❝chapter08;
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                                   "You're both such a cute couple!"

“Lee Ji Hyun.”

It was currently 9am in the morning. Kai knocked on the door, getting impatient as there was no reply coming from her room.

“Yah, Lee Ji Hyun!” Kai tried again as he knocked harder, “Are you up or not?”

There was no reply on the other end, except for inaudible murmurs. Kai frowned and leaned closer to the door, “Are you still alive in there?” As much as he did not want to enter a girl’s room just like that, he practically had to just because he was forced by his mum again to go grocery shopping with Ji Hyun.

“Get up or I’m coming in!”

“.....................”

“I’m coming in, Lee Ji Hyun.”

Twisting the door knob open carefully, Kai popped his head into the room and immediately caught sight of the girl sprawled on her bed sleeping soundly. Ji Hyun had fallen asleep at the other side of the bed, her hair still in a messy ponytail as books and notepads surrounded her petite body. Kai watched the girl in disbelief and almost let out a laugh as he carefully walked closer to her bed, watching the way she continued sleeping without any acknowledgement of his presence.

“You’re looking really glam,” Kai groaned inwardly and rolled his eyes at her, “Fancy a girl sleeping like that.” He watched her move around comfortably in her sheets messily.

“Seems like she’s still in a deep sleep. This piggy aish..” Kai shook his head at the girl as he stared at her. Recalling how Ji Hyun had knocked out terribly after spending the whole afternoon with the EXO boys and Jongkook playing around, he remembered how she even continued studying for her literature test so intensively the moment she got home.

Kai could hear her breathing and he watched her. He leaned closer to her, studying her face closely, Why is it always so interesting to see a different side of you, Lee Ji Hyun? Kai thought, his lips unconsciously curling up as he watched the girl infront of him, So unlike the normal and noisy you for once.

“Lee Ji Hyun, wake up.” Kai shook her shoulders as he watched the girl stir slowly, eyebrows knitting together as she tried to shut him away.

“Get up now you sleepy head.” Sighing, Kai pulled the curtains wide open and the strong rays of sunlight started streaming into her room, hitting Ji Hyun directly on her face. “I totally wouldn’t be doing this if I wasn’t forced to.” He rolled his eyes.

“Asdfghjklwonssmx...”Ji Hyun squinted and turned away in return.

Kai watched the girl mumble a string of inaudible words. He couldn’t help but let out a chuckle, weirdly finding her cute at the same time as she clung onto her pillow beside her. “What on earth are you even saying..” He shook her again, a little stronger this time. “Yah! Lee Ji Hyun, stop sleeping already! It’s already 9am, mind you!”

He watched her scrunched her nose slightly. Laughing, Kai shook his head and leaned closer to her face as he flicked her forehead, “You sure seem to be enjoying your sleep, huh? Aish.. this pabo.”

“Hmmm..” Ji Hyun slowly opened her eyes as she adjusted to the brightness to him when Kai suddenly appeared in front of her. Way too close in front of her.

“Yahhhh!” Yelling at the top of her lungs as her eyes sprang open widely, Ji Hyun’s body jumped backwards against the bed and she shot Kai a surprised almost immediately, “W-What the hell are you doing in my room? And when did you even get in? How long have you been in here?”

“And why were you so c-close to me! Y-You ert!” Ji Hyun threw a pillow straight in Kai’s direction as he caught it swiftly, shooting her a look.

“Mwo?! ert?” His jaw dropped at Ji Hyun’s words as he thought of what Ji Hyun was thinking of him. Did she really think I’d do something like that? What’s up with her thinking?

She shifted in her bed uncomfortably as she avoided eye contact with him, “Y-Yeah..!”

Kai watched her got flustered as her cheeks became pink, he sighed at the girl, “Yah, mind your words! Who are you calling a ert!” He raked his hands in his hair, frustrated as he placed both of his hands on his hips. “You have no idea how long I had to knock on that door just to check whether you were still alive in here or not!”

He watched her scanned his face before he cleared his throat and continued, “A-Anyway! Umma wants me to go grocery shopping with you. And FYI, if you’re wondering, I was forced into this again. I surely did not want my allowance to get cut by my mom, and that explains why you need to get out of bed now Lee Ji Hyun!”

“Grocery shopping?” She looked at him curiously with round eyes, “B-But with you?”

Kai snickered at the girl’s reaction and crossed his arms against his chest and gave her a flat expression as usual, “Ha, does it look like I’m looking forward to it too? I surely don’t want my allowance to be cut just because of you!” But it sounds kinda fun doing it with you, Lee Ji Hyun, Kai thought at the back of his head.

Ji Hyun sighed and stared at him uncertainly, “Fine, you and I both have no choice anyway. I’ll be down in 10 mins.” Jumping out of bed, Kai watched Ji Hyun swing her cupboards open as she scrambled around the room getting ready.

“Aren’t you gonna get out? Shoo!” She spoke with her toothbrush in as she kicked the toilet door shut with her leg.

Kai watched her figure disappear behind the toilet door, slightly stunned at how fast she was moving. He had thought that she would be like other girls, taking her own sweet time to get ready, or complaining that it was too early in the morning to go grocery shopping, but no. Kai let out a small smile as he chuckled, shaking his head at her, "You’re amazing, Lee Ji Hyun. Just amazing."

“Avocado, avocado, avocado.. Avocados right?” Ji Hyun scanned the dark green fruit all around, expertly picking the right ones as Kai assumed.

“Are you some sort of cooking expert? How’d you know which are the ones to pick?” Kai eyed her actions.

Ji Hyun let out a laugh as she looked at him, “It’s just by experience, Kim Jongin. I do grocery shopping back in the US too. Umma teaches me how to pick food. You didn’t expect me to be this smart right?” She smiled cockily at him, pretending to show off as she handed him the fruits, “You surely don’t know about things like this?”

Scoffing, Kai shook her head at the girl, “That’s just because you learnt them before. Now, tell me about it.”

“Now look. For avocados, you pick the ones that are dark green in colour. They’re the ones that are really ripe. If you press it, it should be slightly soft and that just proves that it’s ready to eat. Got it?” Ji Hyun smiled at him proudly.

“Not bad,” Kai smirked at her and knocked her forehead, “At least you know your stuff, despite the thick skull you have.”

“Yah!” Ji Hyun snapped at him and shot him a glare.

Walking along the aisles of the supermarket, Ji Hyun took the lead by picking up the food they needed to get, while Kai pushed the trolley behind her. His eyes were either looking at the food on the shelves, or watching the way Ji Hyun shopped. He noticed how she constantly tapped her chin, or furrowed her brows whenever she had certain doubts of what food brands to get.

“This,” Kai reached out and grabbed the can of tomato sauce which he recalls his mum usually gets, “This is the one we need to get.” He placed it into the trolley while Ji Hyun raised her brows at him.

“How are you so sure?” Ji Hyun asked.

Kai stared at her flatly, “Even if I don’t help out at the kitchen, I do once in a while help to pack the groceries Umma buys back, okay.”

As the duo continued shopping and walking around, Kai could sense the stares that they were getting from the customers nearby as he heard the ahjummas whispering to one another. He saw how they were showering Ji Hyun and him endless of envious stares. However, he saw how oblivious Ji Hyun was to the stares they were getting as he eyes focused on the shopping list she was holding onto.

Aish, Lee Ji Hyun, really.. Oblivious dork all the time, he chuckled inwardly.

“Ahjumma, how much are these apples?” Ji Hyun asked the old lady tending to them as she picked up a few, placing them in the trolley.

“A packet of 8 for $4 dollars, miss.” The ahjumma flashed a smile at her in return, then continuing, “Miss, you’re so lucky to have such a handsome boyfriend! You’re both such a cute couple!”

Ji Hyun’s eyes widened in shock as she stared at Kai who couldn’t resist from letting out a chuckle at her reaction. “E-Eh? You’ve mistaken, ahjumma! We’re just-”

“How could we have mistaken, young lady? You’re such a petty lady, and your boyfriend’s so handsome.. You both look like a perfect pair!” Another old lady joined in and grinned widely at the two teenagers. Ji Hyun cheeks turned pink as her jaw dropped.

“N-No we’re nothing like that!” Ji Hyun shook her head frantically and glared at Kai who seemed to be enjoying it instead. Is this guy crazy? Say something, Kim Jongin! Ji hyun thought at the back of her head.

To her dismay and shock, Kai bowed at the two ahjummas before saying, “Thank you so much, but we have to go now.”

Ji Hyun felt Kai dragged her away to another aisle and she immediately stepped on his foot with him groaning in pain, “Yah! Are you crazy? What was that for? Y-You could have just helped me and said n-no!” She cried.

Kai was enjoying this too much, watching her got flustered, and he didn’t know why. “Why? Is it that bad for you to date me? Well, seems like you’re the first girl who isn’t pleased getting paired with me huh?” He swung his arm around her casually, deciding to again. He watched how Ji Hyun’s cheeks pinked slightly as she stared at him round-eyed. To be honest, he didn’t hate it, but enjoyed it, even if it was just a little to see Ji Hyun’s reaction. If other girls were caught in the same situation as him now, he would surely hate it or shrugged it away, but for Lee Ji Hyun, he somehow seemed to like it. A little.

“Y-Yah! Get off me! Are we very close?” She stuttered and turned red at the sudden close body contact with him, “Well, there a-are much better guys than you, Jongin. Look, that guy there is kind of cute. At least he looks like a gentlemen, look at how polite he is to the granny there.” She rolled her eyes at Kai and pointed to another guy who was a few meters away from them.

He scoffed and raised his brows at her, “Is there something wrong with your eyes? You’re probably just blinded by the eye smiles he’s giving you from there.. How can you compare him with me? He looks nothing like a-”

“Nuh-uh. Comments to yourself, thank you.” She shot him a death glare and continued walking to the cashier to pay.

“You’re most welcome.” He rolled his eyes at her.

“Don’t think so highly of yourself just because you’re handso-” Ji Hyun immediately slapped her palm against her lips to shut herself up as she immediately chided herself in her brain. Yah, Lee Ji Hyun! Did you just praise him? Darn it, now he’s gonna appear all cocky like again?

Ji Hyun saw Kai’s lips curled into a smirk as he leaned closer to her, “So you do think I’m handsome, Lee Ji Hyun?”

She sulked, annoyed that Kai was feeling victorious again. You and your wrong choices of words, Lee Ji Hyun!  “T-That wasn’t what I exactly meant!” She treid to take back her wrong choices of words.

“Finally your true feelings are out hmm?” Kai grinned at her as he continued teasing, despite the stares getting from all the customers again, “So you do find me attractive?”

“Aish, stop it Kim Jongin. People are starring.. Y-You just can’t stop teasing me can you!” Ji Hyun bit her lip, anxious. Ji Hyun could hear her heart beat faster as the heat started to rush to her cheeks. W-Why are you feeling this way, Lee Ji Hyun! This is Kim Jongin, the jerk Kim Jongin, remember? Wake up, aish! The girl was becoming helpless as she couldnt help but stare at Kai who was staring back at her.

“Fancy a girl trying to handle all of these,” He grabbed all the heavy shopping bags away from her hands and smirked, breaking the eye contact between them, “Give them to me, dork.” With that, she watched Kai walked away.

Ji Hyun looked at him, slightly wowed as she stood rooted to the ground. Did he just offer to help? Wow, that’s a first, Kim Jongin..She smiled unconsciously, before  turning to thank the lady at the cashier who seemed to be giving her goofy looks, before running after Kai and muttering under her breath softly, “Thanks..”

"Welcome." She heard him reply as he continued to stare straight ahead.

A small smile then appeared on Kai's face.

a/n ; hey y'alllll ;> new chapter!! can you all sense what's going on hehehe :) hope ypu liked this chapter and if you did, please comment, subscribe, and upvote! will update more soon ^^

xx.

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