Min Yoongi's POV

Soo Ah offered to help and drove us to the pet hospital, even though I hadn't asked, when I was worried about Hazel after finding out she had eaten raspberries. Later, her idea of having dinner under the sprawling lemon tree was a good one. The late-night breeze and the sweet scent of ripe lemons made me unwind. Spending time with her made me feel a little better. Hoseok and Soo Ah are like blazing sunshine who can uplift my mood with their infectious smiles and lively personalities.

It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn't thanked her yet, so I decided to write a thank you note on a piece of paper. I quietly stood behind Hoseok so as not to disturb his hug with Soo Ah. I slipped the note to her. She took it from me, scrunching her eyes. She opened it and chuckled at the paper, tucking it into her pocket with a smile. I looked at her and thought she was cute. A soft flutter stirred inside me, but I quickly shook the thought from my head. 

Rubbing my eyes, I turned away, thinking I should try to get at least a few hours of sleep since it was already past three in the morning.

Feeling drowsy, I stretched out my hand and yawned. As I started to climb halfway up the staircase, a hand suddenly yanked me back. Turning around, I saw Hoseok.

"I am sleepy right now. I can't keep working with you. Despite knowing what happened and how worried I was about Hazel, you still insisted I work with you," I glared at him. Hoseok shook his head, gripped my hand tightly, and pulled me along with him, ignoring every word I said.

We both stepped into the hallway, my favorite part of the house. The long, narrow hallway had walls made of dark wooden beams and decorated with calligraphy scrolls featuring Chinese characters. The air was fresh with the scent of peppermint essential oil from the diffuser.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed with a notification. I checked it and found a message from Jungkook. "Hoseok, Jungkook texted us to do a video call tomorrow," I said, reading the message aloud.

"We'll think about that later," his eyes already drawn to something else. "Look at her."

I followed his gaze. Soo Ah was peeking her head through the opening crack of her grandparents' room door.

"What's with the sneaky behavior?" Hoseok whispered.

Soo Ah flinched, looking at us. "You both scared me!" she exclaimed. "I heard some music coming from our grandparents' room, so I was just looking in."

Stepping back, her foot caught in the edge of the rug. In an instant, she lost her balance and tumbled toward me. I instinctively grabbed Hoseok's hand to steady myself, but it was of no use. We all ended up in a heap on the floor. Our limbs were tangled like a tousled ball of woolen yarn, one that a kitten could play with.

We all groaned in pain and started to untangle ourselves. "Soo Ah, did you know it's illegal to peek into someone's room without permission? You could get into serious trouble for invading someone's privacy like that!" I said, struggling to stand up. I tried to pull my arm that was under Soo Ah, pressed down like a piece of bread in a sandwich maker.

"Yoongi, do you love to recite law? If you were a tutor for law students, they'd dread your class." Soo Ah sighed, finally standing up and brushing off her dress. She added dramatically, "Is there a way to complain about excessive legal advice?" She said, rolling her eyes and rubbing her ankles gingerly.

"People around you should be careful. A few minutes ago, you knocked me on the head, and now my whole body hurts," Hoseok grumbled, wincing in pain.

"What's happening here? Why are you all bickering at this late hour?" Grandma asked us. Grandma wore a cheongsam of vibrant red silk, intricately embroidered with peonies and lotuses. Beside her, Grandpa wore a deep blue suit embroidered with delicate patterns.

"Why aren't you asleep?" Grandpa asked.

"You both look lovely!" Soo Ah gasped. "But I should be the one asking. Grandpa, when did you start dancing, and where did you learn? You usually just accompany Grandma when she goes dancing." Soo Ah asked, clutching her hands together and tapping her fingers gently, smiling.

Grandpa adjusted his glasses and glanced down. "It's your grandma," he said, looking at her fondly. "She insisted I wear this outfit and practice for the community event. She was so excited to see how it would look on us."

"Stop being shy, Old Guo." Grandma teased. "He wanted to dance with me, so he secretly took lessons from Hoseok. He learned by watching us, and then he taught your grandpa."

"I had no idea about it," Soo Ah said, glancing at Hoseok.

"Was that why you disappeared sometimes? I thought you were dating someone," I said, raising an eyebrow.

"Yoongi! Can you not use the word dating in front of them? Otherwise, Grandma will start sending me on blind dates!" Hoseok muttered to me.

"Grandpa made me swear not to tell anyone," Hoseok shrugged and continued. "But well, now you all know."

"In the end, it's out," Grandpa said, waving his hand and rushing us to go back with a timid smile on his face. "Alright, everyone, go to bed. Tomorrow we've got the lantern festival to attend." We all nodded our heads.

"If you all want, you can warm up some milk and drink it before going to sleep," Grandma said. They both walked into the room, quietly laughing to themselves.

"Yoongi, are you alright?" Soo Ah asked, gazing at me from head to toe, sniffing with her nose red.

"Won't you ask me?" Hoseok asked, feigning sadness.

"I'm fine. Can we just go to our rooms?" I said, longing for sleep, slumping against the wall.

"Soo Ah, let's go," Hoseok said, pulling Soo Ah along.

I entered my room and lay back on the bed, staring at the deep walnut-colored ceiling. Despite being drowsy, watching the interaction of Hoseok's family reminded me of how different my own family felt growing up. The warmth of his family filled me with happiness and a sense of comfort. I couldn't remember the last time I felt this way. My mom always insisted that things be in order and was overprotective. The day would go smoothly and happily, but if I tried to do something different or tried to break free from her rules, she would get upset, and it would always lead to an argument. She didn't want me to face the pressure and competition of a legal career, but I chose to follow my path and pursue the profession. I understand her love, but it's sometimes stifling.

My previously lonely summer breaks turned into happy ones when, during fifth grade, my mom enrolled me in a summer music camp. I would wake up early, filled with excitement, to attend my classes. One day, a friend of my music camp invited me to his birthday party. The hours flew by, and I was late. When my mom found out, she got upset and grounded me for a week. However, my dad secretly took me out for dinner to cheer me up. He always knew how to make me feel better. Sometimes, he would argue with my mom, but I would ask him not to do that.

Tangled in the quilt, I tossed around, and my eyes landed on the perfume bottle placed beside the bed. The warm glow of the night lamp gently reflected off its surface, making it glint. One time, Hoseok and I visited Soo Ah's room. On her table, there was another bottle similar to this one, but it was larger and had no brand name on it. It piqued my curiosity and made me wonder.

The air was infused with the soothing scent of lavender, drifting through the room, which was perfect for a serene sleep. Inhaling the calming fragrance eased my mind, helping me let go of my overwhelming thoughts as I finally drifted off to sleep.

Thank you for reading my book up to this chapter. I'm doing my best to ensure the plot development flows well, neither rushed nor too slow. If anything feels off, please share your thoughts.

It's meant to be a slow-burn romance, but I'm wondering if it's too slow. I wanted the characters' feelings to develop gradually, which is why I've taken my time. If you feel it's dragging, let me know, and I'll make adjustments.

This is a scheduled update, so I hope the text alignment doesn't get messed up, LOL.

Love you all.

-Shin Haari