“I WILL ALWAYS CHOOSE TO DANCE IN YOUR STORM
THAN IN THE LIGHT OF SOMEONE ELSE.”

The annoying sounds from the kitchen woke him up.

Seokjin opened his eyes and didn’t feel good. He had a sick feeling, his nose blocked and his back aching mildly. He noticed that the ceiling above him was not his own. It took him a moment to remember where he was: at Yoon Min's place.

After they danced their hearts out in the rain last night, he dropped her home and was about to leave. But the storm picked up again. Yoon Min suggested he stay the night at her place, and since he was in no condition to refuse, he agreed and ended up sleeping on her large couch in the living room.

That explained the back pain. What about the blocked nose? He was breathing through his mouth and also suffered from a headache. He felt parched and feverish.

“Are you awake?” Yoon Min's gentle voice reached his ears.

He lifted his head and found her in her kitchen, cooking something. So she was making the noise. He wanted to answer her, but he suddenly broke into a fit of loud coughing. He was too weak to get up.

“Yoon Min, I don't feel well.”

She washed her hands, walked to him and hesitated before opening her mouth. “Okay don't freak out. You have a fever.”

Seokjin merely stared at her. How did he get sick? Oh, he danced all night in the rain. This was bound to happen.

But that didn’t stop him from complaining. “Aish, I knew it was a bad idea. The rain has made me ill.”

She folded her arms. “Actually, the rain can't make you ill. Staying wet and cold afterwards lowers your body temperature enough to affect your immune system, putting you at a risk of catching a cold.”

Her words didn’t sound made up. She then pointed her finger at him. “So before you blame me, I pretty much offered you to sleep in my guest room. But you just flopped on my couch without washing up and went straight to sleep! I even gave you a blanket but look where you put it!"

Under his butt.

He had seen different versions of her, but angry Yoon Min was the first time, and honestly, he was a little scared of the way she scolded him. She was shouting at him in English too.

Better not to argue with her. He cleared his throat. “Y-You don't seem to have a fever...or hangover.”

“I told you; I only had three glasses. I remember everything and feel absolutely okay,” Saying, she rubbed her forehead before taking a seat at the edge of the couch. “Open your mouth.”

“W-Why?” He questioned, unable to gulp.

She showed him a thermometer and made a ‘duh’ expression. He obliged and opened his mouth to take the medical instrument in.

He wondered if she remembered calling him 'fineapple'. But he decided not to ask and trigger her anger more. After some time, she pulled it out of his mouth and checked the temperature.

“101.4°F. Don't worry, you'll be fine within a day.” She looked at him, putting the thermometer away. “You have to take a rest. I made you some soup. And you are gonna have to move to my guest room. Also, you need a bath. But I don't have anything around your size, well I don't think I own any men's clothes. I will have to check my wardrobe. Or do you suggest I go buy something for you?”

He was definitely sick because he couldn’t comprehend anything she said. “Can you repeat that again?”

Yoon Min ended up chuckling and pressed her lips together. “You are staying here until you get better. I will take care of you. Do you understand?”

Seokjin smiled and nodded his head. It would allow him to spend a day with her even though he barely could keep his eyes open.

“Let me bring you that soup first.” She stood up and made her way to the kitchen.

He proceeded to sit up and glanced around the living room. Her place had a cozy and welcoming feel in the morning. The open windows let in the breeze, creating a calming atmosphere. He hadn't realized he had fallen asleep in his damp clothes, which explained his cold. He must have been completely worn out last night.

She came with a bowl of ginger soup and sat next to him. His face cringed at the soup before she handed him the bowl and a spoon.

He raised an eyebrow. “You're not gonna feed me?”

“I thought you liked eating faster?”

“Yah, can't you see I'm sick? How can you expect a sick person to hold a bowl of soup and eat it by himself? Isn't that—”

“Okay fine, I'll feed you!” Her laugh sounded like a surprised chortle. “Gosh, you're acting like Park Jimin. Isn't he the one who likes being fed?”

Seokjin accepted the first spoonful of soup and nodded. "Jimin likes being doted on by others. He enjoys giving and receiving love. What did you put in there?"

As he expected, she was taken aback by his sudden question. She blinked before answering, “Uh...water, ginger, garlic cloves, tomato purée, some ghee and salt, pepper.”

“How many garlic cloves?”

“4. Why?”

“Thought so. What about ginger?”

“3 inch grated. I'm sorry, is there something wrong with my soup?” She questioned, a little offended.

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. “You need to add at least 5 garlic cloves. And freshly grated 2-inch ginger is better than 3.”

After hearing his review, Yoon Min didn’t get offended. Instead, she explained, “You know I can't cook. I just looked it up online.”

“Exactly. What do you know about cooking?” He teased before accepting another spoon of soup.

She stuck out her tongue at him.

After finishing his meal, she pushed him to the bathroom and instructed him to take a shower. He did not voice any objections as he needed to change out of his clothes from the previous night. While he was showering, she secretly washed his clothes and prepared fresh attire for him, which consisted of a loose white t-shirt and knee-length shorts.

“I need a blanket,” Seokjin told her once she arrived in the room.

“I will get it but promise me you will use it only if you feel chilly.”

“Why?” He asked.

She had already exited the room. Nonetheless, she continued from the other side, "Your body naturally tries to lower its temperature during a fever. Additional layers of clothing can trap heat and hinder your body from effectively regulating its temperature."

He sat on the bed before lifting himself and laid down in ease. She suddenly fetched an RJ doll and positioned it next to him.

“Your phone is on the nightstand. RJ will keep you company until I'm back.”

She was about to leave but he quickly sat up and grabbed her hand. “Where are you going?”

Yoon Min stared at his hand, holding hers as if it were the first time, and replied, “I have to work.”

“But it's the weekend.”

“I happen to work from home sometimes. One of the perks of being an illustrator!” She smiled and pulled her hand away.

He pouted his lips. “But I'll be bored.”

She gestured to his phone. “Play games. You spend an unhealthy amount of time behind it anyway.”

Then she left him alone in the room. Seokjin frowned and laid back on the bed again. This...was not in his head when he thought about spending time with her. He had thought they could bake a cake together or go out on a date. He could teach her how to play tennis and fishing. But this damn fever ruined everything.

Muttering a curse, he grabbed his phone and began scrolling through Weverse, a social app for connecting with his fans. He went to his Instagram and posted some old photos. Then he switched to KakaoChat to text his members and some friends who recently got in touch with him.

About an hour later, he began to feel his headache intensifying. Suddenly, he felt even more drained and weaker. He shut his eyes for a moment and drifted off to sleep.

✦✧✧ - ✧✧✦

Seokjin woke up feeling a weight on his forehead. His body no longer felt hot, and his headache was almost gone. He felt a wet cloth on his forehead, working as a calming method. Then he found Yoon Min sitting on the bed beside him, reading a book, unaware that he was awake.

It gave him plenty of time to stare at her. She looked peaceful and serene, holding a little smile on her lips. He wondered what scene was making her react that way. Smiling to himself, he appreciated how she nursed him all day. He couldn’t remember the last time someone took care of him while he was sick, except his manager.

“What're you reading?”

Yoon Min looked over from the pages and smiled broadly. “Hi, Jin-ssi. You dead yet?”

“Funny. How long did I sleep?”

“It's almost evening now,” she replied as if it was the most normal thing to ever say.

“What?!” He glanced out the window and confirmed that it was indeed dark outside. Had he been so drained that he had slept for such a long time? Maybe his fever and overall exhaustion from the past weeks had taken their toll on him.

“It's alright. You needed that sleep. I got your medicine. Want to take it?”

He nodded and sat up on the bed. She gave him the pill and a glass of water. After taking the medicine, he leaned against the hardboard with a pillow behind his back.

“You know, you seem to be good at being a nurse. Did your mother teach you?”

The question caught her off guard. She replied with a brief smile, “Not exactly. She didn’t like it when we got sick and said it was a hassle.”

Sometimes, he regretted asking her about her childhood. Her responses were always laden with tragedy, breaking his heart. It was as if every moment of her past was filled with sorrow.

“So at one point, I didn’t tell her if I ever got sick. I would try to heal on my own and take meds to cure myself.”

Seokjin pursed his lips. After her confession on that rainy night a month ago, nothing about her mother surprised him anymore. He was convinced that her mother was an unstable woman, brimming with cruelty, temper, and selfishness. Almost like a monster.

He proceeded to slip his hand towards her and hold one of her hands as a way of consolation. He just couldn’t find the right words to comfort her no matter how hard he tried.

But to his surprise, she flinched when he touched her and even moved her hand away. He noticed this before; she eyed his hold around her wrist earlier as if she was uncomfortable. This behaviour of hers put him in an awkward position. He had to know if something was bothering her.

“Yoon Min...are you okay? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

She widened her eyes and shook her head. “No! That's not it. I'm fine.”

He sighed and slowly moved closer to her until he was sitting right in front of her. The proximity made her blush but she didn’t break the eye contact with him. He gently took her hand in his again, causing her to hold her breath.

“Tell me what is bothering you.”

Somehow he was getting better at figuring out if she was lying. Whether she was hiding her true feelings or not. It took him months, yes but at least he didn’t fail. He wanted to know every single thought inside her head and have her confide in him.

Yoon Min shuddered at his question, her eyes lowering at their intertwined hands.

“I-It's just...you are being too kind to me lately. You are doing things I never thought someone would do for me. And certainly not you, you know? Not—” She closed her eyes. “I just feel so overwhelmingly guilty whenever someone expresses their affection towards me or does anything nice for me. I-I haven't done anything to deserve all this. I'm not used to being loved.”

Perhaps it was a foolish idea to want to know all of her thoughts. Because she surprised him with her wonderful mindset and thought-provoking words. But nothing in this world could stop him from trying.

He didn’t respond, because he had other ways to comfort her.

Seokjin took that hand of hers he was holding to his mouth and pressed a kiss on her knuckles. Her mouth opened slightly, breath caught as she watched him take her other hand and kissed it too, longer than before. Heat surged inside his chest.

As he withdrew, still holding her hands, his head leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, soft and gentle and heartwarming, nothing like their first kiss. It lasted only for three seconds. When he pulled away, she let out a gasp and ended up smiling; mission successful.

Her smile brought out his smile on its own. Then he rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes. He felt her breathing slowing and her eyes also closing. In silence, they breathed and let their unspoken love mend each other.

Then she offered him exactly what he craved at that moment. “Should we order chicken? Your fever is almost gone.”

He beamed like a baby. “Of course!"

☆THE FAULT IN OUR STARS☆

THANK YOU FOR READING
╚»★«╝

A/N: The next chapters will contain lovey-dovey scenes and intellectual conversations between our main characters. I know it's boring😑 but I want them to build their relationship slowly. I want them to grow closer through every conversation. So I'm sorry if you think this is just a waste of time. I promise I will try to end this book soon.

Also I'm sorry for what I'm about to do in the future chapters. I'll have to add some crime drama. I know most people don't like serial killers in rom-coms (myself included), but I really have no choice😭 Please try to understand and bear with me.

Lastly, I'm thankful to every reader for your time. All your votes and comments are appreciated cordially.