taebb

brian kang (and your dog) loves you

peasncarats

“Stop that,“ he pleaded, holding in a laugh as I played with his shoelaces. We were laying on the black couch in one of the rooms at JYP, waiting for the members to get here. In retaliation, he grabbed my sweatshirt sleeve and pulled me closer, wrapping his arm around me. So engrossed in his smile, I released his shoelaces without realizing and leaned into his chest, inhaling that nice boyish scent. He was warm, and I felt his breathing on my ear as we sat there for a moment. I felt a flutter in my chest as I took everything in .

We hadn’t been together long; only two months, and this was one of the first times we were truly comfortable around each other. Our legs were intertwined, and I felt secure. I reached up to feel his cheek, making sure he was still there, and he seemed to understand, because he said softly as he buried his face in my hair, "Hey. I’m here. I’m still here. Be here with me.” Somehow, after so little time together, he already knew how I thought; how my brain worked.

I replied, “I’m here. I’ll be here as long as you want me.” He lifted his head, and I turned mine to glance at him. He returned my gaze, and had this look on his face, like he was daydreaming. I tapped him lightly on the nose, and he kissed my forehead, his lips soft and baby-like.

We startled apart as the door clicked open and the sound of gleeful boys filled the room. I looked up, thinking it was the other Day6 members, and went into a panic. We had been hanging out for a few hours, and the pressure of meeting his bandmates for the first time had slipped my mind. I shot up from the couch but am not faced with the boys I’ve heard so much about.

Instead, a cute, pixie-like blonde wearing a leather jackets stood in front of me. He nodded his head towards me and smiled. Brian stood up and smiled warmly at him. As they exchanged pleasantries, I noticed a shorter boy behind him, standing in the doorway. He appeared to be as shy around strangers as I was.

What was I going to talk to these people about? What have I committed to? New people have always been hard for me, and for most of my adult life I’ve avoided them. Brian came along and I threw all of my rules out the window.

While I rehearsed small talk in my head, I felt Brian’s hand on the small of my back, pushing me into the conversation. He said cheerfully, “These are my buds Felix and Jeongin. They’re in Stray Kids.”

I smiled shyly and clench my fists tightly. “Hi. I’m Mary. Nice to meet you,” I responded, forcing myself to make eye contact.

Felix, apparently the blonde, smiled brightly at me and said, “Ah, you’re American! What brought you all the way here?” I relaxed a little, recognizing the traits of a genuinely kind person in him.

I tucked a piece of hair behind my ear and responded, “Um, Brian? I guess? I came here for work and decided to stay.”

“Ah,” he said in an accent I quickly realized was Australian, “He’s trapped you. Blink twice if you’re being held captive.” I smiled and looked at the floor, not sure how to continue the conversation.

Brian jumped back in, laughing kindly as he responded, “Yup. You’ve caught me. I duct tape her to a chair and make her play video games with Jae.”

Felix looked from me to Brian and said, “I’m so sorry if you’ve ever had to play video games with Jae.”

“Thanks, but actually, I haven’t met him yet. I’m supposed to today.”

“Really? And how long have you two been together?” He asked, looking at Brian.

Brian smiled. “I think it’s been about two months. Right?” He glanced at me, a reassuring look in his eyes, as if he knew exactly how anxious I was right now. I nodded slightly, and remembered the other boy, Jeongin. I wanted to include him, but I wasn’t sure if he was following the conversation.

Brian seemed to remember him, too, and said something to him in Korean. He nodded and said in English, “Hi, I’m Jeongin. My English is okay, but I didn’t catch your name?”

I relaxed more the longer we talked to them, and by the time they left I waved and said goodbye cheerfully, sounding more like myself and less like a feeble introvert.

Brian stared at me for a while, not saying anything. I stared back, studying his face, looking at his eyes, which slanted upwards, and his nose, round and just the right size for his face; not too big or too small. He took my hand and we sank into the couch, alone again, comfortable again. We lounged on the couch together for another twenty minutes, not speaking, each doing our own thing, and just enjoying each other’s company.

I read a book as he played with my hair, running his fingers through it, going strand by strand, and sending shivers down my spine every time his fingers brushed my neck. I wasn’t sure yet, because who could be sure this early, but I thought I might be in love with Brian Kang.

When his bandmates finally arrived, having had a ‘warm up,’ I was ready to meet new people. Jae, who I recognized from his picture, was the first one I saw, as he had come to tell Brian they were setting up in the studio upstairs. He smiled at me and pushed his glasses all the way up so they were resting right on his eyebrows, and said, “Hi! Brian won’t shut up about you! Thank God you’re from the motherland, I need someone to talk to.”

I grinned, refreshed by his energetic, borderline ADHD personality. “It’s nice to meet you. Thank God Brian knows so many English speakers here because I can’t speak Korean to save a life.”

Jae laughed, and Brian, who had been gathering his things, had his case in hand and said, “Sounds familiar. Jae can barely speak.”

“Blah blah, bro. It seems like you can barely speak English anymore. And Mary, I can’t tell you how glad I am you don’t speak Korean. Even when we’re at home, he barely speaks English, so dating you makes him have to. Thank youuuuu!” Jae sang, zooming down the hall to the elevators.

We followed him, and arrived upstairs within two minutes. The studio, sleek and modern, was intimidating to me, who was used to shabby chic and decor bought at discount stores, a more Western look. Brian interlocked his fingers with me, and gave me a grin, excited that I had a good first encounter with his best friend.

“Thank you,” he whispered, squeezing my hand.

I turned to look at him, and asked quizzically, “For what?”

His eyes crinkled as he smiled and responded, “For being so likable. And cute. And for freaking staying in Korea for me.”

I wrinkled my nose. “You’re likable too, or else I wouldn’t have stayed. Don’t get so sappy now. Go kick ass.”

He gave me a quick peck on the cheek and went to join his people. I settled into yet another sleek leather couch and watched them from behind the glass that separated the studio from the lounge. For a bassist in a rock band, he was only a badass half of the time. When he didn’t need to be hardcore, he was a softie, and smiled at everything and everyone. But still, since we had met in that coffee shop, he smiled at me in a different way, not his friendly smile.

I didn’t know if it was too soon to tell him, but I loved him. I loved the way his hair looked after he woke up from a nap, and his bandanas and his height, and his inclination to do good, and I realized that, if I loved all these things about him, it was because I loved him. Brian Kang, in his entirety.

I spaced out for what felt like only a few minutes, but by the time they had emerged from behind the glass and were carrying their instrument cases, it had been two hours. Brian beamed at me as he walked over, saying something in Korean to one of the members I had yet to meet. The guy had a friendly smile, and he greeted me in accented English, saying, “Hello. It’s nice to meet you. I am Dowoon. I play drum.”

I smiled at him and returned his greeting, saying, “I’m Mary. It’s nice to meet you too.” I tapped my finger lightly against my wrist, nervous again. The other two members stepped forward and waved to me. One of them, who was a few inches shorter than Brian, smiled and waved both of his hands excitedly, like a hyper child. He grinned as he said, “Hi! Brian’s girlfriend! Hi!”

“Hi! Nice to meet you!”

Brian was smiling from ear to ear as he introduced me to his friends, and IM NOT GONNA FINISH THIS BC I AM OUT OF INSPIRATION AND DRIVE AND A WILL TO LIVE SO I HOPE THIS MADE YOU A LIL BIT SOFT AND IN LVOE W MY BOY BRIAN GOODNIGHT

See, that’s what the app is perfect for.

~bias tag~

brian kang (and your dog) loves you