There was a lack of intimacy within his own family that pushed him into liking the holidays more when they were spent somewhere away from home. He was almost as disappointed for not spending the holidays with the Kangs as Jihoon, probably. Or even more. And he regretted his poor persuasion skills, or else he could’ve talked Jihoon into agreeing they could make the day fun somehow back in the dorms. But since he wasn’t good in that particular department, and even worse in the department of denying things to Jihoon, he found himself making the call and asking if they could go home this year, since they had nowhere else to go. The joy in his mother’s voice sure made his heart a little softer, made him think maybe it wouldn’t be as bad. But it took him only a step inside the house to know it was merely distance playing mind tricks, making it seem like staying in Sangeun’s company was more bearable than it actually was. Still, they had no other options, and he had to deal with it the best he could.
At least he tried to convince himself it was only for a short period of time, and soon they would be back to normal life. Life without the prick.
Yohan also tried not to complain too much about it. The last thing he wanted was to annoy Jihoon by bitching about being around his family, especially when he had been deprived of that opportunity this year. But it was damn hard to keep it to himself. When it wasn’t coming out from his mouth, it slipped through the connection. Yet, he was trying his best.
To worsen the situation, however, Yohan found such simple tasks as picking gifts as the most difficult thing to do. He knew his mother’s likings, as well as Sunhee’s, but roaming around the place trying to pick something that would please them was something beyond his set of abilities. He was terrible at choosing gifts; buying someone something left that slight sense of pressure, the fear of disappointing, of making the wrong choice. Even if they didn’t show it to his face, there was a chance they hated the gift, but just to be polite, they would pretend. So the sweet snacks felt like the most sensible choice since no one could go wrong with food. Or at least he expected to be right.
It was a crappy choice, he was aware, and maybe Jihoon would be kind enough to point out how terrible those were and lead him in the right direction to pick something better. Maybe then he would go back home with decent enough gifts to please everyone.
But when he heard his boyfriend’s voice back, he didn’t know well if he felt relieved or annoyed. It was a good thing he wouldn’t have to put in the effort to try and pick Sangeun something, at the same time, though, the idea of giving him a real good present and seeming like he cared ticked him off. “ — I’m sure the two are perfect. ” He caught himself saying, his tone leaving no room to doubt he hated the idea of a perfect gift to whom it was intended. And there was a little bit more complaining and objecting to come when Jihoon went on and silence all of it. Yohan stopped for a while, eyeing the packages in his hand, then looking through the shelves like he was attempting to see Jihoon, even if just in his mind’s eye. That… was a perfect way to blackmail him into compliance, he had to admit. The promise behind those words was enough to dampen his annoyance and turn his mind somewhere else. For sure he didn’t give a shit what Sangeun would be getting now. He was way more interested in his own gift.
“ — That’s pretty cheap of you… ” he playfully complained, a lopsided smile lifting his features. Just how easily convinced he was by Jihoon. “ — But yeah, we got a deal, you got me. ” He acquiesced, tapping the packages with his finger, mind still floating to Jihoon’s teasing words. “ — What did you get him, anyway? ”
It still felt a little weird to Jihoon, that he could be in better terms with Yohan’s family than Yohan himself -- well, at least with the part that mattered. He could understand the foundation of it, resentments were hard to let go, he knew it better than anyone, but it would be a lie for Jihoon to say that it didn’t bother him. The way Yohan was so obstinate in making his stepdad the bad guy. How he refused to see his mother’s side. How he would complain about the family that actually cared about him, but praise the guy who never even bothered to learn Jihoon’s name. It was really not that hard.
Still, he put up with it. Part because he gets it. He gets the holding on to something, to the little spark of hope that, no matter how fucked up your parent is, they still love and care about you. That they are, in their own way, trying their best. But, more than anything, he was just really damn happy. To someone who spent a big part of their lives not even imagining that they could have one family, somehow Jihoon now had three -- his, Yohan’s, their little group of friends.
He wasn’t sure how or when it happened, but he was intertwined with Yohan’s family like he was part of it. He hangout with his little sister, talked with his mom about cooking and got advice from her, he even had plans with his stepdad. Jihoon belonged there. Problems and complications aside, he had his place set. So, when Yohan confirmed they would be able to go over for the holiday, even if it meant dealing with all the complaining that would surely come, he was ecstatic.
Even small things, such as knowing exactly what to get them as gifts, made his chest a little warm.
Maybe Yohan would be grumpy about giving Sangeun an actual good gift, but that would not be enough to drown his excitement. Using sex to bargain wasn’t exactly the highest road to take either, but if it would keep the arguments to a minimum -- Jihoon had no hopes they could be avoided completely -- he would gladly lower himself to that level.
As a tiny punishment, he refused to continue answering Yohan, closing the connection for a couple of minutes. They really couldn’t do it in the beginning, not when they weren’t even sure about that was happening. What, or who, was the voice inside their head. Why they were connected. But, after they started living together, they kept pushing more and more to know how far it could go, how much they could learn about it, how much they could control. That included blocking each other out sometimes, although it wasn’t one Jihoon used that much. It was comforting, having Yohan around.
Bottle now in hand, it took him a while to find where Yohan was. He visited the place once, but Jihoon didn’t remember exactly where the candy aisle was. “ -- You should know by now that I don’t play fair,” Jihoon beamed, as soon as he found him. He took advantage of the emptiness of the store to sneak a quick kiss to Yohan’s neck. Arms going around his waist in a back hug, allowing the boy to finally see the makgeolli bottle that would make Sangeun’s gift. “ -- And bet he will let us drink too.”