Monday, February 18th
As the final bell rang, Jessica rushed to her locker and gathered her books before heading to Ren's locker. Ren was changing his books as well while his friends kept whining over the amount of homework they received. As she walked over to Ren, she found him laughing at his friends' misfortune.
"Hey." She smiled brightly at him before giving him a passionate kiss, surprising Jonghyun and Minhyun. They looked at each other as the two slowly parted with bright smiles.
"Hey, babe. You ready to go?" Ren asked as he put his arm around her shoulder. Jessica nodded. Ren closed his locker and the group headed to the exit. Ren was looking at Jessica when a large fist collided with his chin. He fell to the ground from the sudden impact as the students around them gasped and quietly watched the situation unfold. Jessica bent down to check on him. Ren looked up and found Jihoon glaring at him. He glared back as he stood back up and charged at him with his fist. He hit him and the two grabbed each other and started shoving.
"Guys! Stop!" She tried to get in between the two, but as Jihoon shoved Ren backwards, she fell backwards, grazing the lower half of her palm on the floor as she did. Ren tried to punch Jihoon again, but he caught his fist midair.
"Don't even try." Jihoon spoke in a low tone.
"I'll decide that." He pulled his hand back, resulting in Jihoon pulling at his bracelet, causing it to break. The beads fell on the floor as the two continued to beat each other. Ren gave Jihoon one final smack in the face before Minhyun pulled him off of him. Jihoon tried charging at the two, but was stopped by two other male students. Jonghyun helped Jessica up and inspected her bleeding hand. Her breathing was shaky as Ren joined to look at her hand.
"I'll get you back for this." Ren glared at Jihoon one last time before taking Jessica to his car. Minhyun and Jonghyun followed with their bags.
"Ah!" Jessica yelped in pain as Ren's butler cleaned her wound. She was in Ren's study room. Jonghyun and Minhyun were seated on the long couch, as Jessica was in the chair next to it. Ren leaned against his desk as he watched his butler clean her hand. Jessica thanked his butler after he finished treating her. He cleaned up the first-aid supplies and left the room.
"Told you that he was an ass." Ren looked at his pen that he was playing with. He chuckled once. "Still you go up to him and apologize. That's kind of the stupidest thing I've ever seen a girl do." Jessica looked down embarrassed.
"Besides sleep with you?" Minhyun joked. The boys laughed.
"I'm sorry." Jessica spoke softly. The guys looked at Ren and he nodded his head to the door, gesturing them to get out. Ren sat down next to her on the arm of the chair and grabbed her bandaged hand.
"Listen, you couldn't know that he would hit me." Ren grabbed her chin and made her look at him. "But, I am sure it's not your fault. He has always been picking fights with me since middle school. It's not a big deal."
"It is a big deal. Look at your lip." Jessica pointed at the bruise that slowly formed on the corner of his lips. Ren smirked at her.
"I know something that could heal it." He whispered.
"An icepack?" She replied. Ren chuckled.
"No, this." He pulled her face to his and kissed her softly. When his friends returned to check on them, they flinched at the sight of Jessica and Ren on the couch, seemingly devouring each other.
Friday, March 8th
Jessica was waiting for Ren in the park. A hand covered her mouth, surprising her, and a low whisper followed.
"I've missed you." Ren kissed the crook of her neck before letting her go. She turned around and hugged him before hitting his chest once.
"Don't scare me like that." Jessica whined. Ren chuckled.
"But, it's funny." He smirked at her. He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards an empty field, except for a blanket on the ground.
"I thought we could have a do over for Valentine's Day when it was raining so much. Luckily the sun is shining brightly."
"Luckily I brought my sunglasses." She muttered before pouting.
"My chef made all of it, but I chose the drinks." Ren said as he showed the bottle of champagne proudly. Jessica chuckled at his cuteness. After they ate, they laid down to look at the clouds. After some time Jessica felt tired. Ren noticed and decided to take her to her place. When they packed the basket, Ren looked behind Jessica with his eyes widened. Jessica frowned and attempted to turn around, but was met with his lips on hers instead. She was confused when he didn't make any attempt to deepen the kiss. Ren followed something with his eyes and rushed her to get to his car when he pulled away. He had just put the basket and blanket in the back of his car, when his nightmare became reality.
"Rennie~ I didn't expect to see you here!" A loud, female voice said from behind them.
"Shit!" Ren cursed under his breath. Jessica frowned at him and turned around to see who the voice belonged to. Her eyes widened at who she found standing there.
"Wow." Jessica softly spoke as the woman came closer.
"Holding hands? You must be Ren's girlfriend! Nice to meet you~! I'm Kahi. Ren's sister-in-law." She said. Ren continued cursing in his mind as the two girls talked.
"I-I know. You're a famous fashion model for Korean fashion brands. I'm a big fan." Jessica shook her hand. Kahi turned to Ren.
"I came home about an hour ago. Your parents told me you were out. I can see why that was more important." She smirked at him.
"What's your name?" She turned back to Jessica.
"Uhm, Jessica." She replied, still in shock.
"Jessica~! That's such a cute name!" Kahi exclaimed. Jessica flinched. "Ren~! Why didn't you tell me you're girlfriend is such a cutie." She spoke while looking back and forth between Ren and Jessica.
"Maybe because you weren't supposed to know." Ren muttered.
"Hmm?"
"Nothing." Ren replied quickly.
*Great, now mom and dad will know in a nanosecond.* Ren thought as he trailed behind the two girls. Kahi offered to buy them coffee to get to know Jessica. She had linked her arms with her before dragging her along. They sat down in a café nearby. Jessica ordered hot chocolate and Kahi ordered a mocha. Ren ordered a double espresso. He scowled as he sat next to Kahi, going over the imaginary scene in his head, hoping he could figure out a way to keep it from his parents.
"So, how did you two meet?" Kahi asked eagerly.
"We go to the same school." Ren said annoyed as he looked down at his drink. Jessica frowned at his sudden change in demeanor.
"R-Right. He is a junior, and I'm a sophomore." Jessica added.
*Is he annoyed by my shyness?* Jessica wondered.
"I thought ICE high school was for rich kids only." Jessica's eyes widened a little at Kahi's blunt statement. Jessica looked at Ren but he was looking out the window.
"Oh, please. If you really were a rich kid, then you wouldn't be wearing these clothes. Trust me, I know." Kahi kept a gentle smile.
"I got in with a scholarship." Jessica admitted. Kahi gasped.
"Whoa! You must be really smart then!" Kahi exclaimed.
"Not really. I just got lucky." Jessica responded and looked down. Ren stared into the café. One figure that went into the direction of the toilets caught his eye. He narrowed his eyes as he put down his already finished drink.
"Be right back." Ren said before he got up and followed the figure. Ren got closer as the girl tried to escape into the girls' bathroom, but Ren grabbed her arm and forced her to turn around. She tried to hide her face by hiding behind her hair, but he already saw.
"You?" He laughed at the discovery.
"Stop laughing." Lizzy said embarrassed.
"So you work here. Interesting. I thought you're parents owned some famous five-star restaurant." Ren smirked down at her as he noticed her uniform. Lizzy clenched her fist as she looked away from Ren, ignoring his statement.
"Awww, what's wrong? Cat got your tongue?" Ren smiled at her with evil glint in his eye.
"Please, don't tell anyone. Not even Nana knows I work here. It would be social suicide if kids at school find out."
"Hmm." Ren pretended to not hear her.
"Please, don't tell anyone." Lizzy begged.
"And, what will it get me?" Ren crossed his arms.
"Anything. Just, please, I'm begging you." Lizzy got on her knees, praying no one needed the restrooms. Ren smirked down at her.
"I'll think of something." Ren spoke softly before going back to his sister-in-law and Jessica.
"So did I intrude on your sexy time or something?" Kahi asked after a while of sitting in silence. Jessica almost choked on her drink.
"W-W-What?" Jessica stammered.
"Well, Ren seemed kind of angry and frustrated. I've only known him to get like that when he doesn't get release." She wriggled her eyebrows at Jessica. She frowned in response. "Were you guys gonna do it in the car or something?"
"Uhm." Jessica tried to process the question as Ren returned with a smirk on his face. The two girls frowned at him.
"Oh my God! Don't tell me you did that in a public restroom!" Kahi yelled. Jessica flinched at the sudden exclamation.
"It's not what you think, Kahi." Ren said while still smirking.
"Oh, really. Then what did you do to gain that enormous grin on your face?"
"I just gained a little bit of information that might be very useful someday." Ren replied. He turned to Jessica. "You were tired right? Let me take you home." He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the car.
"Please, God, tell me he washed his hands when he finished." Kahi muttered as she followed after the two.
Monday, March 11th
Ren was having dinner with his parents and Kahi. With his brother in the army still, it was just the four of them. Somehow, Kahi kept Jessica a secret over the weekend, despite him heading out Saturday to take her out. She did interrogate him when he came back late at night. Kahi sat across from him as he poked at his food.
"You are oddly quiet, Minki." His mother said after a while.
"Maybe he had a fight with his girlfriend." Kahi said with a smirk. Ren paused and his eyes widened.
*Shit.* He thought.
"Girlfriend?" His mother wondered.
"Is this true? You have a girlfriend, son?" His father questioned.
"Uhm..." Ren trailed off. He glanced over at Kahi, who just smiled at him as he took a sip from her wine. "Y-Yeah, I do." He cursed himself for stuttering.
"Aww, how sweet." His mother cooed.
"It's nothing mother, really." He said as he glared at Kahi. She didn't notice.
"How come we haven't met her yet, son?" His father asked.
"It's only been six weeks. I felt that was too short for a formal introduction to my family. I haven't met hers either." He smiled gently at his father.
"Nonsense!" His mother exclaimed. "No matter if it's just a few days, a few weeks or a few months, it's always the right time to meet the family." She said and his father nodded in agreement.
*Crap, I'm not getting out of this.* Ren panicked in his head. Kahi smiled at his nervousness.
"B-But, uhm." Ren cursed himself for stuttering, not understanding why. "She's poor. So, she'll just think I'm too good for her."
"Oh, no problem, dear." His mother said. "We can tone it down for a night."
"Right." Ren chuckled nervously.
"Then, it's settled, tell her we would like to meet her. I'm thinking Friday. Is she available then?" His father asked.
"I'll ask." Ren looked at his father. He then glared at Kahi again. He kicked her in the shin and she finally found him glaring.
"What?" She snapped at him. He continued glaring as he sipped his drink.
Tuesday, March 12th
Jessica changed her books before her first class. She flinched and leaned back when a silver necklace, with a black charm in the shape of a heart on it, dangled in front of her face. She turned around and found Ren smiling down at her. He retreated his hand and held the necklace in front of her.
"What's this for?" She asked before she noticed he wore the same one.
"A couple's necklace. We've been together for about six weeks, so I wanted to get you something a little more permanent than a hickey, to warn other guys." He smirked as he put the necklace around her neck. "Mine has your initials carved on the back and yours has mine. My legal initials that is."
"That's so sweet." She smiled blushing as he pulled her closer to kiss.
"So, my parents want to meet you." He said slowly after pulling back.
"What?" Jessica's eyes widened. "I thought you didn't want to until after April? You know, focus on school a bit before taking that step and making sure we could last."
"Yeah, I know." He sighed. "But, my lovely sister-in-law spilled the beans about you, and now they're demanding it."
"Oh, okay. Uhm, sure." She released a shaky breath and looked away from him.
"I'm sure it'll be fine. My mother's very nice, and I'm sure my father will appreciate your scholarship." He said as he closed her locker for her and lead her to her first class.
"From what your friends told me, your dad's kind of scary."
"I guess, in a way. But, he always respects hard workers. How about I buy you a nice dress after school? You'll look beautiful and it'll help your confidence."
"When do they want to see me?"
"This Friday." He muttered awkwardly.
"This Friday?!" She exclaimed. Some of the students glared at her.
"Yeah, see you at lunch." Before she could reply, he had already kissed her cheek and rushed to his own class. She scowled as she sat down in her seat.
Friday, March 15th
Ren texted her that he had arrived at her house. She asked him to, since her younger sister had already gone to bed. Her mother wished her good luck as she left. She opened the door and saw Ren hadn't left his car yet. She got in at the passenger's side and was mesmerized for a moment by Ren's good look. He wore a checkered button up shirt underneath a woollen, V-neck sweater and dark brown pants. His hair was curlded and tied back, making him look both handsome and pretty at the same time. She noticed he wore a little eyeliner on his eyelid that caused his dark brown eyes to pop out.
"If you can take a moment away from staring, put on your seatbelt." He smirked at her. He put his phone away as she blushed madly for getting caught and did as told. He started the car and drove away to his house. The car ride was quiet, only the radio making any sound in the car. They arrived at his house soon after and were greeted by the staff. Jessica noticed they wore a slightly more formal version of their regular uniforms. They bowed to her as she passed and soon the two arrived in the living room. Upon entering Jessica felt self-conscious immediately when she found two middle aged people look her way, as well as Kahi. The two woman sat on a fancy clad couch across from the same couch, divided by a long coffee table. The man sat in an equally fancy clad armchair at the end of the table. They all stood up as Ren and Jessica joined them.
"Father, mother, this is Jessica. Jessica, these are my parents." Ren spoke gently.
"H-Hi." She cursed herself for stuttering.
"Are you nervous, dear?" His mother asked.
"A little bit." Jessica took a deep breath as they all sat down.
"Oh, no need, dear. You look really nice." She cooed. They sat there for a while, drinking champagne, before heading to the dining room.
"So, Minki has told us you attend school together. How does that work?" His father started as they began with a salad.
"I'm sorry. But, what do you mean?" She spoke softly.
"My son told us you don't come from wealth. As International Class Education isn't a school for the regular folk, I wonder how you attend it."
"Oh. Well, uhm, I applied in middle school. Never thought I would be able to get in, and then they asked me if I would accept a scholarship. They told me that my grades were the best of my whole school at the time and they wanted me to boost their image a bit, that way."
"Impressive." His father smiled at Ren as a form of approval of her. Ren nodded his head as a thank you and gave Jessica's leg a reassuring squeeze below the table. They continued their conversation as they ate. Ren's mother and Kahi told some embarrassing stories about Ren as a child. Ren glared at Jessica every time she laughed.
"Enough about my son. We're here to get to know you, Jessica. How about you tell us a few facts about yourself? Your family perhaps?" Ren's father interjected when Kahi was about to talk about Ren's response to his brother's engagement.
"My mother is a nurse. She mostly takes care of the patients that have kind of reached their ends, if you know what I mean. She loves making their last moments the best they have, which is something I greatly admire. I have an older and a younger sister, and I like to read a lot." She smiled when she was done.
"Minki should show you the family library. What about your father?" Ren noticed she tensed up at the question.
"I actually don't know where he is. He pretty much abandoned us, because he didn't want to live in poverty like that." She looked down at her plate. "Don't get me wrong. We get by fine. I guess he just didn't want children."
"Interesting. He didn't realize this with your sister?" His father continued.
"With all due respect, sir. This isn't something I like to talk about." The table grew quiet. "Excuse me." Jessica stood up and left towards the closest bathroom after Ren's butler told her where it was. Kahi frowned when Ren continued eating his asparagus.
Jessica left the bathroom after she controlled her emotions. She was surprised to find Ren's butler outside the door, waiting for her.
"I must ask you for forgiveness on Mr and Mrs Choi's behalf. They don't usually realize when they've gone too far." He spoke kindly to her.
"It's fine. It's not something many people can understand anyway." She smiled at him. He smiled back and led her back to the dining room, just before dessert was served. Afterwards they sat in the living room once more and had some coffee. They continuously asked personal questions about Ren and Jessica's relationship. She eyed him and he motioned with his hands how they probably drank a little too much. After about two hours of embarrassing questions and a long story about using protection, Ren and Jessica were finally let go, and descended to his bedroom.
"I can see where you get your blunt personality from." Jessica joked as she sat on the bed and took off her heels. She sighed in relief and massaged her feet as Ren sat down next to her.
"Just wait once you've seen them a few times. It only gets worse." Ren smirked at her. He grabbed her by the back of her neck and kissed her.
"Ren." She cooed as she pulled away.
"What?" He smiled.
"Can you show me that library your father mentioned?" She smiled nervously at him.
"Now? It's almost ten and I'm tired." He groaned.
"Please~!" She put her hands together and begged him.
"Can't I just show you in the morning?" He sighed and fell onto the bed.
"Please~!" She cooed again. She ruffled his hair. He sighed and gave her a tired smile. He stood up and grabbed her hand before dragging her to the home library. They ended up staying the night there. Ren fell asleep around three in the morning on the couch. Jessica joined him and fell asleep with his arms wrapped around her and her head on his chest.