13. happy

16:53, 26 January 2025

13. happy

it was finally 6 pm, yumi was back from work and she was getting ready to go out with joshua. she decided to wear a beige sweater, blue jeans and a blue scarf. joshua had already asked for her address and she sent him her location so he could pick her up.

joshua called yumi to let her know he was waiting for her outside. she walked out of her room with a huge smile on her face.

"where are you going?" her mother smirked.

"out, with joshua!" yumi answered excitedly. "i still don't know where he's taking me."

"sounds like a date," her mother teased.

"i wish!"

she said goodbye to her mother and left, getting into joshua's car.

"hi!" she greeted him.

"you look pretty," joshua complimented her, making her blush.

joshua ended up taking her to a garden, so they could walk around and talk. and later, they were going to get dinner.

"this is cute." yumi smiled.

"i know right?" he looked at her. "i really enjoy coming here. helps me think."

they were quiet for a few minutes, just slowly walking around and taking in the view, when joshua broke the silence.

"so, tell me, what's on your mind?"

"huh?" she turned to him.

"i know something was bothering you, i just didn't want to talk about it through texts," joshua said. "you know you can tell me anything, right?"

she thought about it for a few seconds, but decided to tell him. "it's about... hojin."

"are you two together?" he asked, feeling a sting in his chest.

"what? no!" she exclaimed. "it's just that, we've been best friends for years. last night, he told me that he has feelings for me."

she told him everything that's been happening for the last few days, leaving out the parts where hojin said he was jealous of joshua.

joshua tried his best to hide his smile, but he couldn't. he couldn't mask his relief.

"you were honest with him, that's a good thing," joshua said. "i don't think you're going to lose him. you've been friends for a long time, right? he can't just... let you go."

"i know..." she sighed. "but it just... it feels so awkward now. i've no idea how to act around him anymore."

"it's okay, just give it some time," he reassured her. "everything will be back to normal soon."

they spent the next hour talking about so many things. joshua was a natural at making her laugh, and with each passing moment, she could feel her stress melting away.

"are you hungry?" joshua asked her.

"yes, very!"

joshua took her to a restaurant that was just around the corner, where they both had ramen.

"this is so good!" yumi complimented as she took another bite of her food.

"i know!" joshua smiled at her. "this is my favorite place! the boys and i always come here to eat after a long day of practice."

they continued eating as they got to know each other. they talked about their favorite movies, favorite songs, how yumi became a fan of seventeen, and many more things.

again, they argued about who was going to pay the bill, and joshua still won.

"i won't ever let you pay, yumi," joshua stated. "i like spoiling you."

yumi blushed as he smiled at her.

they drove to her house and when they reached, they just sat there quietly.

"i really had fun," yumi broke the silence. "thank you for today."

"i'm glad you had fun." joshua turned to her with a smile on his face. "i had fun too."

slowly, joshua placed his hand on top of yumi's hand, making her gasp.

"let's go out again some time," joshua said, his gaze softening.

"i-umm, yes... okay..." she answered nervously.

"goodnight, yumi," joshua said, leaning in and placing a kiss on her cheek.

"oh my god." her cheeks flushed. "umm, goodnight..."

she waved at him one more time before entering the house, and he drove away.

"i saw the kiss!" her mom jumped, scaring her.

"mom!" yumi groaned. "you almost gave me a heart attack."

"i don't care, i saw the kiss!" her mother squealed. "he likes you, oh my god! sit down, tell me everything you did tonight!"

she sat down next to her mother, telling her about the places they visited and what they talked about.

"sounds like a date," her mother teased.

"he never said it was a date," yumi stated.

"but he loves spoiling you." her mother winked at her. "and he picked you up, and drove you home. he paid for the bill. he held your hand. he kissed your cheek. what else do you need?"

yumi was about to answer when a notification interrupted her.

"you're invited! join us for a memorable evening at our college reunion party! we can't wait to see you there!"

as she read the email, she realized the reunion was happening two days from now.

"you should go," her mother said, as she was staring at her phone. "maybe invite joshua?"

"i can't." yumi groaned. "hojin would kill me!"

"oh, right..." her mother leaned back. "well, you should still go."

"i'll think about it. maybe if hojin goes, i will, too."

as she was changing into her pajamas, she got another notification.

joshua: you made me happy today. thank you. joshua: next time, we should make it more special. let's go on a date together.

yumi couldn't breathe.

joshua officially asked her on a date.

her all time crush, joshua hong, just asked her on a date.