I've long thought the end of Winter was Spring,
And then you come wandering in,
Enclosed in the fragrance of a flower, ever blooming,
Is your exquisite being, lighting me from within.
--- J., 2008
It was already ten in the morning when Yingyue woke up. Dropping her phone back on the bed, she rubbed her eyes and slowly propped herself up against a mountain of pillows. The incision by her waist stung at her movements, but by now, she had gotten used to it. What was bugging her more was the light musk she emanated from the lack of a proper bath. Yingyue sniffed her underarm and grimaced. No matter what, she was going to shower today, especially since Kang Jihoon was always around.
Speaking of Jihoon...
Yingyue groaned.
He was killing her. Didn't the man realize how attractive he was? Didn't he know how being close to him caused her heart to stop, then race, then stop again like a student driver unable to distinguish between the brake and accelerator?
Judging from their dawn rendezvous, he seemed oblivious.
"Typical man," she muttered.
Like that time he caged her against the counter. His scent -- coffee, ocean, and musk -- had enveloped her in a hazy cloud of desire. Since then, she couldn't think of anything except wanting to touch him. Not in a kinky way. No, not really. More like brushing the back of her hand against his cheek or burying her nose against his neck.
Wait, was that kinky?
Shrugging off the question, her mind drifted back to last night. She replayed a slow-mo, high definition version of that moment he winked at her. Her breath hitched.
Gah!
How did he have the audacity to ask if she was okay?
Clearly, she wasn't okay.
She'd always been the type of person who enjoyed physical contact, but at the same time didn't know how to initiate it. As a result, her attempts at seduction often skewed towards awkwardness. When she had casual affairs, her partners had always been the more aggressive ones, so she'd never had a problem. Jihoon, however, appeared to be more laid back. Sometimes, she even doubted he was interested in her. So, how was she going to survive this week without turning into a desperate blob of hormones and sexual frustration? Ironically, she had stopped dreaming about him, too, so there was no relief to be found there.
Ah, such cruel fate.
A knock interrupted her theatrics. Soon after, her bedroom door opened wide enough for the source of her suffering to poke his head.
"Morning," Jihoon said, lingering by the entrance. Seeing her already awake, he grinned and made his way inside. He effortlessly balanced a wooden tray with one hand, which he then laid on her side table.
"M-morning," she stuttered, her voice still raspy from sleep.
"I brought you breakfast."
"You made this?" She took in the bowl of congee topped chicken and chives paired with a mug of tea and a glass of water. How did he have time to prepare all these?
Dragging a stool to next to her bed, he sat and smirked. "Would you be impressed if I told you I did?"
"Yes! I mean, it looks delicious." Mirroring his position, she scooped up a small serving, bringing it to her lips. "Mmm... it tastes delicious, too."
She sought his gaze and found him already observing her. As usual, she couldn't figure out what he was thinking. Although he had such an expressive face, his eyes were often inscrutable, masking what he really felt. Conscious of the fact she had just gotten out of bed and haven't even had the chance to brush her teeth nor hair, she brought a hand up to her head, running her fingers through the strands.
Crinkling at the corners, his eyes followed her movements. "I'm glad, but I have to disappoint you. I only made the tea. I bought the congee from the restaurant around the corner on my way back from running."
He'd already been out and about? She had barely slept for six hours. Did the man not sleep? Eating another spoonful, Yingyue scrutinized his appearance. There were dark circles under his eyes. Come to think of it, he looked a little tired, but even that didn't make him any less attractive. How could he when he was wearing a form-fitting running jacket that accentuated the muscles in his arms and the flatness of his stomach?
Quickly swallowing her food, Yingyue glanced away. The way her thoughts were going, she was bound to choke. And what kind of fool choked on gruel?
The horny kind.
Damn, that vile thing was back in her head again.
She dropped her spoon back into the tray with a clatter.
Jihoon's eyes widened. "Are you really disappointed I didn't cook for you? I can try making something later, but I don't think you'll want to eat charred black rice. I've tried it once. Honestly not a good idea."
"What are you talking about?" She'd lost track of the conversation.
"You." With his thumb, Jihoon smoothened the furrows between her brows. "You looked upset after hearing I bought the porridge."
"Oh! No, not at all." That slight touch, though barely lasting a second, incinerated her brain cells. Yingyue froze. She'd been sucked into a time bubble where fireworks blasted 24/7 and flowers bloomed forever.
"Hey, are you okay?" Jihoon tapped her shoulder.
Yingyue jumped at the contact, then cursed herself for being so obvious with her reactions. It was his fault. She glared. Why was he so touchy? More importantly, why did she like it so much?
Curse her perverted brain!
"Ah!" As if stung, he withdrew his hand. "I'm being weird again, aren't I? I shouldn't have touched you without permission. I'm sorry. I did it yesterday, too."
Yesterday? What did he mean by that?
"I might have made you uncomfortable," Jihoon continued, guilt shaping his features. "It's just that for some strange reason, I feel very much at ease with you. I sometimes forget that we've only known each other for a couple of days and take my teasing a bit too far or act too close. Please, next time I say or do anything stupid, let me know."
He got it all wrong. If only Jihoon knew the thoughts running through her head. She was the one who deserved to be called out. "No, you don't have to apologize. I don't remember you going too far. In fact, I enjoy bantering with you."
"So last night, you weren't trying to kick me out because I made you feel uncomfortable?"
"Kick you out? Oh!" In her eagerness to stop him from seeing how much he affected her, she might have inadvertently sent him the wrong message. "No! That wasn't it. I... I was just really sleepy. Nothing to do with you."
Yes, totally nothing to do him, her evil alter ego snickered.
He let out an exaggerated sigh of relief. "I see. That's great. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know you shouldn't worry about me ever crossing the line. I have no other agenda but to help you."
Yingyue knew Jihoon was trying to reassure her, but somehow, she was a little disappointed. Was she really the only one feeling this attraction, then? She forced herself to smile. "Understood. I won't worry, then."
"Unless," he tilted his head, eyes narrowing, "you want me to, of course."
Her heart clenched, but then she saw his now-familiar cheeky grin. "You're teasing me again."
"You said you enjoyed it." Jihoon bit his lower lip, a soft chuckle escaping his lips.
She laughed, too. "I do."
"Then, I have no choice but to deliver. Now--" he nodded at her food "--finish your food before it gets cold."
Jihoon stayed to watch her eat. Braving a bout of self-consciousness, Yingyue asked if he'd already eaten. From that, he delivered an enthusiastic review of the meat bun he had on his way back. One of the many things she liked about Jihoon was his ability to carry on a conversation with minimal participation from her. He talked about anything and everything, from the flowers he spotted during his run to the people he observed while waiting for their food. Without her even realizing, she was down to her last spoonful. Jihoon, being his usual attentive self, handed her medicine and water as soon as she finished.
"Thank you," she murmured, swallowing her pills.
"You're welcome. Hope you had a nice meal."
"I did."
Standing up, he picked up the breakfast tray. "Then, I'll go for a quick shower. I should have gone earlier, but I didn't want your food to be cold. After that, I'll be all yours again."
All mine. He said that, too, last night.
Yingyue couldn't help but smile. "Sure, anyway I also need a shower."
"Want us to shower together, then?"
She nearly dropped the glass she still held. "No need!"
Noting the near-disaster, Jihoon took the glass from her grasp. "No? I can help you scrub your back and shampoo your hair."
Not a bad idea, actually.
Wait, was she seriously considering it? Obviously, he was joking. Yingyue shook her head. "No, no. I can do it myself. Thank you very much."
"If you want, I can wear a blindfold."
How he can say these ridiculous things yet still keep a straight face was beyond her. Biting the inside of her cheek, Yingyue replied, "Oh? Then what use will you be, then?"
He made a squeezing movement with one hand. "Supposedly, your sense of touch gets better when you can't see. How about it?"
Laughing, she randomly grabbed something from behind her and threw it his way. To her horror, in addition to a pillow, a lacy black bra flew from her hand and hit his face. She remembered removing it before going to sleep and carelessly casting it aside. Now, it came back to embarrass her.
For a minute, they stared at each other. She with horror and he with surprise. Yingyue felt heat crawling up her neck. "Ack! Please, pretend that never happened!"
Setting down the tray, which he had held away from his body just in time for it not to be hit by her missiles, Jihoon picked up the slip of fabric by his feet. "Oh, you mean this?" Her bra dangled from his forefinger. "This pretty little thing that nearly blinded me?"
"Kang Jihoon!" She strode towards him. On the way, she caught a glimpse of herself from the mirror. Her face was tomato-red.
Beaming with amusement, Jihoon took a step back. "Yes, Miss Hu?"
"Give that back," she half-screamed, half-pleaded.
He waved the thing like a flag above his head. "Should I?"
Oh, so that was how he was going to play it? He was really going to make fun of her predicament? If there was one thing Jihoon should know about her, it was how she always, always fought back. Clenching her jaw, she ran his way and jumped to snatch her underwear from his grip. Instantly, pain shot through her body. She cried out, landing against his chest.
At once, Jihoon wrapped his arms around her, cradling her body to his. "Oh my god, Yingyue! Why did you do that?"
Clearly, what she did was idiotic, but why did he sound so angry? It was his fault. "How else was I supposed to get my bra back?"
"You crazy girl!" One of his hands pressed on the back of her head, while the other remained around her waist. "What if you undid your stitches?"
He was warm, so warm.
Soon, the beating of her heart drowned out the throbbing of her wound. A new emotion replaced the pain. It whispered frantically into her ear, urging her to snake her hands up his chest, pull his neck down, and...
With a shake of her head, she came to her senses. She shouldn't get too carried away. Yingyue willed herself to break out of his embrace. "Don't worry. I'm okay. It hurt a little but I'm fine now."
"Are you sure? Maybe we should check your wound?" Although he let her go, he still hovered around her like a distressed hen. His thick brows wrinkled with concern, his lips forming words in a pout.
He was so cute. What was she supposed to do?
Despite the fluttering in her chest, she kept her voice stable. "Of course I'm sure. I'm fine. Really!"
"Okay, then," his eyes lingered on hers as if he was still unconvinced, "but if you need me, just holler, all right? Promise, I'll come running at once."
That sounded like a cheesy line from an old love song. She should be cringing. If he was any other man, she'd be scoffing. But, there she was grinning from ear to ear, thinking she could get used to having him around.
Why? What was it about him? What made him so different?
At that moment, it hit her.
Because he was Kang Jihoon.
The man in her dreams. The man of her dreams?
Ah, she was so done for.
So done for.
☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ ☽ ☾
Author's note:
Things seem to be progressing fast from Yingyue's end. She's catching feelings fast. But what about Jihoon? Do you think he feels something, too?
Thank you for waiting! The good news is the next chapter is halfway done. Hopefully, I can post that fast. Hope you all have a great month ahead. It's my birthday in exactly 4 days. I wish time would pass by slowly because I don't want to grow older. T.T