Moon Chaewon peered out of her bedroom door.

She was getting a little concerned. She could hear the clanging of her pots and pans coming from the direction of the kitchen. Lee Joongi was making quite a ruckus as he prepared dinner. 

Thanks to Joongi, they had made it out of the private forest just before dusk fell.

He had the foresight to call for his driver to pick them up, predicting that neither of them would be in a good condition to drive each other back home. The driver even came prepared with a cold compress for her injured wrist. 

Once she was settled in the plush interior of his car, Chaewon was all ready to take a shower and crash for the night. The day's events had exhausted her and all she wanted was to crawl under the comfort of her bedcovers.

Joongi though, was having none of that.

When he found out that there was no one waiting for her at home, and that she had no plans to eat dinner, his look of consternation was almost comical. He followed up with offers to send her to hospital, do something about her wrist, or go for dinner together. It was really nice to have someone so concerned about her well-being, to be showered by his care and warmth, and yet Chaewon found herself deflecting it skillfully. 

Until she heard his stomach rumbling.

In the dwindling daylight, he was looking quite a sight. She could make out a smudge of dirt on his left cheekbone. His usual fluffy hair was all matty, and his fringe had started curling against his sweaty temples. Joongi had been nothing but considerate and caring towards her, and Chaewon knew that she should return the favour. 

That's when Chaewon caved.

She invited Joongi over to her place, which was located much closer to the forest than his place in Gangnam. 

Chaewon had moved into her own apartment at the start of her career. This little apartment had seen her through countless ups and downs days. It was her safe little harbour. And unlike her fellow colleagues who moved into bigger homes in more affluent neighbourhoods as their careers became more successful, Chaewon couldn't bring herself to move.

Also unlike her fellow colleagues, Chaewon rarely brought people over.

She let Joongi use the guest bathroom to clean up whilst she took a relaxing hot shower in the master bathroom. She must have taken quite awhile because when she came out, Joongi was almost done with cooking. Chaewon could smell the perfect combination of bacon and garlic cooking in olive oil. They were sizzling gaily in the pan and creating the most mouthwatering aroma.  

Carbonara.

Her favourite pasta. 

He remembered. 

Chaewon removed the damp bath towel from around her neck with a smile. Her stomach was starting its usual protests as it growled in hunger. This man was ruining all her diet plans.

"Omo Oppa, that smells amazing." 

Joongi looked up from stirring the pan. Up close, Chaewon could see that his hair was still damp and curling at his ears. Her largest t-shirt fitted too snugly around his chest and the loose lounge pants that she loaned him were way too short for him. It made him look strangely attractive and domestic.

Joongi's eyes lit up when he saw her, his cheekbones slightly raised in pleasure. Seeing him look so at ease in her kitchen made Chaewon's heart flutter. The sight warmed her insides.

"Have a seat Chaewon-ah, I'm almost done."

"Let me help you Oppa." 

"No, no. I'm almost done."

Chaewon had expected to see crockery piled up in her sink, or raw ingredients spilling across her counter. Joongi's nature tended to be... chaotic, and she expected the same chaos when he cooked.

The kitchen was spotless.

It was even neater than she left it this morning. Joongi was someone who cleaned up as he went along. This man was full of surprises. 

She cupped her face in uninjured her palm and leaned against the counter, watching him, as he turned off the fire and drained the linguine in her stainless steel colander. 

"Maybe grab me your first aid kit instead, Chaewon-ah. We should have a look at your wrist before we eat." 

His tone was firm as he came toward her, to guide her out of the kitchen by her shoulders.

The first aid kit was in the living room under her coffee table. Joongi sat her down on her couch before examining the kit. He skillfully picked out what he needed and started to bandage her right wrist.

He was frowning again. His brows were tightly knitted, like two furry black worms coming together for a fight.

The man seemed to be a pro at this, criss-crossing the cloth expertly to make sure that it compressed her swelling wrist, but loose enough to ensure that it didn't cause her any discomfort.

"Where did you learn to do this, Oppa?"

She noticed that his fingers were gentle, careful not to touch the superficial wounds on her palm.

"I do get some injuries now and then