People could talk about everything else about her, her looks, talents, hobbies, and disagree with each other but there was one thing they all agreed on:  If there was anything that was definite about Kang Seulgi, it was her big heart. She was kind, perhaps to the point of it being a fault. Her friends, well, mainly Joohyun and Sooyoung, were always complaining about how she somehow could never say no to anyone in need of her help. She couldn’t help it. The last time she had said no to someone, the guilt kept her awake the whole night. To put it simply, Seulgi had too big of a heart, but that was what made her who she was.

So maybe, Seungwan and Joohyun shouldn’t have been so surprised when they found their roommate at the door carrying a handful of groceries as she smiled guiltily at them.

“So, care to explain why you bought groceries when we literally just bought some the other day?” Joohyun asked as Seulgi lowered down the bags and started to remove her shoes. Seungwan quickly rushed to help Seulgi with some of them but gave her the same side eye Joohyun was looking at her with.

“Well, I was looking at our kitchen a while ago and there wasn’t anything I could use to make chicken soup so,” Seulgi said as she pointed to the bags.

“And why exactly do you need to make chicken soup?” Joohyung questioned as their conversation moved into the kitchen island that separated the kitchen from the rest of the living room. “No one is sick in this house.”

Seungwan immediately checked Seulgi’s forehead and compared her to temperature to her own before frowning. “You don’t have a fever… and it doesn’t seem like you’re sick.”

“Yeah, well, there are plenty of people out there who could be sick, okay?” Seulgi replied as she started to put out the groceries from the paper bags. “Or maybe I’m just in the mood for chicken soup.”

“You hate chicken soup. What are you talking about?” Seungwan refuted with a snort. Seulgi was horrible at lying, something that Seungwan found out within the first few years of their friendship. Usually, Joohyun and Seungwan would gang up on Seulgi and when she made lame excuses.

Joohyun, however, was in deep thought. “Well, it can’t be Yerim or Sooyoung… I just saw them yesterday and they were perfectly healthy. It’s a weekend, so I doubt that it’s for someone from your office. It’s also been raining really hard so it can’t be for someone that lives too far away,” she mumbled to herself. Then all at once, realization hit her and an evil grin started to show on her face. Joohyun quickly looked at Seungwan, who immediately understood what that expression was and started to smile similarly at Seulgi. It was only when Seulgi turned back to face them after she had fixed all the groceries that she noticed the sly and teasing looks of her friends.

“What?” she asked as she giggled nervously.

“We know who it’s for,” they snickered in unison. Seulgi sighed in reply. She knew she couldn’t feign like she didn’t understand. Her friends only made those faces when they were talking about a certain person.

“Ok, you caught me,” Seulgi relented as she started to wash the chicken and vegetables. “I was going to make chicken soup for him.”

“You could have just told us from the beginning you know!” Joohyun exclaimed. “We would have perfectly understood.” She wiggled her eyebrows teasingly.

“Come on,” Seulgi said. “We’re not like that. I told you. I just like him as a friend.”

“Yeah, but do you care about him as a friend so much so that you’d go out in this weather to buy groceries to make chicken soup?” Seungwan teased. “Then again, that is such a Seulgi thing to do.”

“See?” Seulgi said as she prepared to cook. “It’s nothing special. I told you. I’m doing this because he’s my friend.”

“How did you even know he was sick anyway?” Joohyun asked.

“Well,” Seulgi put her hand on her chin as she thought. “I went down this morning to get the mail when I ran into his brother. He asked if I would get their mail and bring it to their apartment as well since they’re just across the hall and he was late for school. So I did. And he ended up answering the door. He was sneezing and coughing… basically, he looked awful. So I thought maybe some chicken soup would help!” She happily exclaimed the last part before she turned back on her friends and started cooking.

“You’re too nice Seul,” Seungwan shook her head at her friend. “Honestly, people might take you for granted.”

Seulgi turned to her two friends and smiled at them. “Don’t be like that you two. I care about him. He’s my friend. I want to help him get better.”

The teasing smile made its way back to Joohyun’s face. “You care about him, huh?” Being the eldest, Joohyun often looked after her two friends like they were her younger sisters, despite the fact that their wasn’t that big. But despite what Seulgi said, she couldn’t help but think that her friend’s concern went something beyond her usual kindness. Sure, Seulgi would go out of her way to help her friends but Joohyun had always suspected that Seulgi had a thing for their neighbor. She confirmed it one night when Seulgi got a little too drunk and started blabbering too much when she got home. Joohyun didn’t know if she preferred pretending if those feelings didn’t exist or if she didn’t know how to deal with them. Seulgi didn’t really have the best history of dating. “Well, I’ll leave you to your task. Don’t forget to put a little salt and chili flakes in the broth. Adds a nice kick to it.”

Joohyun then got her bag from the couch and started to put on her shoes. “I’ll be meeting up with Jennie tonight so don’t wait for me to get home.” She then waved goodbye at the two girls before glancing at Seulgi one last time and smiling softly. She wished her friend all the luck. After all, the best way to man’s heart was through his belly.

Seungwan watched as her friend diligently prepared the chicken soup. It was obvious that Seulgi was putting so much of her effort into making it. She would’ve offered to help if she just wasn’t completely useless at cooking. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched her friend. It was so painfully obvious that she liked the guy. Seulgi didn’t really leave the apartment often when they first moved. She wasn’t close at all to any of the tenants in the building. At least, until Park Jimin and his family moved in into the unit across from them. Then suddenly, Seulgi was known throughout the entire building and she started hanging around the lobby and hallways more. It was peculiar but unsurprising; Jimin was undeniably Seulgi’s type. But Seungwan had never seen Seulgi try to repress her emotions as much as she does around Jimin. For what reason, Seungwan, as well as Joohyun, had no idea.

It was late in the afternoon when Seulgi finally finished cooking. She smiled proudly at her work. She wasn’t the best chef among the roommates (Joohyun was undoubtedly unmatched and Seungwan… well, Seungwan was simply born talented in other things), but she could follow instructions well enough and she had a good sense when it came to flavor. She had followed Joohyun’s advice and was surprised at how flavorful chicken soup could be. Despite her dislike for the dish, she couldn’t help but think that her cooking was quite delicious. She could already imagine the look of surprise on his face and the soft smile he’d give her as a thank you. There was a tingling in her heart as she thought more and more about it. A soft faint blush crept into her cheeks as she realized that she had allowed herself to feel a little too much, especially when she promised herself she wouldn’t feel anything at all.

She quickly glanced at her friend who had fallen asleep on the kitchen counter. Seulgi could only laugh softly as she looked at Seungwan fondly. She supposed that now would be the perfect time to give the chicken soup, while it was hot and Seungwan wasn’t awake to witness everything. Seulgi could barely handle her own feelings around him when she was by herself. Having her best friend monitoring the thing… well, it might not be such a great idea.

She quickly put the chicken soup into a thermos before scribbling a short note to Seungwan about her whereabouts. She doubted that she would be gone for long but she knew that Seungwan worried easily. After she fixed up the kitchen and herself, she finally exited their apartment and headed towards the unit right across theirs.

In all honesty, Seulgi wasn’t surprised that she ended up liking Jimin. He was so likable. He was handsome and cute but so caring and thoughtful as well. She hadn’t really thought much about him when he first moved in. There were plenty of handsome guys in their complex and neighborhood. But she supposed that he left such a big impression on her when they just met. Who wouldn’t be mesmerized when you see a guy like him taking care of a small child with a dog outside their building? She’s only human, and her heart can only take so much cuteness. Then, they kept on bumping into each other. They kept meeting at the mail room, the lobby, the hallway… Talking to each other was bound to happen. After they discovered they had a lot in common, it was only natural for them to become friends.

Seulgi had tried so hard to keep her feelings platonic, for the sake of their friendship. In the end, she failed to do so. She didn’t understand herself why she couldn’t just be upfront about her feelings to him; perhaps she was afraid of being rejected or becoming awkward with him.

She shook away those thoughts as she neared his door. She knocked gently on the door. There was a brief shuffling as someone opened the door. Seulgi found herself face to face with Jimin’s younger brother, Jungkook.

“Seulgi-ssi!” Jungkook exclaimed. “I’m so glad you came.” There was worry and concern written all over his face that Seulgi immediately picked up that something was wrong.

“What’s the matter?” Seulgi asked.

“It’s Jimin-hyung. He has a really high fever right now. I want to go buy medicine for him but I can’t leave him alone.” He let the girl into the apartment before showing her to where his brother was. Normally, Seulgi would’ve felt embarrassed to have entered the room of a boy but given the situation, the sense of urgency rose and won against her personal feelings.

Jimin looked awful; Seulgi was no doctor but she could tell that much. His nose was red and he kept groaning as he moved around his bed. He couldn’t even open his eyes to look at her. She quickly put down the thermos of chicken soup on the desk and put her hand on his forehead. She then got the thermometer Jungkook had in his hands and used it to check Jimin’s thermometer.

“He has a high fever, alright,” she confirmed as she looked at the numbers. “I’ll go take care of him while you go buy some medicine. Please buy some cooling patches as well, please. It’ll help the fever go down.”

Jungkook nodded before he looked at his brother in concern. “Thank you. I’ll be back soon.”

Seulgi nodded and gave him a small comforting smile before he hurriedly left the room. Based on the sounds he made, Seulgi was sure that the boy would probably run all the way to the nearest pharmacy. She couldn’t help but feel so touched by the fact that he was so worried about his brother.

She turned towards the said brother and sighed. There was nothing much she could do at the moment, except for making sure he was as comfortable as possible. It didn’t look like he was awake, seeing how he hadn’t said a word since she came. She stood up and fluffed his pillows before making sure he was completely tucked in. She quickly also got a cold wet cloth and applied it to his forehead to help him cool down.

As Seulgi looked at him, she couldn’t help but feel her heartbeat get faster and faster. He looked so much more peaceful after she had fixed a few things. There was a sense of fulfillment on her part, that she was able to help him even if it was only in a small way. She didn’t realize she had been staring when suddenly she felt something against her hand.

She stifled down the urge to shriek in surprise as she looked down to see his hand on top of hers. Seulgi could feel herself blushing as her heartbeat got louder and louder. His hand was hot and delicate, compared to her cold nimble one. She slowly started to remove her hand as she thought that she might cause him some discomfort. To her surprise, his hand grabbed her hand and brought it back to where it was. She quickly turned to look at him but to her relief (and disappointment), he was soundly asleep.

Still, it wasn’t nothing. And that meant something to her.

“Jungkook…” Jimin suddenly moaned, his voice hoarse. Seulgi snapped out of her daydreaming and she quickly turned to attend to him. His eyes were closed shut and she wondered if he was even fully awake.

“He’s not here,” she replied gently.

“Who...who are you?” he asked. “You sound familiar…”

Just as she thought, he wasn’t completely to his senses and awake yet.

“It’s Seulgi, Jimin-ssi.”

“Seulgi…” he whispered and gosh, Seulgi might’ve practically melted at the sound of her name on his lips. She chastised herself. Now wasn’t the time to be having these thoughts! The guy was sick, for crying out loud! “You don’t look like her… she’s way prettier.”

Seulgi froze upon hearing the last part. “Wha-What do you mean? Maybe you’re talking about a different Seulgi. She’s not that pretty.”

Jimin pouted. “Yes, she is. She’s like… one of the prettiest girls I’ve seen. And she’s nice too… There’s only one Seulgi I know and she lives across the hall…” He mumbled in his sleep before shifting positions, taking Seulgi’s hand with him. She struggled to get into a comfortable position since he was practically holding her hand in his.

“Still… your hand is nice to hold… even if you aren’t Seulgi,” he said. He let out a breath before he started softly snoring.

The whole sight was ridiculous, in all honesty. A boy sick in bed, unknowingly just confessed that the girl who had a crush on him was pretty while that said girl could do nothing but stare at him, dumbfounded and shocked. When the words he said finally hit her, Seulgi turned a bright red. She was tingling everywhere, with her heart about to burst and butterflies running around in her stomach. She had never thought that he saw her that way. She wasn’t exactly the prettiest girl; Joohyun and Seungwan were way above her in terms of looks. The more she thought about, the more she couldn’t make sense of it. But as she turned to look at him and saw her hand in his, she couldn’t help but smile softly.

She liked him a little too much but she couldn’t help it. The possibility that he might like her in that way too… that made her like him even more. But this time, she wasn’t afraid to like him. Her heart and feelings were now out in the open. When he was finally deep in sleep, she slipped her hand out of his and simply smiled to herself.

Jungkook came back 30 minutes later with all medication he could possibly find. Seulgi honestly thought he went a little too overboard since he bought things that they didn’t really need but she didn’t have the heart to tell him. After all, he was really concerned and made all the effort to go and buy them.

“Thank you Seulgi-ssi,” Jungkook said as he sat beside her. “You’re a lifesaver.”

Seulgi patted the younger boy on the back and smiled at him. “It’s no problem. I just wanted to help.” She stood up and prepared to leave. “Make sure to give him medication as soon as he wakes up. I put a cold cloth on his forehead a while ago but you should probably replace it with the cooling pads as soon as possible. I left some chicken soup there on the desk. Make him eat it when he wakes up.”

Jungkook walked her to the door of their apartment. “I hope nothing weird happened while I was gone.” He scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “My brother tends to talk in his sleep a lot. I’m used to it but I’m sure that you might be a little shocked.”

Seulgi almost laughed. Shocked was an understatement. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. She thought carefully before she turned to reply to the young boy. “Well, it was interesting, to say the least.”

The boy shot her a worried look and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Don’t worry. I’ll still come over to bring you good food from time to time. He hasn’t said anything to scare me off.”

“Good. I thought I would never taste your cookies again,” Jungkook joked. “Thank you, Seulgi-ssi. It really means a lot.”

“I told you to call me noona, kid,” Seulgi said as she messed up his hair. She gave him one last smile before finally leaving.

Jungkook quickly returned back to his brother’s room and found Jimin waking up.

“Jungkook?” Jimin called out in a hoarse voice. Jungkook sat down beside his brother with all the medicines he had bought. “My head hurts.”

“That’s because you have a fever,” Jungkook said as he rolled his eyes. “I told you not to expose yourself to the rain yesterday.”

Jimin mustered up a throaty laugh. “Well, I couldn’t just leave Seulgi alone in the rain without an umbrella. It’s your fault for losing all our umbrellas here at home.”

Jungkook shook his head and stuck his tongue out at his brother. “So you’re willing to get sick for her but you can’t tell her how you feel and take her out on a date? I can’t believe my brother is such a loser.”

If not for his present fever, Jimin might’ve turned a bright red at Jungkook’s words. “I told you. It isn’t that easy to ask a girl out. Besides, I doubt that she likes me in that way. She’s too friendly.”

Jungkook simply shook his head once more while clicking his tongue. Tsk, tsk. “You’re a hopeless case, hyung. Anyway,” he stood up and proceeded to head outside the room, “Seulgi came by to take care of you while I bought medicine. She brought you some chicken soup. It’s there on the desk. I’ll get you some rice.”

Jimin watched his brother leave the room before he turned to look at the bright pink thermos on his bedside table. As he reached out to get it, he couldn’t help but be reminded of a certain girl’s warm smile. He snapped out of his thoughts when Jungkook’s words finally settled and as he remembered vaguely feeling someone’s hand in his while he slept.

Jimin turned a brilliant crimson hue as he examined his hand and imagined hers in it. He tried to return back to the moment and wondered how right it must’ve felt. A gentle warmth touched his heart as he put down his hands to pick up the thermos that he had dropped in his shock. He opened it to be greeted with a hot, spicy aroma. He took a small sip and immediately, a thousand flavors erupted onto his tongue.

A small smile crept on to his face as he imagined the face of a girl whose very presence made getting sick worth it. If there was one thing Jimin was certain about, it was that Seulgi had made her presence known in his heart and slowly but surely, would soon be the sole owner of it.

As the cold night continued on, Jimin’s and Seulgi’s hearts were very warm.