Naked

Chapter 24

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Snow had started to increase it's volume as days passed by and Seol had no idea about what was happening around her. For the past few days or weeks or months, she hadn't counted, she couldn't help but think about Jeon. And his melodious voice saying all those beautiful words to her.

She was happy to know how he felt and how geniune his feelings felt. Poor boy had been unbeknownst to her listening to him attentively that night and in hopes of not making it awkward, she did not bring that topic up again.

Last she had spent some time with him was a week ago. She missed him like crazy, but had no courage to call him over. For she had not known what was the reason behind her nervousness. She felt a weird happiness whenever she looked at him. Him, his smile, his eyes. A weird urge to stay near him as much as she could. A weird desire to have his hands touch her hair more often than they do. A weird fascination when he sniffed her hair like a small pup, as if smelling food. A weird need to keep him with her. And that was unusual, she believed. Because she had known what happened the last time she felt that.

The feeling was pure and happy but the consequences had left her shattered. But she was trying; to come up and feel those emotions again, to let all her feelings strangle her in a dubious contemplation as to what made her feel like that, to let her lips pucker out in wants of being kissed, to let her guard down once again and just feel the warmth of the beautiful feeling called love.

Love. She thought. Love had several synonyms; affection, fondness, adoration, ardour, compassion, solicitude and what not; but none of them stood as strong as love, could never. For her, they were just mere synonyms which tried to convey the feeling of likeness at different levels but love, oh love, was what she wanted. A sensible yet sensitive feeling of loyalty. Somewhere where she is obliged to take care of her partner and share the mutual feeling, where she has a responsibility of never letting the trust between them break or even waver, where she gets these reminders of being loved, where she reminds her love that she would be there, sad or happy, she would always.

That she'll follow like a shadow and protect like an armour did. The shadow never separated from the lover and the armour, the shiny strong armour, doing all it's best to protect and secure what was beneath it.

Like the sun and moon, even if they couldn't be one, they moved in a fixed cycle, a never ending cycle. And when they met, the world would be jealous of them, their beauty, and envious that they could never look at the shining diamond ring directly. The world would want to conquer and learn but if they ever tried to reach, they'd burn. Burn because they might not be as pure as that bond, as that longing of being together, as that grief of being pulled apart. And the love and want would never leave, for the cycle would never stop and go on and on and on, meeting to form those rings of fire, of purity, and continue to be pulled apart only to come back and kiss in a way this world could never imagine.

And Jeon made her feel that, a longing, a sensitive yet huge amount of passion, an extravagant feeling of loyalty.

And she'd do anything to get that.
Even if that meant getting rid of her insecurities, slowly but definitely, and she had made it sure, she'd do that.

A sweet glimmer sparkled in her eyes and she felt a new confidence spark in her again. And when she heard the doorbell ring, she rather marched over to the door only to find her confidence melt in a puddle of just some tangled mess of emotions.

"Hi, noona!" He smiled brightly at her and she whispered back.

"Hi, Jeon..." A light flush clouded her cheeks and she suppressed the urge of touching him.

She didn't move, not when he asked her to, neither when he stepped infront of her, a few inches away. She had to look up to see what his eyes held, and she found herself.

The smile that stretched his lips was gone, long gone, because his heart thundered inside his ribs, indicating that it couldn't take it anymore but he resisted. "Noona?" He asked again, but she didn't say anything. She just stared, and stared, and stared.

"Jeon?" She said after a while, staring ever so lovingly in his eyes that it made him gulp.

"Yes, noona..." He nodded.

"Can I?" She stole a glance from him to look at his lips and he almost fainted.

"W-what?"

"This." She got on her tiptoes and cupped his face from one, kissing the other cheek delicately while Jeon stood there stiffened, hoping for his life to stop right there and never move again.

——★——

The moment Jungkook spotted his mother in the castle, after returning back to Seoul, he defeatedly walked over to her and forced a smile on his face.

"Mom, I'm ready..." And it didn't even take seconds for the news to spread in the castle. Everybody was happy that the young prince had made his mind and as soon as his grandfather got to know that, everything happened too fast. And that's how he'd explain why he was sitting infront of Eun Ae, while his family members, specifically his grandfather, peeked through the windows every ten minutes.

The atmosphere between them was thick with awkwardness, he'd look at her and when he'd find her staring back, he'd look away along with clearing his throat. There was something that made him feel like this wasn't right, but the annoyance he had felt after leaving Inaya got the best of him.

He felt Inaya to some point, or at least he believed he did, but her harshness annoyed him. He needed her, he had been so clear, but she just pushed him away. He felt sad and depressed, a weird feeling where he felt that when she said leave me alone, she absolutely meant that. But he was scared to believe that that was true. Even if she allowed him to kiss her, he heard the air whisper that this was the last time he'd be able to do that and he didn't want to believe it. But the situation had been proving otherwise, and that annoyed him even more.

He'd swear he saw two small shadows over his shoulders when he drove back in his town, the angel asked him to give Inaya some more time, and redeem his mistakes but the devil had been stronger and convinced him in saying yes for the marriage that his grandfather had proposed. That way it was easy. And probably less painful.

"Jung-"

"Let's go somewhere else, he wouldn't leave us alone!" He stood up, turning back to look at his grandfather who had an expression a theif would when caught. "Eun Ae?" He stretched out his hand for her to take.

"Whatever you want," She mumbled, an unknown feeling developing in her senses.

Once out of the castle, he led her into the garden, settling near the fountain.

"Why- I mean I thought- Why did you say yes?" She stumbled with words.

"I had no reason to say no." He replied bluntly, staring at the water trickle out of the boundary and land peacefully on the green grass.

"You're fine with it?" She asked again, staring at him with an unknown expression.

"My family is."

"You-"

"There is nothing like 'me' over here, and I hope you get that." He said, this time looking directly in her eyes, as if glaring. And she'd swear she saw pure sadness in those fierce eyes but stayed quiet. She looked away, in hopes of avoiding his glare.

It was awkward again, she didn't know if she might ask something or not, and Jungkook sat there just as quietly as he already was.

She dared to look at him again, and he hadn't moved, he was still looking at her with the same sadness in his eyes as if asking for help but she didn't have the courage to find out the reason behind his sadness.

"I'm sorry." She heard him say, "That was rude, I'm sorry, Eun Ae."

"Oh no, that's fine, Jungkook. We barely know each other and I, I mean, as a stranger I shouldn't exactly ask that question to you." She smiled at him, genuinely, and she saw his eyes soften.

"I'll try." He sighed, looking away from her.

"What?" She asked.

"I'll try to know you better," She nodded at him as if agreeing.

"Jungkook?"

"What?" He looked at her, noticing the same geniune smile on her lips.

"If you want to talk about something, think of me as a friend and just throw it all out." She smiled warmly at him before getting up and waving a goodbye to him. "We'll meet again." She said, before she left.

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A/n

Hi. I'm so so so thankful for the 3K reads y'all have given me. It's my first time :) and that definitely made me happy.

Be the best of you!