Chapter CXIX - Eventually

“We’re gonna be late,” Irene warned, placing Arthur’s school uniform on the chair beside the bed, but seeing as he wasn’t budging, she sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, leaning down to kiss his forehead. “I knew you’d be tired. . .” she whispered.

Showing off at school and later training at home with her after already healing Ryung took quite a toll on Arthur’s energy, more than he expected. Though it wasn’t something Arthur couldn’t handle, the comfort of his bed and Irene’s warm cuddles were too hard to resist.

Without saying a word, he grabbed her arm and pulled her back to bed, uniform and all.

“Just a few more minutes,” he mumbled, refusing to open his eyes.

“Art. . .” Irene couldn’t help but smile during her halfhearted struggle. “We really shouldn’t. And I’ve already done my hair–”

“But it’s so warm,” Arthur argued, snuggling closer.

“Look, I’ll make you a deal. You get up, and we get there on time, and in return, I’ll cuddle you to death when we get back.”

“Can’t we just do that now?” Arthur finally peeked through one eye, following up with a sigh. “Fine. . . but under one condition.”

“I’m listening,” she said, raising an eyebrow at her boyfriend, who hardly ever asked for anything, but her curious gaze suddenly turned soft as Arthur surprised her by tapping his lips. Giggling at his innocent request, she leaned in and gave him a quick peck, to which he responded by sitting up for the first time that morning. “Seriously. . . Is this what you have to deal with every morning I refuse to get up?”

“Pretty much.” Arthur turned to look at her. “Why? You don’t like it?” His smirk told her everything.

“No?” She paused. “If anything, I think it’s kinda cute.”

“Totally agree, which is why I’ll be doing it every morning.”

Irene jokingly scoffed. “Hey. . . I’m supposed to be the one doing that.”

“I don’t remember negotiating such terms,” Arthur teased. “But since you’re cute, I wouldn’t mind yielding if you let me do it from time to time.”

“You dork. . .” She giggled, hugging him from behind and kissing his neck.

Arthur was enjoying her touch once more while glancing at the clothes resting on the chair.

“Did you iron my uniform?” He asked, taken by surprise.

“Made you breakfast, too,” she said.

“You’re an angel.” He melted into her, tilting his head back onto her shoulder as she hugged him. “I take it you feel better?”

“Full of energy, that’s for sure,” she explained, just as Arthur suspected. Cleansing impurities made the body feel lighter and improved blood flow, increasing energy levels. “Now, get up before I take a bite out of you.” Irene giggled.

Alone in the house, the two got ready quickly and grabbed Arthur’s breakfast before making their way to school.

After PE yesterday, Arthur didn’t know what to expect, but he was pleasantly surprised to find himself on the positive side of rumors. Nobody was talking about his past, and despite some of the guys voicing their dislike for him and his relationship, they were quickly met with opposition coming from some of the girls.

As it turned out, people began noticing all the changes that had happened to Arthur ever since his return. His grades were immensely better, which they at first blamed on teachers taking it easy, but then he scored at the top of the class on the finals, matching Irene. Of course, some said he either cheated or was privy to information they didn’t have because he was dating Irene Jones, whose parents owned the school. However, it was hard to deny that he knew more than them, even when caught sleeping in class.

Arthur physically changed as well, especially over the summer, putting a lot of effort into getting back in shape. Though that alone wasn’t enough to fix his reputation, but between the test scores, which became undeniable, and now the school records he held, students started seeing him in a new light. Everyone was eager to see how his race with Shin Jun would turn out during PE at the pool.

Sadly, despite his best efforts, the exhaustion kept catching up to him between attending classes, helping Ryung, and now training Irene, making him appear a bit more distant. The boys would regularly come over and bring gaming consoles for them to mess around, and the girls would sometimes gather, sparking life into the Park household. As for Ryung, there weren’t any significant changes to his condition, forcing Arthur to continue at a steady pace until the day he woke up.

There were no mentions of Ryung’s debt ever since Moon explained things in detail, and thanks to her, it seemed as if nobody was causing them trouble. Petra sent her weekly report, telling Arthur about any suspicious activity that happened, and the two quickly learned that someone had been doing laps around the house every few days, likely making sure he didn’t run. Small CCTV cameras were installed just outside the house, increasing security, an idea pushed by Tjay’s father. While thankful, Arthur worried about what he might ask in return one day, but his family’s safety had no price.

Moon surprisingly kept her distance the following days, saying only a few words in passing and making snarky comments during class. She took up the role of a self-proclaimed outcast, lacking interest in anyone other than those she met before transferring. Irene found it funny watching her practically bully her ex, and she even caught herself talking to Moon during breaks. They were yet to invite her to eat together, and the whole situation between them wasn’t something they could easily overcome.

Sophie found herself struggling to keep up in class as her focus was lax. Between all the questioning done by her peers, worry over Arthur and Ryung alike, and overall feeling of helplessness the entire time drove her to sit around all day doing nothing but relax. When confronted about it, Sophie asked them not to worry, claiming she’d get good scores on the midterms, which were the only thing that mattered alongside finals, and explained how she just needed a break until it all blew over. Irene was quick to sympathize, offering help and even saying she’d drag Iseul if they needed backup. Arthur was just thankful that Kyu was there to keep her company when he wasn’t, as their cat had now fully adjusted to its new home.

Burdened with troubles, Arthur regretted not finding more time to help his friends deal with their problems, but everyone was more than understanding, brushing him off the moment he voiced his regret. They were all there to support him and his sister, bringing fun and snacks all the time, especially Max, who, alongside his sister, made countless sweets everyone loved from the F&I menu.

Unfortunately, despite her change in appearance, Nabi was still dealing with confidence issues, feeling crushed by her breakup. She tried her best to put on a front, but Arthur overheard the girls talking in the living room while hanging out at his house.

Tjay, on the other hand, struggled to keep his word already as classes became duller the longer he paid attention. There were also times when he overheard malicious comments made toward Arthur that made him want to beat the person up, but he managed to resist. Don was luckily there to always remind him of his promise.

Having a relatively easy time adjusting to the second semester allowed Max to help around as much as possible, often dropping by the house with his sister and cooking lunch for everyone.

As for Irene’s training, Arthur continued helping her rid her body of impurities, patiently waiting for Irene to sense Qi naturally.

“Can you believe how popular he’s been getting?” Irene asked, sitting back down at the table, waiting for dinner to finish cooking. “Swear to god, if I hear one more girl drooling over him, I’ll–”

“Careful, Sis,” Amelia interrupted, a smirk glued to her face as she knew Irene wasn’t being serious. “Don’t want others to think you’re jealous, do you?”

“She ain’t wrong, though. . .” Sophie added, leaning back in her chair as the four were about to eat soon. “Even some of the girls from my class keep asking me questions about Oppa, going as far as asking me to introduce them.”

“See!” Irene jokingly clicked her tongue, crossing her arms and glancing at her boyfriend. “What do you have to say for yourself, hmm?”

“Don’t worry, Unnie. . .” Sophie mumbled, turning her gaze to Arthur and changing her tone to sound stern. “Oppa isn’t dumb enough to let them steal him away. Right, Oppa?”

“Why is this even a question?” Arthur sighed. “Should’ve just kept my head down.”

“Nah,” Irene immediately argued, pulling her chair closer to him before leaning against his shoulder. “You should never hold yourself back cuz of what others might say or think.”

Her soft-spoken voice had him enthralled as Art turned to look at her before being met with a soft kiss on the lips, one that made their sisters fluster.

“If you say so. . .” Arthur mumbled, still not convinced it was worth the teasing.

“I do,” she whispered, pulling back. “Now, let’s talk about something else before I do get jealous.”

“Speaking of which, I have something to ask,” Amelia spoke up, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Would you guys be down to have dinner at our Uncle’s house? I’ll be leaving soon, and I wanted to spend some time with them, but I also don’t wanna split with you guys.”

Silence took the room.

“How soon?” Sophie meekly asked.

“My flight’s in two days,” Amelia said.

“Wow. . . That quick, huh?” Sophie mumbled.

Irene already knew, and Arthur had guessed, but they were all a bit disappointed as they got used to her presence around the house. Her going back meant they likely wouldn’t see her before next summer.

“Sucks, but I have to,” Amelia pointed out, pulling Sophie in for a hug as she noticed genuine sadness build up in her eyes. “I’ll visit as soon as I can, and it’s not like we won’t chat online. Maybe we could even throw in one of those movie nights. You know, sync up and hang out on discord or something. So, what do you say? Wanna grab dinner with us?”

“I’d love to, but. . .” Sophie turned toward Arthur as it was inevitably his decision as he was the one dating Irene, and it’d be their first visit together as a couple. Not that they had ever visited before. “Oppa?”

“Thanks for the invite,” he said. “We’d love to come.”

Amelia sighed in relief, mumbling, “Cool.”

Soon the food was ready, and the group had a lovely meal together before deciding to have a crazy movie night that ended up lasting over six hours, way past bedtime if they hoped to wake up for school the next day. Considering it was likely their last night together at their house, they agreed to skip, messaging their uncle for approval, which was quickly given upon receiving news they’d be coming over the next day.

Later, when the couple made their way to bed, they embraced each other’s passionate kisses, but Irene quickly found him losing focus.

“You okay?” she asked.

“Yeah. . . Sorry, just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Dinner,” Arthur admitted.

Irene was quick to get up, looking down at him while leaning against the wall.

“What about it?” she asked as her hand began to trace across his chest.

“Just wondering if you were okay with it.”

“She already asked me for permission before inviting you over, so don’t worry about that, okay?”

“Yeah, but–”

“No buts,” she cut him off with a coy smirk. “I know you’re worried about being introduced as my boyfriend, but it has to happen eventually. How’ll you meet my parents if you can’t even sit down with my aunt and uncle?”

“It’s not that I can’t. . .” He locked eyes with her. “I just hoped everything would blow over by then.”

“Hey. . .” She leaned down low enough for him to feel her warm breath. “You’re overthinking it.”

“Life finally gave me a chance at happiness. I’m not gonna let it slip out of my hands.”

“Life’s bigger than just us, but I ain’t going anywhere anyway. Don’t even consider it,” she reassured him, kissing him on the forehead. “Even if my parents were to disapprove, I’d ignore them. What are they gonna do, disown me for dating?”

“No?” Arthur raised an eyebrow, making Irene laugh.

“Of course not.” She smiled, cupping his cheek. “Look. You’ll meet my parents when you’re ready, but don’t stress over it. They’ll love you.”

“If you say so.” He sighed.

“I do.” She kissed him again with her tender lips. “Now, let’s go to sleep, okay?”

Arthur broke eye contact, pulling her back down and wrapping his arm around her tightly. They needn’t say no more as they gazed again into each other's eyes before falling asleep, embracing each other.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.