sechssstan

To be honest, you had no interest in knowing Jiwon personally. This was because 1. you are only partnering with him for one project, 2. you doubt you would have anything in common with the rapper.

As faith would have it, the day he stepped into the meeting room, you were lying if you said you weren’t slightly attracted to him. 

The way he showed up in his most natural state, with his hoodie and sweatpants that fits him so well. How he greeted everyone in the room personally and took the time to learn everyone’s name. 

”Jiwon, nice to see you an hour late,” someone said, probably your client. 

”You didn’t specify which timezone. I’m on time in Hongkong”, you watch him joke as he took a whirl on his chair. 

You looked at his direction again and snickered but quickly kept quiet when you read the room. 

This, however, didn’t go unnoticed by Jiwon. He looked at you, before sipping on his iced coffee and focusing on the proposals spread in front of him. 

The meeting ended and he sat around as he waited for his manager. Everyone left and you were cleaning things up. He looks at you, hesitated, but then decided to just go for it.

He coughs, “hey, do you play Mobile Legends?”

You looked up and then around to see if he was talking to you, “I don’t, sorry!”

He clicks his tongue, “oh that’s too bad, could use a team mate,”

You nodded and continued packing. You noticed from your peripheral, you see him resting his head on the table, tapping the table anxiously. You weren’t too sure what came over you, “I have the app though, if you still need a team mate,”

You saw him turned so fast, you were sure he may have gotten a whiplash. 

“Okay nice, let me send you an invite!”, he quips. “Wait, what’s your number?”

Smooth

So, that was how the two of you are now at the edge of your seats, fighting a battle, killing enemies as you two got over excited. Both of you didn’t even notice Jiwon’s manager coming in.

“Jiwon, we got to go now!”, his manager hollered. 

None of you reply, focusing on the game that the two of you were almost losing. 

“Jiwon, schedule in half an hour!”, his manager nagged. 

“OMG OKAY!” the both of you shouted, surprising yourselves and his manager. 

The game finally ended with your team losing and you both finally heaved a sigh of relief. 

“Good game,” he said, smiling at you

“Good game,” you replied. Jiwon took his belongings and left and you continued packing up.

The comeback approaches close and your team were having meetings nonstop. It was tiring, exhausting and you decided to go for a coffee run. You sat by the window as you waited for your order. 

Your phone dinged and you see a text from Jiwon.

“LOOK OUTSIDE!” you read.

You did, and you see Jiwon waving across in his favourite black hoodie. Your eyes followed him as he walked into the cafe. He naturally took a seat at the empty seat in front of you. 

“Fancy seeing you here,” you quipped. 

“Yeah well, meeting was boring,”

The two of you got to talking. It was definitely out of your character to click with anyone this fast. Let alone a celebrity. There was something comfortable about Jiwon. The way when you both talk. it’s never about work. It was almost the most random subject. Like, would you rather on the moon or Jupiter. 

It’ll be a lot to say your coffee run had to end so quick. Your supervisor called and you had to lie and say the queue was crazy long. 

“I gotta go! Nice talking to you!”, you hurried, with the many cups of coffee you had to carry back. 

JIwon looked at you for a short while, shoved his belongings into his pocket “wait, I’ll help you! I forgot I left my keys at the practice room!”

You looked at him inquisitively, but thankful because you were sure to spill at least one cup. Also, because this meant that you have more time to talk to him. 

The walk back to the office was delightful. You like the random banters and the fact that you managed to convinced him how disgusting cheesecakes were. 

“It’s mushy and.. it’s cold.. I won’t stop till you admit that it’s horrid.,”

"Fine,”

You opened the door to your meeting room. You entered and distributed the coffees to everyone with Jiwon behind you handing over the cups. 

“Thank you!”, you said.

“Yeah, no problem, I left something anyways,”

“Mobile Legends later like we planned just now?”

He opened his mouth, “oh hell yes!”

You waved at him and he took his cue to leave. You sat at your seat and watched him leave. You saw Jiwon turning right to the lift. You were sure, the practice room was to the left.

“Trust me!”, you said, eyes locked on his, as you hoped that he would take the bait. 

His eyes shifted and you see the uncertainty painted on his eyes, the what ifs he played on his mind. You see him looking on the table, thinking hard, before looking back at you. You see the gaze on his eyes slowly soften. 

“So???”, you asked.

Suwon took a deep breath, “okay but, if we get caught I’m blaming you!”

You threw your fist into the air as you stomped your feet in delight. This earned you a small smile from Suwon. You saw him clasping his hands warily and you grabbed it. You dragged him to the couch and made him sit first. 

“Okay but first, you got to take off your blazer,” you whispered, “we don’t want it to get stained,” you added.

Suwon looked up to you, to his white blazer and then slowly start to take off the clothes. You flashed him a smile. 

You finally sat beside him, “okay but, we gotta be quiet too. We can’t let the members know, especially not Jiwon!”

Suwon raised his brows as he nodded his head in an agreement, “fair enough,”

Suwon looked around again, “well, do you think we should off the lights too?”

You looked up, “right, so they won’t notice us here!”, you replied, tapping his thighs excitedly. 

Perfect! you thought. 

You grabbed yours and handed Suwon his portion. He reached for the chopsticks and broke it apart with a loud snap, “sshhh!”

He bowed his head.

“Remember. eat quietly and quickly!”, you reminded him again. 

He nodded. 

“Ready? 1..2..3.. GO!”, you shouted silently, or so you thought. 

The both of you started picking up the noodles and slurped appetisingly. The room was filled with the smell of the jajjangmyeon, the only noise resonating through the room was the sound of you two eating it with gusto. 

As the two of you were in your bliss, the door swung open and Jiwon burst in. “YOU LITTLE SHITS!”

Both of you stopped slurping and looked up, noodles hanging off your mouth, your bodies paralysed with shock like deers caught in a headlight. 

“WE WERE SUPPOSED TO EAT TOGETHER!”, Jiwon rumbled. 

You choked on your noodle and Suwon immediately stood up, wiping his mouth to erase any trace of evidence. 

“Hyung, I swear it’s not my fault, she coerced me to do it!”, Suwon defended. Jiwon lightly smacked the back of his neck. 

Jaeduck let out a laugh as he passed you a bottle of water. “Were you that hungry?”

You just nodded your head. 

“Why did you have two sneak around? We could have just ended the meeting earlier!”, Jiwon argued. 

You looked to Suwon and he looked at you as he tried his best to stifle a smile. You heard Jiwon nagging about loyalty, about how devastated he was that you two ate without him and some other thing which you selectively decide not to pay attention too. 

“Fine, take a seat, let’s eat together,” you answered as you took his bowl placing it opposite yours along with the cutleries. 

Jiwon and Jaeduck took a seat and Jiwon continue talking on and on about betrayal.

“Hyung, this is why we chose to eat in secret,” he sighed. 

Jiwon kept quiet for a second, before smacking Suwon’s back and continued with his nagging. 

Both of you shook your head, laughing at his antics. You opened a bottle of water and gently passed it to Suwon as you motioned him to drink up. 

You never knew how high someone’s walls are not until you try to become closer than them. Was there a reason why he’s hard to become closer with? It feels like a never ending climb in your efforts to get closer to Jiwon. 

“I got you coffee!”, you pipe as you place the cup of americano in front of him. 

Jiwon looks up to you, “thanks, but I just drank one before coming here,”, he says before passing you back the cup. 

You bit your lips and took the cup. “How was your week?”, you then asked.

Jiwon scratched his brows, “tiring,”

You nodded your head and sipped on your latte. After a few more questions and replies from Jiwon, the date ended.

“Should we tell our parents the date went well?”, he asks while you both walked out of the cafe. 

You sighed quietly, “that’s a good plan,”, you reply.

Jiwon nods in agreement and looks at his watch, “so I’ll meet you again on the 24th?”

You looked at the passing cars, “yeah 24th,”

Jiwon looks at you again, and tap your shoulders before heading his direction. 

You walked on the path, in your own thoughts. You wondered if you should just tell your parents the truth? They probably would be disappointed, but it’s better than living a lie right? You wondered why you said yes to getting set up by both yours and Jiwons’ parents. Why did he even agree to it? The Jiwon you knew back then is not the same Jiwon now. 

The first time you met Jiwon, you were too excited. It’s been so long and you couldn’t wait to catch up with him and his life. You met him at a small neighbourhood cafe. He arrived, looking all dapper and suave. The Jiwon you played with at the playground has grown up and it feels like you were meeting someone new. 

You asked him about his life in Hawaii and he briefly answered. You then asked him about his life, what he has been up to and his feelings on the reunion of his band. Even then, Jiwon only gave you a brief reply. You tried, tried hard to not be disappointed. You weren’t expecting anything, but it was as if Jiwon was forced to be here. When it ended, he said goodbye to you and headed his way just like he did today. 

You recalled how excited you were when your parents asked if you want to go meet Jiwon. 

“Jiwon? As in Jiwon from our Yeouido house back then?”, you asked, hiding your excitement

Your mum nodded while holding the phone against her ear, “So?”, she asks again. 

You pondered for a while, mentally weighing the pros and cons. It’s Jiwon? Yeah but, too many years passed? You argued back and forth with yourself. 

“Okay why not?”, you replied. Little did you realise the long road ahead.

The next day, you stared at your phone. You re read the text you typed before sending it to Jiwon. “Heyyy, it’s comeback day! All the best and make sure you eat well before! We will be watching from our home!”. Send.

You stared at your phone. 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 1 hour. 2 hours. Finally a reply. You opened it and read, “thanks,”. You grunted and tossed your phone aside, earning looks from your parents. 

The door of your house rang and your mum went to open the door. You hear the lively voice and the deep laughter resonating. You immediately stood up and got ready to greet them.

“Hello aunty! Uncle!”, you greeted them. Jiwon’s mum immediately hugged you as she pat your back wildly. 

“Look at you, my future daughter in law,”, she teases. Jiwon’s dad laughed at his wife as he took his seat beside your dad. You prepared drinks and snacks for them. 

“Hubby look at our daughter in law,” she tease again. You smiled, thinking hard on how you are going to break the news to them. 

The five of you watched the live streaming of Jiwon’s performance. You looked at the screen interestingly. You unknowingly smiled as you think about how he is this charismatic and suave on stage but awkward and close off in real life. You looked again, picking up on how he smooth he was dancing with the female back up dancers, but barely speak to you. 

It hit you, maybe you are trying to relive your past. 7 years old Jiwon and you may be best friends but time change people. Maybe it’s time you move on. 

“Is it okay if Jiwon joins for dinner?”, his mum asked. Your ears perked and you thought that it’ll be a good idea to break the news then. You see your mum lightly smacking Jiwon’s mum. 

“Of course it’s okay, no need to ask!”, you heard your mum reply. 

Your mum send you out to get some stuff. Your phone ringed and you answered, “once you are done, call Jiwon. He’ll pick you up!”, your mum says. You wanted to refute but she ended the call before you could even say anything.  

You entered the mart and look for the stuff. You searched hard for your mother’s favourite brand of sauce and found it, only to realise it’s high up the shelf. You tried to tip toe but still couldn’t reach. You felt someone standing close behind your back and was ready to roundhouse him. You turned around and see Jiwon standing, as he reached for the sauce. He smiled, taking you by surprise.

“What are you doing here?”, you half screamed.

“My mum asked me to check up on you and pick you up,” he replied, imitating you.

He passed you the bottle and you thanked him, before you start walking away.  He caught up to you and walked beside you as he took the basket off your hands. You looked at him but he just continued walking.

You cough a little, “you look good today performing your song! I like the outfits and the hairstyle!”, you carefully compliment him. 

He nods his head a few times, “thanks. The hair took a while,”. 

You checked out of the mart and while you were waiting, you saw the chocolate you both loved to eat back then. He waited for you at the checkout counter. Once you were done, you head over to him and he took the bags off of you again. 

He led you to his car and you both settled in. The ride was silent, so you tried again, “umm, I have tickets to a movie next weekend? Will you be interested to go?”, you asked shyly.

He licked his lips, “I got a performance that day,”, he says, eyes looking on the road, You softly sigh and look out the windows. This isn’t going anywhere, you thought.

After what felt like forever, you finally reached the carpark of your house. He pulled the handbrakes and before he exited, “Let’s not continue this anymore,” you mumbled, looking down. 

Jiwon shot you a confused look, “us. We shouldn’t have agreed to be set up by our parents,” you continued.

Jiwon pursed his lips tightly. “If that’s you want,”, he replied. 

You sighed, of course he will agree, “I’m sorry for putting you through two horrible dates,”, you say as you dig into your pockets, “here’s a parting present,”, you added and passed him the chocolates you bought just now.

You saw his eyes widened, “omg this still exists?”, he beams as he took the chocolate. This was the few time you see him smile, and it slightly pains you. 

You smiled, “yeah! We ate this till we got tummy aches, Good times!”

Both of you headed for the lift. God, it was painful. “What should we say?”, you asked, trying to break the awkward air.

He kept quiet. You waited for his reply, “let’s go with we are getting busy? Or maybe, we don’t match?”. You see Jiwon going through your words. The elevator door opens and you walked out, Jiwon following suit. 

You reached for the bell and Jiwon softly grabbed your arms. You passed him a confused look. He looks up from the ground, “let’s not tell them today,” he softly mumbles.

You note the hint of sincerity in his voice and his hands still holding on to you softly, “I know the past dates were unpleasant. I just didn’t know how to talk to you. I know you think that I’m not interested in you, but I am. I want to know more about you, but I don’t know how to ask you. I get shy and nervous around you, even till now,” he says.

You felt the air thinning around you. He looks at you again. You thought quickly, “okay not today,” you replied and saw him break into a small smile. 

-very chill loving marriage tbh

-let’s be real, it’s not his first time. But for you, it is. Sometimes you have unrealistic fantasies like waking up to a trail of roses or maybe breakfast in bed, and it upsets you that Jiwon as a husband isn’t up to it. 

-but, when he comes home each time, tired, exhausted, sleepy from the work, you are the first thing he wants to see. Each time, he won’t even change out of his clothes but instead, he will go up to you and hug you so tight and kiss your forehead. 

-Jiwon isn’t the most romantic husband ever, but he fulfils his responsibility well. He never made you cried, he was there for you, he compliments you, do his part around the house.

-That’s when you realise, being married isn’t always flashy or like in dramas. He loves you in his own way, and he will continue to do so.

-A lot of lazy days. This includes netflix and chill. Gaming with him, sitting at the balcony with a cup of coffee as you both admire the sunset, just laying with him discussing deep topics. 

-H never really talks about you on TV or on his social media (hell this guy don’t ever update his ig). He wants to protect you, or at least let you live a normal life. He wants you to have your own freedom and not just be “Eun Jiwon wife”.

-But, this doesn’t mean he is embarrassed of you. When you two go out on dates, he does normal couple things. Jiwon likes going to the movies with you and he likes bringing you to new eateries and you both have your own rating system. Dates with you makes him feel normal and he enjoys every moment of it.

-When people recognise him, he would acknowledge them and also introduce you. “This is my wife,”, he would say as he gestures to you.

-His family definitely adores and loves you. You bring out the best in each other and they never seen Jiwon loved someone as much as he loved you. Sometimes, when Jiwon is busy, his mother would call you up and ask you to go out on a date with her. It could be just for lunch, or an outing the whole day. If Jiwon heard of this, he would pass you his card and tells you to spend as much as you want. 

-also, he loves loves it when you attend his concerts. His mood would soar through the roof each time. Will actively search for you and when he finally found you, he will point and wave at your direction. He likes it when you interact with the fans or team up with them to troll him or the members, it makes him the happiest.

-both of you have a special routine for after concerts. You would drive Jiwon home. When you reached home, you would draw him a bath and you would do your preparations. Burning candles, making him tea. As soon as he comes out, you would bring out the massage oil and massage him. His shoulders, his backs, arms, till he fall asleep.