Chapter Text
They were lying in bed with their bare limbs tangled and a random HGTV show playing on television. It was a rare Saturday morning where Jinyoung did not have to do any work and Suzy’s calendar was completely void of meetings, both of which are truly rare occasions in their busy lives. His hand was drawing lazy circles on her shoulders while her head was lying on his chest, eyes glued to whatever home renovations were happening on the screen when his phone vibrated on the nightstand.
“Can you check? John said he’ll send something for me to look at,” he asked. The nightstand was on the other side of the bed and he was way too comfortable where he was.
Suzy got up and returned to him within seconds, holding the phone at an angle to unlock the phone with her face. He asked if he could add her to the Face ID on his phone a month after they started dating - not because she asked to be added or anything. He just wanted to show her that he was open with her and that he’s all in. At first, Suzy didn’t really understand the need for it - after all, she trusts him completely and knows that the feeling is mutual but she appreciates the gesture. Besides, even though he similarly has been added to her phone’s Face ID, they never really look at one another’s phone aside from occasions like now.
“It’s Jackson. He’s asking if you’re gonna be in town next weekend,” she said.
“Tell him that I’ll be in town,” he instructed and Suzy typed away before hitting send.
“Did you tell him about us?” she asked after she placed the phone back on the nightstand. “Not yet,” he answered.
Suzy knows that Jinyoung is not a big sharer. He mostly keeps to himself and his tight-knit circle of people. But unlike him, Suzy has told practically everyone that she knows that she and Jinyoung are now back together. She told her parents, who were very very happy since they probably love him more than they love her back then (and probably now too). She told her friends in LA and New York. She even told the guy that cuts her hair - even though he didn’t understand the significance of her and Jinyoung’s relationship, he was excited anyway, especially after she showed Jinyoung’s photos. She couldn’t help herself. She’s just so happy to be back together.
“I feel like I should do it in person and see his reaction,” he continued with a chuckle. “Did you tell Jaebum not to tell him too?” she asked, getting excited at the prospect of meeting the infamous Jackson in person for the first time.
He nodded, “He said that he needs to be there when I tell him.”
“Oooh I’m excited,” she smiled giddily, getting up to grab the remote at his feet to change the channel. She channel-surfed while Jinyoung’s hand is glued to her waist. “Can we just nap?” he asked after a while, his fingers traveling up and down her lower back. “We just woke up thirty minutes ago,” she continued to change the channel, ignoring his request. “Yeah, but I didn’t get much sleep last night,” he continued. “And whose fault was that?” she retorted quickly. He poked her waist, making her giggle, “It takes two to tango.” He continued to tickle her until she held her hand up, a sign of giving up, and said, “Fine. Let me just put on B99 and then we can nap.” He nodded approvingly and settled back into bed before she joined him.
Hours later, when hunger got the best of them, they strolled along Domino Park to enjoy the view of the city before settling down on one of the empty benches, huddled in their puffy coats and their matzo ball soups. Suzy was perpetually cold and was practically snuggled inside of his coat when he felt something icy on his neck. “Ouch…” he recoiled, realizing that it was Suzy’s nose. He looked down and saw her giggling, inching forward to do it again. “It’s freezing,” he leaned back to avoid it before taking his free hand to cover her nose. He could feel her warm breath on his hand for a few moments before leaned back slightly and nuzzled his shoulder, no doubt searching for more warmth.
“Babe… don’t be mad, okay,” her voice muffled, “Did you put on deodorant?”
He leaned back so that he’s face to face with her, “I thought we were just gonna get food and go back.”
“That doesn’t answer my question, Your Honor.”
He pulled her closer, squishing her to his side as she giggled, “Lucky for me, there’s no return policy. So I’m yours regardless of whether I wear deodorant or not,” he said.
“I mean, it’s gonna take a liiiittle more than not deodorizing to make me want to return you,” she replied.
He rolled his eyes and was looking away when she leaned over to plant an icy kiss on his jaw. “Seriously, you are almost frozen. Let’s go home,” he rubbed his jaw and stood up, pulling a laughing Suzy along who shortly began to unabashedly sing Let It Go.
***
“Jinyoung-ah!” Jackson’s raspy, sing-songy voice cut through the crowded bar, and Jinyoung easily found his way to their booth. He was just wondering if Suzy was already there when his question was answered by the sight of her, reaching for the giant plate of nachos on the center of the table. This would be the first time that Jackson and Suzy meet but you’d never guess by how comfortable they already looked sitting next to each other in the circular booth. “Sorry, I’m late,” he apologized, sliding comfortably next to her. She nodded, “I ordered your usual,” and he smiled gratefully before moving his folded coat to the other side of the seat, placing it underneath her bag, so that he can occupy the space right next to her. It’s been a few months since they officially got back together and yet it feels like they’ve been together for years. These small routines that they’ve developed felt normal to him but it didn’t go unnoticed by a certain someone who is now staring at them with his mouth agape.
“Waaaaaahhh…”
Jinyoung and Suzy turned to the source of the sound.
“I cannot believe you Park Jinyoung. How could you not TELL ME,” Jackson continued dramatically, leaning back on the chair before bouncing back to lean over the table, “Yah… I watched you pined for her for YEARS and I even helped you get cookies for her, and you didn’t TELL ME? Am I even your friend?”
Jinyoung chuckled and reached over to place his hand on Jackson’s arm, “I’m sorry, Jackson-ah. It’s been so busy.”
“Clearly!” Jackson gave her a mischievous glare, clearly enjoying this.
“Did you tell him?” Jaebum suddenly appeared at the booth.
“You knew?!” Jackson’s shrill voice returned.
Jaebum laughed and scooted into the booth. “Scoot, scoot,” he ordered Jackson to move, “Did you order the wings?” he ignored Jackson’s glare and asked.
“Suzy, would you be my new friend? Since I no longer have any in this city,” Jackson continued his dramatic one-man play, which was promptly ignored by Jaebum and Jinyoung who were used to his theatrics.
A few hours later, the foursome walked out of the bar, ready to part ways - all of them slightly buzzed with booze. Jaebum bid them goodbye first, saying something about catching a show Williamsburg, followed by Suzy whose apartment is in the same area, leaving Jackson and Jinyoung on the sidewalk. They were hailing a cab to head back to his apartment since Jackson insisted on staying with him for old time’s sake.
“You look happy, Jinyoung-ah,” Jackson remarked a few days later before Jackson was due to head to the airport to catch his flight back to Chicago.
Jinyoung couldn’t stop the grin from forming on his lips because he really, really was.
***
“Come oooooon,” Suzy whined as she made her way to the couch. His coffee table was covered in papers and devices. Even though he was comfortably lounging in his Columbia sweatpants and a ratty t-shirt, he did not look as relaxed as his brows furrowed, scrutinizing whatever is written on the papers before him. It was a Saturday and while Suzy had kept herself occupied for most of the morning by going out for brunch with Jieun, she was getting bored of watching TV from his bed.
“It is such a gorgeous day outside, Park Jinyoung,” she made a point walking over to the giant window, “Can you just imagine the wonderful feeling of sunshine and warmth on your pale, vitamin D deficient skin?”
He chuckled, his eyes now glued to his laptop, “I get enough vitamin D. I go on a run, unlike someone who said that they would.”
“We will address your aggression towards my dislike of running later,” she rolled her eyes at his jab. “For now…” she walked over to the couch, “Can you please stop working and go outside?” She pried his hands off of his laptop and pulled him up. He laughed, sitting back down but pulled her closer until her shins hit the couch, “I really need to finish this,” he looked up, chin resting on her stomach. From this angle, she can see the tiredness in his eyes and she ran her hands over his product-less, natural hair. He usually styles his hair up for work, which gives him a very sophisticated, sleek look that never fails to make her heart skip a few beats. But this… this at-home, freshly showered look reminded her a lot of high school Jinyoung, is still her favourite.
“Take a break,” she ran her fingers through his fringe, her voice gentler, “Your Columbia Law brain will be able to make up for the two hours that we’re gonna spend going to the Farmer’s Market.” She could see that she’s winning him over by the second - she just needs to seal the deal, “We can watch that Four Leaf Clover movie you’ve been wanting to watch.”
“ Cloverfield ,” he corrected, smiling, “And you need to watch it with me.”
She nodded, “I’ll watch 50% of it.”
“80%.”
“60%.”
“70% and that’s my final offer.”
She sighed, “Fine. God, you drive a hard bargain.”
He stood up and gave her a quick kiss, grinning, “I would’ve accepted 65%,” before walking away to change.
The afternoon was going swimmingly until they walked past a booth for an animal shelter. Suzy, predictably, kneeled next to the puppies and began to play with them. She was hugging a particularly playful Maltese when she felt Jinyoung kneel next to her. “Isn’t he cute?” she cooed. They continued to play with the puppy for a few more minutes before continuing their stroll through the market.
“I wish I could have a dog,” she sighed wistfully, “Do you think they’ll let me keep him if I say that he’s my support animal?”
He snorted, “Support for what?”
“Emotional distress? Work-related stress?”
He laughed, “That would be illegal.”
“You know, it’s 2020. How can an apartment building still not allow pets?” she turned indignant. “Mine does,” he quipped. “Yeah but your building is ‘hot commodity,’” she air quoted him.
Jinyoung’s always been a little smug about his studio, which he got only because his former law school buddy was moving out of town and needed him to take over the lease immediately. The apartment is modest - one bedroom, one bath, and a decent-sized living space. The view out of the window was mostly buildings but he gets a sliver of Central Park from his bedroom window, and it’s something that Jinyoung never really appreciated until she pointed it out on the first night they spent together in the apartment.
“You can move into mine.”
“And where will you live?” she shook her head incredulously.
“There.”
It took him a few beats before he realized that she has stopped walking, “What?”
“Can you repeat what you just said?”
“What?”
“No, before that.”
“You can move into my apartment?”
“That one.”
“You can move into my apartment.”
She stayed rooted in her place, so he walked back and pulled her by her shoulder to keep walking. “How… can you say that so casually?” she said a few moments later. Jinyoung, wisely, seems to be able to sense how this conversation might go and steered them to a cafe nearby for some privacy. When he returned to their corner table with two cups of coffee, she wasted no time, “Talk, Park Jinyoung.”
“What do you want me to say?”
“How can you be so cavalier about this?” she struggled to keep the exasperation from her voice.
“I’m not,” and it’s probably true. She knows this. Jinyoung is not the type of person who would make an off-hand comment that he doesn’t mean. But the implication of what he said, of where this might head to is making her nervous.
“Are you this casual with your exes too? Asking them to move in after…” she had to pause to mentally do the math, “...ten months of dating?”
“Of course not. You know that,” he sounded ever so patient and it’s making Suzy more nervous. Damn him and his lawyer-y calmness, she cursed him inwardly. She thought she could see a ghost of a smile on his lips and it’s taking everything in her not to stand up and pace.
“You know what you’re asking for, right?” she leaned on the table, “You know how our conservative Korean families are going to react.”
He nodded, “Yes.”
“My mom will probably fly here and drag me back home and I will be locked inside my house forever,” she leaned back on her chair.
Jinyoung chuckled and placed his folded arms on the chair, “We’ll have to make sure that that doesn’t happen.”
“The only way to do that is for us to be married first, Park Jinyoung,” she said, shaking her head.
“So let’s do it.”
She leaned back on her chair, “Are you proposing to me?”
“Yeah.”
“We haven’t even dated for a year.”
“Technically, it’s been almost four years,” he said with a smirk.
She rolled her eyes, “I don’t think the math works out that way, buddy.”
He uncrossed his arms, keeping both elbows on the table, and reached out to hold her hand. “We have steady jobs. We’ve known each other for years. I don’t want to date anyone else and I’m as sure as I’ve ever been with anyone when it comes to you,” his voice was even and calm as his thumb moved over her hand absentmindedly, “So what are we waiting for?”
She leaned forward, “I agree with you on all of those things but we’re still twenty-six. We’re young. What if one of us gets a promotion and has to move? Or one of us gets a better job offer in Chicago or something?”
“Then we go together,” he said.
“It’s not that simple,” she protested.
“Look. I know we’re young but I don’t think that should stop us from being together either. We spent so many years trying to move on from one another and I don’t want to have to be apart from you again. If one of us gets a job offer in Chicago or has to relocate to Nebraska, then we make the decision together. We can do long-distance for a while until the other can move to that city,” he could see that she’s still not convinced, “My point is… when I told you that this is it, I mean it. We’re it. You’re it for me. And I’m all in.”
She sighed and studied his face. She couldn’t detect a hint of doubt or fear in his eyes, which is not surprising given that this Park Jinyoung - the boy who knew he wanted to be a lawyer since he was in 3rd grade. He knows what he wants.
“Suzy… I love you. You know that. I’m fairly happy with my life now and the only way to improve upon it is if I can see you more,” he began. Their crazy schedules don’t permit a lot of time for them to see each other, especially since they live in different boroughs. While they try their best, it’s often just three or four times a week - short lunches or dinners here and there, before they spend the weekend in either of their apartments. Even then, more often than not, they’re still called away for a work call or other work-related things during the weekend. “I want a life with you - I’ve always known that, even when we were still sophomores in high school,” he squeezed her hand.
“You also wanted a mohawk in high school and that was a colossally bad idea,” she joked in an attempt to smooth out what she’s going to say next.
“I love you too, Jinyoung. I want a life with you too and I have no desire to be with anyone else but you. But I don’t know if I’m ready to get married. If I’m ready,” she emphasized her words carefully, wanting to make it clear that it has nothing to do with him. She knows that marriage for them is an eventuality - it never occurred to her that they wouldn’t. But at twenty-six, she wants to focus on her career and deep down, she’s just not sure that she’ll be a good wife for him. All the domesticity that comes with the territory feels overwhelming for her and while she knows that she’ll eventually figure it all out, she doesn’t have it figured it out now. “I’m secure in us, but I just don’t think I’m ready for that yet. You understand, right?” now it was her turn to squeeze his hand, hoping that he won’t misunderstand.
He smiled and leaned over to plant a kiss on her lips. “I do,” and she could hear the certainty in his voice. So she kissed him back, placing her hand on the back of his neck to keep him close, “I love you. So much.”
He smiled his gorgeous, crinkly-eyed smile, “I love you too. So much. And I’m serious. Whenever you’re ready. Whenever you want. Move-in with me.”