philophobia | ksj+mb

-21-

"I know you have a question. And you're dying to ask."

Jin's focused face turned into a look of surprise. His grip on the steering wheel loosened and he stared at me.

"Eyes on the road, Mr." I warned. I'm not afraid of accidents, but Jin tends to sway when he's not focused, and I'm not risking another near-crash incident and panic attacks.

He looked away from me, eyes still wide and surprised. "I don't —" he blinked. "I don't have any questions."

I rolled my eyes. "Either I'm going crazy, or I can hear your thoughts. I'd choose the latter."

He let out a breathy chuckle. His car reeked of lilies and I had to stop myself from gagging. "It's just you're conscience —"

"It's got your voice."

He opened his mouth, and closed it. "Then maybe you're just thinking about me —"

"You're right here." I glared at his side profile, trying to fight the urge to cover my nose. "Why would I think about you?" The urge got the best of me, and I can't stop myself from pinching my nose. "You should change your air freshener. I hate it."

He raised his eyebrows, briefly glancing at me. "It's my car. Why should I do that? Besides, who doesn't like lilies?"

"I do. And I think I'm going to puke."

His grip tightened. "Alright, no puking. You're lucky I'm nice." He took the air freshener, throwing it into the dashboard and closing it shut. He rolled down the windows. "There. Better?"

I nodded. The smell faded, disappearing into the wind. Our journey back from Daegu was — quite surprisingly — a short one. Maybe it's because I have Jin today. It didn't feel that short the last time I went there.

"So, question?" I reminded. The look he gave me back on Mubijeong stayed in my head for the rest of our lunch. It even stayed during our train ride back.

He shrugged. "It's nothing. I just thought you've been acting weird ever since Wheein and Taehyung came." He took a brief glance at me, his eyebrows turned down into a worried frown. "You okay?"

"It's probably too late to say I'm fine, right?" I joked. Shifting on my seat, I tried to find the most comfortable position. But at this moment, nothing seems comfortable. I rolled up the window on my side, blocking the summer wind from hitting my face.

Jin mimicked me, letting the air conditioner cool the small space. "Will you tell me what's wrong?"

I shrugged. "I had this dream two weeks ago."

"Wheein and Taehyung are there?"

I gave him a nod. "And it's quite... Unsettling? It's hazy — I mean, all dreams are hazy — but this one is really hazy. And there's a lot of wine involved."

A smile went to his lips. "Wine? Were you drunk?"

I frowned, forming a smile of my own. "Well, I did drink with Seulgi."

"Could it be just the alcohol?" he asked, eyebrows raised. His smile faded.

"I hope you're right."

—❦—

How Jin ended up on the floor of my apartment remains a mystery to me. How I manage to agree to this is an even larger mystery.

Jin invited me on a movie night earlier on, and since I complained a lot about my preferences, he suggested Netflix. I have no problem with it, but it looks like he has no other idea on how to spend our time together.