Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
The next week at the preschool was dreadful. Solely because Ara didn't know where she and Jimin stood and she had no intention of breaking free from her comfort zone to ask him. He would come and pick up Eunji as usual, the two would converse as usual, but the smiles they shared, the gentle touch of the shoulder here and there, and then there was the constant hammering of her heart against her chest every time he was in the vicinity. She wanted this time of unknown to pass, she wanted to just know.
"Ara," it was Friday, Jimin had Eunji on his hip as he looked to her with an innocent expression on his face. She melted on the inside, for his small smile as he waited for her reply was so sweet she really wanted to pinch his cheeks.
"Yeah?"
"Are you free on Monday?"
She raised an eyebrow, "Monday?"
Monday's Christmas.
She didn't want to say yes immediately, because it was true, she didn't have any plans for Christmas. No family coming over, no friends invited, she was just planning on sitting by the fireplace with a hot chocolate and a good book.
"I think so? Why?"
"Well, my parents are coming over from Busan to spend the weekend with us and I was just wondering if you wanted to join us for lunch."
Jimin's parents? What is that meant to mean?
"Ooooh yes!" Eunji cheered, "Ara you have to come! Please please please!"
She giggled, tickling Eunji, to which she laughed more. "Okay, of course, I'll come."
"You're gonna spend Christmas with us?"
"I guess so?"
"Yay!" she cheered again and Jimin smiled at her before turning to Ara, the smile still spread across his face.
"We'll see you later then."
She stared at him for a while – not long enough to be considered weird however – and she realised his smile for her was changing. It was once a gentle smile, a polite expression she saw him wearing for everyone at the preschool, but this smile was different. It was longing for something more, coupled with the look in his eyes, drawling a little longer on his words.
"See you!"
--
"Min Hee!" Eunji exclaimed when Jimin opened the door to see her sitting on his couch playing on her phone.
"Baby!" she outstretched her arm to her and she frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Are you calling me baby?"
"Who else would I be talking to? Your dad?"
Jimin, who was in the middle of drinking a glass of water, moved the rim of the glass from his mouth, "Please, no."
Eunji giggled, "You should call daddy a baby, he would love that."
"Sometimes I think he is, you know?" Eunji had now run into Min Hee's arms and was sitting in her lap.
"Can you two stop roasting me, Eunji, sweetie, go and get changed quickly we'll have something to eat before watching Blue's Clues."
"You're watching Blue's Clues?" Min Hee let go of Eunji, who charged into her room. "Is that show even on TV anymore?"
"No, but I still have my old DVDs," Jimin shrugged, "It was the best kid's show in my day, okay? I'm not letting my child grow up watching the junk they have playing on nowadays."
"Why not? I seem to think Beat Bugs teaches us very valuable lessons about the day to day lives of insects."
"Is that what that show is about?"
"I dunno, never watched it."
Jimin rolled his eyes, passing Min Hee a glass of water, "I invited Ara for Monday, I hope you don't mind."
"The girl who lives across the street? To Christmas lunch? With your parents?"
"Mhm," he nodded.
"And why would you do that? Are you dumb? Are you two together or something?"
"I kinda guessed she was gonna be alone on Christmas," he shrugged, "I don't like when people are alone on Christmas."
"Oh," Min Hee closed her mouth, "Well then we'll welcome her with open arms."
--
Ara's plan was to stroll up to his door, confidently, with a big smile. Pretend she just threw on any dress she found and hadn't spent the last two days trying to choose what was fitting. Rehearse three or four greetings she was prepared to say to his parents and anyone else who was going to be there so she couldn't get anything wrong.
But as she stood in front of his door, she felt her fingers start to shake and her throat run dry.
I'm going to meet his parents.
Despite not even knowing what kind of relationship they two were in.
Was he introducing me to his parents as his friend? As Eunji's teacher? Anything more?
That's when it hit her. She never talked to him about the kiss. After he had left that day, it was as if it had never happened.
Something started to bubble up inside of her and she didn't know what it was. It was a mix of anxiety and frustration? She hated being left in the dark like this.
The door opened, amidst her internal crisis.
"Ara?" a melodic voice broke her from her trance. When she looked up, however, she was put into another one. Jimin had on an oversized dark red sweater tucked into the front of a pair of black jeans, ripped at the knees. His brown-black hair was just as effortlessly beautiful as it always was, parted in the middle and flowing onto both sides evenly. He looked so homey and warm it made her melt.
"H-Hi," what was that confidence she was talking about?
"Come in," he stepped aside for her to walk in but her feet were glued to the spot.
Rehearsed greetings? Merry Christmas?
"Ara?"
This time he joined her on the doorstep and closed the door behind him. "Are you alright?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I'm fine."
Now was not the right time to talk about the kiss.
It was freezing outside and his parents were waiting for him inside.
"You sure?"
Nodding, she forced her mouth shut. She couldn't bring it up, not here, not now.
"Okay, I just don't know where we're standing with our relationship, that kiss was really confusing – I mean, it was good, like really, really good – but I don't know where we are right now and it's kinda eating away at me, because I just want to know-"
His smile was widening as she spoke, making her stop herself in the middle of her sentence.
"I'm sorry, I'm making a fool of myself, you know what, I'll actually just g-"
Suddenly she felt his hands wrap themselves around her waist, pulling her closer to him in a heartbeat. His lips coming over hers in another.
Ara would never be able to get used to this. The feeling of being on top of the world, soaring over the clouds, fireworks spurting in every corner of her mind.
The feeling of kissing Jimin.
When he let her up for air, she stared at him under her lashes, while he just shook his head.
