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#saranghae means I love you in Korean :)
atomimperatrix · 11 months
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I want more scenes from my Korean Boy Sungchul 🥺🙏. Sungchul-ah Saranghae~🫰🫰
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delicateimage · 1 year
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the way i only know like three words in korean  😭
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notmonaca · 1 year
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hmm
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mizldrizl · 7 months
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I keep thinking about these two scenes and what (I imagine) they can imply.
In Korean, you can often make a complete sentence without a subject and an object. For example, "사랑해 (saranghae)" is translated to "I love you," but technically neither "I" nor "you" is in the sentence; there is only a verb here. Who says it to whom and what the context is determine what the subject and the object should/would be. It also means that you can sometimes interpret a sentence in more than one way.
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"You'll learn once it slaps you in the face."
"It" here refers to the "gust of wind" Dong Sik saved Joo Won from, but the original line in Korean does not have "it" or "wind" in it. Which means, it almost sounds as if Dong Sik is implying someone, rather than some wind, might slap Joo Won in the face if he keeps being slow/stupid. Like, the line can be read as "Getting slapped (by someone) in the face will teach you a lesson" or even "Don't make me slap you in the face."
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"What did you say?"
No wonder Joo Won gets offended after hearing that. I'm pretty sure Joo Won gets the implication, sees that Dong Sik is intentionally being rude/aggressive.
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(Well, Dong Sik never slapped him, but punched him 🙄)
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"I like it."
Again, "it" refers to the "sausage stew," but this "it" is not there in the original line. And I can't help noticing how Joo Won is looking at Dong Sik so lovingly and is even slightly smiling while saying it? If someone who (speaks Korean but) never watched the show sees the screenshot above, I bet they will think it is a love confession. (I secretly imagine that, some day, Joo Won would tell Dong Sik he has feelings for him using the exact same line... "좋아합니다, 이동식 씨.")
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whysojiminimnida · 2 years
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Huh, that’s weird.
I mean, comparatively.
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So this is immediately post Grammy and Taehyung’s dad called. And of everyone at the table who should have been having a parental comfort moment with Papa Kim, it was...
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… not Jungkook. Huh?
My dude's been telling me for quite some time that things were not all sunshine and hyungie-love over at the TKK playground and frankly I thought it’s because my dude is Korean and is a Jimin/Hobi stan.
But I have to say that while I was not shocked to hear EVERY PARENT’S DREAM Jimin yelling “Appaaaa I’m so saaad” at Dad Kim, I would have expected at least some response from Taehyung’s boyfriend, if he was sitting right there.
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Or maybe he would have been, IDK IDK, at least by his man’s side. But nope Jungkook just kinda politely smiling, halfway checked out, more interested in Jimin's OTT acting skills than in anything Tae (way over by Namjoon) or his dad have to say.
But then we realize. Jungkook *was* by his man's side. Because OH HEY, JeiKei, we always know where to find you. In good times and bad, he is as close to his man as he can get.
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Ain’t nobody out here expecting the in-law “Jimin-ah saranghae” from Mama Jeon on Run or anything, but DAMN. And some people still out there thinking Jungkook and Taehyung are a thing? Not that day. Not any day. And not today.
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wuthering-high · 8 months
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-- In Korean 'sa' means 'to die', 'rang' means 'together' and 'hae' means 'to be or to exist'. So 'saranghae' not only means 'I love you' but also means 'let's be together until we die'.
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pianocat939 · 7 months
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SARANGHAE!! I literally cant tell if you know the meaning to it or not, saranghaeyo platonically celina. You're one of the top blogs why i decided to make my own blog lol- But as a korean, i am so proud that the sarangae mickey meme was korean because besides the korean food and songs i am not proud to be korean-
anyways eat food, drink water, and sleep and make a cure to the celina virus because its getting worse- my friends literally are so upset i change the subject in art to yandere silly turtles who do unhinged things for love
나도 사랑해!
I’ve had one too many people say I’m part of the reason they’ve started their blogs- and that concerns me.
I AM NOT A GOOD INFLUENCE. IM FAR FROM A GOOD INFLUENCE.
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jazeejae · 1 year
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My Truths...
What is Shipping: Shipping is the desire by followers of fandom for two or more people, either real-life people, artists, idols, actors, and/or actresses, celebrities, or fictional characters, to be in a romantic or sexual relationship. Shipping has been the basis of hate, threats to the artists, sexualizing artists, and editing of artists' photos and videos which has caused shipping wars. The KPOP entertainment industry in South Korea has started to file lawsuits and criminal charges for defamation, misinformation, and threats to their artists which some call idols. If I am repeating this... so be it... Jimin and Jungkook (#Jikook, #Minkook, #Kookmin) do not need to be shipped, because they tell their own Truths. A lot of you think most of the videos out there are created by shippers but they are NOT! They are created by fans who love Jikook and they show their truths!
I don't believe in anything until I do my research. So, I started at the beginning of BTS member's trainee days and after they debuted. I watched the reaction of each member about how touchy they were with one another. I also researched that and learned about the culture of skin-ship between male2male female2female in South Korea. Their parents or family raise females and males that the body is sacred and has certain morals. Females and males learned that they couldn't touch each other until they are married. When BTS did the touchy, sleeping in the same bed, and hugging was okay for them. The ones that stood out to me the most are Jimin and Jungkook, looking like angelic babies. I also know that Jimin and Taehyung were good friends in High School. Taehyung saved Jimin from bullies. Different things start catching my eye even when Taehyung was hanging out with Jimin and Jungkook. Teenagers will be teenagers with roughhousing and all of that. (I raised three sons by myself). I started to research again on YouTube this time and noticed titles named "TaeKook and JiKook." I was watching the Taekook videos first. I notice many discrepancies between what I have already seen from the BTS Runs, Bangtan Bombs, their concerts, and V-Lives. I switched up to watching the Jikook videos and noticed they enjoyed Jimin and Jungkook from everything that I witnessed from other fans. I viewed different types of Jimin and Jungkook videos where they were analyzing them like being the CIA or FBI. I used to holler and throw my shoe at the TV, saying, "Leave them be," "Let them be who they are." I stopped watching the analyzing videos and started to watch the Jimin and Jungkook videos that fans were enjoying Jimin and Jungkook from names such as “Borahae Saranghae," "Army Luv," and "Jimin and Jungkook Luv." Then there was MizGator, who said it all for me. I agreed with everything she put out there. I was alarmed because it became so wrong from what I was watching from the fans who call themselves Taekookers, so I decided to look up the meaning of shipping. I said to myself, okay, that's what the Taekookers did. They developed "Fake Intimate Love" delusions between Jungkook and Taehyung. Then the threats of Jimin started. It's like demons came out of a deep hole in the ground to coerce and intimidate BTS members and other fans. These obsessed fans of Taehyung and Jungkook (not all of them) do NOT care who they hurt just as long as their illusions exist for them. I believe they are not true fans of Taehyung. I even read reports where the sasaengs of Taehyung would fight and bully other teen girls at a South Korean school if their biases were Jimin and Jungkook. I thought it was just the teenagers, but then it was grounds for adult harassers to bully the fans of Jimin and Jungkook on social media platforms or Jimin alone.
NOTE: There is also SOOP (pronounced soup) when I learned that Jungkook and Taehyung met after Jungkook was tricked by Jimin and it was said by Jungkook that they were not as close as they were after they debuted for like four years. Taehyung agreed. Taehyung and Jungkook said that they would start talking and doing things more with each other, but Jungkook said that they will never be close as they were before. I also know things changed between Jimin and Jungkook after their Tokyo trip; it seemed to me that their friendship grew stronger. Every one of the BTS7 is unique in their personality and way of life. When they entertain ARMIES across the globe, they become one! I am ARMY from the USA, and I love BTS with everything I am.
Addendum: Don't think I resent or hate Taehyung for his actions with Jungkook. I love Taehyung for his baritone voice and dance. My grandmother taught me never to hate a person but to hate their bad behavior. I did get kind of upset with Taehyung as he went on VLive to say Jimin was supposed to come and that he felt Jungkook was keeping him away. I became disappointed. I did feel that Taehyung was feeding his fandom, not intentionally but what he said was directing his fans toward Jimin becoming vengeful. Taehyung did that twice in his V-Lives. Those two V-Lives had his crazy fans turned sasaengs and went after Jimin with harmful malicious threats. ARMY who are on Social Media platforms had to defend, protect, proving sasaengs posts are lies and the many threats from sasaengs we reported.
No one has to agree with how I think. We all have our opinion because we are all different. But your honesty and truth should be priorities and know the difference between delusions and illusions. Know that delusions or illusions are nothing but fiction (lies). Please don't say I shouldn't feel that or tell me what I need to say. I'm addressing everyone in how I think. If you want to express how you feel, please do so. My education on BTS includes my research of each member (which provides for their behavior with each other), the South Korean cultures, definitions of words, their morals, and honorifics. I also educated myself on LGBTQ communities and the behaviors of the citizens that reside in South Korea. In my research, I found that a soulmate in South Korea means significant other. Example: When parents or family members introduce a person to a family member to be their soulmate (significant other), it is for marriage. For me, that means that Taehyung and Jimin are NOT soulmates but good friends. A soulmate may mean something different in your culture, but BTS is from South Korea, and I feel we need to respect their culture. If you call yourselves a fan and love BTS then we need to support and protect them 100% regardless of your biases. I also found that most or not all K-netizens or Netizens can be problematic to all artists in the entertainment field. The other thing that I found is that LGBTQ communities are not protected in South Korea because their laws are not there to protect gay communities. Another find is that suicide is rated #4 worldwide with very high suicide between seniors and young folks between 13-28 years of age. We need to do better, and we need to be more careful and stop bullying others on social media platforms.  If you see it than it becomes your responsibility to report the hate and threats.  Don’t turn a blind eye against maliciousness.  I’m out BTSARMY from Colorado USA. 
My Truths:  I don’t have to have psychology in mental illness, nor do I have to have a degree in what I believe in what is right and what is wrong!  HATE is HATE! TRUTH is TRUTH!   Fix it.
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svtcontents · 1 year
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Peder Elias, “BSS, full of energy and humility… they taught me ‘Peranghae’”
February 13, 2023 translated by @svtcontents on Twitter
(Interview 1)
Peder’s visit to Korea this time was solely to participate in the promotion of BSS’ new song, ‘7 PM’. He participated in writing and composing as well as featured in the song. He already showed his loyalty by appearing on Mnet’s ‘MCountdown’ and SBS ‘Inkigayo’ stage together. 
Peder said, “It progressed really fast” regarding his collaboration with BSS. He added, “I met with BUMZU and WOOZI on my last visit to Korea, and they said that they were writing BSS songs at that time. I wrote the song spontaneously on the spot and it progressed quickly. The song was already finished at that time.” 
(Interview 2)
Norwegian singer-songwriter Peder Elias expressed his feelings about working with SEVENTEEN’s unit, BSS. translated by @svtcontents on Twitter
Peder Elias told various stories related to his activities in Korea during a media interview that was held at Ryse Hotel in Hongdae, Mapo-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 13th. Peter participated in writing, composing, and featuring on ‘7PM’, a song by BSS, a unit of the group SEVENTEEN, he also performed together on Mnet’s ‘MCountdown’ and SBS ‘Inkigayo’ stage. Loved a lot for its sweet vocals and sentimental music, Peder showed off his unique and soft charm in ‘7 PM’, and boasted off perfect chemistry with BSS members.
Peder Elias said, “Usually, the process of collaboration is discussing and trying to match each other. It sometimes takes 2 years for a song to be completed, but ‘7PM’ was a fast-paced collaboration.”. He added, “ I met with BUMZU and WOOZI on my last visit to Korea, and they said that they were writing BSS songs at that time. I wrote the song spontaneously on the spot and it progressed quickly. The song was already finished at that time.”
Peder Elias expressed his strong satisfaction in working together with BSS. He said, “I have a lot of memories while we’re working together. We had a lot of fun because they were such humble and full of energy friends.” while smiling. translated by @svtcontents on Twitter
He added, “We once went on a dinner together after filming a content, and I learned that we can stick names to the Korean phrase ‘I love you (사랑해/saranghae)’, so [mine would be] ‘Peranghae’. Knowing that, I also said ‘Boohae (literally meaning: to become plumpy)’ to Boo Seungkwan, and he said “that’s not it!!”” he said, making the reporters burst out laughing.
Before the collaboration with BSS, Peder Elias has also released a duet with Suran, he has also worked with actor Cha Eun Woo through various content and Kwon Jin-ah, showing how their vocals are well-fitting. When asked about which artist he wants to collaborate with in the future, he said, “There are so many K-artists that I’m interested in, so I think it’s hard to choose one. I’m  keeping on track with many artists with much interest.” translated by @svtcontents on Twitter
As for the criteria for collaborators, he said, “Each artist may think differently about things that they consider important, but essentially, I put into consideration whether their music’s essence resonates, or whether the artist’s vibes itself go well together with me.”
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odebbl · 1 year
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💌 [221021]
What are you doing? (cutely) (4.56pm)
I keep wondering what you y/n are doing (4.58pm)
Is this love??ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ I know It's because I love you (4.59pm)
y/n 143 (5.01pm)
143 is I Love You a number code (for ILY) in english (5.02pm)
To be honest, it's fascinating that I just knew it for the first time I'm going to use it oftenㅋㅋㅋㅋ 486 also, what is it? (5.03pm)
Wow, there are so many interesting things ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Wait a minute (5.05pm)
143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 143 (5.08pm)
📝 143 means "I love you"
486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 486 (5.08pm)
📝 486 is a slang for "I love you" in korean, refers to the number of strokes needed to write "사랑해" (Saranghae)
486 is "I love you" number of strokes (5.08pm)
That's really amazing (5.09pm)
I copied and pasted thatㅋㅋㅋ But come to think of it, I think it would have been faster to just hit it (5.16pm)
Any selfie pose you want to see? Is there anything you want to hear? (5.21pm)
I'll do all my best to show it one by one later (5.22pm)
(It's because) I love you (with lots of aegyo) (5.23pm)
📝 He wrote 'swa-rwang-hwa-neui-kkwa'
Who's doing a handstand? (5.26pm)
What's that pose? (5.27pm)
Oh, that pose is so cute.. I'll try that later, too I think it's a pose where you cover your chin with your hand (?)* (5.29pm)
📝 *wrap your hand around your chin
But wait, what's the Bbl hashtag? (5.33pm)
Hm.. Because it's Bbl 오드팡?? (O/dE pang) 오드팡팡 (O/dE pangpang) How's it? I burst the Bbl What do you think about it? Good, right? (5.35pm)
I think O dE pang pang is kinda cute hehe (5.36pm)
📸 [221021] 5.44PM KST
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When was it? (5.44pm)
It's right, Tomboy (5.46pm)
📝 It's his picture when XH did a cover of (G)I-DlLE 'Tomboy'
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snwdrpp30 · 2 years
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Horanghae is a word made by Hoshi from Seventeen since 2019. He is really love tiger, that is why he made this word. It is a combined word from horangi (tiger in korean) + saranghae (i love you in korean. It also can defined from hoshi + saranghae. It means I tiger You. 🐯🐯
This word is an expression of love. This is his signature, you can absolutely use horanghae to express your love to everyone, this is hoshi's idea. Horanghae is hoshi's , hoshi is horanghae.
Carat : Hoshi, saranghae!🐯🐯🐯🐯🐯
Hoshi : Caratdeul horanghae! ♡🐯🐯
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limitlesssense · 2 years
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(part 2) 1,2,3 and 4 in sino-korean numbers is 1:일(il) 2:이(i) 3: 삼(sam) and 4:사(sa) so the person who asked the question was like "what's after one-ranghae, two-ranghae and three-ranghae? "(in romanized kr would be ilranghae, iranghae and samranghae) and they expected him to say "사랑해" aka sa-ranghae aka i love you but he followed literally what the ask was doing: the one, two, three from the question and replied in English with four-ranghae, it's hard to explain for me but in korean it's funny
Haha yeah, I got the gist of the Korean meaning and that the fan was hinting at “Sa-ranghae”. I just found it really funny and weird that he switched to write his reply in English/romanized, because it made it seem that he was only doing it in order to avoid replying “saranghae” and mess with the fan. 😆 Especially because every other reply he gave were all in Korean – at least from what I saw it was the only time he suddenly decided to switch!
But thank you so much for the thorough explanation, anon!
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angeru-hatake · 2 years
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This raining scene is one of the most memorable scenes from the whole drama. It carries so much sorrow and guilt and tears. But I always want to write about the difference between the translation of Joowon's iconic line here and what impact I felt.
In this scene the common Eng sub of Joowon's iconic line is: "I will be tormented." It shows Joowon's willingness to be punished physically and mentally because of his guilt toward Dongsik. But I do think the direct translation from his line in Korean is even more impactful and crushing. He said: "내가.. 지옥으로 갑니다." "I.. will go to hell." Instead of you, I am the one who will go to hell.
What difference does this make?
Well, Koreans have a habit of rarely putting subjects in their sentences. Ex: 사랑해 (saranghae) means "I love you" in English, where in the direct translation, there is no subject and object in that sentence. It's just sarang (love) and -hae (do). If we want the full sentences with the subject and object, it should be 내가 너를 사랑해. (I, you, love, do). Koreans put subject and or object in their sentences usually to stress or to emphasize something. 
With this example, if we see Joowon's line, it has a subject there. "내가.. 지옥으로 갑니다." He paused for a bit after he said "I.." it means that he really stressed that word.
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More than only being tormented, HE is going to hell with his own feet. HE will be the one who drags his own father with him to hell, instead of letting the man who he came to value more than himself suffer more than he did. Joowon put himself lower than Dongsik. HE will be the one going to hell, not Dongsik.
지옥으로 means "to hell" quite literally. -로 indicates a destination where someone is going to. We can say that "hell" here is the worst place people can go. And there Joowon will go, not Dongsik.
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That's why after that Dongsik holds his hands and does not let go. Dongsik will never let him fall, and if he does fall, Dongsik will make damn sure that he will not fall alone. He told Jihwa: "난 저 바보같은 놈을 혼자 보낼 수 없어." I cannot let that idiot go alone. "보내다" here means to send (people/things) away or to see someone off to a far away place. Dongsik won't let Joowon go far away alone.
Sometimes English sub can be pretty close to the meaning in Korean. But a lot of times the language itself carries a much deeper meaning that can only be understood when we can read and know the meaning.
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Dongsik and Joowon have those deeper feelings for each other. They way they talk about each other to people. The way they talk WITH each other. It carries meaning deeper from their heart. Beyond evil has many beautiful and complex lines and that is one of the reasons I love this drama and all of its characters so much.
And to hell if someone says JWDS are only PLATONIC.
Thank you for coming to my ted talk.
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Yi-jin, your love is deep.
Sarang. Love.
I am loving you, Na Hee Do. I don’t need a rainbow.
After the endless screaming, crying, and giggling after Yi-jin’s beautiful confession of love and respect to Hee Do, I am so much inspired to write my thoughts about their relationship.
After hearing those words, I kept asking myself, what kind of love Yi-jin is saying? Then, I realized that I underestimated Yi-jin’s feelings for Hee Do. Throughout all these episodes, Yi-jin has kept a boundary with Hee Do making sure that it will not become romantic in nature, but it was all along love for him, and no better episode can express this than episode 9.
It doesn’t need to be romantic and physical in nature, it can just be about sharing happiness, providing comfort, supporting one another’s dreams, and caring for each other. At least this is what I felt about how Yi-jin is showing his love for Hee Do, especially in today’s episode. From smiling like his usual self because of Hee Do’s, “I have to have you” confession, to being vocal, serious, and sincere that he doesn’t want their relationship to fall apart just like that, how he kept emphasizing that she should trust him, to making sure that Hee Do wouldn’t be hurt and to being this mature rookie reporter who seamlessly says “no” to his superior because he wanted to be a good reporter because of Hee Do. Yes, dear 2521 fam, he sincerely loves her. When we thought that no one can top Hee Do’s confession of, “I have to have you”, Yi-jin did by straightforwardly answering Hee Do’s question that it is love for him.
May I also emphasize how he repeatedly said that Hee Do must trust him and how he wants Hee Do to answer him if she trusts him—because at first, I really thought it was just because he was being protective as an older “guy”. But it was just not it. He wants to be trusted by Hee Do because he wants her to learn that she inspires him to be better at his job and to be a better person in general.
When Hee Do’s mother said that he should keep his distance from Hee Do because he’s a sports reporter and when I saw how much Yi-jin really cares for Hee Do, I got worried a little bit because I thought it would harm them both, especially him. However, what surprise me was how he showed maturity in the best way possible. His affection and special relationship for Hee Do doesn’t harm him but leads him and inspires him to be better just as what he said to Hee Do in the confession scene. We also see this in episode 4 where he’s very vocal on how much Hee Do gives him hope. 
So, yes, I love that kind of relationship built on a very healthy ground. 
When Hee Do got hurt because of the reenactment of the simultaneous touch with Yu-rim, Yi-jin’s action proved that man is mature enough and his love for Hee Do will instead lead him to pursue better judgments. Like how athletes not just Hee Do could be injured and who would be responsible if that happens? My man is really smart, brave and very mature to against his senior. I mean, how can I not fall in love with him? I really hope for the best for these two.
So, when it has been love for Yi-jin? Can we really be better judgers at that? But since I love silly theories, I’m guessing that it was on the whole time they were apart and when he had a talk with his mother about that love that inspires each other to grow. Yi-jin already knew.
I cannot be sure of what will happen in the next episodes, but I do believe it will still be like what they are doing right now—pursuing happiness together just with acknowledged feelings of affection and respect for one another.
Gosh, I am so happy.
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Also, Yi-jin knows that Hee Do’s prettier side is her left side! Please, I love them both.
Important Edit:
It’s really not “Saranghae, Na Hee Do”, my mistake, sorry! Also, the real translation is, “I am loving you, Na Hee Do”.
Here’s also a very good twitter thread to understand even better his confession, it translated a korean article about the nature of Yijin’s confession and the meaning behind, “I am loving you” and why it is even more special than, “I love you”.  ♡
https://twitter.com/imzeroclock/status/1503866984508837899
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My Grumpy Valentine
Fandom: Squid Game
Pairing: Cho Sang-Woo x Reader
Rating: Explicit (with oodles of fluffy sweetness)
Word count: 7.9k
Summary: Sangwoo was a man who stuck to traditions. He never let you pay for dates, held doors open for you, offered his jacket when you were cold and showed his love with little gifts. As lovely as it is to receive, you want more than enough to give him something. But, your Grumpy Valentine won’t go down without a fight.
A/N: Happy Valentine's Day, everyone! I was thinking about what Sang-Woo would do for Valentine's Day and this happened. Unlike Sang-Woo, I don't have a Valentine but I will take comments and reblogs instead <3
Korean words used:
Aigo- used to express shock or surprise
Timjangnim- Team Leader
Bujangnim- Department/ Section Head
Shibal- Fuck, Fucking
Saranghae- I love you
Joesonghabnida- Sorry
Mianhae- Sorry (less formal)
Ahjussi- Middle-aged man
Annyeonghaseyo- Hello
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“Good morning,” I answered the phone as I put on my seatbelt.
Her voice came panting through the speaker, “Where are you?”
“In the parking lot. Why?”
“I’m almost home. I can see our building. Wait for me, just two minutes.”
“Okay… Why?”
“What do you mean why? I’ve been on the night shift for a whole week. Don’t you miss me?”
“Of course I miss you. But, what are we going to do in this short time? I have to be at work soon, you know?”
“Wow, of course your mind goes to the gutter automatically. I just want a kiss, dirty old man.”
I laughed. Of course she knew, but I lied anyway, “My mind wasn’t in the gutter. I just meant that it’s not enough time for a meaningful conversation about life.”
“Sure you did,” she said and I swear I could picture her rolling her eyes at me. “I’m right outside. I’ll be there in a minute.” I heard the familiar ding of our building’s lift and relaxed in my seat, relieved that I wouldn’t be late to work.
In a minute, I heard her voice call out to me. I looked outside the window to see her running towards my car. I stepped out and walked towards her, meeting her midway in the parking lot. She threw her arms around my neck and pulled me down for a kiss. Her lips were chapped and her face greasy in my hands but it was the best kiss I’d had in a long time.
She pulled back, still panting and smiled at me.
“Got the kiss you wanted?” I asked, kissing her cheek.
“Eh, you could do better. But I’m happy I caught you before you left for work. I have something for you,” she said, picking up the bag she dropped to kiss me.
“For you, Oppa,” she said sweetly, handing me the paper bag. I turned it around to see the name and logo. It was from a famous chocolate company.
“Aren’t chocolates supposed to be bad for your health?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Fine, give it back then,” she snapped and reached for the bag. I held it above my head, laughing as she struggled on her toes in an attempt to reach it.
“No, no. It’s mine now,” I said, wrapping an arm around her waist. Kissing her cheek once again, I said, “Thank you, Jagiya. Keep it in our fridge. We can have it when I come home.”
“I will, but there won’t be any when you come home,” she admitted, giving me a playful smile.
“Aigo! You have the impulse control of a kid.”
She scrunched up her face, looking displeased with my comment. “Not all of us can act 40 years older than our actual age.”
“Wow, how rude…”
“Whatever,” she snorted and shoved my chest. “Go to work and do your stocks or whatever.”
————————
It was a long and stressful meeting, but I’d somehow managed to survive two hours of it. It was a waste of my time and the client’s time but the client liked grilling me and my team as a form of sadistic entertainment. I threw the files on my desk, regretting it immediately when one fell down and scattered its contents everywhere. Groaning, I bent down and picked the papers up. As I crouched on the floor, arranging the papers in the right order, the black bag under my desk caught my eyes.
Ah, the chocolate!
I’d completely forgotten about it. It was exactly what I needed after hours of being tortured by my pest of a client.
I opened the bag to find a large black box tied together with a red ribbon. The chocolate company’s logo was printed on the bottom right in gold, giving it a luxurious feel. I unwrapped the ribbon and opened the box, disappointed to see that there were very few chocolates for a box so big. The companies these days prioritized pretty packaging over its contents. It was such a shame, but maybe it wasn’t such a bad business decision. Even someone as educated and intelligent as my girlfriend chose to buy the product for its attractive packaging.
I typed in the password on my computer and picked up a piece of chocolate from the box. Each piece of chocolate looked different from the other- different shapes and colors, a few had nuts and one had smaller pieces of white chocolate sprinkled on top. I decided on the rectangular piece with a red heart shaped filling in the center purely because it was the first one.
I bit into it and moaned as the chocolate combined with whatever the red fruity jam was, hit my tongue. Slapping a hand over my mouth, I looked around through the glass walls of my office to make sure nobody heard me.
That was fucking amazing chocolate!
I popped in the other half and savored each second of it as I went back to work. As the day went by, I found myself reaching into the box of chocolates more frequently and sampling the delicious chocolates. I found that there was an identical tray of the same chocolate right below, so I decided to have all of the top layer and leave the second one for her.
I heard a knock on my door and called out with my permission for them to enter, dropping the uneaten half of the heart shaped chocolate with almond flakes back into the box.
“Timjangnim,” the intern said, walking into my office. “Kim Bujangnim sent everyone this interdepartmental memo. She wants everyone to sign it,” he said, pointing to the second page that already had a few signatures. I nodded and went through the document. It was just something about a change in the schedule for team dinners.
“Wow,Timjangnim! Even you have a Valentine. And here I am, still single and sad.” He sighed dramatically and eyed my chocolates like a starving man.
“What?” I snapped.
His eyes widened and he shook his head. “I— umm, nothing!”
“Tell me.”
He squirmed in place and scratched his head. “No offense to you, Timjangnim. I’m just miserable about myself. My girlfriend dumped me just last month so I’m bitter about everyone else being happy and in love.”
“Who told you that I’m happy and in love?” I snapped. I wasn’t offended by the assumption. I just did not like having my personal matters aired to the office.
“Everyone was talking about how happy you looked with your girlfriend at the New Year’s Eve party. And now, chocolates,” he said, pointing at the box of chocolates on my table.
“Sangwoo-shi, wow!” came a second voice. I looked up to find my colleague Sung-ho entering the room with his lunch. It was already time for lunch? It was no wonder I was so hungry. Chocolates weren’t enough apparently.
“That’s expensive chocolate. Your girlfriend must really love you,” he said, picking up the lid and inspecting it.
“Why does everyone think my girlfriend gave me the chocolates? I could have bought it for myself.”
“Well, it would be very pathetic if you did,” Sung-ho said. “Because this is a Valentine’s Day collection and more importantly because there’s a love letter here and even you aren’t lonely enough to write yourself a love letter.”
“A— A what!? Give it back,” I said, reaching for the lid of the chocolate box, which had a printed note. How did I miss that!? Right, I was so desperate for chocolates I missed a big note.
“Sangwoo Oppa,” he read from the box in a terrible imitation of a woman and I felt the blood rush to my face. “I know you prefer dark chocolate, but a sweet man like you deserves the sweetest treats,” he read out and laughed. Returning to his normal voice, he said, “Sweet? Who is this girl you have conned into believing that you’re sweet?”
“Sung-ho, give it back,” I warned.
“Are you sure this is even for you? It could be for a different Sang-Woo who is sweet. I should find the real Sang-Woo who this woman describes as, and I quote ‘the kind man with a warm heart who helped me find home in this cold city’. It is news to me that you have a heart.”
The intern laughed at that, so I glared down at him, making him mask it in a terribly fake cough.
“That’s a private letter, Sung-ho. Give it here.”
“Private to the sweet warm-hearted Sangwoo. Not you,” he said, waving it in front of me.
“It’s mine,” I snapped, reaching over the table and grabbing the lid from his hand and covering the box with it.
“Daaamn! The boring nerdy Sang-Woo-shi has a Valentine’s Day gift. Who would’ve thought?”
“It’s Valentine’s Day?” I asked, my eyes widening.
“Aigo! Have you been walking around with your eyes closed? All that aggressive marketing didn’t get into your head? Not even the heart shaped chocolates and the love letter? This poor girl…” he said, shaking his head.
I didn’t even know there was a love letter!
I rubbed my forehead and let out a frustrated groan. “Shibal! Why do things like this happen to me?”
“Things like this!?” He exclaimed loudly. “What do you mean ‘things like this’? Why would you complain about having a beautiful girlfriend who buys you expensive chocolate. It’s the customizable package, too. I bet she had your initials engraved on the chocolates. He opened the box and took a piece out and turned the bottom towards me. It had my initials with a little heart engraved underneath.
“What am I expected to say to her? Am I supposed to give her something too?” I asked, swallowing as I felt a sour taste in my mouth. It was embarrassing to be asking something like this around an intern, but I had no choice, did I? The intern might even have good advice since he was much younger. I have never participated in any romantic holiday, never given or received gifts. The aggressive marketing surrounding it always escaped my attention as the products they pushed were of no use to me.
“You’re asking questions like you were in prison for a few decades and don't know the customs of Valentine’s Day. Women usually buy chocolates for the men they like. Your turn to do something special for her is next month on White Day. There isn’t much for you to do on Valentine’s Day. But, you should be nice to her. Did you say thank you? Because you should at least say thank you.”
“Of course I said thank you. What do you think I am, an animal?” As I said that, I began to doubt whether or not I thanked her. Did I? God, I fucking hope I did.
What the hell was White Day? What did the color have to do with the day? Did everyone else know about this? Did they all celebrate it? Is this what young people did? Would she expect this from me? What if I couldn’t keep up with all these things?
“She’s too old for this,” I mumbled, fiddling with the red ribbon from the chocolate box.
“How old is she?”
“27. Almost 28.” I knew her birthday. I had it marked on my calendar and already had my eye on a gift for her. I wouldn’t forget it like I forgot Valentine’s Day.
“She’s still young enough for all that. She’s not too old, you’re just a bad boyfriend,” Sung-ho chided. “You don’t deserve her. Give it to me! Give me the expensive chocolate and the sweet girlfriend.”
I moved my chocolates out of his reach. “Shut up and get out. Both of you.”
“Yeah yeah. See you at the next fancy party after she dumps you for this and I bring her as my date.”
I pushed them both out of my office and shut the door behind them. I sat down behind my desk and opened the box to read the letter properly.
Sang-Woo Oppa,
I know you prefer dark chocolate, but a sweet man like you deserves the sweetest treats. I also know you prefer giving gifts to receiving them. You make me feel special everyday and buy me little things even when there is no special occasion to celebrate. I love receiving gifts from you, but you have rarely afforded me the joy of giving gifts. So, please accept this box of chocolates for our first Valentine’s Day. I want more Valentine’s Days with you, the kind man with a warm heart who helped me find home in this cold city.
Saranghae ♥️
I smiled as I read the letter, caressing her signature with my thumb. I picked up my phone and dialed her number. The longer it took for her to attend my call, the more panicked I became. Was she angry at me? Was she annoyed that I had nothing to give her? I didn’t even say anything sweet. I didn’t even tell her I love her. What if she was packing her things up to move back to her apartment with her friends?
The automated voice told me that she wasn’t responding. I groaned and re-dialed her number. She picked up quickly this time and I sighed in relief.
“Oppa,” she whined into the phone, her voice hoarse as it was every morning. “I was sleeping.”
“Jagiya… Sorry. And thank you. And umm…Happy Valentine’s Day.”
“Mmm… Happy Valentine’s Day to you, too. You’re so cute,” she laughed softly into the phone.
“I’m not cute,” I mumbled. “Listen, I have never been with anyone or celebrated anything like this. So, tell me what I’m supposed to do for you today.”
She cleared her throat and said, “Okay, listen very carefully because I won’t repeat myself. There are two important things you should do today.”
“Hmm,” I said, uncapping a pen with my teeth and grabbing a post-it note.
“Number one, admit that you are cute. Number two, come home on time because I’m taking you out for dinner. I made reservations and all, so don’t back out.”
“Shibal,” I said, laughing nervously. I put the pen down and scratched the back of my neck. She wasn’t supposed to be doing these things. It was my duty as her boyfriend to give her chocolates and take her out for dinner. But, all was not lost. I could still save the day. I’ll call the restaurant and pay whatever it took to set up something special for her.
“Umm…what is the name of the restaurant?”
“Why are you asking?”
“I may not have time to make it back home, so I may have to drive there directly…”
“Hmm.”
I peeled off a sheet of the yellow post-it notes and stuck it on my table. I peeled off another and did the same. More post-it notes suffered the same fate until she answered me.
“Fine, I’ll come over to your office with a change of clothes for you. You look sexy in your work clothes but you’ll look nicer in something else.”
That backfired!
“No need! I have a spare set of formal clothes here. I'Il just drive there directly. Tell me what's the place.”
“Nope, I’m not falling for that,” she laughed. “It’s a secret. And we’re taking a cab.”
“Why take a cab? We’ll be wasting money.”
“How am I supposed to get to the restaurant? Walk all the way there?”
Right! I lied that I couldn’t pick her up in my attempt to get her to reveal where she was taking me. Like the fool that I was.
“Jagiya… Please, just tell me. I'm dying of anticipation and I need some incentive to survive till the end of today.”
“Aww, you poor thing. How will you survive a whole day? Fine, since you’re so handsome and I love you very much, I can give you some incentive. Check your email. Make sure nobody is in the room. Or you’ll give them a free show.”
I turned my computer monitor around and opened my email to find a new one from her in my inbox. With an attachment. I gulped, realizing what it was. It would either help me survive the day or kill me instantly. I’d take either.
“I’ll pick you up at 7. I’m already angry at you for waking me up. So, don’t piss me off further by being late or trying some stupid trick, okay?”
“Okay,” I mumbled, deflated as she hung up on me.
I opened the email she sent me and clicked on the attachment. I took in a sharp breath as I saw her dressed in red lingerie— very fitting for the occasion. It was a new one. Her breasts were held up by straps that looked like the ribbon bows on a gift box. A heart shaped stone dangled between the lace cups of her bra and she had her hand on her waist, her nail polish matching her outfit.
She’d planned this long back… Just a week before, I found her removing her nail polish in a hurry as she got ready for work. She must’ve taken this picture right before. I closed the picture and signed out of my personal email before burying my face in my hand.
I wasn’t going to survive.
_________________
“Timjangnim…”
“Keep it on the table. I’ll go through it after I reply to this mail,” I dismissed him with a wave of my hand.
“It’s a package from your girlfriend. She asked me to inform you that she’s waiting for you in the ground floor and that the taxi will charge for every minute.”
“Aish! I have to reply to this email.”
“Sang-Woo-shi, I can do it,” Sung-ho chimed in from across the office.
“And I’ll supervise him,” said his friend from the cubicle right next to him.
I sighed and loosened my tie before looking up at the clock. I didn’t know when the reservation was. Even if I asked, she wouldn’t tell me. She did tell me to be ready by 7, so it was my fault that I lost track of time working. It was all so strange, working around her plans without knowing what lay ahead. I always planned our dates and made reservations, so it was strange to be in the dark.
“Are you still sitting there, Sangwoo-shi? If my girlfriend got me a big present and picked me up from work, I would take her to her Appa and ask for permission to marry her.”
“I’ll end this email quickly–”
“Aigo!” Sung-ho exclaimed before slapping his forehead. He left his desk and walked into my office. “You don’t trust us? It’s a simple email. I have sent hundreds before.”
“It’s not that–”
“Fine, give me the box,” he said, grabbing it off my table and opening it.
He gasped and said, “U-wa! She bought you a full outfit.”
Before he could sully it with his oily fingers, I snatched the box from him. “I have the details right here,” I said, opening the file on my computer. “All you have to do is answer Mr. Seo’s questions with these details. Don’t mess it up.”
As I walked out of my office building dressed to the nines, I felt guilt building up inside me. I thought she’d just sent me one of the suits I already owned, but it was a brand new one. It was all my fault. I shouldn't have yelled at her that night after she ruined my navy blue suit with high heat on the iron box.
I looked up when I heard a whistle. She stood before me, wearing a beautiful red dress and a glowing smile. “Hey, Oppa. Nice–” she shrieked as I pulled her into a hug.
“I’m sorry,” I said, placing my hands on her shoulders. My chest felt heavy as I looked at her face. I was such a moron.
“For what, exactly?”
I drew in a deep breath. “Everything… For yelling at you for burning my suit last month. For forgetting Valentine’s Day. I have no excuse for that, they advertise it everywhere from public transportation to public restrooms. I didn’t even get you anything. And I’m sorry for making you feel like you had to buy me a new suit, sorry you had to spend money on this.”
I bent down to kiss her on the cheek. “I’m sorry, Jagiya…”
“Ahhh, that thing,” she tsked. “It’s fine. Saranghae, Oppa.”
“Saranghae.”
“I wanted to buy you a suit anyway. Because you need more suits to show off your perfectly sculpted body,” she said, poking my chest with her index finger. “And you were right, I shouldn’t have touched your clothes like that, without your permission. It was rude of me.”
“Still… It feels too expensive,” I said, running my hand over the soft fabric. “How much did you spend on this?”
“Less than what we’ll spend on the taxi waiting charges if we keep standing on the platform and chatting,” she said, taking my hand and leading me to the taxi waiting to the side of the building.
“Joesonghabnida, Ahjussi,” she said to the driver as we got into the passenger seat of the taxi.
“You said five minutes. It took fifteen minutes.”
“Joesonghabnida. You know men, they take so long to get ready.”
Laughing, I held her hand and began caressing her palm. “I’m sorry I yelled at you that night,” I said in a low whisper, hoping that the driver couldn’t hear me. “You should know that I don’t do that… I don’t yell at people like that.”
She leaned on my shoulder and gazed up at me lovingly, her eyes so soft and so kind that I could melt. “I know. You’ve never been mean to me before. You’re a kind, sweet man.”
“Well, I was lying. I yelled at someone at work just three hours ago. But, in my defense, he was being incredibly stupid.”
She snorted. “That is not a glowing defense.”
“You didn’t tell me how much you spent on this suit,” I said, thumbing the lapel. It was very soft to the touch and even the inside felt nice.
“It doesn’t matter. You never tell me the price of the gifts you buy me.”
“That’s different. You shouldn’t be spending money on me, you should be saving up for the future.”
“Aigo! Why is everything always about money for you?”
“I don’t want you spending money on me. It makes me feel guilty.”
“What? Why? I thought you liked expensive stuff.”
“You shouldn’t waste your money on me. I was going to buy myself another suit anyway. You shouldn’t have… Where did you get this from?” If she wouldn’t tell me the price, I could just call the store and ask them myself.
“Why do you think I’m wasting money on you?”
“You’re still a junior at the hospital. I’m sure you’re not swimming in cash.”
“I am swimming…in loooove for you,” she sang and hugged my arm, giving me a giddy smile.
“Shut up,” I said, biting my lip to contain my smile.
“Do you like it?”
“I love it. The fit is surprisingly perfect. I never got such a perfect fit even when I go to the store myself. The only one I have that is this good is the brown suit I wore to Han-Gyeol’s wedding, but that was tailor made for me.”
“Are you saying you like it just because you think it’s the nice thing to do or because you feel guilty?” She asked, squinting at me.
“I feel guilty, but the suit really is perfect. It’s the best suit I have. It’s like it was made for me,” I said, leaning in and kissing her on the cheek.
“It was. I found this paper with your suit measurements on it and saved it for later. So yeah, it was made to fit your perfect body perfectly.
“That must have cost a lot of money. You shouldn’t—”
“Do you like the suit or not?”
“I do, but—”
“Then kiss me on the lips.”
“We don’t want to make the taxi driver uncomfortable.”
“It’s Valentine’s Day,” she whined, pouting.
I looked to the front at the driver. He was humming along to an old song on the radio and didn’t seem to notice us. I turned back to her and took her face in my hands.
“You look so beautiful,” I whispered as I brushed my lips against hers. I pressed my lips against hers. She kissed back, swirling her tongue around mine. Her hands traveled up my chest, resting on my shoulders.
I pulled back for air and brushed the tip on my nose along hers. Our lips stayed close, barely touching and I breathed in her air. There was something so intoxicating, so–
She yelped as the car stopped suddenly.
“Ai Shibal!” The driver exclaimed. “Young people these days, no morals. Back in my day, I didn’t even know my wife’s name before I married her.”
“Sorry,” I mumbled, making her laugh hysterically next to me. I shoved her gently and she covered her mouth with her hand, the sweet sound of her laughter somehow managing to escape the confines of her hand.
She took a small circular mirror out of her purse and checked her reflection. She pouted immediately at what she saw. “You smudged my lipstick.”
“You asked for the kiss.”
“Yeah,” she whined. “But my poor lipstick.”
I brought my thumb up to my lips and wiped furiously. I didn’t want to be seen with lipstick marks.
“You’re wiping your lips now? Is it that bad to kiss me?”
Brat! She was being a little shit on purpose. I grabbed her face with one hand and kissed her again.
“Shall I drive you two to a hotel instead?” The driver snarked.
“What do you say, Jagiya? Do you want to go to a hotel?”
“No, we have reservations at the restaurant.”
“Does it matter? Dates to restaurants and movie theaters and everywhere else are just elaborate rituals in polite society before we get to the final part. Let's cut out the middleman and go straight to a hotel.”
She gasped and shoved me away with a hand on my chest. “Is that why you have been buying me meals for half a decade?”
“Yeah, I bought you all that kimchi to make your mouth taste like ginger and garlic before I could have a kiss.”
She laughed and held my hand again, our little argument about her lipstick forgotten.
“We’re here,” the taxi driver announced, coming to a halt outside a restaurant decorated with golden lights and red balloons. It was appropriate for the occasion without being tacky.
“How much is it?” I asked.
“Two thousand six hundred wons.”
“What? How? We traveled a long distance.”
“I already paid, Oppa. That’s just the extra waiting charge because you were so late.”
“You shouldn’t have. You already bought the chocolates,” I said, reaching into my back pocket. My mouth fell open as I found the pocket empty. I checked the other pocket, but found that it was empty as well. I patted my suit jacket, knowing I wouldn’t find it. I preferred to keep my wallet in my pant pockets.
Thankfully, she swiped her t-money card and paid for the rest of the ride.
I checked my pockets again and unsurprisingly, it was still empty. My face felt warm and my throat closed up.
“Jagiya… I don’t have my wallet.”
She turned around and stopped to look at me in all my shame.
“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. Shibal! I must have left it back in the office when I changed my clothes,” I said, running my fingers through my hair. I forgot that it was Valentine’s Day, did not get her a gift, ate half the chocolates– FUCKK! The rest of the chocolates were still in the office. My co-workers would definitely raid them. Fuck! Fuck! She was going to dump me.
“Start without me, I’ll go back to the office and get my wallet,” I said, giving her a quick kiss on the back of her hand before stretching my arm out to hail a cab.
“You mean this wallet?” She asked, a mischievous smile on her red lips and my wallet in her hand.
“You are so easy, Oppa,” she teased. “You’ll let any pretty girl in a nice dress give you a hug, huh? It took me a second to take it from you.”
“Shibal… Why would you do that? I almost had a heart attack,” I said, placing a hand on my  chest. “Stop your games,” I said, reaching for my wallet. She jumped out of my reach and stuffed my wallet into her handbag.
“Is this what they taught you in medical school? Stealing wallets from poor unsuspecting men…”
“Anyone could’ve taken your wallet from you. You were so distracted staring at my boobs.”
“Give it back,” I said, pulling her bag by the strap. She grabbed another part of it and tugged.
“I’ll scream and cry that you’re stealing my bag.”
“I’ll tell them you stole my wallet,” I retorted.
“You think they’ll believe the tall sexy bulky man over the tiny helpless girl?” She asked, pouting and making her eyes look pathetic like a kicked puppy.
“Shibal! You’re such a demon.”
“You’re so mean,” she said, pouting. “You didn’t even remember that it was valentine’s day and now you’re calling me a demon and cursing at me. I’m just going to leave,” she said, hanging her head and walking away.
“Mianhae,” I said, pulling her back to me. “Let’s go eat, okay?”
The restaurant door opened and a man in uniform smiled and greeted us.
“Annyeonghaseyo,” we said in unison and bowed.
“Your table is ready upstairs.”
As he led us upstairs, I took in the interior of the restaurant. It was sparsely lit by small chandeliers above each table. It was a large area with enough space between the tables for privacy. Young couples like us sat at the tables, talking, eating and gazing at each other lovingly.
The staff stopped at a private seating area enclosed by glass doors with golden Art Deco details. The small table in the center of the private seating gave it a cozy feel. Even sitting opposite each other, we would be sitting quite close. Close enough to touch each other under the table.
The menu was pre-selected by the chef, so there was none of my usual anxiety about choosing something that I might end up hating but having to pay for it anyway.
“Did you try the chocolates. I picked out the flavors I thought you’d enjoy the most,” she said when we were left alone.
“Does finishing almost half of it count as trying?” I asked, still guilty about wolfing it down by myself.
She laughed and held my hand under the table. “Nice. As long as you had it instead of your coworkers. They eat half of your food when I cook for you.”
“I forgot the box at the office so I think they might’ve raided it already. Sung-ho looked very interested.”
“It's okay. I sampled all of them at the shop under the pretense of choosing the flavors. I even ate a bunch that I knew I wouldn't buy.”
I smiled and shook my head. “You really are a menace to society.”
“Whaaat? It’s not everyday that I buy fancy chocolates from a fancy place. They let me taste test everything. If I had no intention to buy stuff, I would’ve felt guilty about tasting them. But, I was definitely going to spend good money on it so I enjoyed everything they let me taste.”
I jumped as I felt something around my ankle. My breath caught in my throat as her foot slipped into my pant leg and traveled up slowly. I leaned forward and grabbed her upper arm.
“What are you doing? Stop!” I exclaimed, horrified. I looked around us, afraid that someone already noticed what we were doing. But the others were seated a little far away from us and they seemed to be quite busy with each other.
“I’m not doing anything.” She pouted, looking like the perfect picture of innocence. Aigo! I was dating a demon. All these years, I thought she was a sweet, innocent girl and here she was, playing footsie with me in public.
I glared at her and said, “Put your foot down.”
“What—” she broke into laughter and closed her mouth with the palm of her hand. “What are you talking about? I’m just trying to give you a romantic night, but you’re being grumpy. On Valentine’s Day of all days. You’re my grumpy valentine.”
I shook her off and crossed my legs behind my chair, far from her reach.
“Why are you tormenting me like this?”
“I’m not torm—” she stopped abruptly, her eyes widening when the doors opened and the waiter entered. She stood up from her chair and greeted him.
“Seonsangnim! Please sit down,” the waiter said. “Thank you for coming.”
“How is your health now, Byeong-ho-shi?” She asked, sitting back down. Oh? She knew him?
He placed a hand on his heart and bowed again. “I am doing wonderful, thanks to you.”
She laughed nervously and tucked her hair behind her ear. “It wasn’t just me. It took the whole team and they all have more experience than me.”
She turned to me and touched my arm. “Oppa, he’s the owner of the restaurant and a great chef.”
“And her patient until a few weeks ago,” the man said. We bowed and introduced ourselves to each other.
“It’s usually very hard to get a reservation here. Byeong-ho-shi did me a huge favor getting us in at the last minute.”
“Kamsahamnida,” I said, grateful for him accommodating us.
“Oh, please don’t thank me. It’s not a favor. It would be a shame if I couldn’t even serve dinner to the Doctor who saved my life. I know you insisted on paying, Seonsangnim, but I cannot take money from you after what you did for me and my family.”
She picked at the buckle on her bag and shook her head softly. “Ai, Ahjussi, I can’t let you do that. Giving us a table on such short notice is already very generous of you.”
“I can’t let you pay here. You see, I handle the kitchen and my wife handles the accounts. If she comes to know that you paid in our restaurant, she will make me wish you never saved my life. So, please be the good Uisa I know you to be and save my life again.”
“Ahjussi, it’s not right. I can’t accept—”
“You don’t have a choice. We already have you dinner for you,” he said, stepping aside to reveal a trolley with a circular tray large enough to fit the table. On it, there were several small banchan plates with many dishes.
“If you don’t eat it, all this delicious food that you chose for your boyfriend will go to waste.”
Chose? My surprise must’ve shown on my face because his expression softened and he smiled at me. “I had her list everything she loved so that I could serve only her favorite dishes tonight, but she listed your favorites. You should’ve seen her face when he recounted how much you enjoyed each one.”
I teared up a little and took her hand in mine. I had never felt so loved before… I was nearing my mid thirties and this wasn’t my first relationship. But, I never felt this way with any of the women before her. None of them set up a date for me. None of them remembered all my favorite dishes and requested them for me from the chef. I never expected to be romanced. It was my job as a man to make my girlfriend feel special, but it did feel good to be on the receiving end for the first time.
He moved the tray to our table with ease and said, “I hope you enjoy your dinner on this special occasion.”
“A Hanjeongsik?” I asked, looking over each dish on the table. The Hanjeongsik was a special full-course meal with the finest food and many side dishes. It is believed that such meals were served to royalty back in the day. The table was covered with small plates with a variety of dishes. I couldn’t spot a single dish that wasn’t my favorite. “I feel very special,” I said, reaching for the kettle. I poured a little tea, first for her and then for myself.
“Good. You are special,” she said before taking a sip.
I rubbed the back of my neck and looked down at my lap. “Stop,” I whispered before having my tea.
“You are. You always do nice things for me even when it isn’t Valentine’s Day. You did nice things for me even when we were only friends. And you always made me feel special, so I just want to make you feel the way you make me feel.”
“Embarrassed?”
“Wow, how mean… I did all this for you and you’re being very grumpy. Grumpy Valentine.”
“I should be the one doing all this for you. I should buy you chocolates with your initials engraved on it. I should buy you a beautiful dress and buy you a fancy dinner.”
“Well, I’m not paying for dinner anymore. I feel very embarrassed about that.”
“You shouldn’t feel embarrassed. It’s a kind gesture from the restaurant owner. You save lives and I am so proud of you,” I said, caressing her cheek with the back of my hand.
We moved on to a stew with cockles which came with delicious sea squirt soup and a spicy snail salad. Next, we had the salmon and halibut sashimi, something I got very little of as I fed most of it to her.
“Did you see the picture I sent you, Oppa?” She asked, her fingers beginning to play with mine. Her foot was misbehaving under the table again, but she continued looking the part of a chaste girl above the table.
My mind very unhelpfully brought back the picture of her in the red lingerie. I shivered as I imagined what she looked like underneath her dress right now, the delicate lace giving her the appearance of a sweet girl but its fiery red color making her look sinful.
I let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah…”
“Did you like it? I spent so much time posing and setting up the camera at the right angle. Just for you.”
Alright, that was enough. I could only control myself so much when she was being so brazen with me. I appreciated her confidence, of course. She’d come a long way from being a little village mouse apologizing each time she spoke a little too loudly in my presence. It was admirable. What wasn’t so admirable was her belief that I’d let her off without consequences for tormenting me so.
My hand left the dried sea cucumber dumpling I was so eager to have a second piece of. The paste inside was too delicious for me to wait, but it would have to. I looked up at the door, checking whether it was still closed. It was.
“Are you wearing it right now? Under that dress, that pretense of decency?” I asked.
She nodded and pushed the sleeve of her dress aside to reveal her red bra strap.
“What about the panties?”
“I left them at home. It was too hot.”
“It’s snowing.”
I found the legs of her chair and pulled her closer before kicking her legs apart. I bent down a little, found the hem of her dress and pushed it up. She shivered under my touch as I moved my hand up her leg.
With my other hand, I picked up the dumpling and fed it to her. She glared at me as she opened her mouth and accepted my offer. Her head remained lowered in sweet submission for me as I caressed the inside of her thigh.
She squirmed in her seat. “Oppa, please…”
“Such a polite girl, asking for food instead of leaping for it. What do you want?”
“Please stop. We can do this at home.”
“I don’t think we can take the kimchi home, jagiya,” I said, feeding it to her. “It’s nice, don’t you think? What do you want next? There’s eggplants, pickled sesame leaves, even some sweet potato stems. I know you love that.”
“I’ll have the sweet potato stems.”
“Good girl,” I said, patting her thigh. My finger slithered between her legs and once it found her cunt, pushed in gently. Her lips parted as she took in a breath, giving me an opportunity to feed her the sweet potato stems.
“It’s quite good, no?”
“You haven’t even had it yet.”
“I know, but I’ve had it before,” I whispered, playing with her pussy. “It’s always so good. So wet and velvety. I could have it for dessert every night. I’ve had it as a midday snack, even. But I always have it as a starter. Such a shame you can never have it. I know I have fed it to you myself, but it’s much better having it straight from your lips.
“The sweet potato stems are stir fried. It’s not wet.”
“Hmm, I forgot how you like acting stupid. It’s not a very believable act coming from a smart woman like you. But you do love putting out a different persona, one that’s the complete opposite of who you are on the inside. You act stupid when you are intelligent. You act demure when you really are a wanton slut inside.”
She clenched around my finger just as I uttered the humiliating word. I added a second finger to her pussy and she shuddered again. My fingers must be cold…
“That’s just for you,” she said, her voice trembling as a result of my tricks under the table.
“Oh? Is it because I’m special?” I said. She just nodded, probably too flustered to speak.
“You know, this is quite nice. We should have all our dinners like this. I don’t even have to look at your face to know what you feel. Everything I need to know is,” I said, pushing in roughly, “right here.”
“Am I right?” I said more sternly as she stayed mum.
“No,” she said and shook her head in disagreement, her eyes still trained on her lap.
“Such pretty lips, yet such falsehoods spill from them. Luckily, these lips don’t lie,” I said, pinching her pussy lips between my fingers. She was gushing for me. I gathered her wetness and rubbed it around her cunt, licking my lips as I imagined how she would taste on my lips later tonight when I had her to my heart’s content.
“Pork ribs?” She squeaked as I exerted firm, yet gentle pressure on her clit.
“Yes, please,” I said, leaning closer and opening my mouth for her. She laughed and withdrew the piece of food, popping it into her mouth. Her lips curled up in a mischievous smile right before they gasped open as I set a faster pace under her dress.
I reached across the table and took a bite of the promised pork ribs. We ate in silence, not a single word uttered between us. She looked up at me shyly every now and then to offer me a bite of her food, but no words were exchanged.
To my left, there was a beautiful view of the city. Seoul at night was a true beauty with every building lit up. Beauty presented itself in so many different ways. Lights at night was one kind. My woman trembling at my touch was another. I was a lucky man to have both sights at once.
“The water fountain is very beautiful, no?” I asked about the fountain behind her.
She nodded as she chewed her fried squid.
“You chose well. I know you can’t see it because it’s behind you. But, you don’t need to see it to appreciate its presence. It’s such a beautiful sound, the gushing water. It doesn’t compare to your gushing wet cunt, but we can’t have everyone hearing that, can we? That’s only for me. Since I am special and all.”
“I hate you,” she said softly.
I pouted and said, “Is that what you tell your boyfriend on Valentine’s Day?”
“It’s what you deserve.”
“So rude. You must not be known for the best bedside manner at work.”
“And you must not be known for being nice to people at work.”
“Aww, you don’t know me that well. They think I am very nice, but they don’t know the real man within.”
“Of course. You were the same with me. You cooked food for me and opened your home for me to study when my roommates were being too noisy. I thought you were nice and fell for you and here I am with my legs—” she bit down on her lip and took a sip of wine.
“What about your legs? Keep going,” I encouraged as I moved my fingers inside her in a pattern to spell out her name.
“With— with my legs spread for you.”
“Hmm… I am quite proud of myself. I don’t know how I ended up with such a girl so sweet and loving, yet slutty enough to act like this in public. You’re so good, too good for this world.”
Too good for me…
“You ended up with me by being sweet to me… Didn’t you read that in the letter in the chocolate box?”
“I did, I did.” I smiled as I leaned in and kissed her. I ran my tongue over her lips, no longer minding that I would get her lipstick on me. I set the same pace with her mouth as I did with my fingers in her pussy. As my fingers massaged her in and out, my tongue massaged her tongue. She gasped into the kiss and I smiled, proud of my effect on her.
“My sweet, sweet girl… You’re doing so good for me,” I whispered, my lips barely touching hers. She tightened around my fingers and I claimed her lips instantly, drinking in her moans selfishly. All her sweet sounds were just for me to hear.
She found my other hand on the table and laced our fingers together. She held on to my right hand as my left hand fingers pumped in and out of her dripping wet cunt.
Gasps muffled by my lips on hers, she clenched around my fingers. Her fingernails dug into the back of my hand and she came with a quiet whimper. I gathered her wetness with my fingers as she still trembled from her orgasm and brought them up to my lips. Her eyes met mine as I sucked on each finger deliberately slowly, moaning as I relished in the taste of her.
“Saranghae,” I whispered, giving her a quick kiss on her lips.
“Saranghae, Sang-woo Oppa,” she said, smiling and quickly hiding her face behind her hair. I pushed her hair aside and enjoyed the sight of her sweet, shy smile.
I pushed the plate of sliced fruit towards her.
“You should have all of the dessert. I’ll have the rest of my dessert at home.”
_________
If you want more of this nice and sweet Cho Sang-Woo but with more smut, read my fic Smoker’s Heart about these characters’ future.
And give me a comment 🥺
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springalwayscomes · 3 years
Text
필요한 손 - The hands you need
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Plot: These days are tough. Your nail artist exam is getting closer and even though you have everything under control you can’t seem to control yourself from stressing. Thankfully, tonight Taehyung came home before you and instead of just taking a shower and sink in your bed - as he could perfectly do after rehearsing for more than eleven hours - he made you dinner. And he’s willing to help you with your exam too, with his hands.
Pairing: Taehyung x Reader
Genre: Fluff, Smut, Established Relationship,
Wordcount: 2.7k
Content Warning: fingering, cunnilingus, cum eating
Author’s Note: I hope you’ll like this. It’s short but warm as homemade tea in winter… I haven’t posted this year and honestly I don’t want to pressure myself because I feel like good results won’t come if I do that. A part of me wants to say something more about what’s coming but another part doesn’t because I’m afraid I will end up with not finish what I‘m doing it and say things that won’t come true. Just know I’ve been working on something very long since February and it’s still in writing process. I hope it will turn out good and that I’ll get to publish it! In the meanwhile I leave this one here. I hope you are enjoying your holidays and that everyone is safe and healthy💜
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Today’s been a long day. Both stressful and productive, one of those days that make it hard to understand which of the two worlds describes it better, if awful or good. Your nail artist exam is close and the stress is starting to get to you even though you’ve been studying and seem to know everything you need to and have everything already under control. That’s why you can’t help but feel released when you arrive home and open the door. The lights are on, which means Taehyung came home before you and is probably cooking dinner while humming to one of his favorite songs. These days he’s obsessed with Stand By Me, he sings it under the shower, hums it before he falls asleep and lowly as he caresses your cheeks at night. Sometimes he would sing it looking straight into your eyes and your heart would skip some beats as you wonder what you did to deserve him. These thoughts are the ones who first welcome you back home and let you exhale a deep breath. The day is over, finally, or at least outside.
«Tae, I’m home!» you slightly raise your tone to make him hear you from the kitchen, you can already hear him sing, but it’s one of his songs. It’s probably still stuck in his head after he’s been rehearsing the whole day.
He doesn’t miss a second, his face comes out of the corner and gives you one of his boxy smiles that make your heart throb even after all the time you’ve been together, eyes lighting up at your sight.
He lets out a groan of release and raises his eyebrows.
«Come here, hurry up» and he’s back in the kitchen. You lick your lips and leave your coat, purse and shoes in the hall before you do as he says. After this type of day all you want is to spend some time with him. Taehyung is bending towards the oven, putting inside the oven dish, red pot holders hiding his beautiful hands that you’ve been thinking about for the whole day. You wait for him to shut the oven, and all you can do right after is hug him so tight from behind that he finds it hard to breathe at the beginning, nuzzling your face into the back of his shoulder. Taehyung opens his mouth to say something but closes it right after. He just smiles as he listens to your breath, his hands still covered with the pot holders reaching yours on his waist.
«Are you tired?» he lovely asks. You can hear it from his voice how much he hates it when you stress out and overwork yourself, but it’s that type of hate that makes him want to take even more care of you. You nod against him, the part of his sweater where you’re hiding is starting to become very hot because of your continue breathing. His hands wrap around yours before he realizes he still has the holders on, so he quickly removes them and lets them fall on the counter.
His warm hands are the softest skin you ever touched and felt against yours, that’s the same thought you had since the first time he touched you and it’s still the one that’s stuck in your mind every time he touches you, and feeling them on your hands makes you melt. He guides your hand towards his lips, leaving a soft peck on the back and one on each finger as he unfolds your other arm from his waist with his free hand. Instead, he intertwines his fingers with yours and guides you in front of him, holding you against him just as tight as you did with him before. His waist is totally joined to yours and his eyes are totally stuck into yours.
«I made you pizza» he whispers. His breath hits your face as he speaks and you look at him.
«Pizza? How long have you been home? You rehearsed for more than eleven hours you-»
«You’re not even thanking me» he instantly pouts. A cute habit of his, it gets you every time.
«Thank you so much» you whisper back, pecking his lips. Finally, you’re home. You can say it officially after you kissed him. Taehyung smiles against you and hugs you tighter, hugging you totally to him.
«Please don’t stress yourself» he lowly lets go. You close your eyes and let him guide your head onto his chest as you both slowly swing, something you do from time to time.
«It’s just because of this exam» you justify.
«I know. But please-» he stops himself to caress your hair and to reformulate the sentence.
«I can help you study tonight if you want» he pecks your forehead. You shake your head. You want to practice tonight.
«Tonight I need your hands»
Silence falls in the kitchen and Taehyung’s eyes widen for a second, he smirks right after.
«My hands?» he lowly asks. You nod and raise your head to look at him.
By the way he’s smiling you guess he didn’t quite get what you’re saying, you’d dare to say that he totally missed what you’re taking about, but when you try to open your mouth he doesn’t let you speak.
«Okay, you can do it» he nods, bringing his hand in front of his face just to watch it.
«Do you want me to be your model at the exam?» he quietly proposes. Your mouth is still hanging open, not because of the question but because you thought he totally misunderstood.
«There are some of your fans in my class and they don’t know we’re-»
«I’ll take pictures with them. If you want me there, otherwise-»
«Don’t you have to ask Bang-»
«I already did today. He said it’s okay. I didn’t know if you had a model so I asked anyway, just in case» he smiles at you.
This is one of the reasons why you love this man. Taehyung is your source of happiness, hope and everything that makes you go on. He takes care of you just like you do with him, you guide each other when you’re lost and walk hand to hand when you both know the road. You collaborate and respect each other, trust and relay on each other.
«Nomunomu saranghae» you let go. His smile grows even bigger, his eyes shine just like stars in a deep dark night, forehead touching yours.
«I love it more when you tell me in Korean» he whispers.
«I’m gonna have to say it more then» you smile.
«Saranghae»
Taehyung is lost, totally. You have a power over him that he’s not able to control, and all he can do is give in. His lips touch yours and finally welcome a real kiss, one where your tongues meet and you melt into each other, strongly and passionately, but a loving type of passion. One that softly whispers “Saranghae”, infinitely, and “I’m gonna take care of you”, and again “You’re my home”.
Taehyung licks the petals of his lips right after you part, leaving his tongue in the left corner of his lips, hanging out just a little from between his teeth as he softly bites it. It makes you hold your breath and he sees it, as clearly as water. Your foreheads are against each other one more time, and he brings a strand of your hair behind your ear.
«Can I take care of you now? With my hands?» his whisper is so low that it’s almost impossible to hear, but you heard it anyway. As loud as a bomb, and your cheeks heating up are already showing it.
«Release all your stress…» he kisses the corner of your lips.
«Let me help you, love»
You give up right away. There’s no need in faking it, you already gave up at the beginning of his question and all you can do is nod and welcome his touch. Taehyung smiles at you and guides you to the chair, kneeling down on the floor as he opens your pants and helps you with them and your panties too. His hands look so big on you and it makes you even more aroused than you already are. And the way he looks at you, gosh you swear you’ve never seen something so beautiful. He makes promises only with his eyes just by looking at you, and he’s willing to respect every single one of them.
He promises he’s going to be by your side every time you need him and every time you don’t. He promises he’s going to give you all he can and more. He promises he’s going to marry you.
He promises he’s going to love you forever. He promises he’s going to respect and take care of you for forever. He promises he’s going to have a family with you. He promises that his arms are always going to be your hideout from the world. He promises you that he’s always going to put you first, before him.
He promises you he’s going to make you feel good, now in this moment and forever. He promises you he’s going to make you come and release all the tension and the stress building up inside your body.
He leaves kisses on your tights and caresses on every part of your skin, love on every millimeter. He kisses your mound, and your inner thigh making you shiver. And then he starts, slow and consuming, fire and oxygen. Every touch makes you want more, squirm more, moan more. And Taehyung can’t get enough of it, not even close. He promises with his eyes that he’s going to make you cum so good that you’re going to want another one. And he’s totally willing to give it to you, even more if you want.
«Does it feel good like this?» he asks lowly, husky voice and heavy breath as he massages your clit just the way you love. You nod, opening your eyes just to see him look at you with those eyes of his that make you feel totally safe and welcomed. Ready to give you love, as much as you want and need and even willing to remain with nothing left for him.
«You’re so beautiful» he whispers, kissing your clit. It makes you moan deeply and without control, and the action makes him chuckle. The air coming out of his mouth hits you and you end up guiding his face towards you, basically begging for his lips.
Taehyung smiles, helping you open your legs more and immediately giving in and drowning in you. He sucks, kisses, plays with you in all the ways he can, massaging your thighs as he glances up at your face.
«Tae, I’m-»
«Let me help you more»
You don’t have time to understand what he said, two of his long fingers make their way inside you and all you can do is bite your lips to fight the loudest moan you’ve ever let out. Taehyung sucks your clit, the feeling makes you feel like you’re about to faint, he moves his tongue on it at the same time and you really think you’re in paradise. What you did to deserve him, you don’t know. He’s just as desperate to see you, to make you come and it makes you die inside and born again from love and desire, passion. He moans when he lets go of you with a dull wet sound, looking at you again as you stand on the edge of the cliff. His nose is wet with you, and the sight makes you clench around his fingers.
«Nae sarang» he lowly moans griping.
«Cum jagi, make me happy nae sarang»
He sucks your clit again and you totally let go. Your climax hits you so hard that you can’t do anything else but shake as Taehyung keeps moving his fingers inside you and raises on his knees to kiss your hips. His arm comes behind your back, hugging you as he keeps moving and then kisses your forehead and your lips.
«Saranghae» he whispers.
«Saranghae» you say back. «I knew you thought about this when I told you I needed your hands» you chuckle. Taehyung laughs and finally takes out his fingers from you, drenched and totally wrapped in your juices and cum. He taps them on your lips and gives you one, waiting for you to open them and welcome him inside your mouth. You suck yourself off it, knowing that Tae loves when you do it, especially from his fingers. He smiles as he watches you, waiting for you to end so that he can taste you on his middle finger as if the whole meal he had until now wasn’t already enough.
«Thank you for this» you say as he brings his finger to his mouth. Taehyung shakes his head.
«Thank me more after dinner» he even winks, and you end up bursting in laughter. He licks his finger and then kisses your lips again, passionately and lovely just like before, and he promises one more thing. He’s going to be whatever you want him to be. Your stress release, your shoulder to cry on, the person you’re going to hate the most and also the one you’re going to love the most. He wants to be all he can for you, just like you for him. He wants to love you in all the possible ways and wants you to do the same.
«TaeTae» you call him when he’s back down on his knees to raise your panties and pants. His head raises to watch you and your fingers caress his hair.
«Jinjja nomunomu saranghae, nae sarang»
«Nomunomu saranghae» he smiles again. A second later his eyes are wide open as if he just saw a ghost.
«Pija!» he almost screams, immediately getting up to check the pizza in the oven. You watch him let out a relieved breath as you fix your panties.
«Let me do it, I like doing it.» he pouts at you when he turns around.
«The pizza is fine, it’s not burnt. Why did you put this on already, I wanted to do it!» he whines as you stop touching your clothes. Taehyung smiles seeing you surrender so fast.
«Let me do it»
It’s really a thing he likes to do, dress you up. He does it all the time when you make love in winter. You’re always worn out or too lazy to get up and wear clothes and it’s not even a problem since you have his arms around you and the covers, but he gets up and puts you his shirt and your panties on - sometimes even his boxers-. He likes to take care of you in ways that no one could ever. It makes him feel even more grateful to have you. Sometimes you’d just stay laying in bed naked for the rest of the night and Taehyung would be enough to warm you up and make you feel at home.
«After dinner can I do your nails?» you ask. You lift your hips to help him with your pants and he answers with a nod but stops right after.
«Don’t they hurt if I-» your laugh is impossible to hold back at the sight of his long index and middle finger together, he moves them as if they’re entering inside you one more time.
«I don’t know if-»
«Tae!» you can’t control your laugh and Taehyung ends up pouting again.
«Don’t make fun of me» he whines.
«I’m not- thank you for worrying, baby» you smile at him when you regain your control.
«It was just unexpected» you chuckle.
«Don’t they, though?»
«We’ll remove them right after» you smile at him.
«Oh, okay» he pecks your forehead as he goes back to close your pants.
«Tae» you call.
«Mhh?»
«Thank you, jinjjaro» you really are thankful. For everything he does for you, for taking care of you and cooking you pizza when he could’ve just taken a shower and lay down in bed since he’s been rehearsing for the whole day, for helping you let go of your stress, for reminding you that you have someone to count on who’s willing to help you always, for making you happy.
«I just need you, I don’t need anything or anyone else» you whisper. Taehyung’s arms wrap around you as he places between your legs, still kneeling on the floor.
«I need you too. Just you.» he lovely whispers back, cutely brushing your nose with his.
«I love you, jagiya. Saranghae.»
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