"Achoooo!"

The a-lister blew out her nose for what felt like the thousandth time today. It's hardly even been over 48 hours since she came down with the flu and the girl had already went through one whole tissue box already.

This had to just be a new record for her at this rate..

"Ugh, I feel awful," Jimin groaned as she collapsed onto the welcoming embrace of her bed, shutting her eyes tight.

It had been a couple of days since her abrupt departure from Minjeong's place, following their... let's just say, rather... intimate encounter.

Not even given a further moment to process that situation properly... Jimin dilgently went straight into rehearsing for her upcoming audition, dubbed as one of most important ones in her career by far, promising international success immediately... That alone was enough to set her nerves on edge... however, as she poured herself into line practice, having full determination to put on the best performance possible, admist countless resitings, she suddenly found herself with a scratchy throat that she ignored at first... which only spiralled into a full-blown soreness, causing her voice to crack and falter.

And that was when she knew she was screwed. 

Approaching someone with a 40-degree fever? Yeah.. definitely not the wisest decision Jimin had made.

There were self-isolation recommendations for a reason after all...

At the time, it might have seemed like a minor inconvenience, but now Jimin was learning firsthand why those rules existed in the first place.

Jun-woo wouldn't even be able to scold her if he had wanted to. Once he found out about the actress' current health situation, it was clear she would have to miss the audition again, despite it already being rescheduled once for her sake.

No one controls when they get sick afterall...

Or perhaps in Jimin's case... considering all her parameters here, she could've controlled it a little bit... if she had only controlled herself a little bit.

But she was never going to let Jun-woo know that.

Not in a million years.

Besides the CEO might've been mad, but things did eventually worked out. 

It was just her luck that the organizers of the audition seemed hell-bent on having her attend the event no matter what, going as far as pushing the schedule back yet again. And even though the a-lister wasn't there to see it herself, she had a good feeling Junwoo had practically bowed on a 120 degrees angle apologising to them and promising them that no matter what, he was going to make sure Jimin would be present next time.

That was great and all, but it meant the actress had less than eight days to get better. While it seemed like a lot of time, given her current state, Jimin didn't know anymore. Her fever didn't last as long, which was a relief, but her nose remained so blocked that she hadn't been able to get a good night's sleep at all. She swore that once she gets better, she would never take a good inhale through the nose for granted again.

But despite everything, she was honestly just growing weary of the stagnant air, thick with illness, that surrounded her.

She was sick and tired of being sick and tired...

DING DONG

"urgh" The actress quickly unveils the blanket that she had just pulled over her head.

The woman normally doesn't get visitors, but today was an exception. She had ordered a steaming bowl of hot chicken stew with ginseng, convinced by some article she had skimmed that it held the key to conquering her current bout of cold and flu.

The doorbell's insistent chime confirmed the arrival of her delivery, likely brought by her very own humble security guard. He was a veteran in his 50s who had just returned from a month-long vacation with his family overseas. Although they had known each other since Jimin first rose to popularity, their interactions were usually limited to brief greetings. Nevertheless, he had been her trusted bodyguard since the beginning. Despite the lack of deep conversation, the length of their professional relationship had fostered a sense of comfort between them. He was one of the very few people in the world with whom the actress felt at ease, allowing her to drop the facade of celebrity and reveal a more authentic side of herself. With him, she could meet without makeup, regardless of the occasion.

And boy, was Jimin really not feeling herself today.
 

She reluctantly dragged herself out of bed and glanced over at her wardrobe mirror, only to quickly avert her eyes in dismay.

Her nose was completely red from constantly blowing into tissues to the point she went through a whole box, her eyes had two very dark bags underneath them from her lack of sleep last night... Her lips were chapped, and her skin felt as dry as the Sahara desert, having abandoned her 15-step skincare routine since falling ill.

Yeah, as someone who cared deeply about her appearance in public, Jimin would die—DIE—if anyone was to ever see her like this.

Thank god it's just him... I don't have to try at all

She thought to herself before draping her fluffly blanket over her back to cover the PJ's underneath and finally making her way downstairs.

She really needed that hot stew and fast...

Opening her front door, expecting to look up at a taller middle aged man... Jimin instead, had to slightly lower her head..  to meet a particular blonde, holding a big paper bag bag with both hands, with large dough eyes staring right back at her...

"Oh Jimin!" Minjeong greets, her expression brightening as soon as the door opened to reveal the taller in front of her.... her sunshine happy aura seriously juxaposing against the dark gloomy aura from Jimin's flu..;"

.

..

...

....

BAMMMMM

"Wait, Jimin!" Minjeong called out, startled as the door shut abruptly in her face whilst had dashed right upstairs back into her room.

OUT OF EVERYONE OF COURSE IT HAS TO BE HER

Immediately, it was like a hurricane wooshed through her room as she began frantically searching for any of her millions of products that she could use to slap on to look barely human again.

She just wasn't ready!

She wasn't ready at all!

Her skin was too dry, she hadn't even had the chance to moisturise it!

Where was her BB cream!? She needed to cover up her dark eye circles stat!

Oh lord chapsticks! Where the hell did Jimin put her chapsticks!?

Did she even properly brush her hair once today!?

The actress was a rushing mess, barely able to coordinate any of her essentials.

Damnit Damnit Damnit

Not right now...

Jimin really didn't need Minjeong to see her like this..

Out of all the times the blonde could surprise visit her, why did it have to be right now.

She hopes to god, the blonde didn't get a good look at her sick ghastly face at all... she swears if she turns around and sees the girl right there again, she was seriously going to internally curse at herself, but she was going to do it very VERY loudly.

"JIMIN!"

''TAKE MUSHROOMS!!

"Minjeong!" The A-lister scrambled to cover herself with a blanket, attempting to hide her self-perceived less-than-glamorous appearance. "How did you get in!? I swear I slammed the door on you."

"You slammed it so hard the door bounced right back open. Now, why in the world would you do that?" The blonde took a step closer, prompting Jimin to retreat. "Jimin?"

"Stay back!" 

"What why!"

"Minjeong, I swear to god if you get sick again we are never going to make it to my audition!"

"Oh come on, you know the reason you're sick was because you barged into my room just like this last time, I can't get myself sick from getting you sick back to myself twice after being sick with the same sick okay, so don't worry"

...

...

...

".... that doesn't even make any sense-" The taller thinks her brain might've just lost two braincells trying to decipher whatever the shorter had just spouted up.

"And why are you hiding behind your blanket like that?" Minjeong continued to walk forward until Jimin's back was pressed up against the wall. She panicked as Minjeong reached out to touch her blanket, threatening to pull it down from her face. "No, stop!"

"Jimin..."

"I'm not ready- You can't see me like this"

"They can't see me like this- Please Minjeong get me out I can't I can't let them-"

Those familiar words evoked a slight melancholy in the blonde as she watched the A-lister continue to try to hide herself...

"Hey..." She reached out to caress the actress's cheeks through the blanket. "It's me, okay? It's just me," she reassured.

"It's because it's you! You definitely can't see" Jimin insisted, holding up the blanket even higher than before to block Minjeong out.

"I won't judge you. I like the way you look without makeup, remember? I think you look beaut-"

"No! This is different, I have a cold and I look ugly!"

"No you don't!"

"Yes I do, I have panda eyes and my lips are so dry they bled a little this morning... BLED, Minjeong. My lips are never that dry for it to rip!"

"Huh... that's true, I suppose," Minjeong replied, her gaze softening as she remembered their intimate moment. "I would know. They felt luscious when they touched against mine..."

...

...

...

Ok in all fairness, Minjeong winced internally at her own lack of filter, realizing she'd spoken before she could consider the consequences of her verbal actions

So when Jimin went ahead and forcefully pushed her as a result, she gladly accepted that as her punishment. She supposed she deserved that for her tactless big mouth...

"Urgh!" Even behind the blanket, Jimin's embarrassment was very noticebale. Minjeong, feeling the force placed upon her chest, fumbled back a couple of steps before rebalancing herself...

"Sorry..." her voice softened with sincerity. "I just mean, Jimin, you're beautiful, okay?" She took a cautious step forward, closing the distance between them. "I really mean it." Her hands gently touched the fabric of the blanket once again., "And I saw you just now at the door, didn't I? You look really pretty! Even when you have a cold, you look beautiful."

...

"You really think so?" Jimin finally peaked her eyes out, just enough to meet Minjeong's.

"If you haven't noticed by now, I'm not exactly skilled at telling lies," The blonde admitted with a sheepish smile.

With Minjeong's gentle encouragement, Jimin hesitantly allowed the blanket to be drawn away, unveiling her flushed cheeks and nervous expression.

"Oh..." the shorter's breath caught in as she took in the sight before her. "You're stunning..." Her voice was barely above a whisper as she gazed at Jimin with admiration and affection.

She honestly had no idea what the actress was on about one bit or why she was afraid of showing her face so much....

Because even like this Jimin... just looked so freaking to perfect to her...

The woman had a beautful red hue dusted across her cheeks... her sleepy eyes gazing back at Minjeong with such intensity that it took all the blonde's willpower not to let her jaw drop to the ground in astonishment. Her flawless skin retained its radiant glow, devoid of any dryness, resembling a luminous moon in the night sky. And her lips, oh, they remained as luscious and inviting as ever, defying Jimin's attempts to convince Minjeong otherwise.

Crap... I think I'm in love..

Perfect... Jimin is just so perfect no matter what happens, that constance will never change in Minjeong's eyes.

As Minjeong continued to gaze at her with unabashed bewilderment, Jimin found herself unable to look away, ensnared by the intensity of their shared aura. In that moment, time seemed to stand still as the two became lost in a small trance...

And soon.. they couldn't hear a thing around them, completely oblivious to the world around them.

Not the chirping of birds outside.. or the ticking of Jimin's large analogue clock mounted to her baby blue wall

All they could hear was the loud thumping of their heartbeats, synchronizing in rhythm...

Minjeong's eyes followed Jimin's gaze as it slowly moved lower, and she found herself drawn to the soft curve of Jimin's lips... Those very lips that had captivated her, drawing her into a blissful euphoria not even that long ago...

As that particular memory fills up her sense once again for what felt like an endless amount of time now, It was as if that same sparkly, pink, heavy tension had once again filled the room around them.

With every ounce of restraint she possessed, Minjeong fought the urge to lean in, feeling as though even the slightest nudge would send her tumbling into Jimin's embrace once again...

"Why are you here, Minjeong"

...

"Hu- huh?" The blonde blinked a couple of times, finally snapping out of her trance to Jimin's voice as the older was the first to break away their eye contact. "Oh!" She promptly holds up the bag she was holding up to the older after registering her words "I brought ingredients, you probably wouldn't have any energy to cook for yourself right? So I thought I will cook for you today instead!" 

Jimin eyed the bag carefully, listening to every word Minjeong had said. "You can cook?"

"Of course, I can cook! What—" Minjeong's confidence faltered as Jimin interrupted.

"I find that seriously hard to believe."

"Hey! What do you mean" >:(

"Minjeong, I've been to your place before. I saw those opened containers of instant noodles everywhere, and also I saw opened noodle wrappers in your car the first time I ever stepped in. Remember? Thinking about it now... why the hell were there noodle wrappers in your car... do you eat them raw...?"

"I—" The blonde shut into a small line, knowing she wasn't going to win this one. "I cook when I have time alright... Like today!" She held up the bag above her head with a bright smile. "Besides, why are you calling me out here? I've hardly ever seen you eat any real food outside of salad and that concoction you call coffee."

"I'll have you know, Kim Minjeong," Jimin declared, dropping the blanket she had been hiding behind and placing her hands on her hips, her fear of showing her bare face when sick long behind her. "That is single-handedly the best coffee in existence."

"Coffee? You mean your mango milkshake with a tiny dash of coffee flavour in it" The girl retorted,holding up her index finger and thumb that were mere milimetres apart from touching each other to emphasise her point.

"Whatever..." Rolling her eyes, the taller promptly plopped herself back onto her bed. "What do you have in there anyway?" She pointed at the bag.

"Oh, you know, some pork belly, tofu, green onions, gochujang, stock, and kimchi, all ingredients for—"

"Kimchi Jjigae..." The actress finished Minjeong's sentence..

"I read that it's the perfect food to heal the sniffles and fix hunger at the same time" MInjeong continued with a cute warm smile.. "Would this be something you'll like to eat?"

"I love kimchi jjigae," Jimin mumbled with a glint of sparkle in her eyes, hearing that it was what Minjeong had in mind to make. Her stomach began rumbling straight away just imagining the dish...

In all honesty, Jimin rarely finds herself in the kitchen these days. With her skyrocketing fame, grocery shopping has become a luxury, and she often relies on delivery services for meals at home. When her schedule is packed, the company provides meal plans, and lately, if the f