Page 112 of Marked By Him

We chat and laugh until our bellies are so full we can’t take anymore. Mom yawns first, announcing that it’s getting past her bedtime and she needs to get her beauty rest if she’s flying internationally tomorrow.

I walk Jin to the door, reluctant to let the night end. He turns to face me, so tall and exquisitely built, the same man who marked me just a year ago. But who now peers down at me so adoringly, you’d never guess he’s a deadly gangster who leads a major crime syndicate.

Our lips touch in a slow and deep goodnight kiss that’s greedy even for us.

“Goodnight, my rabbit,” he murmurs against my mouth. “Sleep well.”

I watch him go, leaning against the doorframe, my heart fuller than it’s ever been.

“Now, come here,” Mom says the next afternoon. She holds out her arms as the crowd swirls around us. “Give me a big ol’ hug for the road—or skies, I guess.”

Jin steps forward first, giving my mother a warm and respectful hug. The sight is almost comical considering he’s so much taller than she is.

“We’ll come visit you,” he promises. “I want to see Philadelphia… and try a Philly cheesesteak.”

Mom laughs. “You better be prepared to get your grub on. I’ll take you to the best spot I know.”

I’m next. Mom widens her arms to welcome me into the fold. Our last hug before she heads off to the part of the airport where I can’t follow.

“C’mere, baby girl. Give your mama a goodbye hug and kiss.”

I press my face into the familiar curve of her shoulder and wrap my arms around her. She squeezes me tight like she always has, even when I was a child. The airport chaos of boarding announcements, rolling suitcases, and hundreds of other travelers ceases to exist. It fades to a hush around us.

All that matters is our goodbye embrace.

She pats my back gently and murmurs into my curly hair. “I’m so proud of you, Moni baby. I’m so happy you’re happy.”

Tears well up in my eyes, and I cling to her a little tighter. “Thanks, Mom… for everything.”

We separate reluctantly, when we can’t stall any longer and Mom has to move on. Before the waterworks can really make their way out, Jin pulls me close like a weight anchoring me, providing comfort.

Together, we stand and watch Mom turn and head toward the security checkpoint. It’s only a matter of seconds before the crowds swallow her up and she’s gone.

Jin leans down and presses a kiss to my brow. “You okay, Tokki-ya?”

I sniff and wipe quickly at my eyes. A shaky laugh leaves me. “Yeah… I will be. Thankfully, I have a sexy boyfriend to take my mind off things.”

The corner of his mouth twitches into a barely there grin. He scoops my hand in his. “Funny you say that. I have something in mind. Come.”

The road coils around the mountainside in slow, winding curves. The car hums quietly as Jin steers us higher and higher above the city. We’re minutes out from sunset, the sun hanging low on the horizon, bathing everything in golden hues.

I lean my forehead against the warm car window and admire the scenery as it rolls past. I’ve begun to recognize our surroundings.

Hwangnyeongsan.

A tug of familiarity pulls at my chest and a smile touches my lips. I steal a glance at Jin, whose expression is stoic but calm as he focuses on the road ahead. His fingers flex on the steering wheel like he’s working on something inside his head. I’m not sure why he’s bringing me back here, but I settle deeper into my seat and let the anticipation build.

The first time he brought me here, we sat for hours and stared out at the city lights. We ate Hotteok and drank peach-flavored soda. Relations between me and Jin were still tenuous at the time, but even then I knew it was his version of a peace offering.

His way to make things up to me and cheer me up.

He’s always been thoughtful like that, even when he pretended to be anything but.

When we finally pull into the ridge overlooking the mountain, Jin cuts the engine without a word. The silence rushes in around us, filled by the low hum of cicadas and the occasional sigh of the wind through trees.

The world feels suspended somehow, like time has stopped for us.

We climb onto the hood of his car. The metal is warm beneath my bare thighs from the drive. I bend my knees and wrap my arms around them, turning my gaze to the amazing view.

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