"So, you're telling me," Chaeryeong clears her throat after swallowing one of the cookies before grabbing another one from the box. "That he gave you all of this for helping him clean the place up?"
Ryujin couldn't help the smile growing on her lips before she lowered her head to hide the blush. Chaeryeong cooed as she nudged her, teasing her for her obvious crush on the guy.
"But he's right, you shouldn't do things that put your body in a more uncomfortable state. Is your shoulder doing better?" Chaeryeong asked as she looked at the post-it note again, glancing at Ryujin when she massaged her shoulder as she thought of a response.
"It's doing better. Still needs quite a lot of muscle tape. Talking about muscle tape, I need to go buy some more," Ryujin sighed tiredly, letting her eyes shut for a second as she let exhaustion wash over her entire body.
"I should leave now, you look exhausted. I have an assignment to complete anyway," Chaeryeong hummed, taking note of the fatigue in her features before getting up to go back to her apartment.
"Alright, by the way In-ho hasn't acted up again, has he?" Ryujin got up as well to accompany Chaeryeong to the door. She chuckled wearily, looking over to give a sheepish smile to Ryujin who gave her a pointed look.
"I really don't want to see that guy anymore. It's so annoying I can't do anything about it," Ryujin sighs roughly, running a hand through her hair. Chaeryeong smiled weakly, muttering an apology. Ryujin glanced at Chaeryeong, giving her an empathetic look.
"Wait here," Ryujin hummed softly as she walked back into the house, grabbing a container before putting a handful of the treats Beomgyu had given her into it. She rushed toward the front door, passing it to Chaeryeong with a light smile.
"In case your assignment drags," Ryujin grinned seeing the touched look on Chaeryeong's face. Chaeryeong generously embraced her, thanking her before she disappeared into her apartment which was right next to Ryujin's.
Ryujin closed the front door before dragging her feet to her bedroom. She fell onto the bed, way too tired to get up again to wash back. Her eyes fluttered close as she felt the aching pain in her arms and legs, Coach Yang really wasn't lying about it being vigorous today.
Ryujin stretched her shoulder, testing how painful it was. Seeing as there wasn't a searing pain when she rolled it backwards, she decided it was not worth it to see the doctor that the team had. She laid back down, getting comfortable under the covers before she let her eyes close.
Every day, the same routine.
Ryujin rubbed her tired eyes, her body more sore than yesterday due to the lack of sleep. She dragged herself to the bathroom with the last ounce of energy she had, determined to get ready for the day.
The cold pellets of water from the shower head hit her bare back, and she grit her teeth at the sheer power of a single drop of water. Her tattoo glistened under the fluorescent lights of the bathroom as she washed up.
She stepped out of the shower, draping a towel over her shivering body to protect herself from the coldness of early morning and to also dry herself. Her eyes trailed over to the declining stack of muscle tape, reminding herself that she would need to go purchase more after training.
It was hard, maintaining her health as an athlete. Exercise was good for you, but the copious amount that Ryujin got as a professional athlete was worsening her health more than benefiting it.
But what could she do, but to just persevere on until she was ready for retirement from the sports industry?
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"That was a close call," a part-time employee, Chan-Hyun, chuckled as Beomgyu fell onto a chair, throwing his head back as he let out a relieved sigh. He glared at Mark,a sheepish grin on his lips as he rubbed his neck, who nearly caused a fire in the kitchen.
"Well, my man is not made for the kitchen." Eunbi laughed as she approached her fiance, kissing his cheek which sent him into a blushing mess. Beomgyu made eye contact with Chan-Hyun as a disgusted look flashed on both of their faces. Beomgyu controlled the urge to puke at the disgusting action.
"Once you guys are dating someone, you will definitely react differently," Mark teased, locking eyes with Beomgyu before sending a subtle wink. Beomgyu rolled his eyes, getting up from the chair to go back out into the cafe.
He was met with bustling activity of workers walking back and forth, serving customers and taking orders. He watched over his employees who worked the coffee machine expertly and neatly, just as he taught them.
There was something about just watching over how his cafe ran. It calmed his heart and the sound of coffee machines and people chattering was like music to his ears. The tantalising and addictive smell of sweet treats was something he definitely looked forward to every day.
Seeing as the cafe was running smoothly and he was not needed anywhere, he sat behind the counter with the one manning the counter. He made small talk with his part-timer, making sure to maintain a friendly relationship with his workers was a priority for him. He wanted to be a friend who had your back more than an employer. He had Eunbi to be strict and make sure they were doing work properly.
His eyes trailed over to the door hearing the familiar bell ringing, his eyes widening slightly seeing Yun-Jae come into the cafe. He jumped to his feet, walking over to her with a confused expression. She told him she had night study that day, so she wouldn't be back home early. So why was she in front of him at 3 in the afternoon, in the cafe nonetheless?
"Are you okay? You look like you got run over like actually," Beomgyu commented, of course he had the nature to make fun of Yun-Jae despite being genuinely concerned seeing that she looked like a damn mess, something that he rarely saw as she always made sure she looked put together. He was her brother after all.
"I couldn't stay for long, my cramps were killing me. I thought I'd study at home instead," Yun-Jae muttered, sitting on one of the stools as she rested the side of her face with her palm, her arm supported by the counter as another arm rested on her lower abdomen.
"Okay, but then why are you here?" Yun-Jae glared at Beomgyu, something he was accustomed to when she was on her period. She would be angsty for the whole week, and much more demanding than how she usually is considering that she's the youngest child.
"To tell you, and also ask you to go buy me painkillers."
"What? But i'm working,"
Yun-Jae made a face of discomfort as she leaned over, gripping her stomach tightly. Beomgyu sighed hearing the series of whimpers escape her lips, hurriedly telling her to stop it as customers were already looking their way.
"Just go home and rest, I'll come by later with your painkillers," Beomgyu sent a pointed look to Yun-Jae who smiled brightly at him, thanking him before she bounced off the seat.
Funny, she looks perfectly fine now.
Nonetheless, Beomgyu waved goodbye to Yun-Jae who exited the cafe and walked back home. He locked eyes with the part-timer, who burst out into small chuckles after the first second due to the funny sibling interaction.
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"I can't believe this bruh," Beomgyu muttered to himself as he scanned the aisle for the brand of painkillers Yun-Jae liked. He squinted as he leaned forward, finally managing to find the one he wanted to buy.
Since he was at the convenience store, he decided to go and buy her some snacks as well, to avoid the late snack run he'd have to go to fulfil her cravings in the middle of the night. Ah, the things he did as an elder brother.
He grabbed the chocolates he knew Yun-Jae fancied, and some honey tea that he saw Yun-Jae drinking multiple times. As he walked down the aisles of the convenience store, he stepped into the medicine aisle spotting pain relief patches.
He rolled back his shoulders, suddenly remembering the dull ache that was disappearing but still there. He grabbed a packet of patches, dropping it into his basket before he turned to walk out of the aisle, nearly bumping into someone in the way.
His eyes widened seeing the girl he wasn't expecting to see, clad in a cap and a mask to hide her identity. She was equally as surprised as him, and both of them broke out into a chuckle of disbelief.
"Wow, you are actually so obsessed with me,"
"Don't kid yourself, you are actually so delulu."
"No no, I clearly remember you stalking me and following me here,"
"Straight-up lies, straight-up lies. What a liar,"
They teased one another comfortably as they walked to the cashier to pay. Beomgyu, being the gentleman he believed he was, allowed Ryujin to go first to pay. He then got a glimpse of her basket, his smile dimming seeing the amount of muscle tape she had bought that even the convenience store worker had to do a double take.
Ryujin waited for Beomgyu to make payment before they both left the convenience store and walked somewhere to just sit and talk with one another.
"Your sister having her period?" Ryujin asked when she spotted the sanitary pads in Beomgyu's plastic bag. He chuckled, nodding before he hid it under the chocolates because he knew Yun-Jae would be embarrassed if someone else other than him knew.
"I have something," Ryujin hummed as she reached into her bag, unzipping it before she rummaged around for that something. She took it out of her bag to reveal a clear plastic packet with some sort of heating pad.
"This is made specially for cramps. It gives heat to your lower abdomen, so the pain decreases. The instructions on how to apply it are right there," Ryujin hummed as she passed the packet to Beomgyu, pointing to the instructions.
"Thank you, this would really help her. Wait," Beomgyu hummed as he reached into his plastic bag, taking out a chocolate before passing it to Ryujin who chuckled.
"It's always snack-related," She laughed, but accepted the chocolate gratefully nonetheless. Beomgyu's cheeks were dusted in a light pink, embarrassed that she had managed to point it out.
"I should get going, I really want to catch up on that nap," Ryujin hummed as she got up, adjusting her bag strap as she watched Beomgyu gather his things and get up as well.
"Alright, I need to get this to Yun-Jae quickly," Beomgyu gestured to the heat pack that Ryujin gave him, smiling lightly to reaffirm his gratitude. With a wave, they wished each other goodbye and went their separate ways.
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"How are you doing?" Beomgyu whispered softly as he walked into the room quietly, seeing Yun-Jae sprawled on her bed. She looked over at him and shot him a pointed look which made him offended.
"Geez, I'm just trying to help," Beomgyu muttered as he put the tray of medicine and snacks next to Yun-Jae's bed. She got up from her resting position, letting her back lie on the headboard as she inspected the tray.
"I saw this in the convenience store, it gives heat to the period cramps which should work effectively. The instructions are here," Beomgyu hummed, feeling Yun-Jae's eyes linger on the unfamiliar item uncertainly.
He picked up the packet, pointing to the instructions which were in red. Yun-Jae took it from him, getting up from bed and rushing to the bathroom, eager to get rid of the pain so she could focus on her studies.
Beomgyu sat on her bed as he waited to see if the heating pad would help Yun-Jae, taking out his phone. He scrolled through it, his fingers stopping for a second after liking a post on one of Ryujin's fan accounts.
He took a good look at the picture, sighing as he tried to read behind the stern expression Ryujin wore on the fencing mat. Her sweat made her hair stick to her neck, and he didn't miss the heavy eye bags under her eyes. Under the intimidating look, Beomgyu could sense exhaustion. Pure exhaustion.
His mind drifted back to their earlier interaction, his eyes catching the amount of muscle tape that Ryujin bought. He rested his head on the headboard, letting his eyes close for a few seconds.
He opened them again, exiting the app before entering the chatting app he used. His fingers pressed on his chat with Ryujin, scrolling through the short conversations they had so far.
His mind drifted to that time when he walked her home, and she had mentioned that she lived alone. He pursed his lips, concerned that no one was looking after the girl at home.
His brain whirred as he continued to think about the matter, until Yun-Jae walked into the room again with a slightly happier expression than before. Beomgyu quickly turned his phone off when he realised Yun-Jae had walked in again.
"Wow, it actually works! How did your poor eyesight manage to catch this?" Yun-Jae hummed as she stretched a little, patting her lower abdomen with a small smile on her lips. Beomgyu smiled seeing his younger sister feeling better.
"That's good,"
got ME feeling delulu