philophobia | ksj+mb

-18-

Summer is never really my weather. I've always prefered the chilly and soothing air of autumn, or the coldness of winter, because what better way to spend the day, under the blanket, doing absolutely nothing. The air around you cold, but you're warm under the layers of thick fabric. The peace will consume you, leaving you to drift off into your very own dream land.

Of course I'm not really one to say, because I spent most of my winter outside, working.

But, I must say, work is not much of a burden now, all thanks to Mr. not-so-grumpy-ass, and a lot of persuading from Yongsun and the others. I can finally enjoy the peace and quiet of my apartment, even though my wonderful winter has ended, and staying inside proved to be an escape from the burning heat of the sun.

That being said, I should be inside. Not sitting over a blanket in the outskirts of Seoul, fanning myself because I'm bathing in sweat.

I should thank Jin for this.

"Are we going to sit in silence?"

I jerked my head towards him, scowling. He's smart enough to choose a spot under a large tree, but a tree does not mask the intense heat. And it doesn't stop the sweating.

"What's with the look?" A drop of sweat fell from his hair to his forehead, and he wiped it away.

I rolled my eyes and turned away from him. "Out of all the places in the world, you choose a field."

"What's wrong with a field? And this isn't a field, it's a hill." He rummaged in the large bag he brought and obtained a small handkerchief. Smiling in triumph, he wiped his forehead with it.

I rolled my eyes. "I don't care what it is, it's hot, and I'm sweating —"

"Ah yes, our lovely Byul, the one who hates going out," he gave me a smirk, "but works 24/7, and that's basically going out. You're a walking contradiction, you know."

I narrowed my eyes at him, putting my face back into a scowl. He laughed, clearly happy that he could trigger a reaction from me. I scoffed and turned away from him, into the bustling city far ahead.

A poke on my side made me turn back to him, and I'm met with a handkerchief up my face. "Here, use this. Wouldn't want you sulking on our first date, right?"

Only date. There will be no other date. I will not repeat the same mistake again.

I took the handkerchief — a different one, and used it to wipe the sweat dripping on my forehead and the sides of my face.

"Does the weather make you grumpy or something? Because I'm starting to think that we've switched souls."

I gave him another glare, brief but enough to wipe the smile off his face. But it didn't seem to work, because just seconds after my eyes left him, his high-pitched laugh erupted. It echoed through the empty field around us, filling my ears with the obnoxious sound of windshield wipers.

I wiped another drop of sweat trickling down the side of my face, ignoring the laughing figure to my left. He was doubling over, on his back as his face turned red from all the laughing. I don't understand what's so funny about his remark, or me. He seems to have a thing for my grumpy self. Or is it grumpy girls in general? I can't say, I don't really know Jihye.

His laughter died down, and I'm still ignoring him. "You're not supposed to ignore me, you know. This is a date, for your information."

"That I regret agreeing to," I mumbled. My eyes were fixated on the view ahead, into the high rise towers of Seoul. They don't look so large from here. It's like I'm watching my sisters' miniature city.