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maeumi & me - ch 21 : something love

a/n : this chapter alternates between written parts and tweets/texts so be sure to read them in order!

w.c. : around 1.5k

Even though Jungwon brushed off Jake's concerns, the truth is that the pain is starting to really bother him now. But he doesn't want to trouble anyone and besides, it isn't so bad that it's unbearable, so he decides to just put up with it until the morning when he could go buy himself some pain relievers. The late nights and work stress must be getting to him. He presses his fingers to his temples, massaging himself, which helps a little. He puts on some light music and leans back against the couch, closing his eyes and hoping to maybe fall asleep, but to no avail. It's partly because of the pain and partly because his mind is still buzzing with the image of you from earlier in the evening – the way your eyes lit up upon seeing him, your wide grin that made his heart skip a beat, the way you complained that you had missed him in an almost accusatory tone like you somehow knew he'd been avoiding you on purpose...

His thoughts are interrupted by Maeumi licking his ankle. Smiling, he bends down to scratch his ears. “Oh hi Maeumi, what's this you've got here?”

You don't know why, but you find it hard to not smile every time your phone pings with a text message from Jungwon. Especially since they've been a rare occurrence these past few days.

Won : Why is Maeumi suddenly so determined on bringing me every sock he can find?

You chuckle, thinking about all the times Maeumi's done that with you as well, ever so diligently. And then you remember why he does it and frown.

You : He used to do it with me whenever I was sick or upset about something.... Are you okay, Won?

Won : Ahhh

A couple of minutes pass and there's no other reply.

You : Won???

Won : Hi sorry. Um, would you believe me if I told you that I'm completely fine and he just started doing it out of nowhere?

Nonetheless, that is so freaking sweet 😩 I feel all warm knowing he cares about me enough to want me to feel better (even though I'm fine, really). I thought I was just some dude he liked hanging out with but he's truly accepted me 🥹

You : 1) Nope I don't believe you one bit

2) I think he accepted you long back when he marked his territory by peeing on your carpet

He chuckles, absentmindedly massaging his throbbing forehead. The light from the phone screen makes it worse but he wants to talk to you.

Won : Damn Y/n, you didn't even hesitate 💀 So it's his bark word over mine huh? 😔

And lmao yayy me

You : In certain matters I trust Maeumi more and it's not surprising as to why – you were lying, weren't you?

Won : Okay yeah but it's just a little headache so I was practically right

Ugh, how did it not strike you earlier? You were so happy to see him that you didn't even pause to question why he was home on a weekday. Or how tired he had looked.

You : Is it bad? Did you try taking any painkillers?

Won : Nahh, it's nothing really. And no, I ran out of Ibuprofen like a month ago and forgot to restock lol. But it's fine like I said, I can hardly feel it.

You : You want me to believe that you took a day off over nothing? Really Won?? Fine have you had your dinner at least?

Won : Umm I'm not really hungry rn

You : It's pretty late, you should still eat something

Won : I'll feel nauseous if I eat

You : Alright that's it

When you didn't say anything else after that last message, Jungwon just assumed you had gotten tired of trying to be helpful while he dismissed all your questions, and had gone on to do other work that was actually important. The last thing he expected was for you to show up at his door.

And yet here you are, less than 10 minutes later. Jungwon stands in the doorway gaping at you. You wait for a while, and when it doesn't seem like he's going to unfreeze anytime soon you decide to just let yourself in.

It's impossible not to smile when you hear the tap tap tap of Maeumi's paws hitting the floor as he comes running to greet you, wagging his fluffy little tail excitedly. “Hi babieee!” You crouch down to pet him and let him lick you to his heart's content, because God knows he's not gonna calm down until you give him the attention he needs.

You sneak a glance at Jungwon and gosh, there's that confused bunny face again. It's so insanely cute you want to walk over to him and squish his cheeks. Your cheeks turn red at the thought, and you immediately brush it away. Straightening up, you head to the kitchen. You fill a glass with water and walk back to Jungwon, handing it to him along with the Ibuprofen you'd brought with you.

“I've ordered Jjajangmyeon for the both of us, it'll be here in ten,” you announce as you turn towards the kitchen again, with both Jungwon and Maeumi trailing behind this time.

“Wha– what are you doing?”

You fill the kettle with water halfway through. “Making chamomile tea. It helps with headaches,”

“You came all the way here at 10.30 pm for this when you have an assignment due tomorrow???” His eyes are wide with incredulity.

Seriously? He's not well and your stupid assignment is what he's worried about? “The assignment can wait. You clearly don't know how to take care of yourself because at this rate you'll only end up making the pain much worse,”

“I can take care of myself just fine! I am fine!!” he protests, trying to take the kettle from you.

“Sure, you look it Won. Those dark circles and your ghastly pale complexion are truly the epitome of pink health,” you retort and he sulks. You have to resist the urge to smile because God, why is he so adorable? “Now come here,” you grab him by his arm and drag him back to the living room. The contact makes his skin tingle, and he tries not to give it too much thought. “No moving from here until I say so,” you sit him down on the couch and head back to get the tea ready, ignoring his whines of protest.

After dinner, he assures you that he’s feeling better already. He tells you he’ll be fine if you leave, and he's so convincing you almost believe him. That is, until he goes to fetch your bag and stumbles and almost falls flat on his face. Needless to say there was no getting you to leave after that. Jungwon wasn't too happy about it but he sure wasn't upset either.

Fortunately, you had brought your laptop with you, predicting that you might end up staying over. You look at the time – it's just a little over 11, which is not too late, at least not by your standards. If you stay up for an hour or two, you should be able to finish the assignment. You honestly don't mind - you're just happy you were able to help Jungwon in some way. And selfishly, you kind of like that you get to spend time with him at least this way, especially after not seeing him for so long. Well, it felt long anyway.

* * *

“No offense, but I’m really more of a coffee person,” Jungwon says, scrutinizing the beverage in the cup he’s holding.

You sit on the opposite end of the table, your gaze stern. “I don’t care. You’re drinking it.”

He sighs and takes a tentative sip. Scrunches up his face. “Nope, definitely not my cup of tea,” he confirms, and then laughs at his own unintended pun.

You have to suppress a laugh of your own but don't let it show. “Plug your nose if you have to. Finish it.”

He rolls his eyes. “You’re no fun,” he mumbles but does as he’s told.

* * *

After a lot of fussing and arguing, Jungwon finally concedes to letting you sleep on the couch. There's no way you would have him sleep anywhere but on his own bed, where he would be most comfortable, especially when he's not feeling his best. Besides, you remind him, you need to stay up late to finish your work, and the couch would be more practical. He starts apologising again for inconveniencing you, and you threaten to make him drink more chamomile tea which effectively shuts him up.

So it's no wonder that when he's all settled in bed and turned off the lights, he's a little surprised to see your silhouette walk in. He watches curiously as you pull up a chair next to his bed and take a seat.

“Where exactly does it hurt?” you ask.

He frowns, touching his forehead. “What are you– holy crap that feels good...”

You chuckle, relieved that he can't see or feel the way you hands are slightly trembling from nervousness. The side of your palm brushes against his warm forehead as you gently press the ice pack onto it – you had brought that along with the tea packet and the pills. You hadn't thought much of it before, but now that you're actually here doing it, it suddenly feels so intimate. But weirdly, it feels natural too. You brush some of his hair out of the way so you can cover all the spots - temple, forehead, temple. You alternate between the three, a comfortable silence settling over the two of you.

“I can do it myself you know,” he says quietly.

“I know. I also know that it feels better when someone else does it for you.” You're glad you waited until he turned the lights off to do this, because you get the feeling you would've been a blushing mess otherwise.

Jungwon is glad too, not just because the darkness helps alleviate the pain, but also because for some reason his eyes have gotten a little misty now, and he's glad you can't see it.

“Thank you,” he sighs, his pain and consciousness drifting away soon after.

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