To Kiss An Idol

103 The Return Home

Nivritti was sitting in the back seat with Jae-Hwa. Jae-Geun had to drive but his attention was on Nivritti. Her hair was flowing in the air. She kept trying to tame it but was failing spectacularly. Jae-Geun could not stop smiling at her struggle.

“Oh!” she groaned.

“What?” asked Jae-Hwa.

“My hair,” replied Nivritti. “I don’t think I packed a scrunchie in my bag.” She picked up her bag and searched for any kind of hair band or clutch.

“Let me look too,” said Jae-Hwa. She too reached into her purse and found nothing.

“Here,” said Jae-Geun after he saw both the girls struggling.

“You have a hair band?” asked Nivritti, shocked.

“What? No. I have a handkerchief,” he replied. “It can work.”

“Yeah, that will work. Thank you,” said Nivritti. Jae-Geun lifted himself slightly and took out his handkerchief and handed it to Nivritti. She grabbed all her hair and started rotating it in a bun. Jae-Geun glanced at her in rear view mirror. A faint gasp escaped from his mouth. His heart started racing faster than his car. She wrapped her bun with the handkerchief and tied it tightly.

.....

“Wow! How can someone look beautiful while tying her hair?” he pondered. He immediately looked at the road and kept driving.

He parked the car at the destination and opened the trunk of his car. Everyone picked up some bags and walked up to Nivritti’s apartment. She punched in the code 2048 and her locked beeped. All entered her house and took off their shoes.

Nivritti placed the bags in one corner and then took the bags from their hands. Jae-Hwa and Jae-Geun sat on the couch with a thud. Nivritti ran to her kitchen and brought water and cookies for everyone.

Jae-Hwa drank the whole glass in a gulp.

“You want more?” asked Nivritti.

“Yes, please!” replied Jae-Hwa.

Nivritti ran to the kitchen and brought a pitcher full of water and filled the glass. Jae-Hwa drank the water and sighed with relief.

“Tea, anyone?” asked Nivritti.

“No, I think we should leave,” said Jae-Geun.

“No, no, come on, stay a little bit longer,” pleaded Nivritti.

“Yes, Oppa. Stay a little bit longer. I am in no position to move at all,” groaned Jae-Hwa.

“Hey! I drove, I carried everything, you just spent a lot of time in the changing room,” he playfully hit Jae-Hwa on her head.

“Oppa!” pouted Jae-Hwa. Nivritti smiled at their playfulness. She suddenly remembered her sister and her naughtiness.

“Okay, let’s have tea and then you can go,” offered Nivritti.

“Fine!” said Jae-Geun.

Nivritti walked to the kitchen and started working on the tea. She chose a chamomile cardamom tea and placed the tea leaves in the teapot. She stood on her tiptoe and tried getting the teacups out of the cupboard.

She didn’t realise that Jae-Geun kept staring at her and Jae-Hwa kept staring at him. She smiled mischievously at him.

“Go help her,” said Jae-Hwa and nudged him slightly.

“What?” asked Jae-Geun, shocked.

“Stop staring at her and go help her,” mocked Jae-Hwa.

“Shut up!” scolded Jae-Geun.

“Oppa!” she pushed him and made him stand.

Jae-Geun stood up and walked inside the kitchen. Nivritti kept grabbing the teacups from the cupboard when the handkerchief loosened and fell on the floor making her hair fall down with speed.

Jae-Geun’s heart stopped. He gulped hard and started sweating profusely.

“Shit!” shouted Nivritti. She immediately turned around and in front of her, Jae-Geun was standing. One more step and she would have bumped into him. She instantly traced her step back. Jae-Geun saw that she was going to bump into the slab, so he grabbed her hand and pulled her closer.

“Careful,” he shouted and snaked his arm around her waist. Her hands landed on his chest. “Are you okay?” he asked.

She pushed him away within a second and stood before him. “Yes, I am fine.” She turned her head around and glanced at the slab. “Thank you.”

She was grateful yet embarrassed. Meanwhile, Jae-Geun was frustrated as she got out of his grip too soon. Her beautiful face was too close to his eyes, and he loved that sensation. Her soft hair over his arm felt heavenly.

Jae-Hwa smirked at both of them and came running into the kitchen.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Yes, yes, I am fine, thanks to your brother,” replied Nivritti. “Take a look at the tea. I will tie my hair and come.”

“Okay!” said Jae-Hwa.

Nivritti exited the kitchen and ran to her room. Jae-Hwa looked at her brother smiling mischievously.

“What?” he shouted.

“Nothing!” Jae-Hwa nodded her head in no.

“What?” he asked again.

“So, you too are charmed by her,” teased Jae-Hwa.

“Excuse me!” screamed Jae-Geun.

“I saw how you looked at her. You have never been influenced by any girl. You never look at anyone, but you cannot stop looking at her,” mocked Jae-Hwa.

“Ha-ha, shut up!” scolded Jae-Geun. “Take care of tea.”

Jae-Geun walked up to the couch and sat down, pouting. Jae-Hwa started laughing loudly.

“What happened?” asked Nivritti as soon as she came out of the room.

“Nothing!” shouted both Jae-Hwa and Jae-Geun together.

“Ooo...k...ay!” said Nivritti sceptically. “You guys are acting weird.”

“We are weird,” shouted Jae-Hwa.

“Yeah, I can see that,” smiled Nivritti.

Nivritti sieved the tea and brought the cups to the living room.

“What’s your speciality, Jae-Geun?” asked Nivritti.

“I am a family doctor,” replied Jae-Geun.

“Nice!” exclaimed Nivritti.

“Yeah, and he works in the largest hospital in Seoul,” said Jae-Hwa proudly.

“Jaehwa!” exclaimed Jae-Geun, shyly.

“Let her talk. She is proud of her older brother,” smiled Nivritti and sipped her tea. “Which hospital?”

“Seoul General hospital,” replied Jae-Geun.

Talking and laughing they finished their tea.

“We should leave now. Jaehwa, grab your bags,” ordered Jae-Geun.

“Wait!” shouted Nivritti and went near the bags. She searched in the bags and took a box out. She came back to Jae-Geun and extended her arm towards him. “Here,” she said.

“What?” asked Jae-Geun.

“Something for you,” replied Nivritti.

“I bed your pardon,” screamed Jae-Geun.

“As thanks for driving us around and carrying our bags,” teased Nivritti. “Or think of it as your salary for a day.”

“Oh, trying to be funny,” taunted Jae-Geun.

“No, not trying. I am funny,” mocked Nivritti. Jae-Hwa just kept looking at them, hearing their cute exchange.

“Who told you that?” asked Jae-Geun, mockingly.

“Oh, the world’s best comedian,” teased Nivritti.

“Seriously, Nivritti, why?” asked Jae-Geun.

“Just take it,” rebuked Nivritti.

“Yeah, Oppa, just take it,” shouted Jae-Hwa.

“Okay, okay, chill, both of you, jeez,” said Jae-Geun and took the box from Nivritti’s hands. She smiled at her brightest which tickled Jae-Geun’s heart. If he had known that she would flash her brightest smile, he would have accepted the gift sooner.

Jae-Hwa grabbed her bag and both brother and sister left Nivritti alone after saying goodbye. Nivritti kept waving till they vanished before her eyes. She came inside and locked her door. She went into her room and the first thing she did was change her dress.

She dumped her white dress in the laundry hamper and came out into the living room. She cleaned the table and dumped all the cups, glasses, and plates in the sink.

She then grabbed all the bags and placed the boxes on her table. She made sure that she brought everyone something. She had parcels for every member of ASD but two gifts for Jung-Hwa. Another box stared at her that was meant for Chung-Ho. She opened the box and the green hanbok stared at her.

.....

She bit her lips and thought back. Did Kyung-Soo really help Jae-Geun choose that shirt? Only she knew that Kyung-Soo was present in the store. Did he see her with Jae-Geun? Did he know who Jae-Geun was? Or he helped him as a stranger?

She kept admiring the shirt. She knew being an idol his fashion sense was on point. She looked at the boxes and opened the one that had a white scarf in it. The first time she met him, he was wearing white, so she wanted him to select that. Or should she label the boxes and then hand them over to them? But what if someone dislikes a colour? She was in dilemma whether she should let the boys choose or should she assign a scarf to every one of them.

One thought never occurred to her was what if every one of them disliked her gift or rejected her gift.

“Oh no! I never thought about that. They don’t know me that well, why would they accept a gift from me? Shit! Should I give them or not? But now I have bought it, I will have to give it to them, otherwise, what will I do with seven scarves? I can wear the hoodie but scarves, ohh... I am so stupid. I should have asked NK about it,” she facepalmed.

“Wait! He said not to gift anything to JJ as he will tease everyone. That means that he can accept my gift. I just hope that they like it. Okay, let’s pack them up and we will see what happens tomorrow.”

She placed all the parcels back in the bags and placed them on the chair. She then opened the bag that had her clothes. She knew she had to wash them once before wearing them. One by one she started taking out the dresses and lastly, she pulled the yellow dress out of the bag.

Involuntarily, she started smiling. Her mind flashed back to the changing room where Kyung-Soo was trying hard not to look at her.