Work Text:
During a cold snowy night, Yeonjoo is working a late shift. She is feeling exhausted and having a rough time. She has roughly a half hour left on her shift and is walking through the entry hall to go between waiting rooms when she sees Chul. He’s standing in a waiting room, dressed in warm winter clothing, and wearing a smile on his face.
The sight of him brightens Yeonjoo and gives her more energy. She runs to him and hugs him tightly while greeting him, saying, “Oppa!” with a smile.
Chul smiles and returns the hug. “It’s cold outside, shouldn’t you have dressed more warmly?”
Yeonjoo playfully responds, “Yeah, but I have you to take care of me. Right, Oppa?”
Chul laughs and gives her a chaste kiss on the lips. Yeonjoo sighs and releases him, getting ready to go back to work. She takes a step back to find that Chul is still hanging on to her.
Yeonjoo laughs and says, “What are you doing? I have to get back to work. I still have thirty minutes left.”
Chul sighs. “I don’t want to let you go. You don’t seem to either and you don’t really need to, do you?” His tone is enough to convince her to wrap her arms around him again, resting her head on his chest.
They stare at each other happily, both inching their faces closer to the other’s for another kiss.
Before they can kiss, they are interrupted by Mad Dog yelling across the waiting room. “Oh Yeonjoo! What are you doing?! We still have work to do!”
The couple are both a bit frustrated but reluctantly let go, Yeonjoo hating it but needing to answer to her professor. Chul makes a cute puppy face at Yeonjoo, causing her to laugh and say, “Stop it! You’re making it harder for me to get back to work. I’ll be back later.”
Chul promises to sit in the waiting room until Yeonjoo’s shift is over. She kisses him on the cheek before running to catch up with Mad Dog, assuming she was going back to work.
Instead of talking about work, Mad Dog just whines about W again. When he finishes, Yeonjoo sighs. “Seriously? Is this why you brought me over here?” She puts her fingers on her forehead, covering her eyes with her palms in annoyance.
Mad Dog replies, “Well, yes. Did you think I needed you for more work with patients or something?” He laughs.
Yeonjoo curls her hands into fists at her sides and yells, “So, you just had me come here and interrupted me from spending time with the man I love for this? I came over here assuming you needed me to help patients or do paperwork. Instead, it’s just to hear you complain about the manhwa for the six hundredth time. It’s been close to a year since the story ended! Let it go!”
Mad Dog looks at her in shock and says, “He’s your lover? He must be just as foolish as Chul in the manhwa.”
This makes Yeonjoo even more mad and a defensive side of her starts to come out. “I put up with your whining and you bringing me down for years. I have, and am still willing to, tolerate it. Don’t you dare bring my boyfriend down or talk bad about him. If you think I’m being nasty now, I’ll show you just how nasty I can get.”
Just after Yeonjoo finishes speaking, the alarm on her watch goes off to signal the end of her shift. Yeonjoo takes a deep breath to calm down and calmly says, “My shift is done so I will get going now. Thank you, Sir. Goodbye.” She bows and turns to walk back to Chul.
“Was I just threatened?” Mad Dog muses as she leaves. “Has she always been that scary?”
While walking back to Chul, Yeonjoo is shocked and in disbelief that she said that to Mad Dog. She has a feeling she might be fired. As she catches sight of Chul sitting and patiently waiting for her, she tries to change her expression to hide what just happened.
Yeonjoo smiles and runs to hug Chul again. As soon as she’s in his arms, the reality of what she’d said and done hit her and she started to breathe heavily.
“Is everything alright?” Chul asks with concern in his voice.
“Huh?” Yeonjoo asks. “Oh, yeah. Yeah, everything’s fine.”
Chul knows Yeonjoo better than that. “Look me in the eyes and tell me that you’re fine, then.”
Yeonjoo sighs and looks up at him. “I’m alright, I promise. I just want to get out here. Please?”
Chul nods. “Wait here for a bit. I got you some clothes and a jacket in case you weren’t prepared.”
Yeonjoo’s heart flutters and she smiles. “You did all that for me?” she playfully asks.
Chul smiles. “I might have been an action hero, but I’m also a husband doing ten sweet things a day for his wife.”
Yeonjoo laughs and blushes. “You know, you don’t still have to do those.”
“I know, but I want to. Besides, I want to be better than your previous husband. Now, wait just a little bit and I’ll go get those clothes for you.”
“Don’t be too long, Oppa.”
Chul laughs and winks at her before leaving, causing Yeonjoo to fall for him even more.
As Yeonjoo waits, Mad Dog yells her name and she tries to duck down so he doesn't see her. He, unfortunately, has already spotted her and is heading toward her.
When he gets there, he says, “We need to talk alone.”
In a panicked voice, Yeonjoo replies, “I’d rather not.” Despite her words, Yeonjoo stands.
“This is serious, and I’m not asking.” Mad Dog’s serious tone backed up his words.
“What is it?” Yeonjoo asks nervously.
Mad Dog’s face is full of disgust as he says, “While you are awful, I am sorry for talking bad about your boyfriend. Even though I don’t get what he sees in someone like you.”
Yeonjoo stares at him in shock, not expecting to hear any type of apology from Mad Dog, even if it wasn’t for her.
Chul grabs the winter clothing for Yeonjoo from the car. He spots her instantly when he enters the hospital again. She’s standing by herself, Mad Dog walking away from her. Chul walks up and hugs her from behind, kissing her cheek as he does so.
“So, did you miss me?” Chul asks in a playful tone.
Yeonjoo laughs then responds in an equally playful tone. “Mmm, I don’t know. You might need to convince me a little.”
Chul laughs and kisses her lips. “Did that convince you?” Yeonjoo smiles and nods her head yes. They both laugh and Chul says, “Let's go, I have a few things planned.”
“Oh, really?” Yeonjoo laughs. “I’m really being spoiled.”
“Trust me, we are just getting started.” Chul helps Yeonjoo into her winter coat. As he’s tying her scarf, he says, “Come on.”
He grabs her hand and they walk to the car. Chul drives them to a nearby coffee shop and says, “Well, here’s the first stop of our date.”
Yeonjoo smiles, excited. Although it’s just getting coffee, she enjoys going on dates with her husband, no matter if it’s something big or small. The couple enters the cafe and orders their usual drinks. As they sit, Chul notices Yeonjoo keeps looking out the window as if something was on her mind.
“Yeonjoo?” Chul tries to grab her attention. “You okay? Yeonjoo?”
“Huh?” Yeonjoo snaps back into reality. “Oh, yeah, I’m okay.”
Chul isn’t convinced and still concerned. “Did something happen at work?”
Yeonjoo sighs. “I got mad at Mad Dog and snapped at him. Now, I don’t know if I just caused myself to get fired or not.”
Chul hums. “What happened, love?”
“Well, when he said he needed me for work, it was really just for me to hear him complain about W again. He pretty much interrupted us just for that, which pissed me off.”
“Really? Is that all he did?” Chul pries.
Yeonjoo shakes her head. “No. While I was angry, I mentioned that you and I are lovers. He told me you’re as foolish here as you were in the manhwa for dating someone like me. I got more angry when he mentioned you like that and it caused me to threaten him.”
Chul laughs. “So, that’s what’s been bothering you. Is there more going on?”
Yeonjoo feels upset with herself and says, “Ugh. Here you are, making all these plans, and here I am making a wreck of it all. I’m sorry.” She puts her elbows on the table and covers her face with her hands.
Chul grabs her left hand to comfort her. “You aren’t ruining the dates. You shouldn’t feel guilty about sharing this stuff with me, it’s what couples do.”
Yeonjoo still won’t meet his gaze, not wanting him to see her feel down during a time like this.
Chul is doing what he can to help her feel better. “You are one of the strongest people I know. You’ve endured a lot and we’ve been through a lot together. I know you’re used to keeping a lot to yourself and suffering by yourself, but you don’t have to anymore. I don’t care how big or small any of these situations are, I want you to complain about them to me.”
He playfully adds, “Besides, you look a lot less pretty when you’re feeling down.”
Yeonjoo gives him a disgusted look just for him to scrunch his nose and make a face that helps cheer her up and get her to laugh. She is in the process of saying, “Ugh, what’s wrong with me,” when she gets interrupted by Chul getting up to kiss her on the mouth.
Except, this time is a passionate type of kiss. One to make her feel loved and cherished, one which Chul knows how to do because he used to be a main character and is still good at anything he sets his mind to.
When Chul pulls away, he leaves Yeonjoo in shock. She smiles and says, “What was that for?”
Chul returns her smile. “For you to know how much you mean to me.”
Yeonjoo blushes. “I’m not used to feeling that way, you know.”
Chul hums. “That means I probably need to improve more as a husband.”
Yeonjoo smiles. “You’re already an amazing husband.”
Chul playfully says, “So, you finally noticed.”
Yeonjoo laughs. “How could I not!” She replies with a bright smile on her face.
Chul gazes lovingly at his wife as he says, “You look cuter when you have a genuine smile.”
Yeonjoo blushes and says, “Oh, gosh.”
As they are wrapping up their first activity for the night, Chul notices Yeonjoo has a bit of coffee still on her lips. He pauses and kisses her to get the coffee off.
“What was that for?” Yeonjoo asks.
Chul smiles and says, “You had some coffee on your lip. It’s not there anymore, though.”
Yeonjoo laughs at him and says, “You could have used or just given me a napkin.”
Chul smiles again. “Now where would be the fun in that?” He winks at her. This causes Yeonjoo to hiccup and Chul teases her about it because he finds it adorable.
“Come on, I still have other things planned for tonight.” Chul holds the cafe door open.
Yeonjoo smiles at him as she passes him. “I’m being spoiled tonight, even though it’s not even my birthday, or a holiday.”
Chuls laughs playfully. “Do I need a holiday to spoil my wife?”
Yeonjoo smiles as they get in the car. “It’s just unexpected. I’ll need to make some plans for you some time.” She kisses him on the cheek as he starts the car.
Chul drives them to a park. He gets out first and opens Yeonjoo’s door. As he offers his elbow for her, it starts snowing. They leave the car and take a walk through the park together.
Chul smiles and watches his breath mist in the air. “I haven’t done stuff like this in a while.”
Yeonjoo, full of curiosity, asks, “What do you mean?”
“Before my family died, we used to come to a park like this all the time. I remember my younger siblings and I used to have snowball fights with each other.”
“Snowball fights, huh?” Yeonjoo playfully muses.
Chul laughs, seeing the scheming look on her face. “Yes, snowball fights.”
He is about to say something else but notices Yeonjoo isn’t by his side anymore. He looks around himself. “Yeonjoo?” he calls, confused and concerned. “Oh Yeonjoo? Where did you go?”
Before Chul gets too worried, he feels something hit him from behind. He turns around to see Yeonjoo smiling like a gremlin and holding another snowball. “Got you!” she crows happily.
Chul laughs and makes a snowball of his own. “Oh, it’s on!”
Yeonjoo screams and runs from Chul to avoid getting hit. They chase each other through the snowy park for a while.
Chul grabs some snow and chases Yeonjoo. When he catches up to her, he dumps his handful of snow on her and grabs her from behind, lifting her into a bridal carry. He laughs and swings her back and forth. “Gotcha!”
Yeonjoo jokingly pouts at him, making Chul laugh and kiss her. Her face switches to a shocked expression, making Chul laugh more. “Your face looks hilariously adorable.”
He sets her down and they both take a seat on a bench. Chul lets out a tired breath. “I haven’t done snowball fights or anything like that in years.”
“Did you have fun?”
Chul smiles. “Yes, I did. Thank you, it was nice recreating those times and memories. Especially with you.”
When they catch their breath, the couple continue walking in the park, strolling side by side in the cold and snowy weather.
Finally, Chul says, “Let’s go home. I have more plans for us back home.”
Yeonjoo is shocked. “Really? You have more planned?”
Chul nods. “Of course. Is there anything you want to eat?”
Yeonjoo thinks for a moment. “Hmm, how about ramyeon?
Chul smiles. “I’ll make that as soon as we get back home.”
After their night stroll in the park, they head back to the car. Once they’re back in the house, Chul helps Yeonjoo take off her jacket. As he’s pulling off his own, he says, “Go on ahead and get changed while I start working on the ramyeon.”
Yeonjoo goes to change but keeps a present she wants to have for Chul and herself. She’d decided to buy matching pajamas for them to wear together and thought this was the perfect time to share them. She changes into simple clothes for the moment.
Chul calls, “Yeonjoo, the ramyeons are ready. Are you almost done?”
Yeonjoo replies, “Yeah, I’ll be out soon. I got you a gift!”
Chul playfully remarks, “Oh? A gift for me?”
Yeonjoo comes out of their room holding a box. Chul looks at it, surprised. “You really got me a gift?” He smiles.
“Open it!” Yeonjoo excitedly holds the box out to him. “I hope you’ll like it.”
As soon as Chul opens the box, he sees a set of matching pajamas. He also notices a golden heart shaped locket on top of the pajamas. He opens the locket and it shows two pictures, the picture on the left side is of Chul. With the picture of the right being on Yeonjoo.
Chul picks up the set of pajamas. As he picks up the sets he sees that the pajamas are a blue shirt that says luck bear. One shirt has the word luck bear with the bear on top. The other shirt also says luck bear but with a breast pocket with the bear being located inside.
Chul looks at Yeonjoo in shock and says, “These are really cute. I love them.”
Yeonjoo smiles. “If you notice, I got a matching pair for myself too.”
Chul smiles at her. “While you’re eating, I’ll go get changed.”
While Yeonjoo is eating, Chul comes back out and asks, “How do I look?”
“As usual, you look amazing.”
“Good. Don’t get too sleepy. I found a movie for us to cuddle together while watching.”
Yeonjoo smiles. “Wow, you’re full of surprises tonight.”
“I have to be a great husband and make you happy.”
“You already do.”
Chul grabs some ramyeon for himself and eats as Yeonjoo changes into her set of matching pajamas. As Yeonjoo puts the dishes away, Chul starts setting up the movie. To no shock, he put on a romcom. While Chul denies it, he sometimes enjoys these movies and will try to take ideas from them.
Yeonjoo came back from the kitchen and Chul smiled. “The movie set up is done. All that’s needed now is you.”
While they cuddle together and watch the movie, Chul tries to find out what Yeonjoo is thinking. “So, how are you liking the movie so far?” He whispers the words into her ear.
Yeonjoo smiles and murmurs, “I’m really liking it.”
When the movie finishes, Chul asks, “What do you think of tonight’s activities?” He sees Yeonjoo laying her head on his chest, her eyes closed. “Yeonjoo, are you asleep?”
Yeonjoo opens her eyes and looks at him. “No, just soaking in the moment. I had a great time tonight, Chul, thank you.”
Chul smiles. “The night doesn’t have to be over yet.”
Chul starts kissing her lips and Yeonjoo, being caught up in the moment, shifts to be closer to him and leans on him more. She puts her hands on his shoulders and shifts until she’s straddling his lap.
Chul laughs. “So, are we doing option 4?” He asks playfully.
Yeonjoo snaps out of it and realizes how she’s seated, getting shy and slightly embarrassed. Just as she’s about to get off his lap, she feels his hands on her waist keeping her there.
“Where are you going?” Chul asks.
“I’m sorry, I should probably get off.”
“Why?” Chul says playfully. “I don’t mind.”
Yeonjoo laughs. “You mean a lot to me, Chul, and I’m thankful for you. I love you.”
“We’ve been through a lot together. Through drawings and through real life. You make me human and are proof I’m real. No matter in the manhwa or here, in the real world, my happy ending was always meant to be with you.”
Yeonjoo smiles and nearly tears up from hearing that. She’s about to get off his lap when Chul grabs her hand and asks, “Wait, where are you going?”
“It’s late,” Yeonjoo replies, “and I should go to bed.”
“You can at least wait for me, right?”
Yeonjoo laughs. “Okay, Chul.”
She leans in to kiss him again and Chul pulls her legs around his hips. He sits up, hugging and kissing her. Then, his hands go to hold her thighs as he stands, securely keeping her in his arms. Yeonjoo wraps her arms around his neck and legs around his waist as Chul carries her to the bed, looking lovingly at him.
When they reach the bedroom, Chul gently sets Yeonjoo on the bed. His arms go behind and underneath her neck as he inches closer to her, getting ready to kiss her again. It reminds him of the time they were about to kiss in his bed before getting interrupted by a security guard all that time ago. This time, there is no guard to interrupt them and Chul gets to successfully kiss his wife.
He crawls in bed next to her and puts one arm under her neck with the other over her waist, pulling her closer to him until they are spooning on their sides.
Just before Yeonjoo falls asleep, she murmurs, “Thank you for coming and being in my life, Chul.”
Chul kisses the top of her head and stares at her with a smile, moving her hair out of her face. “Thank you for being in my life,” he quietly responds, “and for being my happy ending.”
He smiles and shuts his eyes, falling asleep next to her with a smile.