Work Text:
Gyeoul was done with her surgery right in time for lunch. There was a skip in her steps as she rushed to the GS Medical room to leave some reports on her table. Finishing her solo surgeries in good time always put her in a good mood. With the files deposited on her table, she took her trench coat from the stand and headed to Jeongwon’s office to have lunch with him. Today was not one of those days he was going to have lunch with his friends (as she’d learnt from Lee Ikjun gyosunim). So, she thought she might surprise him and perhaps they could quickly step out for a meal.
Outside his office, she peered into the opening of the door to see what he was up to. His figure was turned towards the computer and she could only see his back.
*Knock knock*
“De..” he said, clearly occupied with what he was reading. Gyeoul stepped into the room and called him, expecting him to be surprised and happy to see her. But instead of turning towards her, he turned even more in the other direction, which took away the little visibility Gyeoul had of him. He quickly fumbled and did something with his hands. “Just a moment,” he said before getting up, hands behind his back.
“What is it you have there?” Gyeoul asked curiously.
“Ah, it’s nothing. You’re done with surgery? Shall we have lunch together?” he said, hoping it would distract her.
Giving no second thought to what Jeongwon just did, she said, “Yes, please! I’m hungry. We'll go out? Canteen food is not interesting today.”
“Sure. I’ll quickly change.”
“Change? Why? The restaurant is inside the hospital premises. Just put a coat on.”
“Ummm no. I don’t want to step outside in scrubs.”
“Okkkay then. Change.”
“Yup. Please turn.”
“Huh?”
“I want to change.”
“So change…”
“With you looking at me?”
“Eung? I have seen you change a million times.”
“We can’t do this in the hospital. Please close your eyes,” he pleaded.
Gyeoul turned. The last thing she wanted to do at the moment was waste time trying to figure out why he was being ridiculous. “Just so you know, you can be really weird at times,” she said while waiting.
“I know, right?” he said, having quickly changed, putting his arm around her and ushering her to the door, “It adds to my charm.”
“Errr... if you say so."
That evening, Gyeoul came home earlier than usual and started making dinner. Her boyfriend had consultations till late evening and she knew he’d be famished by the time he reached home. With food simmering on the stove, she set about to do the laundry.
Gyeoul was checking all the pockets of clothes before dumping them into the washing machine when she felt something in one of Jeongwon’s jacket pockets. Taking it out, she discovered a folded bill. She peered at it and a realisation dawned on her. She smiled.
Jeongwon arrived past 8 pm and Gyeoul was right. “Baegoppa!!!!” he whined, walking in, breathing in the aroma in the air. He dumped his bag on the nearest chair and started undressing on his way to the bathroom to take a quick shower (he’d finally learnt how to take quick showers).
“So much for not wanting to change in front of me,” Gyeoul muttered, suddenly recalling what he had done earlier that day.
*********
They were sitting in front of the TV watching a documentary series on a man’s food adventures across the world. Dinner was long done. With their empty teacups kept aside, the two were snuggled against each other. When the episode got over, Jeongwon switched the TV off and got up to wash the teacups. Gyeoul followed him with a smile on his face. She didn’t stop smiling even after he had finished washing and put the cups in the drying tray.
“Why are you smiling at me like that?”
“Geunyang…” she said, her smile deepening.
He frowned quizzically. “Okay… shall we go to… bed?”
Gyeoul walked closer to him and wound her hands around his waist. “Do you want to, already?” she asked going up on her toes to kiss him. Jeongwon instinctively bent down and kissed her back.
“Not if you have something else on your mind…” he said, smiling and gazing into her eyes.
“I do…” she said, “but…”
“But?”
Gyeoul bit her lower lip, unable to figure out how to tell him what she wanted to say. Talking sexy was really not her forte. “Will you… wear something for me?” she asked, rubbing her nape.
Jeongwon’s eyes bulged in surprise. Yes, there had been occasions when interesting lingerie had been put to good use but never before had Gyeoul requested him to wear something. Jeongwon’s heart started beating faster as he wondered what it might be that she wanted him to wear.
“I dug into your bag earlier when you were in the shower, sorry!” she said, pulling herself out of his arms and walking towards the bag and taking something out of it. Jeongwon’s face fell when he saw what was in her hands.
“Why were you hiding this from me?” she asked walking back towards him.
“This? Are you serious? You want me to wear this?” he asked her looking surprised.
“Answer me. Why were you hiding it?”
“Because… because this is a sign that I’m growing old…”
“So?”
“I’m not ready to accept that I’m old enough to need glasses for presbyopia.”
“And how long were you going to keep this from me?” she asked, taking the glasses out of the pouch, her eyes piercing into him, the smile intact.
“I… I don’t know,” he replied, turning red at the intensity of her gaze.
Gyeoul unfolded the glasses and perched them above his nose. Jeongwon closed his eyes. He really was embarrassed and not ready to face her like this. When he didn't hear anything or feel any movement, he slowly opened his eyes. His breath hitched when he saw the way Gyeoul was looking at him. Gone was the smile that was planted on her face all this time. Her breath was heavier and she stared at him hungrily.
“You look…” she couldn’t complete. “You look..” she tried again. Jeongwon waited with bated breath to hear her verdict.
Gyeoul clawed at his t-shirt collar and pulled him to her. “These glasses…they’re doing things to me,” she whispered her confession into his ear.
Jeongwon pulled back to look at her, really look at her. Her face was flushed and she had a look in her eyes he’d never seen before. The glasses he had tried to hide, the ones he thought screamed of his advancing age, were having an impact on her that he had never expected. With newfound respect for these glasses, his face contorted into a devilish smirk.
“What are these glasses doing to you?” he asked running the tip of his thumb softly across her lips. Gyeoul stared at Jeongwon, whose smirk had turned too evil to be good. She lost agency of her tongue and words refused to escape those lips that Jeongwon was now gently kneading with his thumb. She gulped. She knew she had broken into a small sweat. Wasn’t it just a couple of minutes ago when she thought she had the upper hand? How did he manage to turn the table so quickly? She leaned against the kitchen island for support, only to be pulled back against his body.
“You haven’t answered my question,” Jeongwon whispered, pulling at her taut strings. Finding her unable to utter a word, he walked the two of them, embrace unbroken, into the bedroom. “I guess, I’ll have to find out myself,” he said, before descending on her.