Trailing behind Yoongi, I watch as he throws carefully selected packs of vegetables and meat into the trolley. He’d brought us to the supermarket but I don’t know why he’s getting so many things. How many people does he think is living in our house?

 

“Yoongi-ssi—”

 

“I told you to just call me oppa,” he reminds. “Older brother, remember?”

 

I scrunch up my face. “Oppa. You realise all these are perishables, right? Who’s going to be cooking all these vegetables?”

 

“You can at least whip up simple meals with this. How often are you going to be eating instant sausages for lunch?” He argues.

 

Flipping my hair with as much sass as I can gather, I head off on my own to the snacks aisle. I bring back bags of chips and gummies to the trolley, to which Yoongi gives me The Look.

 

“Study essentials,” I say.

 

Yoongi sighs in defeat. “Go get more coffee too. We’re running out.”

 

We check out with a three-digit amount on the receipt but Yoongi swipes his card as if it’s nothing. I keep my eyes on him as we pack the grocery items into boxes to carry back. Catching my gaze, he raises an eyebrow.

 

I shake my head and sigh. “At this rate, I’m never going to want to move out.”

 

“Why, are you thinking of moving out?”

 

“When Jin-ssi agreed to let me stay I told him it would only be until I find another apartment. I thought it might be uncomfortable for both—for all of us.”

 

Yoongi narrows his eyes slightly. “Let’s go.”

 

Back at the house, I end up being the one to put the groceries away while Yoongi lies down on the couch.

 

“Leave the meat and the zucchini out,” he calls. I do as he says and quickly store the other items where they belong.

 

I sigh. Wasn’t the reason I left work to get some rest? What am I even doing now… Once the kitchen is in order, I return to my room to catch up on some much-needed sleep.

 

“Hyekyung-ah,” Yoongi knocks on the door just when I thought I could finally have some alone time.

 

“Yes?”

 

Pushing open the door, he comes in and takes a seat at my table, turning the chair around so that he’s facing me.

 

“Are we… are we making you feel uneasy?” He asks suddenly.

 

From my lying down position, I sit up and cross my legs under me. “What are you talking about, suddenly?”

 

He looks down. “It’s just that just now, you talked about wanting to move out…”

 

“Eh? Yoongi oppa, you’re not getting the situation right.” I tell him about the issue with my cousin’s house and how Jin agreed to let me stay.

 

“Ah… But you don’t have to be so rushed in looking for a new house,” he says. “I thought it was because we’re like this…”

 

I throw a small plush toy at him. “It’s not like that,” I promise. “What kind of person do you think I am?”

 

Yoongi sighs. “I don’t know how I’d feel about having to live alone but the kids would definitely not be able to handle it.”

 

“You mean Taehyung and Jungkook?”

 

“Also Jimin and maybe Namjoon. Everyone, actually. I feel bad having to say this, but they need someone to watch over them and while you’re here…” His voice trails off. “It also seems like they really like you. From their journaling, I mean.”

 

I smile. “They’re nice. Don’t worry too much about them,” I tell him. “I’ll look after them for as long as I’m here.”

 

After staring at me for a long time, he finally nods, the ghost of a smile on his lips. “Get some rest,” he says. “I’ll wake you up for dinner.”

 

The sun has almost fully set when he does wake me up.

 

“Wash your face and hands.”

 

“Yes, sir!” Emerging from the bathroom feeling more refreshed than ever, I help Yoongi set the dining table.

 

He brings out the dishes one by one and every one of them looks and smells really delicious. But one dish in particular catches my attention.

 

“Isn’t this stir-fried zucchini?”

 

Yoongi sits down at the table. “Why, does it not look like it?”

 

I shake my head. “I’ve been craving this for a few days now. I can’t believe you made it.”

 

“Is it the dish that is unbelievable or is it me cooking that’s hard to believe?” He asks jokingly.

 

A smile creeps up my lips. “Both…?”

 

“Dig in.” Picking up his chopsticks, Yoongi puts some vegetables into my bowl of rice. “This is from Jimin.”

 

“Ah, no wonder,” I nod approvingly. “I knew he was a nice kid.”

 

“If I didn’t know better, I would have thought that Jimin was the one who cooked this meal.” Yoongi shoots me a look of distaste.

 

Sheepishly, I place a large piece of meat onto his spoon. “Thank you for dinner, Yoongi oppa.”

 

“That’s more like it. Also, take another day off tomorrow, will you?”

 

“It’s my scheduled rest day tomorrow anyway. Why?”

 

Yoongi checks something on his phone. “I’m going to the beach to take a breather, maybe look for some new inspiration. Want to come with?”

 

“Yeah, sure. Where are we going? Are you driving?”

 

“I’m thinking of going down to Daegu.”

 

I raise an eyebrow at him. “All the way there to catch a cold in the sea breeze?”

 

“They have nice beaches there,” he says defensively.

 

Yoongi comes banging on my door at seven the next morning.

 

“Wake up, sleepy head!”

 

Frowning, I open the door and shuffle out. “What kind of outing starts so early in the morning?”

 

Yoongi, on the other hand, bounces with excitement. “Wear something comfortable,” he says, “and remember to bring a jacket.”

 

I choose to put on a thin, long-sleeved blouse and ripped jeans with a cardigan layered on top. Yoongi eyes my outfit sceptically.

 

“You sure you’ll be okay in just that?”

 

I nod confidently. “I have enough blubber in me to block the cold.”

 

“If you say so.” Leaving the house, we lock the door behind us.

 

In the car, Yoongi revs up the engine and checks the gas to ensure that we’re departing on a full tank. Satisfied, he buckles his seatbelt and reminds me to do the same.

 

“You don’t need the GPS?” I ask.

 

“I’ve been driving to and fro a million times,” he says. “I know the way.” Swiftly pulling out of the car park, we drive towards the awaiting sea.

 

I fall asleep halfway through but a commotion startles me awake.

 

“What’s going on?” I rub my eyes and look around.

 

Yoongi shrugs. “There seems to be some kind of security check going on. They’ve blocked off the roads.”

 

“How much more distance do we have left to cover?”

 

“If it wasn’t for the barricade, we’d be almost there.” Yoongi sighs. “There’s a bit of a jam here and a detour would take much longer.”

 

I squint through the windscreen. “We’ll just have to wait this one out, then.”

 

Indeed, we reach the front quite quickly. A uniformed police officer comes up to us and gestures for Yoongi to roll down his window.

 

“Security check. Can I take a look at your ICs, please?” The officer requests.

 

I pull out my wallet just as Yoongi does his and we hand identity cards over. The police officer looks between the cards and our faces.

 

“Ms. Lee Hyekyung, Mr. Kim Namjoon,” he calls out to confirm. “You may move along. Have a great day.” He returns our cards and waves us through.

 

Yoongi collects the cards as if nothing unusual happened and naturally drives us through the security check. Once we’re clear, he hands me back my card. I happen to steal a glimpse of his. I in my breath.

 

On his identity card prints the name Kim Namjoon. But the photo on the side no doubt belongs to Yoongi

 

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