Jung Soo Ah's POV

The warmth of the silken tofu soup still lingered in my mouth as I stepped into the backyard. My gaze drifted to the tall pomegranate tree, laden with ripened fruits. I spotted a particular pomegranate that stood out. It had lance-shaped leaves peeking from either of its ends like ears, resembling a little bear.

From the backyard, through the glass door, I could see into the living room. Looking at the misted glass, chilled by the cold, I saw Yoongi slouched on the couch, throwing his head backward tiredly as his soft black hair bounced. I looked back at the tree and stared at the little pomegranate. It's cute, like...Yoongi. Oh gosh, why am I thinking about him? Is it because I saw him now? I fidgeted my fingers, fleeting glances at pomegranate, then at him.

Then, my phone buzzed, snapping me out of my thoughts. I let out a heavy breath, staring at the message on my phone. Should I go to the gathering with my friends next week in Korea? Do Hun will undoubtedly be there, flaunting his new girlfriend and basking in his own world. We will bump into each other often with our shared friends and the fact we work in the same field. I couldn't just avoid him, burrowing away like a scared hamster.

I sighed, thinking about how the gathering would end up. If Do Hun says something, I'll make sure to kick him. With that thought and a little flustered about Yoongi, I crossed past him without making eye contact, remembering Grandma's words telling me to put the fish in the freezer.

Hearing a meow that interrupted the sound of my knife slicing the fish, I turned around to find Hazel staring at me intently with expectant eyes. "Hazel," I said, my voice a little shaky. "Be good and stay there. Don't even think of coming closer." I continued my work, casting quick glances at the cat every few seconds.

Hazel ignored my words, padding toward me, her paws clicking against the tiles. She rubbed her paws against my leg. I startled and swayed my legs to the side. I took a shaky breath and I tried to calm down, remembering Yoongi's words. She won't do anything, I mumbled to myself.

I took a few steps back, seeing Hazel wagging her tail sideways as she growled. In fear, I waved the frozen fish to keep her at bay, forgetting cats love fish. That was dumb of me. Just as Hazel was poised to leap at me, I saw Yoongi saunter into the kitchen.

Startled, I grabbed his arm as we both crashed onto the kitchen island. I landed beneath him as my upper body hit the cold tile, leaving my entire body in pain as my legs dangled down awkwardly. "Ouch," I gasped, groaning in pain. I looked up at Yoongi, squeezing his eyes shut, already steadying himself, hand on either side of me. Was he angry? Annoyed?

This was the third time we both fell together. What will he think about me? During our first fall together on the floor, I wondered if he would think of me as a creep. Now, definitely, I'm sure he did. "Third time's the charm," I mumbled, with a nervous chuckle.

"Seriously," Yoongi scoffed, giving me a hard stare. "What do you think you are doing?"

"I'm sorry,"

His face was inches away from mine. I saw his hand trembling slightly. Oh god, oh god, he's going to... I never had my kiss. I panicked, thinking his face would crash down onto mine, resulting in him kissing me.

The only thing I had was the frozen fish, gripped in my hand. I jabbed the frozen fish toward his face.

He scrambled to his feet and got up, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Soo Ah, what's wrong with you? Why did you do that?" He asked, running to the sink to wash his face to remove the briny smell of fish.

Getting up, my cheeks burned with embarrassment as I saw the look of disgust on his face.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to do that. I got worried that your face would... land on mine. And then...you know...we'd kiss," I trailed off, clutching my pants.

"Stop with your yapping," he said, rubbing his face roughly with a towel. "That kiss would have been counted as two. First, a peck, and the second turned into a traumatic experience with a fish slap. Thanks for your concern that saved us from kissing," he mocked.

"That day it was just a peck, and I was drunk."

"It doesn't matter to me. Kiss, peck, or whatever," he said. "Just don't do that again."

"I'm sorry for the trouble," I murmured, looking down. He picked up Hazel in his hand, who was watching us with her innocent eyes. I forgot about Hazel amidst all the chaos.

"I'm sorry about Hazel," he said. He took the orange juice can, put it back in the fridge, and looked at me, shaking his head. I wondered if he was angry.

"That's mine," I said, sneezing and rubbing my nose.

"Drink warm water if you have a cold," he advised, then muttered something that I couldn't catch. "You're making me late," he added as he hurried toward his room, the door shut with a sharp sound.

How does he know I have a cold?

"Yoongi! Yoongi!" I yelled. "Please don't tell Hoseok." I sneezed again. Why is it acting up? Could it be because I drank the juice?

He ignored my words. I sighed.

I dragged myself and slouched down on the couch, pushing my face onto the pillow. I heard footsteps, and looked up from the couch, seeing yoongi rushing toward the door, his coat draped over his shoulder. Please, it's so embarrassing. I just want to evaporate like an ice cube kept under the hot sun. How could I have been so clumsy? I hope Yoongi doesn't bring up the incident from earlier with Hoseok.

After a while, I found Grandma in the living room arranging the flowers that had been set on the table just a few days ago. The air was cool, and the floral perfume of my grandma made me calm. She touched and admired the delicate petals.

"Soo Ah, do you know each flower symbolizes something?" She said, running her fingers along the white petals, plucking weathered ones. "The lotus represents purity and growth. The peony symbolizes wealth and prosperity. Even if the excitement of the new year fades away, we can still bloom and start to grow like these flowers," she explained. I smiled and hugged her from the side. We both chatted for a while.

The door swung open, and Yoongi and Hoseok walked in. "Grandma, I'm going to take a nap before we head to the lantern festival," he said, beginning to climb the staircase.

"Don't you have anything to say to me?" I asked. Hoseok looked at me strangely, squinting his eyes. Yoongi gave him a nudge, his gaze focused on me. I tapped my foot impatiently.

"What do you expect me to say?"

"Nothing," I said. The corners of Yoongi's mouth curved upward in a subtle way.

Later In the evening, we all gathered at the doorway as the scent of vanilla ginger bloom permeated the air, providing me with a little comfort as we got ready to head to the lantern festival. I felt relieved after finding out that Yoongi didn't say anything to him. I saw Yoongi hiding behind Hoseok. I tried to shift my position to see around Hoseok, but I couldn't catch a glimpse of him. Why was he hiding? What's wrong with him? The questions swirled in my mind.

How many of you are expecting a kiss between Yoongi and Soo Ah?

If anything seems off, please let me know, as I might have to blame my headache.

Also, I'm sorry for posting a chapter only once a month. I know it makes it hard to catch up with the plot.

Love you all!

- Shin Haari