Chapter Text
Chul was anxious about meeting Oh Yeon Joo’s mother. Partly due to the fact that, according to his wife, she would be picky and despite Yeon Joo’s assurances that her mother wouldn’t be so bad due to the fact that he’s a soulmate and not just a random guy, Chul still worried that she wouldn’t approve of him.
Yeon Joo had, of course, felt his anxiety and was currently gently massaging his soulmate mark to relax him during the taxi ride to her home.
Are you nervous too , he inquired mentally, looking over at her.
Chul was mostly asking in order to find out how she was doing as an added distraction because he either couldn’t feel her own anxiety as it had mixed with his or couldn’t sense anything past his anxiety.
Of course , she answered gently, this is my first time bringing someone over to meet her and get her approval.
Chul nodded, then gently kissed her on the cheek, being careful not to move in a way that would cause her to have to stop her attention on his mark.
“I’ll do my best to be my most charming,” he told her, joking only a little to try to alleviate their nerves.
****
“If you don’t mind me asking, can I see your soulmate mark? I just want proof.”
Chul was a little surprised at this question from Oh Yeon Joo’s mother, but he readily obliged, showing her his soulmate mark on his wrist.
Yeon Joo readily presented hers as well, unbidden.
The fact that they matched seemed to satisfy her to some degree, which relieved Chul just a little bit, though he was certain that he was by no means out of the woods quite yet.
“What is your profession?”
“Oh, uh,” Chul instinctively fished his wallet out of his pants’ pocket and brought out one of his business cards from it before handing it to her, “here you go.”
He watched as her eyebrows shot up upon reading the contents of his business card, before looking up in order to to eye both him and Yeon Joo quizzically.
“How did you two meet?”
Chul realized at that precise moment that this was probably something that he and Yeon Joo should have talked about — a cover story of events.
“Oh Yeon Joo saved my life two months ago after a mugging incident where the culprit stabbed me,” Chul explained, quickly coming up with a cover story that would potentially explain any possible references they might make about how they met.
“I thought you two found each other recently? Surely you would have had to recover from your injuries.”
“No eomma, when I said that I meant that the relationship had developed recently,” Yeon Joo leapt in to clarify.
“We didn’t know we were soulmates at first, I never got her name and she hadn’t gotten mine,” Chul chuckled, “for all I knew, the name on me belonged to one of the nurses.”
“So how did you two find each other again?”
“We bumped into each other at the hospital after I got discharged,” Chul informed her, “I wanted to thank her for saving my life, so I took her out on a date.”
“If you don’t mind me asking… are you fully-bonded with her?”
Chul couldn’t tell if Yeon Joo’s mother was hoping that he had or hoping that they hadn’t, but he knew that Yeon Joo wanted to tell her.
“Yes, I am,” he answered, smiling affectionately as he looked at Yeon Joo, who smiled back as she gazed up at him.
To Chul’s surprise, Yeon Joo’s mother let out a sigh of relief, “I’m glad. She’s always wanted that.”
“I know,” he replied, smiling warmly, grateful for the fact that she seemed to accept him and was happy that Yeon Joo had finally found what she had wanted.
It was a stark contrast to how the Cartoonist had responded, though Chul supposed that it was inevitable that he would be against it.
“Eomma,” Yeon Joo began, her voice sounding tentative to Chul’s ears, “he’s been experiencing bondsickness. Would it be alright if he stayed with us?”
Yeon Joo’s mother eyed them both suspiciously, in a way which made Chul certain she would end up declining the request, causing fear to blossom in his chest and begin to spread. A fear he knew his wife could feel because she lightly squeezed his hand reassuringly.
“Fine. But he sleeps on the couch.”
Yeon Joo released his hand and wrapped her arms around her mother in a hug, “Thank you eomma!”
“Don’t make me regret it,” she warned, mostly eyeing Chul.
“Don’t worry eommanim, I won’t do anything to make you regret it,” he assured her.
Yeon Joo detached from her mother and came back over to him, wrapping an arm behind his back in a one-armed embrace.
Chul smiled and put his arm around her as well, kissing her gently on the top of her head out of habit.
He couldn’t be sure, but he thought that he heard a sigh come from her mother, though when he looked over at her, her facial expression did not indicate that such a sound came from her.
“Aigoo, aigoo, did Yeon Joo finally get a boyfriend,” a new voice cooed, “he’s handsome.”
Though Chul didn’t recognize the voice, he knew instantly that this must be Yeon Joo’s aunt. This was based solely on the fact that she had commented on his looks.
Chul remembered that Yeon Joo had told him that that was all her aunt cared about when it came to men, so he supposed that since she called him handsome he was already in her aunt’s good graces.
He smiled and bowed respectfully, “I’m her soulmate.”
“Aigoo, that’s even better than just a boyfriend,” Yeon Joo’s aunt said, seeming to be delighted at this fact, “come, sit down.”
She grabbed hold of his right arm by the wrist and lead him over to the couch.
Yeon Joo’s aunt then proceeded to praise his good looks so profusely as to make him feel a bit uncomfortable, despite the fact that he had plenty of experience in his world being called handsome.
He remained polite and kind, though he couldn’t shake the feeling of discomfort, which seemed to only be growing in intensity. Something about this was different and a bit foreign, Chul suspected it was because he hadn’t had this sort of familial attention in a very long time.
He’d never had a doting aunt or grandmother as both of his grandparents had passed away before he had been born and both of his parents were the only child in their respective families.
Are you okay? Do you need me to save you? Yeon Joo suddenly inquired, having apparently picked up on his slight discomfort.
I don’t know? Chul answered, honestly unsure why he was like this, Is there something wrong with me? I’ve never had this problem before.
Let me come over and sit with you, maybe that will help, Yeon Joo suggested and he looked over to watch her as she walked over and sat beside him.
“Imo,” Yeon Joo began, sounding slightly alarmed, “Imo, you’re touching his soulmate mark.”
His hand and wrist were instantly let go of, as if they were on fire and Yeon Joo’s aunt began to apologize to him profusely.
“Aigoo, I’m so sorry! I didn’t know it was there. You should have said something!”
“Oh, it’s okay. I, uh, didn’t realize you were touching it,” he replied, flustered and confused.
Chul looked over at Yeon Joo, asking with merely a look to try to find out what was going on.
Soulmate marks shouldn’t be touched by anyone other than your soulmate. If it is, you’ll feel uncomfortable and eventually feel sick depending on how long the contact lasts, she explained before gently taking his hand and massaging his soulmate mark.
The unease and discomfort that he felt began to ebb away, gradually being replaced with the usual feelings of relief and bliss that he associated with Yeon Joo’s touch on his mark.
She ended the contact with a soft kiss to the mark and then smiled at him in such a way as to be infectious, causing him to smile back at her before he kissed her on the lips.
Thank you , he told her mentally before they ended the kiss.
Of course , she replied, smiling at him.
He heard a very definite sigh from Yeon Joo’s aunt who still sat beside him and was looking at them both with what Chul could best describe as joy and perhaps envy, though he couldn’t be entirely sure of that last one.
“Yeon Joo-ya, I’m so happy for you,” she sighed.
“Thank you imo,” Yeon Joo replied, just before Chul felt her rest her head on his shoulder.
“Are you two fully bonded?”
Chul smiled proudly and nodded, “We are.”
“Aigoo! I’m so glad! Yeon Joo always wanted that.”
Chul realized then that Yeon Joo’s mother and aunt were both far more aware of what she had wanted compared to her father, something which didn’t surprise him, but which he could certainly appreciate. He was glad that she lived with two people who knew her well enough to know what she wanted and were genuinely happy that she had found it.
“When are you two planning to get married,” Yeon Joo’s aunt inquired.
“If I had it my way, we’d get married as soon as possible,” Chul admitted, chuckling, “but Yeon Joo wants to go on dates and have a sweet day to day romance, so we’re doing that right now because I’ll gladly do whatever makes her happy.”
“Aigoo, you’re so good to her.”
“Of course, she’s my life’s savior.”
“ Chul ,” Yeon Joo protested, her head leaving his shoulder.
“What? It’s true, you are,” he replied, defending his previous remark.
“I know, but you don’t have to announce it to my family.”
“You should take more pride in the fact that you saved my life twice,” he told her in a playful manner.
“I do,” she laughed, “I just don’t flaunt it.”
“Maybe you should,” he replied before kissing her, chastly, though he wanted to do more.
He found himself, for some reason, shyer about kissing Yeon Joo in front of her mother and aunt than he had been about kissing her in front of her father.
“Aigoo, you two are so cute! Yeon Joo-ya, I’m so happy for you! You got such a perfect soulmate,” her aunt sighed, sounding almost envious if Chul had to guess.
****
Though Chul had intended to take Yeon Joo out on a dinner date, he found himself being roped into staying around instead for a family dinner.
Not that he minded it at all, he relished the opportunity to sit down to a family meal for once, as opposed to eating alone as he had so often done in the past since losing his family.
Dinner was largely eaten in silence, though Chul made sure to praise Yeon Joo’s mother’s cooking and thank her for the meal when he had finished.
“I’ll wash the dishes,” he offered, still doing his best to make a good impression.
If their reactions were anything to go by, he was more than golden in the eyes of Yeon Joo’s aunt, but Yeon Joo’s mother remained enigmatic at best.
While he was washing the dishes, Chul felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist. He knew, instinctively, that they belonged to Oh Yeon Joo based on his body’s instant recognition alone. She stayed behind him so that he could work unimpeded, but he enjoyed her presence as he worked, the soft weight as her head laid on his back.
He enjoyed the contact, though he wished that he could reciprocate it. Mentally, he swore to himself that he’d return the favor just as soon as he finished with cleaning the dishes.
In the meantime, he playfully teased her.
Aigoo, my wife is clingy this afternoon, he stated, smiling to himself as he scrubbed a bowl.
Girlfriend here, she corrected, apparently teasing him back, and of course, you’re my husband.
Boyfriend here , he quipped, seeing the opportunity to repay her for her previous response.
She laughed and he felt her nuzzle her face against his back, I love you.
I love you too, Oh Yeon Joo, he replied, grinning like a fool as he scrubbed another dish.
He heard a wistful sigh come from, he assumed, Yeon Joo’s aunt as she was more prone to such things compared to her sister.
“So, since you two are already fully bonded, when can we expect to meet your family?”
The question, coming from Yeon Joo’s mother, had caught both Chul and Yeon Joo off-guard. Chul knew that it had affected his wife in the same manner as it had affected him when he felt her stiffen in surprise against his back.
“I’m sorry eommanim, I don’t have any family for you to meet. I’m an orphan,” he responded, giving her an apologetic half-smile.
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s alright,” he replied, “I appreciate you wanting to meet them, but I’m afraid they’ve been dead for ten years.”
There was an awkward silence that descended within the house and despite having boundless amounts of charm, Chul wasn’t sure how to fix the uneasy atmosphere which had settled in the room.
“Aigoo, that’s alright! You’re going to be part of our family now,” Yeon Joo’s aunt responded, thankfully ending the tension.
****
Chul was trying his best to sleep on the couch, he really was, but found that it was extremely uncomfortable and (even worse) far too lonely.
He missed being able to sleep with Yeon Joo beside him, but he wasn’t about to incur the wrath of her mother this late at night by sneaking into his wife’s bedroom.
Huffing out a sigh, he looked up at the ceiling and tried to tell himself that he could do this. He had been capable of sleeping alone not too long ago, he could do it again.
The sound of a door opening got Chul’s attention and he looked over to see that Yeon Joo had left her bedroom and was now coming over to him.
Scoot over a little, I want to sleep with you on the couch , she told him.
Chul eagerly did as she requested, wanting her here with him. The moment that she was nestled in beside him, he wrapped his arms around her and brought her in closer to him.
Missed you, he admitted.
I missed you too.
Will we get in trouble in the morning?
Only if we get caught , she replied playfully, causing him to chuckle softly.
I want to take you out on a date tomorrow.
Oh? What kind of date?
Hmmm… it’s a surprise , he responded mischievously, giving her a broad grin.
Oh, come on! Can I have a hint at least?
Hmm… maybe.
Maybe?
Chul chuckled, Alright, it’ll be something from your diary.
She turned around in his arms to look at him, her expression one of surprise and excitement.
Really?
Chul couldn’t help the smile that broke out across his face. She could be so incredibly cute sometimes when she got this enthusiastic.
“Mhm,” he softly hummed in answer, I really liked some of your date ideas.
I’m glad , she responded before kissing him.
They lay there cuddling until sleep finally claimed both of them now that they were able to be together again.
****
“I thought he was the one experiencing bondsickness, but apparently so is she. I worried he’d go to her room, but apparently it was Yeon Joo who I should have been worrying about.”
“Aigoo, they’re so cute together,” quietly cooed the unmistakable voice of Yeon Joo’s aunt.
“They are. I’m thankful Yeon Joo found him. I was worried she’d end up alone.”
“He looks a lot like the main character in brother-in-law’s manhwa.”
“If you say so. I’m going to wake them up before we go.”
“Aigoo, eonni, let them be. They look so peaceful and happy together.”
“We should probably give them more blankets before we leave, they look cold.”
The conversation between Yeon Joo’s eomma and imo floated through to Chul and woke him up, but he decided to keep his eyes closed and pretend to still be asleep.
It was nice to know that they apparently weren’t upset that they had wound up sleeping together on the couch, which was certainly a relief.
A few moments later, he felt the added weight of some more blankets being laid atop both himself and Yeon Joo, it was hard not to smile.
Impossible, actually.
“Thank you,” he mumbled, a soft smile on his face.
Yeon Joo’s mother softly laughed, sounding amused, “You’re welcome. Take good care of her.”
“Of course.”
“We’re heading out for the day, let Yeon Joo-ya know we won’t be back until late, okay?”
“I’ll let her know,” he replied, watching as Yeon Joo’s mother and aunt left.
Once the door had been locked, he settled back down next to Yeon Joo, who was still sound asleep.
She started snoring, which made Chul chuckle as he hadn’t heard her snore in her sleep before and it was… oddly cute.
He might tease her about it later, but for now the fact that he found it cute was a secret between him and himself.
A secret to be kept alongside other secrets, such as that of his date plans for later today.