2

I can still smell her on me. It's faint, but it's there – that sweet strawberry thing she wears, mixed with something that just smells like Rina.

Last night was... a lot. I don't know if I said too much? Not enough? Was I being a complete ass, or was I finally standing up for myself?

Fuck that.

I roll over, shoving my face into the pillow. This is exhausting. This whole Rina thing... it's just so damn complicated.

"Min! Are you even up yet?" Eomma's voice boomed from downstairs. "Can you look after your little brother for a while? I need to go to the market, I need those big fat fishes today."

I groaned. Now? Of all times... babysitting duty is the last thing I need right now. But what can I do, I love them both.

"Yes, eomma! I'll be down in two, just changing!" I pulled my shirt up. I should probably get used to keep my hands to myself when we're together.

I threw on a clean shirt and headed downstairs, the weight of my Rina-related anxieties still heavy on my shoulders. But as I walked into the living room, the sight of my eomma and baby brother instantly shifted my mood.

Eomma was on the floor, making silly faces at Ahreum, who was bouncing in his little jumper, his chubby cheeks flushed with excitement. As soon as he saw me, his face lit up, and he started kicking his legs even harder.

A smile tugged at my lips, and I couldn't help but crouch down and join in the fun.

"Aigoo, uri Ahreum-ie! Who's Eomma's handsome boy? You are! You are!" I cooed, pinching his cheek gently.

Ahreum squealed with delight, his gummy smile wide and infectious. He reached out for me with his tiny hands, babbling excitedly.

"Ehhh! Mi! Mi!" ( Ahreum was trying to say Min )

"Yes, yes, I know! You're the cutest baby brother in the world!" I replied in my best baby talk, making silly faces and waving my hands in the air.

Ahreum burst into a fit of giggles, his whole body shaking with laughter. The sound was so pure, so innocent, that it instantly melted away all the tension and frustration I had been feeling just moments before.

Eomma stood up, dusting off her pants.

"Okay, Min, so Ahreum needs a diaper change soon, probably after —"

I cut her off, knowing the routine by heart.

"Eomma, I know. Diaper change, milk. I got it. You told me a million times already."

She chuckled, shaking her head.

"Just making sure. And if he starts crying a lot, check if he's too hot or too cold. You know how sensitive he is."

"Eomma! I've taken care of Ahreum before, remember? I'm not going to let him starve or freeze to death." I said, rolling my eyes playfully.

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going. Just be careful, okay? And don't spend the whole time on your phone." She gave me and Ahreum a peck on the cheek. "I'll be quick, just need to get those fish for tonight. Annyeong!"

And with that, she was out the door, leaving me alone with my giggling baby brother and a whole morning to fill.

Barely five minutes after eomma left, someone knocked. I glanced over at the door, a little annoyed.I was just starting to enjoy my time with Ahreum.

"Coming!" I called out, carefully placing Ahreum back in his jumper. He gave a little grumble of protest, but I grabbed his favorite rattle and shook it in front of him. Instant distraction.

I walked to the door, wondering who it could be. Probably Mrs. Kim, our kind neighbor ahjumma, wanting to give us her famous cookies again. I reached for the doorknob and pulled it open.

But instead of the ahjumma, standing there, with messy hair framing her sleepy face, was Rina. She looked like she had just rolled out of bed, wearing an oversized t-shirt and a pair of rumpled shorts. Despite the disheveled appearance, she was still breathtakingly beautiful.

My mind went blank.

What was she doing here?

"Oh, hey! Good morning, Min." Rina said, her voice still a little raspy with sleep. "I saw your mom drove off and thought I'd come over and say hi. Hope I'm not intruding."

Her eyes were already glued to Ahreum, and her grin widened.

"Aww, look at Ahreum-ie! He's getting so big!" She looked back at me, all bright-eyed. "Can I come in and say hi? Please?"

I sighed, running a hand through my blonde hair. Of all the mornings... I really wasn't prepared for this. It's not like I could just slam the door in her face.

"Yeah, sure, come on in." I mumbled, stepping aside to let her pass.

I just stood there, leaning against the wall. She got down on her knees, making goofy faces and talking to him in that baby voice everyone seems to use.Ahreum, of course, ate it up, giggling and reaching for her.

It was actually kind of sweet, seeing them together. But still... I had a feeling there was more to this visit.

"So," I said, cutting through the baby talk. "What's the real deal? You didn't just come over here to play with my brother, did you?"

Rina glanced up at me, still bouncing Ahreum gently.

"Oh, right! I almost forgot." She paused, nodding on whatever my brother was trying to say. "Remember that trip to Jeju we were planning for next month? It got moved! We're leaving the day after tomorrow!"

"Wait, what? Why so soon?" I asked, surprised. I haven't mention it to eomma yet.

Rina shrugged, still mostly focused on Ahreum.

"Well, Sunghoon might not be able to make it next month, something about a family thing. And since we were planning on being there for like, a whole month, we figured we should just go now, while we can. It's only August 2nd, might as well get there earlier, right?"

Figures.

I thought, rolling my eyes internally. It's always her boyfriend.

I watched her for a few minutes, all baby-talking and playing with Ahreum. She seemed genuinely happy.

I still felt like something was up, but whatever.

"Hey." I said, after a bit. "You eat yet? Breakfast, I mean."

Rina looked up, shaking her head.

I walked into the kitchen and saw a stack of golden-brown pancakes sitting on the table, covered with a cloth napkin. Eomma's pancakes are the best I'm telling you.

I grabbed two plates, ready to dish them out, when I heard my phone ringing from the living room.

"Min!" Rina yelled from the other room. "Your phone's ringing! It says... Jagii?"

Well, shit.

I bolted back to the living room, grabbing my phone off the coffee table. Rina was giving me the blank look as I glanced at the screen - it was Miyeon, I nicknamed Jagii on her just to tease her, but I didn't know that Rina would see it.

Who cares by the way? No one.

I took a few steps away from her, towards the hallway, before answering. "I got it, Yeon. What's up?" I mumbled, already heading back to the kitchen.

"Just wanted to confirm about the trip." Miyeon said on the other end. " I managed to clear my schedule! I can come with you guys!"

"Seriously? That's awesome!" I said, grinning. "But actually... something came up and the trip got resched.  I'll let you know the details later. Gotta go, making coffee right now."

I hung up and started busying myself with the coffee machine, measuring out the grounds. I was just adding the water when suddenly, a pair of hands wrapped around my stomach from behind, making me flinch.

I already knew who it was, just from the scent of her perfume.

"Rina, seriously, what are you doing?" I asked, trying not to sound freaked out.

She just stayed silent.

Then I felt her hands start to move, slowly, finding their way inside my shirt. My stomach instantly retracts as her cold hands came in contact with my bare skin. Goosebumps crawled all over my body.

I shut my eyes tightly, trying to control myself.

"That was Miyeon, wasn't it?" Rina whispered, her breath warm, tickling against my nape.

I swallowed hard.

This thing with us is not gonna happen again.

I took a deep breath, trying to regain every ouce of self control in me. I was done with this. Rina was probably just messing with me again, trying to get a rise out of me.

Without second thoughts, I unwrapped her hands from around my waist and turned to face her, a playful smirk on my lips, then tilting my head a little.

"Missed touching me already?" I said, raising an eyebrow.  I step closer, almost closing the gap between us. Almost.

Rina's eyes widened, she seemed to forget how to blink for a second, totally caught off guard.

She definitely hadn't expected that.

I gave her a smug look, kinda enjoying her being all flustered. I reached out and gently pulled her closer, my hands settling on her waist.

I leaned in, whispering in her ear, " I can't let you touch me anymore, not when you used that hands for... experimental purposes." I made sure that my lips would grazed her cheek.

Rina immediately backed away, placing both hands on my chest to create some distance. She avoided my eyes, but I could see her ears turning bright red.

I turned back to the counter, trying to hide my self- satisfied smile.

"Hey..." Rina said, her voice a little quieter now. "Are you... are you really sure about inviting Miyeon?"

I grinned, not turning around. "Yep." I said, popping the 'p'. "Absolutely."

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