The next day at the airport, before Asher and Bianca boarded the plane back to New York.
"We will try to arrange our schedules and fly after you," Bobby Han embraced his daughter then his future son-in-law as he and Shin Ji Yoon sent them to their flight after breakfast that Tuesday morning. The two men did not sleep until now, ever since last night, as they enjoyed each other's company while the mother and daughter tried to keep up with them but ended up cuddling in their sleep in the cozy living room in an oversized chaise lounge chair.
Bianca missed her mom's embrace, and she felt the familiar warmth of cuddling together until they could no longer hold their sleepiness and dozed off after a good share of laughter and talk.
Asher and Bobby shared the same emotion looking at the two lovely ladies of their lives. The queens of their hearts. The ones they wish to spend the rest of their lives with.
"Thank you, Dad. Thank you, Mom," Asher hugged the two elders with so much respect and emotion as he expressed his heartfelt gratitude.
"Asher Collins, take care of my daughter," Bobby firmly shook hands with Asher as they shared a warm and manly shoulder embrace.
"I will, dad," Asher courteously replied. "Please visit us soon," then he turned to Shin Ji. "Mom, please?"
"Okay, okay, we will surprise you one of these days," Shin Ji patted Asher's back as they shared a warm embrace.
"We might miss our flight, mom, dad," Bianca noticed their embrace and goodbyes never seemed to end. It was like a pattern of going round and round. She had no choice but to speak out.
"Go, go," Shin Ji snorted softly as she pulled her husband to let Bianca and Asher go.
"Be safe and call us as soon as you step on the ground there, okay?" Bobby added as they waved their hands to the young couple's back.
"Ne, argessuemnida, abuji!" Asher answered snappily as he stopped from his walk, turned around like a soldier, and gave his parent's in-law a salute.
The elder couple smiled widely with how Asher's accent sounded cute and adorable in their sight. They nodded their heads contentedly.
Then they proceeded to walk to the boarding area with Bobby and Shin Ji still watching their backs until they were gone.
"Babe, can you tell me what I said in front of my parents-in-law just now?" Asher foolishly smiled as he asked Bianca. She coached him on what to say earlier, but he did not have the time to ask what it meant. He was sure it was something good seeing the elders' reaction where he said those words. He was not even sure he said it the way it was supposed to be said. He just followed what he heard from Bianca as she whispered to him to say so.
Asher was thinking about remembering such words so he would have something to say that would make his in-laws smile in the future, just like earlier.
"Ahh, those last words you said with a silly salute?" Bianca teased Asher.
Asher felt weird. She definitely told him to say those words like a soldier, so he turned about-face to execute that snappy salute as what he had from his Boys Scout days when he was younger. Why is he laughing now?
"What do you mean, silly salute?" Asher asked with his eyes widened. "Did I make a fool of myself in front of everyone and in front of my parents-in-law?" Asher felt scandalized. He was worried about what he might have just done.
Bianca's laughter became even louder. He looked adorable in her eyes as he worried about such a silly thing. She was actually happy to hear him follow her words, as he spoke them almost like he knew the language. She was proud of him for making her parents happy. She was half-hearted before meeting her parents as she worried they might oppose her wishes. She did not want to disobey their words had they disapproved of her being with Asher. But now, she was so happy and carefree that she could tease him to her heart's content.
"Bianca Han!" Asher was feeling even more horrified. A part of him trusts that Bianca will not betray him in front of her parents, but he was still worried he made himself look like a big fool and idiot in front of them and everyone around as he said those words with a loud voice, just like a soldier.
"What?" Bianca answered with an unmistakable smile suppressed on her face.
"Tell me, please...?"
Bianca cleared her throat.
"Why? What difference will it make now?" she asked again, still grinning.
"It may not make any difference, but I have to know so as not to make the same foolish mistake again," Asher sighed. "If that was something to be considered as foolish," he added with a pout.
"Asher Collins, has anyone told you you shouldn't make such a face?" Bianca asked. Her grin was wiped out but replaced with squinted eyes. She looked like she was correcting something wrong that Asher had just done.
Asher was startled. How did the conversation suddenly turn like this? He was sure that he was the one asking just a while ago, and she was still teasing him. She was even grinning.
"What face?" Asher cupped his face with both hands to check what she was referring to.
"That pouting face," Bianca was still frowning. No visible smile anymore.
"Ha? When did I pout?" Asher asked.
"You did, and I am telling you, don't you ever do that again. You will bear the consequences of such offense," Bianca seriously stated.
"Wait! What?!" Asher was totally lost in what she was talking about. "Can you please tell me what did the words mean from earlier?" he asked again, unnoticed that he was pouting again.
"I told you to stop making that face," Bianca spoke with her teeth clenched.
Asher did not want to back out either. He really wanted to know what those words meant.
"Tell me first," he argued. He kept his aggrieved face. The one Bianca had been telling him to stop doing so.
They arrived at their seats, and Asher sat with his position facing Bianca, showing her that he was waiting for her answer. Bianca could no longer hold her reaction, and to Asher's surprise, she pinched his face with all her heart's content.
"Ahhhhhh! Ahhhh! Ahhhh!"
Asher's pained reaction called the attention of everyone nearby. Bianca had no choice but to let go of his face.
"I warned you to stop making such a face!" Bianca said as she sat back on her seat properly. She did not give him a look. She knew his face would be burning red with how she lost control of her strength to squeeze his cheeks.
Asher moved closer to her ears as he whispered.
"Just wait until we get home. I am not letting this matter go without collecting payback!" Asher clenched his teeth as he said his threat. "And I won't settle for a single payback. I will collect as much as I want, remember that my dear wife," he lightly bit her earlobe as he spoke. He saw how Bianca shivered, and he was satisfied with her flushed reaction from his promising threat.