The next day Bomi woken up to a quite mansion. She walked out of her room, and through the gold-colored corridor, carpeted with maroon color. Taking her time to look at her surrounding closely. There is a room in front of her own, and two more on the same side. But they were closed, she assumed its a bedrooms also. She walked straight, past the only stairs on the middle on her left side and the door to the balcony on her right - with the memory of celebrating the new year with them few days ago playing on her mind, she smiles softly - then continued to the other side of the mansion. And there is also four big doors on that side. But they are closed too. They are probably another bedrooms for them. 

Not wanting to be rude, she left them closed and take the stairs to the ground floor.

 

 

She knew the right side since its for the kitchen and the living room. She had been to them yesterday, so she walked to the left side. There is a room in the middle of the corridor with two big doors. She walked into the room since the door was open. It was another living room, three white sofas with a flowers print and a table in the center with a place for a bonfire in the middle. The room looks a little bit dusty, Bomi wondered if they ever using it. 

She turned around and exited the room to go to the one in front of it. The door was cracked open so she peeked inside and was immediately mesmerized by what she saw so she opened the door a little wider. 

It was a library, a big library. A thousands of books stacked on the shelves  nearly touching the ceiling on both side of the big room. Different sizes and colors, some are old, too old, and some are new. She thought that if she get to spend her whole life in this room she wouldn't mind.

Moving forward, there is an office at the far end of the room right in front of the only big window there. She let her fingers tracing the wooden disk, as she rounds the table 'till she saw the books on top of it. Two black-covered books and a red one hidden under them. 

 

Curious, she left the two black books to look at the red one. Somehow it looked familiar to her. As she traced the title's letters that are written in gold , it struck to her that she saw it before , back on the library she was working at. She opened the book to the first page but she couldn't read anything, it was written in a foreign language. Confused, she turned the other page, and then the other, and the other, but she couldn't find a single word she understand. 

Sighing, she turned the book's page quickly until she noticed some drawing on it.

She stopped to examine the drawing on black ink, it was some kind of weird creature. A mixture of human form and maybe an animal? She couldn't find the right word to describe it other than it is not a human. His upper body was exposed. A well built human body, but his back was bowed a little. His face was slim and tall in a weird way with his hair jelled to the back, exposing his big weird ears. It was some kind of freak. And Bomi felt disgusted the more she looked at it. She wasn't found of reading about supernatural things nor weird stuff. So she closed the book and put it back on the table before walking toward the door, exiting the library.

 

 

 

 

.........…......................................................

 

 

 

Syeongyeon was on the kitchen table, sipping her morning coffee when Bomi come through the door. She smiled at her playfully 

 

" done exploring ?" 

She saw her eyes widening in panic, sh she chuckled.

 

" Don't worry, I wasn't spying on you, I just ... felt it ... You know !!!" She motioned her fingers in the air, hoping Bomi will catch it quickly, and gladly she did. As she 'aah' to her.

"It's okay.."

 

"Come, set, have your coffee too" Syeongyeon smiled brightly at her as she patted the chair next to her.

Bomi obligate to her and sat down to drink her coffee too.

 

" mmm, The house is almost empty, ... where are the rest ?" She asked after taking a few sips of her coffee.

 

Syeongyeon placed her cup back on the table before speaking " they went to meet our friends.. Each went to different places, to ask for their help" then she turned her head to face her " you know they are about to start a war, right?" 

Surprised, Bomi blinked her eyes twice 

" .. W-what war ?"

 

Syeongyeon looked at her serious while holding her hand.

 " Bomi I had already told you about that .. It's real .... It's happening .. Now we should be prepared "

 

Bomi was still in her shock state when Sunggyu arrived to the kitchen. They both looked at him upon his arrival and Seongyeon smiled at him.

"You are back !!" She said as she stood up and walked to him.

" your army is under your command your majesty" he said, as he held her in his arm and pick her nose lightly. 

Upon seeing them like this, Bomi felt awkward, intruding and out of place, so she stood up and walked to the door quietly. But Seongyeon caught her quickly, and stopped her in her track.

"Where are you going, Bomi ?" She can see the slight blush on her cheeks.

"I-I 'll go o-out for a w-while .." And motioned to the door.

Seongyeon laughed out loud and linked her arm with Bomi.

" you are so cute , Bomi-ah" she said as they make their way out of the kitchen with a smiling Sunggyu trudging behind.

 

 

 

 

...........…………………..................................

 

 

 

"YEOLLI-Hyung !!!" 

"Neilli-yah "

The two boys gave each other a bear hug as soon as they saw each other.

"Myungie.." He said as he hug the other boy.

"Hey Hyung.."

"It's been along time... What brings you two here ?!" He asked , as they entered the house.

"Let us set down first..... It's a long way ... And Omg, why you are living so far !!" He exclaimed.

" so that you can miss me a lot.." He answered with a wicked grin, witch earned him a smack in the head from the former. 

But he answered him honestly " we really do .."

".... and your hot chocolate too" Myungsoo exclaimed.

Neil chuckled " you two haven't changed at all .... Let me bring you something first, then we will talk .... Cause It looks serious"

"It is .." Sungyeol said.

 

 

 

.................................................................

 

 

 

 By the time of sunset, they were all seated on the living room, waiting nervously for their last friend that has yet to arrive.

 

"I told you Dongwoo to go with him, why you are not listening to me !!"

Seongyeon rushed to her husband and put her hands on his shoulder. "calm down Gyu, plz"

 

Dongwoo was about to talk back when the front door of the mansion opened and a smiling Woohyun came in.

"Hey Guys ...."

"Woohyun, where have you been?" The older one dashed to him.

"Sorry Hyung, they were a bit thick-headed, really, but I took care of that .." He said with a smudged smile on his face.

"That's why I told you to go with Dongwoo.."

"Well, Hyung, we couldn't waste more time, beside Dongwoo had to go to talk with the others from the frozen river... We don't have much time."

"It's okay, you are here now... So tell us, what did they say?" Howon said, trying to change the subject.

"Don't worry, they are with us." Woohyun confirmed.

"Good" he nodded.

 

 

Soon the atmosphere changed, with the loud Sungyeol joking around and making fun of everything possible with Sungjong making faces at his stupidity as they made their way up stairs to their respective room.

 

But only two people stayed behind by the front door. 

"Do you want to go outside for a moment?" Howon asked her.

And Bomi nodded lightly " yes, sure".

"Ok, let me put something on you first, I don't want you to catch a cold" he said it ever so softly to her as he put his coat on her. 

At that moment Howon put the coat on her, Bomi felt a little heat crept up to her cheeks.

She couldn't raise her eyes up to meet his' for he was so close to her, she almost felt his own breath hitting her face slightly.

Once finished, he took her hand in his and opened the door. 

"Let's go". He said smiling to her. 

They exited the front door and walked down the four stair and to the front garden.

 

They stand there quietly, in the middle of the mansion's garden, a comfortable silence between them. The cold night breeze flew around them softly, making Bomi to rub her palms together in a attempt to warm them.

Hesitantly Bomi looked at him..

"Aren't you cold?" She asked him. Now that she's looking at him, she noticed the firm him, in his bottom up black shirt, with the first two bottoms undo, his sleeves rolled up, showing his forearm.

Howon looked at her and smiled. "nah, I'm fine". 

"Yeah, I-I forgot .. You ... You're ....." Bomi stuttered a little, casting her eyes down to the ground as she kicked the ground with her foot lightly.

Howon looked at her as she do so, her hair covering the side of her face slightly. And he wonder how someone can be simply beautiful like this.

 

He put his hand on his pant's pocket as he kept his gaze on her, that's when he felt something poking his fingers. He immediately took it out, remembering the reason of buying it. 

 

It was a necklace, a silver one, of the shape of a crown but it's flipped so that its thorns was to the ground, and from there hangs a piece of pearl. He didn't know what gots to him to buy it, when he came back from grandpa's house. He just felt like buying it to her.

"Bomi-yah".

 

Bomi looked up at him at the mention of her name, eyes glueing to him as he walked closer to her.

Howon hold the necklace with both his hands, eyes shifting between it and her.

 

"I bought this when I went to the town today ... Mmm .... Can I ... Can I put it to you ?".

 

Bomi looked at the necklace, then to him, then back to the necklace. She pulled her hand from the coat's pocket to touch the silver material, admiring it between her fingers before raising her eyes up to meet his. 

"Sure.." She said, with that smile that he adore the most.

 

Bomi didn't know why her heart start beating rapidly out of sudden, once Howon moved behind her. She didn't know why she shivered when she pulled her hair to the side, exposing her neck. She didn't know why her breath hitched when his fingers touched her neck a little. All that she knew is that these are a new feeling to her, she had not felt them before.

 

Once done, she turned around to face him. She touched the necklace and looked at it momentary before looking up at him again.

"It's beautiful ... T-thank you". She said sincerely.

 

Howon raised his right hand to brush her hair behind her ear so that the necklace can be seen. His eyes never leaving her, as it become his addiction. He loves her. He is sure now of that. 

With low, husky voice he said..

 

"You make it even beautiful"

 

 

Those beautiful eyes that looked at her. Those dark brown orbs that looked into her. Oh, how she adore them the more she looks at them. Drowning even. Those eyes that try to say something, to tell her something,but she couldn't understand. She had always admired the eyes language, the emotion that can be held within them. How she can be lost on them to the extant that she didn't know that they were coming close to her. Too close to her face, too close to her eyes. She didn't got to do anything. It was too sudden for her to react. So she froze on her place when she felt him touching the side of her face as his lips touched her. Her breath hitching from that. She felt his lips moving within her own. Melting her to the core. Before he pulled back a little. Still close to her face. With his hand still on the side of her face, and eyes darting up to meet her own. 

He murmured softly.

 

" I love you, Yoon Bomi".

 

 

 

There is a first time for everything in this life, Bomi thought. First job, first friend, first love, first kiss. But she didn't thought that she will ever find them all in one place, and at once. Never thought that she is that lucky to find them all in here. But she did. And the man standing in front of her is a prove of that. 

 

"Oh, it start snowing" 

 

His deep voice pulled her out of her thought, as she looked around her. A few white dot fleeing around them, that looked like a cotton to her. Then the numbers increased as they fell down, creating a carpet of snow on the ground. 

 

First snow.

 

Bomi then looked back at him. He was giving her that canine smile that she fell in love with. Eyes sparkling along with the falling snow. His finger reaching ever so tenderly to poke the snowflake that rested on her nose bridge away. To which she scrunched her nose cutely. He then reached for her hand and intertwined their finger together, still smiling so lovingly to her.

 

"Let's get inside." 

 

She nodded to him and they walked together, hand in hand to enter the mansion. 

 

 

And, first favorite.