Gift-Giving: Jaeeon’s Expression of Love (15 August 21)

To JE, gift-giving is an expression of love. This pans back to his estranged relationship with his mostly absent mother. To make up for distance apart and lost time, it's likely she'd been sending him gifts of all sorts over the years, hence the expensive car for a birthday gift.


Unlike the tired trope where the neglected child intentionally rebels for attention, JE comes off as a fresh case. Despite getting left behind by himself at a young age, he still remained respectful towards his mom and even seemed very supportive of her endeavours.


However painful it must have been, JE doesn't resent his mom for choosing her passion for dancing over him. Through those gifts, he's reminded that she still loves him nevertheless. That she still cares. That she still remembers.


So, to JE, gift-giving is an expression of love. He's clunky with words, so it's the only way he knows to best convey his affection. Hence the dress, the jewellery, the suncatcher, and the bracelet that he all got and made especially for NB.


After drinking at the pub, JE decides to walk NB home in the guise of picking his belongings up from her place. He knows he'll only get declined even if he politely offers, so he passes it off as that instead and tails behind her from a comfortable distance, watching over her.


When they get to the apartment and while NB starts to load his stuff in a box, JE notices that the suncatcher is still there, that NB still hasn't taken it down.


He snaps back to his reverie as soon as she finishes up.


But before NB prompts him to leave, JE opens up something to her almost out of the blue.


"I feel a bit disappointed, though. I was looking forward to you surprising me with a birthday gift that you missed out on giving me," he muses.


But she replies, "There's nothing like that."


NB not getting JE a birthday gift doesn't make her a bad person. She's in no way obliged to give him anything, and it's totally normal.


It's just that to JE, again, gift-giving is an expression of love. And that's why he grew curious and started to wonder if she got him one.


Because for JE, if NB ever did, it will all be clear to him as it would only mean one thing: that just like his mom, NB remembers him, cares for him, and maybe even loves him, nevertheless.


dream_no_24

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