“You know there, miss, I kinda just saved your life right now,” the person said cheekily, still holding onto my arm tightly.

My face flushed in embarrassment. I realized that his words were actually quite true.

“Aww, no thank you? Nothing? Nada?” the person asked, smiling jokingly.

“T-thanks… I can’t believe we meet like this,” I replied, looking down.

“Why, do you not like me? Should I just go now?” he joked.

“Yah! You know what I mean!” I shouted, smiling.

I looked up at Chen, only to be taken aback by his smile. It was a bit too big, as nobody I know was ever this happy to see me.

“So, are you busy today?” Chen asked.

“Not really.. why?”

“Well.. um… Did you want to maybe go get bubble tea or something? At the café?” Chen rubbed the back of his head with his hand and looked down at the ground, shuffling  his feet.

I chuckled at his antics and accepted the invitation. Why not? I didn’t have anything to do for the day since I failed my mission of finding out who the couple was.

“Sure! I’m actually kind of thirsty right now, and bubble tea sounds great,” I grinned.

“Really??” Chen seemed genuinely surprised that I had said yes.

“Y-yeah… I mean, why not?”

“Ok then! Let’s go get bubble tea!” Chen shouted as he linked arms with me and dragged me to the café, while I just chuckled the way there. He had so much energy for a college student.

When we arrived at the café, I walked over to grab seats while Chen stood in line for the drinks. I settled on a table next to the windows, so I could watch and observe the people passing by while I waited for Chen. In a couple of minutes, Chen arrived with two bubble tea drinks, green tea and honeydew. Chen handed me the green tea, and I thanked him.

“How’d you know I liked green tea?”

“I just kinda guessed. I’m glad I guessed right!”

“Do you not like green tea?” I asked.

“No.. nothing like that. It’s just that I prefer fruity drinks,” Chen replied. I nodded, and began to sip on my drink. It was very tasty and relaxing. I chewed on the boba while we talked about school and caught up on our lives.

“So.. how’s that music major going?” I asked.

“Oh, it’s going ok. I mean, I gotta practice a lot more than before now, since I’m trying to maintain my performance major, but I like it. I can’t imagine myself doing anything else.”

I looked at Chen with admiration. It was amazing how passionate he was about singing, and how he was willing to give it his all.

“That’s really amazing, Chen,” I said, smiling. “Do you have anything else going on? Like performances?”

“Oh, I actually have a competition coming up. Wow it’s actually quite soon! I should have practiced more,” Chen chuckled.

“Oh! Am I taking your practice time?? You don’t have to hang out with me; just go and practice!” I said, feeling bad that I was wasting Chen’s precious rehearsal time.

“Nonono don’t worry Eunbi; you’re not a waste of my time,” Chen replied. I instantly felt a little better, because he said it with so much assurance.

“Are you sure? If not, just leave whenever you need to, because I don’t want to hold you back.”

“Haha ok Miss Song,” Chen joked.

“Yah! Stop that! I’m just Eunbi!”

“Ok ok I was just playing,” Chen chuckled. I smiled, and sipped on my bubble tea drink.

We continued to talk about this and that, and had a great time. For some reason, whenever I was with Chen, I always ended up laughing and smiling much more than usual. He did too, but I guess he was a happy person to begin with.

“I’ll be right back; I’m gonna go to the bathroom,” Chen said before standing up.

“Ok, I’ll be waiting,” I replied, watching him walk across the café towards the back.

Out of boredom, I looked outside the window again. I saw the usual sights: couples holding hands and walking down the road, grandmas carrying their carts full of recyclables, and little kids stopping by their favorite arcade before going home from school.

I was about to go back to my bubble tea when a particular figure caught my eye.

Wait.. That guy really looks like Jongin… Wait… It is…!

I just smiled and sighed, thinking about how I was going to help him improve his English. Being a tutor was tougher than I thought, especially with a student like Kim Jongin.

As I watched him walk down the street, an eerie feeling came across me. Out of curiosity, I looked to the right, only to see a bunch of gangsters, similar to the ones I had seen with Jongin a long time ago at the club.

Stop it.. Don’t think about those club memories now.. I reprimanded myself.

The gangsters seemed to be undercover, with their hands to their headsets sand walkie-talkies. Suddenly, everything fit into place.

Without hesitation, I stood up and rushed to the front door of the café, grabbing only my bag. Right before I was about to exit, a hand caught my arm. I whipped around, only to be presented with a surprised face.

“Where are you going, Eunbi? Is something wrong?” Chen asked with concern.

I just stared at him with terrified eyes.

“Sorry Chen, but I have to go now,” I said urgently, trying to make him let go of my arm.

“Can I help with anything?” Chen asked as a final offer.

“No, it’s ok. I just really have to leave now.. Sorry,” I said.

“I understand.. Be safe,” Chen said as he let go of my arm, his hand falling to his side.

I immediately walked out of the café, not looking back.

“Nice try, Chen.. Maybe next time,” Chen mumbled to himself as he brushed his hair with his hands and sat back at the table. He took a long sip of his honeydew bubble tea and finished it in no time. He then realized that Eunbi had left her green tea bubble tea unfinished, and contemplated for a while.

Chen then slowly took the bubble tea and took a small sip cautiously. He then made a face, trying to swallow the tea.

“Dang.. how does she like this stuff?” Chen frowned as he continued to sip on the green tea bubble tea.

Once I exited the café, I immediately began walking quickly towards Jongin’s direction. I thought about calling out to him, but it would be of no use. The gangsters would hear me and suspect something, and besides, the stupid Kim Jongin was listening to his music with his headphones, probably full volume too.

Soon, I began running as secretly as possible, trying not to get the attention of the gangsters. I weaved through the crowd, looking out for any signs of gang signals. Eventually, I was walking between Jongin and the gangsters, blending in with the crowd. I walked faster and faster until I was right behind him. Taking a quick look around, I surveyed the area and confirmed our security before grabbing his arm and pulling him out of the huge crowd, dragging him into an empty alleyway. The sun was setting so it was fairly dark, but still bright enough for us to see each other’s faces.

“Yah, what are you-“

Before Jongin could say anymore, I cupped my hand over his mouth, dragging him into the alley until we were concealed from the public view. We hid behind a trash can, even though it was pretty smelly.

Jongin then began to squirm and try to escape, which was bad because I wasn’t strong at all. Before he could get carried away, I tried to calm him down.

“Kim Jongin, be quiet or else,” I hissed after I removed the headphones from his ears.

Jongin instantly froze, then relaxed. I felt relieved, hoping he had realized my voice.

I paused, then looked up, only to see the gangsters right there, panting and breathing heavily. They seemed confused, and looked around for Jongin. After a couple of long minutes, they nodded at each other and began to enter the black sedan. Jongin managed to pop his head up just in time to see the gangsters enter the car and zoom off into the city.

I sighed in relief, and drooped down to the floor, letting go of the arm that covered Jongin’s mouth.

“Don’t tell me… were they here because of me?” Jongin whispered.

“Of course you big ! Who else would they be here for? Besides, you were listening to your music, so you were easy prey,” I hissed. I rubbed my temples, as a big headache had overcome me.

I continued to reprimand him, despite the fact that Jongin and I were still in the alleyway.

“How many times do I have to tell you! Take better care of yourself! You’re the only one who can save yourself when you’re alone at times like this! Do I always have to lookout for you? I’m just your tutor, ok? I don’t deserve this extra responsibility. Why can’t you just keep yourself safe?”

No matter what came out of my mouth, Jongin just stared at me endlessly without any change in emotion. Mistaking his apathy as an “I don’t care” attitude, I got even more frustrated and just shut myself up. Tears began to form in my eyes, but before they could make themselves present, I held it in. I couldn’t show this side of me to my student.

I took a deep breath, and finally stood up. I brushed off my pants and shirt, and picked up my bag. Jongin remained sitting, looking up at me.

“C’mon, Kim Jongin. Let’s get you home. I’ll walk you home in case they come again,” I said quietly. I looked down at the ground, avoiding his eyes.

Jongin didn’t reply; instead, he just stood up and picked up his backpack. When I realized that he was waiting for me, I exited the alleyway and began walking towards his house. It wasn’t too far, but the silent awkwardness made the distance seem like a thousand miles.

I felt extremely awkward because of my sudden outburst from earlier, and felt kinda bad because I had no right to say all those things. I wasn’t his noona, or his mom, or his guardian. I was just a tutor that he saw a couple times a week. The entire walk was silent; none of us spoke a word. I led the way as Jongin walked next to me, slightly behind me. I could feel his presence like no other.

Is he angry at me? Wait, why would he be angry?! He should be thankful that I saved his life! Then why is he so quiet all of a sudden? Usually, he’d be joking around and talking non-stop or something.. Ahh Song Eunbi… Keep your calm next time, ok?

Finally, we arrived at his mansion. I couldn’t go past the front gate, so I just waited in front of the gate for Jongin to punch in the key to open the gate door. The thing was, he didn’t do it. He just stood there, as if he was waiting for something to happen. I began to feel a bit irked, but I tried not to show it.

“Is there anything wrong? Did you forget something?” I asked.

Jongin shook his head.

“Then why aren’t you opening the door?”

There was no answer.

“Yah, Kim Jongin. Are you paying attention to what I’m saying? Yah! I said why aren’t you-“

Before I could finish my sentence, Jongin suddenly grabbed my shoulders and flipped me around so that my back was against the wall. He was pinning me down with his firm grip, which surprised me and caused me to gasp. I looked up, only to get scared at the way he was looking at me. I turned away, and looked at the ground, waiting for him to let go, but he never did. Instead, he used his hand to turn my face towards his. Jongin was much taller than me, so I had to look up to face him. I was taken aback by his stare, as it was serious and firm.

All of a sudden, I began to cry. I don’t know what was wrong with me that night, but tears started to form in my eyes. Maybe the day had been a little too extreme. Who know? Maybe it was something else…

“I was so worried.. that you would get kidnapped by those gangsters… To think that you were about to be carried away was just too much of a close call…” I said quietly as I sniffled in between.

Jongin gently wiped away the tears from my eyes, still staring at me intently.

“Yah.. why can’t you be more careful?? You can never be too careful these days,” I continued to reprimand him. “Don’t you think of anyone else but yourself? If I lost you, I don’t know what I would have done…” I said as emotions overtook my saneness. As I slowly realized what I had just said, I hurriedly looked down, trying to hide my tears and my newfound blush.

I felt Jongin’s hands lift my chin up, but I tried to push him away.

“I look really ugly when I cry..”

“You look beautiful.”

Still staring at the ground, my eyes opened wide as I realized what Jongin had just said.

W-what….?? He must have slipped or something.. Is he ok?? I thought as I looked up to make sure Jongin was still Jongin.

Right when I looked up, Jongin swooped in, kissing me on the lips and taking me by surprise. My eyes got even wider as I realized what was happening. I felt Jongin’s soft lips on mine, gently kissing them. His arms were still gripping my shoulders, pushing me against the wall. At first, I tried to push him away, but his stance was just too strong. No matter how hard I struggled, Jongin managed to keep our lips attached. I was so glad that his body cast a shadow over mine, so he couldn’t see that I was blushing like mad. Eventually, I began to return the kiss, moving my lips and kissing him back. I don’t know what it was, but it was like no other kiss I had. He was gentle, yet firm. Eventually, his hands moved down my back until they rested on my hips. I slowly wrapped my arms around his neck, deepening the kiss. I had to stand on my tippy toes because of our height difference, but it wasn’t too much of a hassle. His lips were sweet against mine, and I could smell his distinct cologne. Instantly, I felt comforted and safe. His arms around my body gave me even more comfort and security.

Finally, Jongin released me from the kiss, causing us to look at each other face to face. Both of us were dizzy and blushing from the sudden intimate contact. He looked so good that day even though he was in his school uniform. He could make anything look spiffy.

Jongin then pulled me into a hug, snuggling his face into the crook of my neck. I froze at first, but then relaxed, and wrapped my arms around his waist, hugging him tightly.

“Eunbi-noona… I know you may not feel the same way, and I know what I’m about to say might burden you even more, but I can’t hold back anymore. I finally realized how I feel about you.”

My heart suddenly beat faster and faster, and I felt my cheeks heat up even more. I began to replay the memories of Jongin, when he was flirting with other girls at the club, when I learned about his relationship with his ex-girlfriend.. When I found out he had a fight with Sehun..

No wonder my heart ached so much… I can’t hide my feelings anymore..

“I love you, Song Eunbi.”

Just with those words, I felt like the whole world was spinning. I felt dizzy yet happy, a combination of joy and nervousness. An overdose of love.

I pressed my face against Jongin’s chest and took a deep breath of his scent, hugging him even tighter than before.

“I love you too, Kim Jongin.”

My reply was muffled but fully audible. Jongin felt a surge of confidence the moment I said those words, as it had confirmed that the one person he loved also loved him back. He tightened the hug, smiling like crazy. I began to smile too, with tears forming in my eyes again.

Everything clicked. I finally discovered why I felt so worried and frustrated about losing Jongin. It was because I couldn’t afford to, not after what had developed between us. Jongin felt the same way. It was when Eunbi had rescued him from the gangsters for the who knows what time that he realized how he felt about her. He had realized why she made him feel so frustrated and angry, yet so excited and nervous.

Of course, we had no idea what was yet to come.

I'm back! Ahh so much fluff ;v; I can't write fluff..

Thanks for reading~ I hope you guys liked this chapter! kekeke