.22.

Haru always believed that there is a meaning to every kiss that is shared between two people. 

Well, it wasn't her first time, and she had done things with Lucas that is far more than a kiss. But when she was kissing Jaehyun, it felt different. The moment their lips touched, it ignited into an unexplainable feeling. It was warm but it gave shivers down her spine. It gave her some kind of a thrill but not as much as the comfort she felt for finally being honest about her feelings for him. 

She didn't want to compare but if she was to choose, Jaehyun was definitely a better kisser and that was an unbiased answer. 

Haru was supposedly to take a day off but one of the staffs called in sick which leave her no choice but to cover up for her. After what happened last night, she didn't know how to act in front of Jaehyun. Should she treat him the same way as before or should it be more than that? They did cleared up their misunderstanding but none of them made anything official yet.

After the kiss, the two of them somehow ended up inside Jaehyun's car which somehow led to another lip-locking session that she obviously enjoyed too much. In all honesty, Haru admitted that she got carried way but she regretted not talking things over. She thought she would get a text from him this morning at least but she assumed he was probably running late as well especially when he left at two in the morning. She decided to ignore it for now and address it later if she ever sees him which she hopes she wouldn't for now.

But then again, sometimes the things she hopes for always turns out the exact opposite. 

During lunch, she and Jieun were headed to the patio at the third floor as Jieun suggested to get into a change of scenery since she has been working for 5-day straight now. When Jieun brought up the topic she have been carefully avoiding, Haru knew there was another reason why she suddenly dragged her to eat somewhere else and it surprised her that Jieun was able to hold herself from asking her the moment she saw her at work.

She noticed how Jieun has been eyeing her while she takes a bite from her sandwich. Jieun was itching to ask her but she didn't want to come off rude especially when Haru likes to keep things to herself instead.

"Did you brought me here to ask me about me and Dr. Jeong?" But she knew Haru was always able to catch on, she just needed a small nudge. 

Jieun stopped eating, cheeks stuffed with pasta, letting out a tight-lipped smile instead. Haru then told her everything that happened from the time she left the tent while still leaving some parts that were better left unknown. 

"Congratulations to being an official couple." Jieun cheered, clapping loudly which earned a few stares from the other diners.

"Keep it down." She shushed, pulling Jieun's hand from making another sound. She ignored her friend's plea as she excitedly asked her, "So, when are you going out on your first date?" 

Haru can't help but show a hint of disappointment as she let out a long sigh, wearily shrugging her shoulders, "Who knows." 

Jieun was already confused at how her friend was acting but before she got the chance to get a full content of the story, she noticed a few people dressed in white coat entering the patio. She slightly kicked Haru's leg underneath the table, cocking her head towards the entrance, "Hey. He's here." Haru looked up, quite jumbled that she accidentaly made eye contact with the same person she didn't want to see as of now. 

Haru pretended not to see him, cowering behind her half-bitten sandwich assuming that it could make her less visible even on plain sight. She didn't expect to face him sooner, but not everything is in her control; it's mostly the other way around. 

"Jieun. Haru. What's up?" Dr. Moon greeted them first, she noticed some of them were walking towards their table, including Jaehyun. "Hey, Dr. Moon. Finally eating lunch?" Jieun asked, eyeing the tray he was carrying. "Yeah, mind if we join you guys?" Haru's ears quickly perked up at the familiar voice, the two girls shared a nervous look as Haru tried to send some kind of signal to Jieun. Before one of them could even answer, Dr. Moon already took a sit beside Jieun. 

"Sorry for bothering you two. It seems like this area is packed today." Dr. Song said, sitting beside Dr. Moon while the rest followed. Haru inwardly prayed that Jaehyun wouldn't take the seat beside him but to her dismay, it was the only one left available. "Hello, Miss Lee." Jaehyun annoyingly smiled which made her stare at him a bit longer than expected, unknowingly stuttering when she greeted him back, "H-he-hello, Dr. Jeong." Jieun shot her a worried look as Haru dismissed it, continuing to eat her lunch in peace while she tried to compose herself.

"Dr. Moon, it's kinda rare to see some of you guys here. You guys are usually hauled up inside your quarters." Jieun always find it easy when it comes to small talks, even with the seniors. For Haru, striking up these kind of short conversations regarding stuffs besides work would immediately equate to a long, awkward silence that would turn her into a blabbering mess. Good thing, Jieun was with her or else she would've made a quick excuse to leave by now. 

Dr. Moon said, "Well, we just finished our evaluation and everyone got hungry after two hours of being stuck in there."

"I don't think I'll survive that long, hearing you talk about higher medical terms and with no food the least." Jieun spoke frankly but was discreet enough not to sound offensive in any way. Dr. Song then extended his arm out on the middle of the table, carefully placing a variety of chocolate kisses, "That's why we're armed with these. Keeps me awake." Dr. Moon nodded his head in agreement, taking one for himself. "I might need one later. Thanks." He said, sliding it inside the pocket of his white coat.

"You should tell that to Haru, Dr. Song. She's drinking an insane loads of coffee." Haru was quick to defend against Jieun's claim. "Don't put it that way. I'm consuming just enough to keep me awake for the whole day."

As a part-time student whose taking up a master's degree, it was difficult for Haru to balance her study, work, and personal life. It also meant she was getting less sleep compared to the recommended amount of hours a person should have. That's why she has been taking a considerable amount of caffeine - probably around one-two cups a day - which is far from what Jieun had proclaimed. But there are times the coffee wasn't kicking in enough, that she'd get more beyond it especially when she's trying to catch the deadline.

Please Subscribe to read the full chapter