Scarlet Pearl is like evil red riding hood. To me.

“One Year” You x Namjoon

Sitting back, you reach up to lift your hair away from the sweat on the back of your neck, feeling equal parts relief and disgust as the soft breeze cools you down a little. The day was warm but not unbearable, with a picturesque blue-sky dotted with the fluffiest clouds. Exhaling softly, you look back at your dad’s gravestone. “What a perfect day for a picnic, right, dad? I should’ve packed one. I wasn’t even thinking. ....Maybe next time.”     In the 30 minutes you’d been at the cemetery, you’d managed to clear away the dead flowers and replace them with new bouquets, arranging them painstakingly.       “I know mom wanted to be here,” you continue, your voice low and calm; since your father had passed away exactly 1 year ago today, you’d grown into the habit of casually talking to him sometimes. “But grandpa’s still recovering from his surgery, so she decided she needed to stay with him.” You settle into a more comfortable position, tracing the writing on the headstone with your eyes. “....I miss you, dad.”      The sound of tires driving maybe a little too fast up the path behind you causes you to turn. A shiny black sedan (all of the windows tinted dark) pulls up in a hurry, and one of the back doors is thrown open to reveal your boyfriend. He climbs out agitatedly, then leans back in to grab a basket before slamming the door behind him and turning to scan the cemetery, looking for you.      You get to your feet, unable to accurately describe the feeling that’s floating through you now, and give a little wave when his eyes land on you. In an instant, his replaces his semi-stressed expression with a genuine smile and makes his way towards you; behind him, the shiny black sedan drives away slowly.       “Joonie,” you exclaim when he’s a few feet away. “You’re here!”      He wraps you in a one-armed hug, accepting your kiss eagerly. “Of course, babe,” he says with that perfect smile of his. He lets go of you so he can reach up to smooth a strand of your hair back from your face. “I said I would be.”      “I know.” You’re so happy you can’t stop smiling. “But you’ve been so busy, I---”      “Thought I wouldn’t show up?” he teases, raising one eyebrow.       You grin and reach for his hand. “I’m so glad you’re here.”      He squeezes your hand tight, then his gaze drifts to the headstone in front of you both. Bowing his head respectfully, he says in a low voice, “Sir. Sorry I’m late.”      “It’s okay.” You know he was talking to your dad---a fact that warms your heart---but you answer for him. “Dad and I were just catching up a little, talking about the weather....Isn’t it just the most perfect day for a picnic?”      “Ah.” He lifts the basket with a smile. “I thought the exact same!”      Your mouth falls open at this. “Namjoon...How did you know??” In your giddiness, you reach up to kiss his cheek.       Beaming, he releases your hand so he can set the basket on the warm grass. Bending down to open the basket, he produces a small blanket, spreading it out and helping you sit. “Perfect blue sky, fluffy white clouds,” he lists. “Your dad always said that was the best weather for a picnic. Right, sir?”      You feel the tears well-up in your eyes. Namjoon had only known your father for 2 months before he’d died, but in that short time the two of them had grown very close. It was a huge source of comfort to you to know that your dad had met the love of your life---and had approved. As you watch your boyfriend unpack the picnic, you feel a surge of gratitude.       When everything is set out and ready, you scoot closer to him, kissing his cheek one more time. “This looks amazing.”      He grins, but shrugs one shoulder. “I can’t really take credit. One of the managers put it together for me while I was in rehearsal.”      At that exact moment, you hear his phone buzzing relentlessly in his pocket, but he makes no move to grab it. Frowning a little, you nod slowly. “Are you supposed to be somewhere else right now?”     “Nope,” he says immediately. Digging for his phone, he silences the call.      “But....are you sure?” The comeback was only weeks away, and you rarely saw him these days as he burned the candle at both ends in preparation for the big release. “I know you had rehearsal and some photo shoots scheduled for today.”      He puts a hand on your knee. “Don’t worry, love,” he says with a softer smile. “This is exactly where I’m supposed to be. It’s in my schedule and everything.” When you give him a look, he grabs his phone and opens the calendar app, flipping the screen towards you. “See??”      You feel the breath catch in your throat as you see, tucked in-between notes of rehearsals and fittings and photo shoots, your name surrounded by hearts. “You didn’t have to do that,” you, your voice wobbly with emotion. “I know how busy you are these days, how many other places you could be right now...”      “Hey....” Leaning over, he tucks your hair behind your ear, his fingers lingering against your skin. “My love, I promise you: there is nowhere I would rather be right now.” His thumb brushes your cheek absently. “I’m just sorry I was late.”     You turn your head to kiss his palm. “You’re right on time. Right, dad?”     Namjoon smiles, taking his hand back and turning to the food spread out in front of you both. Taking your plate, he starts to fill it with food. “Do you know that was one of the first conversations he and I had?”      “What was?” You smile fondly as you watch him.       “He warned me about how much you hated tardiness,” he says with a laugh. “It was literally his first ‘tip’ for me.”      You laugh in delight. “Really??”      “Oh, yeah. He warned me that, for the rest of my life, I should just get used to being places at least 20 minutes early. And more than 20 minutes if it was a really big deal.”      “And what did you say?”      “I said that sounds perfect. I need someone to keep me honest about time and schedules.” He sets your plate in front of you as his phones goes off again.      Your gaze wanders to it automatically. “Do you?” you say quietly, more to yourself than to him.       As he starts to serve himself, he goes on, “But after we’d joked a little, he got more serious, reminded me how much you worry when people are late, how much stress it puts on you. Don’t ever do that to her, if you can help it, he told me. She needs to know she can rely on you.” He pauses, his eyes going to the headstone. “I worry a lot about that, actually. Especially weeks like these when I’m so busy.”      You stare at him. “Worry about what??”      He sighs, turning reluctantly to meet your gaze. “If you can rely on me.”      Exhaling softly, you climb to your knees and move towards him, throwing your arms around his neck. “Of course I can rely on you, Joonie.”     His arms come up automatically to hold you, but his voice is muffled as he says, “Are you sure?”      “Absolutely!” You pull back a little, taking his face in your hands. “Look at where we are right now! You carved out time in your crazy schedule to come sit with me in a cemetery---and,” you add, your voice getting a little louder, “You brought a picnic!”      He laughs, some of his worry fading.      “You are the most important person in my life,” you say more seriously. “The only one I know I can always rely on. Always.”     Closing the gap between the two of you, he kisses you for a long moment. “I hope so. Your dad also threatened to come haunt me if I didn’t live up to your expectations.”      “Well, you haven’t seen any ghosts so far, right?”      He laughs. “Right.”      Releasing him, you sit back down right next to him and he snakes his arm around your waist to keep you close. You reach for his plate, pressing it into his free hand. “Eat up. I’m sure you didn’t eat anything for breakfast this morning.”     Smiling, he nods. “Yes, ma’am.”     You roll your eyes playfully and grab your own plate, but you get distracted while watching him. “He loved you, Joon.”      Eyes wide, his mouth full, he looks over at you.       Giggling at his expression, you nod. “He told me....he told me he was glad I had you. That he knew he could leave, because you would be around to take care of me, to keep me safe, to be there. He said he was so glad he got to meet you before...” You trail off; both of you have tears in your eyes now.     After a moment, he squeezes your waist. “He was an incredible man,” he says in a reverent tone. “I miss him.”     “Me, too.” You rest your head on his shoulder. When his phone buzzes again, you nod at his plate. “Eat, baby. I know you don’t have a lot of time left.”      He looks apologetic, but does as he’s told, and the two (three) of you fall into a comfortable silence. You close your eyes, letting the warm sun, the cool breeze, your dad’s memory, and Namjoon’s presence lull you into a state of absolute peace. When he finishes eating, you sit up and coax him to lay down, resting his head in your lap. You run your fingers through his hair as the two of you talk through some of your favorite memories of your dad, sometimes laughing, sometimes getting teary again. It’s the perfect moment.       But all too soon, you hear the tires on the pavement again, and when the shiny black sedan pulls up, you know he can’t ignore his buzzing phone any longer.     Sitting up, he turns to look at you, an apology on his tongue.      You shake your head, instead leaning forward to kiss him. “Thank you,” you say quietly. “This was everything to me. I love you.”     “I love you, too,” he says. “I wish I could stay longer.”     “It’s okay,” you say with a small grin. “Dad and I need a chance to rave over how perfect and precious you are, anyway, and we can hardly do that while you’re here.”     He laughs, but when his phone starts to buzz again, he reluctantly reaches to pack up the basket again.     “Don’t worry, I’ve got it,” you say brightly, getting to your feet and helping him up. “Go back to work, my brilliant Idol.”      Rolling his eyes a little at your teasing, he wraps his arms around your waist. “Thanks for letting me spend some time with you guys today,” he says, kissing your forehead. “I love you both.”     “I know. We love you more,” you say with a smile. “Now, get going! I’ll see you tonight?”       He nods, and as he releases you, you can see him settling back into his professional persona, already thinking about the work ahead. “I’ll text you as soon as I know when I might be home. But it might be late...It will probably be late.”     “It will definitely be late,” you laugh. “But it’s okay. Just rest when you can, and I’ll see you later, all right?”     “I promise. Drive home safe, okay? Text me when you get there.”     “Yes, sir,” you tease, and watch him with a fond smile as he jogs back to the shiny car. You watch it drive away, then turn back to your dad.      “What a perfect day, right?”