After ending her teaching observation in Mina's class, Seori heads straight to the Music Room to see Yoongi and discuss Mina's progress as promised earlier. Being Mina's direct school supervisor for the program, Yoongi has always kept her updated through emails and short messages but today he would like to verbally discuss her second observation.
Upon arriving at the Music Room, Seori cranes her neck to check first but then sees Yoongi sitting at the table by the window, piles of books at one side, and his laptop in front of him.
"Yoongi?", she knocks on the door gently. "Can I come in?"
Yoongi turns to the door, happy to see her as he motions her to come on while clearing some space on the table for her. He pushes the books to the side and clicks his pen before slipping it into the pocket of his shirt.
"You had a long day too?", she settles onto the chair at the opposite side, putting her work bag on the floor and her handbag on her lap.
Yoongi removes his glasses, pressing the bridge of his nose, sighing tired as he relaxes in his chair. "Six hours of classes, straight"
Her face twitches, clicking her tongue. "Damn, that sucks"
"Very", he massages his shoulders, stretching his neck to the side before clamping his hands together, finally looking like he is prepared for the discussion. "There is not much to update you on Yoon Mina's teaching progress. Even Mister Cha loves her here and I don't doubt he looks like he wants to hire her a teacher here already"
"Not surprising. She is very good and definitely a great teacher. She got the highest mark before too. Even my other friends who had observed her presentation had nothing but good things to say about her"
Yoongi smiles proudly at that, pulling Mina's file out of the pile and flipping it open. "It is stated here that she hopes to teach abroad after getting her master's degree?"
Seori nods, leaning back into her chair. "That's true. Both of her parents are professors abroad. She wishes to follow their path in the field"
Yoongi's eyes perk up in interest. "Abroad?"
She nods, hugging her handbag to her chest as she speaks. "She wanted to do what I did - contract teaching abroad"
He skims Mina's profile for a while before closing it and putting it aside. He leans forward, resting his forearms on the table, and gives Seori a straight look.
"I heard the students requested another four weeks here?"
Seori nods with a proud smile, adjusting herself on the chair as she clears her throat. "The program was originally meant to be eight weeks here, then four weeks at a local school in Seoul. But apparently, they have been enjoying their time here so much here so they requested to complete the training program here instead. I approved it. Now we are waiting for the faculty's approval"
Yoongi's lips slowly curve into a small smirk and it makes her confuses.
"Why are you smiling like that?"
"Oh no, I am sure they enjoyed it. But I am pretty sure you have been enjoying it too"
Seori presses her lips together, hiding her smile as she looks down, pretending to fix her pants.
"I am glad anyway. It's about time you both progress"
-
Seori fishes her phone out of her handbag while walking from the music room back to her workroom, wanting to drop off her students' files before leaving. She stops dead in her tracks when she sees there is a text message from Taehyung about forty-five minutes ago.
Shit
Since she had basically sprinted out of his house this morning, basically freaking out about the dream she had about Taehyung being so close to her, touching her face and staying by her side as she sleeps. The dream felt too real thus it has been bugging her the entire day and it messed with her head.
It felt like it really happened. It felt like he did touch her face. It felt too vivid.
She taps on the text and the second she reads the first sentence, blood drains out of her face as her stomach does a somersault.
Kim Taehyung (Grumpy Farm Man) :
I came home last night actually, not this morning. And no, you did not dream it - it happened. So don't run away like you did this morning. Let's have dinner and talk, okay?
The high-pitched shriek she lets out is unspeakable and she slaps a hand onto her own mouth, eyes warily looking around to see if anyone has seen or heard her. The walkway is empty as everyone has left for the day, only the school janitors and administrative staff are probably the only ones left.
Her heart begins to pound so fast as presses her phone to her chest, not ready to read the text all over again. She can feel the rush of emotions flowing through her body, pumping her blood so fast, making her breathing becomes heavy and uneven - she's nervous and excited at the same time.
"Oh god", she shifts on her feet, slowly peeking at her phone screen to read Taehyung's text again. "It's still there"
She tilts her head upwards, eyes shut as she utters several incoherent curses before snapping out of it. Heading straight to her workroom, she dumps all the files on her table, locks the door, and makes her way to the school gate.
As she gets closer to the school gate, Seori realizes there is someone standing by the wall directly beside the staff entrance and it takes her a moment to get the gears in her brain working to fully register the sight.
Kim Taehyung.
Kim Taehyung is standing near the small gate, with no flannel but only a dark blue round collared t-shirt and a pair of black linen pants, with one hand casually in his pocket. It does not help that he is wearing a baseball cap in a color that matches his shirt.
It is still a wonder how can this man look effortlessly attractive in such simple clothes.
Seori stops halfway towards the gate, swallowing hard as she catches him smiling at her as if he knows what is in her head. Despite the distance between them, she can still see the small smirk on his lips, and the mischievous glint in those sharp eyes.
She hears voices coming from behind her - the students - and she hopes for nothing else but for them not to realize how she is standing so still there, unmoving, having a war with herself.
"MISS PARK SEORIIIIIII", Beomgyu calls her excitedly. "Let's go back together!"
"Shut up, Beomgyu", Mina says. "Don't disturb Miss Park Seori"
"Miss Park Seori, do you want to have dinner with us?", Yeon Jun appears beside her, smiling excitedly. "We are crashing Madam Cha's house for dinner and-"
"Noooo", Eri pulls Yeon Jun's bag, dragging him away from her. "Miss Park Seori is booked for tonight"
Yeon Jun and Beomgyu begin to ask questions as Eri and Mina drag them away.
"Stop asking questions", Yoona sighs, hands flailing before she gestures to all the boys, including Soobin who has been quiet and just clueless, to look at the school gate.
All three boys turn their heads at the same time, following the direction of Yoona's finger, then all of them turn to look at Yoona at the same time.
"That is Mister Kim", Beomgyu sounds confused.
"Now look here", Yoona waves her hand to Seori, who is still standing so still, watching them with a blank face.
"This is Miss Park", Yeon Jun says.
All of them fall into a pin-drop silence for a few seconds, the girls looking at the boys with knowing looks and it takes them a while to put the pieces together. At the same time, all the boys let out a knowing gasp, eyes widening as their heads turn from Taehyung to Seori multiple times.
"Boys are so slow, what even", Yoona rolls her eyes at them. "Now that you get your empty brains working, take the hint, and let's leave"
All six of them quickly excuse themselves, basically gliding through the space and giving Taehyung a quick greeting before disappearing. Taehyung turns to Seori, arching an eyebrow at her when he realizes she is still standing there, not moving an inch from her initial spot.
"Is this your new job", she takes a step forward, walking very slowly as if she is buying time. "Chaperoning people?"
"Maybe", his eyes beam at her. "I find it very interesting when the one I am supposed to look after seems to always run from me"
She grunts, feigning annoyance as she makes a show to roll her eyes slightly. "I got your text"
"Did you read it?"
Seori walks up to him, pressing her nervous lips together as she stares directly at his chest. "I did. But I need some time to....think"
"Okay", he nods. "Let's walk back home?"
They walk side by side out of the school, in complete comfortable silence. Seori is thankful when Taehyung asks nothing else and allows her the space to figure out her own messy thoughts after reading his text. Taehyung leads her to the walk beside the beach, wanting to take the longer route and he briefly says he wants to show her the sunset thus the different walk home.
After a few more minutes of their silent walk accompanied by the late evening summer wind and the sound of birds chirping as they head home, Taehyung finally stops and speaks.
"I can hear you thinking very hard"
"I am", she stops as well but does not turn to look at him yet. "There is a lot in my head"
"Will it help if you speak them out loud, to me?"
"I think so", she clears her throat. "Look, all of this feels too sudden to me. I hope you understand why it is so difficult for me to place my thoughts and understand my own feelings. But I feel like I cannot grasp the changes between us. First, when I came here, both of us were like sworn enemies. No, wait, scratch that. It was you who acted like you had bunches of needles stuck on your ass every time you saw me. Then suddenly you went incredibly soft towards me - no warnings too. You went from very cold and looking like you wanted to burn me, to this - so soft and...different. Things between us shifted out of nowhere and I don't know how to deal with it"
She is breathless by the end of her very long speech, but when Taehyung opens his mouth to speak, she raises a hand to silence him.
"I am not finished"
"I am sorry", he smiles cheekily to himself. "Okay, I am still listening"
"What happened actually? Why these sudden changes out of nowhere?"
Taehyung says nothing as if he is waiting for her to continue.
"Oh wait, I am done", Seori says, looking like she is about to laugh at herself.
"I can speak now, Park Seori?", he smiles at her. "Can I?"
She nods, adjusting her handbag on her shoulder as she shifts to her feet.
"Alright, thank you", he clears his throat, moving to stand in front of her instead. "I was conflicted at first, too afraid of the sudden unknown feeling that hit me hard the first time I saw you. You could say it was like an attraction at first sight, except it was very strangely strong. I did not want to deal with it but I was also very stupid to throw excuses so that I would not put my attention so much on you. Well, in the end, the other thing actually happened"
He pauses, breathing in and out slowly.
"I found myself paying attention to you and memorizing everything about you instead. I ordered the oat milk for Jungkook's cafe and specifically asked him to always use it for his coffee and nothing else. I saw you that night trying to read on your patio but the lightbulb was broken thus I asked Jimin to replace it. And well...many other fixings. The box I told you to take at your door was from me and I felt stupid because I said it was from Jungkook."
Seori sees the slight blush on his face as he touches the side of his face as if he is trying to hide from her.
"Maybe I am not really good with words but I do hope my actions have spoken louder"
Her heart skips a beat at his sentence, making her look at him with a surprised face.
"Park Seori", he sighs her name, closing his eyes shut like he is trying to fight himself. "I tried very hard not to like you too much but it has proven futile because I always want to look for you, talk to you, or just want to hear your voice. I didn't realize how much you occupy my thoughts day and night. This push and pull is tiring and I just want to be very honest with you"
He finally turns to her again, his eyes seeming to gleam with warmth as he looks deep into her eyes.
"I like you, Park Seori. I like you quite a lot. And perhaps more than just like you. The last thing I ever want to do is make you feel confused about the sudden change between us or the way I treat you. I like you a lot. If wanting to see you, the constant feeling of missing you, wanting to hear your voice at least a few times a day, and the desperate need to stay close to you do not translate my feelings towards you - there's something wrong with the world then"
Seori gulps at his words, battling her eyes as if she is still trying her best to lets them sink in.
"I am falling for you, hard. I know it's strange and maybe seems too fast but I know I am falling for you. I don't know if you like me the way I like you. Maybe the intensity differs and is not as deep as my feelings towards you but I hope you would one day like me too"
He lifts a hand to scratch the side of his face, looking nervous of out nowhere.
"This is getting too long but...I know this whole long-ass confession is boring you and further making you struggle to sort your feelings. But as long as you are not pushing me away, I want to stay close to you. As long as you do not hate me or show that you dislike me nor ask me to not come closer, I want to keep being close to you. Even right now...standing like this is not enough. I just want to get closer to you"
A beat passes between them, and none of them make a sound, standing there so still as Taehyung's confession linger in the air. Seori looks at him, trying to read his face as she lets all his words get into her head but as soon as the realization hits her, her body goes warm. Telltale pink paint her cheeks as the flusterment seems to wash over her, her heart slows down into gentle beats as she looks down, blushing profusely to herself again.
Taehyung stays quiet too, not wanting to say more after his long confession.
"Can you come closer then?", she says with a small flustered smile, but her eyes seem to twinkle with anticipation.
Taehyung smiles softly to himself, relieved. His lips curve into a wide witty smile as he tilts his head slightly, meeting her eyes. "If I get closer, there is no turning back. Because once I am there, I will want to hold you"
Her eyes almost sparkle at his reply, making her laugh a little. "Only hold me? What am I? A shovel?"
Her little joke has him chuckling to himself, forcing an amused sigh out of him. "Park Seori, good god, your humor keeps me alive"
"Well, I cannot possibly murder you yet", she shrugs her shoulders slightly.
They fall into another silence, looking at each other with hope and nervousness filling their eyes.
"Are you saying I can do more?", he arches an eyebrow, a little smirk plastered on his face.
"Hmm, why don't you come closer and find out?"
He looks amused at her bold reply before slowly stepping forward, closing the small distance between them. He hears the small sharp intake of her breath and watches as she has to tilt her head slightly to look up at him. She looks nervous, but so does he.
Being this close to Seori makes him feel like is about to trip on the flat ground, and willingly falls face first just to hide the blush on his face. Standing this close makes him want to run to the shore and scream because his heart is pounding so hard and loud, and he needs to let everything out.
Seori on the other hand feels like she is about to explode due to the butterflies roaming in her stomach. Her body feels like it has been fully electrified - sparks and jitters all over her skin.
Taehyung lifts his right hand, gently pushing her hair back, and tucking a few strands behind her ear. His fingers linger at the side of her face, purposely brushing her cheek in a feathery touch. His eyes follow the movement of his fingers down to the side of her jaw, and he only smiles when he realizes the way Seori tenses under his touch.
"I have always wanted to do this", he looks at her. "I have always wanted to look at you this close and admire your face"
Her eyes flutter as heat travels up to her cheeks. Telltale pink paints her face, but as much as she wants to look away, she cannot. Taehyung's deep gaze seems to lock her in place, trapping her in a dizzying trance and she seems to let herself to be pulled toward him.
"Park Seori", he sighs her name. "I truly want to kiss you"
Her eyes perk up in surprise and she can only manage to look at him.
"Can I kiss you?", he leans closer but allows a comfortable space between their faces.
Seori can feel his warm breath fanning her face - that's how close his face is to hers. Then she feels his hand slowly snaking to her neck, his thumb brushing that spot between her ear and neck and his fingers sinking into her hair.
She nods.
"Don't just nod, Park Seori. I thought you always have something to say?", he chuckles lowly, and a devious smirk appears on his face. "Why are you just nodding this time? Out of words?"
She hits her fist at the side of his waist, rolling her eyes despite the nervousness. The action makes both of them laugh but not quite loud, as if the heavy tension between them seems to hold them at the edge.
Slowly they fall back into silence, the humor in their eyes dissipates and something else is in place.
"May I?"
"Yes", she swallows. "Yes please, before I melt under this sun and end up-"
Her words are cut off when Taehyung suddenly leans towards her and presses his lips on hers, catching her off guard. He hears her short gasp but it does nothing to him as his hold tightens in her hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss. She tenses under his touch, and when he frames her face with both his hands, deepening the kiss, claiming her lips in a slow unrushed kiss.
He kisses her softly, but passionately, the heavy tension between them seems to pull each other closer and closer, and the unknown longing that is overdue finally snaps and bursts into little sparks of warmth that travel from their lips, down to their toes. She can feel the beating of her heart hammering and echo in her ears but she cannot think of anything else but the feel of Taehyung's soft lips on hers, kissing her as if nothing else matters.
He is kissing her as if his entire life depends on it.
It takes her a moment to break out of the dizzying trance and finally kiss him back, her hands clutching the front of his shirt, unconsciously pulling him to her. Taehyung pulls away for a second to smile at her but crashes his lips back onto hers, grinning into the kiss when she lets out a groan as if she is mad at him for breaking the kiss for a while.
The kiss swirls them into a different dimension but in slow motion as if allowing them to drown in the heat between them, basking in the tenderness of the moment as the summer air wraps them in an embrace, holding them perfectly together. The kiss feels like a dream they both desperately hold on to, and neither of them wants to pull away and would rather drown in the kiss, forgetting the need for air.
Taehyung makes a move to pull her closer but Seori gently pulls away, reluctantly breaking the kiss and resting her palms on his chest when he seems to lean forward to kiss her again. She is breathless, her chest rising up and down and when she looks up, Taehyung is doing the same. Her body buzzes with the aftermath of the long slow dizzying kiss and she is still dazed, wondering how the kiss was so soft and gentle but it felt so intense to the point her head spins.
Taehyung suddenly rests his forehead on hers, catching his breath as his hands still hold her face.
A moment passes calmly between them, both standing still, slowly letting air comes back into their lungs in silence.
"I need a moment", he finally speaks, resting his cheek on the side of her head.
Seori musters a weak dazed laugh before feeling herself being pulled into a hug, and suddenly Taehyung buries his face in her hair. The gesture pulls another laugh out of her and she hears his murmuring into her hair, asking why is she laughing.
"Are you blushing after kissing me, Mister Kim?"
She feels him squeezing her with his hug, and he buries his face deeper into her neck. "Do not tease me, Park Seori. I just want to hug you"
"Really? You are basically suffocating me - wait, a second. You are hiding your flustered face from you, are you not?", she makes a move to push him away, and surprisingly he loosens his hold on her but not quite letting her go.
When she finally sees his face, she cannot help but smile so widely at the way he is looking at her with light in his eyes. He is looking at her as if she is some kind of rare treasure he has been looking for and finally found. The gentleness in his gaze does wonder to her and she needs to revisit this feeling again, at another time, when she is not giddy and flushed after the kiss.
"You did the same thing a lot of times before - hiding your flustered face from me", he narrows his eyes at her, smirking slightly. "So we are even, no?"
She blushes, pretending to look away. "Shut up"
He smiles at that and looks down at her hands in his. "Hugging you feels so pleasant"
"It does?", her eyes light up.
"Like you were supposed to fit in my hold perfectly", he tugs her closer. "You need to stay very close to me from now on, Park Seori"
Her face softens for a few seconds before she clears her throat, giving him a look. "I am quite amazed"
"By the kiss?", he smirks at her, earning an eye-roll from her.
"By your character development, Mister Kim Taehyung", she gently taps a finger on his chest. "You went from wanting to cut my head off and hang it on some strawberry tree to wanting to kiss me"
"That is only partially true", he tilts his head to the side slightly, smiling sheepishly as he takes her hand again just to hold them in his. "I did want you out of the village - not your head - but it was only because the feeling hit me too strongly and I did not know what was happening"
Seori sighs softly to herself, watching the way Taehyung looks at her with a dreamy gaze that makes her feel like her knees are going weak and just seconds away from collapsing on the ground. She can still taste him on her lips and when she remembers how he had kissed her just minutes ago, her body goes warm immediately and he sees the slight change in her expression.
He knows she is thinking about the kiss. Judging by the way he is smiling at her with a wicked glint in his eyes, they both know that they were indeed thinking about their kiss earlier.
But before either of them can speak, they hear someone screaming their names from a distance, making them turn to look at the main road only to find Jungkook and Jimin on a truck, waving at them excitedly.
"GO OUT ON A DATE YOU FOOLS", Jimin shouts at them. "It is about time!"
"Go home!", Taehyung yells back.
"THAT IS ONE CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT KIM TAEHYUNG", Jungkook honks the truck as he shouts, laughing loudly before hitting the brakes on purpose just to take a look at Taehyung and Seori.
"Please fix Seori's house on your own from now on.", Jimin raises both his palms. "I retire"
~~~~
NOTE
I hope this chapter is good! Thank you for reading !
I can feel myself relapsing and losing energy to write again. I dislike the feeling but I cannot help it 🙂
But I do hope everyone can understand the possible slow updates in the future ! I cherish you very much and your comments have been making my days. I am thankful for the ones who have been reading my books and commenting 💕
I hope my books manage to give you the feeling of being safe or some sort - that's my sole wish 🎈