No One’s POV:

James returned home after making sure those girls reached their house safe. He walked over to Joo Eun’s room but before he could check on her, he heard her talk over the phone. So he decided to take a shower before checking up on her again.

He came back a few minutes later, but he just met with dead silence from the other side of her door. He gently knocked twice before he slightly opened the door and took a look.

He found Joo Eun lying on the bed. “Joo Eun?” he called out to her but got no response.

He silently walked in and saw his sister fast asleep with the earphones plugged in and the lights still on. He slowly pulled out the earphones and placed it on the bedside table along with the phone. Then he pulled the comforter over her and walked out of the room after turning off the light.

Joo Eun woke up the next morning and was a little confused for a moment. But then she remembered her conversation with Sooyoon the previous night and that she must have eventually fallen asleep. She looked at the comforter and wondered if she has already wrapped herself with it when she was on the phone.

She slowly stumbled out of her bed and made her way towards the bathroom, still feeling a little drowsy and tired from the trip. She took a nice, long shower before she made her way out in a nice, comfortable shorts and one of Sooyoon’s pullovers that she had taken from him but never returned.

She lazily made her way towards the kitchen and noticed that James hasn’t woken up yet. She looked at the time and wondered how he hasn’t woken up yet. She opened his door quietly and saw him still wrapped in his blanket.

“Must be tired from the trip as well,” she mumbled as she made her way to the kitchen and started making the breakfast.

When she just finished prepping the table with the foods, James showed up in the kitchen, looking all fresh and her phone started ringing at that moment, “Everything is ready. You can start eating, James.” She excused herself since they both haven’t really ate together for ages.

She picked up her phone from the coffee table in the living room and walked over to the balcony. “Hey Jiwoong,” she answered the phone as she took a seat on the swing chair.

“Hey Joo Eun,” he sang her name. “What are you doing? I’m so bored here, being stuck at my father’s place.”

Joo Eun let out a chuckle hearing that. “Who asked you to act like a hero and volunteer to take me home?”

“Yah! I was not acting up and I did it for you,” he quickly defended himself.

“Yeah, yeah,” she replied sarcastically, “but seriously though, I would have been fine if you had let me go home with either Moon or James last night.”

Jiwoong remained silent for a while before changing the topic. They both continued speaking for some more time when Joo Eun’s stomach suddenly rumbling in hunger and she looked at the time.

“Jiwoong-ah, I’m hungry. Can I call you later after breakfast?” she asked.

“You didn’t have your breakfast yet?” he kind of shrieked on the other side before she heard him groan.

“Chill! I won’t die for eating my breakfast a little late. And it’s not that late, you know? Anyway, are you alright? You sounded, um, I don’t know, as if you got hit?”

“Uh, yeah, yeah I’m alright.” She heard him whisper. “Just got knocked on my head by my father for yelling in the middle of his meeting. Anyway, let’s talk later. You go and have your breakfast now.”

After ending the call, she leisurely made her way back to the dining table, thinking that James would have finished eating by now and would have already left. However, she was in for a major shock when she found him working on something on his laptop while the foods remained untouched.

“You are back?” he asked with his eyes still focused on the screen, when he felt her presence in the room while she just replied a yes, still in a daze. “Let’s eat then,” he said, placing the laptop aside and finally looking up at her.

But instead of grabbing a seat, she just continued to stand there in a daze. “Not going to sit?” he looked at her puzzled, while she snapped out of her daze.

She mumbled an apology and took a seat while James passed on a plate to her. They both filled their plates and initially ate in silence. “Do you have any plans for today?” James asked suddenly, breaking the silence.

Joo Eun just looked at him wide-eyed as she was still in shock, “Uh? Nothing much. Just going to meet a friend in the evening.” She replied a moment later.

“Jiwoong?” James’ tone changed a little as he mentioned his name.

Joo Eun didn’t fail to notice the change and she was holding back the chuckle that was trying to escape . She still found it funny why everyone was wary of him when in real, he was just a giant teddy bear.

“No, not him. Another friend.” She said with a smile.

They both have finished their breakfast and as she started cleaning the table, even he helped her with it. When she was done with it, she went back to her room and started tidying everything.

Her phone rang. “Hello?” she answered it, without looking at the caller information.

“Joo Eun-ah, it’s me, Mijin.”

“Ah unnie, tell me.”

“Are you free now? I’m going to the mall to do some shopping. Would you like to tag along?”

“Sure unnie, why not? Just give