Jiwoo looks away from her phone to the man sleeping on her stomach, a hand wrapped around her thighs firmly as if they were pillows to him. She runs her fingers through his soft black hair, earning a deep satisfied sigh as he shifts on the bed, but then not quite moving away from her.
"You are just a big koala", she presses the tips of her fingers onto his scalp, knowing how he loves it when she does that. "Are you sure you don't want to go home?"
Namjoon lets out a low groan, shaking his head slightly before he turns around to look at her. "Are you trying to make your boyfriend leave?"
Unable to supress the grin on her face, she proceeds to slap the side of his arm gently before returning to look at her phone again. After Jiwoo moved out from her mother's big house and decided to rent a small studio apartment for herself after landing a permanent job at the company she did her internship. And ever since that, Namjoon has been sleeping over her house with the excuse he needs to see her everyday or else, he will miss her too much.
Well, ever since they decided to date of course.
"Jiwoo"
"Hmmm?", she looks down at him again, raising her eyebrows in question. "What's wrong?"
"Did it hurt?"
"W-What?", confused at his words, she looks at him with a big question mark on her face. "Hurt? What?"
"When you fell gracefully from heaven?"
Caught off guard at his sudden pickup line on which she had no idea where it even came from, Jiwoo almost drop her phone as her jaw dropped and she almost kicked him off her bed. And Namjoon had the audacity to wink at her before breaking into her favourite kind of laugh—that deep laugh that rumbles through his chest piercing her soul like the warmth of the morning.
"Kim Namjoon"
"Yes?", innocently, he pushes himself up, pulling her up with him to sit on the bed. "What?"
"You hang out around the boys too much"
Namjoon could not help but to laugh again as he takes her hand and gently lifts it to his mouth, kissing her knuckles all of a sudden. He loves doing so, and Jiwoo realizes his love language are both vernal and non-verbal. Sometimes he leaves poetic notes on a piece of a paper and slip it into her bag, sometimes along the day when she is at work, he'll just randomly calls her during break just so he can hear her voice and whenever they go out, he would just brush his fingers with hers or touches the back of her neck whenever they're alone and also, stolen kisses in the car or at the parking lot.
Something so new to her but she is really loving those gestures.
"Joon", the smile on her face was so wide it hurts the muscles on her face. "You really love kissing my hands, don't you? You're eating up all my expensive lotion"
"I'll buy you more lotion"
"Geez, so romantic", she half-heartedly tries to pull her hand away from him but then he holds it tighter.
She watches as Namjoon just smiles at her, his adorable dimples showing themselves as his eyes seem to sparkle with something that looks a lot like adoration. Many times when she looks at the way he looks at her, there is nothing else but tender affection beaming out of those sharp eyes. And most of the time she wonders if she deserves being with someone that is never afraid to speak out loud when it comes to feelings and emotions.
Namjoon never holds back when he speaks of his feelings towards her. He is honest and transparent, never twisting his words and he will let her know that he wants her, always.
Just as much as she does. But Jiwoo sometimes struggles to show it, not that she does not, but not as much as he does.
"Jiwoo, you're spacing out again"
"No, I am not. I am just looking at you"
"And may I ask why you are looking at me like that?", he leans closer, eyes glinting with amusement.
"Because I am wondering why you haven't kissed me yet. I am waiting", she leans even closer, eyes challenging him. "Or do I have to ask you to kiss me thi—"
Namjoon didn't let her finish her words and pressed his lips on her, his hand snaking to the back of her neck holding her close and pressing her deeper into the kiss. He kisses her so gently, but yet, the warmth of his feelings sparks jitter on her skin, alerting her senses as she slowly gets lost in the feels. It happens every single time they kiss. His kisses have always been so soft and tender yet so deep and passionate, making her see all sort of colours in her head as her heart thumps so loudly beneath her tight skin.
His kisses feel magical in a way it feels she is being swoon through the warm air of summer, the gentle breeze gracing her skin in a whimsical-like manner that soothes her insides as it embraces her so tenderly.
Magical. Namjoon is magical. And she loves magic.
And she loves him too.
-
Scanning the quiet hospital lobby, a cup of coffee in hand and a plastic filled with sandwiches and many sorts of energy drinks, Areum lets out another sigh as she rethinks her decision. When her friend—the married one—had called her an hour ago to accompany her and her 3-year-old daughter to the hospital, it took her a while to process they were headed towards this particular hospital.
It was quite late, nearing 8 in the evening when Miyeon, her friend was called into the doctor's room, her cute daughter, Soomi, tucked safely in both of her hands. Miyeon's husband is out of town and she needed moral support. They have been close ever since middle school and Miyeon is the only friend Areum would drop everything just to take a call from her. That is more than enough to explain how much she loves Miyeon.
Waiting at the seating area with Soomi sitting on her lap now, the bag of sandwiches and drinks placed at the side of her, her hand holding on the coffee she bought earlier. The coffee she thought of giving to Doctor Kim but it has been an hour and she couldn't even take out her phone to give him a call.
What a chicken she thought
She feels Soomi softly shifting on her lap, her small hands clasped cutely under her chin as she leans onto her chest, eyes fluttering closed.
"Are you sleepy?"
Soomi nods lazily and she turns her body, her small hands attempting to hug Areum. Areum wanted to wrap her hand around her body and lift her up, remembering how Soomi loves being carried around, coddled in safe arms as she drifts to sleep. So she stands up, one hand gently holding Soomi close to her but then she accidentally lost grip of the coffee when Soomi moves too suddenly.
"Oh shi—"
She watches as her fingers lost their grip on the white paper cup, expecting it to drop onto the floor creating a milky brown mess on the shiny cleaned marble tiles of the hospital floor. But then, it did not.
"Got it"
A sleeve of white coat appears in her line of sight, and in a flash, the coffee is safe in another's person grip—manly grip.
"Your coffee is rescued", the man says, smiling sweetly at her. "Good Evening, Areum-ssi"
"D-Doctor K-Kim????"
"Why do you look so...surprised?"
"Why are you here?"
Doctor Kim looks amused at her question, a little laugh spilling out of him as he tugs the white coat on his body. "I...work here....?"
If only she could slap herself right now, she would have done it. But her hands are rather occupied with the little human in her arms. And, she would really want to slap herself for actually feeling nervous out of nowhere at the sight of this handsome man in front of her.
"Areum?", he calls her softly, eyes looking straight at her. "Are you well? Is this—"
"Areum! Oh my god, thank you for waiting and also, I got Soomi's medicine and now I need to—", Miyeon stops when she realized there is someone else with Areum and her daughter. She blinks a few times, turning to her friend asking for explanation with her bright eyes.
"Oh—Sorry, this is Doctor Kim, a friend of mine. Doctor Kim, this is my best friend, Song Miyeon", she gestures to her friend and then she gestured to the sleeping girl in her arms. "This is her daughter"
"Nice to meet you", he bows courteously, flashing a very handsome smile.
A very handsome smile that actually made Miyeon star struck, her jaw dropped and her eyes freezing at the sight of Doctor Kim. Miyeon was not even subtle with her reaction, her hands were not even moving, and she looks as if she is completely frozen. Realizing Miyeon's very not subtle reaction to Doctor Kim, Areum clears her throat, breaking the stillness between all of them.
"You are very handsome", she blinks again. "Why are you a doctor?"
And now Areum wishes her hands were not occupied so she could throw her friend out of this planet, all the way to Pluto.
"Miyeon", she sighs deeply. "He is a doctor and that's it"
Miyeon grins at him as if she did not just ask him the weirdest question ever.
"How is your daughter? Is she well?"
"Oh my", Miyeon gently takes her daughter from Areum, one hand swiftly rubbing her back as she coddles her. "She is having flu, nothing serious I hope. Everything is settled"
Doctor Kim took the cue to hand the coffee back to Areum on which she hesitantly takes it. After all, she bought the coffee with the intention of giving it to him but ironically, it is back in her hands now.
Maybe she is just too tired of work this week because her mind can think of nothing except wanting to go home, slap herself and bury herself into the soil for being so tongue-tied. The last time they met was months ago and she thought he would call her or text her again but then, he did not. Maybe he was just being respectful, but she really did hope for him to do anything at least.
But why is she even hoping? They are just friends. Maybe lesser than friend. He is just the brother of her sister's boyfriend. Nothing else. Nothing more.
Oh maybe, he is the man she has been secretly crushing.
"Oh! Areum", Miyeon turns to her. "Didn't you say your crush works here? Maybe Doctor Kim can help you find him?"
Areum feels her entire body froze, her heart came to a stop as she looks at her best friend, mouth flung open but before she could even stop her, Miyeon continues.
"Who is it again? That doctor is you sister's boyfriend's brother? Something like that? Maybe Doctor Kim knows him? Why don't you ask Doctor Kim about him? They might know each other? You even bought this coffee for this crush of yours"
Areum swore Doctor Kim's eyes drop to the coffee in her hand before they shift back to her face. It happened for a split second but she was sure sure she saw it.
Miyeon cluelessly smiles at Doctor Kim, completely ignorant at her best friend turning white as colour drains completely out of her, her soul slowly being pulled out of her still body as swirls of emotions burn within her, threatening to explode at any second.
Doctor Kim on the other hand appears calm and respectful, indulging Miyeon with her tale, nodding and smiling. But when he turns to Areum, expecting her to meet his eyes, she looks away.
"So, why don't you ask him?"
It takes every bit of her non-existent guts to even speak. Her throat feels dry after swallowing every 2 seconds, bracing herself on her two wobbly feet as she fights the urge to flee, takes a flight to Antarctica and disappear from the world.
Areum does not even dare to meet Doctor Kim's eyes, knowing he is too sharp and too smart not to know Miyeon was talking about him. And if he did, he surely is being completely respectful and polite not to point anything out.
"Miyeon", Areum shakes her head. "Let's go home, okay? I will send you home. Soomi looks really tired"
It took her quite an effort to drag Miyeon out of the hospital. It took her a whole lot of bravery to bid Doctor Kim goodbye so casually as if Miyeon did not just bluntly exposed her crush on him just 10 minutes ago. Everything happened too fast, and it passed like a blur to her. She could barely look at Doctor Kim's eyes for more than 3 seconds, too nervous and too conscious of catching any hint through his eyes.
As she sits in her car alone at the basement parking lot, she finally lets out the deepest sigh she has been holding all this while. How long has it been since she last actually had an emotional turmoil over something so small like this? It is like fearing your high school crush will reject you after an accidental confession in front of the entire school.
That is exactly how she is feeling right now. The confession she planned in her head was not even close to the actual confession. Well, in her head, she is the one who does all the talking, not Miyeon obviously.
"Oh god, how the hell am I going to see him?", she slaps her palms on the leather steering wheel, grunting lowly at the thought of it. "I am going to see him again soon. Oh god, he is going to reject me. What if he rejects me? What if Haru marries Taehyung and I have to see him every month? Every Christmas? Every new year? Every time we have family dinner? Oh shit shit shit shit shiit"
Areum stayed quiet for a while, breathing in and out, in and out, as she tries to push away all those thoughts out of her head. Maybe the exhaustion is finally eating her up because right now, all she wants to do is scream her lungs out and throw herself off the bridge.
"I need to go for a drive", she nods to herself.
But then suddenly her phone buzzes, and a notification came in.
It is from Doctor Kim
"Holy shit", she stares at her phone in complete fear. "He is rejecting me. I just—shit"
Her thumb hovers over her phone, unsure if she is ready to unlock her phone and checks his text. But then she did it anyway, having no energy left to go through another nerve-wrecking emotional break down.
Doctor Kim :
You took my coffee. I thought it was mine?
~~~~
NOTE
hello everyone! Here is another epilogue update! I hope it is good and enjoyable. oh god, finally areum and seokjin gonna bloom yes i have been waiting hshshsshshs. Thank you for waiting and for reading this update!
Sending you lots of love~