"i love in heartbeats, slow and sweet, so sweet, and hard, and reckless, and racing, and so close, maybe too close… so then running, and reaching, and aching, but in heartbeats, everything, all of it, in heartbeats"
— butterflies rising

Kai and Su Min stood side by side with blushing cheeks, blinking nonstop as they stared silently at the problematic situation they were currently faced with.

It was no longer about coming to the same place, nor sharing the same housing. It was something worse. Much worse than she could’ve imagined.

In front of them sat a neatly made, full sized mattress fitted with heated comforters and four surprisingly small pillows, mocking its stunned guests for the next two nights.

"Um," Kai mumbled as he ran a hand through his soft locks. He looked at Su Min just as she turned to him, making their eyes meet for a brief moment, recommencing silence.

They gave each other equally awkward smiles then pinned their gazes back ahead, followed by more silence.

"Su Min-ah! Jongin-ssi!" the old lady thankfully interrupted from behind. Without waiting for their replies, she crossed the threshold, and made her way to the kitchen with a tray of fire-baked sweet potatoes and a kettle of hot barley tea in hand.

In an effort to avoid each other’s eyes, Su Min and Kai emerged from the bedroom with lowered heads, and quietly took a seat at the dining table as instructed.

Ms. Jang served each of them a plate of potatoes she just finished skinning and a cup of tea, before occupying the empty seat across Kai. She stared at him with her sheepish grin and held her head up with fisted hands, completely transfixed by his attractive face.

Unsure of how to respond without being disrespectful, Kai flashed an uncomfortable smile and secretly tapped Su Min's leg with his foot, as if pleading for help.

Su Min pressed her lips together, trying her best to hold in the laughter, but she still found herself snickering in her seat. After a while, as entertaining as it was, she eventually felt bad enough for letting him experience the same uneasiness her brother felt during their past visits.

She cleared , "Unni."

Hearing her voice, the ahjumma looked up, still a little dazed. "Hm? Oh right. Right, I'm sorry. He's just so handsome is all," she quickly replied as she surfaced from her hypnotic state.

Ms. Jang gathered her trays and stood up, finally recalling what she came here to do. "Anyway, I'm having a small Christmas Eve dinner out in the courtyard later tonight, and I’d really like for the two of you to come," she informed them, then quickly added, "But since I have far too many guests this year, I don’t think it'll be enough to fill you up. You might want to grab a bite or two before coming."

After giving notice, the woman her heels, but immediately braked and spun around. "Also, our local market already closed for the day and the nearest convenient store closes in a few hours, so if you need to buy anything, you should really go soon," she stated and did another 180. "Don’t forget about tonight, okay? I'm sure even if I don't get enough to eat, I'll be satisfied just by looking at our Jongin-ssi," she teased over her shoulder and gave him a wink, making the idol shudder.

Oh boy. Su Min thought with suppressed giggles. Wait. Speaking of tonight…

Suddenly remembering their sleeping dilemma, she chased after the old woman. "Ahjum—unni!" she called to the ahjumma, who looked up from slipping on her shoes. "Do you happen to have a futon and some blankets?" Su Min asked as she reached the door.

Ms. Jang lowered her eyes for a moment, as if searching through the inventory in her head, then shook her head. "Sorry dear, but I've already handed out all the extras I have," she answered, "Why? Do you not have some a