Lee Jiwon's POV
Two more days and we are all back to studying again and since their basketball game is over, Jimin and I are currently here in front of my mother's grave to pay a visit.
"Hi, Eomma. It's been awhile." I told her as soon as I placed down a boquet of flowers that Jimin bought as our offering. I took a sit on the ground. I looked up at Jimin and tapped the space beside me. He sat down.
I started lighting a candle for her. "As you can see, Eomma, I'm with someone. Remember that time when I came here and told you that no one can ever love a stripper like me?" I paused for a moment as if my mom would answer. "I was wrong, Eomma. Someone out there saw my worth, saw me as a perfect woman despite of my imperfections, and saw me as who I am as a whole person. I already talked to you about him especially that time when I was confused with my feelings for him. Here he is now, Eomma. He's Jimin, my boyfriend." My smile became wider as I looked at him. He smiled at me as he held my hand and kissed the back of my palm before looking at my mom.
"Annyeonghaseyo, Eomma." Jimin bowed as a sign of respect. "I'm Jimin and I promise to take care of your daughter. I'll take good care of her heart and I promise to never break it. I can't promise that I won't make her cry, but I do promise to love her like how you loved her with all my life. She was hard to get ㅡ really hard, but it was reasonable knowing what she has been through in her life. I realized, I should love her more, because she deserves it. Everone deserves to be loved, but Jiwon deserves the best and it made me happy when she allowed me to be part of her life." I looked at him and smiled. Do I really deserve him? He's just too perfect.
After visiting, we both came to Dawon's school to pick him up. As soon as he entered the car, he slumped down on the seat and closed his eyes. He looked pale and very tired. He used his arm to cover his eyes but I suddenly noticed a bruise on it.
Is he being bullied?
"Dawon-ah," I called. He took his arm off his eyes to look at me. "Is someone bullying you?" He looked at me in confusion. "No. What makes you think that I am?"
"You have a bruise on your arm." He took a look at it and shrugged. "I may have bumped into something but I didn't notice. Don't worry, Noona. I'm perfectly fine. I just feel quite tired today but I'm alright." He gave me a reassuring smile.
As soon as we got home, Dawon went straight inside his room while Jimin went straight in the kitchen and checked our refrigerator, probably to eat something but unfortunately, I haven't gone to buy anything yet since the month is just ending and I only have some left over just for both Dawon and I.
"No food?" He asked.
"Yeah. I haven't had the chance to shop yet. I still haven't received my salary for this month."
"But you earn a lot."
"You see, Jimin, the money I earn goes to our payment for both our studies, our rent here every month, our transportation fee daily, our essential needs which I buy every month, taxes, uh... add to that the material things that we want to buy. Jimin, I pay for a lot of things and the tips that I get from my clients plus my monthly salary will still be divided into two which are the amount that I will add for our savings and the amount for our expenses in every month."
He blinked, "Wow... that's a lot." I smiled at him and shrugged. "Raising your sibling all by yourself, acting like his mother and father ㅡ yes, that's a lot for me." Jimin walked up to me and hugged me from behind, kissing my temple and squeezing my hand. "You can always ask for my help, Jiwon. I won't offer you money because I know that you won't take it but I want you to remember that from now on, your problems are also mine. Share it with me and I will help you and vice versa, because the moment that we became a couple, we are one, Jiwon. It may not be like married couples being one, but it's us becoming one by leaning on each other." He hugged me tighter as he placed his chin on my shoulder. "Baby, I offered myself to be your shoulder to lean on the moment that I decided to court you."
I freed myself from his embrace and faced him to cup his cheeks with my hand. "Jimin, thank you, really. Thank you so much for being the man that I need in this cruel life." I wrapped my arm around his nape, our bodies coming closer. He positioned his hands on my waist as he brushed our noses againsts each other, moving his face from side to side and then he rested our foreheads against each other. "I love you, baby. Always remember that." His voice is soft and warm.
Jimin decided to cross the remaining distance of our faces ㅡ the proximity of our bodies making my heart race.
I never saw myself being into someone like this. I never saw myself being in the arms of a man who will truly love me for who I am. I never even thought that someone would make me feel this kind of affection in this cruel world where most human beings can never see your worth as soon as they find out about the deepest, darkest, and/or dirtiest secret that you have and in this world that is already filled with discrimination and shaming ㅡ be it body shaming, smart shaming, and etc.
I closed my eyes, allowing myself to drown in his flood of emotion. This may never be our first kiss, but just like the first time, I can always feel the warmth, the love, the affection, the desire ㅡ I can always feel the sincerity of his heart whenever he kisses me.
He pulled away to let the both of us catch our breaths and he smiled afterwards. "I'm hungry though. Can you cook for me?"
I nodded excitedly. "Okay!"
***
"Dawon, your Jimin hyung and I are leaving for awhile to buy dinner for tonight. You want anything for us to buy for you?" I asked, peaking inside his room. He looked up at me from his book and spoke, "I want apples, Noona. That'd be fine."
"Alright. Call me if you need anything else, okay?" He just nodded then went back to reading his book.
Hmmm, that's very unusual of him. He's usually a hyper boy especially when it comes to food. I wonder what he did today to make him feel so tired.
"Let's go?" Jimin asked after I closed the door of Dawon's room. "I'll pay for the ingredients that you will buy, after all, I insisted this." I nodded.
On our way to the groceries, I've been thinking of simple dishes that I have to cook for him. I don't need to be extravagant in the kind of food that I'll cook for him so I guess Dumplings, Chicken Noodle Soup, and Stir Fried Pork will be okay.
Inside the groceries, I first took some of the seasonings that are not available at home and noodles before going to the wet section of the grocery to buy pork, shrimp, chicken, and ground pork. Jimin separated from me for awhile saying that he'll get something and now that he's returned, he puts apples and some chips and soju on our cart. "I'll stay over tonight. It's kinda boring at home."
I nodded. "I have work, Jimin." He pouted. "Whatever. I'll still sleep there." I raised an eyebrow at him. "Fine."
We did not take that much time to buy the items that I need. Jimin paid for the things that we bought and then we headed home to immediately start cooking.
Jimin has been a big help in cutting the vegetables as I prepared the ingredient of the dishes that I will be making for today.
As soon as I started cooking, Jimin found his place, sitting in the dining table area just behind me while watching me and waiting for the food to be done. There are also times when he complimented the smell of the food and sometimes, he also shared stories of him and his friends and him with his mother and sister. I don't envy him having to cook with his mother, but I do envy his happy friendship with his friends. I wish I could have had one, but I just kept on pushing people away with me as a stripper being a part of it but mainly because I don't want to get attached to people anymore. I'm just so scared to be left again but Jimin was the only person to break through the walls that I built around me. And probably that's also why I like him. I like his perseverance and determination. I just hope that if he's going to leave me, at least he'll do it in the right way.
I felt him embraced me from behind and rested his chin on my shoulder. "Why so suddenly gloomy?" He asked softly. I sadly smiled and put the lid of the pan to sxover it then faced him. "Jimin..." my voice was soft and lonely. "Hmmm?" He hummed as he cupped my cheek. "If you're leaving me, just do tell me why and I'll letㅡ" he made me stop my sentence with his lips. "Baby, I'm not leaving you, okay?" He said afterwards.
I bit my lip and looked down on my feet. "Justㅡ I'm sorry." I sighed.
He patted my head. "Stop overthinking, baby. The moment that I got closer with you, all I think about is you and only you."
It's true. That incident in the club when I had the guts to approach him and indirectly tell him that I'm a stripper, he remembered her ㅡ he remembered me. He was kind of flirting with Iris but he still remembered and chose Jiwon over Iris and now that he knows that me and Iris are one... I guess I should believe him.
He lets me go and found his place a meter away from me while leaning against the counter and watching me finish cooking. "How can you still be so sexy while cooking? Makes me wanna eat you." He spoke out of the blue. I chuckled and shook my head in disbelief. "How can you get horny by just watching me cook?" I asked back.
"You're naturally hot and you make me hard without even trying. I don't mind watching a sexy chef cooking for me and then I'll eventually fuck you while you're bending in the counter."
"You're such a pervert."
"I'm your perv." I looked at him and he just winked at me while smirking.
"Go call Dawon. It's done." I said as I transferred the Tangsuyuk on a plate. He just simply nodded before heading towards Dawon's room.
Everything had been set up in the table when they arrived. Dawon and Jimin immediately sat down, their eyes locked on the food. Dawon cheerfully smiled. "Wow! I'm so hungry!"
We didn't wait any longer and began eating happily. "So delicious!" Jimin said, his mouth still filled with food. I smiled because of his compliment. "Thanks."
Jimin ate another spoonful of pork and rice and then a piece of dumpling at the same time. He closed his eyes and smiled while chewing the food and moaning in delight at the same time.
"Uh? Dawon!" I called his attention and immediately passed a tissue paper to him. "Your nose is bleeding."
"Huh?" He touched his nose and took the tissue after seeing the blood. "It's probably because it was very hot." I nodded. "I'll just take some ice." He nodded. Jimin on the other hand stopped eating to help Dawon.
I put some ice cubes on our ice pack and returned to give it to my brother. His nose didn't take that long to stop bleeding and we returned again to eating and finishing our meal.
The time ran so fast and it's already time for me to get ready for work. I decided to simply wear lace underwear today and chose the violet one that Jimin showed me when we stayed at his penthouse. I came out of the bathroom wearing those only to tease him as I put on some clothes. He's currently sitting on my bed and playing with his phone.
I took a glance at him and saw him biting his lip while checking me out. I purposely dropped my shirt and faced my back on him to pick up the shirt and show him my ass at the same time.
"Fuck, baby, stop doing that or else you won't be able to work tonight because I'll fuck you while you're on your knees." He said, frustrated. I chuckled and wore my shirt. "I fed you already so you can't eat me tonight, babe." He rolled his eyes then pouted his lips, making me chuckle again. "I'll be home late. See you." I said and then smile at him before leaving him pouting on my bed.