26 | "I'm glad you're here."

Separated in two rooms for weeks, Yeojin lays on the couch while Jongseong stays in bed. Of course, it was by free will because Jongseong initially volunteered to sleep on the couch for at least a week. However, one time, Yeojin got home early, felt bad for him, and slept on the couch until now. It was all but comfortable, but Yeojin was willing to make sacrifices for him.

Yeojin was exhausted, workloads that represented days filling up her schedule. Most of the time, she couldn't sleep. Her eyes tensed her brain every time she sat in front of the laptop, but she had so much work, there wasn't much to save. Finally, she sends the last email, a relieved sigh leaving her lips. "Thank god that's over," She whispers, closing the laptop before rubbing her eyes. "God, I need sleep. This stupid couch is so stiff, though."

She rubs her hair back, taking off her glasses to rub her eyes. Yeojin looks back to the kitchen, seeing the table still set for Jongseong's dinner. "He hasn't eaten yet," Yeojin mumbles. "It's not like I can convince him to eat. He's always coming home early to lie in bed."

Yeojin hasn't eaten yet. Each day, she waits, hoping that Jongseong will eventually come out of his shell, but each day, she's disappointed. "I guess I'll eat now," Getting up, Yeojin walks over to the dinner table, sitting in her seat that faces the windows. Looking down at her food bitterly, she takes a stab at the chicken, cutting it and placing it in her mouth. Cold.

Scoffing, Yeojin angrily puts down her fork on the table, the stress overwhelming her to tear up. As she holds her head in her hands, the tears start to flow, and Yeojin begins to sob. It was worse since Jongseong was no longer on speaking terms with her, fully ghosting but still within the walls of her house. The workload was usually normal for her, but Jongseong would carry some of it or ease her stress by simply being with her. It's harder for her to make it through the day.

As she cries quietly, letting the empty room comfort her more than herself, the bedroom door opens. Quietly, a roommate steps into the kitchen, hearing his girlfriend's distress. He doesn't say anything and walks over, taking a seat in front of her. She doesn't notice until the clang of the fork against the plate gets her attention, watching him pick at the chicken. He eats it despite its coldness and keeps his eyes on the table. Yeojin stares at him with tears still flowing, sniffling before trying to pretend nothing happened.

Even as she eats and tries to keep a quiet eating environment, Yeojin can't stay quiet. So, she puts down her fork, catching Jongseong's attention. Yeojin grabs her plate and makes her way to the sink, throwing the chicken in the garbage. Jongseong's eyes stare at her back to the sink. Yeojin turns on the faucet, silently staring at her plate as the water slushes across the flat surface.

It's silent for a moment. Almost like Jongseong disappears as quickly as he came. So, sniffling once more, Yeojin continues her business, letting the one moment she sees him be her lingering comfort. Before Yeojin could turn off the faucet, Jongseong's arms wrapped quickly around her waist, scaring her. She flinches, but as the plate becomes stacked on hers, Yeojin relaxes.

Yeojin wants to say something to him, but nothing could come out. What did she owe him in the first place? An apology? A phrase? Anger? A complaint? Yeojin believes that he'd leave her waist, but his arms sit around her as he pulls away. Jongseong inhales, trying to find the right words to say. All that he could whisper was, "I missed you."

And to Yeojin, those words were enough.

Yeojin spins around, hugging him tighter. Yeojin begins to sob, relaxing her tensed body in his grasp fully. Jongseong smiles, embracing her tight as he caresses her head. Kissing Yeojin on her forehead, Jongseong adds, "Was I bad?"

Yeojin sniffles. "Yeah. You're a bad boyfriend for ghosting me."

Jongseong presses his lips together, continuing to caress her hair. "I'm sorry, love. I- I didn't know my value anymore. I had an identity crisis when I should've communicated these concerns to you, and I'm sorry. Have you been okay?"

"Not without you!" After her sad sobs, she becomes an angry monster. Hitting him, Yeojin glares. "How could you leave me to sleep on the couch? How could you leave me to do all this work by myself?" With every question, Yeojin hits him. "How could you, how could you, how could you-"

Jongseong's smile says enough once his lips collide with hers. He pulls her in for a chaste kiss, a hand on her cheek to cup her face. Yeojin frowns throughout the kiss, so once Jongseong pulls away, her expression is noticeable. "Why are you frowning, darling?"

"I hate how you always decide to shut me up with a kiss."

"It's effective."

"Psh. That's what you think, Mr. Park."

"Shall we test it again, Ms. Choi?"

Woong lowers her head in defeat. Thankfully, Yerin defended Woong's position. Yerin stated she fully forgives her and doesn't hold anything against her. Yerin even adds that she promises to keep Woong on her best behavior. So, after hearing what Yerin did, Woong wants to apologize.

Pitifully, Woong lowers her head, hands in front of her sadly. "I'm sorry, Yerin. I realize now my wrongdoings, and I'm here to tell you that," Woong places her hair behind her ear. "I hope you can forgive me. Thank you for letting me keep my job."

"People forgive and forget, Woong. Don't worry about it. I'm glad you can stay," Yerin softly pats her shoulder, reassuring her that there was no more bad blood between them. "Have you done any new projects recently? The aquarium incident was resolved. Now, we're official event holders with them."

"Yeah. Sunghoon and Yeojin figured it out, and now, we'll often hold celebrations there," Woong replies, nodding happily. "It's all thanks to you. Yeojin briefly mentioned it- that the aquarium was your idea."

"Not really. It was Sunghoon's. I can't give myself credit for things happening outside of my department!" The two share a laugh, Yerin's smile growing big. "That aquarium just holds a special place in my heart."

"Oh?" Woong was intrigued. "For what reason?"

Yerin could only shake her head, but silently, Yerin remembers the first time she went- and the first time the meeting took place.

Three years ago, when Jongseong and Yeojin first started dating, the three and a guest went on a double date. Yerin wasn't too intrigued with the person, considering they'd only met once. He was the only guy she's met besides Jongseong. "Hey, Yerin?" He spoke, catching the girl's attention. "I have to take this call. It's an emergency."

She brushes it off, nodding. "No worries. Go ahead!" He gave her one last apologetic look before exiting the exhibit, allowing Yerin to venture into the dome-shaped room herself. The fish spun in one perfect ball, encasing the room in ocean blue and neon purple. Fascination filled Yerin's soul, hands clasped together. 

"Do you like this kind of fish?" Someone startled her, eyes set on each other once she figured out the direction of the voice. He and Yerin shared a short laugh, with Yerin nodding after. He was only young then, not wearing glasses as often as his future, but vaguely, Yerin remembers him. "They usually change the fish every year because people like to see the different swatches of color. It seems this year the tetras gained shelter."

Voice sultry and shy, he nodded to gain her attention. "Anyway, enjoy the rest of the exhibit. You might need this," When Yerin met him again, she realized Sunghoon was the man who had given the aquarium meaning to her. His hands linger on her's when passing the flyer. It was a map. "This should help you navigate to the ones you like best. From the glance in your eyes, it seems like you're on a mission to see a specific species. Enjoy."

"Thank you," Yerin bowed slightly. "Goodbye!"

"That's my secret," Yerin hums in contentment, seeing Sunghoon jogging towards them. "Oh, on that note, I forgot I have an appointment."

"Yeah," Sunghoon exhales, an arm wrapping around her shoulder once he gets to Yerin. "You have an appointment with me."

Woong purses her lips, looking at them with disgust. "Boring. I was enjoying my chat with you," She exhales. "However, again, apologies. I think Jaeyun and I have somewhere to go, so we'll catch up on Monday!"

"Bye~" Yerin waves, Sunghoon admiring his girlfriend as she does so. Once Woong is out of sight, Yerin turns to him. "What are you staring at, mister?"

"My lovely girlfriend. As always- I'm glad you're here," The two start to stroll to her desk, Sunghoon leaning against the barrier of her desk. "Now, what should we eat for dinner today?"

The daily predicament. Yerin brushes her hair back, but it keeps falling down her shoulders. Sunghoon notices immediately. "Are we cooking today?" That question stops as soon as it leaves her mouth. Sunghoon holds her hair back as Yerin packs up her things. "Scrap that. Am I cooking today?"

"Only if you want to," Sunghoon responds. "I'm fine with spending my salary on you. The whole thing."

His words charm her. "Cute. I probably get paid more than you, and by a large margin."

"We can never have one loving moment, can we?" Sunghoon grumbles, taking her bag out of her hand once she's finished. They intertwine hands in satisfaction, swinging them as they walk out of the department. "So, I was thinking—have a nice night, Ms. Tae!—maybe pasta? We can go downtown to—you have a nice day too, Mr. Ki!—your favorite restaurant in work attire since I know you like to look around before that. So, we can go immediately after this—bye now, Mrs. Chang! You get home safe and tell your son I miss him!—to look at that one Christmas warehouse and the ceramics store. What do you think-"

Instead of responding, Yerin kisses his cheek while they wait for the elevator. "You know me so well."

Sunghoon's eyes crinkle with his beaming grin. "Of course I do. I'm your boyfriend."

Yerin laughs as the elevator arrives, the two entering together. "So, I was thinking about this weekend's task for the students-"

"Should we make them work on exponents?"

"Bingo!" And as the elevator shuts, ending a sweet ongoing story of their love, romance has officially blossomed.

It was no longer a possibility or a simple "maybe?"

Now, finally, it's love!

-tears be falling down my face man
anyway, an epilogue with later time :,)

for now, love, maybe is over,
so leave any comments here!
say goodbye to yerin & sunghoon </3