I Want You [HaruKyu FF]

Chapter 38

Haruto POV

"Haruto-ssiii!!"

I put my feet on halt and turned around upon hearing my name being called loudly. The corners of my lips went upwards as I saw a girl running towards me, carrying an old style stacked food container made from stainless steel.

"Thank God, you're still here.." She said, panting on her knees. She stretched out her hand, pushing the food container to my chest as she straightened herself up.

Chuckling, I took the container by its handle. "You realize my house is five doors away from yours, right?"

"Ah.. Umm.. I-I.." She looked away, blush evident on her cheek.

I bit my inner mouth to prevent myself from laughing as I placed my freehand on top of her head, patting her. "Say my thanks to your mom, hmm."

"I made them myself, not eomma.." She mumbled in a small voice, I barely heard it, still looking at the street instead of my face.

I cleared my throat, indirectly telling her I could hear what she'd said. "Thank you, for cooking for me again." I said, pulling my hand from her head and scratching my perfectly fine nape. "Do you want to come to my place? We can eat this together." I cleared my throat for the second time for no reason. Am I nervous around her?

She snapped her face at me, her eyes went wide as if she couldn't believe I asked her to have lunch with me. "Really?" She beamed, but immediately looked away again with an even redder face.

"Yeah, if you don't mind. But it's going to be a quick one though, I have to pick up my kids." I said, turning around to continue walking.

I took a quick glance over my shoulder and caught her following me, looking down at her feet with a shy smile on her face. Her fingers were fiddling with the hem of her broken white knit sweater as wind gracefully brushed her peach color midi-length flare skirt.

Choi Da Hye, a twenty-four years old caregiver at a retirement home on the outskirts of Iksan. I became a weekly volunteer there two months after my arrival in Iksan and that's when I met her for the first time. Only after a month later I found out she's actually my neighbor.

Compared with girls in Seoul and New York, she looks like a girl from a small village from the way she carry and dress herself, even though Iksan isn't a village. She always dressed modestly, with skirt lower than her knees and oversized knit sweater or loose fitting blouse that hid her skin and figure. She had long, slightly brown hair that was always tied in a low ponytail.

Almost two years of knowing her, I've never seen her wearing any makeup and it makes me easier to catch her blushing every time I talk to her. Guys from big cities might call her plain and boring, but for me, she's innocent, refreshing, and...sweet.

I shook my head in disbelief as a smile creeped on my face. I couldn't believe I said she's sweet.

"Okaasan, I'm back." I shouted as I entered my three-bedroom two-story house.

"Oh." She shouted back from God knows where.

"Da Hye is here." I informed rather loudly to the empty living room before I turned around to look at the swe—, I mean, Da Hye. "Come on in, I'm kind of hungry." I said to her.

"Thank you." She muttered then followed my lead to the dining table.

Even though it's a two-story house, it was nowhere near the size of my mom's house in Seoul. None of the bedrooms has its own ensuite bathroom, the dining table could only cater five people at a time, and the living room only has two one-seater sofa and one three-seater sofa with decent size TV. You won't be able to concentrate watching TV if there are people talking on the dining table since the voice and the sound from TV are going to clash with one another at how close the distance is between the two spaces.