Archive of Our Own ^beta

The cluster of crystals dangling from the chandelier were beautiful. The light reflecting off of them shone brightly, little beams of cool-toned light projected on the walls helped to add a bokeh-like effect to the overall lighting of the room.

“And this is the living room.”

Changbin led you to the center of the room with a hand on the small of your back. You’d never been in a house that was this beautiful. The furniture was in pristine condition, cream couches and chairs with dark wooden feet; marble flooring that was so shiny you swore you could see the chandelier reflected in the tiling; the chandelier in itself. This was Changbin’s family’s home? It almost felt like you were walking through a photoshoot set, except for the homey touches here and there: old crayon drawings proudly displayed on the TV stand; a stoic family photo beside a goofy one, the photos clearly having been taken seconds apart; a heavy-looking woven blanket with edges frayed from overuse.

You knew he had grown up wealthy, of course; you’d heard the others tease him for it here and there. But never in your wildest dreams had you imagined this. You felt so out of place. Were you even worthy to set foot inside such a luxurious home?

“Baby?” Changbin looked back at you and gently pressed up on the underside of your jaw, closing your mouth. You hadn’t even realized you’d been openly gaping at the room with your jaw dropped.

“Changbin… your family is loaded? Like, genuinely?”

He chuckled awkwardly. “Yeah, my parents are pretty successful. But it’s all their money, of course.”

You held the hand he’d just ruffled his hair with. He looked a little embarrassed, a little bit like he’d rather not talk about his family’s wealth. You understood. Changbin wasn’t one to gloat, and the money his parents made had nothing to do with him or his own successes. It may have afforded him opportunities that others didn’t have while he was growing up, but everything Changbin accomplished had been of his own merit. “Of course,” you said, ending that line of conversation. “So where’s your room?”

“You wanna see my childhood bedroom?”

“Obviously! I wanna see all the embarrassing posters on your walls.”

The groan he let out was long and loud.

“I’ll only tease you a little. Besides, it’s only fair – you saw my room at my parents’ house.”

“Fine, fine. You’re lucky I like you.”

“Like? You only like me?” You raised your eyebrow and took your hand back when he tried to hold it. “Last I heard it was love.”

“It comes and goes,” he said nonchalantly before holding your hand again, his grip firmer this time. You tested it by trying to wiggle free but he only tightened his grip further. You weren’t going anywhere anytime soon unless he allowed it. “Now let’s go.”

“I didn’t sign up for conditional love,” you muttered as you let him pull you along.

He led you down a hallway that was lined with more framed photos. He dragged you down the hallway too quickly for you to stop and take in each one, but you were able to get a good look at a few. There were school pictures of Changbin and his older sister in fancy clothes, showing perfectly what they looked like every year they’d been in school; photos of them as young children playing on a sandy beach; teenage Changbin and his mother walking hand in hand on a pathway lined with trees. At the end of the hallway were a few doors and he took you through the one on the left.

“I wanted to look at the pictures,” you pouted.

“You can look another time.” He waved away your protests so easily now. When you were first getting together and he was not quite used to you, not sure when you were teasing or when you were seriously upset, he’d apologize instantly. The slightest sign of a furrowed brow was enough for him to jump into action, trying to remedy any sort of upset. You’d both been like that. But now he knew you well enough that he knew he wasn’t the only dramatic one in the relationship. Though more reserved, you still had your moments of dramatization.

Changbin steered you to the middle of the room, leaving you to your own devices as he plopped down on his bed with as little grace as was possible. His arms splayed out, and a small “oof” noise left his lungs, causing you to snort.

You saw how he instantly relaxed into the bed, not even caring as the bottom of his shirt came up a bit to expose his tummy. He caught you watching him and stared back at you with a raised eyebrow, and if he’d rolled his eyes any harder they would have absolutely fallen out of their sockets.

“Don’t just stare at me,” he waved you off. “You said you wanted to see my room.”

You made a face at your soulmate and he nudged at your thigh with his house-slippered foot. You swatted the foot away before turning to the walls, inspecting as directed. 

He did, indeed, have posters tacked up. Old Korean groups you’d never heard of before stared down at you from behind the semi-glossy coating on the posters. He had shelves with assorted comic books, a few trophies for team sports dated back to when he would’ve been in elementary school, and superhero figurines for characters you both were and weren’t familiar with. Then, at the end of the top shelf, you saw a pile of notebooks. The pile was dusty, obviously untouched for years, and when you reached for them an aborted noise came out of Changbin’s throat. As he struggled to reach you, you were already flipping the first one open. 

While you could speak Korean decently well at this point, reading it was another story. Some words you could pick out with no issues, but others left you feeling like a kindergartener - sounding out the syllables carefully and stumbling over silent letters. That being said, you were just able to figure out this was a younger Changbin’s journal when it was gently tugged from your hands. 

Your surprised eyes met his panicked ones.

"Baby - not these. You can see everything except these."

"Sorry, Changbin, I -"

"It's just personal, I'm sorry."

The two of you spoke at the same time and if he hadn’t looked so worried you might have made a joke. 

"Hey, it's okay." You pulled him close and linked your arms around his neck. His shoulders were tense under your touch. "I didn't realize it was your journal until just before you took it. I would never invade your privacy like that."

Relief soothed his features, his muscles all relaxing at your words. "Sorry, I - they're a little embarrassing. I don't know why I panicked." He tried to laugh it off, but it fell a little short.

"You don't have to be embarrassed. Your thoughts and feelings are personal, and they have nothing to do with me. You’re allowed to keep them to yourself and you don't have to apologize."

"If there was anything to do with you I would tell you."

"I know," you said. "I promise, you don't have to explain anything."

If this had happened before, you know you wouldn't have been so understanding. You could picture an alternate reality where you'd been offended at the secrecy and upset that you weren't allowed to know what the years-old version of your boyfriend had written. But the you that was here now didn't mind. You trusted that if you were meant to know, Changbin would tell you. Being his soulmate didn't mean you had to know absolutely everything about him. 

Changbin leaned forward until his forehead was resting against yours and let his eyes flutter shut. "I love you."

"I know," you grinned. "I'm pretty great."

"No, like. I really love you. So, so much."

"I really love you so so much, too."

"I could kiss you right now."

"Ew, gross."

Changbin spluttered, pulling back. "Baby?!" His eyes were accusatory until he saw the mirth in yours.

"In front of TVXQ?" 

The poster that was pinned to the wall beside the two of you barely got a glance from Changbin before he answered.

"Let them watch."

He pulled you in and pressed a soft kiss to your lips just in time to muffle the faux-disgusted mutter of "pervert" that came out of your mouth. You weren't sure if you meant to direct it at him or the poster, but you figured it worked either way. He growled against your mouth before steering you back towards the bed, and wasn’t that what you’d wanted all along?

When his mom came home half an hour later, you and Changbin were on the couch watching an older Korean movie. Or at least that’s the story you were going to tell if asked. In all reality, you were in his lap and making out with him like a couple of horny teenagers, your hands in his hair and his under your shirt. You startled at the sound of the keypad entry beeping and the door swinging open, and you scooted out of his lap at a pace that matched the speed at which your heart was racing in your chest.

Changbin paused the movie and jumped to his feet, pulling you up as well. You winced and fixed his hair quickly before making sure your shirt didn’t give away that Changbin had just had his hands all over you.

"You don't have to be scared, babe. They're gonna love you." Changbin stopped your fidgeting hands by taking them in his own. He laced your fingers together with his and pulled you close.

"How do you know that?" You'd been voicing your worries to Changbin for the last week. What if you said something that annoyed them? What if they didn't approve of you being a foreigner? What if you just didn't get along? But, as your therapist reminded you, you had to trust that Changbin wouldn't put you in a situation where people would mistreat you. And you did. You trusted him with your life. But meeting his parents for the first time was so daunting. 

"Because I love you." He shrugged like it was the simplest thing in the world.

You wrinkled your nose. "That's so cheesy." 

He shrugged. "Yeah, but it's true. I tell them all about you, you know."

"How much do they know?"

"Well," he hesitated, shooting you an apologetic look, "they do know about our breakup, if that's what you're asking."

You sighed heavily, nerves settling solidly in your stomach. Would they not like you because you left their son? No - you couldn't let yourself worry about that. Trust, remember? "Okay," you nodded. 

He led you back towards the entryway where his mother had switched out her outside shoes for house slippers and was hanging her coat up in the same closet where your coat was hung. 

"Hi, mom!" Changbin was beaming, ecstatic to see his mother.

"My son!" She turned and you saw she was beaming as well. The joy they both felt at seeing each other after such a long time was undeniable. You only felt a little bit pouty when Changbin dropped your hand to take the few remaining steps between him and his mother, dragging her into his arms for a tight hug. 

"Where's noona? And dad?"

"Your sister is having car troubles, so your dad offered to pick her up and take her straight to the cabin." She pulled back from the hug and patted his cheek lovingly, her eyes were soft crescents that you'd seen reflected so many times on your boyfriend's face. "Your arms are getting too big. Don't you have anything else to do these days or do you just work and exercise?"

"Mom," Changbin pouted, "I do other things!"

"It doesn't look like it. And your poor girlfriend, I'll bet she has to sit around and wait for you to get home just for you to walk in the door sweaty and stinky." 

Until the mention of you, you'd been standing back, not wanting to intrude on the sweet reunion between Changbin and his mother. But you couldn't help the laugh you let out at her teasing. "Thankfully he doesn't always come home stinky."

"Good, good. I am glad he outgrew that habit."

"Mom!" 

"Don't whine, honey. Now," she turned to you and smiled gently. "Introduce your lovely girlfriend."

"Oh! Right." He cleared his throat and you rolled your eyes - lovingly, of course - at him. "Mom, this is Y/N, my soulmate. Y/N, babe, this is my mom."

You offered her a small smile that you hoped hid your nerves. "It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Seo." When you gave her your hand to shake, the look on her face was incredulous, eyes darting from the outstretched hand to your eyes. Your hand dropped without your consent and you tried to keep up the smile, but you knew you've already fucked up somehow. The rest of the weekend was going to be so uncomfortable, now. You weren't sure what you did exactly, but you were sure she'd let the rest of the family know. And Changbin loved his family so much. Would he stay with you even if they all hated you?

"Dear," Changbin’s mom said in a chastising tone, shaking her head. You could almost hear a disapproving tsk, tsk, tsk. "We don't shake hands in this family. We hug." At your confused face, she grabbed hold of your hand, not to shake, but to pull you in for a hug just as warm as the one she gave Changbin. Tension flooded from your body as you sagged into the embrace, remembering after a moment that you were supposed to hug her back. "There we go," she chuckled. 

When the hug ended, she held you at arms length. "Such a beautiful girl," she grinned. "My boy is good to you? He takes care of you?"

"Yes, ma'am," you nodded. 

"And you're good to him?"

At that you glanced at Changbin. You tried your best. You still sometimes worried about what he got out of being with you when he gave you so much, but he constantly reassured you when you voiced your concerns. 

"I think I do a pretty good job of taking care of him, Mrs. Seo. I try my best."

The smile she gave you was genuine. "That's all I can ask. And please, call me mom."

Your eyes grew wide but you nodded enthusiastically. "I - yes - thank you, mom."

"Of course, dear. Now, let's get in the car, shall we? I want to get to the cabin before your father and sister, otherwise they'll go to the store without us."

"Babe?" You woke slowly, first, then with a sudden jerk upright as consciousness trickled back to you. The last thing you remembered was insisting Changbin’s mother take the front seat as Changbin loaded everyone's luggage into the trunk. Looking around you realized the sun was setting and you were in a garage - already at the cabin? Changbin was with you in the back seat of his car, leaning towards you from the open door and a thumb gently brushing against your cheekbone. 

"We're here?" You asked, even though you were 95% sure of the answer.

"Yes, love. Just pulled in a few minutes ago."

You nodded and your eyes fluttered shut again briefly, still sleepy, before the words sunk in. Then you blinked yourself awake, Changbin chuckling beside you. Your fingers fumbled for the seatbelt for an embarrassingly long time before they were gently nudged aside and your saint of a boyfriend unbuckled your seatbelt for you.

"You're really out of it," he observed. "You were asleep before we left my parents' neighborhood."

That lined up with what you remembered. "How long was the drive?"

"About an hour and a half."

"Damn," you muttered. "Do you think your mom minded?"

"What?" He raised his eyebrows at you. "Why would she care?"

You shrugged, suddenly really interested in the head rest you could just barely see over Changbin’s shoulder. "Maybe she thought it was rude?"

His face softened. "You don't have to be so nervous. She likes you already."

"She does?"

"How could she not?"

You shrugged again. "I guess I am pretty great."

"There's my girl. Now, come on, you have to meet my dad and noona."

Changbin led you to a door that, when opened, brought you into a large kitchen.  You barely had time to take in the stainless steel appliances and the wooden countertops before you were being pulled away from Changbin and directly into someone else's arms. The hug was as tight as it was brief, mostly because, Changbin objected so loudly.

"Ah, noona, give her a second to take off her shoes." Changbin wrapped a hand around your wrist and pulled you back, simultaneously stepping in between you and his older sister. 

Your surprised eyes took in the figure in front of you and - oh wow. "You're so pretty!"

Changbin’s sister preened at the compliment. "I like you already, eonnie!"

"Noona -" you and Changbins sister both looked to the rapper. He gave a short huff of a laugh and corrected himself. "Eunbi noona. This is Y/N noona, my soulmate. Y/N noona, babe, this is Eunbi."

"Ugh, you call her babe? Gross, Changbin."

You turned red and Changbin wrapped an arm around you, puffing his chest out exaggeratedly. "Hey, she likes it - don't you?" Your big strong man, ever the protector. 

"I do," you admitted, glancing at Changbin out of the side of your eye. Eunbi smacked his chest and he instantly doubled over, tenderly rubbing his pec. 

Eunbi looked between the two of you for a moment before giving a sigh. "You two were made for each other." She held up a hand in surrender. "Just please keep the cutesy names to a minimum."

Changbin and you shared a look. What was he supposed to call you if babe was off the table? You loved the cutesy nicknames he had for you.

“Let me give you a tour, babe,” Changbin said as he grabbed your arm, pulling you further away from his sister. He put strong emphasis on babe and you heard Eunbi pretend to gag behind you.

You looked back at her and made an apologetic face. “Nice to meet you! See you later!” you called over your shoulder. She laughed and waved in response, and you were out of the room soon after.

The next room was the living room. Where the family home had been bright lights and strong lines, the cabin was cozy. A large, overstuffed couch sat to the left of the room and an equally overstuffed loveseat was on the right side. A wooden rocking chair sat to the side of a large window and the side table next to it held a stack of paperback books. There was a large television set mounted to the wall directly across from the kitchen entrance and it was on, playing a baseball game with the volume on low.

An older man who could only be Changbin’s father turned to face you as the pair of you entered the room, straightening up from where he had previously been crouched down beside another side table. He pressed a switch at the base of a tall lamp that bathed the room in a warm glow.

“Hey dad,” Changbin said. His dad approached the two of you with a small smile. You noticed it didn’t seem to reach his eyes, not completely. That’s fair, you thought. You’re a stranger in his home, of course he would be a little reserved.

His dad hugged him tightly. “It’s good to see you, son. And your girlfriend?”

“This is Y/N,” Changbin said when he pulled back from the hug. His hands wrapped around your wrist and he tugged you forward a bit, smiling at you encouragingly.

“Hello,” Changbin’s dad said politely, maybe a little slowly to make sure you understood. “Nice to meet you, Y/N. You can call me Doyoon.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Doyoon-ssi.”

“Your Korean is good,” he nodded approvingly. “How do you like Korea?”

“Thank you. Korea is different from home in a lot of ways, but I like it. I mostly worry about cultural differences, but Changbin has been a big help.”

"I'm glad to hear that."

"Doyoon?" Changbin's mom called from the kitchen. "Why don't you help me in here? Give those two some privacy?"

"Oh, no, it's okay-"

Changbin's father gave the two of you a wry smile. "No, that's alright. We'll talk more later." He turned the tall lamp off and left the room the way you had entered it. 

Your boyfriend cleared his throat. "So," he gestures vaguely towards the room. "Living room. Dad's reading corner. He likes to read mostly old mystery novels that he's already read a ton."

You nodded, eyes again on the stack of books. They definitely looked well-loved. 

Changbin brought you through the entirety of the cabin. It was bigger than you'd expected when you heard the word cabin. There were hallways leading off either side of the living room. Each hallway held two bedrooms and a bathroom, and Changbin brought you into the bedroom furthest away from his family. When he closed the door behind the two of you, he pulled your back to his chest, his arms wrapping loosely around your stomach.

"This is where we'll sleep."

"We're sharing a room?" You couldn't see him over your shoulder, so you looked back to the room in front of you. it was nice. You could see one full-sized bed nestled in the corner of the room, a soft-looking gray blanket covering the sheets. There was a large window, covered in heavy curtains. A sturdy looking wooden dresser caught your eye. It was beautiful, a dark brown with black pulls and intricate swirling designs carved into the corners of each drawer. 

Changbin snorted. "Why wouldn't we?"

"I just thought..."

"Do you not want to?"

"I do!" You pulled him impossibly closer, a possessive grip on his forearms. The thought of sleeping alone for the first time in almost a year made you sad. You knew from experience that you wouldn't be able to get quality sleep if you weren't at least surrounded in the warmth he generated. "I thought your parents might not like it."

"They don't care."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, baby." Changbin's arms disappeared from around you only for him to spin you around. "Please stop stressing. You're fine, okay?"

Right. He was right. You were fine. You agreed with a short nod. "Okay."

"Good. Your suitcase is in the closet. You can unpack while I see if my mom wants help with anything in the kitchen."

"I can help too," you objected. You wanted to help. Or at least offer to. It felt rude not to.

Changbin made a face. "Are you kidding? You're a guest. She would kill me if she knew we were having this conversation right now."

That didn't sound right to you, but you figured Changbin knew his mother better than you did. You nodded again and with a quick kiss, Changbin was gone.

It didn't take long to unpack, seeing as you'd only be here for a few days, but you took your time, making sure your clothes were folded neatly where they sat beside Changbin's in the dresser. Then, after the few short minutes that took, you explored the room. 

Whereas Changbin's room in his family home was clearly the room of a teen boy, the decor untouched in years, this room felt... More grown up. There were touches of Changbin in the room: in the notebooks and his favorite type of pen you eyed on the bedside table; in the half-empty bottle of cologne in the medicine cabinet of the ensuite bathroom; in the worn hat on the shelf in the closet. 

As you noted these small traces of your soulmate, you should have been comforted, but you weren’t. You couldn't help but feel your fears creeping back in unfounded. Was your Korean at a passable level? What if you stupidly said something offensive? You still confused some words occasionally and it was endlessly frustrating. At the dorms the boys teased you for it, but they were also quick to help you find the words you were searching for. What if that happened here?

You sunk to the bed as these thoughts and worse swirled around in your head. You had to do what your therapist said and remind yourself of the truth. You had no say in what other people thought of you. Your Korean was improving every day, thanks to your tutor and your job. Changbin, his family, and his friends were all lovely people and no one was going to be horrible to you. You would be just fine - hopefully better than just fine.

“So, tell us more about you,” Changbin’s father said, taking a sip of his wine. You’d all finished with dinner and when Changbin’s sister had suggested opening up a bottle of wine she’d brought along, you’d politely agreed.

“What would you like to know?” You’d always felt awkward having these types of get-to-know-you conversations. Your life before Changbin had been so boring, and your life with Changbin, while an immeasurable times more wonderful, still wasn’t all that special compared to Changbin’s. You took a decent-sized drink of your wine.

“You’re from America, right?” You nodded. “What did you do for work there?”

“I worked as a bank teller.” There were appreciative hums around the room. “I know it’s not the most exciting job.”

“It’s an honest job,” Changbin’s mother said brightly. “Did you enjoy it?”

“It was alright.” You were careful with your words. In all honesty, you hated the job. The only good part were your coworkers, but due to bad management and such a high turnover rate, it hadn’t been very enjoyable at all by the time you met Changbin.

“Noona went to school for creative writing, though. She wants to be a writer.”

Changbin’s sister gasped. “You’re a writer? That’s so cool! Are you any good? Can I read something you’ve written? I’m really good at English!”

“That’s a tough career to get into,” Changbin’s dad said with a small frown. “What do you do in the meantime?”

You shot Eunbi an apologetic look. “I don’t have any of my stories here, but I could ask my mom to mail them? And,” you directed this towards Changbin’s father. “I currently do data entry for a finance company in Seoul.”

“Two jobs in finance?”

“I thought I might as well stick with what I know.” You swirled around the wine in your glass. “The two jobs aren’t alike at all, but I do occasionally come across topics I’m familiar with from my days as a bank teller.”

“You must read Korean very well, then?” Changbin’s mom chimed in again. “That’s very impressive, you haven’t been here long at all!”

“I’m passable,” you said modestly at the same time as Changbin’s dad said,

“Yes, that’s right… it hasn’t been long since my son had to convince you to move back to Korea.”

Your stomach dropped. It had just started to seem like things were going well. His questions had been a bit pointed all night, and finally he’d presented you with the killer.

“Dad!” Changbin said sharply.

“That’s true,” you said. “I did leave.”

“You don’t have to explain yourself, dear,” Changbin’s mother said hastily. She stood from the table and snatched the wine glass from her husband.

“I’d like to hear an explanation,” the man objected. “For one soulmate to leave the other… no matter the circumstances, isn’t that a bit dramatic?”

You nodded, your eyes on the wood grain of the table. You wondered if the man had hated you all along, or if he’d come to loathe you just now, while you ate dinner with them. Maybe he’d been ticked off by the way you held your chopsticks, or maybe you didn’t thank them enough for the meal?

“Dad-!” Changbin got to his feet as well, body rigid and fists clenched.

“It didn’t feel dramatic at the time,” you shrugged. He broke up with me and I’d said very early on that no matter my feelings, if Changbin didn’t want to be with me anymore, I would leave. So I did.” When you looked back at Changbin’s father, his expression was a bit hard to read, maybe contemplative? You continued, “I didn’t want to stay where I was unwanted.”

“But I did want you,” Changbin said forcefully. “And I still do.” To his dad, he said, “You already know all of this. Why are you bringing this up?”

“Y/N, you seem like a nice girl, but you’ve already left my son once. How am I supposed to trust that you won’t do it again?”

“Doyoon, stop this,” Changbin’s mother scolded.

“I suppose that’s fair.” You were trying not to tear up, but you could feel the tears coming anyway.

“It’s not fair,” Eunbi objected, scowling. She looked at her father with such disdain. “Don’t pay attention to him.”

“I love your son,” you said as you too stood from the table. “I’m sure nothing I say will be able to convince you of that, but it’s the truth, sir.”

“We’ll see.”

“That’s enough, Dad,” Changbin joined his sister in scowling at their father. He took your wrist and marched the two of you to your room, shutting the door behind him with more force than was necessary.

You felt the soft press of Changbin's lips against your cheek before you heard him speak.

"It's time to wake up, sunshine." His voice was gentle, sing-songey in the early morning and you weren't impressed. You made a noise that was somewhere between a grumble and a whine before pulling the blankets up and tucking them under your chin.

"Uh-uh, nope. None of that." The horrible human being whose soul was entwined with yours pulled the blankets away, allowing cool air to rush in. Goosebumps rose up along your arms and you whined again, louder.

"My love, you're gonna miss breakfast."

"I'm old," you pleaded. "Old people need to rest."

"Ah, should I be calling you halmeoni, then?" He giggled as you finally opened your eyes just to scowl at him.

"I'm gonna tell your mom you're being mean to me."

"Mom's the one who told me to wake you up, Erin," Changbin said with a cheeky smirk. "Now get up, babe. Or I'll make you wash all the dishes."

He strolled out of the room before you could respond, but as you sat up in bed you couldn't even begin to formulate a rebuttal because all your sleep-heavy brain could think was….

"Did he just call me 'Erin'?"

It must have been a mistake. Because Changbin wasn't stupid and he knew your name, and your name definitely did not sound anything like 'Erin.' So… why had he said it? Was it a slip? He wasn't… he wasn't seeing someone else on the side? Some other foreigner? Someone named Erin?

No, stop. That was absurd. When would he have time to cheat? He was so busy at work, there was no way he could fit in another woman.

Unless she was a coworker. 

Your mind was ping-ponging back and forth, jumping to conclusion after conclusion. Just as soon as you'd talk yourself off one ledge you found yourself teetering awfully close to another.

"Babe, come on!" At Changbin's voice you were jerked out of your spiral. You stumbled out of bed and yelled back that you were getting ready. 

There had to be an explanation, right?

Breakfast was an icy affair. You dressed quickly and found your place between Eunbi and Changbin at the dining table. You were the last one to sit and you apologized as you scooted your chair in.

Aside from the sounds of eating and drinking, it was quiet. Changbin and his sister shot looks at their parents until finally their father sighed and wiped his mouth on a napkin.

“Y/N, I need to apologize.”

You stopped with your chopsticks hovering over your plate. Changbin’s hand found your muscle under the table, his thumb immediately rubbing soothingly back and forth along your thigh. When you looked up at his father, the man was looking back at you with a slight frown on his face.

“My family was right, I was being unfair to you last night. Changbin speaks to us every day, of course I am well aware of the situation surrounding your brief breakup.”

In order to liven up the atmosphere, you wished you could say you accepted his apology. But his words had hurt. After you’d gone to bed, Changbin had held you tightly all night, letting you cry into his chest and whispering how much he loved you. How much his mom and his sister liked you. That hadn’t seemed to matter though, because your fear had been realized when his father had interrogated you like that. You’d been inconsolable as you replayed the man’s words to you over and over again. And now he was apologizing? You didn’t want to forgive him.

Changbin’s father continued speaking. “My son has always been more on the sensitive side and I know how much it broke him when you left. I don’t want him to have to go through that again. I’m sure you can understand?” He looked at you, his eyes pleading for some sort of acknowledgement. That, at least, you could give him. You understood that he was looking out for his son. But it didn’t escape you that of all the words he said, the one he hadn’t said was ‘sorry.’

“I do understand. I appreciate your apology.”

Doyoon was silent for a moment as your careful word choice sunk in, then he nodded. “Right, of course.” The man continued eating the few bites left on his plate before he quietly stood, rinsed his dishes, then set them in the dishwasher. He turned back towards the table where the rest of you had continued eating.

“Yeobo? When did you want to head out?”

“Oh! Right,' Changbin's mom considered. "I can be ready in 20 minutes?”

Changbin’s dad nodded before leaving down the hall.

“Where are you going?” Changbin asked.

“The Kim’s a few blocks over are having a get together. We promised them we’d make a quick appearance.”

“We should swim, then,” Eunbi said to you and Changbin. “Y/N, did Changbin remember to tell you to pack a suit?”

“Yes,” you nodded. “That sounds fun.”

“Yeah, okay, we can swim,” Changbin sighed.

“Great. I’ll see you guys out there.” Eunbi said, quickly making her way down to her room.

Changbin’s mother approached you, holding her hands out to you. Hesitantly, you accepted them. “I’m sorry for my husband, dear. He’s,” she searched for the right word. “Protective. But that’s no excuse for his hostility.”

“Thank you,” you said softly.

She smiled at you, tucking your hair behind your ear. “I’ll work on him, okay? You’ll get a better apology before you leave for Seoul.”

“That’s not-“

“Don’t tell me it’s not needed, because it is.”

“Yes, ma’am.” She gave you a stern look. “Mom?”

“Much better, dear.”

Back in your room, you had pulled out your swimsuit when you remembered your boyfriend’s mistake from earlier this morning. You turned to see he was leaning against his desk, texting on his phone.

“Changbin?”

“Hmm?” he hummed absentmindedly.

"Changbin, I -" you were ashamed to even have to ask this. You didn't want to have him come clean about an affair while you were on vacation with his family, after everything that had just happened with his father, but it would be better to know the truth sooner rather than later, wouldn't it? You averted your eyes, looking to the ceiling to hold back the tears. Damn these Seo men, making you cry twice in less than 24 hours. "Who's Erin?"

"What?" He put down his phone.

You scoffed and when you looked back to your boyfriend his eyebrows were furrowed, his lips in a slight frown. Your attempts to blink back your tears must not have worked because when your eyes met his because his demeanor immediately shifted, reaching out a hand to caress your cheek while he cooed.

But you took a step back and pushed his hand away.

"Who's Erin?"

"I don't… air-in? I don't know what that is, baby. Why are you crying?"

"Erin! It's a name - an English girl's name! You called me Erin earlier and I…" you were trying hard not to start rambling.

"I’ve never heard that name before."

You gave him a look. "If you've never heard it then why would you say it?" you snapped.

"But I didn't!"

"Yes you did!" 

Changbin took a deep breath before speaking again. "When did I say 'Erin'?"

"When you woke me up! You said that your mom told you to wake me up, and then you called me 'Erin'! Please don't treat me like I'm dumb, Changbin."

Your soulmate still looked confused, but he stayed silent for a moment. You could see him replaying the conversation in his mind, carefully combing over every word he said. Then his eyes lit up and the look on his face slowly morphed. His mouth turned upward, his dimple popping out and he let out a laugh.

"Okay, cool." You said. You could feel the heat of your anger simmering just below the surface, wrapped in disbelief. Anger coursed through you so thoroughly you suddenly couldn’t remember to speak in Korean. "I'm so glad you think this is funny." 

You turned to walk away but Changbin grabbed your hand and pulled you back to him until your body was pressed tightly to his. You were too hurt, not ready to accept you’d have to grieve your relationship again, to put up much of a struggle.

"Oh, baby," he started. "My one and only, my honey. Light of my life."

"You have 10 seconds to explain before I leave." 

"Baby, I didn't say 'Erin'."

Not this again. You breathed deeply through your nose. "Yes,” you finally said, gritting your teeth as you switched back to Korean, “you said-"

"Aein," he said.

Well. That wasn't exactly 'Erin', now, was it? 

"I said ‘aein’," he repeated. 

"Aein?" You tried the word out, feeling how it was different than what you could have sworn he said this morning, while you were still fighting off sleep. 

"Yes, baby."

Slowly you could feel the fight leaving you, the tension you’d felt all the way down to your toes lessening with every passing second. "I don't… I don’t know that one," you admitted, your cheeks burning with embarrassment. "What does it mean?" 

"I don't know the English word for it, but it's similar to jagi, or aegi."

All the dramatics because he'd called you a cute pet name? You pulled out your phone to find your translator app and confirmed it. It meant lover. You dropped your head to Changbin's chest.

"I'm sorry," you mumbled into the muscle. He held your chin delicately between his thumb and pointer finger, gently forcing you to maintain eye contact while you explained. There would be no hiding from him, not now. "I didn't hear you clearly and I started to spiral right away, but you'd already gone to the kitchen and I didn't wanna say anything in front of your parents."

Changbin sighed and rubbed his hand soothingly up and down your back. "What am I gonna do with you?"

You stood straight and gave him your best puppy dog eyes, weaseling your arms between his own arms and his torso, til you were hugging him tightly. "Love me?" Your bottom lip wasn't jutted out in a pout but it might as well have been for how thick you were laying it on. If there was one thing you learned about your soulmate it was that apologies went over especially well when there was a bit of groping involved. You batted your eyelashes at him as you let a hand rest just above his ass, trailing down to the roundest part of his butt. Then you squeezed. Just a little. And your soulmate, ever the infuriatingly handsome pain in your ass, smirked.

"Love you, huh?" His hand on your back pulled you even closer and he ducked down to place a kiss to your lips.

"I guess I can do that."

"You guess," you scoffed.

His smirk turned into a sweet grin as he looked into your eyes. "I will do that. Every day. For the rest of my life."

"That's better," you grumped, burying your face in his chest. 

"I'm also gonna call you Aerin from now on, though "

You gasped dramatically, drawing away from him just enough to make eye contact. "Aerin? I get a Korean name now?"

Changbin nodded sagely. "You've earned it."

"You will still use my real name sometimes though, right?"

"Of course I will."

"Good. I like my name the best when you say it."