Complicated Thoughts

Standing in front of that familiar white door, her eyes unknowingly fell to the ground, somewhat distracted while she waited patiently. Haekyung sighed inwardly. What am I doing here again?

Oh yeah. To work on the freaking art assignment that’s probably going to be due anytime soon.

Time sure did fly by fast.

Hey, it wasn’t like it would have been a problem, if not for the fact that the girl didn’t know how to really act around that one boy anymore. Even her heart began to react strangely these days.

Ugh, just great. Seriously, will these thoughts ever go away?

Haekyung gently shook her head, trying to get those unwanted thoughts out of her dazed mind.

Not knowing that there had been someone standing in front of her right about now, her attention eventually cut short when she felt the boy close by. He reached a hand out to squeeze her cheek.

The girl instantly looked up at him, her face pretty much blank while he stared right back at her.

“Hey, polar bear.” Jungkook smiled at her teasingly, his arms lightly crossed while he had his back leaned against the door. For some reason, the girl didn’t even really mind his nickname for her anymore. Well, maybe just a little bit. But it’s not like she was ever going to tell him that anyways.

Haekyung looked elsewhere, clearing rather awkwardly, “Hey, royal moron.”

In response, he just chuckled softly. The boy then gently slung an arm around the girl’s neck, casually pulling her in with him while he closed the door behind them. Haekyung squirmed lightly.

She blinked at their close proximity, not realizing where the heck he was dragging her. Feeling a bit reluctant and speechless with what he was doing, she slowly stepped over to the sides, hoping that he’d eventually pull away. However, Jungkook only looked down at her with a playful smile next, tightening his hold around her while Haekyung looked up at him with an uneasy glance.

“Jungkook, I think I’d know my way around your house by now.”

He raised a brow at her boredly, “You do?”

“Yeah, so can you let me go? I need to breathe, idiot.” Haekyung huffed, struggling in his grasp.

Shaking his head, the boy pulled her closer to him without warning, ruffling her hair with a soft laugh while the girl under him groaned in slight embarrassment, though he couldn’t see the tinge of redness that surfaced on her cheeks. Because if he did, Jungkook would of probably laughed harder. Haekyung only rolled her eyes in defeat, reaching both arms out to get back at him.

“Seriously, you’re suffocating me.” Haekyung grumbled.

Jungkook smirked, “I’m not falling for that one again, polar bear. Just let me hug you, alright?”

“What?! If you hug me again without my permission, then you’re so screwed!”

He grinned, “Really? Since when do you ever give me permission to do anything though?”

Just a second later, the boy then stopped laughing briefly, looking down at the girl who now apparently had an arm wrapped around his neck, tugging him down so that she could easily squeeze him back on the cheeks like he had done to her earlier. Next, she looked up to examine his face.

One side of his face made him look like a bloated chipmunk, while he had a blank look on his face.

Soon enough, Haekyung let out a loud laugh at what she was seeing. Though the both of them were in a rather awkward position, it wasn’t like either of the two were about to stop anytime soon. She made a face at him, while the other boy leaned forward, his arm still tucked securely around her neck while her hand remained still on his cheek, refusing to let go until he’d stop.

Yup, that’s just how competitive they were.

Jungkook glanced down at her with a slightly pained expression, “You’re hurting me, Haekyung.”

Hearing what he had just said, her eyes rounded for a split second, worried. She blinked at him for a couple of seconds, gradually pulling her arms back in surprise. However, the second she had done that though, the girl had to literally suppress the urge to smack him right across the face.

“Just kidding, polar bear.” He burst out laughing, exhaling a soft sigh while she scowled at him.

“Stop tricking me, you idiot!” Haekyung groaned softly, irritated.

Yeah, the only reason she was annoyed was because for a quick second there, the girl almost believed that he was hurt. Heck, why did it even matter to her anyways? Haekyung wanted to convince herself that she shouldn’t have cared as much as she had intended to in the first place.

But the truth was, she did care about him. She just didn’t know how to interpret these feelings.

So with a light frown, Haekyung softly pushed the boy aside, his arms no longer around the girl’s neck while she walked on ahead, not even bothering to spare him a glance. Jungkook just blinked.

“Hey, are you mad at me already?” He questioned, following after her.

Haekyung shrugged indifferently, her back still faced to him. “Nope, what makes you say that?”

Falling in step with her, Jungkook lightly nudged her elbow with his left arm in a playful manner, as if he couldn’t read the atmosphere at all. This was probably one of those many times where the girl would be angry with him for a short while, then revert back as if nothing happened at all.

Yup, no doubt about it whatsoever.

However, his eyes softened to a slight degree. Haekyung, please don’t tempt me right now.

Okay, it’d probably be a lie to say that he wasn’t already used to it. But hey, it didn’t mean he liked seeing her like this every time either. So doing what he’d almost never do, Jungkook gently reached for the girl right beside him while extending both arms out, pulling her in for a back-hug.

At this, Haekyung’s eyes rounded, not even knowing how to react.

She could feel his long arms tighten around her waist, while the boy had already rested the bottom of his chin onto the tip of her right shoulder, startling her momentarily. Ugh, what the heck.

There goes her heart again.

Haekyung instantly blanked out, trying hard to block out the sounds that were currently pounding in her ears, not giving her an easy time at all. Jeez, even the rate of her breathe began to grow short. Right now, she sure looked like a freaking mess, though it’d be better if he couldn’t see it.

Just then, the boy glanced up at her with a soft smile, wondering why she was so quiet.

Normally, it’d be reasonable if the girl would have shoved him away without hesitation, but seeing how still she was at his touch, Jungkook brushed the thought away, that smile still evident.

“You know that I can’t stand it when you’re mad at me, right?”

Slowly, the girl carefully turned towards his direction, lowering her eyes at him in slight shock. Seriously, she wished that she didn’t though, because Jungkook was literally just right below her.

He was this close to her.

Yet, how did she react at a time like this? Probably way different than any other girl would done so, if they were in her position right now. From the way he was softly gazing up at her, Haekyung just blinked repeatedly, finally snapping out of her dumb daze. But something still felt a bit off.

That was until she glanced downwards, stunned.

His arms were still positioned around her waist, embracing her tightly as if she was a teddy bear.

Yup, that was when her brain started to function again, bringing her natural instincts out, though it might have been a bit too violent for anyone’s liking. Haekyung gasped, pulling away from the boy’s grasp while the girl nervously shoved him back by the shoulders, taking a huge step back.

“Didn’t I just say that if you did that once more, then you’re so dead?!”

Seriously, when was the last time she’s ever had the ability to act normal around this guy? Ugh.

Positioning his back onto the wall right behind him, the boy exhaled a small sigh, shaking his head with light laughter while he had a hand placed on his left shoulder, as if examining it for bruises.

Jungkook chuckled, “I know that. But it’s worth dying for, don’t you think?”

Haekyung only scowled at him, mentally searching for the right words to say. However, the second his smile grew wider, she quickly looked the other way, rushing up the stairs to avoid the awkward atmosphere formed between the two of them. On the other hand, Jungkook just stared.

What’s up with her all of a sudden? Don’t tell me that she’s actually being shy right now.

Hoping that her flustered reaction just now didn’t give her embarrassing feelings away, the girl fastened her pace up the stairs, trying her best to avoid him at all costs, even though the chances weren’t likely since this was still his house. But right now, it’s not like she really cared about that.

Heck, she was just too busy with trying to calm her freaking heart down.

It was a pretty horrible job though, because the more her mind drifted back towards the time where the boy had pulled her in into his arms, the colour on her face only lightened in shade.

Ugh, this is seriously hopeless!

Haekyung lightly grabbed her hair in total frustration, irritated that these thoughts wouldn’t leave her alone at all. She blinked, hearing him coming up the stairs, slamming the door to his room shut before he could even enter. Not knowing why she had just done that, the girl looked away.

“Hey. That’s my room, you know?” Jungkook spoke from the other side of the door, amused.

Haekyung placed her bag on the floor, trying to distract herself while she sat down with her legs crossed, dumping the contents of her bag out onto the surface of the table, totally unaffected.

However, this was all just an attempt on gaining her normal composure back.

Okay, she was seriously overreacting over such a silly thing, though the boy was the first one to have ever embraced her this way, much less whenever he wanted to, which only made it worse.

Shaking her head, the girl groaned to herself, still seemingly troubled with what she was feeling.

It’s alright, Haekyung. Just don’t think about it.

Her thoughts were interrupted once she felt the table slightly shake, sensing that Jungkook was right beside her. Carefully turning the other way, she glanced up. Haekyung bit her lips, shifting a bit over to the other side so that there’d be some distanced created between the boy and her.

Jungkook arched a brow at what she was doing, “Are we not going to work on the assignment?”

Before he even got a proper response, the boy shifted back in slight surprise and confusion. He blinked when the girl whipped a nearby ruler his way, the object literally just a few inches away from the collar of his neck. Only until a few seconds later, did Jungkook actually manage to laugh.

“Five metres away, Jeon Jungkook!” Haekyung warned, still unable to directly meet his eyes.

With an opened book now placed up-right in between them, the girl let out a small sigh of relief, beginning to gather her previous troubled thoughts back. Staring at her in amusement, the boy scoffed playfully, shrugging to himself before turning his attention back to his own pile of work that laid right in front of him. Who would have ever thought that she’d be this nervous anyway?

Jungkook then placed a palm under his chin for support. Twirling a pencil with his free hand, he cracked a slight smile, eyes focused on the sketch beneath him. This was going to be a long day.

“Alright, polar bear. Just five metres.”

---

Shading in a particular spot that her hands were currently working with, she carefully glanced pass the book that half-blocked her view of the boy who sat on the other side, who also happened to be working on the sketch himself. The only sounds that echoed in the room were the occasional paper flipping and the necessary switching of the art materials that laid around the surface of the table. And it had been like that for the past hour and a half, which was surprising.

Learning that the boy’s parents weren’t even home during this time of the day due to work, as well as the male’s older brother who had mostly lived away from home due to attending a college somewhere far out in the cities, only made it worse. Actually, not worse, just freaking awkward.

Yeah, at least that was how Haekyung felt anyways. Jungkook was actually fine with it though.

Sensing he was being watched, the boy blinked, shifting his gaze towards the left only to find the girl quickly turn back to what she had been doing in a rush, as if she had been caught. He smiled.

Haekyung kept her eyes trained on the piece of paper within a beat.

Well, this was probably one of those rare occasions where they weren’t bickering and arguing back and forth like the other days. And even though it was unusually quiet, the boy actually preferred nothing but just that. Parting his lips to break the silence in the room, he had momentarily forgotten the rule that she had just set an hour ago, casually shifting over a bit to the other side. When their shoulders lightly brushed, the girl flinched, her grip on the pencil tightening. Just why couldn’t she simply turn and look at him? Haekyung seriously had no idea.

Right now, the girl could only blame herself for acting so out of place, not to mention speechless.

“Are you hungry?” His calming voice brought her dazed mind back from wherever she had wandered off to. Haekyung was this close to shaking her head, until her stomach growled loudly.

Ugh, seriously?! Not again.

Lightly groaning in embarrassment, Haekyung lowered her gaze, somewhat nodding her head in response, “Just a little.” Breaking into a soft chuckle, Jungkook pulled her up from where they had both been sitting, her hand in his as he led her out of the room. The girl gaped, a bit confused.

“H-Hey, I was still working on my sketch!” Haekyung quietly complained.

“It’s called taking a break, Haekyung. Besides, I don’t think I could really handle hearing your stomach rumble for the rest of the day.” Jungkook only laughed when the girl made a face at him.

Eventually reaching the kitchen located on the second floor, he walked over to one side of the dining table, casually sliding out a chair for her the girl to sit on. She blinked slowly, occupying a seat as she watched him walk off to the fridge, hands already busy picking at the ingredients placed inside. Wait, was he seriously going to do what she thought he was planning on doing?

Haekyung raised a brow, “You can actually cook?”

Gathering the said materials in his arms before setting it onto the kitchen counter, Jungkook almost frowned before he turned back around to face her, “How long have you been looking down on me?” In response to his accusing tone, she laughed out loud the next second, amused.

“Who said I was looking down on you? I’m just surprised, you idiot.” The girl scoffed.

“Yeah, you better be surprised when you taste my cooking.” Jungkook teased, a playful grin plastered on as his hands started working on dicing the ingredients in a quick and precise manner.

Somewhat bored of just sitting there by the dining table, Haekyung proceeded to lift herself up, her legs unknowingly travelling over to where the boy had stood. Peering over his shoulder, began to part in slight amazement. Hell, was there seriously anything that he couldn’t do?

Biting down on her lower lip as her eyes delicately watched his knife movements, he suddenly halted, realizing something. Digging into the kitchen cupboards, Jungkook automatically sighed.

Haekyung blinked, “What’s wrong?”

“Just forgot that we’re missing a couple of sauces, since my dad used the last bottle up.”

The girl slowly nodded in understanding, “Well, you don’t have to cook. There’s always take out.” Her idea was quickly rejected though, when the boy pouted, narrowing his eyes at her in reply.

“Hell no, you still need to taste my cooking whether you like it or not.”

At what he just said, Haekyung only lightly rolled her eyes at his childish behaviour. However, as much as she didn’t mind, a part of her had wanted to somewhat try the boy’s cooking anyway.

“Seriously, you’re even more stubborn than I am.” She shook her head, releasing a soft laugh.

“I know I am.” Jungkook smirked.

Closing up the cupboards, he set the knife back on the chopping board, nonchalantly glancing up at the time. Seeing that it was still early afternoon, there’s plenty of time to take a longer break.

Heck, he didn’t want to trap himself at home the entire day just to work on some freaking annoying assignment. In fact, Jungkook would much rather spend it with the girl he loved being around with the most. It was the weekends anyway. The perfect time, if you’d ask him.

Confused yet again, she mirrored his actions, slipping into her white converses by the doorway as the boy grabbed hold of the girl’s grey sweater that hung at the sides, gently slipping it around her shoulders this time. Tucking his wallet and keys into the pack pocket of his black jeans, Haekyung glanced up at him, “Wait, where are we going? I thought you were going to cook.”

Lightly pushing her out the door, Jungkook flashed her an adorable smile at her cluelessness.

“To get the sauces that we need, polar bear.”

---

Walking side by side, Haekyung casually glanced up at the boy, a small smile forming at the corner of her lips. Seeing all the trouble he’d go through just to make one simple meal for her, the girl couldn’t really say no even though her mind drifted back to the art assignment that they were supposed to be working on right now. Not noticing that she was now being stared at, she quickly snapped out of her daze in an instant. Jungkook grinned, his eyes crinkling in the cutest way.

“What, are you really that hungry?”

Haekyung lightly shook her head, biting the insides of her cheek in response. “Not really, just waiting for you to buy what you need.” His smile remained once he found what he was looking for just up ahead, through the thick crowds of people wandering around the local supermarket.

“Come on, I found what I need.” He gestured, sauntering over to the aisle on the other side.

Following where he was headed, the girl was momentarily distracted when someone accidentally bumped into her just then, their arms colliding. Several boxes of items scattered all over the floor from the fall, causing the other person to bend down to pick them up. Startled, Haekyung quickly bent down on her knees as well, gathering several of the boxes in her arms within her reach.

Once their eyes met, she stopped her sentence mid-way, surprised. “I’m sorry, here’s – “

The boy blinked back at her in an equal manner, an attractive smile threatening to fall over him. “Haha. It’s alright, I’ve got it.” Taehyung inched forward to grab the remaining boxes from her.

She smiled back, straightening her posture as she got up on her feet as well.

When he was done securing what he had previously held in his arms back into place, he glanced back down at the girl by his right, parting his lips to speak. “Are you here to shop as well?”

Hearing what he had just asked her, she almost completely forgot about Jungkook. The girl turned her head back the other way, assuming that’s probably where the other boy had been standing. “Oh, I’m not really here to shop. I’m just here with Jungkook since he needed to buy a few things.” Lowering her gaze to stare at her shoes, Haekyung felt a bit awkward with her unusual answer. Was there even really a need for her to be here anyways? “Uh. Yeah. For some reason...” She quietly whispered the last part, causing the boy in front of her to blink. He then laughed out loud.

Confused as to why he was laughing, she slowly looked up at him.

Taehyung chuckled, lowering the volume of his soft laughter as he glanced back at her. “Well, he probably just wanted you to accompany him then, Haekyung. It’s really not that complicated.”

It’s not that hard to figure out that he likes you, silly. That was what he had really meant to say.

“Oh.” The girl nodded unsurely.

Their little conversation was interrupted when another figure popped up behind the other boy, tapping him lightly on the shoulder. Peering over his shoulder, his eyes lit up when he found her. Currently holding a food basket with one hand, Sohee blinked in surprise when she found him as well, only to see that Haekyung had been standing there. The corners of her lips began to lift up.

“So, that’s where you were!” Sohee confirmed, worried that she had gotten separated from the boy just fifteen minutes ago, thanks to the endless groups of people crowding around them.

Taehyung gently grabbed hold of what she held, replacing it in free hand instead, “Haha, yeah.”

Flashing the boy a grateful smile, she then turned to the other girl who stood there staring at the two, wondering just how much of a coincidence it was to have met them at a place and time like this. Sure, it was a common store that resided near where most of the students lived, but it was still a pretty big place after all. Sohee then took a few steps forward, an energetic smile present.

She then naturally brought her arms around the other girl for a friendly hug.

Taehyung only watched the two on the sides with a knowing smile, releasing a small sigh at the girl’s usual rounds of hugs that she’d pretty much pass off to anyone she familiarized herself with.

Sometimes, I wonder if you know just how adorable you really are, Sohee.

Haekyung only blinked, startled. She then slowly returned it, pulling away shortly after. Seeing the look on the girl’s face, Sohee emitted a soft giggle, hoping to clear her confusion away.

“We were just doing a little grocery shopping of our own, but it’s really to see you here as well!”

Biting down on her lower lip with a small smile, Haekyung lightly nodded, “Thanks, I’m happy to see you guys here too.” The three then exchanged quick smiles among one another, no signs of discomfort whatsoever. Before either of them could utter another word, another voice joined in.

“Am I the only one who feels left out here?”

Raising a brow at the three who stood a few meters apart, Jungkook cracked a teasing smile as he walked over to them, both hands already occupied with what he had been planning to purchase. Taehyung saluted his best friend with a casual grin, while Haekyung lightly smiled.

Noticing his arrival, Sohee’s expression faltered by a pinch, realizing that the boy had been here all along, with Haekyung. But that thought soon faded when she brushed it away, lowering her eyes to the ground with soft eyes, unsure of how she was supposed to be feeling right now.

Maybe it did hurt a little, to know that her feelings were going to be one-sided from now on.

He couldn’t be too sure of what the girl beside him felt for his best friend, but the boy had already managed to guess that what she held up-front was only an act to make up for her sense of insecurity, always having the need to hide behind that friendly and cheerful exterior of hers, it seemed. Taehyung’s eyes gently watched the girl’s movements, extending an arm out to grab hold of her hand. It only caused Sohee to glance down at the source of warmth he provided her with. It was as if he was giving the girl a short moment of comfort, and she was accepting it too.

Unaware of all this, Jungkook parted his lips to speak, his gaze elsewhere.

If it wasn’t for the endless noises and movements of the crowds, he would have noticed that by now, Sohee haven’t exactly greeted him like she usually did whenever they were together.

“Hey, I’ll meet you guys on the other side, alright? I’m just going to go check this out real quick.”

Gesturing behind him towards the long line up of people at the nearby cash register, he casually slung an arm around Haekyung, prompting her to follow him as they made way over to the line-up. Taehyung nodded briefly, eventually releasing his hold around Sohee’s hand. He only flashed her a small smile, as if he didn’t mind being there for her when she suddenly felt embarrassed.

Am I really that obvious…?

“It’s okay, just let it all out. And just so you know, you look much better when you’re smiling, Sohee.” Her cheeks faintly responded with a light blush, not expecting such soft and caring words to come out of the boy’s lips. As much as she appreciated his words, she just wasn’t ready, somehow. Feelings like these shouldn’t even have the right to be let out, at least not this way.

“Thanks, but I’ll be okay.” Neglecting what she truly felt, the girl immediately looked elsewhere.

Taehyung’s eyes softened at the way she looked. Even though most people would have perceived her as her usual and happy self, he clearly knew that she didn’t exactly feel alright. Not now, at least. Figuring that he was going to give her the space she wanted, he released an audible sigh.

It’s not like his best friend was the one to blame in a situation like this, since the latter didn’t even know about it. And things would surely become much more complicated and awkward if he did.

Lightly securing his left arm around the girl’s shoulder, he smiled down at her attentively.

“Alright, let’s get our stuff checked out too.”

---

Pouring the sauce into the pan, the boy neatly spread it evenly over the rest of the ingredients that he had added in before. After a few tosses and a couple of mixes, he set the cooked dish aside, turning off the heat. Reaching for several dining plates situated just above him, Jungkook closed the cupboards, setting the pan aside for quick cooling. He then transferred the contents of the pan right onto the empty plates. Leaning back to examine what he had managed to whip up in the past hour, a slight smile hung at the corner of his lips, as he was somewhat satisfied.

Sure, the boy knew a few things or two about cooking, seeing that his dad was a great cook.

But hey, it wasn’t every day that he even bothered to cook anyways. Yeah, just not for a girl. Things might have been different now, since they weren’t the only ones around. Just out in the living room right by the kitchen, Taehyung was leisurely watching some random show airing on the television, while Sohee sat by the coffee table, a pen in her hand as her eyes glanced down to the pile of notes beneath her as she took the time to scan it over. Haekyung on the other hand, had been somewhat dozing off, a phone in her hand as she had been previously playing with a couple of apps on it just before, bored of waiting for the food to be served.

It wasn’t even only until a minute later when the girl started gaining her senses back, her eyes opening half-way at the certain smell of a nice aroma flowing around the room. She was fully awake by then, when her vision began to clear, seeing a nicely plated dish placed just right in front of her. When she looked up from her side of the plate, Haekyung sat up, blinking in surprise.

Just on the opposite side of the dining table, Jungkook had been calmly watching her all this time.

He had his forearm propped on the surface, leaning his chin under the support of his other palm. When his eyes met hers, he flashed her a soft smile, catching her off guard. Snapping out of her slight daze, Haekyung cleared , trying to dismiss that wonderful smile she was apparently trying so hard to ignore. Looking down at the plate in front of her, she hesitantly grabbed the fork that sat by the sides, extending her hand forward to taste a bit of the food.

Not knowing what to expect, her eyes lit up at how great it tasted, the flavours stimulating her senses. Before she knew it, her hands began moving at a faster pace, chewing bite after bite.

Seeing her digging into the food as if she haven’t eaten for years, he chuckled at how cute she was, clearly having a hard time in holding himself back whenever she was present. For a while now, Jungkook didn’t exactly know how to let these feelings out. Well, in a natural way of course.

But for now, there was still time. He didn’t feel the need to rush things.

Especially not after he had just sorted them out since recently. Yeah. For now, he figured that he would just wait until the time was right. And when that time was right, he would let her know.

Let her know just how much he cherished her.

Growing suspicious of the silence that lingered around them, Haekyung arched a brow at the boy who seemed slightly dazed, as if he was lost in his own thoughts. Chewing with full, she attempted on starting a conversation, only to end up coughing due to all the food still in . Quickly grabbing a glass of water on her right, she downed it in one movement, sighing.

At this, Jungkook blinked, a playful smile forming on his lips as he reached for a nearby napkin.

Leaning over the table so that he’d be within proper reach, the boy extended his left arm out, gently wiping away at the corner of her lips, removing the stain that was once there.

It seemed as if taking care of her was a part of his routine these days. Not that he minded though.

Haekyung sat still, her cheeks growing somewhat warm at what he had just done, “Um, thanks...” It might have just sounded like she was confused, when really, the girl was only trying to hide how nervous she felt. These days, it didn’t really help that her heart palpitated whenever he was near. Nope, not one bit. It wasn’t like she was experienced with these kinds of things anyway.

So the girl still really had no idea.

Jungkook chuckled to himself, “No one’s going to steal your food. So slow down, okay?”

At this, she grew embarrassed, not even aware of her eating habits as she was distracted at how good the food tasted. Heck, it might have even been better than his dad’s, if she could remember correctly. Biting down on her lower lip, Haekyung mumbled softly, “You’re great at cooking.”

Not hearing her properly due to her quiet tone of voice, the boy raised a brow, gesturing her to come forward, “Could you repeat that? I didn’t hear you so well.” About to repeat what she was about to say, Taehyung entered the dining room just then, pulling at the chair on the girl’s right. On the opposite side, Sohee took a seat right next to Jungkook, her eyes curiously darting across the room, then back down at the food in delight. The two were surprised that the other boy had even bothered to prepare something. It’s been a while anyway. Haekyung only fell silent again.

“Thanks for cooking something for us, man. I was starving.” Taehyung spoke up.

Sohee beamed as well, “It tastes really good as usual. Thanks for inviting us over, Jungkook.”

Shaking his head at his friends, Jungkook momentarily turned his attention elsewhere, flashing the two a nonchalant smile with a shrug of his shoulders in reply, “Really? You guys know that you don’t even need to thank me. Oh yeah, there’s more in the kitchen if you want seconds.”

They nodded with similar smiles painted on their faces, peering over at the other girl.

Seeing that everyone was now looking her way, Haekyung blinked, pulling back from her seat. “You guys can continue eating, I’m already done.” Deciding that she would head back upstairs to resume her work on the sketch just before night falls, the girl got up from her seat, about to pass by the dining table before a hand reached out to softly grab hold of her left arm, startling her.

“I thought you were going to repeat what you’ve just said, polar bear.”

Jungkook glanced up at her innocently, about to flash her another charming smile. However, his movements halted when he felt her soft breathe hit against the sides of his ear before she pulled away. Haekyung didn’t even know how to repeat what she had just said on a whim, somewhat embarrassed with having to repeat it once more. Lightly groaning, the girl bent herself lower, quickly whispering into the boy’s ears with a quiet tone of voice, “You’re a really great cook.”

Quickly walking off after that, Haekyung dashed up the stairs in a hurry, leaving the boy stunned.

Huh? Did she just compliment him?

Sohee and Taehyung exchanged glances of mixed confusion, somewhat curious at the same time. “Everything okay, Jungkook?” The other boy questioned, all the while taking another bite of his food as the other girl remained silent, wondering just the same thing since Haekyung had ran off so suddenly. The two would have sworn that the girl was asleep just a good fifteen minutes ago.

Her voice replayed over his mind again and again, as if he was a broken record. Those simple words that effortlessly lingered on, seemed to have caused the boy to bite back a sincere smile.

Maybe from now on, I should probably consider cooking more often then.

In response to his friends’ questions, he gradually smiled to himself, his heart in a content place as he momentarily thought back to the girl’s expression when she whispered those words to him.

“Yeah. It’s nothing, don’t worry about it.”

---

Coming out of the bathroom after washing her hands from the first floor, she climbed the stairs, reaching the highest step before walking forward to slowly creak the door of the room open.

Setting herself back down, the girl made herself comfortable before picking up where she had left off just minutes before, one hand in the process of finishing up a part of the sketch. Maybe it had been a while that the two have been partners for this assignment, but it caught her by surprise that she had never really realized just how close she was coming to the finishing point.

Her eyes lowered to every part of her sketch, taking note of what she had indeed finished.

Everything was neatly sketched in, shaded, coloured, all except for the portion of the boy’s eyes, which was probably considered as one of the most detailed parts in the entirety of the sketch. Unknowingly thinking back to her progress, Haekyung smiled to herself, recalling all the memories tied to each part of the drawing. They have only gotten better gradually, bit by bit.

Of course, memories with that one boy she had somehow come to like in the end, though a part of her might have tried to deny it. But that would only mean that she’d be lying to herself though.

Sure, she might have not been the best in expressing what she felt towards certain people, and could have been a bit too aggressive for anyone’s liking, but that was only because it was how she normally reacted, whenever situations rendered her nervous and speechless. Maybe she’d like to become better at it someday, perhaps just a bit warmer than what she’d like herself to be.

And at the mention of that one boy, it was only until then that Haekyung had also realized something else, prompting her to slowly turn her head towards her right.

Just right beside her, he had one arm spread freely across the table, his head softly resting against it, with his other free arm tucked inwards just beneath it. With his eyes closed and the slow rhythm of his breathing, Jungkook slept there peacefully, though he might have looked a bit tired.

It had been a long day, so the boy must have drifted off to sleep without his knowledge.

After all, he did do all the cooking.

Gathering up on her feet, she found a medium length blanket placed just above a chair nearby, walking to the corner of the room before returning to her previous spot on the ground, her arms still grasping onto the fluffy material. Delicately placing it around his shoulders, she leaned back.

Checking for signs to see if he was okay with the material around him, Haekyung slowly blinked.

Her eyes remained still, gaze softening as she hesitantly brought a hand forward, the rate of her heart gradually picking up within pace. Carefully brushing away a strand of the soft hair that had laid over his eyes, the girl gently fixed it in place. However, Haekyung never managed to retrieve her hand from where it had lingered, her fingers trailing down lower to the boy’s cheek.

Unaware of what she was even doing, the girl then bit her lips with a heart-filled smile.

Gently running her fingers over the boy’s soft cheek, she caressed it lightly, not knowing why this feeling that was presented to her made her only made her feel light-headed, but delighted at the same time. Obviously, it wasn’t something that she thought could so easily be explained either.

She wasn’t going to lie, but ever since the day of her birthday just a couple of weeks ago, Haekyung had never truly realized just how much she appreciated the fact that Jungkook had stayed by her side, even though at certain times, she couldn’t come up with proper reasons as to why he would have done so in the first place. At first, it was probably only the responsibilities of being partners for this assignment. But as time passed by, clearly, that wasn’t the case anymore.

And with the realization that this assignment was coming to an end soon, something else hit her.

The possibility that there would no longer be days like these anymore.

In the second that Haekyung had come to this conclusion, a tinge of hurt flickered across her eyes, at the thought of no longer having this boy’s company. It shouldn’t have bothered her this much, but it did. They simply weren’t even compatible, places of two different roles in society. Knowing that, she had come to put that pass her as well, because she knew him better than that.

“What if I told you, that I’d like it if… if you’d be able to stay by my side for just a bit longer?”

Releasing a small breathe, the girl’s gentle eyes found the boy’s sleeping figure once more, about to retract her hand away at the thoughts of all these complications pulling her out of her trance.

However, Haekyung only froze in surprise, that familiar warmth returning to her memory the next second. Softly grabbing hold of the girl’s hand, he held it his larger ones instead, providing her the sense of warmth and security that she needed most. The boy then slowly opened his eyes in the process, the shape of his eyes still half-lidded as he adjusted to the light surrounding him.

Lightly resting their linked hands against the sides of his cheek, Jungkook gradually glanced up at her affectionately. It was as if during that one single moment, all of her worries melted away.

It simply melted away, when the corner of his lips began to beautifully curve upwards.

Haekyung slowly blinked back, the rhythm of her chest going off at an irregular beat, unable to say a word at the given moment. All it took was that one line to render her completely speechless. With their gazes locked, Jungkook softly tightened his hold around her slightly trembling hands.

“And what If I told you…that you’ve always held a special place in my heart, Haekyung?”