Someone's warm hand touching my calf startles me, making me clench my thighs to close my legs, and I peek up at the one who came into my room and take my headphones off.

"Hey, I'm sorry for bothering you, but I brought you some food," Mister Jeon puts the dish down on the desk, but I cannot think about anything other than the fact that he must have seen my underwear when I could not hear anything and acknowledge his presence. This is embarrassing.

"Oh...thank you, but you didn't have to. Hasn't she said anything?" I straighten up on my chair, and the closed door catches my attention for a second. "No, I got you that while she's in the backyard."

"Thank you," I smile at him, and he does so. "I just want to make sure you eat well. Do not skip any more meals in the future, please."

I nod, despite the lie this makes me give him, and he bends over my desk. "How are you feeling?" he lowers his voice, and I slide my feet over the chair to try to relax and bring one leg a bit down. "Good, and you?"

"Good too, but I felt the need to check up on you. I don't want to sound like an annoying dad lecturing you or anything, you're not a kid anymore, but I'm worried about your health and the way you eat or seem to starve. It's really not good for you, sweetheart," he says this nickname that he knows makes me weak. My lips instantly curve up, and my heart speeds up. "I'll take care of myself, Mister Jeon. Don't worry about me."

He does not say anything but stares at me into the eyes, his position making his chain dangle, and his chest call for my attention, but I win against the temptation and do not succumb to it.

The eye contact lingering, I fidget on my spot and glance away out of anxiousness. I cannot take the tension it builds whenever I make eye contact with him.

"Do you want to sit down?" I get my feet off the seat, but he shakes his head. "I can't take too long, your mom's waiting for me. I just...I'll come back later tonight, so I want this dish to be empty, alright?" he orders me in a soft voice, and I grin but show obedience. "Alright, Mister Jeon."

"And I want the food to be in your stomach, not anywhere else, so don't try to trick or lie to me," he straightens his back and drops one hand on the handle of the door. "I wouldn't do that. I promise I'll eat."

"I trust you," he opens the door but does not get out. "By the way, I'm sorry for coming in without permission, but I didn't get an answer at all, so I was even more worried."

"It's fine. If I ever do not answer you or anything, you can come in, I won't mind," I tell him for the future so that he does not concern himself about it. "Alright, eat well. I warmed it up, but if it's cold, tell me about it and I'll put it in the microwave for you, okay?"

I nod to him, and he goes out of my room. Without waiting, I grab the chopsticks he brought and dig in right away, feeling hungry to such a point that my stomach is hurting.

No matter how weird it sounds, it felt like the hunger was eating me up today, it was painful.

Since he will not come back, I put my headphones back on and eat at the same time. Given the amount he served me, I am going to be bloated for sure.

•••

8:30 pm.

The knocking on the door of my bedroom makes me stand up, and I head up to it to open it to the one I believe to be the cheater. Once I see him, I raise my head up to look at him, and he steps forth but wraps his arms around my neck and suffocates me in his chest. "I missed you."

"I didn't, we broke up," I try to push him away, no matter how good this feels to be in his arms. His hair is still damp, he must have taken a shower before coming here. He smells like shea butter, this smells so good. "No, that's not true. You cannot break up with me."

"Yes, I can," I lift my chin to look up at his face, but he shakes his head and puts his face against the side of mine to hug me tight. "No," he says, in a pouty and cute voice, but feeling the urge to hold him too, I put my arms around his thin waist. "I hate you."

"I hate you too," he presses a kiss on my ear but pulls away to set me free. "Now, you gotta tell me what happened with Seunggil, and how it went," he steps inside my room to close the door, but I do not agree with this. "We just skated together, and I'm getting better at it."

"Did he flirt?" he sits down at the bottom of my bed, and I walk up to him. "That's none of your business."

"Well, yes, it is," he acts like he deserves to hear all the details, but since I know it bothers him for real, I stay quiet about it. "I won't tell you anything. If you wanna know more, you ask him."

"I already did," he smiles and hides his hands in the pockets of his grey shorts. "I knew it," I do not even express any surprise, not expecting anything else from him. "Have you eaten dinner yet?"

"No, I'm gonna do it now, but I wanted to come and see my baby girl first," he plays with my emotions, and I giggle like a dummy. I truly cannot stand this nickname. "Go eat now."

"What about you? Have you eaten?" he stands up, and for once, I do not have to lie. "I did. Your dad brought me a big dish, so I look pregnant."

"I know it's just because you saw me, I got you pregnant with my hotness, be honest," he steps towards the door to be ready to leave, his arrogance filling my room. "Sure, shut up, you're tiring me out."

"I'll come back after eating, so wait for me," he opens the door and smiles at me before going out, but I follow him so that he does not have to be alone at the table. I sit down on one chair to wait for him, but I try to get a sight of what is happening in the backyard. I do not think they left it since Mister Jeon brought me some food, so I am not okay.

"Did you get dessert?" Joonha sits down right next to me, and I lay my attention over him only. "No."

"Do you want one?" he does not smirk, so I do not fear hearing him imply something sexual again. "Some buns," I smile, remembering the ones he brought me from his workplace the other day. "I understood. I'll get you some tomorrow."

"Thank you, daddy. Oh no," I change my mind after recalling something important. "I meant, baby boy."

He smiles and pulls the spoon out of his mouth. "You're welcome, mommy," he puts some meat in his mouth. "That's what you want me to call you anyway, right? Since you want my dad."

"I'm gonna punch you in the face, Joonha," I warn him, being kind enough, but he sneers. "It's fine. I won't tell him, don't worry."

"Talk about something else, or I got back to my bedroom," I cross my arms, not wanting this topic to be spoken about, and he smirks at me. "You're cute."

"I know, your dad already told me," I flex, even though I do not believe it was meant to be about my looks, and he smiles. "But anyway. What's that girl's name?"

"Iseul," he tells me, and I hum. "And do you have a crush on her as well?"

"As well?" he chews but frowns at me, his sharp jaw catching my attention. "Yeah. You said she was flirting with you, so she has a crush on you, doesn't she?"

"I guess," he hesitates when he seemed confident earlier. "And what about you? You find her cute and can't resist her."

"I don't have a crush on her, she's just a friend to me," he does not sound doubtful at all but rather very certain of his statement. "Hanging out with her for her birthday is going to give her hopes. You know that?"

"But I'm not going to say no just for that reason," he looks down at his bowl to take another spoon, eating pretty fast. "You probably have no idea what it feels like to believe that someone's into you when they're actually not. It hurts like hell."

"Well, I know what it feels like to be cheated on, so I don't think there is any worse than the pain that causes," he marks a point, and I cannot deny it. "True...but still."

"I won't make her believe in anything, don't worry," he peeks up at me but looks behind me as if something had caught his eye, and only a few seconds later, I hear the sliding door open. "The food's amazing, dad."

"I'm glad you love it," Mister Jeon's voice fills the void with delight inside of me, and I turn my head to look at him. He glances at me but continues his way towards the kitchen, and my stepmother grasps my attention. She follows him like a dog and never leaves him alone.

I wonder how Mister Jeon feels about her.

•••

10:50 pm.

'JUNGKOOK'S P.O.V'

The movie coming to an end soon, I take a look at y/n who joined me like she did last night, but who is sleeping again. She can never stay awake for more than ten minutes.

A smile that I could not even prevent from growing on my face brightens once I see her body lean towards mine. It has been more than twenty minutes since she fell asleep, and she is falling more and more to the right. If she keeps on going without waking up, she will end with her face on my lap.

"Hey," I whisper and brush my fingers over her jawline, but she does not react, so I pronounce her name and stroke her cheek. The only thing I get from her is a humming sound, and she completely rests her body on mine.

She is so adorable.

I wrap one arm around her and lift her legs up over mine to make sure she is not in an uncomfortable position that will cause her pain when she wakes up. I do not bother her anymore but hold her near me, knowing how much she must need this, but also loving to have her in my arms to give her comfort and care.

She should have received much more than that throughout all her childhood and teenage years, but she was not lucky enough to have the right parents for that.

A heavy exhalation leaves my nose, and I run my fingers through her hair, then cannot help but pat her head and press a kiss on the crown of it. Her body slowly reacts to those actions out of instinct, and she cuddles up against me, burying her head in the crook of my neck but getting her warm breathing to hit my skin.

I do not move her or push her away, I ignore the shivers and watch the movie.

10 minutes later...

My eyelids becoming heavy as the minutes are passing by, I put my elbow on the back of the sofa behind y/n's head and rest mine on my hand, feeling her breathing turn shallow, and her legs move.

I close my eyes but hear a door open, so I check who it is and put my hand on the back of my head. "Aren't you going to bed, Jungkook?" Harin goes out of my room and comes up to me from behind, so I look at her but drop my eyes on the revealing black nightie I did not expect her to wear. "What is she doing?"

"She was watching the movie with me and fell asleep, but I don't want to wake her up," I explain, but she expresses some trouble again. "You can wake her up. It's fine. She usually doesn't feel very comfortable around men."

That is not what I see every time she is near me.

"Oh, well," I do not know what to say. "I'm sleeping here anyway, this is better to not share the same bed."

"Why? I know you're a gentleman, but you won't bother me at all, don't be scared about that," she does not understand the matter, so I smile and attempt to give her the reason without being too straightforward. "You're a woman, and I'm a man, Harin. This isn't a good idea."

She remains quiet for a short moment, gazing at me. "Alright. I understand, I hope it's not too painful for you on the sofa though."

"It's not, don't worry. Sleep tight and have a good night," I tell her, speaking in a low voice while she is not as if she did not care about waking y/n up. "Have a good night as well," she bends over and presses her lips against my jawline, and she passes her fingers through her daughter's hair in a caring manner, before stepping away.

I wait for her to get into my bedroom, and once I hear the sound of the door, I check to make sure she is gone, and I focus back on y/n.

Her hot breathing brushing my neck, it hastens and deepens, sending shivers down my spine. I look down at her thighs that are exposed because of all the fidgeting, and I run my hand over her back to calm her down, feeling like she is having a nightmare, but a soft noise, which sounds like a moan, vibrates through her throat.

Her fingers grip my shirt, her body not reacting like I expected it to, I skim my hand over her knee, despite the effect my touch seems to have on her. I go a bit slower once I feel and see the muscles of her thighs clench and only use the tip of my fingers to rub it up and down her spine.

Not knowing why I feel the want to keep going, she breathes even harder, and I stop but hear her emit some low sexual moans full of pleasure. I do not do anything anymore but gaze down at her, and her grip loosens, her breathing slows down, and I understand she woke up.

I slide my hand up to her neck and get her to look at me, knowing what happened to her while she was dreaming.

"Are you okay?" I pretend to be worried, and she nods but blushes. "Yeah...I..." she clears her throat, her legs nearly shaking on mine. "I had...a nightmare," she lies with a shy smile upon her face, and I stare into her eyes. "A nightmare? Was it scary?"

"Yeah," she chuckles and swallows, so I drop it and leave her alone with this. I do not believe this was a nightmare. She was not scared, she was feeling and expressing pleasure. Without saying one more word, she maintains eye contact, probably getting the fact that I know what happened.

She is still breathing pretty hard.

"I'm sorry...for falling asleep on you," she remains on her spot, her hands resting behind her lower back on the sofa. "No, it's alright. You can do it again, I wouldn't mind."

She smiles at my words and glances down, but I drop my eyes to her knees and notice a small injury on the right one. "What happened?" I brush my hand past it. "I fell while skating with Seunggil."

"Oh," I stroke it with my thumb, and I raise my eyes up to hers. Without saying anything, we both stare at each other for a few seconds, and she nibbles on her inner cheek. Knowing how nervous I make her, I do not break this eye contact, but she smiles and glances away again.

Willing to respect some boundaries, I take my hand off of her and heave it up to the back of my head to stretch my back and release all the tension with a moan, but she removes her legs from mine and put her feet down on the floor.

"Don't you ever take the ring off?" she asks out of the blue, and my eyes go down to it. "I don't," I shake my head. "I love it, and you gave it to me, so I don't want to take it off."

My honest answer brings a smile to her face, and she looks down at my hand. "A feminine touch on a masculine man always looks even prettier," she does not peek up at me. "That's true," I agree with her. "But what about a masculine touch on a feminine woman then?"

My question drifts all her attention over me, and she shows some shyness. "I don't know. It depends on what type of touch, but I already heard that men love when their partner wears their shirt or hoodie."

"We do," I confirm. "I mean, as a man, I personally love it, and I know that a lot of us do as well."

"Good to know," she takes this information, and I chuckle but straighten my back. "Shouldn't you sleep at this hour? You're going to be tired for work," she advises me to do. "I am going to, but a cute girl was crushing me while sleeping a few minutes ago—" the sound of her soft laughter cuts me off and makes me smile. "You're mean, Mister Jeon. I guess I should go to bed too," she stands up to leave, but I stop her. "Oh. Does that mean you don't like me anymore?"

"Who said I liked you in the first place?" she shows some unusual confidence in front of me, standing near in her oversized t-shirt and nothing else. I grin and calm her down. "Your eyes."

She does not know what to say anymore. I knew this would quieten her.

"Your eyes and body told me, but I could be wrong, and you can tell me if I am," I give her the opportunity to escape from the nervousness that her brain is making her struggle with, and she holds her hands together to find some sort of comfort. "You told me to not lie to you, so I'll pretend I never heard anything," she walks away, finding a way out in one of the most adorable manners.

"Come back here for a minute," I ask for her to not leave yet, and she turns around, retraces her steps, and inches closer to me. "Sit down," I pat the seat, and she obeys without ever complaining. I stare at her to make her understand I am waiting for something, and she squeezes her hands between her thighs. "What is it? Do I have to apologize?"

"I don't know. You tell me," I tilt my head to the side and go as far as I am allowed to tease her, her body language talking to me and telling me all the words she is too shy to let out.

I never glance away from her pretty eyes filled with stars, and the anxiousness inside of her heightens. "I apologize then...Mister Jeon..."

"For what?" I put my elbow down on one thigh and rest my head on my fist, and she looks everywhere but at me. "For...being disrespectful or dishonest, I don't know..."

"Hm," I decide to put an end to this torture that filled me with amusement and softness. "So you're going to apologize for no good reason but not tell me goodnight?"

Realizing the reason why I called her back, she glances up to lock eyes with me. "Oh...I forgot. I'm sorry, you just made me nervous, and I had to run away."

"Uh, that's why," I nod to feign understanding, and she stands up to lean in and kiss my cheek. "Have a goodnight, Mister Jeon," she steps away to flee. "I didn't give you the right to leave," I watch her hurry up to be out of sight. "I cannot hear you."

"Are you going to make me come in your bedroom again?" I threaten to do, and she grabs the handle of the door without going in. "I don't mind it," she steps inside and disappears.

The silence takes over in the house as soon as I am left alone in the living room, my eyes remaining on the same spot where y/n was a second ago.

A heavy sigh runs out of my mouth, and I grab the remote control to turn the TV off then stand up. I switch the lamp off, and no matter what I have to respect between us, I make my way up to her bedroom.

She has been making me feel some type of way lately, and I cannot deny it, nor ignore it. I just cannot explain what this is, but this feels good.

Now that I am standing in front of her, I knock on her door, and in only a short second, she opens it. She was definitely waiting for me to come.

"What are you doing here, Mister?" she keeps her hands on the door and the wall, gazing up at me with a smile upon her face. "I told you to stay where you were, but you didn't listen."

"I didn't hear anything..." she does not give up, but since she likes to play, I do it as well. "Oh, that's a shame. That means you didn't hear what I said I would give you afterwards either."

"Well...you can tell me now though..." she does not state the same anymore now that it is against her, but I do not give in to her. "I can't," I stick my hands in my pockets. "I'm sorry, but I cannot remember what I said."

Seeing herself lose, she smiles and comes closer, which obliges her to raise her chin even higher. "Your eyes are telling me that you're lying right now, Mister Jeon."

The eye contact finally lingering, I find myself feeling affected by the look into her gorgeous and powerful ones. "Wait, since you're good at reading what my eyes tell, let me test something," I place two fingers on her neck to feel the beating of her heart, and I move my head lower to stare deeper through her soul. "Tell me what you can read through them right now."

Instantaneously, her pulse hits my fingers even harder and faster, and she drops her look to my lips. "Pretty things...I don't know..."

With satisfaction, I get my hand away from her hot skin but press my lips on her temple. "I'm just teasing you. Have a good night, sweetheart," I step back to leave her alone. "Wait," she makes me turn around, and I stay quiet to let her speak.

"I...I was thinking, I mean," she struggles to tell me what she has on her mind. "I would like to go to the cinema this weekend, but I wanted to ask you if you'd be..." she nibbles on her lips, not daring to be straightforward and invite me. "If you'd be busy..."

"I won't," I give her the go-ahead to ask the question she is scared to let out. "Oh, then...would it interest you to come with me?"

"Only you and I?" I do not have mercy on her, finding her even more precious in this state. "Technically...yes..."

"Hm, sure. I'm down for it," I put an end to the agony, and she breathes out. "Great," the happiness overwhelms her. "I can't wait to be there. Have a goodnight, Mister Jeon."

"Have a good night, sweetheart," I smile, and she closes the door, so I move back to the sofa to go to sleep.

— Two days later —

Wednesday, August 11th, 2021.

9 am.

< Good morning, I hope you're doing well and eating a lot. I want to make sure you don't overwork or stress out because I'm not here, so don't hesitate to call if something wrong is going on, alright? Love you, sweetie ]

I smile while reading Moosaeng's text, the care and softness that there always is in them brighten my mood up right in the morning.

[ Good morning! I'm doing well and you? I'm not, and I'll call you, so don't be worried. Enjoy your time with your daughters please and don't think about anything else. Love you too♡ >

< I'm doing well too. How can I not be worried? You're far away from me, so I need some news from you more often ]

[ Great, I'm happy. Don't worry, I'll let you know if something's wrong >

< hope you will, take care ]

[ take care as well >

I put my phone down after this last answer, and I move towards the shop to unlock the doors and allow the customers to come in.

Since no one is here yet, I walk up to the checkout and wait. I hope it will be busy but not too much.

One of my colleagues getting out of the backroom, I take a peek at him but feel my phone vibrate, so I check what this is but read 'Mister Jeon' on my screen. I open the text right away.