twenty four | closer.
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You and Jacob were on your balcony, watching the stars and resting with one another. It wasn't very often that you got quiet alone time, but today, you did.
Well, not the whole day.
He showed up around eight p.m., holding a pretty bouquet of hand picked flowers from your special field.
"Jacob, are those for me?"
"No. They're for Bug." He smiled cutely and kissed your hand. "Of course they're for you, Minji."
"Special occasion?" You asked as you shut your front door.
"No. I just saw them and thought of you."
You smiled and watched his back as he started searching for something to put the flowers in. He found a mason jar and filled it with water, then carefully spread the flowers out to make them look pretty.
"Are you staring?" He suddenly asked.
You scoffed. "Of course not. Why would I be?"
He turned around and pulled you into a sudden hug. "Hm, I don't know. Maybe because you just like me so much?"
"I guess I'm caught."
He chuckled under his breath and began pulling you out onto the balcony, where the two of you sat side by side in the nice breeze.
"I've realized that I don't know all that much about the Minji Han." He told you. "And I really want to know her better."
"There's not all that much to tell."
He tilted his head dramatically. "You've been hiding your identity from the public for eight years and you run a circus. I think there's some pretty good stories in there." He nudged your leg with his. "Why don't we start with how Chase came to be?"
You nodded and began telling your story to an excited Jacob.
"Minji!" Hyunjoon called. "Come here."
You went to your brothers room and sat down on the bed in front of him. "What's up?"
"I know we've been talking about running the circus together, but I'm reconsidering."
"Reconsidering?" You repeated.
"I love the circus, don't get me wrong, but I feel like you would do so much better on your own. Between the two of us, you're the one who shines the most. You're good at everything."
You played with your fingers and forced yourself not to tear up in front of him. You didn't want to accidentally guilt trip him.
"What are you gonna do?"
"I want to go into fashion design." He told you. "We've talked about it."
You nodded. "We have. I want you to do what makes you happy, Hyunjoon. I'll be alright on my own."
He gave you a weak smile and a gentle hug. "Don't be upset. You're going to do so great on your own, I know it. Also, I'm not leaving for good, I'll always practice with you when you want some company."
"I know." You chuckled under your breath. "I just don't know what to do on my own."
"I had no idea where to start." You told Jacob. "I had to figure everything out on my own with no help."
"Your parents didn't help?"
You shook your head. "They dropped it on us completely. It's not that they didn't help, but they wanted me to succeed on my own first. Luckily I figured it out, and now I'm here."
"What about Chase, then? How'd you pick your name."
"It's really cliche." You said shyly.
"That's okay." He smiled. "It's part of you, and I would love to know it."
"Well, ever since I was old enough to understand what was happening, I always saw my parents doing circus stuff. I had been chasing their level of skill for so long, so when they finally passed everything down to me, the chase was over. I wasn't the chaser anymore - I was the chase."
"Minji," Jacob whispered dramatically. "That was so touching."
"Dramatic much?"
"I think that's really meaningful."
Wanting to be closer to him, you moved over to where you could lay your head on his chest. He put his arms around you and clasped his hands, almost like he was trapping you.
"Was it hard growing up with a circus family?"
"Yeah. I couldn't really have friends over, but I didn't really have friends so it didn't matter." You sighed. "At first, I was a bit ashamed because everyone else's parents had a normal job."
He hummed quietly. "I'm glad the circus grew on you."
"Me too." You agreed. "What about the Jacob Bae? How did you get into basketball?"
"My brother always played with me. It just makes me really happy, I feel a little more free when I'm playing." He suddenly smiled. "I feel like that when I'm singing too."
You smiled at the thought. People who talk about their passions like that are meant to do it for a long time.
"We should have a day where we learn how to do each other's thing." You suggested.
"You already play basketball with me."
"But I don't know the plays, I don't have skills in basketball. I just know how to dribble and quite frankly, I can barely shoot."
He laughed at your statement. "What about tomorrow?"
"Works for me." You smiled victoriously. "Thank you for the pretty flowers."
"You're very welcome, Minji."
"Minji!"
You jumped a bit at the sound of your brothers voice, and hurried inside with Jacob.
"What's up, Hyunjoon?" He smiled mischievously and you furrowed your eyebrows. "Ew, what's happening?"
You saw something move by the doorway of the kitchen and gasped. You pushed Jacob dramatically as you ran to the kitchen, engulfing your parents.
"When did you guys come?" You asked.
"We got on the plane early this morning." Your mom said, and you noticed how she looked behind you. "Who's this?"
You motioned Jacob to stand next to you, and he did so. "This is Jacob. He's one of the first people that talked to me when I got here."
Your parents held their hands out, and Jacob politely shook them, saying "it's nice to meet you", and the normal boyfriend-like phrases.
"There's one more surprise." Hyunjoon said.
You turned. "Another surprise?"
"Yeaji!"
Jacob noticed how your face lit up as you turned toward the sounds of little footsteps. A little girl was running down the hallway with her arms wide open to you. You bent down and pulled her into a sweet hug.
"Have you gotten taller since I left L.A.?" You questioned.
She nodded. "And I lost a tooth."
She opened her mouth and pointed to her missing canine, making you laugh. You stood up and looked at how fondly Jacob was looking at you. "What?"
"Nothing." He smiled. "That was just really cute."
You playfully rolled your eyes and patted Yeaji's head, as your mom told Jacob, "This is Yeaji, my best friends daughter. Ever since she was born, Minji and Hyunjoon were like her older siblings."
"And Yeaji this is Jacob, my-" you cut yourself off as you tried to find the right words.
"Boyfriend?" Yeaji suggested.
Jacob looked at you with red cheeks as your expression mirrored his. "Let's go with soon to be."
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