At 11 PM, Luca just arrived at his apartment. He was very tired today. Oh who wants to work from 9 AM to 10 PM? Only him, that's because Luca is just an intern at a small company. His salary is not much, making him have to work double time in the summer as a helper at a restaurant. When he entered the room, he saw Seo-in who was already fast asleep on the bed with her feet sticking out of the blanket.
He looked at Seo-in's face with his tired eyes, but he realized that there was a blister on the side of her big toe. He looked for a band-aid in the small drawer next to their bed. His fingers hovered over the blister, careful not to wake her as he gently pressed the bandage into place. His thumb lingered for a second too long—just enough to feel the warmth of her skin against his calloused fingertips.
He exhaled through his nose, suddenly hyper-aware of everything: The way Seo-in's hair was splayed across their shared pillow like ink spilled on paper. The way his hoodie, the one she always stole pooled loosely around her frame when she slept in it. Even the faint smudge of mascara under her lashes from when she must have dozed off mid-rant about something. And yet, despite how exhausted he was—Luca couldn't bring himself to look away just yet. Not when sleeping-Seo-in was this disarmingly soft.
With a quiet sigh, he brushed a knuckle along her ankle before pulling away completely and shuffling toward their tiny bathroom to wash up. He paused only once—glancing back at where Seo-in had unconsciously curled deeper into the blankets at the loss of contact—before murmuring under his breath:
"Stubborn woman." Affectionately.
Luca decided to rest first, lying down next to Seo-in. The comfort of the soft mattress made him can feel the back that had supported him for hours carrying out all his daily duties again. He let out a sigh of pleasure as he stretched out, his feet rubbing against the cool surface of the sheets. It took about thirty seconds for Seo-in to shift towards him in her sleep, nestling into his side and mumbling something indistinct against his shirt. Luca couldn't help a laugh that rumbled in his chest; even half-asleep, she was relentlessly clingy.
He closed his eyes, draping one arm lazily across her waist. The weight of Seo-in half-sprawled on top of him was ... not entirely unwelcome. Even if it did make it hard to breathe normally.
As he lay there listening to her quiet breathing, his fingers absently traced circles along her back—almost like a soothing rhythm. He could feel her heartbeat through her shirt, slow and steady. And despite the exhaustion weighing on his own eyelids, Luca didn't move. Not when Seo-in was so warm against his side, the faint scent of her strawberry shampoo lingering.
His own eyelids drooped after a few more minutes, only to fly open again less than a second later as she mumbled something under her breath once more. In half-conscious Korean this time, no less. Typical, she was talking in her sleep.
His lips quirked. "Even in sleep, you're arguing with someone," he thought fondly—though he strained to catch the words muffled against his shoulder.
Then Seo-in's nose scrunched, her fingers clutching at his shirtfront as she muttered again, clearer this time: "...Says who? My Luca is ... perfect..."
Luca froze. His breath hitched somewhere between disbelief and something far more tender, something that curled warm and fragile beneath his ribs. Because even half-asleep and incoherent, even when no one was watching but him—she was still fighting for him.
He pressed a silent kiss to the crown of her head before letting his own eyes finally close. At least he could relax a bit and not feel anxious, because he had canceled his attendance at the dinner at his father's residence tonight, which should have been held several days ago.
Because tonight? Tonight was just this: two stubborn hearts tangled in sheets that smelled like home.
***
The sapphire blue eyes opened again at at 3 a.m., remembering that today was his first day back at university after summer break. He needed to check everything he needed. His movement was slow, careful not to disturb Seo-in as he slipped out from under her grip—but of course, the second he shifted away, she stirred with a sleepy whine.
"Luca-yah...?" Her voice was thick with drowsiness as she blindly reached for him in the dark.
He paused mid-escape—caught between responsibility and the way her fingers curled weakly around his wrist like an anchor. Aish.
Gently peeling her hand off and ignoring the tiny protesting noise she made, Luca grabbed his laptop from the desk and settled cross-legged back on the bed beside her. The blue glow of the screen illuminated Seo-in's pout even in sleep—which would've been funny if it wasn't also stupidly endearing.
Typing one-handed because she'd latched onto his free arm again within seconds, Luca pulled up his schedule:
[✅ 7:30 AM] – Algorithms Lecture (Bring coffee or perish).
[❌ 9:00 AM] – Meet project partner (Hobert??? Who tf is that??).
[📌 12:00 PM] – Lunch break (Drag Seo-in out before she forgets to eat again).
A soft snore against his elbow interrupted his scrolling. Glancing down, Luca found that Seo-in had somehow managed to burrow fully into his side now—her cheek smushed against him like a disgruntled koala who hated mornings just as much as he did.
Sigh. Guess today's lecture prep would have to happen at this ungodly hour ... while being used as a human pillow by Seoul's sleepiest menace. No complaints.
An hour later, Luca was this close to falling asleep when Seo-in moved again—this time burrowing deeper into his side and mumbling something that sounded like, "...Don't go..."
His lips quirked despite himself.
"I'm literally right here," he whispered back, typing one-handed on his laptop.
Seo-in huffed into his shirt, half-asleep and cranky as she muttered, "You're warm..."
He stifled his laugh against her hair, fighting the urge to hug her closer. Stupid early mornings and their stupidly clingy girlfriends.
A few minutes passed in silence, filled with the soft hum of the laptop and Seo-in's sleepy breathing. Luca's fingers continued to type, until her voice cut through the quiet as suddenly as lightning.
"Luca," she murmured into his shoulder, half-awake. "I have a confession…"
Luca stilled instantly, his finger still hovering over the delete key.
"Hm?" he prompted, suddenly nervous.
She shifted against his side, turning her face toward him with that familiar, sleepy half-smirk that meant she was about to say something impulsive.
He waited for her to speak, tensing instinctively—until Seo-in reached up and plucked the laptop from his loose grip.
"...You work too much."
He opened his mouth to protest ... but the words died in his throat when Seo-in set the computer aside and straddled his lap instead. He blinked at the change in angle, suddenly hyper-aware of how close her face was.
Damn it. He was already forgetting why he even bothered trying to prep.
Luca turned his face away and said, "I need money to marry you."
"I know," she muttered into his neck, leaning closer. "You'll work yourself to death before you even ask."
Her hand trailed down his chest, fingers toying with the hem of his t-shirt. Luca swallowed, trying to concentrate on anything except the press of her hips against his and the way her breath was suddenly brushing hot and feather-light over the hollow of his throat.
"I wouldn't," he protested weakly ... but his hands had gone around her waist without thinking. Damn it, when did she get this good at distracting him?