joy ride ♛ jjk

you've gotten prettier.

"y-yes, this is park hyerim... yes, i'm afraid i can't make it to the interview... oh. okay then," hyerim nodded solemnly, before the caller hung up. an annoying dial tone repeated continuously. bbi bbi, bbi bbi.

her job interview was cancelled.

hyerim bit her lips and gazed up, holding in a sob of despair from leaking out from her throat. why did she always have to cry so easily? the lump in her throat grew bigger each time she tried to gulp it down.

she felt a presence approach her from behind.

the sight of a egg-shell coloured splint wrapped around his wrist allowed hyerim to heave a huge sigh of relief. she scurried towards the tall man as he exited the doctor's office.

it had been two hours since the crashing incident, and she knew she could not leave him until her conscious was at peace. hyerim surveyed his wrist, making sure for the umpteenth time that his hand had not fallen off.

she could feel his intense stare on her as she fretted over his broken wrist. she glanced at him and smiled apologetically. "i'm so sorry about what happened. i've already paid for the medical fees, so please take care of yourself!"

she bowed quickly, turned around, picked up her purse and began to walk away.

"hey."

hyerim leapt, whipping around to see the masked man gaze at her with tired eyes. he had not spoken a single word since she had first met him.

"w-were you talking to me?" she stammered. he gave her a dead look, because there was no one else in the room. "can i help you?" asked hyerim inching towards him with caution. she had already missed her interview because of him, what more could he want?

"i'm... hungry."

she blinked in confusion. "h-huh?"

the man yawned as he patted his stomach with his broken hand, as if reminding her that she had brought upon this whole ordeal onto him.

hyerim sighed.

——————————

when the masked man said he was hungry at the hospital, she did not expect him to drag her to his penthouse and ask her to cook a meal for him.

not that she minded— his medical fees left too drastic an impact on her wallet for her to be treating him to fine dining.

"where are we?" she mumbled in awe, as she twirled around, her skirt swaying in a circle around her. "home," he spoke monotonously, tossing the keys onto a kitchen counter and crashing into a large couch. he did not bother to remove his socks or face mask.

her eyes widened as she took in the beautiful interior design. from the tall ceiling to floor windows that flanked one side of the room, to the glossy marbled floor... she felt as if she were stepping into a ceo's office.

except she wasn't a ceo, she was the chef. or rather, the-unlucky-girl-that-rammed-into-the-ceo.

the sizzling sound of kimchi stew bubbling in a large steel pot was the only sound that could be heard as she paced back and forth the kitchen mincing garlic and stirring the rich orange broth.

the man lay on the white faux-leather couch, hood back on his head, sleeping soundly while hyerim struggled to prepare a meal that would hopefully serve as a bribery of reconciliation for crashing into him with a bicycle.

"the food's ready!" she announced, pouring stew and scooping a heaping amount of steaming white rice into a bowl. she was puzzled when he continued to lay on the couch. was he...dead? did she actually kill him with her awful bicycle riding skills?

she approached him gingerly, reaching a shaking index finger towards his forehead, and poking it. hyerim exhaled with relief when a sniffle escaped his lips. he was sleeping.

long eyelashes framed his closed eyelids, twitching slightly with every inhalation he took. hyerim knelt on the ground, next to the couch in which he lay.

with each passing moment, something in hyerim compelled her to reach forward. her hands slowly brushed the hair out of his sleeping eyes, feeling a lingering feeling of uncertainty brewing in the pit of her stomach.

these eyes. she'd seen them before... a long, long time ago. eyes that belonged to a face that made her heart heavy. without thinking, she swiftly pulled off the black face mask he wore.

she took it all in at once; the tiny scar on his cheekbone. the sharp features of his nose and jaw. the familiar bunny teeth that showed through his parted pink lips.

hyerim gasped in shock, nearly tumbling backwards as she held both hands to her mouth in utter disbelief.

then his eyes flashed open, a brilliant ring of brown-black surrounding the pupil. hyerim yelped and jumped backwards, only to trip on her feet and fall downwards onto him. their noses were two inches apart, her eyes widened with shock as she hovered above him. he stared at her with bleary eyes.

"you've gotten prettier, hyerim."