Chapter Text
A man in his fifties sat beside his wife who was busy watching their grandkids play.
"Jiwoong said that he invited a hoobae of him, the one he showed his picture to you, he said that he'll come to see the baptism of JiWoong's youngest this coming Sunday," the old man grabbed the remote and turned the T.V. on.
"Do you think she'll like him?" asked the woman as she turned and looked at her husband.
"Well, you've seen the picture that Jiwoong showed, he looks nice, and he works as a manager," mumbles the man without removing his eyes from the television, suddenly he heard his wife sigh, "What's wrong? what's with the sigh?"
"Nothing. I'm just...worried I guess. I mean, what if she didn't like him?"
"She will, do not worry. The guy seems nice, and you know our daughter, she's all about nice guys." He turned to look at his wife and wrapped an arm around her shoulder, ushering her to move closer which she complied. "Don't worry honey, it'll all be all right, and if she doesn't like him then...we have to deal with it, there's a lot of fish in the sea honey, she'll meet the right one, just trust her." He rubs her shoulder and goes back to his watching.
"I know that but... time is ticking, and... she's missing a lot already. I mean she's twenty-nine, it's about time for her to get married," she shakes her head as she worries herself about her daughter's love life, "I just don't understand, she's pretty, she's sweet, she has a nice and stable job," she sighed once again, "but she can't seem to find a man she will settle with."
"Taetae is old enough, she knows what she's doing honey, just trust her," he stood up, losing the energy to watch the T.V., and went to the kitchen to grab something to eat, "just let her be."
"You're right...right." The woman told herself out loud and went to her two grandkids to play with them.
~o~
"Umma? Appa?" she called out as she entered her parent's house.
"Unnie! Kitchen!" shouted her little sister, she saw a couple of old people in the living room and greeted them before going to the kitchen where she saw her mother, who is busy chopping some onions, her sister-in-law attending to her baby and her little sister Hayeon who is busy munching the freshly baked cookies.
"Oh Taetae, you're here, was there traffic sweety?" her mother greeted as she saw her enter the kitchen.
"Oh a little, but it was fine. Need help Umma?" She stood beside her and was about to take over the chopping when her older brother came.
"Hey, Tae! Glad you're here, anyways come, there is someone I want you to meet."
"Can it wait? I have to hel—"
"Oh don't worry about me sweety, just go ahead, I'm almost done anyway."
"But Umma."
"Just go. I have Hayeon here to help me. Go Taetae." She shoo her away and continued chopping.
Taeyeon looked at her sisters who gestured for her to leave and just go with her brother.
"Come on Tae." Jiwoong took her wrist and led her outside the kitchen towards the backyard where the other guests were.
"Baekhyun-ssi" Called Jiwoong as they got near, the said man turned and smiled.
"Jiwoong sunbae." He greeted and turned to look at Taeyeon.
"Taeng, I'd like you to meet Byun Baekhyun, he's from Busan and was just transferred to our Seoul office recently, he handles our production team," said Jiwoong, "Baekhyun-ssi, meet my sister Taeyeon, she works as a social worker." bragged Jiwoong.
"Pleasure to meet you, Miss Kim, I heard a lot of great things about you from Jiwoong sunbae here." The man offered his hand which Taeyeon gladly took.
"Pleased to meet you too, I hope you enjoy your stay here in Seoul." She smiled stiffly.
"I'm sure I will," he turned his attention towards Jiwoong, who then smiled at him, then looked back at the woman, "We should hang out sometimes, maybe you could tour me around Seoul."
"Yeah, sure," she looks at Jiwoong then back to the guy, crossing her arms against her chest, "just give me a call." She then excused herself because she needed to use the powder room, leaving the two men, as she disappeared from their sight.
"She's nice, I like her sunbae."
"Yeah, don't bother," Jiwoong looked at him and smiled, "She's not gonna call." The man gave him a pat on his shoulder before leaving him behind.
~o~
Taeyeon went inside the kitchen and sat down while grabbing a cookie.
"What happened to guy number… what now? eighty-four?" asks Hayeon as she watches her older sister munch her cookie.
"Shut up Hayeon."
"What? I'm just asking. The guy is handsome, and I don't get you, how can you turn him down without even giving it a try." She sat across Taeyeon and drank a glass of her water.
"Why are you even worrying about it? It's my life, I'll worry about it myself," she took her sister's glass and drank the remaining water.
"Because I care."
"If there's something you should care more about, it's your school, worry about that, because that's your job," she explained, "I know you care, but I'm older than you, and I assure you I can take care of myself." She stood up and went to the sink to wash some dishes.
"Just a reminder, you're not getting any younger unnie. You better start looking for a husband before you miss it and be left alone for the rest of your life."
Taeyeon released a sigh and slouched her shoulders, "has it ever occurred to you that maybe I'm already seeing someone?"
"Are you?" Hayeon inquired as she looked at her sister with an amused smile.
"You know what?" Taeyeon washed her soapy hands and faced her sister, "Forget it, you won't believe me anyway."
"So.." Hayeon paused for a moment and realized that perhaps her sister was actually telling the truth, "so... you are seeing someone, who is he? is it someone we know?"
"..." Taeyeon remained silent, not answering her sister's question.
"Wait..." She looked at her and caught her eyes, "Is he married?"
"Forget it Hayeon," she left the kitchen and went to the living room followed by her sister, she took her bag and jacket, "I gotta go, still got some stuff to take care of, just tell them I left already, okay?"
"Already? But it's Sunday." Her sister frowned at her
"I know... just-I gotta go okay? I'll see you soon Hayeon-ah," she faced Hayeon and smiled sweetly, "Study well okay?" She rumbled her sister's hair before leaving the now-smirking girl.
~o~
"That's impossible!" declared the woman, "Taetae is not like that, your sister is NOT a homewrecker."
"Umma, I asked her and she said that she is seeing someone, and she didn't even deny it when I asked if the guy is married. So what am I supposed to think?"
"Do you think he has kids?" The mother asks her youngest.
"I dunno, she never said anything."
"Hayeon, stop it already." The man of the house decided to speak out after listening to the conversation.
"Hayeon, your Umma is right, Taeyeon is not like that, we all know that Taeyeon isn't that kind of woman. So stop it already and just go to your room and sleep, you have school tomorrow," remarks the man, Hayeon then soon left and went to her room after saying her goodnight, the man then turned towards his other half, "and you, your daughter is old enough to know what's right and wrong, just let her be, she'll come around, for all we know, she might introduce the guy tomorrow or next week." The man kissed his wife goodnight before going upstairs to sleep, leaving the old woman worried.
~o~
A click sound was heard from the front door making the woman, who was sitting on the couch turn her head.
Her smile reaches her cheeks as she watches the person enter the apartment.
"Hey." Taeyeon greeted before putting another gummy bear inside her mouth.
"Gummy bear?" The newcomer sat beside her and took a piece of the jelly for her.
"Yeah, gummy bear." Taeyeon makes a pout, as she bites another one in her mouth.
"What happened? Did you have another fight with Hayeon?"
"Well... almost... she assumed that I'm seeing a married guy, she has probably told our parents about it and they're probably freaking out by now." The woman smiled at her and gave her a pat on her shoulder,
"What about Jiwoong oppa? Did he try to introduce you to some guy again?"
"He did. As always." Taeyeon took the woman's hand and squeezed it a bit.
"They've been bugging me to get married."
"Well, you can't blame them, I mean.. you haven't introduced anyone to them, they're just probably worried, they don't want you to be an old maid after all."
"But I'm not an old maid and I'm not gonna be one. I have you."
"Yeah you do, but they don't know that, they only know me as your friend and...well roommate," she stated.
"I'm sorry," she tilted her head and held both her cheeks and looked her in the eyes, "please don't think that I'm ashamed of what we have, of you, because... I'm not. It's just—"
"Don't worry about it," the woman held both her hands and leaned to kiss her, "I understand okay? the society we have here in Korea is different from America, so...I know that coming out is a hard thing to do." The woman rested her forehead against Taeyeon's forehead and closed her eyes.
"You know that I love you right Fany?" She closed her eyes and slowly moved her way to hug the woman.
"I know Tae, I know."
~o~
"Umma." She greeted her mother as she walked inside the house. Her mother smiled and gestured to sit beside her.
"I'm glad you're here. I have wanted to talk to you since last week."
"Umma, if it's about the married man then don't cause I'm not seeing a married man." Her mother sighed and then smiled afterward.
"Oh thank God." The woman then turned her attention back to the T.V.
"That's it? You're not gonna ask me more questions?" She looks at her with confused eyes.
"Well I believed you, I mean, I know you're not that kind of woman, and besides, you never lie."
"Umma... where's Appa?" she asks her after a couple of minutes as she too watches the show her mother was watching.
"Backyard, he's trying to build a new dog house for Ginger."
"A new one? Again?"
"Aww, let him be, he just wants to do a new project, you can go and check on him if you like."
"Maybe I should." Her mother shooed her away as she made her way toward the backyard.
~o~
"Well, you can't blame your mother for it. I mean you never introduced anyone." Said her father as she finished explaining the truth about the whole 'dating a married man thing.'
"I know, trust me I know. I mean... I too want to have what oppa and unnie have." She mumbled slowly but her father still heard her.
"You wanna get married?" Her father put the paintbrush down and sat beside her on the bench of their backyard.
"I do. I want to settle down and have kids."
"Well, you need to find yourself a man first, before getting yourself married," the man grabbed his beer and took a sip, "You need to find 'the one', the person you will want to spend the rest of your life with," he looks at Taeyeon and saw her gazing at the twilight sky.
"I know that too Appa," she paused for a couple more minutes, as she thought of the person she wanted to be with, she couldn't help but smile as she thought of the person, and it did not go unnoticed by the old man.
"When you found the one, you'll just know it, the hesitations will disappear and all that will matter is you and him and the life you'll share together."
"Hayeon is right... well not about the married man, but about me seeing someone, I mean I'm not getting any younger after all," she looks at her father and rests her head against his shoulder, "and I think... no," she slightly shook her head, "I've found.. the one," she stated confidently.
"That's great sweetheart," he looked down at her and continued, "when is the wedding then?"
"..I.." Taeyeon sat straight, and turned her head towards the old man while crossing her arms, "I honestly don't know," she met her father's eyes for a second, before looking away.
"Sweety, you do know that we need to meet him first before the wedding right?"
Taeyeon smiled at him as she stood up, "of course Appa," she looked at the back and gestured for him to get inside the house, "it's getting chilly, we should get inside, don't want you to catch a cold."
"You go ahead, I'll clean up first." He gestured to the mess, Taeyeon gave a nod before she started walking.
"Taeyeon?"
"Hmmm?"
"Stay for dinner?" asks the old man as he stands up, facing her daughter.
"Of course."
~o~
The sound of running water stopped, Taeyeon closed the book she was reading and waited for the other person to come out of the bathroom.
"Hey, I thought you were sleeping already," said Tiffany as she dried her hair using a towel while walking near the bed.
"I was waiting for you," she put the book on her bedside table and stared at her partner.
"What's wrong?" Once done with her hair, Tiffany puts the towel down and makes her way to her side of the bed.
"Nothing, just... you look so beautiful," said Taeyeon admiring her lovers' beauty.
"I know," she chuckled and kissed her lips, "anything else?"
"I... I wanna get married?"
"Is that... a question or a statement?" Tiffany holds her hand and looks at her intently.
"You do know that... I want us... to be together for a long long looooong time right?"
"Yes," answered Tiffany with a smile. "Of course Tae."
"I... I had a talk with Appa, and it made me realize that I want to get married, settle down, and have kids. Have a family of my own, you and me."
"What did your father say?"
"He said that if I found the one then... I should go for it."
"Wow, I was not expecting to hear you talk about marriage." Tiffany said all honestly, she and Taeyeon have been together for about six years, after all, she too feels that Taeyeon is her 'the one' but the talk about marriage was still something that they barely discussed, after all, same-sex marriage isn't legal in Korea, it's a taboo. Taeyeon's family still has no idea about her and Taeyeon's real status and their daughters' gender preference. And so to hear her partner talk about marriage was quite surprising not only for her but so for Taeyeon.
"I know. Believe me, I was surprised with myself too, but.... I want what my parents have and what Jiwoong and unnie have too. I want that for myself, for us." she looked at her sincerely and smiled with her chin dimple.
"I want that too," Tiffany concluded. "I want... a house and kids... with you."
"So... you'll marry me?" She shyly asks, "I know, it's not romantic, it's not cheesy and I don't even have a ring with me but—" Tiffany kissed her, stopping her from her mumbling words.
"I honestly imagined you proposing to me after sex." She breathed out after the kiss and admitted it with her cheeks turning red.
"What?" Tiffany's honest answer surprised her. Both her eyes and mouth widen after hearing it.
"Haha. I would definitely say yes, especially with your whole 'after-sex look.'"
"Fany!" She whines a little, making her lover laugh.
"What?" She let out a giggle after seeing her pout, "Tae we're not like any normal couple out there, I mean, sex-wise, yeah we are different," she nodded agreeing to that part, then continued her remarks, "but, I'd like to think that we're not like the other couples who are so into being too cliché and all, we're not that kind of couple. So I'm okay with this kind of proposal, and I like it," she leaned down and kissed her again, slightly biting Taeyeon's lower lip, which made the woman moan a little.
"So you're telling me that, if I ask you later after sex.... you'll like it even.... more?"
"Yes. Definitely. But I like this too, I like it that we're in bed and just talking. I like it."
"I like it too." She grinned, liking how comfortable they are with each other.
"Wanna celebrate?" She bit her lower lip, with a naughty smirk on her face.
"Yes please."
~o~
Originally posted on my AFF account.