AFTER A LONG DAY OF FILMING, it was time for all of us to go to bed. The boys slept in one room, and the staff were separated in different rooms by gender. Geun was allowed to sleep with me and Nari and a few other female workers.
We wrapped up filming at around 9 at night, and all of us were done getting ready for bed by 11. After maybe an hour, I wake up to Geun's legs on top of mine, him sprawled out like a child on our futon. I grunt, sitting up and leaving the room.
I enter the hall and quietly step along the floorboards. I try as hard as possible not to wake anyone up as I enter the kitchen. My mouth is dry, so I decide to pour myself a cup of water. I open one of the cabinets and take out a small glass. However, when I turn around to the sink, I see a dark silhouette outside of the front door. It looks like they're leaving the house, as their figure starts to descend down the porch steps.
I carefully set the glass down and make my way to the door. I peek out the blinds to see who it was, relaxing when I realize who it is. I gently unlock the door, and as soon as I open it, the person turns around with wide eyes.
"Where are you going, Jungwon?"
"Oh, did I wake you up?" He whispers, walking back to the house.
I close the door behind me and meet him halfway at the stairs. "No, I just needed something to drink..." He's wearing dark pants, a black windbreaker, and white tennis shoes. If he tells me he just needed some fresh air while wearing that, I'll know he's lying. "So what are you doing up?" I ask, pulling out my phone and reading the time. 1:33 a.m.
"...The guys asked me to bring them some snacks."
"What? You all are still awake?" I smile.
"We're watching a movie on Niki's computer. I was going to go down the hill to the shop and buy some food."
I press my lips together. I look around, then sigh. "...I'll come with you. You shouldn't go out on your own." I whisper.
He smiles big. "Really? I mean, you don't have to, you can go back to bed."
"No, no. I'll come. But don't think about leaving on your own in the future again." I hiss, and he bows quickly. A sudden wind blows through, making me shiver aggressively. Somehow, it feels like a cold winter night during the spring.
"Here." Jungwon pulls his windbreaker off his arms, climbing the stairs to stand next to me.
"Huh? Oh, no it's alright—"
"Just put it on." He insists, pushing the jacket against my arm. I hesitate, and he sighs out of playful frustration. "Turn around." He asks, and I slowly face my back to him. He puts the collar of the jacket on the back of my neck, and taps my arms to tell me to put them through the sleeves.
I end up wearing it, and I feel much warmer than before. It even smells like him...
"Wait." I mutter. I then look down at my bare feet.
Jungwon also looks down, then scratches his chin. "...Hm...Where are your shoes? I'll get them."
"They're in the room where I was sleeping."
"Aren't there like...12 other people sleeping in there?"
"Yep."
"Damn, we'd make too much noise looking for your shoes..." An idea seems to suddenly pop into his head, as he walks down one step and bends down, his arms out behind him. "Hop on."
"What?!" I whisper-shout. "Don't be silly. I'm not going to let you carry me down there."
"It's either that, or you wear my shoes and I go down barefoot." He says firmly, and I pout. "The walk is only 5 minutes. I'll be fine. I'm much stronger than you think."
"..." I look around again, as if I'm expecting us to get caught. I sigh, carefully jumping onto his back. He holds my legs underneath my knees and I through my arms over his broad shoulders and hold on tight. To my surprise, he doesn't wobble at all. In fact, he sturdily carries me down the stairs and we begin our journey to the corner store.
We're silent at first, but end up making small talk.
"You're actually pretty light, y/n."
"Thank you?" I giggle.
"Have you ever been giving a piggyback ride before?"
"Hmmm...Maybe a couple times, but I usually give them to Geun."
"I see..."
"What movie were you guys planning to watch?"
"Train to Busan."
"Oh cool."
"Have you seen it?"
"Nope."
"You should watch it with us!"
"Heh, that's sweet for you to invite me, but I really shouldn't join a bunch of boys in a room alone to watch a movie."
"Oh, I see how that might be troublesome." He snickers. I feel the back of his neck get warm, making me smile. I set my chin on his shoulder, the breeze making me tired. My hands are getting cold.
Relaxed, I find myself catching a whiff of his hair.
"...You smell nice...like vanilla."
I can hear the flusteredness in his voice. "M-Me?"
I perk up. "...Did you read my mind?"
"You said it out loud."
My face grows hot. I drop my face back onto his shoulder. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to blurt that."
He squeezes my legs. "It's okay...I'm glad you like it. I'll wear the scent more often."
My stomachs churns. "...You're a really sweet boy...You aren't ever taken advantage of?"
We stop in front of the corner store. He carefully puts me back on the ground and begins to take off his slippers for me to wear inside. He turns to me and holds my hands as I put his shoes on. "What do you mean?" He asks, opening the door for me.
We enter the market and greet the employee, grabbing a handheld basket. I instantly find a pair of slippers and put them in the cart so I would have shoes to wear on the way back. "I always worry when Geun is too nice to people because I fear he might get hurt by those who don't appreciate his kindness."
Jungwon gazes at me for a moment, then looks away to pull some snacks off the shelf. "...So far I haven't been taken advantage of...But I'll be sure to take your advice and keep my guard up."
I chuckle. "No need to shut people out. It's just...you're such a caring boy, and I want you to stay that way without meeting people who will use you. I guess that's what I wanted to say." I mutter, putting some soda bottles into the cart.
He stares down at me, and I look up at him. Wow, his eyes hold the entire galaxy in them.
"...You know...You're quite caring too..." He whispers.
"I...I'm not...I can be selfish..."
"Even so..." He begins, walking to the counter to check out. "...I hope you stay kind too, without fearing those who might hurt you...
Because you deserve the world."
I stop a few feet behind him. Jungwon checks out with the cashier, as if he didn't just say that to me.
Me...
Deserving the world?
We finish checking out, and we're given a bag with out snacks in it. We walk out and I return Jungwon's slippers to him and wear my new ones. We start walking back to the house, and as he's holding our groceries, Jungwon looks down at my hand to see it trembling lightly.
"Are you cold?" He asks.
"Hm? Oh, no, it's just my hands--"
Before I can finish, he slips his fingers in between mine, holds my hand, and puts it into the pocket of his sweatpants to keep it warm. My entire body bursts into a heat explosion, and suddenly I'm no longer cold.
"...Jungwon..."
"Hm?"
"I'm glad we met each other."
My sentiment must have caught him off guard, because he quickly turns to me with wide eyes. "You are?"
"Why, you don't believe me?"
"N-No I do. You just don't express yourself a lot through words, but mainly through actions...So Heeseung was right! You do have a soft spot for us!"
"I-...Maybe a little bit..." I mumble, and Jungwon nudges his head into my neck and teases me.
"Awwww! You're so cute!"