• Chapter 55 •
The sun was still rising, the light it threw was a deep, warm orange. It generously covered the white blanket and sheets of the bed Jisung lay in.
The light reached up to his face and woke him. It felt nice, cosy.
Running his hand through his hair a few times, he got out of bed and took a few drowsy steps until he reached the door. He pulled it open, took another step.
Standing in the familiar corridor, Jisung smiled. He let his gaze tumble to the side. It was silent inside the house, it was quiet outside too. The world only slowly began to move again.
Another day.
He smiled, turned and walked down the corridor at the end of which stood a door that led into the guest bedroom. That's where he had brought Cho-a to last night - and it's the room she always slept in when she stayed the night.
Lately, she was the only one using it. Even though she didn't use it too often, Jisung had already made a mental note to always keep it neat and tidy just in case she wanted to stay the night.
Or two.
He knocked. It was still early, so he didn't expect a reply. He was just being polite. So, opening the door quietly, he merely wanted to catch a glimpse of her sleeping figure.
Peeking around the corner, he was expecting to--
The bed was empty.
Jisung turned around hastily. "Cho-a?" he asked into the empty room, that was left perfectly clean as if the girl had never been there in the first place.
He quickly turned around and left. He walked down the corridor that lay in silence - no noise around that would hint at Cho-a being there.
He hurried downstairs, stormed through the entrance room, living room and all the way into the kitchen.
"Cho-a?!"
But she wasn't there and he got more and more worried by the second. If she wasn't who she was then he probably wouldn't have been this nervous. Especially after what had happened last night though...
He reached into his pocket, took his phone, called her quickly.
The first beep sounded on his end of the call. Tapping the kitchen counter nervously, he waited.
Huh?
A melody danced into the room Jisung stood in. It made him frown.
Leaving the kitchen, he walked back into the living room. On the coffee table in the middle of the room blinked Cho-a's phone brightly. It rang pointlessly as if someone would pick up any time soon.
Jisung inhaled sharply through his teeth, buried a hand in his hair.
"Idiot," he mumbled as if she could hear him. He took a deep breath, pretended it calmed him down. "Where'd she go?"
He didn't expect an answer, but he wanted one.
He was nervous and worried and he really wanted to see her right now.
He didn't expect to, but he wanted to regardless.
He really--
Click
The front door clicked open, letting cool air into the house as Cho-a stepped inside. She carried a bag over her shoulder, keys clinking between her fingers before she put them back onto the shelf next to the door.
Turning to the side with wide eyes, Jisung's nervousness disappeared at once. However, he didn't move. He watched her as she took off her shoes and stepped into the living room and finally noticed him.
"Oh, hey! I took your keys. Sorry for not asking in advance," she apologized in passing, making her way over to him.
When she came to a halt in front of the boy, she smiled. It was a happy and gentle smile but it didn't last long next to Jisung's worried frown.
He looked a little tired. A little unhappy.
Reaching up, she gently ran a finger down his forehead until she reached the soft crinkles between his brows, then let it wander back up.
"Are you not feeling well?" she questioned, trying to wipe his frown away. "You can sleep more if you want, it's still early."
But Jisung quickly shook his head. "You scared me."
Cho-a pushed a surprised huh?
"Sorry," she said before asking, "But why?"
"I couldn't find you and you left your phone here too," he explained briefly.
He didn't wait for her to react before he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, head on her shoulder. Although she was surprised, she quickly did the same and slung her arms around him. She moved her hands up and down soothingly.
"I was just out buying food. Your fridge is pretty empty since you don't need to fill it," she explained, hoping to reassure him.
He nodded, hummed against her skin.
"You had a fight just yesterday and there are people looking for you," Jisung mumbled. "Don't just leave."
Cho-a smiled at his concern. "I didn't know you would get worried." She pushed herself away from him, looked at the relieved looking boy, his deep brown eyes and the way he gazed at her.
Then she sighed.
"Man," she mumbled under her breath. "You look really cute when you are worried."
Jisung frowned. "I'm being serious here."
Cho-a nodded as she walked past him and into the kitchen. "So am I."
Jisung followed her quietly. He watched her as she put the few groceries away that she had bought.
"I'm surprised that you left to buy food when you can't even remember to eat most days," Jisung noted, almost doubting her a little. Cho-a agreed.
"Actually Kun texted me and told me not to forget about breakfast." She took a bowl and put some cereal in it. Her eyes got lost in her own movements. She stared down at her hands. "I don't know why I keep forgetting it when the rest of you always remembers."
Jisung shrugged. "It's not like it's a lot of effort for us to remind you," he noted. "Just rely on us for that."
Cho-a looked up at him. His words were as kind as always. He was there for her, he tried his best. She wanted to do the same for him. However, she wasn't sure if she was doing it right.
"Jisung?"
"Hm?"
"I have a question," she said before asking. "If I do something stupid without telling you beforehand, will you get angry at me?"
Jisung's somewhat absent-minded and relaxed expression dropped immediately. He paused, unsure of how to reply.
He cleared his throat to gain an extra second. "Depends," he noted. "Is it dangerous?"
"Perhaps."
Jisung held back a frown. He didn't want to hear that - it wasn't the answer he was hoping for.
"Are you doing it alone?"
Cho-a quickly shook her head - but then she stopped and nodded. She looked confused before she replied a little simpler,
"Partially?"
"Cho-a," Jisung whined, unhappy about her second answer as well.
She raised her hands in surrender. "I'm sorry okay, I was just asking. Don't take it too seriously."
"'Don't take it too seriously'?" he repeated. "So this was all theoretical and it's not actually happening?" It was a rhetorical question, of course.
There was something she wasn't telling him and it made him nervous.
"Why don't you tell me about it?" Jisung asked gently, a soft smile on his lips. "I will try my best to help."
She shook her head.
"Cho-a," he whined yet again. "Why did you tell me then?"
"Because I felt bad," she admitted. "Sorry for trying to feel better by making you feel worse."
Jisung reached forward, took the girl's hand in his. "That's not what I meant." He looked down at her hands that looked so delicate lying in his own. Small. Frail, almost. He took a deep breath. "I won't be angry."
"Really?" Cho-a asked, leaning forward to get closer to the boy.
He nodded, then leaned his head to the side and grimaced. "Renjun will probably be furious though."
"I know." She scrunched her nose. "Can't wait."
Standing opposite one another in comfortable silence, Jisung let his eyes lie on their hands, before they wandered up her arms, over her neck and lips until he locked eyes with her.
He took a deep breath. "As long as you always come back to me, I won't ever get angry with you," he said, voice almost a whisper.
With a smile of her own, Cho-a leaned even closer to Jisung. She tilted her head to the side, eyes jumping down to his lips, then back up to his brown orbs.
"Nothing easier than that," she replied, voice equally low before she leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
Brief, soft. And then she already pulled back. However, she barely managed to separate their lips before Jisung slung his arm around her waist, pulled her closer and replied to her kiss with a kiss of his own.
• Nothing easier •
I feel like everyone's hands would look small in comparison to Jisung's (except for Lucas') but I still thought the image was cute~
I hope you have a great day/night, guys!