areum | jjk ✓

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A warm evening on fairview lane, areum took a relaxing jog around her neighbourhood, just before it got dark.
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i slapped my palms on my knees, bending forward, trying to catch my breath.

'do it for the dress!', i encouraged myself, sprinting back to home.

sweat beads dripped down my forehead. i swiped the back of my hand across my neck trying to clean myself from the perspiration.

taking my earplugs out, i lugged myself into the house and to the kitchen for some adam's ale.

i saw my mother staring down at the sink, smiling. she was dressed in a prussian blue dress, hair pinned up and eyebrows freshly threaded.

as i fetched a bottle from the refrigerator, i asked, 'what are you doing...?'

'oh, dear, i'm just waiting for jeongguk to finish replacing this pipe and then your father and are off to the  wilkin's charity event.'

i squeezed the plastic bottle in surprise, forcing down more water than my throat could take, resulting in me choking and wetting my neck and chest area.

i mannishly beat my sternum with my fist, trying to come to terms with my wind pipe. moving to where my mother stood, i set my eyes on a sight.

the next door hottie was laying on his back, knees bent, glancing under my sink, putting a spanner to work. his torn jeans hung low on his hips, probably because of the weight of his tool belt around him. he wore a faded green t-shirt with the sleeves messily rolled up, looking like a sexy plumber out of an erotica magazine.

i suddenly felt thirstier, although just having consumed a bottle's worth of water, glancing at his v-line that peeked out when he raised his arms.

jeongguk looked away from his work for a second, eyeballing my wet tank top and hot mess of a self.

'hey, areum.', he smiled all too innocently.

'hello.', i curtly nodded.

'mrs. keum, it's all done, but you'll have to regularly replace these. you wouldn't want them to rupture or clog.', jeongguk said, getting out of the tiny space.

wiping his hand off a tea towel, he stood up, towering over my mother and i.

'thank you, sweetie.', my mother kissed his cheek before turning to me, 'i have left money on the counter, your father is waiting for me in the car so i need to leave. we'll be back soon.'

i nodded at her as i felt jeongguk peering at me intently.

'honey, please see to it that areum eats something.'

'mother.', i whined.

jeongguk chuckled, 'sure, mrs. keum.'

he and i stayed silent until we heard the door shut.

immediately turning to each other, we both barked in disagreement.

'don't even think about asking me to eat, i'm not hungry.'

'why don't you ever eat?'