Radiant Short Story Collection

A quiet afternoon promise

The living room had been completely taken over by a gigantic, structurally engineered masterpiece. Every dining chair had been dragged in, and with the sofa back, a heavy velvet blanket, and a mountain of bedsheets all pressed into service, Chanyeon-oppa had spent the past hour building a cozy blanket fortress spread wide across the middle of the apartment floor.

The strict, dignified image he showed as Big Ocean’s leader seemed to have been tucked all the way into the deepest drawer today.

Oppa was just crawling backward out of the fortress entrance, wearing a bright yellow oversized sweatshirt that made his broad shoulders look unbelievably soft and huggable. His black hair was a complete mess from being brushed against the blanket over and over. The moment he spotted me waiting by the coffee table, a huge, sun-bright smile blossomed across his face.

“It’s finally officially complete.” Chanyeon-oppa bragged with a proud, triumphant laugh. His low, meltingly gentle voice filled the room in an instant with warm energy, carried by his affectionate casual speech. He pretended to wipe fake beads of sweat from his forehead. “Structural stability is 100 percent guaranteed. Come on in, my love.”

“Oppa, what if you use all my favorite pillows for the roof?” I leaned against the sofa cushions and let out a soft laugh in complete relaxation. “What if it collapses on us?”

“It won’t collapse! I’m a perfectionist, remember?” Oppa laughed back in a hoarse voice, sounding amused. There was always a deep, rich tenderness in the corners of his eyes that completely melted my reason.

Before I could tease him any further, Oppa quickly started tugging me onto the thick, plush goose-down comforter spread across the floor of the fortress.

Oppa crawled right up beside me and fastened the fabric entrance shut, sealing us inside our own secret, cozy refuge. Inside the fortress, everything was tinted with a soft, mellow yellow light filtering through the sheet above, and there was a faint savory popcorn scent from what Oppa had just made a little while ago.

Oppa didn’t keep his distance for long. Without hesitation, he drew me smoothly into his arms. Wrapping a fluffy fleece blanket tightly over both our shoulders, he held me safely against his broad chest.

Oppa reached for the bowl beside us, picked up a piece of popcorn, and brought it right up to my lips. His shoulders shook gently as he let out a soundless, happy laugh.

“Say ah.” Chanyeon-oppa whispered into my ear. His breath against my skin was warm and teasing. “If you want to stay inside, you have to offer tribute to the fortress commander.”

I gave a soft giggle and took a bite of the popcorn, resting my head lightly against Oppa’s shoulder at the same time. That made his big smile widen even more.

“You’re quite the mischievous commander.” I teased him gently, lifting my face a little to look up at him.

At the closeness, Chanyeon-oppa’s breath caught slightly, and the tips of his ears flushed a lovely rose-red in an instant. He lowered his head and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to the tip of my nose, then followed it with a series of butterfly-light kisses along my cheek. The ticklish feeling made another laugh burst out of me before I could stop it. And when Oppa’s lips finally met mine in a gentle kiss, it was pure, warm, sweet blessing itself. A quiet afternoon promise sealed tight inside the safe enclosure made by the blanket walls.