Chapter 29 - “Not ready to love again”

Authors POV

JinHee got into the elevator with a flushed face and racing heart as she remembered Jongin's reaction when she had pecked him.

Flashback to 5 minutes ago.

She leaned down and pecked his cheeks. Her eyes widened involuntary when she noticed what she's done.

"Oh My God I'm so-- " she said to a frozen Jongin whose hands had gone to the part where she kissed.

He had a dazzled expression on as he touched where she kissed.

His heartbeat could be heard from a mile radius - that was how loud it hammered against his chest.

"OMG! I'm so sorry-" she began.

"I-its O-okay" he cut her off.

They were both blushing hard, Jongin was on the verge of falling off his bike due to his over fluttering heart.

Thank god he was sitting on his bike.

But he was grateful to his helmet for covering his flushed face.

"I-il be g-going now then" he said as he drove off.

"What are you doing to me JinHee?" He thought as he took a deep breath to calm himself and his racy heart down. 

Meanwhile JinHee scolded her self as she made her way into the elevator.

"Why did you do that?"

"Pabo pabo pabo" she muttered as she got on the elevator. 

Thank God there was no one on the elevator,if not they would have questioned her sanity.

Her reflection on the elevator's glass showed a very red girl.

She fanned herself as she remembered her deeds yesterday.

She wanted to deny what she was feeling but at the same time she didn't.

It was the first time someone was making her feel like that and she was sure she liked the feeling.

She didn't want it to stop-at least not for now.

Meanwhile Jongin parked his bike and made his way to the elevator.

He pressed the last floor's button on the elevator and waited for it to move with his mind thinking about the things that have happened in Less than 24hours.

He looked at the elavator's time and saw that it was few minutes past 12.

He had woken up by 10:am earlier and moved away from her. Tucking her properly as he used his backpack as an improvised pillows.

He blushed as he remembered how he had hugged her in his arms as they slept the whole night.

How she had rode on his bike, how she had wrapped Her arms around him.

How she didn't complain on how he drove fast - which most girls who have probably done.

How she blushed any time their eyes met.

How she had sincerely thanked him and how she had kissed him.

"The kiss!" his mind shouted as he subconsciously touched the exact spot her plump lips had claimed a while ago with a wide smile on his face.

It was so sudden that he hadn't known how to react. He couldn't actually decipher what had gone through his mind then but he knew he liked it.

A smile ghosted his features as he remembered her panic face when she realized what she did.

"She's so cute" he thought as he made his way to his penthouse with a smile - which he knew wasn't going to wipe off anytime soon.

He typed in his passcode and entered into the house with the same smile oblivious to the 11 pairs of eyes that were looking at him as if he was a ghost.

"Jonginie!!!" Baekhyun who was the closest to him shrieked as he tackled him in a hug making the both of them land on the floor with Jongin below and Baekhyun on top.

"How are you? Did they ask for money? Did they torture you? Where did they take you too? How did you escape?" The older male asked as he scanned the younger male's face for any form of injury albeit to the fact that he was literally sitting on top of the younger male's stomach -much to his chagrin.

"Get off him first" Suho said as he pulled Baekhyun off him.

"Drink this" D.O  who had rushed to the kitchen said as he pushed A very confused looking Jongin to the white leather couch and handed him a glass of water.

Jongin looked at the rest of the guys and wondered why they were being weird.

He wanted to ask what was going on but he kept quiet and  collected the glass Kyungsoo was offering  and drank from it.

"Where have you been?" A very dishelved looking chanyeol asked.

"We were looking for you" he added. Turns out the older male had gone into panic mode when Jongin had abruptly called him disrupting him from the solo pool party he was having in his house.

He had thought something might have happened to Jongin or that someone had abducted him since he's the Only heir of a well known business conglomerate so he called the whole gang and they began the ultimate search for Jongin.

"I was locked in school. Why? Did something happen?" Jongin asked confusedly as he looked at all of them.

His gaze landed on Sehun who still had his messy bed hair, he was wearing a loose shirt and a pajama trouser, with his flip flops.

The Best friend /Maknae was in the middle of going deep in sleep when a panicked stricken chanyeol called and told him that he's suspecting that his best friend has been kidnapped. This made all the sleep in his eyes varnish and he drove all the way from his mansion to Chanyeol's house where the hyungs had gathered since chanyeol also called them and they came to Jongin's apartment's penthouse - still in his pajamas.

Jongin raised his brows at him and looked away when he heard Suho call him.

"You mean you were locked in the hall?" Suho asked.

"With JinHee?" He added as he eyed Jongin.

"And you both slept there?" Kris asked as he sat down beside Jongin.

"Together?"Luhan and Xiumin asked at the same time.

"Yes" he said as he told them what had happened yesterday, purposely removing out the Vulnerable side JinHee had shown and their intimate interactions

"Then I drove her home and came here straight" he ended his cheeks flushed as he remembered what had happened after he dropped her home but of course the boys didn't notice, well except from the blonde best friend that was looking at him with narrowed eyes and a smirk which Jongin didn't fail to notice.

"That's all?" Baekhyun asked.
"You weren't kidnapped or anything?"

"No. why would you think that?"

"Well you called me and ended the call abruptly and when I tried calling you back your phone was off  so I retorted to thinking you were kidnapped and you were calling me for help " he rambled. 

"That was because my Phone died' Jongin defended as he showed them his offed phone.

"So nothing happened?"

"No"

"Are you okay?"

"Yes but I'm hungry?"

"I'll go make you lunch now" D.O said as he moved into the kitchen.

A breath of relief escaped their mouths as they sat down on the couch.

"Thank God you're okay Kai-ah" Lay said as he rubbed Jongin's arm. The latter gave him a small nod.

"Now we can finally sleep in peace" Tao said as he punched Kai's shoulders playfully.

"We couldn't get an ounce of sleep cause we thought you were kidnapped" Chen said.

"I'm sorry for worrying you guys" Jongin said as he eyed all of them.

"It was nothing, I mean you can't not feel worried when all leads shows that your friend and brother might have been kidnapped" Xiumin added as he massaged Kai's shoulder

"Come on! Who does that?!" Chen asked and they all burst into laughter.

"But we have a problem though" Sehun who hasn't said anything since Jongin came said breaking them off from their laughing trance.

"What?" Jongin asked him but Sehun didn't answer him, he just looked at Suho who seemed to have remembered what the problem at hand was.

"We kind of freaked out when we didn't see you here and Chanyeol was rumbling on how he thinks you were abducted, so we kind of called the team, discreetly of course, cause we didn't want your mom and dad to know and as we speak they're looking for you in almost 65 countries" Suho explained as he brought out his phone from his pants Pocket not seeing the look of shock of Kai's face.

"By the team do you mean--"

"Yes, the whole force is looking for you" he said as he dialed a number on his phone.

"Abort all missions. Kim Jongin is home"

★Meanwhile JinHee★

She unlocked the door to Her apartment and moved inside only to see her junior brother sleeping on the floor with his head on the table.

Poor boy had slept off while waiting for her.

She moved as her shoes squeaked against the floor, this noise made her brother to stir and open his eyes.

"Noona!" He shouted as he ran towards her.

"Where have you been? I was worried for crying out loud!" He shouted as a tear fell.

JinHee noticed this and panicked.
"Why are you crying? I'm fine, I was just locked in school " she said as she dragged him to sit on a couch.

They sat down, with his body facing hers as she leaned down and wiped his tears.

"I thought you left me too" he sobbed harder.

"What?I didn't --what made you think that? "

"You only texted that you were staying till the evening, but I waited till midnight and you didn't come so I thought you left too, I--"  he sobbed.

She hugged him as he cried into her chest.  .

"Its okay. I'm back. I don't have any plans of leaving you Jihyun, I can't, I won't. so don't you ever think of the possibility that I might leave you cause it will never happen" she reassured as she rubbed his back.

"I don't know what I'd do if you ever leave me noona" he spoke after a while.

His crying has reduced to light sobbing.  He removed his head from her chest and wiped his tears.

"I won't leave you Jihyun" she mused as bent down and removed her shoes leaving her with only her socks on. 

"At least not for now-yah!" She laughed as he glared at her.

"I still have to attend your wedding" she added as she clutched her stomach and laughed out more. Probably because of the look on Jihyun's face. He looked shocked.

He rolled his eyes at her as his lips tugged on a smile on his tear streaked face and tried to grab her arm but she made a run for it.

She stuck her tongue out at him and moved towards her room.

At least he's smiling now. 

She was removing her school's blazer when Jihyun came into the room with a tissue in his hands.

"So what happened? How were you locked in school?"

She explained to him as she made the  water for the warm bath she had been imagining since yesterday.

He stood at the door of the bathroom as he listened attentively to her with an amused expression.

she explained from how her seatmates had gotten her in trouble to how she worked in the hall, to how she slept in the hall Leaving out the part where jong in had comforted her - he wasn't supposed to know that. At least not for now.

She blushed harder as she recalled yesterday's deeds.

Jihyun noticed this and asked.

"Noona why are you so red? Are you sick?" He asked as he touched her forehead. "Your temperature is normal"

"Uh?" "Oh!" She fake coughed embarrassed and replied as she fanned her face.

“It's just too hot in here”

★★★

Jongin's POV

The hyungs left few hours after D.O made lunch and we all ate.

They were giving me lessons on how my phone should be always on. I rolled my eyes at them as they got into the Van they had brought and left.

I made my way to my room and sat down on my bed.

I brought my iPhone which was still off and connected it to a charger.

I pulled off my uniform and made my way to the bathroom for a warm shower.

The images of last night clouding my mind as the warm water flowed on my body.

What did she dream about that made her so scared?

When I saw her struggling last night, the only thought my brain could process at time was that I needed to comfort her.

I don't know how or why I got that thought but I just did.

Maybe it was because she looked so fragile at that moment or maybe it was because she looked so vulnerable that it broke my heart.

At that moment she wasn't the tough girl JinHee that can stand up for her self anyday, anytime, anywhere.

She wasn't the strong JinHee that can melt you with her glare. She wasn't the JinHee whose aura smelt Tough strong and all syllables related to that.

She wasn't any of that.

Her self at that moment was a Jinhee who also needed someone to protect her.

She was a Fragile girl who would break if not handled properly.

I used to think she doesn't have a trait of being a Damsel in distress but at moment I saw and knew; She was a Damsel in distress.

She was a Damsel in distress who also needed a shoulder to lean on.

I don't know why but at that moment I wished to be her knight in shining armor.

I wished to be someone she can talk to whenever she gets those nightmares.

I wished to be someone she can get comfort from after going through her nightmares.

I wished to be someone she can lean on whenever she needs a shoulder to cry on.

I wished to be someone she can be with and forget her nightmares.

All in all I wished to be someone she can depend on. Someone she would want. Someone she would need.

When she cried in my arms, I felt a stinging pain in my heart.

I was thinking Damn it... This girl isn't supposed to matter to me but why am I treating her like this? Why am I feeling like this?

I was so confused but JinHee looked as if she was in so much pain that time that I wanted to do nothing than to console and comfort her.

I wanted to do nothing than to wrap her in my arms and tell her that everything would be okay.

I wanted to do something for her.

I turned of the water and moved to the room with a towel draped around my waist.

I opened my wadrobe and picked out a pajamas.

I was putting on the clothing when the thought of What if what Sehun had said the other day was beginning to come true.

Just maybe, what if I'm really catching feelings for JinHee?. 

Just maybe, what if I'm beginning to like her?

Or what if I like her already?. 

I ruffled my hair as the thought of this made me frustrated.

I don't think I'm ready for This.

Its risky and I'm not ready to take the risk of Loving.

I'm not ready to take the risk of falling in love and getting hurt again.

I'm not ready to fall in love again.

Authors note;

What dafuq is Love?!!

I don't know for you, but for me, love is eating nachos pizza, popcorn and ice cream while watching Kai dance to Artificial love*wipes drool*

Haha sorry not sorry...

I wanted to make the best friends reconcile in this chapter but I changed my mind... It'll be too long then.. So maybe.. Just maybe, I'll add it in the next chapter.

What more should I say?? Hmmm....

Hope you liked this chapter?

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Have a nice day/night my beautiful lovelies....

XOXO

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Thank you!!*blows numerous Kisses*