Jungmi shivered as the morning wind seeped through her skin. The jacket became insufficient. Her hands went numb. Her legs would not stop shaking. She needed heat fast. She needed to go home.

Hours crawled, and lights began to flicker. She tore her eyes away from the ground, and saw train operators opening the gates of the stations. Delighted, she stood from the stairs and paced back and forth until the operators allowed the commuters to enter the station. The wind growing strong with each pace. Heat also accumulating at her feet.

Seeing other people rush into the station, she followed suit, hoping for heat to envelope her seemingly lifeless body. She, however, was disappointed to find out that there wasn't any difference in the temperature at all. In fact, the station was even colder since the out-of-service trains came and went.

It wasn't until around 30 minutes later that the train she needed to ride allowed the passengers to board. As she sat herself down, she felt heat envelope her legs once again. Warm air passed through the exhausts of the train, making her hands inch their way to the exhausts under her seat, aching to find warmth as well.

Cold air stopped flowing through, as the doors slowly closed. Finally, it was time for her to get home. She will be able to sleep peacefully, to forget what had occurred that night even just for a moment, to forget that it even occurred.

She was not able to erase the happenings from her memory. On the contrary, everything seemed to remind her of the man she had encountered. Within that short amount of time, she had learned to hate suits. To hate men who wear these wretched pieces of clothing. Even hating to see a clear glass filled with water since it was the only one unconsumed that night. She just wasn't able to think clearly, or rather, think about anything else for that matter, and all she wanted to do was to sleep and forget.

Her dazed state was broken by the voice of the operator announcing that the train has arrived at the station she was to alight. She then stood up and waited for the doors to open; allowing the cold air to forged its way into her skin once again. Convincing that she only had to walk for less than five minutes to be in the comfort of her apartment, she briskly walked along the all too familiar path to the apartment complex, only to stop at the entrance of the building.

She was flabbergasted by what she saw.

There, leaning against the glass doors of the building was Jihoon, clad in a suit, mobile phone pressed against his ear, shivering slightly. He bore holes at the ground, muttering curses under his breath. He did not seem to take notice of her presence, as he just continued what he was doing. She whispered his name. He looked at her with wide eyes.

She noticed how his eyes drooped, and turned red. Dark circles formed around the corners of his eyes. He seemed restless.

"Jungmi, where have you been? I've been worried sick!" he said as pulled her into his arms.

"I'm sorry," she said simply, pulling away from his hug. Noticing the coldness of his body, she ushered him into the building, and into her room. "Take a seat. I'll prepare tea for us."

Jihoon sat on her bed, and watched as she poured water into a small pot in her tiny kitchen with overhead cupboards. She placed the pot onto the stove so she could boil the water. While waiting, she just stared at the pot unmoving, watching as water and heat formed small bubbles against the inner surface of the pot. Jihoon noticed the way she moved so stiffly. He noticed the way she seemed to have closed herself up into her world. She did not seem to want his presence at all. And that never happened up until that time.

He then stood up and put an arm around her shoulders. "Jungmi, something's bothering you. Don't you want to tell your big brother?" he whispered. This action surprised Jungmi. She looked at the arm on her shoulders, and noticed that it was clad in a dress shirt. 'Jeongin's,' she thought. She immediately swatted his arm away as if her life depended on it.

Jihoon stared at her in shock. She did not usually do that either. She had always smiled whenever he did that since she thought it was a brotherly gesture. He whispered her name.

She did not seem to hear it, however. Instead, what rang through her ears was the sound of bubbles bursting one by one. She hurriedly switched the stove off, pulled two cups out of the cupboard, and poured the boiled water into them.

She was about to get a couple tea bags but was halted by Jihoon's arms wrapped around her body. He pulled her closer until there wasn't even an inch separating their bodies. He leaned his head down to reach her ear and gently whispered, "Jungmi, tell me what happened."

Jungmi still did not snap out of her state. She attempted to break free from his hold, but with every push she made, the hold seemed to get even tighter. She then paused, and breathed in deeply to gather up more energy.

As she inhaled, the smell of mint filled her nostrils. The mint akin to what Jihoon usually ate.

A whisper of her name filled her ears, making her shiver at the familiar coarseness of the voice. It had been the voice that she had been acclaimed to everyday. It had been the voice that had been comforting her on the phone every night.

She turned around to face Jihoon. She realized that she had been disillusioned by the events of the previous night. She looked him in the eye and saw an expression so lost and so desperate.

She mirrored this expression, not knowing what she could possibly do. She was lost. Lost in the vast sea of thoughts she had been in. Lost in the incident that had occurred and keep occurring in her head. She wanted it to stop. She wanted to regain the peace of mind she had had earlier that day. She wanted to forget.

This did not go unnoticed by Jihoon. Whatever it is that had been troubling Jungmi, he was willing to do anything just to get rid of it. He wanted the feisty but effeminate girl he knew back.

He then wrapped an arm on her shoulder, and pulled her to sit with him on her bed. He placed a hand on her knee, drawing endless circles with his thumb, and asked her again, "What's wrong, Jungmi? Please tell your brother what happened..."

The weight on her shoulders and knee felt all too familiar to Jungmi. She wanted to rid of the sickening feeling once again. She shakily put her hands on the hand on her knee to push it away from her. But as she placed her hands on Jihoon's, she could not seem to push it off.

Maybe it was because of its warmth despite the cool smell having surrounded her. Maybe it was because of the low voice continually looking for answers. Maybe it was because of the sparks cackling under the palm of her hands. She did not know why but she, instead, kept her hand above his, relishing on the heat and the shocks it had been producing. She could no longer recall why she had wanted to push the hands away in the first place.

Jungmi looked to her right, facing the owner of the comforting hands. Her lips quivered attempting to release the thoughts she had wanted to hide. Attempting to say just about anything. But her mind had been broken down for quite some time that the only words she was able to utter were, "I'm sorry, Jihoon..."

As she uttered these words, she felt Jihoon pull her closer. The hand on her knee pulling away from her clutches, carefully treading towards her lower back. Her eyes torn away from his. Her right ear being pressed against delicate flesh, covered in cotton. "No, no. Don't be," he said. "We both had a rough night. Let's just take a rest, ok?"

She felt hypnotized by the steady beats against her ear, without even realizing, she nodded. She, then, felt the hands go to each of her shoulders and push her away lightly, tearing her away from the comforting thumps against her ear. She did not want it to happen. She would not allow it.

In return, she resisted from the light push, and pulled the body closer to her, pressing her cheek once again to the beating flesh. "No, don't..." she said desperately.

"I'll be here Jungmi... I'll be here until you wake up."

Jihoon then released a sigh. She did not seem to plan on letting him go anytime soon, and it bothered him how Jungmi was not herself at all. He had waited for her all night, making him weary from the events as well. He decided that it would be alright if he would take a nap as well. 

He pulled Jungmi against him, and laid their slouched bodies on the bed. "Sleep now, okay?" He felt her nod.

It did not take long before he heard the light snores from the body laying beside him. His eyes grew tired of fighting against the seemingly increasing weight of his eyelids. It was time for him to sleep as well.

Before giving in completely, he leaned down, and pressed his lips on Jungmi's forehead.

"I've long before thought of you as more than a sister Jungmi, I hope you realize that..."

---

I don't even recognize this story anymore.. @_____@ out of tens of the endings I have thought about, I went with the useless unplanned one. haaahh~ seriously.. I'm hopeless!

First it wasn't a oneshot any longer... and now, it isn't even fluffy.. OTL MY LIFEE!!! 'tis full of fail...

but well... brotherly Jihoon is still there... (-_____- ") i give up...