#I wasn’t at my computer this morning but I did have an iPad nearby.

[foolscapper]

[gingrrfrog]

these nights (8)

word count: 5.7k

warnings: questionable medical information (lol), jihyun and her massive brothers

summary: jeno’s injuries aren’t conclusive and jihyun is impatient 

Johnny is never the one to stray from a schedule, especially if it is one he has made for himself to stay sane. Hospital stay or not, he opened his eyes promptly at seven am, yawning and blinking at the bleary cloud before trying to soothe the crick in his neck from sleeping on the small hospital couch. He glanced over to Jeno, whose chest rose and fell steadily, sending a smile to Johnny’s face before he sat up.

“At least one of us slept well, huh Jen?”

Jeno gave a deep breath in response. Johnny dug into his bag for his toothbrush, walking over to the sink to hastily brush his teeth while looking over at his emails. Thankfully, it seemed that the world managed to stay afloat while he was asleep. He noticed there was an absence of missed calls, which always made him relieved. That is until he looked at his text messages, noticing his teenaged son’s messages from three in the morning.

From: Hyunwoo

We’re out of milk again.

Oh. Forgot you’re not coming home. Again.

Johnny rolled his eyes. He knew that his son had no concern for the lack of milk in the fridge, not to mention he didn’t even think they had a shortage of milk. Hyunwoo these days seemed to thrive off making his father irate, the pettier the reason the better. Johnny sighed and spit in the sink, rinsing his mouth out with water while thinking of an equally snarky response. He decided not to do so, reminding himself that he was the parent in the situation, regardless of how annoyed he was. Instead, he opted to call his son, knowing full well that he should be getting ready for school at this hour. Hyunwoo answered with a grunt, causing Johnny to bite his tongue.

“Hyunwoo.”

“I said, what?”

Johnny took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of his nose, “did you manage without the milk? I’m sorry, I must’ve forgot.”

“The nanny made something else.”

“Okay,” Johnny cleared his throat. “Please help her get the rest of the kids ready—“

“I know what I have to do.”

“I was just making sure.”

Hyunwoo hung up the phone abruptly, causing the older man to stare at his phone in disbelief before he scoffed. “This fucking kid—“

Johnny was in the process of redialing his son before a knock came from the door. He narrowed his eyes, telepathically telling his son that he had just barely escaped his fury before he told the person to come in, revealing a nurse with an apologetic smile.

“I’m glad you’re awake. I’d feel bad if I woke you up with my knock.” She smiled sheepishly, “I’m just here to check on Jeno’s vitals and I’ll be on my way.”

Johnny nodded, smiling in return as he watched the nurse look at the monitors and check Jeno’s bandages.

“How is he?”

“I think he’s healing up faster than we thought,” she smiled. “I overheard the doctor say that the swelling in his brain decreased a lot since he’s been admitted. She thinks it suspicious though. His brain injury doesn’t seem consistent with other head injuries in car accidents.”

Johnny furrowed his eyebrows, “what do you mean?”

The nurse realized she over-spoke then, bowing her head, “sorry. I’m just saying what the doctor told us.”

“No, it’s fine,” Johnny reassured. “I won’t say anything.”

“I’m sure you can ask the doctor more in depth later on,” she explained. “I’ve seen a lot too, but she’d probably explain it better.”

“When will she be around?”

The nurse looked at her watch, “her shift starts at seven thirty. It shouldn’t be too long now.”  

Johnny nodded, thanking her quietly before the nurse bowed and left. Johnny chewed on his fingernails, sitting down on the infamous armchair as he watched Jeno breathe. He contemplated whether or not he should call Jaehyun, surely he was awake by now, but he didn’t want to stress him anymore than he should, especially if his best source is a chatty nurse.

Instead, he opted for staring at his phone, wondering if he should call back Hyunwoo despite the conversation gone stale. If Johnny called him back it would just be petty. He’d let it go, for now, at least. He waited patiently for the doctor arrive, playing a random game his younger son put on his phone before there was another knock, revealing the doctor who bowed at her entrance.

“Good morning. Are you Jaemin?”

Johnny shook his head, “no. He won’t be here until later. I’m his brother in law, Youngho.”

“Of course. It’s good to meet you, Mr. Youngho.” The doctor quickly introduced herself before she continued to look over Jeno. “Do you have any questions for me? Or in general?

“I mean, my main one is how long until Jeno is able to wake up again.”

“Ah, that,” the doctor smiled, putting down her iPad before sitting down on a plastic chair. “It’s interesting that Jeno is recuperating faster than we thought. We were initially concerned about head trauma when he first came in and we saw the CT Scan. We did see a lot of brain swelling initially, but when we see brain swelling in the brain, just a moment--“

The doctor stood up, logging on to the nearby computer quickly before clicking on a few different windows. “I’m sorry, it would just be easier to explain with some imagery.”

She turned the monitor to show Johnny Jeno’s x-ray, furrowing his eyebrows as he tried to understand.

“The last thing I want to do is overwhelm you, Mr. Youngho. I guess, a question I should ask is are you aware of Jeno’s condition before the car accident?”

Johnny shook his head, “no. Not really.”

The doctor nodded, pressing her lips in a tight line, “simply put, with car accident brain trauma, we would usually find injury or trauma here, in the frontal lobe. This usually happens because, when a driver makes impact, it’s with the steering wheel or even the windshield at times. Sometimes, we see a bit of injury in the parietal lobe, in circumstances in which the driver has been ejected or the car has been turned over.”

“However, in Jeno’s case,” Johnny watched the doctor grimace, tilting her head back and forth in a way that indicated she was thinking carefully of her next words, “we see that Jeno has most, if not all, of his injury in the very back of the brain, closer to the occipital lobe here and the very beginnings of the cerebellum, here.”

“The reason I ask of Jeno’s condition before the car accident is to ask if it anything happened prior towards the car accident.”

The doctor grimaced, “these injuries are more consisted with inflicted injuries. It would be my logical assumption that Jeno got in the car afterwards to get away. The lower parts of the brain have to do with sense of direction and vision, and the injuries obtained on the rest of his body lead me to believe that these were done before.”

Johnny’s eyes switched from the doctor to Jeno, still not being able to fully grasp the information. “Which injuries, would you say, were inflicted from the car accident?”

“Without further examination, I could say that his bruised lung is most consistent a car accident. Jeno’s seatbelt holding him back from the crash could cause the lungs to hit against the ribs, causing a moderately bruised lung.”

“The broken femur? The arm?”

The doctor pressed her lips together before she shook her head, “Jeno’s impact with the car was on the left. Both his left leg and arm are fine, there was no impact with from the right side.”

Johnny fell back against the chair, his head swimming in confusion as the doctor gauged his reaction. He scratched at his hair, rubbing his face before standing up, “thank you.”

“Any more questions from me?”  

“You actually never answered my question, really,” Johnny said gently. “How much longer until Jeno wakes up?”

“We’re going to do a few more scans of his brain swelling before we determine that this afternoon. If we see that the swelling has reduced to a safer level, we might consider relieving Jeno of sleeping medication and allowing him to wake up naturally. That alone, should be by the end of the week depending on him and how long he wants to take. But, if the swelling is still a bit of ways to decrease, we might take him off sleeping medication at the end up the week, and he’ll wake up sometime early next week.”

Johnny nodded, “okay. Thank you, Doctor.”

“Of course. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the nurse.”

“Thank you.”

There was no way he wasn’t going to keep this information from Jaehyun. He sighed heavily, patting Jeno’s good arm before calling Jaehyun. “Hey, it’s me.”

Jaehyun

Jaehyun heard his phone vibrate next to him, groaning at what he assumed to be his alarm before he noticed Johnny’s name on the screen, yawning before he answered, “Hello?”

“Hey, it’s me.”

“What’s up, hyung?” He greeted quietly, gently shuffling out of bed so not to wake up Jihyun as he walked to the bathroom.

“I just finished talking to Jeno’s doctor.”

“Yeah? Is everything okay?”

“He’s fine, he’s recovering pretty quick. Jeno’s never been the one to like being asleep anyway.”

Jaehyun smiled, “that’s good.”

“Yeah, but, there’s something that the doctor said that…is kind of worrying.”

“What’s that?”

“The doctor said that the bruised lung is the only injury from the car accident.”

Jaehyun furrowed his eyebrows together, “how? What do you mean?”

“Jeno’s arm and leg are broken the opposite way he was hit and flipped. Not to mention, Jeno’s brain injury is at the back of the head, not the front, not at the top.”

“Meaning?”

Johnny sighed, “meaning—the doctor thinks Jeno was hit before the car accident. The blows to his head probably caused the it, assuming that what the doctor said was true.”

Jaehyun tossed his head back, groaning quietly to himself with his eyes closed, “okay.”

“Okay?”

“We’ll talk more about it later when you come over,” Jaehyun scratched the back of his head. “There’s nothing much we can do until Jeno wakes up and he gives us his story. Did she tell you when he would wake up?”

“If the swelling goes down enough, we’re looking at sometime at the end of the week.”

Jaehyun nodded, “that’s fine. I just want to make sure Jeno heals. Is there anything else she told you?”

“No, Boss.”

“Good, at least he’s waking up soon. If there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up.”

“Alright, I’ll see you later.”

Jaehyun pressed his lips in a tight line, hanging the phone up before padding barefoot back to bed, placing his phone back on the nightstand before snuggling back into his bed sheets. Jihyun scooted towards him, her head resting on his chest as she rubbed his side.

“Everything okay?”

Jaehyun answered her question with a kiss to the crown of her head, “everything is okay.”

“Who called?”

“Johnny hyung.”

Jihyun only replied with another hum, going back to sleep before Jaehyun followed suit. They didn’t wake up until Jihyun’s alarm went off, Jaehyun waking up confused at the idea that he must’ve turned off his alarm in his sleep until he saw Jihyun awake on the end of the bed, watching the news and watching Jaehyun wake up with a smile.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning,” he mumbled, pushing the blanket off of his body before sitting up. “Did you turn off my alarm?”

“I did, I wanted to make sure you got some sleep.”

“Thank you,” he smiled, making grabbing hands as Jihyun silently followed to his hold.

“What did Johnny oppa call for?”

“Just a Jeno update.”

“Is he okay?”

“He’s doing better than we thought. He might wake up this weekend.”

“That’s good news!”

Jaehyun hummed, rubbing her shoulders as they continued to watch the news. Jihyun seemed to be fidgety this morning, shifting in Jaehyun’s arms before he finally looked down at her in confusion.

“You okay?”

Jihyun nodded with a smile, “yep!”

“You sure?”

“I was just wondering…” she started, “were you serious about getting married today or was that just pillow talk?”

Jaehyun laughed, “do you want to?”

“Duh,” she grinned, resting her head on her arm. “Do you want me to call?”

Jaehyun took a moment to study her face, snorting before he pulled at her nose, “you already did, didn’t you?”

Jihyun pouted, “what if you tried to back out?”

“Back out from what Jihyun? Marrying you?”

“Cold feet is a real thing,” she trailed off, scrunching her nose at Jaehyun laughs before he pressed a kiss to her cheek.

“I’m not going to back out from marrying you, Jihyun. You’re insane.”

“Promise?”

“Yes. Now when are we supposed to be there?”

Jihyun looked down at her hands, “in an hour?”

“An hour?!”

The couple barely made it to their nine o’clock appointment, Jaehyun picking the nicest shirt he had and semi-matching pants before he pushed Jihyun out the door. The housekeeper was just beginning to enter as they left, telling her that they would be back later on in the afternoon before they got in the car and sped off towards the registrar’s office.

They signed and received their marriage license first, listening to explanations that their license would be void if they didn’t have the ceremony in thirty days. Jihyun explained that they were having their ceremony today, to which they were redirected towards a smaller room, barely decorated with a few flowers as they stood in front of the marriage official.

Although grey, somewhat bleak and definitely bureaucratic, there was a hidden element of romanticism as Jaehyun’s heart soared of the idea of him finally marrying the girl he had been in love with the vast majority of his life.

Kim Jihyun, the girl who used to call him snot nosed pig when they were kids. The same Kim Jihyun who always came over when he was sick, despite her father’s orders to stay home. He looked to her neck to see the same diamond tear drop necklace he had bought her all those years ago for White Day, the same day he confessed and the same day they shared their first kiss, unromantically in front of Jisung.

Jaehyun smiled to himself, noticing that Jihyun was smiling at him. The last twelve years, they had never lost an ounce of love for each other. Not even for the year they had broken up for reasons that Jaehyun couldn’t even remember anymore. He loved all of her, he loved the pimple she tried to cover up this morning. He loved the freckle on the inner corner of her eye, he loved her eyes and how they look at Jaehyun, the same look she gave him whenever she told him she loved him, or that she was proud of him. Pure, unadulterated, love.

I love you, he mouthed, watching Jihyun’s mouth turn for a bright smile as she mouthed back.

I love you more.

“Does Jung Jaehyun take Kim Jihyun as his wife?”

“I do.”

“Does Kim Jihyun take Jung Jaehyun as her husband?”

“I do.”

“Then by the power invested in me, by the city of Seoul, I formally pronounce husband and wife.”

They shared a loving kiss after they exchanged their rings. Jaehyun noticed he quite liked the weight on his ring finger. With no witnesses except the officials, the two left the courtroom hand in hand, swinging their hands together as they made it back into the car. They sat there for a moment, words failing to describe the emotion they felt before Jihyun sat on her knees, pulling Jaehyun in for a deeper kiss, one that he eagerly returned as he looped his fingers in her hair.

They pulled away breathlessly, smiling at each other before sharing short pecks.

“I love you,” she said before she kissed him again. “I don’t think I’ve ever loved you this much in my life.”

Jaehyun snorted, “that’s reassuring.”

Jihyun smiled, throwing her leg over the control deck before scooting on Jaehyun’s lap. Jaehyun looked around the parking lot, feeling somewhat relieved that it was empty so early in the morning.

“We’re married.”

“We’re married,” Jaehyun smiled, reconnecting their lips before Jihyun pulled away.

“You’re stuck with me. Forever, Yoonoh.”

“I know, that’s the point.” Jaehyun grinned, “it’s against the law to divorce me.”

“It’s against the law to divorce me!” Jihyun huffed, kissing his neck before pulling away with a pout, “please don’t divorce me.”

Jaehyun laughed, holding her close and squeezing her tightly, “I’m not planning on it. I didn’t divorce you in our past life and I’m not divorcing you in this one.”

“Again, with the past life,” Jihyun rolled her eyes. “How do you know we got married in a past life? Hm?”

“Because instead of my heart racing, my heart was calm.”

Jihyun narrowed her eyes, “maybe that was your brain telling you to leave me.”

Jaehyun groaned, grabbing her face and squishing her cheeks together, “I’m trying to be romantic!”

Jihyun smiled, kissing his wrists before eagerly bouncing, “let’s go do married couple things.”

“What do you have in mind?”

“Let’s go grocery shopping!”

“Grocery—? Baby, we grocery shop every week, what difference does it make now?”

“The difference, my husband, is that we can go buy our groceries and I can show off my ring to the cashier that always flirts with you. And then, I’ll ask baby, can I have your card? and you’ll hand me the heaviest card in your wallet and—“

Jaehyun shook his head, “how about we don’t do that?”

Jihyun frowned, “why not?”

“You don’t have to prove anything to anyone, Jihyun.”

Jihyun blinked, “where’s the fun in that?”

“How about we go to your parent’s house?” Jaehyun started, “your dad is waiting for you anyway, and we can tell them that we got married so we can get a free lunch?”

“Are you mooching off my parents?”

“Which answer will make you say yes?”

Jihyun laughed, kissing Jaehyun’s nose before she climbed back in the passenger seat. “Fine, let’s go see my parents and get a free lunch.”

“That’s my girl,” Jaehyun smiled, turning the car on as he began the drive towards Jihyun’s home.

Jihyun’s childhood home was a warm English Tudor styled home where she spent a relatively normal life and childhood save for her father’s profession. Her mother was a writer for a lifestyle magazine, writing about cooking meals for her beautiful, wealthy family while her husband ran off to kill who knows what for whatever reason. Regardless, Jihyun lived a lavish and spoiled lifestyle being the only daughter after four brothers, four brothers that tormented Jaehyun endlessly every time he came over.

Even now, as Jaehyun pulled into the driveway, he remembered Jihyun’s third oldest brother shoving his head into a pile of mud, leading Jihyun to scream, cry, and knock her brother unconscious with the nearest baseball bat. Needless to say, it was a fun story to tell on holidays—more so now that her brother thinks it’s funny to play buddy-buddy with Jaehyun now that’s somewhat successful.

Jaehyun shuddered at the thought, immediately remembering that most, if not all, of her brothers were home.

“What?”

“Huh?” Jaehyun asked, being pulled out of his reverie after he parked the car. He was still sitting in his seat, making no effort to get out of the car.

“You kind of shook there for a second,” Jihyun smiled. “You nervous?”

“No,” he scoffed, opening the door. “Why?”

Jihyun waited until Jaehyun opened the door for her, taking his hand as she grinned up at him. “Only because we got married and we’re about to tell my dad and my brothers.”

“I’m almost thirty, what is your brother going to do? Stick me in mud again?”

“Are you ever going to let that go?”

“Are you ever going to let go of the cashier flirting with me?”

Jihyun narrowed her eyes, pulling him closer as they walked inside the door. Upon entering, Jaehyun could already hear the booming laughs that came from the sitting room.  Jaehyun made sure to hide his grimace when Jihyun’s mother (now, Mother-in-Law, he supposed) walked in the room. Jihyun hugged her mother and watched as the other woman cooed at her stomach before putting her attention to Jaehyun, hugging him tightly and patting his back.

“Your brothers are in the living room, Jihyun, let’s go say hi.” She smiled, pulling the couple towards the sitting room. Jaehyun sighed, giving a soft smile before putting his hand on the small of Jihyun’s back.

“All of them?”

“They all came! Isn’t that great?”

Of course, all four brothers were sat on the couch, looking up at Jihyun and Jaehyun with a smile. Jiho, Jihyun’s oldest brother, was the first to stand up and embrace the two, not before mocking Jihyun and how she really looked like an old lady. Jihyun would respond to her brother’s jest with an elbow to the stomach, mentioning that he was no spring chicken considering he had four of his own, two of which would be entering college sometime this year.

Jihoon, the second, stood up next. Out of all the brothers, Jaehyun seemed to rely and talk to Jihoon the most. Despite being the second oldest, he was, perhaps, the most mature and the quietest of his brothers. Jaehyun remembered that he was always studying whenever he saw him, but when he wasn’t, he would humor Jihyun and Jaehyun with whatever imaginary game they wanted to play. Jihoon was also the first to get his license, often being the one to sneak Jihyun to Jaehyun’s house whenever she was in trouble. If Jihyun were to have a second father, it would be Jihoon. He greeted Jaehyun with a genuine side arm hug, patting his back and asking him if everything was going well. He had heard about Jeno since he worked at the same hospital where he was at, but Jaehyun only dismissed it, reassuring him that he was fine.

Next was Jihwan, Jaehyun’s least favorite brother. Just as he expected, Jihwan poked fun at Jihyun’s stomach, worse than her older brother before Jihyun lifted her arm, threatening a punch before he flinched. He even patted Jaehyun’s stomach, mocking him and telling the rest of his family that there was no way Jaehyun could fit a baby with his tiny stomach and rock-hard abs. His words, not Jaehyun’s. Jaehyun was embarrassed at Jihyun’s brother fondling him, especially in front her father, so he gently pushed him to the side to greet the last and youngest brother.

Fresh out of his military service and probably closest to his age, Jihu. Jaehyun doesn’t remember much about Jihu, probably because he was always in and out of punishments. They talked once or twice a year, but they rarely had anything in common except that they went to the same high school, that’s it. Even now, the greeting was awkward, Jaehyun gave him a smile that her brother returned. They shook hands cordially, before Jihu noticed the ring on his hand, smiling widely.

“Congrats,” he said quietly.

Jaehyun returned the smile, “thanks.”

Suddenly, he felt a pair of arms wrap against his waist, flinching at Jihyun’s mother squeezing him tightly, “I’m so glad, you came, Jaehyun. My favorite son, Jaehyunie.”

He laughed awkwardly as Jiho rolled his eyes, pulling his mother off of the embarrassed man before pushing her towards the dining room, “Mom, didn’t you say you made lunch? Why don’t you show me?”

“Show you for what reason? You’re too old for me to show you anything anymore— “

Jinho stood up from his spot on the couch after the brothers left the living room to follow their mother towards the kitchen at the promise of food. He kissed Jihyun’s forehead and asked her how she was feeling, concerned that she left so early last night to bed when Jihyun would usually sit and talk to him for hours.

“I really was on my feet for hours, Daddy,” she pouted, looking up at her father with wide eyes. “All I wanted to do was go to bed.”

“Not to make more grandchildren, I hope.”

Jaehyun choked.

“Don’t be mean to Jaehyun, Daddy, he was tired too. He went straight to bed after I put on his anti-aging face mask.”

Jiho rested a heavy hand on Jaehyun’s shoulder, “good boy.”

Jaehyun gave a sheepish smile, thanking every God responsible for Jihoon pulling him out of his father’s grasp. “Jaehyun, Mom wants you to get the second plate after Jihyun.”

“Thank you, hyung,” he whispered.

Jihoon smiled, patting his back and leading him towards the kitchen. He helped wherever he could, but it didn’t help that Jihyun’s mother was pushing him out of the way, reassuring him that he could sit down with everyone else at the table. Truth was, he wasn’t ready to sit down yet, especially if he realized his seat next to Jihyun was also the seat next to Jihwan. He could gag, in all honesty.

Unfortunately, he sat down next to his brother-in-law, smiling awkwardly everytime he opened his mouth.

They chatted and ate for what seemed like hours, Jihyun having ate the most what with her husband, her father, her mother, and Jihoon placing bites of food onto her plate. She didn’t end up eating most of it, scooting her leftovers back to Jaehyun’s plate, in which Jihwan would sneak bites as Jaehyun pretended not to notice.

“Anyway,” Jihyun started, “we kind of have some news.”

“What’s next? You’re already pregnant and engaged.” Jiho mocked, earning a roll of the eyes from Jihyun.

“Applause! Jaehyun and Jihyun adopted a dog!” Jihwan snickered, clapping by himself.

“Did you buy another house?” Her mother prompted.

“No—“

“Twins?”

“No! This isn’t a guessing game!”

“Spit it out, Jihyun,” Jihoo said with a mouth full of food.

Jaehyun felt his hand taken out from under the table, revealing their rings as Jihyun beamed in happiness. “We got married!”

Fury erupted from the table, everyone except Jihu had something to say.

“Jihyun, we were supposed to plan the wedding how could you go and—“

“—what took so long, Jaehyun—?”

“You went dressed like that?”

“Mommy, we’re still going to have a wedding we just got married first—!”

“I’d say congrats, Jaehyun but it’s my sister and I still feel kind of iffy about you—“

Jinho cleared his throat, silence rippling through the table as he wiped his mouth of food. The rest of the table was waiting for his reaction, the reaction of his youngest child, his only daughter, going off to get married in front of two marriage officials that were less than enthusiastic about marrying another couple. Jinho made eye contact with Jaehyun, holding his gaze as Jaehyun quickly recited every Hail Mary he remembered from Catholic school as well as contacting a few more deities should Jinho decided to stab him with the salad fork.

“Daddy, Jaehyun and I have been wanting to get married for years but every year something came up,” Jihyun explained. “The last time we wanted to get married Uncle Jungmo died, and then after that Jieun unnie died, and then after that—“

Jinho took her hand, squeezing reassuringly, “did you have fun?”

Jihyun smiled, nodding her head as she held her father’s hand to her cheek, “it was beautiful, Daddy. Jaehyun loves me and he takes care of me.”

“This is so fucking disgusting,” Jiho said under his breath, earning a slap to his shoulder from his mother.

“Daddy, I’m the best because I’m pretty and I’m a girl,” Jihwan mocked in a high pitch voice, rolling his eyes before picking at his food.  

“Daddy, Jihwan oppa is only mad because all of his girlfriend’s cheat on him,” Jihyun said with a kiss to his palm. “Jaehyun and I have been together longer than Jihwan oppa’s mortgage account. Please don’t be mad.”

“Dad, she’s already pregnant, what’s the harm in having a court wedding.” Jihoon snorted, “she’s also not seventeen anymore. She’s twenty eight and she’s in charge of her own life. Her deciding to marry Jaehyun out of the blue on a Wednesday morning would not be the worst thing she’s done.”

Jinho huffed, “why is everyone assuming I’m angry? Jihoon is right, Jihyun isn’t a little girl anymore and she’s been with Jaehyun long enough to decide what kind of wedding she wants. Not to mention, Dear, she mentioned she’s still having a wedding. She legally wants to be recognized as Jaehyun’s spouse and I think it’s smart. They should’ve done it a long time ago.”

“I have no qualms with your marriage, Jihyunie. I just would’ve wanted to be there to see it,” Jinho said sadly, a small smile still on his lips.

“Next time! During the big party!” Jihyun beamed, squeezing her father’s hand before putting it down.

“I’m dizzy,” Jihyun’s mother moaned. “Tea? Anyone, tea?”

“I would like some—“

“Then come get some, Jihwan I’m not your servant.”

Among the bustle of plates being picked up and everyone picking up their plates, Jaehyun was pulled aside by Jihyun’s father, walking to the empty sitting room. It seemed that Jinho took the marriage fairly well, so that at least was off his shoulders, but not even God himself could guess what was going to come out of his father-in-law’s voice next.

“I hope that didn’t scare you off.”

Jaehyun smiled, shaking his head, “it takes a little more than that these days, sir.”

Jinho shared his laugh, “I’m sure it does.”

“Are you happy, son?”

Jaehyun nodded, not a shake to his voice, not a tremble in his fingers, “I am.”

Jinho snorted, “if someone would’ve told me that Jungmo’s tiny kid would marry my Jihyun, I’d kill them for disrespecting me and my friend.”

Jaehyun grimaced, “sir--“

“I’m glad it’s you, Yoonoh,” he said quickly. “You take care of my Jihyun, and I’m sure you will when I’m gone.”

“In many, many years.”

“Exactly,” Jinho smiled, but Jaehyun couldn’t help but to detect sadness in his voice. “Take care of my Jihyun, Yoonoh. She was the love of my life way before she was ever yours.”

Jaehyun bowed, “I will, sir. Thank you for accepting me, I can’t imagine it’s easy.”

“I’ve done many jobs for your father, Jaehyun. But this is the hardest one I’ve ever done for him. It can’t be helped,” he sighed. “Soon Hyerim will come, and you’ll understand.”

Jinho smiled to himself, “one day, you’ll be an old man like me, sitting in your chair in front of some shaky kid who wants to marry your Hyerim, only for him to grow some balls the day he finally does.”

Jaehyun laughed, scratching the back of his head, “can’t wait.”

They’re quiet for a while, listening to the conversations and yells that are coming from the dining room where Jaehyun could hear Jihyun argue about which tea she should drink with her brothers. Jaehyun smiled, but his smile was put on a pause when his phone rang in his pocket.

“Excuse me,” he said suddenly, leaving once Jinho dismissed him with a wave. Jaehyun walked towards the hallway, taking the phone in his hands and answering quickly. “Johnny hyung?”

“WRONG! It’s me Uncle Jaehyun, it’s Taewoo!”

“Hi, Taewoo,” Jaehyun smiled. “Where’s your dad?”

“He’s right here—hey!”

“I am so sorry,” Johnny said suddenly, sounding breathless on the other line.

“Visits?”

“All four of them,” Johnny huffed. “I know I’m supposed to come over to your house, but my nanny quit. Literally just now.”

“You can bring them over, hyung, it’s fine. I have the gaming room upstairs,”

“Dad can you ask Uncle Jaehyun about the gaming room?” Either Taewoo or Taesoo asked.

“Uncle Jaehyun isn’t going to let you play if you keep jumping around like that, Taesoo—“

“I’m Taewoo that’s Taesoo.”

“Nice try, kiddo, but I know my kids,” Johnny snipped. “Dinner? Maybe?”

Jaehyun laughed, “of course.”

“You’re the best, I’ve got to go—Taesoo, are you fucking crazy let go of your sister’s hair!”

Johnny hung up just as Goeun was about to scream, leaving Jaehyun alone in the hallway. He feels arms wrap around from behind, smiling at the gentle hold as he pulled Jihyun closer to him, turning around as she snuggled into his chest.

“Who was that?”

“Johnny hyung,” he said. “We might actually have to go to the supermarket, you got lucky.”

“Why is that?”

“Hyung’s nanny quit, and they haven’t had dinner. Are you okay to cook, or do you want take out?”

Jihyun scrunched her nose, “I’ve had take-out three days in a row, if I have it one more time I might puke.”

“Cook?”

“Cooking for his kids is easy,” Jihyun nodded. “Do you want to go now?”

“It all depends on you, baby. It’s whatever you want.”

“Jiho and Jihu oppa are starting to compare their times in the military and I kind of don’t care to listen.”

“Lead the way, baby.”

Goodbyes were lengthy, as he expected. Even with the holidays coming up it wasn’t certain that they would all see each other the same. It was a miracle that Jihoon got a break from the hospital with his schedule and it was a coincidence that Jihu was discharged a week ago. With hugs and kisses divided for each, including Jaehyun, they left the Kim household, Jihyun swinging their joined hands as they walked towards the car.

“Happy?” Jaehyun asked, smiling at Jihyun’s kiss.

“Happiest,” she sighed. “I got to see my brothers, remembered how annoying they were. I got married, my family loves my husband, and now I’m going to show off my ring to the cashier.”

“Behave.”

“Nope.” Jihyun grinned, hopping in the passenger seat before Jaehyun closed the door.

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[kpoptrashibnida]

Enough Pt. 8

A/N: hey guys, sorry for the delay on this chapter! It has been a crazy time with wild fires and other things going on, but it’s finally here! It’s a little short for my taste, but I hope you guys enjoy it! As always, please don’t hesitate to let me know what you guys think! I’m posting this on Mobile, so once I have access to my laptop I will add the Read More link. Once again thank you for all the support and happy reading!

“Noona, how do you like your new phone?” Mark asked, walking with you out of the conference room and back to your floor.

“It’s fine. I haven’t been able to look at all the specks. The camera quality is good, even though they low key remind me of trypophobia.” You shuddered, making Mark laugh at your description of the newest iPhone camera.

The morning after Mark, Johnny and Jaehyun come over, you noticed you had a text message. To your surprise it was from Chanyeol; and to your mortification, he had answered a text that you had drunkenly sent.

I need to forget about you. Why are you in my head?

Because I’m the best you’ve ever had babe.

Needless to say, you were filled with rage at yourself and at his cocky attitude. You screamed once you realized it actually happened, that it wasn’t some twisted messed up dream. Your brain thought that the only logical action now was to throw your phone across the room, having it crash against the wall, falling to the floor in a broken mess. You had lost your reason, your sanity, your dignity and now your phone. You were screwed and not in the good way.

‘Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! God why did I have to drink so much? Why aren’t there apps that know when you’re drunk and prevent you from drunk texting you ex… or, well booty call I guess? Ugh whatever! Now I have to buy a new phone. ‘

Groaning, you got up from your bed and walked towards your shattered phone, picking it up and inspecting the damage.

“I guess it won’t work if I turn it off and back on.” You muttered to yourself, annoyed at your overall stupidity. You went to the store and got yourself a new phone and as an extra precaution, you ditched your Korean phone number and got a US number. That way, no past lovers could communicate with you and remind you of your poor choices.

“Well noona, we should hang out with Johnny and Jaehyun again, check out just how good the camera quality is.” Mark suggested, really excited at the thought of spending time with his favorite coworkers.

“Sure Mark, whenever I have time we can do that. For now, fetch me some coffee, will you?” You teased as you stopped at your office door, making the young boy roll his eyes.

“I’m not an intern or your errand boy noona, but I’ll do it because you are my favorite old lady.” Mark teased, dodging your foot as you tried to kick him.

“I’m not an old lady!” You yelled at his retreating form, shaking your head at this man-child’s actions.

You sat on your chair and reviewed your notes from the meeting, deciding which tasks to tackle first.

Bring up your planning apps, you started to prioritize your tasks in order to organize your work.

“Knock knock.” Jaehyun said as he stood at your doorway, coffee in hand.

“Hey, what brings you here?” You ask, looking away from your computer.

“I came to bring you coffee. I was getting some and I saw Mark there. I told him I’d bring it to you.” He said, walking into your office and placing the cup in front of you and taking a seat on the chair across from you.

“That’s really sweet of you, thanks.” You said with a smile, grabbing the cup and taking a sip.

“No problem. So, do you have any plans for this weekend?” Jaehyun asked, ears turning bright pink.

“Um, no I don’t. Why?” You asked, heart hammering in your chest.

“Do you want to go out for dinner Saturday?” He asked, looking at you below his eyelashes.

You were stunned, not expecting him to ask you out. Wait, was he? Maybe it wasn’t even as a date, just as friends.

“Yeah, that’d be nice. Where should we meet?” You asked, heart still racing and face heating up.

“I’ll pick you up at 7, sounds good?” He asked, sitting up on his seat.

“Yeah, sounds great.” You said with a smile, excited at the thought of spending time with him outside of work again.

“Cool, it’s a date.” He said, getting up and grabbing his own coffee cup.

“Yeah… it’s, uh, it’s a d-date.” You stuttered as you watched his retreating form, wanting to die from the smile he gave you as he walked out of your office.

‘Oh shit, I’m in trouble.’ You thought, slamming your head on your desk, sighing heavily and closing your eyes for a bit. Before anyone could see you and think you were some weirdo, you sat up and dived right into your work, praying that it would help you not think about your upcoming date with Jaehyun.

***

The weekend was finally here and you were happy, your work week was long and tiring. Friday after work you decided to go shopping, not knowing what to wear to your dinner date with Jaehyun.

You had gone to a cute boutique nearby the office, not wanting to go to Time Square on a Friday night.

The boutique was classy but not over the top, providing the perfect type of clothing for a first date.

After over thinking every choice and making sure you didn’t look like a thirsty hoe, you finally settled on a pretty emerald green wrap dress that hugs your curves in all the right places. It was sexy but decent, the perfect combination for your date.

You stared at your reflection in the mirror, satisfied with your soft curls and simple make up. You took a deep breath and willed yourself to relax, your heart beating abnormally fast. Your attempts were futile when you heard your doorbell ring, signaling that Jaehyun was here. Taking one last deep breath, you made your way out of your bedroom and out to your front door.

“Hey.” You greeted softly, opening the door so he could step into your apartment.

“Hi. Wow, you look amazing.” He said, giving you a hug before he walked in.

“You too.” You compliment, taking in his appearance which consisted of black fitted jeans, black dress shoes and a navy blue button down shirt. He looked amazing and you were really hoping you could hold yourself back from jumping him tonight, cause god knows you wanted to do that right then and there.

“Ready to go?” He asked, swaying on the ball of his feet, looking nervous and excited and all kinds of handsome. God he was handsome.

“Yeah, ready.” You picked up your jacket from your coat closet and headed outside, excited for what the night would bring.

You were trying to behave, you really really were, but Jaehyun was making it extremely difficult by walking slightly in front of you in the crowded sidewalk, his ass looking so good in his jeans. You almost tripped twice because you were staring at his backside and didn’t see where you were going. Once you got to a less crowded area, you fell in step with Jaehyun, his gorgeous backside out of sight.

“So I got us a reservation at a really popular restaurant that opened up recently. It’s supposed to be amazing and apparently a lot of celebrities go there.” Jaehyun said, making simple conversation on your walk from the parking garage to the restaurant.

“Oh really? Which restaurant is it?” You asked curiously. You didn’t know many places in the area yet, but you were excited to try new things.

“It’s called Pulse, it’s supposed to be a cool Asian fusion place.” He stated, coming to a stop in front of the restaurant.

The place was completely packed full, the line was out the door and still went on for a bit. You were surprised to see how many people were here, the place must really be popular like Jaehyun said. The inside of the restaurant was a decent size too, so the line wasn’t there because it was a tiny hole in the wall type of place.

“This is why you need reservations.” He smirked, grabbing your elbow and gently guiding you inside. You tried to ignore the feeling of his hand on your skin, it burned to the touch but in the best way possible.

“Hi, reservation for Jung.” He politely told the hostess, looking at you and giving you a cute smile. You could tell he was excited and that made you smile.

“I’m sorry, what time is your reservation?” The waitress asked, not looking up from her tablet.

“For 8pm. Under Jung.” He said again, brow scrunched in confusion.

The hostess scanned the iPad with rapid eyes, looking for the reservation.

“Sorry Mr. Jung. There must have been a confusion. We unfortunately don’t have a reservation for you tonight.” The hostess said in an apologetic voice, looking a little sheepish.

Jaehyun's ears turned a bright shade of red and you instantly felt bad for him; he seemed so embarrassed and it was an endearing sight.

“Really? Oh man. Is there anyway we could wait and see if anyone doesn’t show up for their reservation?” He asked politely, the crimson spreading from his ears to his neck.

“Absolutely! If you’d like to sit here in the waiting area, I’ll be sure to get you if anything opens up.” She said and motioned for the crowded seated area.

You and Jaehyun made your way there and sat on a couch, pressed up against other people and each other. You looked at Jaehyun and saw how bummed out he looked, it really broke your heart a little.

“Hey, don’t worry about it.” You smiled as you nudged his arm, wanting to reassure him that it wasn’t a big deal.

“I’m sorry I’m just really annoyed. I wanted today to go well.” He said sheepishly as he looked at you.

“It will. Because we are together and that’s all that matters.” You squeeze his balled up fist softly, once again reassuring him that you didn’t mind the inconvenience.

Jaehyun smiles at you and looks into your eyes intently, lingering longer than he allows himself.

He breaks eye contact and looks ahead, feeling his ears get hot again.

After about an hour of waiting, Jaehyun heard your stomach growl and wanted to shoot himself. 9pm is no time to have dinner and he was upset he’d make you wait this long to eat. He excused himself and made his way to the hostess once again, talking with her for a couple of minutes. You saw him take his phone out and look at something on his phone as he spoke to the hostess, while she furiously looked through the ipad. You were confused as to what he was doing, clearly anyone that had a reservation was here and you guys were out of luck. You really didn’t care if you didn’t get to eat there tonight. You just didn’t want Jaehyun to feel bad about the whole situation. First dates usually went bad and at least you two liked each other and wanted to be in each other’s company. After a few more minutes of conversation he walked back to you, giving you a small smile and a shrug.

“No luck. I’m so sorry this turned out horrible.” He said in a defeated tone that made your chest constrict a little bit.

You stood and grabbed his hand, guiding him out of the restaurant and into the chilly night air.

“There’s a really good pizza place nearby, want to go there?” He asked, nervous that you were going to be disappointed of his choice.

“Yes! I haven’t had pizza in forever! And I’ve never had New York pizza before. Let’s go!” You said excitedly, tugging his arm forward.

He couldn’t help but smile at your excitement, genuinely happy that you were so easygoing since he didn’t meet a lot of girls like you.

Your hand was still held securely in his and no one said anything about it. When you grabbed it inside the restaurant, you weren’t really thinking, you just wanted to make Jaehyun see that you were just happy to be in his company. But now you didn’t want to make it awkward by pulling your hand away. He didn’t seem to mind or if he did, he didn’t show. But you’ve concluded that Jaehyun is a gentleman and he wouldn’t pull away from you.

“Here it is.” He said, opening the door to the cute and quaint Italian eatery.

You were sat at a booth in the corner where it was private and cozy. The atmosphere was very intimate and a live band was playing what you assumed was romantic Italian music. After ordering the biggest pizza they had, easy conversation started flowing between the both of you. Whenever you were with Jaehyun it never felt awkward or uncomfortable and you were extremely thankful for that. You also feel like you could be yourself and he wouldn’t judge you, which is another reason why you enjoy being around him.

Once the pizza was set in front of you, Jaehyun served the largest piece on your plate, making you laugh.

“Do I look that hungry to you?” You tease, watching as the cheese pooled around the slice on your plate, making you drool at the sight.

“No… but I feel like it’s my fault you’re starving, so you get the biggest slice.” He explained simply, placing a slice on his plate as well.

The first bite was heavenly and you were so hungry that it tasted so delicious, you weren’t aware of the noise that was made on your throat. It was a low moan at the delicious taste of the pizza in your mouth, which made Jaehyun’s ears turn a light shade of pink. He was grateful that you didn’t seem to notice and he chastised himself for letting his brain go there.

“So, I have a question.” You said as you leaned back on the booth, knowing that you should have stopped at your third slice but went in for the fourth one anyway. Good thing the dress was forgiving and had some stretch to it.

“What is it?” Jaehyun smiled, wiping his fingers of the grease residue.

“If you don’t have a car, which car are you using tonight?” You asked with a head tilt that made Jaehyun swoon. You were so adorable and didn’t even know it.

“I borrowed a company car.” He said with a chuckle, shrugging at your surprised face.

“Are you allowed to do that?” You asked, hoping he wouldn't get in trouble.

“Yeah! We can borrow company cars for personal errands too. I usually don’t because the traffic and parking in the city is awful. But tonight is a night that required a nice car and not the subway.” He winked, making you blush at his explanation. Of course Jaehyun wouldn’t do anything he’s not supposed to and the fact that he thought tonight deserved a car was very endearing.

“I might need to walk off the pizza I devoured.” You whined playfully, making Jaehyun laugh.

“We can take a walk to an ice cream place, if you like.” He proposed, making you perk up at his suggestion. If you were a dog, your ears would have perked up at the proposal.

“I’m down!” You said excitedly, wanting to eat ice cream now.

Jaehyun paid for the pizza (you tried to pay half, but he didn’t let you) and held the door open for you. You walked to the ice cream place and continued your conversation from earlier. He fell in step with you and nudged his hand against yours a couple times. You felt the butterflies in your stomach flutter around like crazy. You glanced at him and saw that he was smiling down at you, silently waiting for your reaction. Once he saw the small smile you gave him, he got brave enough to hold your hand. You felt your face heat up at the same time you saw his ears turn scarlet.

“Is this okay?” He asked bashfully, making you giggle at his cuteness.

“Yeah, it’s perfect.” You said, nudging him with your shoulder and smiling shyly.

Walking hand and hand, you walked one more block and reached the ice cream place.

You ordered your ice cream and sat at a corner table, sitting next to each other to be close.

“So I want to get to know more about you.” Jaehyun said as he ate spoonfuls of his ice cream, giving you an amused smile. “How about we play a round of 20 questions.” He suggested, making you laugh at his cute idea.

“I love that. Okay, go.” You said, enjoying the delicious ice cream.

“What’s your favorite color?” He asked.

“Purple. Okay, what’s your favorite food.” You asked, settling more comfortably on your chair.

“Honestly the spicy pork my mom makes. It's amazing. What’s your favorite season?”

“Winter, no doubt!” You said with conviction, making Jaehyun laugh at your antics.

“Really? But it gets super cold.” He said, most girls he knew preferred warmer weather.

“Yes but it’s so easy to get warm. Fuzzy socks, warm sweaters, hot chocolate or tea and if you have a cuddle buddy, even better.” You state simply, shrugging your shoulders as Jaehyun laughed at your explanation.

“Ah I see, so you enjoy having a cuddle buddy then?” He teased, eyes twinkling in the lighting of the ice cream parlor.

“I mean, yeah? But I haven’t had one in years, so I don’t remember what it’s like.” You shrugged, finishing the last bits of your cookies and cream ice cream.

“What about that one guy from Korea?” He asked curiously. He didn’t want to pry and seem like wanted to invade your privacy.

“Chanyeol? Oh god. He was not a cuddle buddy. He was more of a wham bam thank you ma’am kind of guy.” You said with an icy tone, the memory of Chanyeol and your…. Relationship not something you like to remember or dwell on.

“Oh, sorry for asking.” He winced, feeling bad for bringing it up.

“Oh my god, don’t worry about it! It’s whatever now. I feel like I’m pretty much over it all by now.” You shrugged, not wanting Jaehyun to feel bad for bringing it up.

“He’s an idiot.” He said, tone low but you were able to hear him.

“What?” You asked, wanting to make sure you heard him correctly.

“I said he’s an idiot. He would have been lucky to cuddle with you.” He said honestly, the eye contact being a little intense for you.

“Thanks.” You whispered, feeling your face get hot due to Jaehyun’s words.

“Ready to go?” He asked suddenly, grabbing the trash from the table, his movements brash and sudden. You figured he was probably a little embarrassed and it is the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.

“Yeah, let’s go.” You said, putting on your jacket before heading out to the chilly street.

Once outside you began your walk back to the parking garage that was now a couple blocks away from your original destination. You contemplated holding Jaehyun’s hand again. He does seem to be into you, at least from how he’s been acting today. And well, since you have known him. You took a deep breath and reached for his hand, intertwining your hand with his. He looked at you a little shocked but smiled as he squeezed your hand tighter, a silent recognition that he did not mind holding your hand. He actually loved the fact that you took the initiative of holding his hand, giving him the hint that you must share his interest.

You arrived at the car much too soon for your liking, even though you were thankful to be out of the chilly night air.

Jaehyun drove to your apartment while holding your hand which made your insides flutter with excitement. You were in a comfortable silence and you couldn’t help but stare at his profile. He is so gorgeous, you don’t know how you got so lucky to be on a date with him.

“What?” He asked, glancing over at you as he drove through town.

“Nothing. You’re just really handsome.” You stated simply, making Jaehyun’s ears turn a bright shade of red in lightning speed.

“Don’t say that.” He chuckled, trying not to show how embarrassed he is.

“It’s true though!” You were delighted to see him squirming in his seat, his face getting a shade darker with each passing second.

“Alright! We are here!” He exclaimed, parking the car in front of your apartment building.

“Thank you so much for today, I had an amazing time.” You said, shifting your body towards Jaehyun.

“I did too. Sorry for the whole reservation fiasco.” He said, subconsciously leaning towards you.

“It’s not a big deal. I’m just glad I got to spend time with you.” You stated, looking into his eyes intently.

There was a sudden heaviness that settled in the confinements of the car, the two of you getting closer to each other. You don’t know who moved in first, but you felt fireworks explode in the back of your eyelids the second your lips touched. It was tentative at first, slow and explorative, wanting to get to know each others likes better. You both pulled away slowly, your breathing a little heavier than normal.

“Let me walk you to your door.” Jaehyun whispered, voice low and husky.

“Okay.” You whispered, pulling away slowly and reaching for the door handle. You took a deep breath to regulate your breathing, lips still tingling from kissing Jaehyun.

You walked hand in hand to your apartment, quiet while letting the reality of the kiss settle in.

Standing in front of your apartment door, you wasted no time in reattaching your lips to his. His lips were so soft and addicting, you felt like you didn’t get your fill in the car. He placed his hands on your hips tentatively, bringing you closer as your kiss got deeper.

His tongue grazed your lips and you willingly opened them to give him access to explore your mouth. You wrapped your arms around his neck, bringing him impossibly closer to you, a low moan escaping your mouth. The sound was music to Jaehyun’s ears and he wanted to hear more, loving the way you felt pressed up against him.

“Want to come in?” You asked breathless, needing to get some air.

Jaehyun groaned, placing his forehead against yours.

“God I want to. Trust me, I want to go in so bad and just- god. Look, I like you. I really really like you and I don’t want to ruin this. I want to take it slow, if that’s okay with you.” He said, massaging your sides slowly.

“Okay.” You rasped, giving him a small peck on the lips.

“Have a good night.” He said, giving you a beautiful smile that made you swoon.

You walked into your apartment and waited for Jaehyun to get into the elevator before you closed the door with a deep sigh. You couldn’t help the smile that graced your face, believing that you most likely just had the best night of your life. A delighted giggle slipped past your lips as you headed to your bathroom to get ready for bed, too giddy to let exhaustion take over. You were way into Jaehyun but you didn’t care. He was amazing and different than anyone you’d ever met. You couldn’t wait to see him again and see where your relationship would end up.

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[kyndaris]

North Island Sight-Seeing

Three years ago, I went on a grand journey to the United States and Canada. I also visited Japan with my family and went on a skiing excursion with my mother. Since then, I’ve been hard at work, trying to find a bit of stability with regards to my employment. And while I’ve finished one of the fantasy stories that has taken me years to write, and several short stories to boot as well, I’ve struggled to find much meaning in the day to day humdrum of working nine to five.

Finally, I decided, this would be my time to properly let loose. Yes, I took some time out so that I could blast through Kingdom Hearts 3 when it released, but anyone could see that it was never truly a holiday.

My trip to New Zealand was the first time, in a long while, that I managed to scrounge up some annual leave and actually use it. Instead of desperately holding onto it and feeling guilty if I decided to step away from the vigorous demands of the job.

So, two days after my birthday, my mother, my stepfather and I set out to Auckland. It was meant to be a fairly early flight though we’d arrive in New Zealand mid-afternoon. After almost two hours of delays, we finally landed and set about retrieving the car we hired.

There isn’t much I can say about that first day.

Hungry, weary from the flight, we started the journey to Turangi. A four-hour drive from Auckland and about an hour’s drive to the Whakapapa ski field.

Friday saw us wake fairly early, though I was still recovering from a terrible cold that I had contracted a few days before my birthday. Determined to finally take to the snow after missing out the previous two years, I pushed myself out of bed and into the car.

Once we arrived at Whakapapa and ventured into one of the many buildings to purchase a lift ticket and acquire the equipment we would need for the day, I was a little less enthusiastic about the whole endeavour. It had been raining since the morning and I hadn’t had the foresight to pack proper boots to stomp around in the snow. My sneakers were soaked and my cough was still quite chesty.

Mum was determined, however, and before noon we headed down to Happy Valley.

It was a beginner’s area, true, but I was sick and it was snowing so heavily I could barely see more than five metres in front of me. Besides, it was a whole lot cheaper and due to the conditions, only three of the six main lifts were in operation. I thought it was a much better deal, considering.

Still, it was a good long while that we stayed on the ski field. By the time we returned the skis and boots, we were sopping wet. Our gloves all but useless. My mother was also unfortunate enough to have her supposedly waterproof pants soak through. Even down to the thermals she was wearing underneath.

Suffice it to say, our ski trip in New Zealand had been less fun than initially anticipated.

But there was no time to wait for everything to dry. Once my stepfather had picked us up, it was another long drive to Rotorua. Once there, I had my mother buy me dinner. With my shoes less than serviceable and not wanting to walk around in wet socks, I had taken a shower as soon as we arrived at our hotel. As we were staying in New Zealand for only four days, it had not seemed imperative to bring a second pair of shoes. And in fact, I had forgotten to bring a pair of slippers for myself.

Once our stomachs were full, my mother thought to enjoy herself at the Polynesian Spa. Both my stepfather and I stayed behind. As we waited for her to return, I flipped through the channels – finally settling on the Disney Channel for the evening’s entertainment.

My sleep was troubled. Sharing one room, I was unable to silence the snoring from the bed next to mine. I managed to use headphones for an hour or two of rest before it was interrupted again by my uncontrollable bladder.

The next morning, I felt as if I wanted to cry. Indeed, some tears did manage to slip from the corner of my eyes, so frustrated was I.

At least, though, the weather was much better. We were blessed with sun, sun and more sun on Saturday. Although there was still quite a bit of a breeze, we could not have asked for better weather. Our first stop for the day was Te Puia. I would have rather revisited Hobbiton but the prices were a lot higher than I had anticipated and my stepfather had never been a big fan of the films.

Revisiting the geothermal valley that I had seen on my cruise almost five years ago, was still a preferable substitute. Plus, it was quite close to the hotel we were staying in so it did not take long (after driving out to a lake near the Rotorua bowling club in the centre of town) to arrive.

Our trip to Te Puia also included a tour of the Maori Arts and Crafts Academy. One where all the students were on fully paid scholarships that were paid for by all the visitors to the geysers and ever-expanding mud pools. Fun fact: they’re about ten metres deep and essentially quite close to boiling. As such, it’s not a good idea to fall inside. And if you know someone that has, better to wish them your fondest farewells rather than attempt a rescue. It’s simply not practical.

We also bore witness to a powhiri – a traditional Maori welcoming ceremony. It was a fun experience filled with songs and dance, capitalising on the selling power of learning about the traditions of one of the many different cultures of the world. Some might view such actions as selling out and pandering to the lowest common denominator, but in my opinion, it’s a great way to preserve the stories and heritage of the First Nations.

From Te Puia, we drove to Hamilton. Once we arrived, my mother and stepfather reunited with their old university classmate. We toured a little around the University of Waikato before heading to the Hamilton Gardens. I’ll admit, I was quite impressed by the various styles. Of particular note were the fantasy gardens given my predilections for the genre.

Afterwards, we checked in briefly at the motel we were staying in before having dinner at a Taiwanese restaurant. It was the first time I watched three siblings hard at work playing games on their phone, iPad and Lenova laptop. I’ve never played Roblox but there appeared to be plenty of options available for young kids to try.

Sunday involved another long drive back to Auckland. When we left the Motor Inn we were staying at, my mother was less than impressed with the fact that we had left behind two bottles of juice that she had painstakingly bought for me. After several strong words were exchanged, I sat in a sullen silence until we finally entered the city.

Once there, we met with another of my mother’s classmates. With the rest of her family, we headed into the central business district for lunch. The place was an energetic and quite popular oyster bar restaurant, Depot. Ordering for us was the son of my mother’s classmate. He seemed nice enough though we barely exchanged more than two sentences in the entirety of meeting each other. My mother had hoped for us to exchange contact details, but the opportunity never arose.

I remembered obliquely referencing his impressive Gundam collection and whistled internally when I noted all the PC store fronts on his computer. What also impressed me were the comfortable PC gaming chairs that they had. Now, if only I could have one shipped over to enjoy my frequent eight-hour gaming binges on the weekends.

Before we could learn more about each other, though, he was quickly on his way back home to watch an esports livestream. Since I have never been all that impressed with the competitive scene and he was less than open about his gaming habits, I wasn’t entirely too sure which games were on offer. Was it League of Legends? Dota 2? Overwatch?

In the end, nothing came of our brief meeting. With my mother’s classmate, we headed out to One Tree Hill (and I swear that there was an old television show of the same name) for a spin. It was another location that I had briefly visited all those years ago on my New Zealand cruise. And there were sheep aplenty on the hills, grazing away at the grass and bleating for all to hear.

After our little side adventure, we were in a rush to return the hire car and check in to our final hotel. Once we had settled, my mother’s cousin came to pick us up. We headed to a quaint Chinese restaurant, the prices a little on the exorbitant side. Her eldest son, trying to play at being the perfect host, took the honours for ordering our food.

It might not have been the best selection, but the self-loathing and the vitriol he spewed about the quality of the food was shocking. To be honest, I’ve never much liked him and he has always rubbed me the wrong way with his superiority complex. It didn’t help that he tried to ‘redeem’ himself for the meal by taking us on a little diversion from where we wanted to go.

I mean, from the first, I had said that it would be best if we returned to the hotel early as we had an early flight back to Australia. Second of all, he never asked if we wanted to head up to a nearby hill and look out on the city and its pretty lights.

He even grabbed the steering wheel briefly, so obstinate was he in taking us on this side trip.

Now, I’m no psychologist, but his behaviour proved to be quite frightening. When we finally arrived at the hotel we were staying at, I gave his mother a word of warning.

That done, it was a simple matter of heading to bed and waking up around four in the morning for our return flight.

[billyagogo]

32 Things Under $10 That'll Never Stop Being Useful

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32 Things Under $10 That'll Never Stop Being Useful

We hope you love the products we recommend! Just so you know, BuzzFeed may collect a share of sales or other compensation from the links on this page. Oh, and FYI — prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication.

1.

A squeezable bottle so you can drizzle the *exact* amount of olive oil, dressing, syrups, WHATEVER, instead of accidentally pouring the whole darn thing over your precious meal.

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Promising review: “I bought this for using with canola oil with my cast iron. Pouring oil out of the container has always been tough, as you either get a drop or two in your pan, or you get way too much. This little bottle give you great control over how much oil you can put into your pan. The little cap looks too fragile at first, but actually functions really well. You just flip it open with your thumb, squirt your oil, and flip it closed again. I love it.” —Lewis WiseGet it from Amazon for $3.99+ (available in three sizes).

2.

A bungee dog leash that’ll allow your pup to pull to their heart’s content without choking themselves. Now your walks won’t end with a dramatic power struggle.

amazon.com, amazon.com

It also has a soft, padded handle to give you a comfortable grip! Promising review: “I’m leash training my dog now and this is a great tool. The encased bungees cord has more value than I realized when I purchased it. It prevents your ahold from getting jolted if the dog pulls suddenly, and it’s also a more gentle pull back on him than a leash that doesn’t have any give. I love the handle down by the clip for leash training; it’s way easier on my hand than wrapping the old webbing leash around it. We’ve had to wash it at least twice and it’s held up great.” —JessicaGet it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in five colors).

3.

A Hanes wire-free bra for enjoying bralette level–comfort alll day, but still having the proper support you need (we’re talking super soft material + gentle cup molding, lining, and padding). Reviewers with DD cups say this really gives them the best of both worlds!

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Promising review: “I have A LOT of issues finding bras that fit me, being a 38DD-G, and bras that don’t cause me pain. Before buying this, I had one sports bra that I wore that was too small. I decided to take a chance and buy this bra and I’m so glad I did! It fits perfectly and doesn’t cause me any pain. It has just enough padding that your nipples won’t show throw if they get cold. Plus, you really can’t beat the price. I plan on ordering more.” —Kaitlyn NicoleGet it from Amazon for $7.53+ (available in sizes S–3X and six colors).

4.

An in-flight stand because this’ll make sure you can watch movies on your phone or iPad, even if the plane doesn’t have an entertainment system (national flights…do better).

Amazon

Promising review: “This product is so simple, so inexpensive, and works so well. I’m writing this review at 34,000 feet and it has my iPhone 7 Plus perched comfortably and securely near eye-level. Watching movies has never been more convenient while traveling.” —Kristin H. HenryGet it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three colors).

5.

A palette ring so you can create a ~custom palette~ while you do your makeup (or nails!). You can mix shades together, prevent product waste, and have everything you need *on hand* so you’re finished faster than usual.

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Btw, the ring is adjustable! Promising review: “This ring is perfect for makeup application. I use it primary for my concealer, lips products, or to mix colors to achieve my desired shade. It is adjustable so can be changed to fit whichever finger you are comfortable with.” —That Girl TaraGet a pack of two from Amazon for $6.99.

6.

A twist-lock wine stopper to ensure your opened vino stays fresh while *chilling* in the fridge. It’s leakproof, airtight, and even has a colored lock indicator so you know the bottle is actually sealed.

Amazon

Promising review: “This is the easiest opener I’ve ever used. With arthritis, removing corks was becoming very difficult. This is super easy and painless.” —pbGet a pack of two from Amazon for $9.99.

7.

A pair of blackout curtains that’ll help you get some SLEEP for once past 6 a.m. Whoever says the morning bird gets the worm can HAVE IT. We just want complete darkness.

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Promising review: “These are TRUE blackout curtains!!! FINALLY I found some curtains that you truly cannot see through. These are exactly what I was looking for! They really don’t let ANY light through, they’re fantastic for both my office, where I have to do minute color adjustments on architectural illustrations on my computer monitor, AND my bedroom, where the nearby train station’s blinding lights keep me up all night unless I wear one of those sleeping blindfolds, which are really uncomfortable.” —DotScott1Get them from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in three sizes and 18 colors).

8.

A glass nail file with a convenient carrying case for shaping your nails with pro-level precision sans irritating scraping, like traditional files. This’ll make the whole process a heck of a lot more satisfying — and leave you with expertly-rounded manis.

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Promising review: “WOW! I’ve gone through her share of nail files. Emery boards, boring cardboard boards you get at the pharmacy, you name it. THIS IS AMAZING! It files like a DREAM. It usually takes me 5-10 minutes to do a good job on my nails and this was over in moments, and my nails were smooth and wonderful. It’s quick, you’re actually using something wonderful other than sandpaper on your delicate nails, it ends up SMOOTH, not jagged like with an emery board, and not frustrating like a metal file where you can’t tell if you’re doing any damage at all. It’s fantastic.” —Jennifer A. MeldeGet it from Amazon for $6.99+ (available in seven colors).

9.

A widely-loved Wet Brush to detangle BOTH wet and dry hair, minus any painful pulling or breakage. Aka you’ll still have every strand of hair you started with.

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Promising review: “I used to fight with my daughter (who is five) to brush her hair, but this brush is amazing no matter how many tangles are in your hair. It slowly and gently glides right through them one by one. Great for sensitive scalps. I love using it, and so does my daughter on both wet and dry hair. It’s our go-to.” —Stephanie KingGet it from Sally Beauty for $8.99 (available in two colors)To learn more, check out “If Tangled Hair Is Your Worst Nightmare, This Brush Will Be Your Hero”.

10.

An egg spatula, because this’ll perfect your egg game without actually making you practice. The tip of its head is firm for better scrambling, its longest edge is soft and flexible for lifting and turning omelets, and its flat face makes lifting fried eggs so much easier. Translation: your breakfast will now always be in one piece.

Amazon

Promising review: “I bought this to match the other spatulas like it. Turns out it’s bigger compared to the other ones, but I’m glad, because it does the job better. And it washes well!” —amelia Get it from Amazon for $7.99.

11.

An adhesive LED strip to reduce your TV’s glare so the screen creates sharper images and increases color contrast — aka The Office will look better than ever as you non-stop binge before it’s removed from Netflix (😭).

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It also helps your vision adjust between a bright screen and dark room to reduce eye strain!Promising review: “You will be surprised how well this works. I thought it was a gimmick — but then read several articles about the benefits of bias lighting and though I would give it a try. Setting it up takes about five minutes — very simple. The surprise comes when you turn on the TV with the bias lighting and the picture POPS! The contrast and the black level jumps and the picture looks significantly improved! ” —Rgd18Get it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in six sizes).

12.

A mini laptop cleaner with two sides: one a microfiber pad to keep screens smudge-free, and the other a retractable brush to sweep away dust and crumbs. Cleaner workspace = a higher chance you’ll actually answer some emails.

Amazon

Promising review: “This is an ingenious product. I find that my keyboard is always accumulating dust and all kinds of other stuff I usually drop or spill onto it. It doesn’t matter if it’s work or home, they both somehow get the same amount of dirt onto it. I put it to use with my work keyboard and I noticed it cleaned between the grooves and under the keys. You can clean the keyboard, monitor, glasses and not have to need three different items.” —DaveSincereGet it from Amazon for $9.95.

13.

A metal brainteaser puzzle so you can keep your hands busy (goodbye, picking your cuticles), stimulate your mind when work. is. so. BORING, and stay entertained really wherever you go.

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Basically, it’s a challenge to take the cylinder puzzle apart and put it back together! It sounds simple enough — until you read the reviews that this is h a r d.Promising review: “Wonderful quality construction. This was my first Hanayama metal puzzle. I have purchased a few more since. You can’t find a better quality, longer-lasting puzzle in my opinion. Very happy with the purchase. It wasn’t too difficult to figure out for me, but a few other people I let try it struggled quite a bit. I would say putting it back together proved more difficult than taking it apart the first time. Once you figure it out it becomes easy, but is still fun to take apart and put back together.” —RippGet it from Amazon for $9.70.

14.

A multifunctional opener that’ll help you get a ~grip~ and tackle just about everything that has a lid: jars, bottles, cans, nail polish, you name it. Pickle jar — our war has finally come to an end.

Amazon

Promising review: “This thing is really neat! I love kitchen gadgets and this is definitely a great add to my utensil drawer. It’s multi functional so I don’t have to have too much cluttering up the kitchen drawer. Plus, it is easy to use and really works well. Very happy with my purchase and if you like useful kitchen gadgets, you will too!” —GypsyGet it from Amazon for $8.97.

15.

A four-way cleaning brush for making worn-out boots (why do salted sidewalks punish us so) look brand-new just in time for ~fall outfits~. Plus! It works on just about every surface, like sneakers, leather coats, and furniture, so you can erase damage 👏 all 👏 year 👏 long.

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It has four sides: one to clean heavier scuff marks and stains, one to gently clean fine suede and light scuff marks, one to clean rounded corners, and one to clean hard-to-reach crevices and grooves. Promising review: “I was really sad when I thought my bucks were at the end of their road, because I had always heard that suede couldn’t be cleaned. With this brush and a little elbow grease my bucks are looking great again! I didn’t use any water or cleaner, I just kept wiping the brush off on my jeans to keep the brush clean, then hit the shoe again with a clean surface. It even brightened the leather up a bit.” —RobertoGet it from Amazon for $6.99.

16.

A pair of high-waisted leggings, because reviewers RAVE that these are every bit as soft (if not softer!) than high-end leggings — including LuLaRoe and Lululemon! Welcome to year-long snuggles for your bum.

Amazon, amazon.com

AND reviewers swear they’re not see-through (even when you squat)!Promising review: “Let me start by saying that I never take the time to write reviews — and I purchase half of everything we buy on Amazon. However, as a former LuLaRoe-obsessed mom, I felt compelled to make time to review these leggings. If you are reading this and wondering how these compare to LLR leggings, I am here to tell you I am confident LLR is ripping loyal customers off by charging $25-30+. These leggings are just as soft. They fit the same, if not better. They do NOT PILL if you wash cold and hang dry. I truly feel like I’m wearing ‘butter leggings’. The price is obviously better and more fair in my opinion.” —Jen WolfeGet them from Amazon for $8.99+ (available in two size ranges: S–L and XL–3X and 23 colors).

17.

An edge dish brush so you can say so long to washing dishes with bacteria-filled sponges. This’ll drain excess water directly into the sink so mold can’t build up the minute you walk away. AND it saves space!

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And it’s scratch-resistant! Promising review: “Sometimes it’s the little things that make you happy — like the fact that the dish brush can sit up out of the sink, not get gross when you accidentally throw greasy dishes on top, and it’s attractive! If the edge of your sink is, it stays up.” —JazzmineGet it from Amazon for $6.90+ (available in two colors).

18.

An adjustable blind duster that’ll clean your window blinds and car vents faster than you can complain — just a few swipes, and it’s back to the couch. I promise.

Amazon, amazon.com

It comes with five washable microfiber sleeves.Promising review: “OK I’ll be honest, I ordered this because of the price. After reviewing several other options and having been disappointed with previous dusters I’ve had, I figured why spend more money on something that isn’t going to work? So I ordered the least expensive option but WOW does this little tool rock!!!! It’s very easy to use and clean. It does a fantastic job of cleaning and dusting the blinds and gets ALL of the crud off of them. My blinds haven’t been this clean since the day they were first installed. VERY happy with purchase.” —Amazon ShopperGet it from Amazon for $7.99 (available in two colors).

19.

An adorable wireless earbuds case for never losing your EXPENSIVE Airpods — a big, big fear of…everyone’s? Basically, it’ll relieve that constant ~pit~ in your stomach that they might have gone missing.

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Promising review: “I get so many compliments on this little avocado! It makes it so much easier to carry my AirPods wherever I go, as well.” —Amazon CustomerGet it from Amazon for $9.98.

20.

A monthly bill planner, because this’ll help you manage all your scary expenses instead of avoiding the thought of them and accidentally forgetting about them entirely (a no-no). It helps break everything down (including a debt payment log, daily and weekly expense tracker, and budget worksheet) to make finances feel more maneagble. Phew.

Amazon, amazon.com

Plus it’s dateless, so you can start whenever! Promising review: “I really like this planner. I’ve been saying I’m going to get my life together and get out of debt. So in order to do that, I need to keep track of my budget. When I saw this I said let me just see it’s less then $10 so I’m sure it’s not gonna work for me!!! Boy was I surprised. It’s super big; it has enough space for me to write. The lines are separated very well. It has my budget for the month, then a page for weekly activity. I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s thick not thin like a $1 store book it’s sturdy. Folks let me tell you. Order this and save yourself some money and enjoy this. I can’t wait to order more.” —NiaGet it from Amazon for $6.89.

21.

An on-the-go snack container so you can bring ~full~filling yogurt parfaits to work, instead of settling for the boring pretzels in the break room. It’s spill- and leak-proof, and has two separate compartments to keep food fresh and dry!

Amazon

Promising review: “I loved this container so much that I bought a second the next day after receiving it. I love that I can put my fruit in the bottom of the container and then my granola in the top bowl, and they stay safe, protected, and do not leak. The clips are a secure fit, too.” —Kelly VGet it from Amazon for $9.99.

22.

A multi-purpose spray bottle that’ll not only cut down on waste when you refill this, but also make doing your hair (or chores!) more satisfying. Its mist is continuous *and* super fine, so you pump less and apply just the right amount of water or product to your tresses — aka it’s exactly like going to the hairdresser.

Amazon

You can use this for your hair, gardening, or chores! Promising review: “Love this product; it’s definitely comparable to high-end salon-quality products for a great price. I love the pressurized mist that comes out of the nozzle. As opposed to drowning my hair in water and having to leave the house with extremely wet hair, this product gives me nice, even coverage (just enough to dampen my hair)!” —AliyaGet it from Amazon for $9.99+ (available in three sizes).

23.

A set of bag sealer sticks for making sure your cereal, snacks, pet food, etc. is sealed 👏 tight 👏 and will actually stay fresh. They’re super easy to apply and will end up saving you money when you don’t have to keep replacing less-than-crisp chips.

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And they’re dishwasher-safe!Promising review: “I will never use a regular chip clip again! I received one of this style bag sealer as a promo item from a local company, and it was the greatest design I’d ever seen. They work 100% better than a traditional clip! You can open a bag, seal it with one of these bad boys and open it again two months later and the chips taste exactly the same as day one! Your pantry will never be the same!” —MatthewGet a pack of 16 from Amazon for $8.49 (available in two color combinations).

24.

A heat-resistant glove, because you do NOT need an explanation if you’ve ever burned yourself with your straightener or curling iron. This’ll help you style your mane sans fear of hurting your fingers.

Amazon

Promising review: “It protects my hands well from curling iron and curling wand burns. I am disabled and my hands shake a bit, this helps me curl my hair without hurting myself. I am pretty young so I love anything that helps me do these kind of everyday things I would otherwise have to give up! It helps me not feel-so-different. I like it so much I may get another in the near future so I have one for each hand.” —clynhGet it from Amazon for $4.98.

25.

A non-drip ice cream scoop with a textured surface to release ice cream more easily *and* a handle that lets it stand up straight and collect any melting. Somehow eating ice cream just got even more rewarding.

Amazon

Promising review: “I bought this for my mother and now I want one for myself! It works great! It solves the problems of traditional scoopers and stands up and doesn’t drip. It makes it so much easier when making an ice cream cone! It also has a good grip and easy scoop shape.” —MommaeagleGet it from Amazon for $5.79 (available in two colors).

26.

A drip-catching bib so your bb doesn’t make ~quite~ as big a mess as usual when they manage to get crumbs just about everywhere imaginable. You are so cute, but so MESSY! Now food will be *collected*, not found under the sink three months later.

Amazon

Promising review: “These bibs are my absolute favorite. They’re great quality, clean easily with soap and water, and save my baby from being a total mess after mealtime. The bibs pretty much catch everything because the pocket at the bottom keeps its shape, unlike some of those softer, more fabric-like versions by other companies. I had one pair for my first son, and ordered this pair to make sure I had enough for my second son. I love these bibs so much that I’ve given them as gifts to new moms several times.” —TheBjaminGet a pack of two from Amazon for $7.60 (available in two colors combinations).

27.

A padded console rest that’ll protect your car’s armrest from pet claws, dirt, and sticky fingers (v important for leases) and make driving a little more ~comfortable~.

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You just tie it directly onto your armrest with its bands!Promising review: “I bought this for my Honda CRV to provide protection from my dogs when in the car. I have a small dog that likes sitting on the console, and another large dog that rides with her paws on the console. I definitely didn’t want scratches on it, and this solved the problem perfectly. I leave it on always, and enjoy the soft comfort of it when I’m able to use it.” —SyoungGet it from Amazon for $9.79 (available in 20 styles).

28.

An egg timer for knowing *exactly* when your poached eggs are ready, instead of risking a tragic ending. When placed in the water with the eggs, it turns red to tell you breakfast is SERVED.

amazon.com, amazon.com

It also marks the stages of the eggs’ “readiness”: hard, medium, and soft, so you can take them out when they’re your definition of ~just right~!Promising review: “I am very picky about getting my eggs a certain way for certain uses. The consistency of the yolk, from liquid to gel to dry, is important for different uses. In the past I have had to really watch the clock and temperature of the water. This little drop-in doneness indicator is absolutely tremendous and dead accurate. I am free of the clock!” —A.M. BarnardGet it from Amazon for $6.99.

29.

An over-the-door rod, because this’ll save you so much space if you’re the proud owner of a teeny-tiny apartment with teenier-tinier closets. Or! You can use it to plan out ~tomorrow’s outfit~, or even just to hang drying laundry.

Amazon

Promising review: “My closet can be a mess and I use it to store things I use year-round. What I love about this product is that I’m able to organize what I wear for the week and just have it sit there on my door. It doesn’t get in the way. Definitely would purchase it for anyone who needs a something more to organize their clothes but not another wardrobe.” —Apple JessGet it from Amazon for $9.89+ (available in two colors).

30.

A set of silicone stretch lids to nix wasteful plastic wrap (which doesn’t work as well, anyway) and keep opened jars, cans, or even half-drunk cups airtight and perfectly fresh.

Amazon

They’re dishwasher- and microwave-safe, and heat-resistant up to 450°F.Promising review: “These are awesome! We use canned dog food to mix in for one of our older dogs, and we only use a few tablespoons each time. These are perfect to seal up the can after use to prevent the whole fridge from smelling like dog food. They’re quite simply perfect. I honestly don’t know what I’ve done without these covers before now.” —J.M.C.Get a pack of six from Amazon for $9.97.

31.

An extra-affordable Oral-B electric toothbrush so you can clean your teeth more thoroughly than a regular toothbrush without paying the price. Plus! It’s travel-friendly so you can keep your pearly whites just as polished wherever you go.

Amazon

This bb polishes stains away with ~14,000~ strokes per minute. Promising review: “Great toothbrush. I originally had one with a charger, but it was getting old and I wanted a replacement. I couldn’t find one with a charger but instead found this one that takes a battery, instead. I like this better since I don’t have to find a place to plug up my toothbrush. It uses the same changeable toothbrush head. It feels like it really cleans and polishes my teeth . After using this, I feel like a regular toothbrush is doing nothing at all.” —WillowGet it from Amazon for $4.99.See what won best electric toothbrushes on BuzzFeed Reviews.

32.

A colander spoon that’ll strain water ~while~ you scoop, aka you won’t need to transfer your pasta to the sink (more dishes, more problems). It also works with fried foods, veggies, or really anything that needs to be removed from water!

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It’s nonstick, dishwasher-safe, and heat-resistant up to 392°F. Promising review: “I love this thing! It is quite sturdy and has no issues holding lots of ravioli, tortellini, or any other shaped pasta. It is also great for grabbing veggies out when I blanch them in water, or chicken breasts I have poached. I was injured in an automobile accident and my hands are not in great condition. It has — almost totally — made lifting heavy pots full of liquid, unnecessary. Cooking is therapy for me; and, to find any tools which make it easier for me, is fantastic! I highly recommend this scoop to anyone needing a little help in the kitchen, or who just wants to not have to pull out strainers all of the time.” —Kayce Cawthon McCartyGet it from Amazon for $5.79 (available in four colors).

You upon hearing the rumors that you’re trying to marry your wire-free bra:

NBC

The reviews for this post have been edited for length and clarity.

Check out last month’s edition of ~things under $10 that’ll never stop being useful~ here!

Looking for more great Amazon finds? Check out some of our favorite cheap things to buy on Amazon, some of the weirdest things on Amazon you might actually want, or read through all the rest of our incredible Amazon product recommendations.

Shopping for something specific? Check out BuzzFeed Reviews to find the best things for every budget!

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