Taeyong’s words lingered in Chinsun’s mind and for the following days, she kept a close eye on Jongdae, observing his every single action. Her intentions were unfortunately misunderstood by Jongin who took advantage of Chinsun locking up Naesae and cornered her after shutting the blinds so that no one could spy inside.

Chinsun stared wide-eyed at Jongin who had trapped her between the counter and his own body. As Chinsun leaned back to distance herself from Jongin’s intense gaze, she ignored the pain from the wooden counter digging into her back.

“What are you planning?” Jongin stated in a low whisper.

“I’m not—”

“Jongdae’s staying out of this,” Jongin interrupted. “How many times do I need to say this?”

“But I—”

“For once please listen to me.”

Feeling irked by how Jongin kept interrupting her and refusing to let her explain herself, Chinsun inhaled sharply and felt her nostrils flare.

“Will. You. Stop. Antagonising. Me,” Chinsun hissed, jabbing an angry finger towards Jongin’s chest to add emphasis on her words.

“I’m not antagonising you,” Jongin defended himself, firmly gripping Chinsun’s finger. “You just have a knack of putting yourself in danger and I can’t always be there to save you.”

Chinsun opened and closed , but was unable to formulate any argument to counter Jongin’s comment. However, Chinsun was too stubborn for her own good and refused to step down and let Jongin take victory so easily.

“…No one told you to be the hero,” Chinsun mumbled weakly, almost sounding like a whining toddler.

Despite the childish tone she spoke in, Jongin’s features softened and a new form of determination shined in his eyes.

“All I want is to protect those I love,” Jongin whispered, running his thumb across Chinsun’s forehead to smoothen her frown.

“So do I,” Chinsun grumbled with a pout.

The dynamics between them shifted and something seemed to have cracked, allowing an unknown and unexplored facet of their relationship to start trickling. They were given no time to ponder on this change however because Chinsun’s tattoo started to tingle, sending a warning signal throughout her body. Even Jongin felt something chilling travelling through the air and promptly pulled Chinsun behind him while standing in a protective stance.

Jongin clutched the kīla hidden under his sweater, ready to launch an attack when all the tension in his body toppled out of him at the sight of an oblivious looking Jongdae emerging from the kitchenette.

“Dinner’s ready,” Jongdae announced, raising his eyebrows in confusion. “Why’re you looking like you were expecting a thief? No one would want to steal anything in here.”

Heaving a sigh of relief, Chinsun and Jongin exchanged a weary look before shrugging their shoulders in unison, brushing off Jongdae’s comment.

・・・

Although Mama Kim had made delicious kimchi stew using Chinsun’s homemade kimchi, Chinsun had barely touched her food and had to force mouthfuls of rice and stew down when Jongin kicked her under the table, reminding her to not arouse suspicions for her odd behaviour.

After dinner, Chinsun volunteered to wash the dishes so that she could have some time alone and gather her thoughts. She was so lost in her own mind though that she did not hear the soft footsteps approaching her, and tensed up upon feeling someone place their hand on her shoulder, almost dropping the plate she was holding.

“Is something wrong? A troublesome spirit?” Mama Kim asked in a tender voice.

Chinsun her dry lips, unsure of how to respond after being suddenly put under the spotlight. She did not enjoy lying — especially not to someone she cared deeply for. However, Chinsun could not bring herself to share her unfounded suspicions with Mama Kim. After all, even if she told her everything, nothing would change. Thus, Chinsun put on a brave face and forced to twist into a confident smile.

“Nothing that Jongin and I can’t handle.”

“That’s good,” Mama Kim sighed in relief, the wrinkles around the corners of her eyes deepening as her face broke out into a tired smile. “I can’t see the world that you see and it just leaves me feeling restless. I always felt so left behind whenever they went off on business trips.”

With her eyes cast downwards, Chinsun did not need to ask to know who the ‘they’ Mama Kim was referring to was. It was a bittersweet fact that weight heavily on both herself and Jongin and neither could say anything to alleviate the stress and emotions that Mama Kim experienced the moment she decided to blindly step into a world that she could not see.

“We’ll look after Jongdae,” Jongin interrupted, his voice oozing with affection. “Don't worry.”

“Exactly, no need to worry,” Chinsun echoed Jongin’s words. “Plus with Baekhyun around now, Jongdae has someone normal to hang out with.”

Putting the last bowl on the drying wrack, Chinsun removed the rubber gloves and turned around to leave but Mama Kim stopped her. Cradling Chinsun’s hands gently, she then reached for Jongin’s hands as well, rubbing comforting c