jaehyun's standards are something he won't negotiate on. how he was brought up watching how his father loved his mother unconditionally, gave himself to her, let her become his entire world, be what he lives and breathes and works for every day of his life-and it caused jaehyun to want nothing less in his own life. he knows that love isn't lazy. it's a commitment; one that he is ready to make every second he breathes.
when he was a kid, he wondered how his father did it sometimes. how did he make it all look so easy? even during marital arguments, there was no malice in his father's eyes. he still looked at jaehyun's mother like she was an angel sent from heaven, the most precious gift he had ever received. he wanted to understand his father's secret. when he asked him at eight years old and the only answer he was given was a simple "i love her", he was too young to truly understand the weight of those words.
when jaehyun met you at nineteen, he finally understood things from his father's point of view. he wants to give you everything. from the stars in the sky to the treasures of the sea, he wants you to have everything you could possibly want in life. he wants to love you as earnestly as his father taught him to, and nothing can dissuade his mind from it.
when he started college, he heard the story time and time again from different couples. the second they saw their future spouse, they knew.
something felt unmistakably right. something that they couldn't shake. but jaehyun always thought the chances were too low. while he's seen love so pure and beautiful it should be shielded from the harsh realities of the world, he's also seen the uglier side of it. as he grew older, jaehyun earned that what his parents had was a rare blessing. as reality beat down on him heavier, he learned how to look at everything pragmatically. and while he didn't lower his standards, he accepted the statistical probabilities.
but, as fate would have it, he did have that moment. a glance across the room, so fleeting, but so significant it haunted him for the next week. he knew nothing about you-name, age, interests, family, friends. but he couldn't forget the look he saw in your eyes as they met his. the moment where everything clicked, even for just a few seconds. and it meant something.
a few weeks later when your paths crossed again on campus, jaehyun didn't let you slip away. the rest fell into place naturally.
jaehyun's on a phone call with your wedding planner, scheduling something related to catering and the reception. you're too caught up in staring at him to focus on anything he's saying. whatever the conversation is, it's not as important to you as the way the sun is shining through the window on his face. call you shameless, but staring at your fiancΓ© has always been one of your favourite activities-you can't shake the trance he puts you in by just... existing.
this time, he catches you. the moment his eyes meet yours, phone still pressed against his cheek, right hand scribbling something in his notebook about cuisine options, he gives you that look. the one that questions why you're looking at him like he's a greek god when he isn't doing anything of note at all. and you give him a look back, one that doesn't do much to defend yourself but puts the blame back on him for looking so beautiful during the most mundane moments.
when he finally comes to an agreement with the wedding planner and jots down the information he needs to not forget in the next five minutes, he turns his attention back to you. you're still staring with that adoring look in your eyes like you've never been more in love with him than right now. he mirrors it, tilting his head to the side fondly. the book you'd picked up twenty minutes ago to read with your morning tea lays abandoned on your lap, bookmark not even in the right spot anymore. your hands are wrapped around your mug to capture its warmth.
β "your tea will get cold," he tells you. "and you haven't turned the page for ten minutes."