In My Arms (Hometown Cha Cha Cha fanfiction)

Chapter 10: A Thousand and One Things

Hye Jin's POV

"Seoul! Here we come!" I exclaim happily as Du Sik and I drive into the parameters of Seoul. I'm overflowing with excitement today. Today we will be settling all the wedding preparations. I'm so excited! I'm going to be planning the biggest party I've ever had with the love of my life.

"Wah, it sure is different from Gongjin." Du Sik says, admiring the city. "This place really has changed." He comments, looking at the glistening tall skyscrapers and the bustling streets.

"What's the first thing on our to-do list today?" Du Sik looks over at the long list in my hands.

"First stop: Wedding cake tasting!" I announce.

"Okay! Let's go!" Du Sik says happily.

"Oh!" He exclaims when his eyes catch something. We stop at the red light and he peers at one of the advertisements displayed at the bus stop.

"Hye Jin! Don't you think that guy in the advertisement looks like me?" He nudges me to take a look.

"Oh?" I peer in the direction that he points towards. A dashing gentleman in a smart, formal suit is displayed on the advertisement. The advertisement seems to be about a company of sorts.

"Han Ji Pyeong?" I read out the name attached to the gentleman in the picture.

"He looks so much like me, don't you think?" Du Sik says with amusement. "He's like my doppelgänger! Except maybe... I'm a touch more handsome." He smiles.

"What?" I laugh.

"You don't think so?" Du Sik asks.

"I think you two look EXACTLY the same." I smile at Du Sik who now pouts his face at me.

"Aigoo, why are you so cute." I laugh and pretend to pinch his cheeks.

"Ah! That's hurts." Du Sik laughs.

The light turns green and we drive off.

"Bye bye Du Sik's twin. I hope you are doing well!" I wave at the man named Han Jin Pyeong in the advertisement.

~

"Jagiya, which one do you prefer?" I ask him, looking at the various assortment of cakes in front of us.

Du Sik holds up his plate which is now studded with small, sampling sizes of cake. The side of his mouth has smudges of creamy frosting.

I laugh and reach out to wipe off frosting from the corner of his mouth.

"Honestly... they all taste really good." Du Sik says happily and licks a smudge of cream off his finger.

I have a feeling he spent the whole time just enjoying cake after cake, instead of actually settling on one.

"But we can't have 159 cakes at our wedding, you know?" I laugh.

Du Sik scratches his hand and ponders seriously over his preference for these sweet treats.

"Which one do you like, Hye Jin?" He asks me.

"Hmm...I can't decide between the white chocolate one or the strawberry vanilla one."

"Let me taste them." Du Sik says happily.

As I hold out my spoon to Du Sik, the carpet rubs against my shoes and I slip forward.

"Oh! Careful!" Du Sik reaches out to steady me.

I burst into laughter when I look up at him.

"What?" Du Sik asks.

I cover my face with laughter and can't force out a word for a second.

"You... have..." I'm paralysed with laughter. "You have cake on your nose."

Du Sik's eyes blink down, trying futilely to get a look at his own nose. He whips out his phone camera and laughs.

"Here," I'm still laughing. "Let me help you." I say as I reach into my bag for tissue.

"Ya! That was intentional wasn't it!" Du Sik laughs and makes a face at me.

"Oh no! Not at all!" I laugh. I try wiping the cake off his nose but only smear it further, making it worse.

"Oh no, I made it worse." I say unapologetically and stop to catch my breath from laughing heartily.

"That was so intentional!" Du Sik laughs as he tries to get the cream off his face. "Come here." He rubs his nose against my cheek. I squeal as I feel the cool creaminess against my face.

When Du Sik draws away, I lean in and kiss the tip of his nose, where residual splattered cream lies.

"Wow, that's sweet. I think we should get this flavour." I smile after kissing his nose lightly.

Du Sik beams as he helps me wipe the cake off my face.

"That sounds like a good idea." Du Sik says as he licks off some cream that caught onto his finger. "It also makes a good face cream." He jokes.

"No, no. Don't you rub cake on my face on our wedding day. You'll ruin my makeup!" I warn.

Du Sik jokingly holds up his hands in surrender.

"Have you come to a decision?" The shop assistant approaches us. I'm too happy to feel embarrassed by the cream that remains on my face.

"Yes," I smile. "We'll go with the white chocolate, please."

~

"Do you see any difference?" Du Sik squints his eyes at the different shades of colour before us. The shop assistant has kindly provided us with various shades to choose from for the wedding decorations.

There's "Champagne", "Antique white", "Cosmic"...

"They all look the same to me." I admit. "I've studied a thousand shades of white in dental school... but this is ridiculous." I sigh.

Du Sik and I probably look laughable to the people around us. The two of us have literally been staring blankly at different shades of the same colour for the past hour. Our eyebrows are knitted together as we try to decipher these 'different' hues and tones.

"Does it really make a big difference..." Du Sik rubs his eyes.

"I don't think so." I reply. "Let's just close our eyes and point to a random one. Then we'll just settle on that colour." I suggest.

"I always heard from friends that wedding planning is the most stressful time of their lives, because their fiancés suddenly turn into bridezilla. But you are the coolest." Du Sik says and gives me a big thumbs up. "Yoon Hye Jin," he smiles, "you are the best.

~

"Well that settles that!" I say happily as we get into the car after we've ticked the last item off our to-do list. The cake, decorations, food, flowers... everything is set in order. "Time to head back to our Gongjin!" I announce happily.

"Not yet," Du Sik says as he fastens his seatbelt. He reaches out to fasten my seatbelt as well. "There's one more place we need to visit." He says.

"Oh?" I ask, confused. I stare at the list in my hands. All the boxes have been ticked off. "Where are we going?" I ask.

Du Sik flashes a smile at me. My heart melts a bit each time I see his cute dimples.

"It's a surprise." He says and winks.