to meet you.'
Jinki crinkled his nose up in distaste and looked to Mrs. Jung pleadingly. She merely nodded her head at him and gave him a stern look, as though to say suck it up and be a man. At seven years old, the last thing he wanted to do was make friends with a girl, but he was going to be nice just for Mrs. Jung. He grasped Jessica’s hand in his own and shook it firmly (his father had always told him that, as a man, a nice, firm handshake was sure to leave a good first impression).
'She’s from America and she’s going to be staying here for a little while because she's on holidays. I hope you two can play nice and become good friends.'
'But she's a girl -' Jinki crinkled his nose once more, casting a look at Jessica, who was still standing in front of him '- and girls are annoying.'
'That’s okay, I don't want to be your friend anyway,' Jessica said, brushing past her grandmother to leave the room. He could hear her loud footsteps thumping up the stairs, and then the slamming of a door.
'Dear, oh dear.' Mrs. Jung frowned and followed Jessica upstairs, leaving Jinki on his own in the kitchen again.
That night, Jinki had been allowed to stay up a little later than any other night because Mrs. Jung had wanted to make another batch of cookies - the first had been burnt. When he finally did go to bed, he was as happy as any seven year old boy could be, having been allowed to eat as many cookies as he liked.
‘Goodnight.’ He waved to Jessica who was in the bathroom brushing her teeth. She merely glared in response.
He could still remember the first night she had snuck into his bed, too. Three days after she had arrived, he was awoken by her poking his cheek and saying, ‘Jinki, psst, Jinki. Wake up!’ He sat up and stared at her, not bothering to ask what she wanted. She looked sad, almost worried, when she spoke again. ‘I don’t like sleeping on my own. Can I sleep in your bed with you?’
Jinki shook his head and lay back down. ‘Go sleep with grandma. Boys and girls shouldn’t share beds.’ She shook her head and grabbed his blanket, pulling it off of him for a second before scrambling into his bed and pulling it back over both of them.
‘Grandma’s old. I can’t wake her up,’ she explained before turning away from Jinki. At that point in time, he wouldn’t have guessed that she would invite herself into his bed every night after that, but he soon found he grew to like having someone to share his bed with. It didn’t even matter anymore that she was a girl.
He still remembered the first time he realised she was beautiful. It was winter this time as she and her parents had moved to Korea three years before, so she now visited twice a year.
She knocked on his window, startling him. ‘Yah, Jinki, it’s your birthday tomorrow, but I won’t be able to see you. Come to the back door and let me in, yeah?’
To say the least, Jinki was stunned when he opened the door. Her cheeks and nose were tinged pink from the cold and she was practically swimming in the winter coat she was wearing, but it only made her all the more cute. ‘Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to let me in?’ she laughed, pushing the present she was holding into his hands.
‘Oh, thanks,’ he said, placing the box on the dining table and letting her inside. ‘I’m not opening any of my presents early, but I’ll open yours first and call you, okay?’ She flashed a bright smile in his direction. They chatted idly for a few minutes before a car horn blared out the front and Jessica said that she had to go. They exchanged a brief hug before she scurried outside, hands buried deep in the pockets of her jacket.
He still remembered the first time he realised he was in love with her. She was seventeen and, although she was wearing a plain black dress and her eyes were red and swollen from crying, he had never seen anything more beautiful.
He’d held her hand all through the funeral, and even accompanied her up to the podium as she made her speech. He knew it was wrong, but he was so distracted by the feeling of her small hand in his own that he didn’t hear a word of what she had to say.
He still remembered when she had introduced him to her boyfriend just seven months later.
Just before her grandmother died, she had moved out of her parents’ house and into an apartment on the outskirts of Seoul. It was her birthday and he wanted to surprise her, so he’d put on his favourite jeans and a nice shirt, wrapped up her present, and set off to see her.
He rang the doorbell three times before she finally answered, looking mad for a second before recognising who it was. ‘Jinki, what are you doing here?’ she giggled threw her arms around his neck. ‘Please don’t tell me you came all the way here just for my birthday.’ He laughed nervously, nodding, and reached into his pocket, about to hand her the present, before deciding against it. ‘Come on in, I’ve got someone I want you to meet.’
His heart plummeted as she grabbed his hand, pulling him into the apartment. “I’ve got someone I want you to meet” - wasn’t that usually the standard way someone would unexpectedly be introduced to a romantic partner? She sat him down on the couch and disappeared for a few minutes. Jinki could faintly hear her voice floating through the walls. Something about putting clothes on and best friends. He was almost tempted to up and leave before she came back, not wanting to face reality just yet. He had left it too late.
When she returned, she was hand-in-hand with a man whom she introduced as Jonghyun. She gushed on about how she had met him, when she had met him, and how he had moved in with her a little over two months ago, and how they were engaged, and how the reception was going to be in the ballroom of one of the restaurants bordering the Han River. Jinki didn’t feel the need to wipe the frown off his face as he stared down at the ring she was showing him; he wasn’t frowning because he was jealous, he was frowning because he cared. Since he had met her, Jessica had always been one to rush into things and cause herself all sorts of problems, and he didn’t want this to turn out the same. It definitely wasn’t because he was jealous. Not at all…
As soon as the formalities were over and he’d heard enough of their wedding plans to make his trip seem worth it, Jinki was off. He’d said no to joining them at a special birthday dinner and left without even giving her the present.
Jinki had been so lost in his reminiscing that he hadn’t noticed that she had reached the end of the aisle. She cast a glance in his direction, smiling, and he tried his hardest to smile back, to be happy for her, and stop his left hand from creeping into his pocket to grasp the locket he never had the chance to give her, but it wasn’t easy.
The ceremony passed by in a blur, and soon the reception came and went as well, and was luckily free of disaster. Jinki - as Jonghyun’s best man (the two had become close through Jessica and were now good friends) - had given a speech, through which he stuttered and even dropped the microphone once or twice.
Jinki knew he was never going to forget the way she looked at him as he finally showed her the locket. Jessica had sought him out after the reception and found him sitting on a bench overlooking the lake.
‘It’s really beautiful,’ she said, clearly impressed with the diamond-studded locket. ‘Is it for someone special? I’m sure they’ll love it.’
‘It was,’ he said, standing up and walking to the water’s edge. He took a deep breath before raising his arm and flinging the locket into the water, ‘but I never really found the right time to give it to them.’
When he turned back around, Jessica was frowning, so he grinned at her and grabbed her two hands in his own. ‘Don’t worry about it. Anyway, you’re married now - you can’t be running off on your own with strange men anymore, especially not at night. Go find Jonghyun.’
Somehow, the steady click clack of her heels as she walked up the path seemed like a goodbye.
‘Jessica!’ he called out to her just before she’d left his line of sight.
‘Yes, Jinki?’
‘Nothing. I just… no, don’t worry. Have fun on your honeymoon.’ She smiled at him one last time as though to say are you sure? and he nodded encouragingly, waving her off and hoping the darkness had kept her from noticing the tears shining in his eyes.
- - -
a/n: originally posted at my comm (which i've now deleted). it's one of the few things i've written that i don't despise, which is kind of awesome.
comments are always loved. ♥