a/n: I estimate there to be around 5-6 more chaps!!! Cant wait for y'all to read the finale:)

As always, thanks for reading/commenting😻😻 appreciate very much <3

If Yerim's phone didn't light up with a reminder thirty minutes before noon, she would've completely forgotten about the meeting with Thomas she had set up a week ago.

The moment she saw the line of words, she bolted out of her bed, threw on the first outfit that looked decent, and flew to her car. She drove like a madman to the restaurant they had agreed to meet up at, receiving a bunch of honks along the way. In the end, she managed to anger quite a few people but she did make it to the restaurant just in time for Thomas to also get out of his car.

Wearing black jeans and a baby blue polo shirt, Thomas didn't see her until she called out his name, running up to meet him. They had met up only once since the first meeting when they got caught in the rain, so they hadn't gotten a chance for an in-depth discussion about her portfolio, not that she minded. At this point, she was confident enough in Jungkook to not have to seek anybody else out. Nonetheless, she hadn't bothered to call it off with Thomas yet, because he was an experienced professional in the field, and it was always nice to have connections.

"Yerim, hey!" Thomas greeted when she stopped next to him. "How have you been?"

"Good, but super busy." She opened the restaurant door, letting him step in first before following. "What about you?"

"Same as well." He nodded to a waitress, who led them to an empty table in the corner. "Our company picked up this huge environmental project that's been taking up most of my time. It's fun, but brutal." He paused, sitting down and ordered two iced water for them. "So, I've been looking at your portfolio during my free time. I wanted to ask you a few questions."

She nodded.

"What inspired your portfolio?"

Yerim took a sip of her water, taking time to think about how she should answer it. "When I was small, my mom took me to a lot of national parks, instilling into me from a very young age my love for the environment. My dad taught me to love architecture, taking me to every obscure building to rant about the structure and elements." She swallowed. She had never liked saying anything good about her dad; it left a bad aftertaste. "When I went to college, I knew immediately that I wanted to combine the two passions, so I pursued a degree in both."

"That's impressive. I assume it was busy."

"Yeah," she said, remembering all the sleepless nights and quick, cheap meals.

They paused to order food before Thomas continued, asking, "Have you ever thought about focusing on the environmental aspect more than the architecture aspect?"

She blinked, thrown off by this question. "Not really. Why?"

He shook his head. "Just wondering because you seem passionate about that topic."

Yeirm thought back to freshman and sophomore year of college, when she had been leaders for multiple environment-oriented organizations. That was before her dad had left, before she had spiraled into a hole, before her mom had forced her to figure out her priorities. "I am, but I thought architecture was a nice bridge between passion and practicability."

"That's a bummer." Thomas studied her. "I was going to ask if you wanted to transfer to my company as an environmental consultant."

Huh?

"You have the qualifications, and you also have a diverse background in architecture that will be extremely helpful."

"Oh..." Yerim was speechless. She had been expecting Thomas to pick up her portfolio, not to offer her a job. "I... don't think I will be..."

He laughed. "Not even if I told you how great the benefits were?"

She slowly shook her head. "I'm happy with my current job."

"Makes sense. You're currently working under Jungkook, right?"

"Yes." She grabbed a napkin. "I report directly to him."

"That must mean you're brilliant. He's a talented man; people would kill to be able to work with him, but most people die working under him."

Yerim couldn't help the grin. That sounded exactly like Jungkook.

Thomas stopped talking as the waiter gave them their food. Then, he said, "Alright, well, then back to your portfolio. I might be able to pick it up for construction, but it might take a while because our company is so focused on this project. Is that fine? In the meantime, we can fine-tune some details and figure out the exact logistics."

"Of course. Thank you for even taking a look."

"You can thank me by taking the job." When Yerim hesitated, Thomas laughed. "Just joking." He took a bite of his food and blissfully tilted his head back. "So good." He waved at his dish. "Go ahead. Try your's."

Grabbing her fork, she wrapped some pasta around the tines and stuffed it into her mouth. The flavor exploded on her tongue, fireworks of glittering colors and aromatic scents. "Wow," she said, "This is so good."

They both laughed.

...

If there was anything Yerim knew about Irene and Jimin, it was that they were not smooth, despite how much they prided themselves in being like that. On the contrary, they were constantly bursting with excitement: horrible at keeping surprises, especially when it came to parties or gifts. For years, she had called them her two jesters, made to entertain and tease.

The incident at the bowling tournament? Yerim saw through them in a second. And the time when she had gotten drunk at the club and bumped into Jungkook? Irene thought she had successfully lied to Yerim that he wasn't there, but looking back, Yerim could vaguely remember her flushed face and darting eyes.

So, that was why after ten minutes of trying to maintain a conversation with her friends, Yerim had gulped down the last bite of her breakfast and lightly slapped the table, a king maintaining order in court. "Alright, spill the beans. What happened?"

Irene's face immediately turned red.

Jimin, on the other hand, shrugged, although the corners of his mouth twitched. He threw an arm over the back of Irene's chair and said, his face twisting as he struggled to contain his grin, "Irene and I are dating."

Yerim narrowed her eyes. "I still haven't collected my debt over what happened at the bowling tournament. Do you also want to add this onto your list of crimes?"

Irene groaned, burying her face into her hands and mumbling something.

"What did you say?"

"Nothing," she muttered.

Tilting her head, Yerim sweetly smiled. "Remember my claws?" She flexed her hands.

Her best friend, kind and adorable and also terrible at holding grudges, lifted her head and in a rush, said, "Jungkook is throwing you a surprise birthday party."

Yerim blinked. Her birthday was coming up next week, but she had been planning to spend it with Irene and Jimin and then with Joy and her mom. Since she was only turning twenty-six, she didn't think she needed a huge celebration. Besides, how did Jungkook even know her birthday was soon?

Jimin finally let his grin spread across his face. "He loves-" dragged out that word with a smirk "-you."

She snorted. "And pigs fly like birds." Like? She could understand. But love? Definitely not. Turning to Irene, she asked, "How did this happen?"

Irene sighed. "He came up to us after work one day and asked us for your birthday."

"I can't believe you!" Yerim shifted in her seat, wanting nothing but to hop onto the first plane traveling out of the country. "You just told him?"

"I wasn't going to, but then he told me about this really good birthday surprise he had planned for you. So, I had to." Irene paused, laughing. "It was funny because he sounded like he was giving a presentation instead of having a conversation."

"What's the plan?"

Irene slapped a hand over her mouth, shaking her head.

"Traitor," Yerim grumbled.

Her friend's grin was the complete opposite of what Yerim was feeling. "The thing is he sounded genuinely passionate about his idea." Before Yerim could protest, she intercepted, "And I could tell because his plan was well thought-out. I couldn't refuse. You'll be happy, trust me."

Yerim sighed, slumping into her chair. Maybe she could hide next week or pretend she was sick. "I would've been happy celebrating with you two."

Irene blew Yerim a kiss. "We know, but you'll be happier. Besides, we're going to be there."

"Except for that we don't love you-" Jimin dragged out that word again, as if Yerim and Jungkook were middle schoolers clumsily learning what love meant. "-in the same way."

Somehow, Yerim's heart defined the laws of physics, dropping to the ground and flying up to the sky at the same time. Her hands have always naturally accumulated sweat, but what was once warm was now cold and uncomfortable against her palms. Her neck was hot, though, flames licking up to her face, which she tried to keep as emotionless as possible.

She didn't know why she was reacting this way.

Or maybe she did and just didn't want to admit it.

"I'll forgive you two, as long as we still get to go to our dinner." She paused, adding, "Individually. Just the three of us. And you're paying for my portion and however many drinks I want."

Jimin leaned across the table and ruffled Yerim's hair. "Of course."

...

"I ran out of groceries a few days ago."

Yerim frowned, leaned into Jungkook's office chair, and stared up at the man sitting on the edge of the table, legs dangling and swinging back and forth. Today was a Saturday, and true to his nature, he was wearing another version of the loose pants he loved. However, minus a few windswept strands escaping the gel, his hair was slicked back, a result of a formal lunch he had to attend an hour ago. It was cooler outside, temperatures dropping to the mid-60's, so he was wearing a jacket with fleece lining, looking like an emperor penguin. Fluffy and regal.

For the last three hours, they had been quietly working on her portfolio, fixing small details and adding quick notes. The fact that they were nearing the last leg of her portfolio should've sent Yerim into a frenzy of nerves and stress; instead, she had been relatively calm this time and the last few times they got together. It was probably because they had developed a system of working that fit both of their styles. Sure, Jungkook was still his usual nit-picky self, but he wasn't derogative about it; besides, now she saw it more as his detail-orientated approach to problem solving. She had also lowered her expectations, deciding to respond to constructive criticism with an open mind.

By seven in the evening, Yerim remembered that she still needed to get groceries. "I'm done for tonight," she had said, closing her laptop and packing up her stuff.

Jungkook had gotten up from the couch and stretched, switching position to the table. "That sounds good. I'm exhausted." Then, he asked, leaning on an arm, "What are you doing now?"

"Getting groceries."

"What a coincidence!" He had jumped off the table. "I'll come with you."

"What?" Yerim swung the backpack onto her lap. "Why?"

And that took them back to the beginning when he explained that he had also run out of groceries a few days ago.

She wasn't sure if Jungkook actually needed groceries or if he was just bored and wanted to mess with her. The past week, they had been so busy with work and her portfolio, they had no chance to actually sit down and talk. When they went to the ice cream place after the wedding, even though Jungkook had asked Yerim a lot of questions about her hobbies, likes, dislikes, and more, he ended the night with a promise to talk more. That obviously didn't happen, which was why she wasn't sure whether he was making an excuse or not.

(Strangely, she didn't completely mind being together. Getting ice cream had been nice and calm, and similar to when they were playing the game at the wedding, time had passed quickly.)

(At the same time, though, she didn't want to continue hanging with him. It was dangerous.)

Or maybe she was thinking too much about this.

"Fine," she muttered. "Let's go."

Jungkook didn't waste any time, grabbing his keys and wallet and whisking them down to the lobby and then the garage. He took her to his car, which Yerim remembered exactly, and she suddenly thought back to weeks ago when he saved her from the rain. It felt like a lifetime ago, back to a decade when she absolutely hated his guts.

He did change, though. Or, to phrase it better, he made more sense to her. It was like walking into a room that felt colder than the actual temperature, when in reality the difference was caused by her feeling cold beforehand. Now that her attitude had changed, she knew that Jungkook did everything because he was meticulous and careful about his work. And she knew he was telling the truth because his actions never contradicted his words.

She got into the car, still mulling over how much their relationship had changed and what that meant for her, when he said, "Jean has been asking about you."

"Really?"

He nodded, backing out. "She wants to keep in touch."

Yerim's heart expanded. "I would love that."

Jungkook pulled out onto the street before giving her a glance. It was a quick one, but she could see that his eyes were soft and bright. "She likes you a lot."

Unable to help the smile, she nodded. "I like her a lot, too."

"I'm glad. I was afraid you would judge me for having a maid."

Yerim scoffed. "Who do you think I am?"

Jungkook laughed. "In my defense, you did attack me for being rich, claiming that I wasn't allowed to buy groceries at that place."

Oh.

Of course.

She crossed her arms and looked out the window, grimacing. That had been hating-Jungkook Yerim speaking, and when she was mad, she spoke without thinking. It was a bad habit, something that started when her father left. She knew that wasn't an excuse, though. "Sorry," she said quietly.

"What?"

"Sorry!"

Jungkook grinned. "You're starting to like me."

Yerim snorted. "Just drive."

...

Thirty minutes later, Yerim was pushing the cart down an aisle that sold all kinds of cards when she saw the birthday section and was reminded of Jungkook's birthday surprise for her. She rolled the cart to where Jungkook was picking out strawberries and asked, "Irene told me about the birthday surprise you were planning for me."

Jungkook paused, looking up from his intense inspection. "She did?"

Yerim nodded. "Don't get mad at her. I made her tell me."

He tilted his head, grabbing a box of strawberries. "I'm not mad, just surprised you're not telling me to cancel it."

She was also surprised, not only because of that but also because she forgot about the situation. The past her would've been storming to his office in a second. The past her would've been ungrateful, cursing at Jungkook for doing something nice. The past her also hated him, though.

Gripping the cart's handle tighter, Yerim sighed. "I must have been horrible in the past."

Laughing, Jungkook dropped the box into the cart. "Not that horrible. I deserved it."

"Nonetheless, thank you for planning something. You didn't have to, though." She wasn't sure if they were friends, so she hadn't bothered asking for his birthday. However, considering how much time they spent together, it made sense they were friends, hence the reason why she felt terrible. "When's your birthday?"

"I'm not doing this for myself." Jungkook looked straight at her. "I'm doing it for you."

Yerim swallowed, nodding. It was suddenly hard to speak. "Thank you."

"I get a 'thank you' and a 'sorry' on the same day?" His grin was big and comical. "You definitely like me."

Immediately, she bristled, all her fangs and claws shooting out. "Nope." She moved the strawberry box so that it was lined up with the straight edges of the cart. "Never in a million years."

"Really?" He tapped the cart. "We're using one."

She scowled. "We can conserve energy by pushing only one."

"I'm picking out strawberries for you."

"Because you're better at that than me."

He hummed in agreement before holding out his hand, beckoning with one finger. Yerim stared at that finger. "What?"

"Come here."

"Why?"

"Just come for a second."

Yerim scowled harder, but she shuffled forward, one foot at a time, slowly even though they weren't even standing that far apart. The whole time, his gaze never left her's, and for a second, she could almost believe that they were in a field of flowers instead of the grocery store. An immortal summoning a spirit of nature.

She stopped near him, fully conscious that she had chosen to be this close to him.

Jungkook grinned. "See, you like me."

Yerim simply stared at him (and maybe his mouth).

"In the past, you would've been running-" He paused and then corrected himself. "-sprinting the other way."

Her jaw dropped. "You tricked me."

Jungkook shook his head. "You're tricking yourself."

At that, Yerim stepped back, bumping into the cart, which screeched against the floor and thumped against the black bin holding boxes of discounted strawberries. Around her, people looked over in surprise, but she was only focused on him, a spotlight shining on the man with the most daring mouth and heart. He never backed down, even when she desperately wanted him to.

"Also, I'm talking about liking me as a friend," Jungkook said, lips curving into a confident smile. "What were you thinking about?"

"How horrible you are," she snapped before punching him in the shoulder.

What a jerk.

a/n pt 2: is our... heroine... catching feelings?