After the relentless suffering of Woo-jin shadowing me all morning, I finally sighed in relief when he said he had work. Peace at last. The apartment was quiet, no humming, no ridiculous pet names, no footsteps following me from room to room. I sprawled across the couch, savoring the silence like it was the rarest luxury in the world.
Boy I was wrong. I should've known better. With Woo-jin, peace never lasted long.
By the time I blinked, he was back — and worse, he wasn't alone. He stood in the doorway with sunglasses perched on his nose, a cap tugged low, and that irritatingly smug grin plastered across his face. It was as if he just came from work.
"Get up, honeybear," he announced, tossing me a jacket I didn't ask for.
"What now?" I groaned. He thinks he can order me around?
"We're going on a date."
I sat up straight. "Excuse me?"
"You heard me. Amusement park. Ferris wheel, roller coasters, cotton candy — the whole romantic package."
I just stared at him. "Don't you have a job? You literally left for work an hour ago."
He shrugged. "Called in sick."
"You can't just—"
"Already did." He grabbed my wrist before I could finish and tugged me up, his grip surprisingly strong for someone who acted like a clown half the time. "Come on, stop acting depressed. You'll thank me later."
I dug my heels into the floor. "I'm not going to an amusement park with you, Woo-jin."
He leaned close, whispering in my ear with that lilt that always made my skin crawl. "Then I'll just tell your mom you begged me to take you. She'd be so touched by how much you love your husband."
My blood boiled. "You—!"
"Ferris wheel or family drama? Pick one." He grinned, tugging me toward the door like I didn't have a choice at all.
"Gosh, I hate you." I said at Woo-jin as he laughed at me.
Woo-jin practically hauled me out of the apartment, ignoring my muttered curses the whole way. By the time we reached the car, I was already exhausted from resisting him. He shoved me into the passenger seat like I was luggage, buckled me in, then slid behind the wheel with a grin so bright it hurt to look at.
The drive was torture.
He sang loudly — not well, not on tune, just loud — switching songs halfway through lines. At one point, he held the steering wheel with his knee just so he could clap along to his own rhythm. Is he suicidal? Planning om dying. I do not want to die at such a young age.
"Stop acting like a child," I snapped.
"I'm not a child," he shot back instantly, then puffed his cheeks out and gave me his best puppy-eyed look. "I'm your husband."
I groaned and pressed my forehead to the window. "Why me?"
"Because fate is cruel and kind," he said dramatically, slapping a hand over his heart. "It gave you me."
By the time we pulled into the amusement park, my patience was already hanging by a thread. But Woo-jin? He was bouncing out of the car like an excited kid on a sugar rush.
"Come on, honeybear!" He grabbed my hand before I could protest, pulling me through the gates. "First ride — roller coaster!"
"I'm not—"
Too late. He was already shoving tickets into the attendant's hand and dragging me into the line. The roller coaster loomed overhead, its rails twisting like a steel monster ready to eat me alive.
"Woo-jin!" I hissed, trying to pull away. "I don't want to—"
But he leaned close, smirking. "Scared?"
"No."
"Then prove it."
Before I could argue, we were strapped in. The cart jerked forward, climbing higher and higher. My stomach twisted with every creak of the chain pulling us up. Woo-jin threw his arms up dramatically.
"If we die, know that I loved you most!" he shouted.
I wanted to punch him. I also wanted to vomit.
The ride plunged. I screamed. Woo-jin screamed louder, but his was full of laughter, not terror. By the time we stumbled out, my legs were jelly. He looked fresh as ever, grinning from ear to ear.
"See? You had fun."
"I nearly died."
"That's called living." He winked, and before I could recover, he was dragging me toward a cotton candy stall.
The humiliation didn't stop there.
We were barely out of the roller coaster when Woo-jin suddenly gasped like a child spotting treasure.
"I want cotton candy!" he shouted, loud enough for people nearby to look over.
I stopped dead in my tracks. "No. I'm not buying it for you."
He blinked at me, wide-eyed. "Why not?"
"Because you're a grown man."
"A grown man who deserves cotton candy," he argued without missing a beat. "Don't be so mean, honeybear. What kind of husband are you?"
"The kind who wants peace and quiet, not a sugar-high idiot."
He let out a loud, dramatic whine, stomping his foot like a kid denied a toy. Heads turned. My ears burned as Woo-jin puffed his cheeks out, crossing his arms.
"If you don't buy me cotton candy," he declared, voice rising, "I'm going to sit on the floor and cry."
"You wouldn't dare," I hissed.
Woo-jin immediately dropped into a crouch right there on the pavement. "AHHHH—"
I panicked, yanking him up by the wrist before he could actually scream. "Okay! Okay! Shut up!"
Satisfied, he bounced along beside me, grinning as I grudgingly bought him the stupid pink fluff. He took the stick with both hands, eyes sparkling like he'd won a battle.
"Victory tastes sweet," he said with a flourish, then promptly shoved a tuft into his mouth.
"Don't talk with your mouth full," I muttered.
"Don't be boring."
Before I knew it, he was tearing off another piece and holding it up to my lips. I leaned back. "No way."
"Come on. Just one bite."
"I don't want—"
Quick as lightning, he pressed the cotton candy against my mouth, smearing sticky pink across my lips. I froze as laughter bubbled out of him, loud and shameless.
"Look at you!" he cackled, pointing like it was the funniest thing in the world. "Honeybear got sugar lips!"
"Woo-jin!" I hissed, frantically wiping my mouth as people glanced at us, some giggling behind their hands.
He doubled over, laughing so hard he had to clutch his stomach. "You're impossible," I muttered, cheeks burning as I scrubbed at my face with a napkin.
When he finally caught his breath, his eyes softened just a little, though his grin stayed. "And you're cute when you pout."
"Shut up," I growled, tossing the sticky napkin at his chest.
He caught it easily, still smiling like he owned me. "Never."
By the time sunset painted the sky orange, he was still going strong. "One last ride," he announced. "Ferris wheel. Classic."
"I'm not getting into that box with you."
"Then I'll scream here until everyone thinks we're fighting," he sing-songed. "Oh wait, we are."
Grinding my teeth, I let him shove me into the Ferris wheel cabin. The door clicked shut, and suddenly it was quiet. Too quiet.
The city stretched below us as the wheel lifted, the lights flickering on one by one. Woo-jin leaned back, arms behind his head, looking smug.
"See? Not so bad."
I crossed my arms, glaring out the window. "You're unbearable."
He leaned closer, voice dropping just enough to make me tense. "And yet… you're still here."
I whipped around, about to snap, but the words caught in my throat when I saw the look in his eyes. Not silly. Not mocking. For once, Woo-jin's gaze was steady, almost soft — like he was serious.
It lasted only a second before his smirk returned. "Don't worry, honeybear. I'll annoy you until you love me."
I wanted to shove him out of the Ferris wheel. Instead, I sat there, heat crawling up my neck, wishing my stupid heart would stop beating so damn fast.
I thought that was the end of his childish antics, but Woo-jin wasn't done tormenting me. He grabbed my wrist yet again.
"Come on."
I frowned. "Where now? I'm not riding another death machine."
"Relax," he said, tugging me along. "This one doesn't move."
"Then where are we going?"
"To watch the sunset."
I blinked. "What?"
"The sunset," he repeated simply, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's almost time. Best view's from over there." He pointed toward a hill just outside the rides, where a few couples were gathering with snacks and drinks, the sky already bleeding orange.
I scoffed. "Why would I waste time watching the sun go down? It happens every day."
"Because today you're with me." His grin was infuriatingly soft this time, less teasing, more… something else.
"I didn't choose to be with you," I snapped.
"Semantics." He waved it off like my protests meant nothing. "Now, stop being difficult before I carry you up there."
The worst part? I knew he would.
So I let him drag me up the hill, grumbling the whole way. We ended up sitting on the grass, Woo-jin flopping down beside me like he owned the space, while I kept a safe distance.
The horizon stretched wide, the sun dipping lower, spilling gold across the park. People's laughter drifted up from below, soft and faint. For a brief second, everything felt… calm.
"Pretty, isn't it?" Woo-jin said quietly.
I glanced at him, ready to argue, but stopped. He wasn't looking at the sunset. He was watching me. His usual smirk was still there, but gentler, almost wistful.
I tore my gaze away, heart thudding against my will. "You're ridiculous."
"Maybe," he said, lying back on the grass with his hands behind his head. "But admit it—you like this."
"I don't," I muttered, though the warmth in my chest betrayed me.
He chuckled low, closing his eyes. "Lie to yourself if you want, honeybear. But don't lie to me."
The sun dipped lower, painting everything in shades of fire and rose. And for the first time all day, I didn't know whether I wanted to punch him… or stay right there beside him.
He relaxed his head on my shoulder and for the first time I let him.