Areum’s on his bed.

Areum’s wearing his shirt.

Areum’s looking at him.

Areum’s crawling slowly towards him.

Jongin swallowed the lump in his throat as he moved back. The look in her eyes was different. She was biting her lip as she moved closer and closer. His back felt the hard headboard. There’s no more space to move to.

“D-Doctor Lee,” he muttered, almost breathy.

She pouted. “I told you; just call me noona,” she said, batting her lashes. She sat up and pulled the blanket that he was holding. His breath hitched when she grinned. Jongin swore she’s like a different person. “You look cute acting like that,” she added before tracing a finger on his arm.

He shuddered. Her touch was sending a tingling feeling all over his body. She leaned even closer and he looked away, shutting his eyes. His heart’s pounding at a crazy speed. It could even beat a racing car. He felt her soft lips pressing on his bare neck. “You smell nice,” she mumbled.

She pulled away slowly and stared at him. He still has his eyes shut. She held his face with both hands. “Open your eyes. Look at me.” He slowly did. They stared at each other for some time. “This noona will take care of you.”

And with those words, she claimed his lips.

Gasp.

Huff.

“Ah!”

Letting a soundless cry of pain, Jongin clutched his head when he hit his headboard. He rubbed the back of his head before looking around his silent room. He shut his eyes and kept on rubbing his head, letting go of a chain of profanities.

That dream almost gave him a heart attack. Everything’s so vivid that it’s hard to think of it as just a dream. He ran his hands over his face and sighed.

Areum was drunk and might be unaware of what she did but he, on the other hand, was in his sane mind and he’s perfectly affected by it. He’s in his late 20s but he’s taking the situation like a high school kid. He pulled his blanket and buried his head, grunting a little before shaking his head.

How should I act when I see her?

He snapped to his right when he heard his phone ringing so loud. With another sigh, he reached for it. “Hello?”

“Jongin? Did you just wake up?”

He rubbed his eyes and nodded. “Yes. Why are you calling? Is everything okay there?”

“Do I really need to have a reason to call my son?” his mom asked and he could picture her pouting. She does that everytime she wants to be clingy. “I’m just checking on you. Besides, I heard something from some of my friends there.”

“What is it?”

“They said you’re dating a doctor in your grandpa’s hospital. Is it true?”

Wow. Rumors even reach abroad. People at Hyoshin really are amazing. He shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. “I can’t say that we’re dating as of the moment. We’re still in the stage of knowing each other,” he replied and he could hear his mother chuckling on the other line.

“Can I expect a grandchild soon?”

It’s his turn to laugh this time. Just like his grandfather, his mother’s also in a hurry to get him married. She also wants to see her grandchild as soon as possible. Being a pediatrician, Jongin could understand why his mother likes kids. They’re like her stress reliever. She likes seeing kids laughing and having fun. “Mom, just keep your fingers crossed.”

“Okay. Is she pretty? Can you send a picture of her? What’s her name?”

He bit his lip before the corners tugged upwards. “Her name’s Lee Areum and yes, she’s pretty. As for sending a picture, I’ll try and take a picture of her.” Now that his mother mentioned the picture thingy, he noticed that he never really took any picture of her when there were many situations that he could’ve have gotten one.

“Just by her name, I could imagine a pretty girl. Jongin, if you’re really serious about this girl, don’t let her go. I’m so happy that you found a girl you like. I was worried that you’re going to stay single all your life.”

Jongin could understand why his mother’s worried. Since his last relationship in college which didn’t really last that long, he did not meet any girl and he just concentrated on his studies. There were malicious rumors about him that went around saying that girls are not really his preference. Some of the people around him looked at him weirdly and even coldly judged him. He wasn’t really bothered because he knew and knows himself than anyone else.

“Don’t worry about me. By the way, how’s dad?”

“You’re father’s busy as usual but he said he’s going to take a break for a week. Ah, your sister said that she’s going to visit you soon.”

“Sohyun said she’s going to come here in Seoul?”

“Yes. She didn’t say much about the details but she said she wants to see your grandpa. The last time we talked on the phone, she said she’s in Japan.”

Sohyun’s a free soul. Despite their parents’ wish for her to pursue medicine like Jongin, she went her own way. There was no drama. Their parents did not cut her from their family tree just because of that. They just accepted her decision and now, she’s doing music with all her heart. Jongin’s her biggest fan.

“I’ll call her and ask her on my own. I bet she’s in another country now,” he commented, smiling.

“Okay. Take care of yourself and your grandpa. And about that girl you like, I hope you’ll end up with her.”

Jongin nodded. “Got it. Take care too.”

The line went dead after a while and the smile on his face didn’t falter.

I really hope I end up with her.

Jongin looked at Mira from head to toe. He sighed.

“Hey, I’m not introducing you to a guy you’ll take to a bar. Why are you dressed like that?” he asked, pointing at her dress. Mira rolled her eyes. He’s just over exaggerating. In her eyes, it’s a decent dress. It’s just a little bit above her knees.

Mira agreed to his plan of being introduced to a friend who’s also a doctor. And there they were, standing in the middle of the hospital lobby where Jongin’s making a fuss about her dress. “If you’re not going to date me, just don’t bother. You’re acting like a very conservative boyfriend,” she commented and he scoffed in disbelief.

“I’m just being a protective older brother here.”

She raised a brow before shaking her head. “So, are we just going to stand here or what?”

Jongin sighed and grabbed Mira by the wrist, pulling her to the door. She pulled back. “Where are we going?” she asked, eyes wide open. “To a place where you can change your clothes,” he replied.

“What? Why?” she complained, pulling her arm from him.

“Are you joking right now? Have you seen yourself in the mirror? Why the hell would you wear such revealing dress? Is that even a dress to begin with? Your back’s so bare.”

Jongin’s already being conscious of the stares that they’re getting from the people in the lobby. Before the scene gets even bigger, he removed his white gown and put it on Mira’s bare shoulders and continued pushing her to the door. She started stomping her heels in protest. He suddenly came to a halt when he saw Areum entering the hospital. Getting the diversion that she needed, Mira ran towards Areum and hid on her back like a kid.

Areum turned to Mira before looking at Jongin who looked like he just saw a ghost. Instead of turning pale as a blank bond paper, Areum noticed that his ears were turning beaten red. Little did she know that his mind’s replaying what happened last night and his vivid dream that felt so real.

After some minutes, they found themselves waiting awkwardly for Mira to get changed. Areum’s not really sure how she got home last night. Her mother told her that Jongin was the one who sent her home. All she could remember was downing alcohol, trying to forget the things that have been bugging her since Bogum talked to her. And right now, she’s not sure if she did something wrong because Jongin’s acting abnormally quiet and awkward.

She scratched the back of her neck and cleared and throat. She lifted her face and looked at Jongin who was staring at the opposite direction of the hallway. “Uhm…did I do something wrong or weird last night?” she started and Jongin turned to her. “You see…I really don’t remember anything when I get drunk.”

Is she serious? She doesn’t remember anything? He asked himself, brows bristling. Is that a good thing or a bad thing? This is so unfair. My mind’s all over the place because of what she did but she’s not affected at all because she couldn’t remember it. He internally sighed.

Noticing his expression, Areum felt a little jittery. “I really did something, am I right? Did I make a scene again? Like the one I did outside the club?” she questioned and Jongin could see that she’s genuinely worried. This is really unfair. Should I tell her or not? He bit his lip and pocketed his hands.

“You behaved really well this time. You didn’t do anything,” he lied. In the past, he lied about her kissing him when she got drunk but now that it happened, he couldn’t bring himself telling the truth. There really must be something wrong with him. He saw her smile and sigh in relief.

“That’s a relief. So that must be a dream,” she muttered and he raised a brow. “What?” he asked and she looked up in surprise.

“N-Nothing,” she answered before touching her lips as if she became suddenly self-conscious. Her cheeks were turning rosy and Jongin came to a conclusion. What the- D-Does she remember? Does she think that it’s all a dream? He suddenly felt like everything became hot that he started sweating.

“This noona will take care of you.”

He shuddered when that seductive voice came to his mind. He shook his head, shooing those thoughts before he looked away. Looking at Areum acting self-conscious was tempting. He’s a man after all.

The silence between the two was broken when Mira opened the door and stepped out with Areum’s spare clothes that she had in her locker. “At least you have a good sense in fashion ahjum- I mean, unnie,” Mira stated while fixing her clothes.

Unnie? When did we get close for her to call me unnie? Areum asked while staring at the younger lady. “By the way, what are you doing here Ms. Kang?” Areum asked and she saw Jongin smiling a little when he heard how she addressed her. Mira shrugged casually.

“I’m meeting someone. And you can call me Mira. Since you’re eventually going to date Jongin oppa, I’ll call you unnie from now on,” she replied.

Jongin and Areum looked at each other. The latter’s gaze went back to Mira. “I see,” Areum muttered. Mira turned to Jongin. “Shall we go now? I know that you’re busy,” she asked and Jongin nodded quickly.

He looked at Areum and smiled. Nothing will happen if he does not go back to how he usually acts. He chose to lie when she asked him if something happened anyway. The button for Jongin to turn into his normal, cheerful and cringe-worthy romantic self was already pushed at that instant.

He nodded at her and ushered Mira through the lobby. After taking some steps, Mira turned around. “Unnie, I’ll be very mad at you if you hurt Jongin oppa so you must take care of him very well.”

Areum’s taken aback by what she just heard. Jongin also looked surprised but he quickly covered Mira’s mouth and pulled her away. He nodded again at Areum before they took the right turn.

A small smile crept to her face. “They’re really alike. They’re both blunt,” she mumbled before she bit her lip. She traced her lower lip with her index finger as her mind replayed her blurry memory of that night – Jongin’s surprised look after she pressed her lips with his.

It’s just a dream, Lee Areum.

“Where does your husband work again?”

“How old is your son? I haven’t seen you in a while since you left for Canada.”

“Do you know that Jimin got a divorce?”

“So where are you working now? I heard that you resigned from the company.”

“I got this from Singapore. Isn’t it pretty?”

Areum looked around, at her former high school classmates, as they talked to each other. She’s been sitting in the middle of the chattering for the last 30 minutes. She looked at her phone again, waiting for a call from Hyeri. Who would’ve thought that the reunion would be like that? She hasn’t attended a reunion for years and this time, she agreed because Hyeri said that it’s for Minah because her husband died but seeing the hype event, maybe she’s not mourning that much or that she’s just letting herself drown in the moment to not think of the pain of losing her husband.

Areum just sat quietly, observing the changes in her classmates. It has been years and it’s obvious that some of them gained weight, lose weight, and even did plastic surgery. There were some of them who looked nothing than how they looked when they were still younger. She, on the other hand, is confident that she still looks the same except for some wrinkles that might be visible now.

“Oh! Kim Junmyeon! You’re here!”

She tensed up. She hasn’t seen Junmyeon, her high school crush, in ages. She turned around and she swore that he looked even younger than before. Her male classmates welcomed him with firm handshakes as he made his way towards them. “How’s business in the U.S.? Still booming?” one of their talkative classmates asked and Junmyeon laughed. “Yeah, still going strong,” he replied as he took a seat opposite her.

It’s not that she still likes him but she felt nervous meeting him again like that. She could still remember those days when she would just stare at him like a fool. Junmyeon’s one of those studious guys who have the brains and the looks at the same time. “Wait. Lee Areum?” he suddenly asked, pointing at her. She awkwardly nodded with a small smile.

Junmyeon smiled in return. “Wah~ I can’t believe you’re here. I haven’t seen you in ages. You look prettier than before.”

She just shyly nodded her head. “Nice to see you here,” she muttered.

“She’s a doctor at Hyoshin Hospital,”