Work Text:
Yeonseok was busy packing the rest of his clothes and other necessities when his phone started ringing. When he saw who the caller was, a smile lit up his face. It was his girlfriend who was requesting for a FaceTime call.
“Hey Love,” said Yeonseok, noticing that Hyunbeen is inside her van, “your schedule for the day finished?”
“Not yet, Oppa, just have one more meeting to go to.” Hyunbeen said with a pout.
“This late?” he said questioningly, it was after all nearing 11 PM.
“Yeah, the company who requested the meeting had a tight schedule, so our schedules are always clashing. This is the only convenient time to meet,” Hyunbeen said, after a while she added, “I’m sorry oppa…”
“For what?”
“That I couldn’t be there with you tonight before you leave for Dominican Republic. I’m stuck in a meeting when I should be at least helping you with packing your stuff. Or I couldn’t even see you off tomorrow because I’ll be on set by the time you go to the airport.”
“Been-ah, don’t feel guilty eo? I understand. We both knew that we we’re going to be both busy by the time I leave.” Even with the lights dimmed inside her van, he could see the regret and unshed tears that she is trying to hold back. If he can go to where she was going so that he could see her even for a minute, he would, but time is not on his side. Back-to-back filming, musical rehearsals and shoots has made his schedule jam packed and this is the only time that he could really pack.
Yeonseok settled down his phone where his girlfriend could see him as he puttered about his apartment going over his mental checklist of the things he needed to bring. Hyunbeen voicing out loud some things that he should pack just in case he forgot to put it in his luggage.
“Love, what company did you say you were meeting tonight?” Yeonseok said as he put some toiletries in his bag. When he didn’t hear an answer from her, he returned to where his phone was perched thinking that the call might have been accidentally disconnected. Fortunately, the call was still ongoing, so he followed up his question to her, “Love?”
“Ah, that, it’s actually…” Hyunbeen started, she shifted her eyes to talk someone at the background “Chani-ah, which company did you say we were meeting again tonight?”
Yeonseok raised a brow in question, it wasn’t like Hyunbeen to forget who she was meeting especially if it was a scheduled one. She likes to be prepared whenever she would set out to meet someone. So, forgetting who she was meeting was quite unusual for her. As he was about to prompt her to an answer, he saw Rita in the corner of his vision standing on top of Yeonseok’s luggage as if trying to find a corner wherein she could fit herself in. Distracted by Rita’s antics, he settles down his phone again to coo at their baby.
“Rita-yah, what are you doing in there?” he coos at her while petting Rita’s head as she settles in and curls herself up on the luggage. “Are you going to miss, Appa? Appa is going to miss you too, you know? Be good to your babysitter while I’m gone, okay? Eat on time and sleep on time.” He continues to list down the things that Rita should do as if Rita could understand him, while he was playing with Rita, he hears Hyunbeen calling out his name from his phone.
“Oppa, I have just arrived at the meeting place. I’ll text you when I’m done okay? Hopefully, we could squeeze in one more video call before you leave for tomorrow.”
“Arasso. Goodluck with your meeting! I love you!”
“Neh, oppa. I love you too!” Hyunbeen said with a quick smile before ending the video call.
Yeonseok plays some more with Rita before finally deciding to finish packing. With his luggage shut and put in the corner of his bedroom, he decides it is time for Rita’s bedtime, he manages to lift Rita up from where she was perched from his room and lure her into the living room with some treats when he hears the door to his apartment start to open. He wasn’t expecting anyone especially at this time of night. So it was to his shock that it was none other than Hyunbeen who was standing at the entrance of his apartment.
“Been-ah…” said Yeonseok still gob smacked at her sudden appearance, a surprise but a welcomed one.
“Oppa!” she exclaimed seemingly surprised herself not anticipating that Yeonseok would be in the living room, “I thought you were still in your room packing, I was hoping that I could catch you off-guard.”
“You did catch me off-guard. Why are you...?,” he asked curiously then noticing that she was actually holding some bags in her hands. He quickly goes to her so that he could help bring in what she was holding. He curiously looks inside the bag sneaking a peak to what it might contain.
“Oh that, a mini surprise for you, I guess. I was hoping to set it all up before you are done packing, then I’m going to come and get you in your room. They’re just light snacks that we can eat before going to bed, I also brought wine.” Hyunbeen explained as he put down the bags on his console table and starts to take out what she brought. She in turn goes to the kitchen with practiced ease as she locates a small wooden board two wine glasses and a bread knife.
Yeonseok started to place the crackers, grapes, cold cuts of meat, cheese, and honey on the wooden board, while she opened the wine that she bought and placed poured it on the wine glass. They started to dig in before Yeonseok finally asked her the thought that was plaguing his mind ever since she showed up at his doorstep unannounced, “I thought you have a meeting tonight?”
She made a small noise of agreement before clarifying, “I have a meeting with my namchin, who I’m not going to see for a while. That’s why I panicked when you asked which company I’m going to meet tonight. Which is why, I’m thankful for our baby for distracting her Appa.” Hyunbeen reached out to Rita who only responded with a low rumble before settling on her back exposing her belly clearly asking for her payment for her unsuspecting participation in the surprise in the form of belly rubs.
Yeonseok couldn’t help but appreciate the sight and try to memorize every detail of it. He is going to miss them, that’s for sure. He isn’t even leaving for another several hours, but he is starting to feel gravity of him leaving the country while his heart stays here in Seoul. Feeling the sudden rush of emotion mixed with longing and appreciation for the surprise, he leans forward and steals a peck from Hyunbeen. She looks at him in surprise, “Kapchagi?” He shrugs, “Just… Keunyang…” feeling shy suddenly, afraid of voicing out his emotions. Between the two of them, she has always been the outspoken one especially when it comes to what they were feeling. He was the more on wear your heart on your sleeve type of guy his love language is in the form of actions more than words. He feels her lips on his cheek, breaking out himself from his musing. She looks him in the eye and whispers to him, “I’m going to miss you too, Oppa” and then she kisses him affirming him that she feels the same thing that he is feeling. Settling herself in his lap, she wraps her arms around her shoulders while he wraps his arms on her waist both trying to savor the proximity that won’t have over the course of several days.
It’s not the first time the two of them will not see each other for days, they have done this a lot throughout the course of their relationship ever since the filming of their drama ended but it is the first time that one of them will be out of the country for a schedule. Between the threat of the pandemic, they couldn’t just squeeze in quick random calls due the 13-hour time difference and he is away for real this time and spontaneous meetings is not possible. They pour everything that they wanted to say in their kiss. Their - I will miss you, Please be safe, Please rest while you can , and the most important one, I love you.
Once they break apart from their kiss, Yeonseok noticed that Hyunbeen eyes becoming glassy, so he was right earlier with what he noticed earlier during their video call. He caresses her cheeks, that is her chin starts quivering and tears starts to fall. She buries her face at the crook of his neck trying to hide her crying face. “Hey, shhhh, love… It’s okay. Eo?” he tries to console her, “I’ll be back before you know it. Please don’t cry.” He rubs her back in a soothing motion, he hears her whisper, “I’m not crying, something just caught in my eye. It’s itchy.” He could only laugh at the way she tries to deny what she really is doing knowing that her crying would also affect him tenfold. Once she has calmed down, she removes herself from where she was perched, she strokes his cheeks, “I’m sorry for crying, I didn’t mean to cry on you especially when you are about to leave.”
“Why? Are you going to cry in your own apartment after I leave? Aigoo, it’s better that you did so right now.” He gathers her in his arms again.
“I’m not usually this clingy, Oppa but I couldn’t help myself. You are running yourself ragged with your back-to-back schedules and now you are going overseas. I couldn’t suddenly drop by to see you and due to the pandemic, you must be more careful. Just the thought of it all, made me overwhelmed, I guess.” She explains.
They sit in comfortable silence after that just trying to savor each other’s presence. It was past 3AM when Hyunbeen starts to feel sleepy, she looks up to see Yeonseok already nodding his head. “Oppa,” as she caresses his cheek, “let’s go to bed.” Standing up she reaches her arms out to him, and he takes her outstretched hand so that he could stand up. He starts gathering the glasses for him to wash when she says, “Oppa just leave them at the sink, I’ll wash them tomorrow.”
“You’re going to stay the night?”
“Eo. My shoot has been re-scheduled in the afternoon; my manager will pick me up tomorrow here. I’ll be able to see you off at least here in your apartment. I’m sorry I can’t come with you to the airport though.” She looks at him, trying to gauge his reaction only to be taken aback as she was suddenly gathered in his arms, with his face buried in the crook of her neck. She can hear him say, “Thank you. I love you. I love you. I love you.”
Removing himself from their embrace, he suddenly remembers something, “I have to earlier than planned though? I still have to drop Rita off to the babysitter manager-nim hired. I’ll probably spend some time trying to list down all the things Rita needs or what they should expect.” He rubs her neck embarrassingly; he is usually more hands on with this kind of stuff but then again, his scheduled was jam packed that when his manager said that he will arrange the sitter situation on his behalf, he just nodded his head in thanks.
Hyunbeen laughs at Yeonseok, he looks at her questioningly with her weird reaction to her expression. “Oppa,” she starts, “do you think our baby will go to a sitter while I’m here?”
“Huh? What do you mean? Manager-nim already said that he booked a sitter.”
“That’s me. I’m the babysitter. I asked, manager-nim to subtly let him arrange the sitter situation on your behalf, but really, I will be the one caring for our baby.” She beamed at him, looking proud that she managed to surprise him once again.
“…but don’t you have a busy schedule as well?” He questioned, not wanting her to be inconvenienced with sitting Rita while she was also juggling her busy schedule.
“Oppa, it’s going to be fine; I’m actually going to be more free this week compared to your schedule, plus our baby is house trained and familiar with my place so I can leave her for several hours on her own in my apartment. Trust me with our baby eo?” She explains as she leads him to his room. He props himself up on the headboard as he watches her finish her nighttime routine. She moves around his room with familiarity that you could tell that she has been doing this frequently.
“Of course, I trust you. It’s just that I didn’t want to inconvenience you.” He calls out to her as she rummages around his closet trying to find a shirt to wear to sleep. She strips down to her underwear and dons one of his shirts. “Ani, she’s not a bother! Plus, she will keep me company as I wait for your return,” she says as she crawls up the bed so that she could situate herself in his embrace.
Settling down with her putting her head on his chest listening to his heartbeat while she wraps one of her arms across his stomach, they slowly fall asleep intertwined each other, hearts full and reassured for the upcoming week ahead.