Hello, work has been hectic lately so update may not be slow

Also, broken family (bc of third party) is mentioned in this chapter. You might be sensitive about it so just scroll pass through it. (It's during the flashback when reader wanted a hug)

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With a grunt, you pull yourself to sit up. You rub your eyes as a yawn makes its way out of your mouth. Blinking a few more times, you check the time.

It's eight minutes before seven. You groan as you flop yourself on the mattress. It's already late for you to go for a run. You usually get up at four to do it, but it was already past two A.M. when you went back home from yoursafe place.

Kicking the blanket away, you get up from your bed and head down stairs to prepare breakfast. The living room is already clear. The boys might have transferred to Dowoon's room to sleep.

Your pace becomes slow when you see familiar boxes on the table. There are three banana milk and there's a note beneath them. You take and read it.

Because Brian drank what I gave yesterday.

Creasing your forehead, you think about who Brian is.

Oh, yeah. Younghyun!

Folding your lips together, you get the three boxes of milk and put it on the fridge again. Remembering what the black haired did yesterday, you find a piece of paper and a marker.

You can get anything in here except the boxes of banana milk. Hands off, especially you, BRIAN.

You smile as you finish writing the last word. You saw how the young man argued with Jae yesterday about the name.

With a satisfied smile, you close the marker, stand up and place the note on the refrigerator.

You begin to prepare breakfast only to have it eaten at three in the afternoon because the guys woke up very late.

For what seems the twentieth time, you walk towards the window of your roomroom. You take a peek outside and unconsciously frown when you see no hint of a particular person.

He went to drop the milks but didn't even bother to see me?

Not that you're waiting for him, though. You're not, right? You've waited for him for several years already and you're done with that. You're not gonna wait for him anymore. Not even for a minute. Never.
 

“Sungjin, how long should I wait for you?” you're both at your safe place again. He's moving to Seoul tomorrow.

“What are you talking about? Who's waiting who?”

You huffed, preventing a tear to fall. You slumped on the bench and smiled tightly. “I won't be seeing you for so long,” you felt your eyes starting to heat up. “Can I finally hug you now?”

Sungjin leaned on the railing. He crossed his arms and shook his head.

You dropped your shoulders. “Then when you graduate? How many years would Civil and Environmental Engineering take? Four years? Five? Six?”

“You're gonna wait for years just for a hug?”

You trapped a sob. It's not ‘just’ a hug. You looked down at your hands, fidgeting. Yes, it's not just a hug. It's like going back to home.

Ever since you found out that your father was cheating, your world crumbled. You were his princess, his partner in crime. He was your man, your best friend and your hero. But everything’s just a long lost memory of yours. Even though you were just six, you understood everything. You were intelligent and mature for your age.

Just when you were trying to be fine, you found out your mother also got another man. She said she deserves it after what your father has done; she said she also needs someone to love and take care of her.

You became so lost but then you found home again--in Sungjin's arms. It was the day when he brought you to his secret place. It was the first time he enclosed you in his embrace and the first time after a long time, you felt safe again.

But puberty hit and you've never hugged him again. He became sensitive and he didn't like people touching him.

This time, he'd be leaving and you'd gonna be left wandering alone, trying to look for your way home.

You shook your head and met his eyes. You flashed a sad smile. “Bye, Sungjin.”

You flip your body before your stretch your arms. You stare at the ceiling for a bit as you realize you dreamt about the day before he left.

You yawn and look at the digital clock on your bedside table. It's already evening.

No trace of your brother, Sungjin's friends, and him can be seen. You walk lazily towards the kitchen.

Shall I prepare dinner?

You don't have an appetite and you're not sure if the boys will be staying the night at your house again.

After washing your hands, the door opens and it reveals Dowoon.

“Where did you go?”

“I toured Sungjin's friends around,” he turns to look at you with hopeful eyes. “And they'd probably sleep there tonight,” he bites his lower lip.

“And you want to stay the night there, too?” you smile softly. “Go ahead. Shall I cook you dinner?”

He shakes his head and dashes upstairs. “We're eating at Sungjin's,” he yells.

There's no single glimpse of Sungjin until the night ends. When morning comes the next day, you go for a run. A surprise awaits you when you come home.

“Hello,” a handsome young man flashes a bright grin.

You mirror his smile before running towards him and jump on him. He catches you and embraces you tightly before carefully putting you down.

“Beomie,” you grin.

“Missed me?”

You nod eagerly and he ruffles your hair. As he straightens up, he notices a figure, standing a couple of feet behind you, who seems like shooting daggers on him.

You follow what his sharp eyes are looking at and see Sungjin with clenched jaw.

He calls out your name, eyes still darted on the young man in front of you. “Breakfast?”

“Oh, right.” Jaebeom, your surprise visitor, utters. “Do you want me to cook you breakfast?”

You flip your head back to look at him and smile again. “Sounds great.” Feeling Sungjin's stare behind you, you look at him again. “Anyway, this is Sungjin. And Sungjin, this is Jaebeom.”

Jaebeom offers a hand, smile still sitting on his face, while Sungjin glares at his outstretched hand before finally shaking it.

You motion Jaebeom to go inside your house and Sungjin follows behind.

“You should rest.”

“I'm fine,” he raises his brows to assure you. “It was just a… three-hour ride? Besides, I bet you missed my omelette.”

Sungjin rolls his eyes, thinking that the other guy keeps on trying to look cute for you, with all the smiles and nose scrunches. He sees the note you made for Younghyun and smiles to himself. He opens the fridge and put another three boxes of banana milk that you didn't notice him holding.

You keep chatting with Jaebeom as Sungjin pours himself a glass of water and sits on the high stool.

“Shall I cook for your brother, too?”

“You should cook for four more persons,” Sungjin butts in.

Jaebeom looks at him cluelessly while your forehead furrows. He shrugs. Jaebeom glances at you to confirm what he said, and you realizes what he meant.

“Oh yeah, Dowoon got new friends,” you show a tight smile. “Don't worry, though. I'll be the one to cook for them.”

“No, its okay.” Jaebeom scrunches his nose and nods at the stool beside Sungjin. “Just sit down and let me take care of things, okay?”

"Sorry I wasn't able to meet you yesterday," Sungjin utters when you sit beside him. You try so hard to look uninterested but you badly want to know why he wasn't around. "I was out doing some errands with my father. And when I get back you were already asleep."

The three of you eat breakfast together because the boys aren't awake yet. You and Jaebeom jumps from topic to topic, as if friends that haven't seen for years and are trying to catch up, when in reality, it's only been less than a week.

Sungjin comments from time to time but you just keep on glaring at him. Although he might be quite annoying, Jaebeom finds him interesting. He knows really well why the other is acting the way he is now--being grumpy and trying to put him on the bad side.

“I'd probably drop by here again tomorrow,” he plasters a cute and tight smile. “I'm visiting a friend, who's just in the next town.”

You pout and he pinches your nose.

“I'll bring you strawberry milk. Now don't be sad, okay?”

You smile and nodded. “Come back, okay? I'll wait.”

Hearing the ‘wait’ word makes Sungjin bothered. He doesn't like the idea of you waiting for someone else.

Hiding a smirk, Jaebeom bends down a bit and purse his lips. You step closer and inches your head forward to cause his lips meet your head. After planting a kiss, he encloses you in his arms.

“Take care,” you utter before letting go of him.

Sungjin, who's sitting on the couch, grips on the pillow tightly. The urge to throw anything at that sharp-eyed guy is strong. He wants to stand between the two of you or pull you away from him.

“You, too,” Jaebeom crinkles his nose before ruffling your hair. “I love you.”

“I love you, too,” you wave at him and he closes the door.

Sungjin's knuckles are already white from clenching his fists so tight. His veins are becoming more prominent now.

“Who exactly is that guy?” he interrogates when you turn away from the door.

“Im Jaebeom.”

“Boyfriend?”

“No.”

“Suitor? And why strawberry milk? Banana milk is your favorite."

You furrow your forehead and pace towards the kitchen. “No. And I liked banana milk because there's a bear. Strawberry milk is our, me and Beom's, favorite."

He dishevels his hair in annoyance. “Where are you going?”

You sigh exasperatingly. “Kitchen. Prepare lunch.”

“I'll do that,” he stands up swiftly and marches towards the kitchen.

“No.”

“There are still a lot of food from earlier. And we can ask Mom for the side dishes. What do you want for lunch?”

“I'm gonna make it myself, Sungjin. The side dishes, too.”

“Let me do it.”

You massage your temple before placing your hands on your waist. You moisten your lips as you stare at him.

“Why are you doing this?”

“Can't a guy take care of a girl?” He retorts. “What? Jaebeom can get to tell you to stay put while he does everything and you follow but you won't let me?” You continue to study him. “Again, can't a guy take care of a girl?”

“If the girl is special for him.”

He nods. “So let me.”