Jieun’s POV

I stared at the door before me, my heart racing and palms sweating. I wasn’t used to waking up in strange places, and I was freaking out.

Past the door I could hear the buzz of conversation. I’d never woken up to hear that noise before.

Yelling? Sure.                    

The sound of things smashing? Every other day.

Conversation? Never.

Is this normal?

It was strange, but not unpleasant. However I couldn’t convince my body of that. I couldn’t convince my heart that was pounding twice as fast as a regular one should. I couldn’t convince my legs that seemed to have lost the capability of moving.

Forcing down the rising fear I took a glance into the mirror that was hanging above the bed. I looked awful. My hair had been sticking up on all sorts of random directions when I had woken up, and although I had tried patting it down it hadn’t worked very well.

My make up from last night was also smudging away and if you looked carefully enough you could see the carefully concealed bruise across my cheek. And if you looked harder you could almost see the shape of a hand. I my lips trying to calm down my haywire nerves.

There was nothing to be afraid of. Nobody would even be looking that closely at me. I only thought it was so obvious because to me it was.

Forcing myself to exit the room I went downstairs, towards the sounds of conversation. As I got closer I could also smell breakfast.

Warm. Home cooked. Breakfast.

Hunger pains stabbed at me. I hadn’t had a proper meal in forever. And the last time I had eaten had been at the Sunshine Cafe when I had snuck in a snack in my break.

That had been the night before last. My stomach was pulling my forwards, demanding to be fed. Cautiously I poked my head around the doorway, smelling the delicious smell. I wasn’t a good cook on my best days, no one had ever taught me. I did however know how to pick up a phone and order a meal like a pro.

The Kim family were sat around the table, talking to each other. My eyes landed on Joon Young whose face was no longer a tear stained mess but the home of a wide smile.

Jonghyun was sat opposite his brother, buttering toast, whilst their mother was stood at the cooker making breakfast. It took a while for them to notice I had entered the room.

“Jieun noona!!” Joon Young was the first to spot me and he immediately abandoned his food to run across the room towards me.

My eyes widened as he tackled my stomach into a bear hug. The other two looked up at me now, both with smiles on their faces.

“You’re awake!” Mrs. Kim greeted me taking the saucepan off of the cooker and rolling sausages onto a plate.

“Hope you’re hungry.” She told me.

I just nodded wordlessly. Joon Young wasn’t letting go of me; instead he rested his chin on my lower stomach, staring up at me with wide eyes.

“I saved you the seat next to me.” He told me

“Uh – “I shifted uncomfortably, unsure how to respond. “Thank you.” I went with, scratching the back of my head.

He gripped tightly onto my arm, pulling me towards the table. He instructed me to sit in the seat next to the one he had been in moments ago.

“Good morning.” Jonghyun greeted me as I take my seat next to Joon Young

“Morning. Do you know where me clothes from last night went?” I asked pulling at the worn out ghost busters shirt he had leant me.

I had been going to get changed and leave this morning, but I hadn’t been able to find my clothes.

“Oh I put them in the wash.” Mrs. Kim answered me, making me jump.

I hadn’t heard her approaching behind me. My spine automatically stiffened, and I leaned away from her. Her words slowly started to sink in, making me frown.

“What was I meant to wear?”

 Don’t get me wrong, Jonghyun’s shirt and sweat pants were comfortable, but not entirely school attire appropriate. I forced myself to stay very still as she leant over me, piling the plate in front of me with food. I my lips nervously, feeling uncomfortable.

“Oh. You didn’t have to sort me anything.” I shook my head, looking down at the breakfast before me.

“Don’t be silly.” Mrs. Km shook her head, waving her spatula around. I flinched slightly at her exaggerated movements. “I’m more than glad to be cooking you food after last night. And you can also borrow some of my clothes.”

I winced. Her tone suggested that she wouldn’t accept any arguments. Slowly nodding my head I gave her a small thanks, which she accepted with a bright smile.

I looked down picking up the fork she had given me and started poking at my sausage gently, making it roll around my plate.

“Aren’t you hungry?” I frowned at Jonghyun’s question realising that he was watching me.

Looking up I gave him a blank stare, shrugging, ignoring my stomach’s protest at my eyes leaving the delicious sight before me.

“Do you just not eat sausage or something?” He asked, realising I wasn’t going to answer his question.

I sighed picking up my knife, and started to eat.

“Sausage is fine.” I answered, because the look Mrs. Kim was giving me then suggested that if I said anything on the contrary she would start cooking me something else.

Biting tentatively into my food, I held back a moan of approval.

“Sausage it my favourite.” Joon Young piped up from next to me, proudly.

Jonghyun snorted at that. “His favourite dish changes daily usually to whatever he’s eating.” He explained. “He just loves food.”

I bite back a smile and looked down at the young brunette boy who was eating at a frightening pace. I was scared that he might start choking from lack of chewing. Jonghyun wasn’t lying when he said that he loved food.

“What’s your favourite noona?” Joon Young asked me with a mouth full of food, ignoring his brother’s comment.

“I don’t have a favourite.” I answered.

Joon Young gave me a look that said he didn’t believe me.

“You have to have a favourite.” He frowned.

I just shrugged my shoulders again looking down at my plate. I felt almost ashamed that I didn’t have a favourite now.

“Scrambled eggs are nice.” I thought back to a time when my mum had made some years ago.

I hadn’t eaten them since, but it was one of the only things my mum knew how to cook. Joon Young seemed satisfied with that and started talking about a chicken he had a few days ago on a class trip to the zoo.

That’s how breakfast was at the Kim family house.

I ended up taking one of Jonghyun’s mum yellow dresses to wear to school that day. It was one of the only things that actually fit, but it was nothing like anything I usually wore.

I pulled at it uncomfortably. If the dress was just a few centimetres shorter there would be a clear view of a discoloured scar that was wrapped around my thigh. It made me uncomfortable to think that if I moved an inch in the wrong way someone might see it.

I would have worn a pair of her jeans but they had been falling off when I tried them on. It didn’t help that I hated dresses. I hadn’t worn one since I was six.

So to hide the dress as much as possible I was wearing her biggest jumper, which was a fraying woollen bottle green jumper that came a few inches off fully swallowing the dress.  It was falling off of my shoulders, but it was surprisingly warm.

Still I felt self-conscious wearing this. I’ve had each of my own items of clothes for at least a year, so it felt strange wearing anything else. I had my head down twisting my hands with each other.

There was a knock on the door and Jonghyun asked from the other side if I was ready to leave yet. I had tried several times to refuse his offer for a ride to school with him but he had only brushed off my attempts.

It was all getting to be too much. I could feel my heart racing in my chest. This morning I had found myself almost enjoying the time I spent with their family. I have to push them away. Taking in a deep breath I opened the door, forcing an annoyed expression on my face.

“Alright cool your knickers princess.” I shot with a scowl.

Jonghyun didn’t give a response but just stared at my outfit.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you in a dress before.” He said wide eyed.

“You haven’t. I don’t own any.” I told him shortly. “Now are we going or are you going to keep staring at me?” I told him as if I hadn’t felt self-conscious enough about my outfit.

“You look good.” He responded absentmindedly.

This time it was my eyes that widened. It wasn’t often that I received a compliment. I tried to fight back my blush, but I wasn’t exactly being extremely successful judging on how hot my fact felt right then. Frowning further I gritted my teeth.

“Let’s just go to school.” I said trying my best to ignore what he had said.

 

Jonghyun’s POV

For a few hours I had seen a different side of Kayleigh Moore. For a while she had seemed like a shy, quiet, almost nervous girl. But as soon as she was gone almost as suddenly as she had come.

I had tried many times to try and start a conversation in the car ride to school but she deflected them all, sometimes even out right ignored I had said anything at all, unless she had a sarcastic comment to reply with. She had just sat there staring out of the window, like she did every time she rode in a car with me.

But last night

Last night had been different.

She had had a vulnerable look in her eyes when she had been talking about her family. I probably wouldn’t have noticed it if I hadn’t been searching for answers in them.

I didn’t understand Jieun at all

She was too confusing. One moment it had felt like I was seeing her, and the next it was gone. She was gone, straight back to the emotionless girl everyone in our school knew her to be.

Yesterday she had helped my brother. She could have called the police, left him to cry, let them deal with everything. Instead she had gone out of her way to help him. To stay with him when he was scared.

Joonie practically worshiped the ground she walked on now. You could see it in his eyes when he talked about her, which he was doing a lot of.

I hadn’t realised I was full out staring at Lee Jieun from across the school halls until Taemin knocked my roughly in my side to try and grab my attention.

“Ouch.” I whined loudly, turning to glare at my so called friend. “What was that for?”

“I’ve been trying to talk to you for ages, all you’ve been doing is grunting in reply. What’s got you all distracted anyway?” I felt my cheeks heat up involuntarily at his words.

“N-nothing.” I stuttered out, but my eyes betrayed me by wandering over to Jieun where she was slamming her books into her locker.

“Lee Jieun?” Taemin asked following my eyes to see her.

“Are you serious?” He asked incredulously. “I really didn’t think she would be your type.”

I went to deny liking her, but instead a far more ridiculous response came out.

“Why wouldn’t she be my type?” I wanted to kick myself for being that stupid.

She isn’t my type. I knew that. So what was with the question? Taemin was looking at me like I had grown a second head.

“Well for one she’s got a string of Fails in her classes, whilst your passing with flying colours, secondly she hates the world and everyone in it, whilst your one of the most popular guys in school, and let’s not forget thirdly that she’s running for the world’s biggest , whilst you’re nice to practically everyone you meet.”

I felt myself tense at his words and felt guilt pooling in my stomach. I hadn’t been nice to Jieun when I first met her.

“She’s not that bad.” I snapped without thought, much to Taemin’s surprise.

My forehead creased into a frown. Was she that bad? There was several years’ worth of evidence built up that would suggest so. But last night…

And then this morning she was blanking me completely. She didn’t make any sense.

“What are you guys talking about?” Minho’s voiced up from behind me, joining into the conversation.

“Lee Jieun.” Taemin answered.

Minho’s previously stoic expression changed to one of surprise, and he looked over to where Jieun was now yelling at a girl who knocked into her.

“You guys aren’t the only ones. Some guys in my science class were on about how good her legs look in that dress.” Minho said.

Unexpected rage flowed through me, and I fought to keep it from expressing itself on my face.

“She’s still a .” Taemin said shrugging his shoulders but I could see him eyeing her legs now, which only served to make me angrier.

“I was thinking about inviting her to eat lunch with us.” I surprised myself by interrupting.

I wasn’t the only one surprised though. Both Minho and Taemin turned to face me, with look that suggested I had lost my mind.

“Are you feeling ill?” Taemin leaned forwards to press his hand to my forehead.

“I’m feeling fine.” I told them both, rolling my eyes.

“Obviously not. You just said you were thinking about inviting Lee Jieun to come sit with us. As in the same Lee Jieun that you said you wanted to kill for not turning up to English Literature, also known as the school she-beast. The iest – “

“You don’t know her.” I interjected before he could finish his ramble because I was already dangerously close to punching him.

“Besides what’s the worst that could happen.” I played it off with a shrug.

Taemin just shook his head at me. “You’re seriously going to invite her aren’t you?”

“Why not?” I asked.

“I think I already answered that question but hey, it’s your head she’ll be biting off.”

I rolled my eyes at his exaggeration.

“Go on, ask her.” He stepped away from me and pointed to where she was stood, about to leave.

I narrowed my eyes at the challenge his tone presented. He didn’t think I would actually do it.

“Fine.” I huffed, hating the underestimation.

I stomped in her direction, fists and jaw both clenched in determination. As I drew closer my nerve started to fail me. I felt like an overweight pimple faced nerd about to ask the head cheerleader to the dance, which was a ridiculous exaggeration.

I my lips about to call for her attention but she already seemed to notice that someone was standing behind her. Her shoulders stiffened noticeably as she whirled around on her heels.

“It’s called personal space dip – “Her voice cut off abruptly as her eyes met mine and recognition flashed across her face.

Her anger instantly turned to a neutral expression and she folded her arms, her shoulders still stiff in a defensive position. I put both my hands up in surrender.

“Calm down. Don’t over react, I just want to talk with you.”

Her eyes narrowed but I could see her relaxing a tiny bit when I put distance between us. Did she really think I would try something? She huffed out a breath crossing her arms over her chest.

“It’s your fault I overreacted. It’s this stupid dress. Some boys actually approached me today with the world’s lamest pickup lines.” She complained, clearly annoyed.

I decided against pointing out to her that it wasn’t exactly the dress that they were paying attention to so much as the relatively generous amount of her legs being shown compared to her normal amount. I was sure the comment wouldn’t be appreciated.

“You make that sound like the worst thing in the world.” I chuckled.

Her face softened slightly, as she pushed hair out of her face.

“It is. You have one of these slimy gits come up and hit on you and then tell me it’s not the worst.” She wrinkled her nose.

“Who says that that hasn’t happened before?” I joked, wriggling my eyebrows. “I’m pretty hot you know.” Her lips twitched before she schooled her expression.

My head snapped down when I heard the crinkle of paper, to see her fist clenching around one she was holding.

“What’s that?” I asked, immediately distracted.

Her brows knitted together as she followed my eyes to the piece of paper and then she scowled, stuffing it into her bag.

“Something someone left on my locker.” She said with a shrug.

“Wasn’t there something you wanted?” She aimed at changing the subject.

I grinned at her, not willing to let it go.

“Is it a love note?” I teased.

“Yeah right. Good one.” She scoffed loudly, shaking her head.

I frowned, not knowing what was exactly so funny. She pointed a finger to herself.

“School remember? Not exactly on the top of the list of datable girls in this school.”

Something in my stomach churned unpleasantly hearing her put herself down like that.

“You’re not so bad.” I said with a shrug, unconvincingly.

She pulled a mock-offended face.

“You take that back.” She demanded. “I’ve worked hard to get that reputation.”

“Right. Well you were quite y this morning when you were ignoring my attempts to befriend you but right now you aren’t so bad.”  I tried to amend, wanting to keep the light expression on her face.

It was gone the instant I finished though. Her expression fell and she stared sombrely into the distance.

“Oh right. I forgot.” She mumbled more to herself than anything else.

I cocked my head to the side in confusion.

“I have to go.” She said brushing her hair out of her eyes, as she went to move past me. I side stepped blocking her way.

“Not so fast.” I paused her.

“Was is something I said? Because or a minute it had seemed like we were getting along. We were joking around together.” I jokingly asked her.

 “Nothing I just don’t have the time to waste on you.” She gave me a forced glare. I winced, but otherwise ignored her insult

“I came over here to invite you to eat lunch with me and some friends.” I said.

That made her freeze. “What?!” She asked loudly.

“Do you want to eat lunch with me and some of my friends?” I asked while shifting uncomfortably on my feet.

She was looking at me dazedly, before pinching her arm, to see if this was a dream.

“You-you’re kidding me.” She said incredulously, her expression on quite matching her words as she stared at me in surprise.

I smiled at her. “Nope. It’ll be fun. Come on.” I tried to encourage her.

“No.” She sounded unconvincing, so I decided to try pressure her.

“I seriously can’t even if I wanted to. Which I don’t.” She snapped, seeming to get a grip on what was happening.

“What do you mean can’t? My friends won’t mind.” I lied.

She snorted, seeing through me instantly. “Not what I was talking about anyway. I have lunch time detention.” She explained.

I felt me face fall at her reason. She looked at me curiously.

“Why would you want me there anyway?” She asked.

“I’ve decided I want to be your friend.” I said smiling down at her.

I’m even surprising myself with my answer. I saw her face pale and she shook her head.

“No.” She refused abruptly, but I had already figured she was going to say something like that.

I smirked at her. “Nope. Sorry. You don’t get a say in it.” I told her shaking my head.

Her eyes widened in disbelief. ”Of course I do.” She hissed, angrily. “It’s my life.”

“You can’t go through life without friends.” I told her.

“Who says I don’t have friends?” She asked.

I pointed to her. “School remember?” I asked mimicking her words from before.

“And besides even if you do one more can’t hurt.

Her eye twitched. “I’m not arguing this with you I – “

“Good.” I interrupted her from saying what I was sure was essentially going to be another no.

She glowered and went to argue again but I stopped her.

“Don’t you have lunch time detention?” I asked her raising an eyebrow.

“Whatever. We aren’t friends.” She said with finality, before she stormed off.

I felt myself smiling a little, before I returned to where my friends were standing.

“Shot down?” Taemin asked, looking unsurprised.

“You shouldn’t have invited her to eat lunch with us.” Minho shook his head, finishing Taemin’s point. I rolled my eyes.

“She has lunch time detention.” I shrugged.

“She might be lying to you to get out of it.” Taemin said.

I shook my head, knowing full well that she wouldn’t bother with a lie to try and protect my feelings. She would have just given a straight no either way.

“She wouldn’t lie to me.” I said instead with a laugh. “We’re good friends.”

Taemin and Minho didn’t get my joke, but I waved it off.

“Come on let’s go to lunch. I’m starving.” I put an end to our conversation about Jieun.

I heard Taemin mutter something about me needing my head checked, but I ignored it. I was determined to make Jieun my friend, whether she liked it or not.

 

A/N: It is scientifically proven that guys fell in love first before girls. Do you think Jonghyun is developing feelings for Jieun? Leave your answer in the comments ^^