LAVENDER,

For Juwon, normal weekdays consist of daily visits from Heeseung, which is why she found it strange when he stopped showing up for an entire week. But of course, as hard as it was to believe, Heeseung had a life outside of Juwon (and Riki). He still had classes to attend, a roommate to maintain, a roof to keep over his head. So, despite the sudden Heeseung drought, Juwon decided to go about her life, sending him messages every morning and every night to make sure he was still alive.

The next time Juwon saw Heeseung was at seven in the morning, on a Saturday. Usually, Juwon wants nothing to do with anyone on a Saturday, but the moment she heard the sound of the front door open, she was out of bed and peeking her head around to the corner to check who'd came in. And there, in all his glory, stood Heeseung with tired eyes and a quiet sigh escaping his lips.

"It's been a while, don't you think?" Juwon spoke, carrying her blanket over her shoulders to keep her warm. Heeseung took off his shoes, looked up, and stared at her. She could see dark circles begin to form under his pretty eyes and could only wonder how hard he'd been working. "You look tired," she said. "Maybe you should go home, Hee."

Without a word, Heeseung walks over to her and slowly wraps his arms around her, burying his face in her shoulder. Juwon freezes for a moment, but reciprocates the hug, finding she'd missed being in her boyfriend's arms (even if it'd only been a week). "I did come home," he mumbles, closing his eyes, sighing in relief, and sinking into her embrace. "You're so warm," he says, inhaling deeply. "You smell like lavender, Juwon."

"Have you been sleeping well? Have you eaten yet? Do you want me to make something for you?" she asked, receiving a hum from the male. She chuckled, attempting to push him off of her. "That doesn't answer my question, Heeseung."

Heeseung remained silent and for a moment, Juwon had though he'd fallen asleep on her shoulder. But before she could say anything, he lifted his head, looked into Juwon's eyes with his sleepy ones, and planted a peck on the corner of her lips. She stared at him, caught off guard. "What was that for?" she asked.

"I missed you," he smiled.

"It's only been a week, Heeseung."

"Did you not miss me?"

"Of course I missed you," she said. "I always miss you when you leave."

"Good," he hummed. "You should always miss me."

"Well, this is awkward."

Heeseung looked up and Juwon turned her head, both of them staring at the sixteen year old who stood awkwardly behind them. His hair was messed up and his voice was still groggy. Riki stared back at the couple, not knowing what to do now that his presence had been revealed. "Uh..." He sniffled, scratching the top of his head. "Good morning...?"

"Good morning," Juwon replied, attempting to push Heeseung off her again and succeeding, to which Heeseung frowned. "Did you sleep well?" she asked him with a warm smile. The younger boy nodded, saying that he was still a little too tired to start the day and would be going back to bed. Juwon nodded, "Goodnight then," she said, though it was morning. Riki hummed, walking back to his room and closing the door behind him. Juwon turned back to Heeseung and sighed, "I think I'm gonna do the same," she told him. "I'm kinda tired too."

"Okay."

"You're not gonna leave?"

"Do you want me to leave?" he asked.

"Not really," she said.

"Good."

The rest of that day was spent in bed, with Heeseung clinging onto Juwon like a baby koala clings to its mother. Sometimes they'd start a conversation, talking about anything that came to mind. Then they'd fall asleep for a few hours, only to wake up to the sound of one another's soft snores.

Juwon was never one for physical affection (the complete opposite of Heeseung), but she enjoyed moments like this more than anything. However, she would occasionally push him away in her sleep in hopes of getting some time to herself and he'd immediately wrap his arms around her waist, pulling her even closer than she was before. But she found comfort in it, the way he'd bury his face in her shoulder every time he pulled her close, the way he'd kiss her neck every time he woke up just to go back to sleep. Heeseung had always been a touchy person around her, but that was just his way of telling her he loved her.

And it was true. He loved her, so much to the point he felt his heart would explode just by looking at her.

"Juwon."

"Hmm," she hummed, her eyes closed, seconds away from falling into slumber. When Heeseung didn't respond, Juwon turned around (though it was hard considering how tight his hold around her was), and opened her eyes. "What?" she asked in a quiet whisper, her eyes darting from his eyes to every corner of his pretty face.

"Nothing," he said, pressing a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. "Let's stay like this forever, hm?"

"I have things to do, though."

"I'm more important." Juwon chuckled, letting a smile rest on her face.

"Okay," she said, kissing the corner of his lips. "Let's stay here forever."

• • •

my rat 🐀

juju 🤍
everyday i'm given more reasons to block you

• • •

i missed this book and i missed updating so here's a very overdue, very fluffy chapter to make up for my absence. but with good news comes bad news 🙁

next chapter (chapter 30) will officially be the last chapter of YOU ARE THE GOLD, which pains me to announce because i adore this book and truly believe writing it has helped me grow a lot. but it's been almost a year, and i feel like this story has come far enough for it to finally end.

thank you so much for all the love and support this book has received since i published the first chapter!! i love you guys <3