Translation of Love

36

Eunji

I see my target ahead and get ready to attack. I crouch down a bit, despite this being absolutely useless since I am much shorter than him anyway. I tiptoe quickly, then I bring my mitten-covered hands over his ears since I'm not tall enough to reach all the way to his eyes.

"Yah—" His hands immediately grab onto my own. Still holding my hands, he turns around, his confused expression turning into a wide smile.

"Look at these little things." He holds up my hands in front of my face. "I'm surprised you were even able to reach my ears."

I whine at him, my eyebrows furrowing.

"What's my 고양이 [kitten] doing here?" He coos at me while playing with my mittened hands.

"I was coming back from the bank and saw you."

"You recognized me from my back?"

I nod, a small smile on my lips.

"Even though I'm wearing a marshmallow coat?"

I giggle before nodding. "I recognized your posture and the way you were walking."

"Oh? How do I walk?"

I put on a serious face and look straight ahead. Then I begin walking like Taeyoung, or try to at least since my short legs can't get a handle on the large strides he takes. Taeyoung erupts into laughter behind me. He runs up behind me and grabs me into a back hug, his head nuzzling into my shoulder. I swiftly turn around and latch onto him, the deflating sound of my puffy winter jacket hitting his causes him to laugh.

"Sohee-yah," he sings out.

I poke my head up to look at him. He leans down so that our cold noses touch and warm each other up.

"I love you," he croons.

My heart feels like it's doing gymnastics. Four months in and he still makes me feel nervous.

"I love you too," I softly say.

"Come home with me."

"Okay."

"Wait, I mean my parent's home. For Christmas."

I freeze with my mouth open in shock. "Oh."

All I can think about is that Taeyoung and his father aren't on the best of terms. But I guess it isn't bad enough for him to ignore them on Christmas day.

"It'll be easier if you're there with me."

"Of course," I tell him before kissing him.

"Okay, now let's go home," he quickly says, implying his apartment this time.

***

A few days later I sit in a makeup chair, reading my Korean textbook as Taeyoung gets his hair styled for a shoot. Today's model is Eunji, someone I haven't seen since that first time. She seems to hate me even more today than the first day, her daggered eyes stabbing through me at every chance she gets.

"Oppa, what does this sentence mean?" I ask in Korean before reading off a long sentence from my homework.

He takes a look at the book. "I plan on going to the mall tomorrow morning to buy a dress and pair of shoes for the wedding," he says.

"Wow, quite specific," I mumble as I read it over again.

"Remember when your homework consisted of tracing hangul?" He chuckles at the thought. It's true, I've learned so much already. His stylist finishes up and packs up her things to leave.