like a flashlight.

“hey! i’m always well-behaved! in fact, i think i’m the most well-behaved person you’ll ever meet. and that, my sojung, is a fact.” he grimaces slightly at the cheek pull, jutting his lip out in a childish pout before continuing his rather compelling argument. “besides, i think with me bringing you leftovers and offering to cook for tonight, i really deserve it, don’t you think?”

if there was anything he wish he could do, it was to be able to have the power to find sojung a better internship, at the very least. he had remembered how excited she was when she had landed the spot, dreaming of better things and learning skills that would prepare her for whatever her future held. but instead, she came home miserable and exhausted, telling stories of how all they made her do was run tedious errands. that wasn’t how internships should have worked. they should train and teach, help interns learn about potential skills they would need for their future careers. but sojung was strong, and seungcheol was proud that she at least got this far. “hey, maybe they’ll realize one day that they’re wasting their errands on you and actually give you something to do besides getting coffee. hang in there, yeah? or maybe, you’ll find another internship?” seungcheol makes sure that he checks around them first before clearing her frown off with a quick kiss. 

when they finally reach her apartment, it feels like his own place. it practically was anyways. he had taken residence at sojung’s apartment more often than he did at his own place. but who could blame him when he’d rather spend time with his girlfriend than his rather loud and sloppy friend. “so, nap first or food first? what’s the lady’s choice?”

“but also knowing your cooking skills, you might burn my kitchen down so we’ll see at the end of the night if you really deserve that shoulder rub,” she states before gently patting the other’s head. he probably deserved a shoulder rub as much as she did, and she will most likely be giving it to him, but it’s never fun to simply give in.

as soon as she walks into her apartment, she goes straight to her sofa, plopping down onto her back and letting out a groan. her shoes hurt from the heels she’d been wearing all day, and all she really wanted was to nap, but then the meat would get super dry, and she didn’t want that either. “food, please.” sitting up, she leans onto the back of the couch, looking up at seungcheol with puppy dog eyes, a sign for him to hurry into the kitchen and feed her something before she knocks out.

he knows that the frown she’s giving him is just a facade, that beneath the downward curve is someone who’s more than willing to give in to the idea of half a day filled with relaxation and fresh meat. so when she drops the act, gives him that smile he always loved, and taps his nose with a bit of childishness, he knows that he’s won. “knew you could never resist the temptation of meat. i should bring this up more so you can always say yes.” 

his arm drops from her side, only to scoop her hand in his. their fingers intertwine and he walks them towards the bus station, humming softly in content at the idea of home. 

( because for seungcheol, home was wherever sojung was. home was and always would be sojung. )

“work…work seemed to be a lot more hectic today. aren’t people supposed to be busy on thursdays? you know, with their work and trying to head home to beat traffic? someone needs to explain to me why there were loads of people at the restaurant today. i feel exhausted. you know, i think i feel so exhausted i need a shoulder rub?” he pouts, glances over at her and tries to send telepathic signals through his eyes. but he knows that he’ll probably be met with a scoff, an eye roll, and something along the lines of ‘you’ll live.’ not that he minded much, seungcheol just thought he’d give it a try. “as for the main chef……we don’t speak of him. he’s old and married and still tries to flirt with customers! he thinks that he’s charming the hearts of, and i quote, lovely ladies. but they’re only smiling at him to be polite and so he won’t spit in their food.” the way he spoke about work made it sound like he hated it. but seungcheol loved working, it was just the few things that made it exceptionally stressful.

“enough about me for a moment. how about you? are your supervisors still making you run around for the smallest things? should i bribe them with meat so they’ll give you a break?” 

she could spend hours simply listening to him complain about work. the way his nose would scrunch up whenever he whined about his boss or that pouty face he puts on when he talks about how the food got on his shirt once again. there was something about a whiny seungcheol that simply made her smile. 

“a shoulder rub?” she raises a brow before lightly pinching the other’s cheek. “maybe if you behave well tonight.” maybe it’s the smell of overly burnt meat or just the idea of relaxing back at home, but she’s feeling a little nicer than usual. sojung can’t help but chuckle at the crazy story of her boyfriend’s main chef. she’s met quite the array of people herself through her internships and tutoring jobs, but this man really sounded like something. 

“it’s the same old for me as well. coffee runs, making copies, making sure there’s enough sugar packets and all that jazz, but hey! at least i’m getting some kind of experience for my future resume.” she tried to remain positive, but her internship was truly hell. “you know, i’m pretty sure i signed up for an internship at an interior design company, not some maid job.” her lips pursed together as she looked up at her boyfriend, a look of disappointment clear on her face. 

rather than getting a text back, his messages are met with a tap on the shoulder. he’s ready to apologize, bow deeply until his forehead hit his knees. he didn’t want to uphold a bad reputation in front of his girlfriend’s supervisors (not that he had one to begin with anyways). but much to his pleasure, he comes face-to-face with a frowny sojung, who’s quick to give him the same smile he remembers falling for. “i know, i know. it just felt like forever before your shift was over. and besides, i’ve got a little treat for you.”

he holds up the bag of meat and shakes it gently, grin growing wider and brows wiggling. “we had a lot left over today and i figured i’d snag some of your favorites. we can go back to one of our places and just relax for the rest of the day! besides, i think we both owe it to ourselves to have one day of break, huh?” he doesn’t have to wait for her to say anything because he knows she can’t say no to meat and having a whole day to be lazy. he gently bumps his hips against hers before lightly wrapping his arm around her waist, grin never seeming to fade. 

“and if that can’t win you over, i’ll even cook the meat for you. all you have to do is just sit there and enjoy. so? how about it?”

she wants to pretend like she’s still upset at him, but then the stupid grin on his face as well as the smell of some of her favorite leftovers has her melting, and she can’t help but roll her eyes while letting out a soft chuckle. when had she become such a softie? before meeting seungcheol, she was infamous as the silent, rough, always first in class choi sojung. but now, that image had completely shattered, and she was the silly, five year-old that loved biting her boyfriend’s shoulders (they were nice, okay?).

“alright. i’ll let it go, but just this once!” as if to emphasize her point, she holds up her finger and points it at him, her lips slightly pursed as she continued to try to look mad. however, his smile only grows wider, and soon a similar one is growing on her own face as she boops his nose with the same finger. 

( ▲ : calling for @kalcidoscopic· !! )

work was always tiring, to say the least. but seungcheol could never find it in his heart to complain. he was blessed with a part time job that covered a good portion of his tuition and rent sometimes, and at least he had something to keep him fed. but today had felt like an extreme exception. the meat restaurant was jam-packed with customers today, for some odd reason. there was no special occasion, and it was thursday afternoon for crying out loud! he had found himself scurrying back and forth between tables, body arched in uncomfortable angles to avoid colliding with other bodies. by the end of his shift, he had smelled like burnt meat and exhaustion. the only good thing about all of this was the generous amount of leftovers he was given if he worked hard enough. 

with his shift ending early, seungcheol figured he could take the time to surprise his girlfriend. a few bus stops later and he found himself perched outside sojung’s work place, hands gripped around the plastic bag and eyes constantly checking over his shoulders. he had been contemplating for a good few minutes on whether texting her would have been a good idea, but sojung never would have checked her phone until her own shift ended. that and, he just wanted to see the look on her face when he told her that he scored some of her favorite meat (aside from himself, he’d gladly like to think). 

there were only ten minutes left, but the ten minutes felt like they were being dragged out for too long.

｡ ➟ text message / long legs 」

4:50 PM hypothetically speaking, would you be up for just a lazy day? 4:50 PM y’know, just kicking back and eating and watching tv for the rest of the day 4:50 PM and you can complain about how shitty internship is to me 4:51 PM literally just that 4:55 PM kim sojung, why aren’t you replying  4:56 PM I CAN SEE YOU’RE READING MY MESSAGES 

juggling this internship, tutoring jobs, and her grades all at once has proven to be a struggle even for the almighty kim sojung. the female had grown up living like any other hardworking student: cram schools, extracurricular activities, volunteer work, etc. anything one could name, she has probably done before. her parents weren’t exactly the pushy type, but she always knew they had high expectations for her. the silence they gave her was even more pressure than actual nagging. and despite having lived away from home and on her own (well, partially on her own) for years now, she still struggled to be completely independent as her rent was coming up soon, and she was falling short. it’s not like internships even paid; she was giving up her time in order to gain the experience. the opportunity cost of doing this internship sounded like a good idea at first, but now she’s not too sure how to feel about it.

thankfully, the higher ups have actually decided to go home for the night which meant she was free to go as well. politely bowing to each and single worker, she waited for them to all leave before turning off the lights in the office and proceeding to leave as well. while she tried her best to ignore it, she realized that her phone had been vibrating for a while now, and she already knew who it would be.