Chapter Text
I tapped my chin, staring at the table of food I set up in the living room for us for dinner. Truth be told, I had ordered most of it, but I did cook one dish on the table for her. It only took me like two hours and a phone call full of a million questions to one of my hyungs. I hope she likes it all.
I know I got her something earlier today, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt like I needed to really return the favor to her. I’m not the only one who works hard and deserves to have dinner waiting for them when they get home.
She’d be home any minute. I quickly set up the utensils and cups on the table and made sure the drinks were nearby as well. I heard the door beep and I quickly went over to greet her. She smiled at me when she came in.
“I’m back~”
“Welcome home.”
She removed her shoes and I helped her with her bag, setting it off to the side. I helped her with her coat and hung it to the side. She followed me in and paused, staring at the food on the table.
“What’s… all this?”
“Dinner. I figured since you always make sure to have dinner ready for me when I get home, I should…” My voice trailed off when I glanced at her and I noticed tears in her eyes. “Eh? W-What’s wrong? Did something happen at work?”
She laughed, shaking her head and wiped the tears from her eyes. “N-No. It’s just… Um, h-have a seat. I’m going to go change into something more comfortable before we eat.”
“Yeah. Okay.”
She headed off for her room, taking her bag with her. She shut the door behind her and I frowned. I didn’t expect her to cry just because I set up dinner… Maybe it was too surprising?
I sat down by the table and waited for her. She came out of her room after a few minutes, her hair up in a bun and she wore a comfortable t-shirt and sweat pants. She sat down and grinned at me.
“Let’s eat!”
“Let me admit first that most of it’s delivery. Except this.” I pointed. “I made this.”
“You made this one?”
“Yeah. For you. I hope you like it.”
She stared at me for a second and it looked like she was a bit confused at first. She played it off with a smile.
“Should I try that one first then?”
I put some of the food on a plate for her and passed it over. She grinned and ate it carefully. It was still hot and she needed it to blow on it to cool it off a bit.
I held my breath waiting for her reaction. Her eyes lit up as she ate it.
“Mm~ It’s good~” She grinned. “You really made that?”
“Yeah! I’m glad you like it.”
“I love it~ Thank you. I… can’t believe you did all this for me.”
I shrugged. “No big deal.”
“I’ll make sure to do the dishes when we’re done,” she said while eating more.
“Huh? You don’t have to. I can do them.”
She looked up at me surprised. I frowned slightly. First, the tearing up. Then, the confusion and now, this? Just what has she gone through before I arrived that she doesn’t seem so used to this kind of treatment.
“A-Are you sure? You can at least let me help.”
“No. You don’t have to. I made the mess anyway so I’m responsible.”
“Y-Yeah, but…”
I blinked at her as she paused. “But what?”
“Nothing…” She shook her head and looked down at her plate. “Let’s eat before all of this gets cold.”
I’m not going to lie. I wanted to know, but I wasn’t about to try to pry it out of her. What if it was something she really didn’t want to talk about? I didn’t want to bring up any bad memories or anything… So, I left it alone and we ate dinner together like usual.
It was nice getting to eat with her. Especially after I missed two meals together with her yesterday. I’ll have to make sure I wake up early tomorrow to eat breakfast with her. Maybe wake up earlier and make breakfast for her even.
“By the way,” I said as we were gathering up the dishes together, “I was wondering… I didn’t overdo it with the strawberry flavor today, did I?”
She laughed and shook her head. “No. It was perfect. I’m surprised you even remembered that I like strawberries.”
“It’s not that hard to remember. Plus you wear clothes with strawberries on them and always have strawberry milk in the fridge.”
She glanced down at her shirt that had a cute drawing of a cat character wearing a strawberry hat on it. “You’re so right. I guess… I’m just not used to someone paying attention to what I like. My friends, sure, but…”
“Not even your family?”
“I… uh, no. Not really. But I’d rather not get into the family drama too much.”
She grabbed the stack of dishes from the table and walked to the kitchen as if wanting to separate herself from the conversation. I wiped down the table and picked up the remaining cups and utensils. I took them to the kitchen and found her starting to wash dishes.
“I told you I can do it.”
“I… know you did. I just feel weird if I don’t at least help a little.”
I chuckled and took the scrubber out of her hand. “I got it. Why don’t you go take a shower? Relax after such a hard day’s work.”
“But Jungwon, I really—”
I looked at her and gently hit my forehead against hers. She flinched and pouted while rubbing her forehead.
“Go take a shower and relax. I can do the dishes.”
“Okay,” she muttered.
She turned and walked off. I stood by the kitchen entrance to make sure she went to her room. She glanced at me and looked like she wanted to say something but I shook my head. She pouted again and then disappeared into her room.
I went back to the sink and washed the dishes while humming softly. I got the dishes done faster than I thought I would and just as I finished, she came back into the kitchen.
“Oh… you’re done.”
“Yup. All done.” I wiped my hands to dry them and turned to smile at her. “We still have time before bed. How about a movie?”
“Um, sure.”
We went over to the living room and both sat on the couch. I turned on the TV and we agreed on a movie before I hit play. She glanced over at me once in a while like she wanted to say something, but kept stopping herself.
Finally, I looked over at her. “Do you have something to say?”
“Um, w-well, I just… I really do appreciate you making dinner and everything. It was all very nice.”
“Okay. And?”
“I just feel strange that I didn’t do anything to help.”
“You didn’t have to. You always help me out when I need it.” I glanced over at the TV again. “It was time I returned the favor.”
“A-Are you sure? Is there really nothing I can help you with right now?”
I laughed, shaking my head. “No. Not right now anyway.”
“I… I could sweep. Wait, no. I shouldn’t sweep so late at night…” She tapped her chin. “I could give you a massage or… something.”
“I don’t need one. Just relax. That’s what you could do. It’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”
She let out a breath and leaned back into the couch. “Really? I can just… relax?”
“Yeah. Relax. Sit back and watch the movie with me. You can do that, right?”
I”m not exactly sure what she’s gone through in her life, but suddenly, I felt like I could understand it perfectly. She’s probably never been told to just sit down and relax. She’s always scrambling around to try to do something. She’s always trying to do something to please me, never asking for anything in return. It’s probably why she was so awkward about me doing this for her tonight. She’s never been on the receiving end.
I watched her slowly lower her shoulders as she let out a breath. She looked up at the TV, a small smile growing on her face.
“Okay. I’ll relax then.”
Not long after she said that, I noticed she fell asleep, I guess she really did relax, huh?
I turned off the TV and carefully picked her up from the couch in my arms. She nuzzled against my shoulder as I walked her to her bed. I laid her in bed and tucked her in.
I moved the hair out of her face and smiled. “Goodnight. You worked hard today. Rest well.”
I leaned down and gave her forehead a peck. I turned, flipped off the light and went to my room.
I never realized how fulfilling it was to have her enjoy the dinner I set up for her. I bet that’s how she feels when she does it for me.
Imagine how surprised she’ll be if I make her breakfast tomorrow. I hope she loves it.