SH 2014: Speak From the Heart for darkyulate
For: darkyulate
From: ANONYMOUS for May 22, 2014
Title: Speak From the Heart
Rating: G
Pairing(s)/Focus: Suho/Kris, brief Suho/Chen
Length: 4114 words
Summary: Suho's parents just want him to have someone to depend on. Suho gets a few bruises on his heart before he finally falls for his perfect match.
Warning/s: intense fluff
Notes: thank you for this really cute prompt! Also, I apologize for the abrupt the beginning...ahaha...but really I had a lot of fun writing this prompt out, and hopefully it fulfills your krisho fluff feels! Again thanks for the lovely prompt :)
“Junmyeon? Can you come down for a moment?”
Junmyeon paused, his hand halfway through the motion of finishing the word on the page. “One second, umma.” He finished his sentence and set down his pencil, his hand shaking slightly in trepidation. He had a feeling that he knew what this was about; his parents had been hinting about it for the past few months, but Junmyeon had been putting it off by saying that he was too busy with school and work. But now that he was on summer break from college…
“Junmyeon!”
Junmyeon pulled himself out of his reverie. “Coming!” He pushed away from his desk and stood up, absent-mindedly wiping the sweat from his palms on the front of his capris. He hastily hurried downstairs, only to stop short when he saw that there was a guest in their living room.
“Hello.” The stranger smiled at him pleasantly, and Junmyeon smiled back before sending a questioning look at his parents.
“Junmyeon, this is Jongin, Jessica and Kyuhyun’s son.”
“Ah…right.” Junmyeon smiled and bowed. “Pleased to meet you, Jongin.”
“Same to you, Junmyeon.”
“Junmyeon, why don’t you take Jongin on a walk around the neighborhood? He’s thinking about moving into some apartments nearby, you can show him around.”
Junmyeon smiled and nodded, but then sent a very unimpressed look at his mother when Jongin turned his back. He could see where this was going; he should’ve guessed it ages ago, when Jessica and Kyuhyun kept stopping by to have tea with his parents.
Junmyeon and Jongin put on their shoes and headed outside; Junmyeon was thankful that he’d chosen to wear light clothing as the heat beat down on them oppressively in the street.
“So…you’re a sophomore at the National University, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. What about you?”
Jongin gave him a strange look, but answered the question anyways. “I’m a freshman at National as well.”
“What major are you in?”
“I’m a dance major.”
“Cool! Perhaps you know Zhang Yixing? He’s in my year, but he’s also a dance major.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of him before.”Junmyeon’s smile dimmed slightly as Jongin stared straight ahead; it looked like his bubbly persona wasn’t going to last very long with Jongin raining on his parade. “I’m a literature major.”
“I know.”
“Oh.” Junmyeon blinked. “Um…how did you know?”
Jongin stopped walking and stared at him. “Your parents didn’t give you the profile?”
“What profile?” Junmyeon felt dread building up in the pit of his stomach. “What are you talking about?”
Jongin raised an eyebrow. “You mean that you don’t know that our parents are trying to set us up for marriage?”
Junmyeon stared, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he seethed in hidden fury. He knew it; he knew that his mother would get up to something like this, even when he wasn’t ready for it, and didn’t want it. “I was not aware,” he said at last. “My parents didn’t give me any profiles about you, sorry.”
“Oh. That explains a lot.” Jongin scratched the back of his neck in awkward embarrassment. “Sorry…I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Junmyeon gave him a deadpan stare. “I’m sure you didn’t.”
Jongin flushed red. “Really, I’m sorry.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. If you don’t like me, then you don’t have to follow through with it.” Junmyeon brushed the thought away and began walking down the street again. “Anyways, these apartments here are pretty nice, although the other week, someone did break in to one of them and stole some jewelry…”
Jongin followed along quietly, his expression still apologetic.
Junmyeon barely waited until the door had shut behind Jongin’s back before he turned on his parents. “And what was that, exactly?”
“Junmyeon, dearest, you know we only want what’s best for you.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you trying to push me into marriage so quickly?”
“We want you to have someone to support you and keep you safe when we’re not around.” To Junmyeon’s dismay, his mother’s eyes filled with tears as she clutched at the kitchen counter. “Do you see your father and I getting any younger? Do you? And your brother is already married, I might add, and there’s only a small age difference between you.”
“Umma, I never even dated in high school. What makes you think that I’m ready to jump into marriage headfirst?”
“That’s why we’re doing it this way, Junmyeon. We meet up with other parents, and then set you up on dates with their children. We,” she turned to her husband to bring him into the conversation, “want to set you up on a bunch of these. Almost no one finds a good match on the first date.”
“You want me to do more of these?”
“It’s for your own good, son.” Junmyeon’s father finally spoke up, his face wan and tired. “Please, consider it.”
Junmyeon stared at his parents pleading expressions and sighed heavily. “I’ll think about it.” He leaned down to take off his shoes and put them up on the shoe rack.
Junmyeon’s father sighed softly and patted Junmyeon’s back. “That’s all we’re asking for, son.”
Junmyeon nodded quietly and vanished upstairs into his room, where he spent the next few hours working on a short story, and then crying furiously into his pillow until he fell asleep.
‘I’ll think about it’ finally turned into ‘Fine I’ll give it a try’, and Junmyeon found himself getting set up on several more dates with other people his age. He saw Jongin a couple more times, but ultimately decided that Jongin was too immature and too insensitive for his tastes.
The dates introduced Junmyeon to a lot of new people though, Junmyeon slowly found himself enjoying a more social life. Late in his sophomore year of college, he thought that he’d hit off with a younger student, Jongdae, fairly well. They dated for several months, only for the whole relationship to fall apart when Junmyeon walked in on Jongdae making out with one of his friends.
After that ordeal, Junmyeon quietly withdrew from the dating scene for a while. He felt truly betrayed, not only by his friend, but also by Jongdae. They’d gotten fairly far along-Junmyeon had started placing more and more of his trust in the younger boy, only to have it thrown back in his face.
His parents let him wallow in his misery for a few months, until junior year of college came around. Junmyeon was busier than ever as he struggled under the more rigorous course loads, more stressful exams, and under the faint shadow of graduation that loomed on the horizon. The work took his mind off Jongdae, and Junmyeon’s smile became brighter and brighter over time, halfway through his school year, his parents decided to try and set him up on another date.
“Junmyeon?”
“Yeah, dad?”
Junmyeon’s father leaned against the doorframe of his son’s bedroom. “It’s been a while since you’ve tried dating.”
Junmyeon paused, and then went back to typing on his computer. “It has been.”
“…How’re you feeling?”
“I’m feeling pretty good.” Junmyeon stopped typing and turned around in his desk. “Why do you ask?”
Junmyeon’s father waved a file folder at him. “Maybe it’s time you tried this again, son.”
Junmyeon sighed quietly.
“I know you were really hopeful about Jongdae. We were too; we didn’t think he would do what he did. However, it’s time to move on, son. Maybe someone better will show up.”
Junmyeon resignedly reached out for the folder, and then began flipping through it.
“His name is Wu Yifan. He’s Chinese, but your mother and I don’t really have anything against that.” Junmyeon’s father shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “He works as a translator in the national government. I’ve actually met him a couple of times…he’s a nice kid, I think you’ll get along.”
Junmyeon gave his father a small smile, and then turned away to place the folder on his desk. “Thanks dad.”
“Sure thing.” Junmyeon’s father left the room, and Junmyeon allowed his face to drop into his hands.
He wasn’t ready for this. Even though the whole fiasco with Jongdae had ended months ago, he was still afraid of giving his heart away. He was still afraid to try and place his trust in other people, and to try and reach out.
He leaned over and flipped the folder open to a picture of a tall Chinese man with bleached hair, tanned skin, and an ear piercing. Junmyeon raised an eyebrow at the ‘bad boy’ image the guy seemed to be trying to project, and privately wondered if his mother had seen the picture as well.
“Wu Yifan…”
Well, one date couldn’t hurt, right?
“Are you Kim Junmyeon?”
Junmyeon looked up to find himself staring at a very long torso. He tilted his head up to look up into the same face he’d seen in the profile photo.
“Yes I am.” He hastily got up from his seat and extended his hand. “You’re Wu Yifan, then?”
“Yeah.” Yifan shook his hand and then slid into the seat across from him. “Sorry I’m late, I got caught up in traffic.”
Junmyeon made a sympathetic noise; he was fully aware of the horrors of downtown Seoul traffic. “It’s ok. I hope you don’t mind that I already got something.”
“Nah it’s ok.”
“Do you want something, or…?”
“I’m alright.”
“If you’re sure.” Junmyeon took a serene sip of his iced milk tea as he looked across the table. Contrary to the picture inside the folder, Yifan was dressed in a very clean cut white-collar shirt and slacks. “Did you come here from your work?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Yifan relaxed into his seat as their conversation started to flow. “I’m finishing up my linguistics degree in Korea, but I already have a government job.”
“Will you go back to China when you finish?”
“No, I don’t think so. I actually quite like it here.”
Junmyeon smiled, and his eyes crinkled up into happy crescents. “What do you like about Korea?”
“Well, the food is fantastic,” Yifan smiled at him. “Also, the people here are pretty decent.”
Junmyeon looked down into his drink. “I’m glad you think so.”
Yifan smiled kindly at him from across the table. “Hey, it’s a nice day outside. Do you want to take a walk? There was a nice park that I passed by on my way here; it shouldn’t be too far away.”
“Sounds like fun.” They got up from the table, and Junmyeon smiled when Yifan opened the café door for him. “Chivalrous.”
Yifan laughed as the door shut with a small tinkle from the chimes hanging over the shop. “I do try.”
When their date was over, Junmyeon found himself sitting alone in the back of a cab that had been paid for, courtesy of Wu Yifan. He was a bit surprised by how fast everything had gone-Yifan had been so full of life and so smooth, before he’d quite realized what had happened, they’d exchanged so much information about each other, as¬ well as contact information, all in the space of one hour that Junmyeon was still trying to process everything that they’d said and done.
The cab dropped him off in front of his house, and Junmyeon thanked the driver before hopping out of the cab and walking up the front steps.
His mother was in the kitchen making dinner when he took his shoes off. “How was the date?”
“It was good,” Junmyeon smiled quietly.
“Did you make plans to meet up again?”
“We did, actually. We’re set to go out to lunch on Saturday.”
“That’s great.” Junmyeon’s mother smiled warmly at him, and Junmyeon smiled back at her.
“Junmyeon?”
Junmyeon paused midway up the stairs.
“I really hope it works out this time.”
“Me too umma. Me too.”
It started with a simple text. Junmyeon had felt lonely and bored one night when his inspiration was failing him, and he decided to take a short break before going back to his computer.
J: Heeeey
Y: Hi! ^_^
J: I’m bored :(
Y: Nothing to do at home?
J: Yeah.
Y: How was your day today?
J: It was alright. I have to write six short works and turn them into my professor by Tuesday T__T
Y: Wow, that sounds like a lot!
J: It should be ok though. Hopefully inspiration will strike me soon.
Y: What usually inspires you?
J: Lots of things.
Y: Like what?
J: …Conversations with other people lmao.
Y: Haha! Hopefully you can get something out of this then.
J: Yeah.
Y: Well, I have work really early tomorrow morning…
J: Sorry! I hope I didn’t wake you up :(
Y: No worries, I just need to sleep soon.
J: Ok, good night!
Y: Sweet dreams~
Junmyeon stared down at his phone, a small blush rising on his cheeks. His fingers hesitated slightly before he decided against replying and locked his phone.
Yifan is thinking about me… Junmyeon smiled softly and turned back to his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys.
Soon, the texts became a regular occurrence. To Junmyeon’s surprise, his relationship with Yifan was going strong; they had just celebrated their six month anniversary a couple weeks ago with tickets to the new Pixar film. His phone vibrated, and Junmyeon smiled slightly when he saw the message.
Y: Text me when you get home so that I know you’re safe.
Junmyeon pulled his gloves off and hastily tapped out a reply. I’m waiting at the bus stop, don’t worry. I’ll be home soon.
Y: Can I call you?
J: Why, is something wrong?
Y: Nah, I just want to hear your voice.
J: Go ahead.
A few moments later Junmyeon received an incoming call from one Wu Yifan.
“Hello?”
“Hey.” Junmyeon smiled at the sound of Yifan’s deep voice reverberating through his phone.
“What’s up?”
“Not much. You’re waiting at the bus stop, right?”
“Yeah. The bus should be here in a minute.”
“Have you eaten today?”
“Yeah, I remembered to buy dinner. Are you proud of me?”
Yifan clucked his tongue disapprovingly on the other end of conversation. “Sometimes, I wonder how you’ve survived college so far if you can’t feed yourself properly.”
“I only forget sometimes.” Junmyeon paused, and then shivered slightly, dropping the volume of his voice. “Yifan?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s really dark out here…”
“Are you scared?”
“A little bit,” Junmyeon admitted. Where was the damn bus?
“Do you want me to come get you?”
“No it’s ok.”
“I’m here for you. Just stay on the line with me until the bus comes, ok?”
“Ok.”
“You had a little cold earlier this week, right? Are you feeling any better?”
“Yeah, I’ve been taking medicine and stuff. I still have a sore throat, though.”
“That sucks. I hope you heal soon.”
“Yeah, me too.” Junmyeon sighed in relief when the headlights of the bus lit up the dark street. “Oh, the bus is here, Yifan. Thanks for staying on the phone with me.”
“No problem, Junmyeon. Are we still on for dinner on Thursday?”
“Yeah. Alright, I gotta go.”
“See you soon.”
“’Bye.” Junmyeon ended the call and hurried on to the bus, quickly huddling down into his seat in the safety of the electric lighting.
Before Junmyeon realized it, he and Yifan had been dating for a year. Then, another six months passed by, and Junmyeon found himself a job at an editing firm. They moved together into an apartment, and their parents started gently pressuring them to make tentative wedding plans.
Technically, they weren’t engaged yet. Junmyeon didn’t have the guts to pop the question, and he had no idea what Yifan was thinking. They also hadn’t had sex (although there had been some very steamy make out sessions), and hadn’t verbally professed their love for each other. All this, despite living under the same roof for several months.
Junmyeon wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He felt like things were all happening in the wrong order; they shouldn’t be looking at wedding plans before they got engaged. They shouldn’t have moved in together without saying ‘I love you’. He shouldn’t be Yifan’s date to his work parties when he hadn’t even worked up the courage to hold his hand in public yet.
Nevertheless, it was happening, and Junmyeon found himself going with the flow. Life with Yifan was relatively peaceful in their small apartment; they did get in arguments sometimes, but nothing too damaging so far. Junmyeon was learning to adjust to having someone new in his personal space, and Yifan was adjusting as well.
Sometimes, though, Junmyeon doubted. He doubted that Yifan really wanted to stay with him, since they weren’t officially engaged. He doubted that Yifan really loved him, since he’d never heard those three precious words.
However, he also realized that Yifan might feel the same way. Junmyeon tried hard, but he was very shy and self-conscious in public, hence why he couldn’t hold hands with his boyfriend yet. Junmyeon vaguely wondered if Yifan was waiting for him to propose, but then dismissed the thought-Yifan had always been the more dominant of the two.
Most importantly, though, Junmyeon was shy even when they were alone. It took him a lot of effort, even now, to initiate a quick kiss on the cheek, or to play with Yifan’s fingers while they watched a movie. He was trying hard, and he knew that Yifan was aware of his attempts…but still, Junmyeon suddenly became worried that it wasn’t enough.
Junmyeon lay awake all night, his mind racing with thoughts.
Am I not enough for him? Will he leave me if I can’t…
If I can’t tell him I love him?
“Yifan?”
“Yeah?”
“U-um…”
Yifan finished drying the dishes and set the towel to the side. “Junmyeon, are you-” he stopped abruptly, startled when he felt a thin pair of arms wrap around his waist.
He felt Junmyeon push his nose into his back, and he smiled slightly. “Hey.”
“Mmm.”
“What’s this?”
Junmyeon pulled his face away from Yifan’s back so that he could talk properly. “It’s a hug.”
“You don’t usually hug me.”
“I-I know.”
Yifan frowned slightly and turned around so that he was facing Junmyeon. “So what’s this about, then?”
“I just feel like I haven’t been affectionate enough to you lately.”
Yifan raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, do you not recall snuggling on the couch ten minutes ago?” he smiled and gently patted Junmyeon’s cheeks. “You’re just fine the way you are.”
“It doesn’t bother you that we don’t hold hands or kiss in public though?”
“Not really. Some people are private, and you’re one of those people. I’m fine with it…you know that I get shy too, right?”
“I know.” Junmyeon felt his face turning pink.
“Do you want to hold hands in public?”
“Well, I don’t really care either way-it’s just that I thought that you might want to…”
The corner of Yifan’s mouth curled upwards as he looked down at Junmyeon affectionately. “I’m fine with whatever you want. You don’t need to push yourself too much.”
“I hate how insecure I feel about this.”
“I know.” Yifan brought his arms over Junmyeon’s shoulders and loosely returned the hug. “Being insecure sucks.”
Junmyeon looked up into Yifan’s eyes, and for a moment, he could feel himself start to take a leap of faith; one foot was already off the ledge and he could feel himself teetering over the edge of the chasm…
Yifan broke the moment when he leaned down to kiss Junmyeon’s forehead. “You’re beautiful.”
Junmyeon turned bright red, not only from the compliment, but also from what he’d been about to do. “Thanks. You are too.”
Yifan’s startled laughter filled up the apartment.
Junmyeon decided to try again a few weeks later. “Yifan?”
“Yeah?”
“I…um.”
Yifan felt an impending sense of déjà vu. “What is it, Junmyeon?” He turned around to face his boyfriend, only for Junmyeon to put a hand on his shoulders.
“Wait!”
“What?”
“Just-can you face the other way? Please?”
Yifan acquiesced and turned back to face the TV from the couch in their living room. “What is it, Junmyeon? Are you trying on something that you don’t want me to see?”
“No, it’s not that.” Junmyeon hesitantly rested his hands on the back of the couch. “Um, Yifan-I really, really…” He hesitated. He wanted to take the leap of faith, but his mind kept pulling him back from the edge.
Yifan waited patiently.
“I love you!” Junmyeon blurted out.
Yifan froze on the couch. Out of all of the things he’d been expecting, this certainly wasn’t it.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Junmyeon backed away from the couch. “Just forget it Yifan, I didn’t-“
Yifan vaulted over the back of the couch and caught Junmyeon’s wrist before he could run away. “Do you mean that? Really, Junmyeon?”
Junmyeon nodded hesitantly.
Yifan lifted Junmyeon’s hand to his lips and kissed his fingers softly. “I love you too, Junmyeon. So much.”
Junmyeon blinked. “You-You do?”
“Of course I do.” Yifan gently moved closer to his boyfriend and let go of his wrist, instead choosing to put his arms around Junmyeon’s waist. “How could you ever doubt me?”
Junmyeon felt tears well up in his eyes. “I thought you were going to leave me if I didn’t say it soon.”
“Hey.” Yifan looked down at Junmyeon with gentle eyes. “You didn’t have to say it. I already knew it.”
“You did?”
“You always take care of me.” He reached up and smoothed a lock of hair behind Junmyeon’s ear. “Always asking, ‘Yifan have you eaten?’ ‘Have a good day today!’ ‘Sleep well!’ Always putting on your bravest, most cheerful face for me. I didn’t need you to say that sentence to know that you love me.”
Junmyeon blushed bright red. “You always do the same for me too,” he whispered quietly. “I just-I just never heard you say it.”
“I love you.” Yifan leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Junmyeon’s lips. “I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you so much, Junmyeon. I wanted things for us to be better; it would’ve been better if I proposed to you before we moved in and started making wedding plans and stuff.”
“It’s ok.” Junmyeon offered him a small smile; he had a feeling that Yifan’s proposal was waiting for similar reasons that they hadn’t said ‘I love you’ before now.
“Are you sure? I haven’t waited too long?”
“No. I like taking things slow.” Junmyeon smiled shyly as he reached up to grip Yifan’s shirt. “Besides, I wouldn’t mind waiting. I could wait forever, and still stay by your side.”
“Forever?”
“Forever,” Junmyeon confirmed. Then, he burst into laughter. “God, we’re both so dumb.”
“You like this dumb, though,” Yifan grinned.
Junmyeon shook his head. “Yes, yes I do.”
“And I like you.”
“Yes.”
“And I really shouldn’t be nervous that you’ll reject me if I propose to you.”
Junmyeon smiled. “No, you shouldn’t be.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m very, very sure, Yifan.”
“We really are dumb.”
“We really are.”
The couple smiled down at each other, and then Junmyeon stood on his toes for a final kiss before pulling away. “Come on, we’ll miss your show on the television.”
They settled down on the couch, side by side. Yifan’s gangly limbs took up most of the couch space, so Junmyeon settled for sitting down on Yifan’s lap. They snickered at the ensuing comedy playing out across the screen.
At some point during the night, they fell asleep, completely wrapped up in each other in their own little world. And when they woke up the next morning, things went back to normal. Yifan rushed to make a quick breakfast while Junmyeon brushed his teeth in the bathroom. They hurried down to Yifan’s car; Yifan dropped Junmyeon off at his editing firm, and then headed off to downtown Seoul to get to his job. In the evening, he got off from work and went to pick up Junmyeon. That night, they went grocery shopping, and decided to try a new recipe from the Chinese cookbook Yifan’s mother had loaned them.
Now though, even though the events during their day didn’t change, their hearts and minds were more secure.
--You don’t have to hear “I Love You” to know that someone does. Listen carefully. People speak from the heart more often than you think.”
Based on this tumblr post at: http://kim-myundae.tumblr.com/post/78534881982/good-morning-how-was-your-day-be-careful
From: ANONYMOUS for May 22, 2014
Title: Speak From the Heart
Rating: G
Pairing(s)/Focus: Suho/Kris, brief Suho/Chen
Length: 4114 words
Summary: Suho's parents just want him to have someone to depend on. Suho gets a few bruises on his heart before he finally falls for his perfect match.
Warning/s: intense fluff
Notes: thank you for this really cute prompt! Also, I apologize for the abrupt the beginning...ahaha...but really I had a lot of fun writing this prompt out, and hopefully it fulfills your krisho fluff feels! Again thanks for the lovely prompt :)
“Junmyeon? Can you come down for a moment?”
Junmyeon paused, his hand halfway through the motion of finishing the word on the page. “One second, umma.” He finished his sentence and set down his pencil, his hand shaking slightly in trepidation. He had a feeling that he knew what this was about; his parents had been hinting about it for the past few months, but Junmyeon had been putting it off by saying that he was too busy with school and work. But now that he was on summer break from college…
“Junmyeon!”
Junmyeon pulled himself out of his reverie. “Coming!” He pushed away from his desk and stood up, absent-mindedly wiping the sweat from his palms on the front of his capris. He hastily hurried downstairs, only to stop short when he saw that there was a guest in their living room.
“Hello.” The stranger smiled at him pleasantly, and Junmyeon smiled back before sending a questioning look at his parents.
“Junmyeon, this is Jongin, Jessica and Kyuhyun’s son.”
“Ah…right.” Junmyeon smiled and bowed. “Pleased to meet you, Jongin.”
“Same to you, Junmyeon.”
“Junmyeon, why don’t you take Jongin on a walk around the neighborhood? He’s thinking about moving into some apartments nearby, you can show him around.”
Junmyeon smiled and nodded, but then sent a very unimpressed look at his mother when Jongin turned his back. He could see where this was going; he should’ve guessed it ages ago, when Jessica and Kyuhyun kept stopping by to have tea with his parents.
Junmyeon and Jongin put on their shoes and headed outside; Junmyeon was thankful that he’d chosen to wear light clothing as the heat beat down on them oppressively in the street.
“So…you’re a sophomore at the National University, right?”
“Yes, that’s right. What about you?”
Jongin gave him a strange look, but answered the question anyways. “I’m a freshman at National as well.”
“What major are you in?”
“I’m a dance major.”
“Cool! Perhaps you know Zhang Yixing? He’s in my year, but he’s also a dance major.”
“Yeah, I’ve heard of him before.”Junmyeon’s smile dimmed slightly as Jongin stared straight ahead; it looked like his bubbly persona wasn’t going to last very long with Jongin raining on his parade. “I’m a literature major.”
“I know.”
“Oh.” Junmyeon blinked. “Um…how did you know?”
Jongin stopped walking and stared at him. “Your parents didn’t give you the profile?”
“What profile?” Junmyeon felt dread building up in the pit of his stomach. “What are you talking about?”
Jongin raised an eyebrow. “You mean that you don’t know that our parents are trying to set us up for marriage?”
Junmyeon stared, his heartbeat pounding in his ears as he seethed in hidden fury. He knew it; he knew that his mother would get up to something like this, even when he wasn’t ready for it, and didn’t want it. “I was not aware,” he said at last. “My parents didn’t give me any profiles about you, sorry.”
“Oh. That explains a lot.” Jongin scratched the back of his neck in awkward embarrassment. “Sorry…I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
Junmyeon gave him a deadpan stare. “I’m sure you didn’t.”
Jongin flushed red. “Really, I’m sorry.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. If you don’t like me, then you don’t have to follow through with it.” Junmyeon brushed the thought away and began walking down the street again. “Anyways, these apartments here are pretty nice, although the other week, someone did break in to one of them and stole some jewelry…”
Jongin followed along quietly, his expression still apologetic.
Junmyeon barely waited until the door had shut behind Jongin’s back before he turned on his parents. “And what was that, exactly?”
“Junmyeon, dearest, you know we only want what’s best for you.”
“I don’t understand. Why are you trying to push me into marriage so quickly?”
“We want you to have someone to support you and keep you safe when we’re not around.” To Junmyeon’s dismay, his mother’s eyes filled with tears as she clutched at the kitchen counter. “Do you see your father and I getting any younger? Do you? And your brother is already married, I might add, and there’s only a small age difference between you.”
“Umma, I never even dated in high school. What makes you think that I’m ready to jump into marriage headfirst?”
“That’s why we’re doing it this way, Junmyeon. We meet up with other parents, and then set you up on dates with their children. We,” she turned to her husband to bring him into the conversation, “want to set you up on a bunch of these. Almost no one finds a good match on the first date.”
“You want me to do more of these?”
“It’s for your own good, son.” Junmyeon’s father finally spoke up, his face wan and tired. “Please, consider it.”
Junmyeon stared at his parents pleading expressions and sighed heavily. “I’ll think about it.” He leaned down to take off his shoes and put them up on the shoe rack.
Junmyeon’s father sighed softly and patted Junmyeon’s back. “That’s all we’re asking for, son.”
Junmyeon nodded quietly and vanished upstairs into his room, where he spent the next few hours working on a short story, and then crying furiously into his pillow until he fell asleep.
‘I’ll think about it’ finally turned into ‘Fine I’ll give it a try’, and Junmyeon found himself getting set up on several more dates with other people his age. He saw Jongin a couple more times, but ultimately decided that Jongin was too immature and too insensitive for his tastes.
The dates introduced Junmyeon to a lot of new people though, Junmyeon slowly found himself enjoying a more social life. Late in his sophomore year of college, he thought that he’d hit off with a younger student, Jongdae, fairly well. They dated for several months, only for the whole relationship to fall apart when Junmyeon walked in on Jongdae making out with one of his friends.
After that ordeal, Junmyeon quietly withdrew from the dating scene for a while. He felt truly betrayed, not only by his friend, but also by Jongdae. They’d gotten fairly far along-Junmyeon had started placing more and more of his trust in the younger boy, only to have it thrown back in his face.
His parents let him wallow in his misery for a few months, until junior year of college came around. Junmyeon was busier than ever as he struggled under the more rigorous course loads, more stressful exams, and under the faint shadow of graduation that loomed on the horizon. The work took his mind off Jongdae, and Junmyeon’s smile became brighter and brighter over time, halfway through his school year, his parents decided to try and set him up on another date.
“Junmyeon?”
“Yeah, dad?”
Junmyeon’s father leaned against the doorframe of his son’s bedroom. “It’s been a while since you’ve tried dating.”
Junmyeon paused, and then went back to typing on his computer. “It has been.”
“…How’re you feeling?”
“I’m feeling pretty good.” Junmyeon stopped typing and turned around in his desk. “Why do you ask?”
Junmyeon’s father waved a file folder at him. “Maybe it’s time you tried this again, son.”
Junmyeon sighed quietly.
“I know you were really hopeful about Jongdae. We were too; we didn’t think he would do what he did. However, it’s time to move on, son. Maybe someone better will show up.”
Junmyeon resignedly reached out for the folder, and then began flipping through it.
“His name is Wu Yifan. He’s Chinese, but your mother and I don’t really have anything against that.” Junmyeon’s father shifted his weight from one foot to the other. “He works as a translator in the national government. I’ve actually met him a couple of times…he’s a nice kid, I think you’ll get along.”
Junmyeon gave his father a small smile, and then turned away to place the folder on his desk. “Thanks dad.”
“Sure thing.” Junmyeon’s father left the room, and Junmyeon allowed his face to drop into his hands.
He wasn’t ready for this. Even though the whole fiasco with Jongdae had ended months ago, he was still afraid of giving his heart away. He was still afraid to try and place his trust in other people, and to try and reach out.
He leaned over and flipped the folder open to a picture of a tall Chinese man with bleached hair, tanned skin, and an ear piercing. Junmyeon raised an eyebrow at the ‘bad boy’ image the guy seemed to be trying to project, and privately wondered if his mother had seen the picture as well.
“Wu Yifan…”
Well, one date couldn’t hurt, right?
“Are you Kim Junmyeon?”
Junmyeon looked up to find himself staring at a very long torso. He tilted his head up to look up into the same face he’d seen in the profile photo.
“Yes I am.” He hastily got up from his seat and extended his hand. “You’re Wu Yifan, then?”
“Yeah.” Yifan shook his hand and then slid into the seat across from him. “Sorry I’m late, I got caught up in traffic.”
Junmyeon made a sympathetic noise; he was fully aware of the horrors of downtown Seoul traffic. “It’s ok. I hope you don’t mind that I already got something.”
“Nah it’s ok.”
“Do you want something, or…?”
“I’m alright.”
“If you’re sure.” Junmyeon took a serene sip of his iced milk tea as he looked across the table. Contrary to the picture inside the folder, Yifan was dressed in a very clean cut white-collar shirt and slacks. “Did you come here from your work?”
“Yeah, that’s right.” Yifan relaxed into his seat as their conversation started to flow. “I’m finishing up my linguistics degree in Korea, but I already have a government job.”
“Will you go back to China when you finish?”
“No, I don’t think so. I actually quite like it here.”
Junmyeon smiled, and his eyes crinkled up into happy crescents. “What do you like about Korea?”
“Well, the food is fantastic,” Yifan smiled at him. “Also, the people here are pretty decent.”
Junmyeon looked down into his drink. “I’m glad you think so.”
Yifan smiled kindly at him from across the table. “Hey, it’s a nice day outside. Do you want to take a walk? There was a nice park that I passed by on my way here; it shouldn’t be too far away.”
“Sounds like fun.” They got up from the table, and Junmyeon smiled when Yifan opened the café door for him. “Chivalrous.”
Yifan laughed as the door shut with a small tinkle from the chimes hanging over the shop. “I do try.”
When their date was over, Junmyeon found himself sitting alone in the back of a cab that had been paid for, courtesy of Wu Yifan. He was a bit surprised by how fast everything had gone-Yifan had been so full of life and so smooth, before he’d quite realized what had happened, they’d exchanged so much information about each other, as¬ well as contact information, all in the space of one hour that Junmyeon was still trying to process everything that they’d said and done.
The cab dropped him off in front of his house, and Junmyeon thanked the driver before hopping out of the cab and walking up the front steps.
His mother was in the kitchen making dinner when he took his shoes off. “How was the date?”
“It was good,” Junmyeon smiled quietly.
“Did you make plans to meet up again?”
“We did, actually. We’re set to go out to lunch on Saturday.”
“That’s great.” Junmyeon’s mother smiled warmly at him, and Junmyeon smiled back at her.
“Junmyeon?”
Junmyeon paused midway up the stairs.
“I really hope it works out this time.”
“Me too umma. Me too.”
It started with a simple text. Junmyeon had felt lonely and bored one night when his inspiration was failing him, and he decided to take a short break before going back to his computer.
J: Heeeey
Y: Hi! ^_^
J: I’m bored :(
Y: Nothing to do at home?
J: Yeah.
Y: How was your day today?
J: It was alright. I have to write six short works and turn them into my professor by Tuesday T__T
Y: Wow, that sounds like a lot!
J: It should be ok though. Hopefully inspiration will strike me soon.
Y: What usually inspires you?
J: Lots of things.
Y: Like what?
J: …Conversations with other people lmao.
Y: Haha! Hopefully you can get something out of this then.
J: Yeah.
Y: Well, I have work really early tomorrow morning…
J: Sorry! I hope I didn’t wake you up :(
Y: No worries, I just need to sleep soon.
J: Ok, good night!
Y: Sweet dreams~
Junmyeon stared down at his phone, a small blush rising on his cheeks. His fingers hesitated slightly before he decided against replying and locked his phone.
Yifan is thinking about me… Junmyeon smiled softly and turned back to his laptop, his fingers flying over the keys.
Soon, the texts became a regular occurrence. To Junmyeon’s surprise, his relationship with Yifan was going strong; they had just celebrated their six month anniversary a couple weeks ago with tickets to the new Pixar film. His phone vibrated, and Junmyeon smiled slightly when he saw the message.
Y: Text me when you get home so that I know you’re safe.
Junmyeon pulled his gloves off and hastily tapped out a reply. I’m waiting at the bus stop, don’t worry. I’ll be home soon.
Y: Can I call you?
J: Why, is something wrong?
Y: Nah, I just want to hear your voice.
J: Go ahead.
A few moments later Junmyeon received an incoming call from one Wu Yifan.
“Hello?”
“Hey.” Junmyeon smiled at the sound of Yifan’s deep voice reverberating through his phone.
“What’s up?”
“Not much. You’re waiting at the bus stop, right?”
“Yeah. The bus should be here in a minute.”
“Have you eaten today?”
“Yeah, I remembered to buy dinner. Are you proud of me?”
Yifan clucked his tongue disapprovingly on the other end of conversation. “Sometimes, I wonder how you’ve survived college so far if you can’t feed yourself properly.”
“I only forget sometimes.” Junmyeon paused, and then shivered slightly, dropping the volume of his voice. “Yifan?”
“Yeah?”
“It’s really dark out here…”
“Are you scared?”
“A little bit,” Junmyeon admitted. Where was the damn bus?
“Do you want me to come get you?”
“No it’s ok.”
“I’m here for you. Just stay on the line with me until the bus comes, ok?”
“Ok.”
“You had a little cold earlier this week, right? Are you feeling any better?”
“Yeah, I’ve been taking medicine and stuff. I still have a sore throat, though.”
“That sucks. I hope you heal soon.”
“Yeah, me too.” Junmyeon sighed in relief when the headlights of the bus lit up the dark street. “Oh, the bus is here, Yifan. Thanks for staying on the phone with me.”
“No problem, Junmyeon. Are we still on for dinner on Thursday?”
“Yeah. Alright, I gotta go.”
“See you soon.”
“’Bye.” Junmyeon ended the call and hurried on to the bus, quickly huddling down into his seat in the safety of the electric lighting.
Before Junmyeon realized it, he and Yifan had been dating for a year. Then, another six months passed by, and Junmyeon found himself a job at an editing firm. They moved together into an apartment, and their parents started gently pressuring them to make tentative wedding plans.
Technically, they weren’t engaged yet. Junmyeon didn’t have the guts to pop the question, and he had no idea what Yifan was thinking. They also hadn’t had sex (although there had been some very steamy make out sessions), and hadn’t verbally professed their love for each other. All this, despite living under the same roof for several months.
Junmyeon wasn’t sure how he felt about it. He felt like things were all happening in the wrong order; they shouldn’t be looking at wedding plans before they got engaged. They shouldn’t have moved in together without saying ‘I love you’. He shouldn’t be Yifan’s date to his work parties when he hadn’t even worked up the courage to hold his hand in public yet.
Nevertheless, it was happening, and Junmyeon found himself going with the flow. Life with Yifan was relatively peaceful in their small apartment; they did get in arguments sometimes, but nothing too damaging so far. Junmyeon was learning to adjust to having someone new in his personal space, and Yifan was adjusting as well.
Sometimes, though, Junmyeon doubted. He doubted that Yifan really wanted to stay with him, since they weren’t officially engaged. He doubted that Yifan really loved him, since he’d never heard those three precious words.
However, he also realized that Yifan might feel the same way. Junmyeon tried hard, but he was very shy and self-conscious in public, hence why he couldn’t hold hands with his boyfriend yet. Junmyeon vaguely wondered if Yifan was waiting for him to propose, but then dismissed the thought-Yifan had always been the more dominant of the two.
Most importantly, though, Junmyeon was shy even when they were alone. It took him a lot of effort, even now, to initiate a quick kiss on the cheek, or to play with Yifan’s fingers while they watched a movie. He was trying hard, and he knew that Yifan was aware of his attempts…but still, Junmyeon suddenly became worried that it wasn’t enough.
Junmyeon lay awake all night, his mind racing with thoughts.
Am I not enough for him? Will he leave me if I can’t…
If I can’t tell him I love him?
“Yifan?”
“Yeah?”
“U-um…”
Yifan finished drying the dishes and set the towel to the side. “Junmyeon, are you-” he stopped abruptly, startled when he felt a thin pair of arms wrap around his waist.
He felt Junmyeon push his nose into his back, and he smiled slightly. “Hey.”
“Mmm.”
“What’s this?”
Junmyeon pulled his face away from Yifan’s back so that he could talk properly. “It’s a hug.”
“You don’t usually hug me.”
“I-I know.”
Yifan frowned slightly and turned around so that he was facing Junmyeon. “So what’s this about, then?”
“I just feel like I haven’t been affectionate enough to you lately.”
Yifan raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me, do you not recall snuggling on the couch ten minutes ago?” he smiled and gently patted Junmyeon’s cheeks. “You’re just fine the way you are.”
“It doesn’t bother you that we don’t hold hands or kiss in public though?”
“Not really. Some people are private, and you’re one of those people. I’m fine with it…you know that I get shy too, right?”
“I know.” Junmyeon felt his face turning pink.
“Do you want to hold hands in public?”
“Well, I don’t really care either way-it’s just that I thought that you might want to…”
The corner of Yifan’s mouth curled upwards as he looked down at Junmyeon affectionately. “I’m fine with whatever you want. You don’t need to push yourself too much.”
“I hate how insecure I feel about this.”
“I know.” Yifan brought his arms over Junmyeon’s shoulders and loosely returned the hug. “Being insecure sucks.”
Junmyeon looked up into Yifan’s eyes, and for a moment, he could feel himself start to take a leap of faith; one foot was already off the ledge and he could feel himself teetering over the edge of the chasm…
Yifan broke the moment when he leaned down to kiss Junmyeon’s forehead. “You’re beautiful.”
Junmyeon turned bright red, not only from the compliment, but also from what he’d been about to do. “Thanks. You are too.”
Yifan’s startled laughter filled up the apartment.
Junmyeon decided to try again a few weeks later. “Yifan?”
“Yeah?”
“I…um.”
Yifan felt an impending sense of déjà vu. “What is it, Junmyeon?” He turned around to face his boyfriend, only for Junmyeon to put a hand on his shoulders.
“Wait!”
“What?”
“Just-can you face the other way? Please?”
Yifan acquiesced and turned back to face the TV from the couch in their living room. “What is it, Junmyeon? Are you trying on something that you don’t want me to see?”
“No, it’s not that.” Junmyeon hesitantly rested his hands on the back of the couch. “Um, Yifan-I really, really…” He hesitated. He wanted to take the leap of faith, but his mind kept pulling him back from the edge.
Yifan waited patiently.
“I love you!” Junmyeon blurted out.
Yifan froze on the couch. Out of all of the things he’d been expecting, this certainly wasn’t it.
“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.” Junmyeon backed away from the couch. “Just forget it Yifan, I didn’t-“
Yifan vaulted over the back of the couch and caught Junmyeon’s wrist before he could run away. “Do you mean that? Really, Junmyeon?”
Junmyeon nodded hesitantly.
Yifan lifted Junmyeon’s hand to his lips and kissed his fingers softly. “I love you too, Junmyeon. So much.”
Junmyeon blinked. “You-You do?”
“Of course I do.” Yifan gently moved closer to his boyfriend and let go of his wrist, instead choosing to put his arms around Junmyeon’s waist. “How could you ever doubt me?”
Junmyeon felt tears well up in his eyes. “I thought you were going to leave me if I didn’t say it soon.”
“Hey.” Yifan looked down at Junmyeon with gentle eyes. “You didn’t have to say it. I already knew it.”
“You did?”
“You always take care of me.” He reached up and smoothed a lock of hair behind Junmyeon’s ear. “Always asking, ‘Yifan have you eaten?’ ‘Have a good day today!’ ‘Sleep well!’ Always putting on your bravest, most cheerful face for me. I didn’t need you to say that sentence to know that you love me.”
Junmyeon blushed bright red. “You always do the same for me too,” he whispered quietly. “I just-I just never heard you say it.”
“I love you.” Yifan leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to Junmyeon’s lips. “I love you, I love you, I love you. I love you so much, Junmyeon. I wanted things for us to be better; it would’ve been better if I proposed to you before we moved in and started making wedding plans and stuff.”
“It’s ok.” Junmyeon offered him a small smile; he had a feeling that Yifan’s proposal was waiting for similar reasons that they hadn’t said ‘I love you’ before now.
“Are you sure? I haven’t waited too long?”
“No. I like taking things slow.” Junmyeon smiled shyly as he reached up to grip Yifan’s shirt. “Besides, I wouldn’t mind waiting. I could wait forever, and still stay by your side.”
“Forever?”
“Forever,” Junmyeon confirmed. Then, he burst into laughter. “God, we’re both so dumb.”
“You like this dumb, though,” Yifan grinned.
Junmyeon shook his head. “Yes, yes I do.”
“And I like you.”
“Yes.”
“And I really shouldn’t be nervous that you’ll reject me if I propose to you.”
Junmyeon smiled. “No, you shouldn’t be.”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m very, very sure, Yifan.”
“We really are dumb.”
“We really are.”
The couple smiled down at each other, and then Junmyeon stood on his toes for a final kiss before pulling away. “Come on, we’ll miss your show on the television.”
They settled down on the couch, side by side. Yifan’s gangly limbs took up most of the couch space, so Junmyeon settled for sitting down on Yifan’s lap. They snickered at the ensuing comedy playing out across the screen.
At some point during the night, they fell asleep, completely wrapped up in each other in their own little world. And when they woke up the next morning, things went back to normal. Yifan rushed to make a quick breakfast while Junmyeon brushed his teeth in the bathroom. They hurried down to Yifan’s car; Yifan dropped Junmyeon off at his editing firm, and then headed off to downtown Seoul to get to his job. In the evening, he got off from work and went to pick up Junmyeon. That night, they went grocery shopping, and decided to try a new recipe from the Chinese cookbook Yifan’s mother had loaned them.
Now though, even though the events during their day didn’t change, their hearts and minds were more secure.
--You don’t have to hear “I Love You” to know that someone does. Listen carefully. People speak from the heart more often than you think.”
Based on this tumblr post at: http://kim-myundae.tumblr.com/post/78534881982/good-morning-how-was-your-day-be-careful