Cherry Lips | Kang Mira

Today is the day we head back to Auoran.

I have overslept last night. From all the strolls at local markets and visits at several shops, my body has turned potentially numb, and also after the sleep for twelve hours, I feel like a sponge. My eyes are still puffy, face is bloated and head spins like a wooden spinner.

"So, my Mira's completely wasted." Yeonjun speaks while arranging the suitcase, he places all my dresses one by one in a neat pile as I doze on the bed, my hair sticking on my lips. "At least brush your teeth?" he looks at me and shakes his head. "Or wash your face?"

"Yeah." I mumble and push the strand of sticky hair from my mouth. "I can do it... Don't worry! I definitely can-"

My back hits the sheets. An immediate snore falls from my flaring nose. 

"It's already two of the noon, Mira. You skipped breakfast, now you will eventually skip lunch." I hear Yeonjun rumble, but all I can do is to give a little stir. Then a series of shuffling enters my ears, making me feel curious, the washroom door opens and closes, and the next moment I am pulled up by my hands and sat on the bed. 

Eyes are too stiff and full of pastes for me to open them, even when blazing sunrays hit my face and makes my hazy vision lighter. The pillow is suddenly too soft to stop clutching onto, the sheets smell too cosy to leave, and my back feels too heavy to sit upright. I try falling again but get halted by Yeonjun, who lets out a lovely laugh at my sleepy figure. 

"Open. Your. Eyes." he mutters as he presses a wet towel on my eyelids, wiping the dirt away. "Mira, for the last time, open your eyes."

My eyelashes flutter and I slowly blink. The dazzling sunlight hits my face again too harshly. After fully opening my eyes, I turn to Yeonjun, who has already pressed the towel on my cheeks, then my nose, lips and went gradually downward, until they stop on my collarbones. 

"I can do that myself!" I shriek and try to snatch the towel from his hand, but Yeonjun is super fast. He raises the towel to the highest level, so that I can not grab it anymore.

"Why? They were just your collarbones!"

"And I know what was the next spot." I cross my arms above my chest, the first hit of blush in the day is prominent on my cheeks as I falter. "You were going for my-"

"Mole, yeah." Yeonjun gets down on his knees and looks at me fondly, the towel is put aside. "Mira, do you know? You have four pretty moles. One on the middle of your right arm, two on the sides of your left arm. And one is right above your heart."

A fuzzy, warm feeling seeps into my bones as I hear him say this. A radiant smile blooms on my lips, I mumble, "You spotted... that?"

"Yes." Yeonjun has a mesmerised look in his eyes as he says this. "I found it pretty."

"B-but- that's the most embarrassing mole on my body!" my cheeks flush red as I again remember the spot; it's right below my chest.

"Don't even call it embarrassing, I will sue you if you do that." Yeonjun's eyes narrow, and he speaks in a threatening voice. "For now, pretty Mira, do you still want my princess treatment or do you want to get up by your own?"

I think for a moment, then lean toward Yeonjun, my heart light with roses and calm like a peaceful ocean as I whisper into his ear. "More princess treatment, please."

Yeonjun gives me an amused look, then pulls me down into his arms for a fervent kiss.

Beomgyu and Soobin stare at me with their mouths hanging open dangerously .

They are this much wide for bees and mosquitos to enter comfortably and build their sweet home there. I snap my fingers in front of their eyes, making them blink at me slowly. Both squeal together, looking thoroughly stunned as they stand in the corridor, the last rays of afternoon hitting their faces from the opened windows. Oh, the brothers look so gracefully young at this moment; my heart sparks in glorious, glorious shoots of a bonfire that only gives a fuzzy feeling, not more or not less. 

"Hello!" I retreat my hands, stepping closer to them and speaking joyfully. "We've got gifts!" I show them the huge shopping bags in my arms. "Everything you guys wanted!"

Beomgyu is the first one to break from his trance and step forward, as Soobin still stares at me in- I can not grasp it clearly- shock? Amaze? Astonish? Which will be the most right expression?

"Noona." Beomgyu coughs a little, hiding his face for a moment then turning to me again. "You're, oh, well-"

"-Shining." Soobin finishes the sentence. His mouth hangs open more dangerously than before. I swear I have seen a mosquito really flying inside, then coming back. 

"Oh, didn't I shine ever before?" I joke while twirling the bags in my hands. "You guys want these gifts or not?"

As they still do not make an attempt to take the bags from my hands, I huff, and start heading for my room. "Well, then, sayonara-"

"Wait, wait, Noona!" Beomgyu shouts from my back and hurriedly runs in front to stop me. "I- I mean- we were saying that you look quite... different."

"Different?" I spoke incredulously. "Is there something on my face?"

Soobin catches up Beomgyu from behind, putting his hands on his brother's shoulders and coughing. "Well, no and yes. I swear you did not look like this before leaving. There's definitely a change, but I can't figure it out... is it your nose? Or eyes? Or cheeks? Something absolutely looks different, but what-"

"You brothers are daydreaming." I speak, my eyes narrowed. "A good study for five hours will clear your brains."

"Studying? What's studying?" Beomgyu flips his hair in the air, giving a silly twirl on his feet while grinning. "We, the heirs of Choi, are rich as fuck. Why do we need to study when we have the money?"

Very fair objection. Nonethless, I continue, like a perfect grandma, "Because studying will help you gain knowledge-"

"About the outside world, yeah." Soobin states as a matter of fact, his eyes roll back as he waves his hands carelessly. "We already know enough of that. None is as wise as us at practical knowledge! Can you show us one single person in Auoran who knows the ins and outs of this city as we do? How many of them know that there's a secret passageway from Mr. Joe's sweet shop to Marietta's pub, which is-"

"Located inside the storehouse of Mr. Joe's shop and goes underground." Yeonjun' speaks behind them. "Yeah, I know. I once delivered information thorough that underground passage."

Me, Soobin and Beomgyu together blink at the male standing with two luggages, wearing a blank expression on his face. Soobin mutters in pure shock. "You knew? I thought me and Gyu were the first one to discover it!"

"Because you two are idiots." Yeonjun mumbles in a bored tone. "Now stand aside, you're blocking our room."

Widening their eyes, Soobin and Beomgyu slide aside. Sighing, I hand over the bags to them and start heading for my own room, but Yeonjun grabs my wrist.

"Where are you going?"

"My room?" I suggest as a matter of fact. "I need to shower, my skin's all itchy-"

"And where's your room?"

"Um, back there?" I point at the end of the hallway. "Where I was used to sleep-"

"You used to sleep, yeah." Yeonjun nods and pulls me closer. "From now on you're going to sleep in here." he points at his neatly arranged bedroom. "With me."

A beat. Several minutes pass as I stare at the bedroom, letting the information sink into myself.

"Ehm." Soobin's cough breaks my trance. I look away, trying hard to shake the shock from my face.

"A very polite request not to use eighteen plus language in front of our minor asses." Beomgyu mumbles while closing his eyes shut as if he has grown tired of this.

"His minor ass, actually." Soobin points it out. "I'm of age, I don't mind."

Beomgyu seethes up at him instantly. "Hyung, listen-"

"Both of you, scram." Yeonjun speaks finally, pushing me into his room and putting his hand in the doorknob to close. "Mira's going to take a shower, so annoy her later. I'm sure she's got plenty of things to tell you, don't you, Mira?"

I nod hurriedly. "Yeah, guys, see you-"

On both of their shocked faces, he shuts the door close. Then Yeonjun turns to me and tilts his head. "I thought you were going to shower?"

Huh.

Oh.

Ohhh.

I scratch my neck and kneel before the suitcases, opening the lock and grabbing my dresses. I can feel Yeonjun stare at me for a moment, then he also puts away his black coat and takes off his white shirt underneath.

My mouth hangs open. Because it was at night, I could not see his body clearly, but now, in the clear rays of the day, his skin practically- glistens. His shoulders are naked, faded scars adorn his back. I blink at the bruises; they look old, at least years old.

Just like mine. 

With astonish, I ask, "Yeonjun?"

"Hm?" he grunts while putting his shirt aside. "You need anything, Mira?"

"What's those?" I get up to my feet, my eyes fixed on his back. As I near, the scars look more clear than before. They are multiple; around his biceps, on the left side of his torso, right under his neck, above his waistline. Deep and curved. If I am right; I have already seen what can make those kind of scars- a hot, burning steel rod.

"What?" Yeonjun turns his head a little, catching my gaze on his back. Something flickers in his eyes, then he looks away. "Oh, those? Nothing. I just got them from the war."

"You fought in the war." I mutter, stopping right behind him, horrified. "You once told me."

"Yeah, everyone in Auoran did." Yeonjun shakes his head, still not looking back at me. "I couldn't contribute much, if someone asks me. Well, none is asking me-"

"I'm asking you." I look away from the scars and stand in front of him, locking his gaze with mine. "Tell me. Everything."

Yeonjun's eyes go wide as he starts waving his hands. "Gosh, Mira, nothing happened-"

"Because-" I start speaking, my voice is cautious yet approaching. "No attempt to free yourself is futile. They maybe don't work as you need, but that's not in your hands. So, tell me. Tell me why you think that." I take a break, then continue. "So that I can have the courage to tell you mine."

The look in his eyes are intimidating, but not disgusted. I clench my fists tightly, calming my heart as I stare back at him.

Yes, we deserve to know everything of each other now.  

a / n : so i published a little beomjun fic :') kindly can you check it out? on my profile. thank you everyone who reads this book!

also, the killa was 🙏 i intended to write light smut for this book at first because invitation came out that time, but now... ehm, permission to write a  full one ig 🙏 gosh yeonbin why are you playing with mah heart 😭

tani, 19.04.2024.