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Dusik hasn’t dwelled much on the fact that he has a dentist for a girlfriend. Of course, he knew what it meant for her. My vision is worsening and I spend all day around chemicals, she’d said. Not to mention her herniated neck pain that he’d spent time researching how to relieve.
But what did it mean for Hong Dusik himself to have a dentist girlfriend?
Well, he certainly didn't expect her to use his toothbrush as a makeshift dental tool in his own bathroom.
It started out as crossing something off her bucket list: a couple’s activity, she calls it. However, Dusik’s complaint about his gums bleeding because of her vigorous brushing — which Hyejin argued wasn’t that forceful — made her insist on inspecting his teeth.
“So this was on your list?” Dusik points at her hand wielding the toothbrush at his mouth like a weapon. “Didn’t know you found this romantic. Is this a dentist thing? If you told me, I would have gone to the clinic.”
“Hey,” she nudges him. “That was before your gums were bleeding.”
“You were brushing pretty hard.”
“Lower,” Hyejin ignores him, on her tip-toes. She taps his shoulder before holding his jaw in her free hand. “I can’t see your molars.”
“Will this count as a free check up, Miss Dentist?”
“Only if you behave. Now ‘ah’!”
Dusik chuckles, obliging, and bends a little so they’re eye level. Hyejin leans in with his toothbrush. Her scent drifts over to him — some kind of floral fragrance (Jasmine? Orange blossoms?) that he hasn’t put a name on.
“How often do you brush your teeth?”
“After I wake up and before I sleep.”
She hums, approving, and moves the toothbrush against his inner cheek to look at his aforementioned molars.
“And when do you floss?”
“When I remember to?”
Hyejin removes the toothbrush from his mouth and leans back to look him in the eye, affronted. It is an amusing expression, like the one she made when he joked that Seonghyun liked Dusik more than her. Her brows were pulled into an adorable scrunch and her lips were parted in shock. They somehow look… more plump. Probably after kissing his dimples so many times, as he did to hers. But, they haven't been kissed by his own lips the entire day, a fact that he regrets.
If she’ll give him the chance, he’ll make up for it after this whole tooth brushing thing. He would have, before, if she hadn’t said they needed to brush their teeth.
Quite frankly, he didn’t care. Hyejin’s lips are the object of his focus and his distractions as of late. Dusik would make good, no, great use of an opportunity to show how much he liked to kiss Hyejin, oral hygiene be damned.
Unfortunately for him, his girlfriend is a dentist.
“When you remember to?” She makes it sound like he committed a crime. “When was the last time?”
“Monday... I think?”
“That’s almost a week ago.”
“I haven’t had cavities since middle school.”
Dusik flashes his pearly whites at her.
Hyejin shoots him an unimpressed look.
“Chief Hong, you are dating the only dentist in Gongjin. In order to prevent gingivitis and maintain good oral health, flossing everyday is required.”
“Required for my oral health? Or required to date you?”
He watches her turn over the questions in her head. To him, all the details that her face and its expressions make are a gift. Previously, they were a rarity for him to witness. Icy glares, directed at him no less, were the more common sight. But now, all that’s in her eyes is warmth. Her mouth quirks upwards, a small and almost imperceptible movement, before it grows into a playful, dimpled smile. Her round cheeks lift and it eventually transforms her eyes into charming half moons that manage to sparkle.
“Why not both?” she teases. Hyejin tilts her head coyly, all cheeky and endearing and just plain pretty.
He exhales.
Damn.
Dusik ducks his head and can't help his smile. A sound between a laugh and a cough escapes him, as if there aren’t butterflies invading his stomach. As if this reaction isn’t caused by Yoon Hyejin simply gracing him with a smile of all things. He wonders if she’s feigning innocence over the crisis she puts him through. She must be, looking at him like that. He feels warmth in his chest bloom, carrying an unprecedented amount of affection to his entire body — all of it for the woman in front of him. When he meets her eyes once more, he’s sure his face is flushed.
“Okay. Miss Dentist, I pledge to floss everyday.”
She pats his cheek and says, “Also, there’s build up on your molars. You aren’t brushing far back enough.”
***
The intended cutesy couple's activity of brushing each other's teeth quickly turned into Hyejin critiquing Dusik’s brushing technique until she was satisfied. They end up on the couch, Hyejin letting her hair down and lounging between Dusik’s legs with her back against his chest. He’s been reading to her while she’s been relishing the feeling of his voice reverberating behind her. Her boyfriend is in possession of a very, very nice voice. It’s low, smooth, and capable of making her name sound like the most delightful thing in the world. If he wanted to make money from it, she predicts that he wouldn’t have a hard time going about it. For now, she wants to keep this treasure for herself.
“Chief Hong.”
“Hm?” He sets his book down.
“You know, your smile is one of your best features.”
“Only one?” She hears the said smile in his voice.
“One of them.” Hyejin nods with sage wisdom.
“What about the rest?”
“I’ll tell you some other time. Imagine what will happen if you’re aware of all of it. What if you use them to charm someone else?”
He snorts, “Like Ji PD?”
Hyejin half scoffs and half laughs before lightly smacking his leg.
“You know what I mean.”
Dusik wraps his arms around her.
“You don't have to worry about that.” He speaks lower now that their distance has narrowed. “They’ve already worked on you, right? I don’t need to charm anyone else.”
His admission and his breath tickling her neck sends a pleasant shiver down her spine. She feels impossibly giddy. Hong Dusik can be a smooth talker when he wants to be. Combine it with a voice like his and lines like that and — well, it’s a dangerous combination.
So no, she definitely won’t give him any ideas. Hyejin has the humility to admit that she can be a selfish woman.
“Wow.” She turns her head to look at him, grinning. “Did you get that from a book?”
Dusik huffs. He looks a bit like a cute, sad puppy and Hyejin enjoys the sight more than she knows he’d prefer. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you that was an original?”
“I didn’t say that… I like it. A lot.” She gives him a peck on his cheek. “Just didn't expect you to be a big sweet talker. For someone who’s good at almost everything, I can’t believe you don’t floss everyday.”
“Ah, well,” he waves it off. “I just forgot to remind myself growing up.”
Dusik says the statement with nonchalance yet there’s something that flickers in his eyes. It happens rapidly, so fast that Hyejin would miss it if she hadn’t seen it before. But it’s there. An unspoken line exists before them, not seen but felt. Hyejin feels it acutely when the topic of his past is breached and she can do nothing but wait for him.
His head lowers and she’s reminded of the guarded teenage boy at the convenience store who gave her 100 won without prompt. He’d shown her kindness as quickly as he’d left, as if to say he couldn't, wouldn't accept anything in return. That day, he would have returned to an empty house — the same house they sit in. And for all the comfort that’s found in his grandfather’s house, it can’t replace someone’s care for you. It can’t remind him to floss. It can’t insist come home before it’s dark or bring a jacket in case it gets cold.
She shifts to fully face him and he adjusts to keep holding onto her. His gaze carries so much tenderness that all she wants is to give it back tenfold.
Hyejin sees the face of someone who grew up too fast and too lonely and her hands come up to cradle it.
“Then I’ll remind you from now on. I have plans that require you to take good care of your teeth,” she says lightheartedly, her thumb tracing his cheek. “Want to know what they are?”
“You’ll tell me anyway, Miss Dentist,” he jokes. His smile that she loves so much appears.
“I want you and I to eat good food together.” She tilts her head and kisses him then. It’s short but promising and the next words are spoken against his lips. “I want to see you smile as much as possible.”
She deepens the next kiss and he responds in kind, eyes fluttering shut, pulling her closer until she pressed against him entirely. He’s gentle — has been since that night by the sea when she bared her heart to him. The press of his lips isn't hesitant but there’s an insistence. It feels like a plea of don’t go too far. As if she would ever choose to go from him at this moment. His arms are a welcome weight wrapped around her, not too loose nor too tight. Just right. Perfect.
One of her hands moves to the nape of his neck where she runs her fingers through his hair. It elicits a pleased groan from Dusik, the sound exhilarating. She pulls away enough to look at him. The world around them is made a little fuzzy with her dizziness but everything about him is clear and focused. There’s a slight sheen on his just-kissed, parted mouth. He looks just as breathless as she feels.
“I’ve wanted to do that since the yoga.” He brushes a stray strand of hair behind her ear. “Since you told me to wash up actually.”
“That long?” she chuckles.
“Could’ve been sooner but you said we needed to brush our teeth.”
He's almost pouting and it’s very cute.
“I take my job very seriously,” although her tone is anything but serious.
“Yes, yes, I know,” he plays along.
“Thank you for waiting. Can I make it up to you?”
“How so?” Dusik asks innocently. His smirk betrays him though.
Hyejin gently bumps her nose with his and the smirk grows into a fond smile.
“Just like this,” she whispers conspiratorially. Both of them lean in once more, lips slanting over each other. Her heart thrums. The unspoken wishes that would cross the line are waves crashing into her heart and they threaten to spill from her mouth.
You can lean on me. I want to share your burdens. I want to take care of you. Let me take care of you.
But she quiets those wishes. She wants this moment to remain as is.
Whatever line there is, she will wait for him just outside of it. Right now, she will love the parts he’s shown her.