Ch 120- Bonus

...Bonus that you really don't need to read. Do not proceed in case of J.J. and grossness allergies.

A Shameful modern memory/dream Rosa refuses to remember (but absolutely does) even as she faints into dreamland earlier. Ft. Rosa before UT (aka Meng)

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"J.J., I'm begging you. Please. Please go wash that off." Meng was crying, she was so close to crying, again. Face shamefully hot behind her hands as she hid on the cafe table's wooden surface.

It's been a long last two hours.

"I don't know, I'm sort of feeling this look." her companion admired himself on the camera on his smartphone. He looked back and forth at different sides of his profile, happy at any view he saw.

Not his usual color but he thought he looked quite good in it. More importantly, it made him feel ridiculously good. The fevered memory still tingling fireworks on his skin.

"I'm so so sorry. Please. Please just wipe that off." Meng's muffled voice whimpered, still not daring to even look up.

Not even when a passing waiter came by with their orders. The smell of coffee and sweets clinking down as the plates were set.

Said waiter was presumably male, a pervert. Because not only did he obscenely whistle, he even gave a loud high five to Jung-Joon at the table.

Meng was just going to die on this table ok?

The extra bad, highly rated horror movie killed her and now this was really just obliterating her off the face of this good earth. She always suspected that Jung-Joon Park was going to kill her one day. Today was just it. Goodbye.

"So, do you want brick toast before or after you die? Because the ice cream is going to melt and you're going to get mad later if I eat it all." he already started without her.

She darted her hand out, catching his outstretched wrist in a stubborn grip.

"...So you want to hold hands?" he adjusted that hold.

"Fuck your shit Jung-Joon." the young woman seethed, glaring at that hand. It was a good thing she didn't have laser vision or any such powers otherwise there would a hole from how hard she was staring, absolutely fuming.

But she still didn't dare look up, let alone make any eye contact.

"Are you imitating a ghost?" he teased, watching as her dark hair and angry eyes create a similar sort of appearance.

No matter, his girl was still loveably cute and adorable in his eyes. Even if she's a little scary sometimes, or a lot of the times. It was especially when she was so embarrassed her ears burned red hot, a good sign. Maybe she'll finally be conscious of her feelings towards him. Maybe she'll finally wake up to his flirting attempts number....ah fuck it.

Switching spoons to his other hand J.J. continued eating. Even if it failed he had a more than a nice date and payout today. Saw a movie, ate ice cream brick toast while holding Meng's hand, this really wasn't so bad.

"Wash. It. Off!" she twisted at his finger, bending it downwards.

"Ack, Meng, but you won't even look at me."

"How the hell am I supposed to look when your face is covered in that shit!?"

If she just concentrated on maybe breaking his fingers, this might just work. Make him suffer, force him to give up, kick him to the boy's bathroom, and then eat up the rest of the dessert while he's gone. Great. Problems solved.

"Hey Meng, check my story, I just tagged you."

"Huh? You did what?"

Letting go she quickly rummaged for her phone and purse, only to remember J.J. was still holding on to it for safety while she was busy dying in shame. Still dying really.

"Hand over my phone you dork." she held out her hand open-palmed.

"Open your mouth first, I made a loaded spoon for you and it's going to fall. "

"....Fine."

Grimacing, Meng closed her eyes to avoid seeing anything and accepted the loaded bite. Chocolate syrup, strawberry slice, buttery sweet toast, whipped cream, crispies, and rich matcha ice cream all in one bite. It chilled the roof of her mouth and made her squeal a bit in sweetness.

From behind the cafe counter, that same waiter wolf-whistled again and Meng made a mental note to leave a scathing review later.

As she chewed, J.J. finally slid her phone over. Silently sipping his steaming coffee as he watched the entertaining show that was her facial expression. From happily pleased, to mildly displeased, grumpy but with food in her mouth, to finally blushed red as fuck.

It never got old.

That was exactly what happened when Meng opened up her social media, tapping into a familiar boy's profile, and watching in horror as his story popped up.

She practically threw her phone.

It was just a photo, a selfie really.

Jung-Joon being ridiculously self-absorbed as he snapped his face at a gross but still flattering angle. Eyes dark and grin bright but hatefully cocky. A single thumb rubbing at his unnaturally smeared pinkish-coral lips. It was so posed it wasn't funny or sexy in any capacity Meng sneered.

The caption simply read "Scary movie night w/ wifey. Guess how that ended?"

No filters.

So why the fuck was his face covered in lipstick kiss marks?!?!!

"Delete it!!!"

She made the mistake of looking up to attack though. The same embarrassingly unfiltered face was looking right back at her in real life, enjoying what he, and literally anyone else, would call a date night. Absolutely covered in her lipstick, the marks impossible for him to make on his own.

He looked absolutely ravished and went around showing it off.

Meng went back to hiding, choosing to scream only in her head, possibly muffled into her arms.

"Delete your whole fucking existence! Go wash that off already!"

"Mengmeng. The ice cream really is melting."

"Your face is melting!"

"Honestly? Yeah, it really was. You really went wild on me back there."

She screams while he laughs, it was a very unfair exchange. This whole night was unfair and it started with that stupid movie.

Meng should have never agreed when Jung-Joon Park of all people, pulled out two already paid for tickets to that new 4D theatre. She should have been suspicious when he said it was just them with no other witnesses. She looked up the movie beforehand and read every spoiler on the net.

But she didn't, and it turned out to be the mistake of her night. Maybe the rest of the month. She was going to be seeing a lot of hyper-realistic horror movie corpses in her nightmares for a while.

If it was any plain scary movie, she was honestly fine having a decent tolerance for horror and even more experience in the time she's known this boy and his family. But this?

This wasn't some summer thrill blockbuster. This was legitimate horror from across international waters. People probably gave up their souls and their unborn children's souls to make this shit. They probably raided graves and morgues and raised even more unholy forces to act in front of the haunted camera to spread its evil reach to poor innocent moviegoers.

"It wasn't so bad?"

"Speak for yourself! No wait don't! You're fucked up!"

Normally as much as she cried and complained, she could sit through an hour or two of a movie. This, however, was all too much. The seats did not help. They rocked and moved the air, mist, and other special effects all helped to make the theatre as chillingly thematic as possible.

Nothing helped. Not snacks. Not laughing it off. Not even crawling into Jung-Joon's lap and hiding half her body under his clothes. This movie was just too long and scary!!!

She was so goddamn terrified, getting jumped scared and soul shattered, screaming bloody hell over and over again. If she saw anymore she wasn't sleeping for the rest of the year. Send her to the psych ward or something.

But the problem was that she was so scared that her legs didn't work right. If she wasn't being hidden safely in Jung-Joon's hold, she might have already passed out foaming at the mouth. The fucking ghosts would have free reign over her unconscious body.

By 3/4th of the extra-long film, Meng was reduced to a begging crying mess.

"Please please please let's go, please please please?!" she shivered in his arms, giving up her seat entirely to seek protection. She was weakly mewing and whimpering, her heart already hurting from beating so much and just so desperate.

Unknown to Meng, especially in her fear, Jung-Joon was having a much better time than expected. Money well spent. 10/10. Would do it again.

"I don't know, it's almost over. I really want to see how it ends."

"Pleeease Jung-Joon?! Please. I'd say I'd pay you back triple, what else do you want?! Please! anything. Just get me out of here!" she cried silently in the theatre, face gleaming wet with tears.

"Anything? I don't know Mengy. You’re usually cheap out right after~"

"I won't! Anything, just get me out of here please, please. I can't. I'm gonna have an induced heart attack and die. Then get possessed and monsters will torture me every day in their haunted funhouse and-" she sniffed, choking on her own scared sobs.

He taps at his cheek.

"Prove it. Prove to me you're serious."

"....you want me to hit you? Because I can do that!"

"I'll throw you off if you do."

"Noooo, don't! I'll be good!"

He tapped again, leaning down to where she hid her face. Somehow an insane part of her knew exactly what he was asking for in the dark, without a single word. It was only due to the dire circumstances, her life at stake, that she listened to it.

She kissed him on the cheek.

Electricity and warmth burned through from that small point of contact, humming pleasantly in his brain and under his skin. It was rare though not impossible to get Meng to initiate any of such affection first. The shock of it feeling fresh and new every time with his insanely stubborn girlfriend. If he were any less of a persistent guy, he'd get fucking nothing.

But damn was it worth it.

He tapped the other side of his face, and Meng near clawed his eyes out at the next jump scare on screen.

"Why?!"

"My face will be uneven if you only do one side," he said, perfectly serious.

"God damn it!" a mile a minute wasn't anywhere close to the terror that Meng was feeling. She was hypersensitive, fight, or flight. That was definitely what was making her heartbeat so dangerously fast, prompting her to act crazily.

This time she pulled him down, pressing hard against the other side of his face. Fire and chaos burned through Jung-Joon and he completely forgot the last hour of this movie, that was fine. More than fine.

"Can we go now? Please?!" she whispered against his skin.

He was going to agree, knowing it was never wise to push too far with this hot-tempered girl. His brain just needed a moment. Not one but two kisses, self-initiated kisses from Meng, this last one lingeringly long.

Money very well spent. He'll look up other horror attractions later. Right now he was enjoying this too much to think.

The blank moment though was apparently too long for Meng's anxiety and fear. The surround sound still playing outside, shadows and spirits on-screen giving too much tension before the next chase, the next victim.

She kissed his cheek again, then again and again continuously after that. Short sweet full pecks, butterfly kisses almost if they weren't so urgent and messy. She changed over to the other side again just in case he would complain about some bullshit like it being uneven. Each fearful press caused a hammering against her chest, and she prayed he would hurry up and just accept it so they could go?!

How was she supposed to know that J.J.exe completely crashed and stopped operating?

Jung-Joon felt it was his duty to stay and see this through. As if he wasn't melting in his seat, face on molten fire. Just gratefully accept all that Meng was suddenly willing to give. Completely sober too? Besides just look where staying still got him?!

It was dark she would later argue. She was scared and desperate to get out of there, what is aiming? Somehow lipstick unevenly got all over his face, even across smirking lips that maybe pressed back in his shock.

Maybe she missed a bit, whoopee doo. Maybe it got smeared?

Either way, Meng was very sorry.

Even when a rude moviegoer in one of the back rows yelled at them to get a room, she didn't know it was that bad. Even when J.J. had laughingly carried her out of the still playing theatre, high off adrenaline, endorphins, and whatever else shitty movies caused, she still didn't know or care.

But once she calmed down and the artificial lights showed what the fuck she had just done, did Meng near faint in shame. Maybe she did because she wasn't sure how they got from the movies to a cafe?

Now here she was crying into the table, occasionally opening up for bites of brick toast. But that's it!

She hasn't forgiven anyone at all. Not Jung-Joon, not the whistling waiter, not the movie directors, not even herself.

Also, Jung-Joon still had lipstick, all the lipstick, on his damn face.

Meng was throwing it away after tonight. She was converting to matte and lip tint only. Who cares if it was her color or an expensive brand, it wasn't worth the shame J.J. seemed intent on milking.

"Please wash it off before you go home tonight. I'll die if anyone in your house gets the wrong impression."

"They didn't. We made out. It was sweet."

She threw a spoon at him. The napkin holder was screwed down so that was out but the plate was an option.

"Please don't throw the plates. I don't think the staff is that cool with me to get away with it. "

"Clean your face before I force you through a carwash!"

"So Jung-Soo being mean and wants to know how drunk you were, which you weren't so fuck him. Sunny is asking for a wedding date so she can win the betting pool. My mom says hi,... and that you're coming over at 6 tomorrow to help make kimchi."

"Ah man, it's kimchi day again? Fine but I want cucumber banchan and, hey wait- "

They say after enough time and exposure, you simply get used to something. Thus Meng felt she was strong enough to handle the few seconds it took to aim and splash water into Jung-Joon's face.

Or at least try to.

"Get back here, I have to wipe that off!" she lunged at him with a handful of napkins. It was just ordinary creme lipstick, she'll get it off in no time if he would just sit still.

Instead of dodging this time, the taller youth caught her in his arms.

"I have some ideas. Ones that do not involve running around, breaking things, and getting kicked out. Sorry, we should only do that at hyung's place."

To that, Meng agreed, though still trying to wipe off any evidence of her moment of insanity. Gross violence and property destruction were for the old bar, where the only one who really suffered was the bossman.

"One, I won't go home tonight so you won't be embarrassed about anyone seeing me."

"Bad plan. What the hell are you going to do if not getting the fuck home to sleep?"

"Staying over with you. Because you're going to be too scared to sleep alone tonight."

She smacked him lightly in rejection, strike one.

"Two. My favorite plan." he pitches again, readjusting the girl in his lap.

"I hate it already. Get it over with."

"I wipe it all off, clear up my post, and explain everything to everyone who asks anything ever."

"Oh my fucking god, I actually like it but that's what you're supposed to do in the first place!"

"IF. You didn't let me finish. If, you manage to kiss all the spots you left before. Every spot, I'll wipe off that mark. So?" he leaned in as if expecting praise, or maybe for the plan to start right at that very moment.

"....."

She hit him repeatedly for that. Every mark right? Fine, Meng decided. She'll slap every corner of his face silly.

"Okay. Okay, I'll take that as a no, for now." he blocked, trying to calm her down with a sip of her drink. Holding the chilled cup and straw up in mercy plea.

"What did you order me? I wasn't even like, awake for that part."

"Lemon yakult tea? You get nauseous after these things so something sweet and sour?"

"Acceptable."

For an older girl, even one that constantly rubbed it in, she sure did look childish sipping boba tea on his lap.

Well, that was another cute part of her, so J.J. doesn't mind. It's also his own damn fault for liking her in the first place.

"Any other plans before I bash your face in through the nearest car wash?" she looked up at him cutely, wide brown eyes sparkling with flecks of gold, a galaxy he couldn't look away from. She sounded very serious about her statement though.

She'd do it. He knew it, as did anyone who knew them. It was better to live another day than to really make Meng mad.

"...I take you downtown to the makeup shop and buy you another lip thing? You can use me as a swatch again?" he sweated, just a bit.

"Very acceptable, you're learning! There's makeup remover there. Let's go!" she happily patted at his cheek, feeling just a bit bad for earlier.

They had different levels and tolerance for a lot of things. Horror movies for one. But Jung-Joon came from a big family, even if it was an Asian one like her's. Displays and shows of affection were just different for him, Meng reasoned out after calming down.

So she allowed herself to give out a familiar, and very platonic, two soft pecks in thanks, one on each side of his face.

J.J. still melted. Ready to carry this girl on foot, all the way downtown, if that's what she wanted. Get her whatever shade of pinks or plums that she likes to smear on her lovely pretty lips. He's so gone.

"I also want another lemon tea. Screaming is thirsty work."

Even that.