our song is the slamming screen door

sneakin' out late, tapping on your window

“Ba-Taemoo? What are you doing here?” Her cheeks burned at the way his lips curved up into a smirk — he most definitely caught onto her slip up — and whispered, “It’s past midnight. I thought you were staying with your grandfather- mmf!”

Taemoo lightly pressed his index finger against her lips, carefully pushing them back into the apartment before looking into her eyes. “I missed you,” he said with a nonchalant shrug, kicking the front door shut simultaneously. “Grandfather has been bothering me about the blind dates all night so I excused myself for the night and snuck out to see you.”

Hari was sure her skin was at least two shades of pink darker. Maybe strawberry red even. “You risked getting caught — in trouble — for me?” His cheeks seemed to take a light red tint, and Hari couldn’t help but pout and wrap her arms around him. The smile on her face grew as he squeezed her back, resting his head on top of hers. It was like he was a giant teddy bear and she was so small in comparison.

She loved that feeling more than anything else, really, but she’d never admit that to him.

“I did,” he admitted and pressed a gentle kiss onto her forehead. “Like I said, I missed you.”

Hari grinned and tugged him towards the kitchen. Sometimes, she wished he weren’t rich and famous and they could have genuine dates in public without being scared of blowing their cover, but nothing could beat the sight of Taemoo — her boyfriend! — searching for a bag of popcorn with a confused expression. She found it adorable how his lips pushed out slightly and his eyebrows knit together when he couldn’t figure something out.

She giggled softly as he opened what was probably the fifteenth drawer. “You would think after dating me for awhile you would know your way around here,” she said in a teasing tone as she went on her tippy toes to open a cabinet. “It’s in, uh, that one,” she said with a groan.

Curse her short genes.

She heard Taemoo chuckle from behind her and couldn’t help but flush again, heat rushing to her cheeks. Was it getting hot in here?

“No, the air conditioning’s on.”

Oh. Her skin felt like it was burning now, and Hari was sure her skin was just as red as the bag the popcorn was in. “Did I say that out loud?”

Taemoo smirked. “Do you need a lift?”

She took that as a yes. “Perhaps. What do you think, Mister Knight in shining armor?” Hari booped his nose gently and held back the urge to coo gently at the way his eyes crossed to look at her finger. 

What she didn’t expect was for him to lift her up with one arm, open the cabinet with the other, grab the paper-like bag of popcorn — she had made it earlier in the day, thankfully — and run towards her bedroom. She would’ve lied if she said it hadn’t been slightly exhilarating, especially when he dropped her onto the comfy cushioning of her bed without any warning. 

His hands framed her in a sense, resting on both sides of her head, and her breath caught in her throat as their eyes locked. This man was so, so, so beautiful, and Hari really was in denial that he was all hers — strings attached. There was no way she was that lucky. 

“You know,” his deep voice cut her out of her mini daydream, “I think we could do something.. else, rather than watch a movie.”

The corner of her smile lifted up and she couldn’t help the flirty tone that laced her words. “Oh yeah? What something else?” She dragged her hand down his button up, kissing away the small droplet of sweat falling down his forehead. “I think I need a more in depth explanation.”

Their faces were inches away now, and Hari couldn’t help but notice the way his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. “Oh, really? Well, we can’t have the love of my life being confused about our special activity. You know, she’s quite precious to me.”

She winked. “She’s probably really pretty, isn’t she?”

“Prettier than me, that’s for sure,” he said smoothly and captured her lips with his. His lips were soft — as they always were — and sweet. They tasted subtly like espresso and vanilla, and Hari couldn’t resist the urge to kiss him over and over again. They fit perfectly, like two pieces of a puzzle, and she loved that more than she could express in words. There were not enough words in any language to express the love she felt for him.

As they pulled away briefly, Hari couldn’t help but gasp. “Y-Your.. your lips-”

Taemoo brushed his thumb against his bottom lip and a red tint appeared on his skin. His eyes flickered to Hari’s lips — lipstick all smeared on her lips — and smirked. “Could you get the lipstick you used today, baby?”

Her cheeks felt almost feverish at the nickname — she honestly had liked it when he had called her that constantly when pretending to be her boyfriend — but held herself together as she nodded and got up to retrieve it. The tube was standing upright near her sink and she handed it to him. 

She, however, did not expect for him to open the tube, gently cup her face, and apply the lipstick to her lips again. She was sure the pigment of the makeup matched her skin in the moment, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. He tapped the side of his cheek with a small smile and she grinned, planting a kiss onto his cheek.

“Now everyone will know who owns my heart,” he said proudly, and Hari couldn’t help but laugh and shake her head,

He was so cute.

“What if it washes off before work tomorrow?” She asked genuinely. Lipstick prints didn’t last that long, right?

“Then you’ll kiss me again, perhaps on the lips this time?” He wiggled his eyebrows, and Hari’s heart skipped a beat at how carefree he was. 

“Of course, of course,” she said honestly, a big smile on her face as she wrapped her arms and legs around him. “What color?”

“Red.” 

And, as promised, Kang Taemoo walked into GoFood the next day proudly, with a red lipstick kiss mark on his right cheek.

i’ve heard every album, listened to the radio

waited for something to come along

that was as good as our song

oh, i remember you driving to my house

in the middle of the night

Taemoo knew he shouldn’t have been surprised by the fact that his grandfather had started yet another argument, especially since it was about his parents. The two of them really hadn’t been getting along very well together for the past couple of months, but today had been the worst.

Tears threatened to stream down his face as he nearly slammed his head against the steering wheel. The self deprecating thoughts reentered his mind and he couldn’t stop the bulge in his throat from growing.

“You’ll never be good enough for this family”, his grandfather had said before he had left. “You were the reason why your parents passed away, and you are the reason they’re not here today. You should be ashamed of yourself for having the nerve to stand here.”

And to think his grandfather was the one who saved him from dying himself.

He exhaled and took out his phone out of his pocket, swallowing another gulp of air as he unlocked it and opened the messages app. He knew she was probably asleep, but it was worth a shot, right?

taemoo today at 2:32am

are you awake?

Surprisingly, she responded within seconds. Was she doing homework? He wouldn’t be surprised if she was. Out of the two of them, Hari had always been the smarter one, whereas he’d always been more interested in sports, like her younger brother Hamin. The two of them were on the boys track team at their school, so whenever they had practices, Hari would do her homework on the bleachers. 

They were in very different cliques, but they had been friends since they were in Ms. Park’s Cooking Class for Kids together all the way when they were three years old, and he didn’t plan on stopping now. Hari was his rock, his best friend, his everything. He would be nothing without her.

hari today at 2:33am

yeah. working on a chem assignment for ms kim

why whats up?? is everything ok??

taemoo???

what happened do i need to come get u

hamin’s at a sleepover i can do whatever i want

He chuckled and responded to her messages with a fond expression.

taemoo today at 2:35am

sorry. lost my train of thought.

what about your parents?

hari today at 2:35am

i saw that topic change

they’re at some chicken convention this entire week

something about getting new ideas for the shop

lowkey very glad we don’t live on top of the store anymore

that would be awful

taemoo today at 2:37am

if it’s not a hassle, i’d like to come over

grandfather and i had an argument 

hari today at 2:37am

i see

i’ll come down and unlock the door when u get here :)

taemoo today at 2:38am

you’re the best you know that

hari today at 2:38am

i try <3

taemoo today at 2:38am

<3

i'm the one who makes you laugh

when you know you're 'bout to cry

Taemoo couldn’t help but feel guilty as he pressed the doorbell and the door immediately opened, revealing a visibly tired Hari. Had he woken her up? Was the chemistry homework a cover up? Was she lying to him too?

“Taemoo?” His head snapped back to hers, her big brown eyes flooded with concern. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

Suddenly it felt as though his throat had closed up and his mouth was glued shut. He had never been an emotional personal in his life ever, minus when his parents passed away, but in that moment, staring in Hari’s eyes, he couldn’t help but let the burning sensation he had been holding back for so long let go. It felt almost soothing for the tears to finally streak his skin.

He felt the pressure of Hari’s smaller arms wrap around him as she let him into the house, leading them into the living room. His limbs felt weak and even with her supporting him, he couldn’t help but nearly topple over as soon as his body touched the leather couch. 

“You’re going to be okay,” she whispered into his ear, repeating it like a mantra as she rubbed his back gently. “Everything’s going to be okay. I promise.”

A small part of him hoped she kept her promise and a small smile painted his face in return.

and i know your favorite songs

and you tell me 'bout your dreams

think i know where you belong

think i know it's with me

“Do you want to distract yourself?”

Taemoo blinked. He and Hari had been cuddling — platonically, or whatever that was — for nearly an hour, and he was so close to falling asleep right then and there. “Distract myself with what?”

She ran her fingers through his hair gently, and a warm feeling burned in his cheeks. What? “We could sing to some songs. It’s bad luck to sleep at three in the morning, anyways, so we can karaoke until, like, four or something. It’ll be fun!”

He grasped her left hand gently, pressing a kiss onto the back of it, completely oblivious to the way her cheeks turned a bright shade of pink. “That sounds fun. What songs do you have in mind?”

Her smile definitely mirrored his as she slowly lifted him off of her and extended her hand out. “Can't you see that I'm the one who understands you?”

He bit back a chuckle at her obvious adoration for Taylor Swift and let her lift him up. “Been here all along, so, why can't you see? You belong with me,” he sang quietly, extending the last vowel.

“Standing by and waiting at your backdoor, all this time how could you not know, baby?” Her eyes lingered on his for a beat longer, and Taemoo swallowed. He couldn’t deny it much longer, could he?

“You belong with me, have you ever thought just maybe,” she sang sweetly, and he couldn’t help but watch the way her lips moved. So sweet, so pink, so cute, so kissable.

“You belong with me? You belong with me.” Their faces were so close to each other as they finished out together, and he couldn’t help the words that came out of him next.

“Would it be awkward if I told you that I really want to kiss you right now?”

If anything, he didn’t expect the subtle smirk plastered on Hari’s face — she was so attractive — as she replied, “Would it be awkward if I kissed you right back?”

His smile lifted up and he couldn’t help but laugh. “Would you like to find out?”