"Sometimes the questions are complicated
and the answers are simple"

-Dr. Seuss-
~~~~~

Two weeks had passed since the last time she had seen him.

Two Saturday nights had passed since she had heard those heartbreaking words from him.

Fourteen exact days had passed since she had felt his soft lips on hers.

Days had surely passed, yet all the anxiety she had still lingered on.

And not to forget, it had been thirteen days since she had a sudden mental breakdown in the embrace of a stranger named V.

Speaking of the blonde-haired guy, Soomin had a very hard time shrugging off the embarrassment and awkwardness she felt towards him every time she remembered the unexpected hug.

What have I done in my previous life? she heaved a deep sigh as she licked her chocomint ice cream from its cone, continuously questioning her complicated life. Fixing her hair, which was brushed by the cold night breeze, she was lost in her own mind when she felt a sudden tap on her shoulder.

"Ommo!"

Ignoring the fact that one of her slippers was wet and sticky because she had dropped her precious cone when she felt the tap, she swallowed the urge to punch the boy who had scared her out of her life right in his face as she turned around to see who it was.

All of the people I know, why does it have to be him? She mentally cursed.

"V," she greeted halfheartedly.

"Sorry, did I scare you?" he asked innocently as he eyed her wasted ice cream that had landed perfectly on her slipper.

Sigh. "Next time you see me, please just call my name instead," Soomin said as she tried to get rid of the cold sticky thing by wiggling her feet.

"I just don't want you to run away like the last time we met," he grinned awkwardly.

She cringed as the old memory of that day came across her mind, the moment when she had just shoved him away and ran to the restroom without saying anything after crying herself out in his embrace. "Uh, right. I am sorry about that, please forget it. I was-"

"Let me buy you a new ice cream, then I'll forget everything that happened that time," the box-shaped smile appeared immediately as he said the words.

That smile, she thought.

"Soomin?" he asked, snapping his fingers as she lost herself in her mind once again.

"Sorry, but have we met before? I mean, before we met at the coffee shop," she asked as she kept scanning his face thoroughly.

"I don't think so. By the way, do you live in this neighborhood? What are you doing alone at this late hour?" Taehyung reflectively fixed his beanie and looked away, praying that she wouldn't realize who he truly was.

"My house is around the corner, and I was peacefully having my late-night snack before you came out of nowhere," she said, lifting her now chocomint-flavored feet. "How about you? Don't tell me that you're stalking me," she scoffed.

"Uh, haha, of course not! It's late...let me walk you home!" he said nervously as he suddenly dragged her away from the street.

What a weird fella, she thought, letting herself be dragged along by him before they finally reached her house - their house.

"Thanks for walking me home. Wanna come over?"

"Huh?! N-no thanks, it's already late-"

"Young lady, what took you so long? Oh, hello~"

Taehyung was paralyzed as the voice he had yearned to hear for years greeted him warmly from the porch of his house. His heart was beating so fast as a normal living human being. He refrained himself from running and hugging the woman of his life tightly, as he missed her more than anything. He smiled at the fact that age was doing nothing to her. She looked the same as the last time I saw her in her kitchen 10 years ago.

"Sorry, Mom. I met him on my way home. V, this is my mom. Mom, this is V, a new friend of mine," Soomin said nonchalantly as she still tried to clean up her slipper.

"Ah, I see. Hello, V," Mrs. Kim said, smiling warmly.

"Good evening... Mrs. Kim," he bowed politely, while deep inside he wanted to call her mom.

"Thanks for dropping her home. Wanna have some hot chocolate? It's cold outside."

Yes, of course. I really miss your handmade cup of hot chocolate. "Thank you, Mrs. Kim, but it's kinda late. Maybe next time," he said, pleading silently to not let him go. Please. I wanna be here with you.

"But-"

"Mom, his mom is probably waiting for him right now."

But my mom is right here, standing in front of me gorgeously. "She's right. I should go home now." Taehyung bowed once again as he bid a half-hearted goodbye before Mrs. Kim asked him to wait and went inside the house to get something.

"Use this to warm yourself."

Taehyung froze as Mrs. Kim tiptoed to put a knitted scarf around his neck carefully. "Mrs. Kim, you don't have to," he took a step back as he politely refused it.

"Mom, don't make him feel awkward."

"Please take and use it. Be careful on your way home," she said as she gently tapped his cheeks before she went inside.

"Don't look at me. I have an antique mom," Soomin said as she saw Taehyung staring at her in confusion. "Just take it. My mom never took 'no' as an answer. You may return it later if you don't want it."

"O-okay, uh, I'll get going then. Bye Soomin," he said, gripping the scarf tightly with both of his hands.

Waving to him as she entered her house, she found it a bit weird as she realized that the embarrassment and awkwardness she had felt for him before were gone, like dust drifting in the wind. He really has a weird effect on me. No, wait, even my mom fell for his weird charm.

"Mom, why did you give him that scarf?" Soomin asked as she found her mom in the living room.

"I just felt that I had to," she said nonchalantly as she kept watching some random variety show.

"You barely know him, though."

"He seems nice."

"Pfft. Right."

"Wait, is he the reason why I haven't seen Yoongi for days?" Mrs. Kim suddenly averted her eyes from the TV to her daughter, looking at her with a judgmental look.

"What? No! He's just a friend!"

"Then why?"

"Did you just change the topic?" Soomin said in disbelief.

"Yes, now tell me what is wrong with both of you? Aren't you tired of always bickering like cats and dogs? Could you just peacefully live side by side?"

"Why don't you say that to him?! He's the one who ditched me this time!"

Why does it feel like I have a non-stop premenstrual syndrome? This mood swing is killing me! She mentally cursed as she stomped back to her room, leaving her confused mom alone.

It's all because of a guy named Min Yoongi. She slammed the door. He must have done some kind of voodoo thing to me. She opened the door to her balcony. Yeah, right! If not, then why am I losing my mind over him?! She went outside onto her balcony.

It's impossible for me to like him in such a romantic way. She stared at Yoongi's dark room. And it's also impossible for him to feel that way too. He just wanted to tease me. I'm sure about th- she stopped her rants when suddenly the light
was on.

Dub-a-dub.

Her heart was beating crazily fast as she saw a familiar silhouette standing near the window. I don't like him, she kept chanting those words as she unknowingly waited for the window to be pushed from inside. I don't, right? But it never happened. In fact, the light just went off after a few minutes.

But if I don't, why am I crying so hard right now?

*****