had never seen a love as pure as it

"Seolhee-ah, can we talk?"

      It was a Monday afternoon when Hoseok came inside Seolhee's research lab. This was the first time they saw each other since the rooftop moment with Baekhyun. When Seolhee looks up at him from her computer, Hoseok looks exhausted and thinner.

     "Sure, let me just wrap this up real quick,"

     "Okay, sure. I was hoping we could have lunch together. You know, if you haven't had any yet,"

     Seolhee almost giggles at the shy attitude that Hoseok is suddenly displaying now. "Hey, why are you so awkward? Is everything okay?"

     Hoseok shrugs and scratches the back of his head. "Well," he turns his head sideways, avoiding Seolhee's eyes. So instead of finding his eyes, Seolhee was more focused on his side profile, perfectly sculpted nose, and jawline.

     "Let's talk about this over lunch, can we?"

     Seolhee nods her head and mumbles in agreement. She stands up from her desk and leads the way towards the cafeteria. Once they got their food, they decided to sit on one of the tables outside, right in front of the vast garden that became Seolhee's favorite place at some point in her residency.

     "Is there something between you and the intern Dr. Byun?" Hoseok decided that it was better to be straightforward because, as far as he knows, Seolhee would not give the exact answers you are looking for unless you ask the exact questions.

     With the frank question, Seolhee almost choked on her food. "No, there's nothing going on between us. Oh my god, did the rumors travel that far?"

     Hoseok shakes his head. "No. Remember I was there at the rooftop and saw you and Dr. Byun together? You two look like you're discussing something serious. And what rumors are you talking about?"

     "I told you we were discussing something important and personal, right? It was about work, so don't worry about it," Seolhee lies. "The intern you were with was probably the one who started the rumor, but it's okay. It's gone down now," she adds.

     "Oh, okay. Are you sure?" Hoseok asks carefully. "Because I was being honest when I told you I would like us to be more than friends, and I don't think I can give up yet until you tell me to stop or you're seeing someone else,"

     With a pounding heart, Hoseok looks at Seolhee in the eyes, hoping that she can see his sincerity within him. Seolhee looks back at him to assess herself right there and then. Does she really only like him for the because it was phenomenal every single time with him? Or was the good because of the mutual attraction between them?

     However, beyond all that, Hoseok is a good man. He is already a doctor, and her parents will surely approve of that. He's from a wealthy family, has an excellent educational background, and looks like someone who can make her mother laugh. He said it before that he always dates with marriage in mind. He wants to have kids, he is a good older brother, and he is close to his mother. He's almost perfect except for one thing, something Seolhee couldn't quite pinpoint yet.

     At this moment, she could think of one thing about Hoseok that she doesn't like: his jealousy. It's one tiny thing that stops her, but not quite the very reason she's still not agreeing to date him. She saw how he gets jealous before he confesses to her, and Seolhee has dated enough men to see how it ends up with men like him, usually so kind, gentle, and sweet until they get jealous. But maybe that was just his insecurity, a battle within him that ended up in his confession. He wouldn't have talked to Seolhee like this after the Baekhyun situation if he were the violent, jealous type.

     "Hey, Seolhee, are you okay? I don't want to pressure you into saying yes, but please think about it," Hoseok reaches out for her hand on the table, placing his on top of hers. He the back of her hand gently before speaking again. "And you can always say no, okay? That's okay,"

     "Thank you, Hoseok-ah," Seolhee smiles.

     "But I can't promise I'll be an addition to your ex-lovers-turned-friends list if you reject me," 

     "What? Why?"

     "Because I like you too much to stay just friends with you, Seolhee. Plus, I wouldn't be able to move on if I'll continue hanging out with you as a friend,"

     Of course, it makes sense, and Seolhee feels stupid for realizing that until now. Then she looks at Hoseok again and feels just a tiny skip on her heartbeat. His maturity in this situation is really ing with her mind. She smiles nervously and retracts her hand from Hoseok, holding to her spoon as an excuse for her action. She had to pretend that she did that to eat, and not because she was nervous at how the warmth of his hand was seeping through her skin.

     "Okay," Seolhee says, avoiding the man's dark brown eyes in front of her. She checks her heart to see if it's alright, and sadly, it is.

     It's no longer skipping a bit. It was just one skip, and she felt even more disappointed. She wants to feel something when she's around Hoseok. At first she didn't, but Baekhyun changed the game completely. His arrival in her life made her want to meet someone else as fast as she could, fast enough not to end up running back to him.

     Seolhee wants the butterflies in her stomach when she sees Hoseok smile, but now, even if she tries hard to stare at his beautiful face and gorgeously-styled hair, she still can't feel anything.

     "Hoseok-ah," she says his name although she's sitting right across him. "I- I'm about to say something stupid, okay?"

     Hoseok sighs and looks down. He knows what she's about to say, but he still wants to hear it. He believes this is exactly what he needed to hear.

     "I don't know what is wrong with me, but no matter how hard I try, I still... I still can't return the feelings that you have for me, Hoseok," Seolhee says. "But believe me when I say I tried my best to-"

     "It's okay; I don't have to hear about how much you forced yourself to like me back," Hoseok flashes a sad smile.

     "You're the dream guy, Hoseok. You're someone's dream guy, and it's not me. Everything about you is right, perfect, but it just seems... wrong... for me," Seolhee bites her lips, not sure about what to expect from Hoseok. 

     When she slowly looks up, she feels a lit