Love Candidate - Rainstorm - Chapter 5

"My brother doesn't like to share," Taehyung whispered under his breath. His lips were so close to mine- I could almost feel the tingling sensation over my own lips. Slowly, he drifted his tempted gaze to my eyes again with a sly smirk. I gulped with my eyes fixed on his paralyzing gaze as he towered over me until I felt him inching his face closer to mine.

"Get off me," I whispered, making Taehyung pause above me. Slowly, he averted his killer eyes to mine.

"What?" Taehyung slightly tilted his head to the side with his eyebrows raised.

"I said get off me," I gritted. Taehyung stared at me in silence as I remained under him on the couch.

"Did you just-" Taehyung was suddenly interrupted when the door to his suite swung open, and someone came storming into the room, so I quickly turned to the side to find... Seokjin staring at us with his eyes wide open. Taehyung slightly lifted his face to stare at Seokjin's burning red face, the corner of his lips curving up onto a sly smile at his brother's presence. Seokjin frowned at his younger brother's shirtless body and averted his eyes to mine.

Third Person POV

Seokjin hastily pushed the thugs aside as he rushed through the rundown building and raced up the stairs in irritation. The heir impatiently slammed his fist on the elevator button until it slid open and a woman appeared with smudged makeup on her face. She nervously lowered her head and raced out of the elevator in her torn red dress. Seokjin got inside and slammed on the seventh button. He roughly rubbed his face as he watched the number on the screen, eventually lowering his head to calm his nerves. The eldest son immediately strode out of the elevator, stepping inside the corridor as soon as he arrived on the designated floor. Seokjin was fuming in anger as he stomped towards the golden door engraved with tiger patterns and swung the door open to find... Kim Taehyung. His youngest brother... hovering over Jiyoung on the couch. A wave of anger tore through Seokjin when he realized his brother was barely covered in his towel. The eldest son froze in his place when his brother lifted up his face to smirk at him with his dangerous eyes, turning Seokjin's inside hollow. He slowly averted his eyes back to Jiyoung- She was staring at him with her terrified eyes.

Jiyoung's POV

Taehyung chuckled and averted his eyes back to mine, yet he refused to get off me. I stared at him in horror when he gently combed his hand through my hair and licked the corner of his lower lips as he stared at me with his alluring eyes.

"I SAID GET OFF ME!" I lost my temper and smacked him hard in the face with my palm, sending Taehyung rolling off the couch. I quickly scrambled onto my feet and hurried towards Seokjin. He unconsciously held his hand out for me, so I gripped his suit and hid behind his back in fear. Taehyung scoffed in disbelief as he slowly crawled back onto the couch with his hand over his face.

"Did you just hit me after I saved you from my men?" Taehyung fired me an offended glare. Seokjin glanced at my nervous expression and back at his younger brother's furious gaze.

"Why did you bring her here?" Seokjin glared at Taehyung as I gripped Seokjin's shirt from the back.

"I brought her here? She came to me. What are you talking about-"

"Shut up-"

"Ask her then. She came here herself," Taehyung bitterly nodded at me. Seokjin halted at his brother's words, sideways glancing at me with a troubled expression.

"You... came to this place?" Seokjin questioned, turning to face me with an uptight expression. For some reason, Seokjin seemed really upset with me. I averted my eyes to find Taehyung staring at me with his dull eyes, then glanced back at Seokjin as he waited for my response.

"I came to repay my debt," I confessed, just as the guy in cargo pants returned to the living room. He halted when he found Seokjin inside the suite but didn't say anything and sat down to drink his remaining whisky.

"Debt?" Seokjin frowned in confusion. Taehyung raised his eyebrows at me when he realized I was lying to Seokjin.

"Oh- I was in need of cash a few months ago, so I borrowed from the loan sharks- and I came back here to return their money," I explained. Fuck. I can't tell Seokjin about Jimin's debt. Seokjin eyed me suspiciously, finally turning back to face Taehyung, who was observing me with his sharp eyes.

"What? You heard her words, didn't you? I invited her here since we knew each other. I didn't want my men to take advantage of your... woman. I even asked Yoongi hyung to escort her home," Taehyung shrugged at his older brother. Yoongi glanced at us and turned back to scroll through his phone with an unbothered expression.

"Are you alright?" Seokjin turned to look at me. He's not convinced.

"Oh! I'm fine! Totally fine," I weakly smiled at Seokjin to reassure him, but Seokjin still didn't ease his expression. He suddenly grabbed my wrist and dragged me towards the door.

"Oh. By the way... aren't you going to see Namjoon hyung? He's returning to Seoul tonight," Taehyung dawdled. Seokjin suddenly halted at his brother's words, so I glanced at Taehyung to find him smirking at his glass of wine. I looked down at my wrist when I felt Seokjin tightening his grip around me, and that's when I realized Seokjin was shaking in anger. He didn't respond to his brother. Instead, he dragged me out of the suite and left the mafia's building. I didn't dare speak because I've never seen Seokjin this upset, so I quietly followed him back onto the street. He held the car door for me and slammed it shut, making me flinch in fright, but I didn't dare complain. I gulped and buckled my seatbelt as Seokjin hastily started his car engine and drove down the street. I stared at my hands in silence as we passed through the city, finally gathering the courage to look at him, but he was staring sternly at the road. Should I say something? But he's mad. I swallowed in difficulty and glanced back at my hands again. Seokjin refused to utter a single word until we arrived at my house.

"Thank you for the ride," I whispered, carefully pushing the door open and stepped out onto the empty street. Still, Seokjin refused to speak with me, so I closed the car door and walked towards my gate when I heard the car door opening behind me.

"Wait," Seokjin called out. I turned to look at him nervously as he leaned against his car with his arms crossed.

"I'm sorry for worrying you. If that's the reason why you're upset," I spoke in an apologetic tone. Seokjin gulped at my words and lowered his face to stare at the ground. He didn't answer me for a good five minutes, so I stood awkwardly waiting for his response. Should I leave? Why is he muted?

"Let's not see each other anymore," Seokjin exhaled, looking up at me with a beaten gaze. I couldn't process his words at first... so I stared at him in absolute silence.

"Is it because-"

"I don't think it's working out between us," Seokjin shook his head while staring at me with a sore expression.

"Alright. It's understandable-" I replied but didn't get to finish my sentence when Seokjin let out a heavy exhale and suddenly got back into his car. He slammed the door shut and drove away before I could react, leaving me before my gate. I watched his car disappear around the corner of the street and glanced down at my feet. He's really pissed. Ah. I'm so screwed. My parents will kill me. I promised them. Sighing deeply, I pushed open the gate and headed inside only to find Jimin striding out of my house in his jacket. He halted to look at me. I lowered my head, walked past him, and pushed the front door open without uttering a single word.

"Where's the money? What did you do with it?" Jimin questioned, making me stop at the front door.

"I used it to get you out of trouble. Like always," I muttered and entered before Jimin could respond to me. I heard Jimin stomping away and the gate banging shut, so I exhaled and went to my room to wash up, then went to bed. But no matter how hard I tried to sleep, I couldn't. I tossed and turned on my bed and finally sat up in frustration. Why was Seokjin so upset? There's something wrong with his relationship with his younger brother. Or maybe he thinks I'm a liar? I never told him I was in debt. Ah~ how will I face my parents now? What do I do???

Flashback: Seokjin took Jiyoung to her parents after their rooftop dinner.

"I'll be right back-"

"I should greet your parents," Seokjin insisted as soon as he pulled into my parent's driveway.

"No! Uh- I mean- They're probably asleep! I'm only dropping by to grab something. Wait here," I snapped in panic, unconsciously reaching out to grip his forearm when he tried to get out of the car. Seokjin turned to look at me with his eyebrows furrowed, so I quickly released him with an awkward smile.

"Alright," Seokjin finally nodded. I quickly got out of the car and hurried into the villa. The maids immediately greeted me, but I ignored them and hurried toward my mother's workroom. I pushed the door open to find her sitting at her usual desk. She doesn't sleep at this hour.

"Am I dreaming?" My mother stared at me through her reading spectacles when she found me striding toward her.

"What do you want me to do exactly?" I questioned my mother sternly. Eomma didn't seem to believe her eyes, so she took off her glasses and rubbed her eyes before looking back up at me from her desk.

"What do you want? I know you wouldn't have walked in here if you weren't so desperate. Why? Asking mommy for money again so you could help your foolish boyfriend?" Eomma smiled, clasping her fingers on the desk while staring at me with her emotionless eyes.

"I asked what's your plan-"

"Simple. Make Kim's son favor you. Your father is working on a new project, so he can't afford another competition. As long as Kim Seokjin favors you, your father's work will flow smoothly with Seokjin's support," Eomma shrugged, leaning back against the armchair with her arms crossed. I gulped at her words and turned to look out the window to find Seokjin's car parked by the driveway.

"He's not my father," I turned to grimace at my mother.

"How much do you need?" Eomma asked, drawing out her phone to scroll through it. I pursed my lips and glanced at my feet. Am I doing the right thing? Fuck!

"18 million won," I exhaled, finally looking up at her as she stared at the screen.

"So much?" She raised her doubtful eyebrows at me.

"I won't cause any trouble. Just don't bother me, and I'll live quietly," I firmly spoke when I felt my phone vibrating, so I took it out to stare at the notification.

20 million won has been transferred to your account. I gulped at the screen and glanced at my mother as she placed her phone down.

"Your father won't be happy if you disrupt his project," Eomma exhaled, turning back to the files on her table. I gripped my fist in discomfort as the traumatizing memories filled my head again- so I forcefully shut the thoughts out of my mind and hurriedly left the villa with Seokjin.

End of Flashback

"Aigo! What's the matter with you? Are you sick?" Ajumma suddenly smacked my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts. I turned back to my lunch and quickly lowered my face to eat as ajumma counted her money before me.

"I'll get back to work soon," I smiled at her after draining a bottle of water. She shook her head at me and pushed a 20 000 won note into my pocket.

"Grab proper food on your way home," She smiled while patting my shoulder.

"Thank you, boss~ You're the best!" I grinned at her. I went back home after my shift ended and quietly went to my room without speaking with Jimin. It's been a week since we argued, but he's still staying at my place. I got tired of confronting him, so I've been ignoring him. I sighed and sat on the floor by the foot of my bed, quietly staring at the old photographs of my father. His chubby cheeks, crescent smiley eyes, and fuzzy curly hair. He was so... warm. So loving. Always providing me everything I wanted. I was so safe... and happy with him. I gulped in tears as I stared at our old pictures and finally placed the photographs on the ground. I glanced at my phone in silence. It's been a week since I last saw Seokjin. His secretary never reached out to me again. Eomma is also quiet, so I suppose... she doesn't know about our failed courtship yet. No matter how hard I tried to dismiss the thoughts in my head, I couldn't help but feel really guilty. No, I'm not attached to Seokjin. Even if our relationship was for business purposes... I still felt sorry for him. I'm so restless! Jiyoung-ah~ If you wronged a person, then you have to apologize to them. Don't be a selfish person. Appa's words echoed in my head. I let out a deep sigh and quickly rushed into the kitchen to prepare something. I left my house at noon, took a taxi to my destination and hurried inside the corporation's lobby.

"Annyeonghaseyo," I smiled at the receptionist.

"How may I help you?" She politely smiled at me.

"Ah- I'm here to leave a gift for someone," I smiled after placing the lunchbox on the counter.

"Oh. Who is it for? We'll deliver it to the person," She smiled at me.

"It's for uh- Kim Seokjin?" I scratched my head when I didn't know how to address him. What's his status at this place? I have no clue.

"Neh? Kim Seokjin- Our chairman's son-??? I'm sorry, but we don't accept gifts for him," The staff stared at me with an apologetic expression.

"Oh," I pursed my lips, sadly glancing at the lunchbox.

"Jiyoung-shi?" Someone called out from behind me, so I quickly turned to find Seokjin's secretary walking up to me with a baffled expression.

"Sir," The staff greeted the secretary and slightly bowed at him.

"Oh. Annyeonghaseyo!" I smiled at him as he approached me.

"What are you doing here-"

"Ah. I wanted to bring Seokjin something. I felt really sorry about the incident," I weakly smiled at him as I gripped the lunchbox. The secretary glanced at the package in my hand and back at me.

"That's very considerate of you," The secretary beamed at me.

"Can you give it to him? He probably doesn't want to see me," I smiled, lifting up the lunchbox towards the secretary. He fell quiet and stared at the lunchbox in silence before averting his conflicted eyes back to mine.

"Why don't you give it to him yourself? Follow me," The secretary smiled and walked off.

"Neh??? Ani- It's alright. You can just give it to him-" I gasped while chasing after him with the lunchbox.

"We don't deliver gifts to him. It's forbidden, so you'll have to give it to him yourself if you want to express your sincerity," The secretary shook his head at me. I lowered my hands awkwardly as he scanned his identification card and beckoned me with him. I didn't know what to do so I followed him. Everyone bowed at the secretary as we passed through the building until we got a lift to the upper floors. I quickly strode out after him to find a few other assistants working in the private lobby. They greeted the head secretary and averted their eyes to me in confusion.

"She's here to see the heir. Bring her some appetizer," The secretary nodded at me. He told me to sit on the couch, so I awkwardly sat down with the lunchbox.

"He's a little busy at the moment. I'll see you in a bit," The head secretary strode out of the lobby after informing me of the situation. I awkwardly smiled at the other assistants in the room and glanced at the stunning view in excitement. Everyone was very welcoming. I thought they'd be rude and mean like the dramas on the TV, but no, the staff made me feel very comfortable. They even brought me snacks and water, so I was very at ease. I waited for a few hours and finally straightened my back when I noticed the sun was setting. Seokjin must be really busy, huh? I should leave. I averted my eyes to the occupied assistants when the head secretary returned to the lobby.

"Sir! There's an emergency conference scheduled for the heir at 8:00 PM!" One of the secretaries hurried toward secretary Yoon. That's his nametag.

"8:00 PM? I told you not to schedule any meeting after his work hour-"

"His brother insisted on executing the meeting! There's no choice," The assistant shook her head at secretary Yoon.

"Ah. Why did he have to return to Seoul?" Secretary Yoon rubbed his nose bridge in distress but halted when he found me sitting on the couch. He glanced at his watch and let out a heavy exhale.

"I'm so sorry- There was a sudden change with his schedule. You should head home. I'll deliver your lunchbox and take the umbrella with you. It's going to rain soon," Secretary Yoon apologized to me.

"It's fine. I'll leave now," I smiled and got onto my feet after accepting the spare umbrella. I bid the secretary goodbye and headed down the building with my hands in my pocket when my phone vibrated. Oh? I pulled out my phone to find a text from Jungkook.

"Oh- I'm sorry!" I gasped when I accidentally bumped into someone inside the lobby and quickly looked up from my phone in a panic.

"Waaaah~ Are you blind?- Oh? Jiyoung-shi! What are you doing here?" Taehyung fired me a sour look but halted when he recognized me. He brightly beamed at me as I stared at him with my baffled expression. Why is he smiling so innocently? Is he bipolar?

"I'm leaving," I muttered, stepping to the side to avoid him when he suddenly snatched my phone out of my hand.

"You can't walk around with your eyes on your phone. You could seriously injure yourself," Taehyung scolded, smugly averting his eyes to my phone.

"Give it back-" I sighed in annoyance and tried to snatch it from him, but he lifted it out of my reach and grinned at me.

"I'll call you," Taehyung winked, pulling out his phone to find my number on his screen after using my phone to call his. What the heck is wrong with him?! I stared at him in irritation after he pushed my phone back into my hands and typed on his phone with a smug smile.

"Huh? What is the drug lord doing here?" Someone chuckled from our side, so I turned to find a slender man walking up to us in his tailored suit. He briefly glanced at me and back at Taehyung.

"Hoseok! I'm surprised you came to the chairmen's meeting tonight," Taehyung faked a pretentious smile. I shook my head in disbelief and tried to walk away when I felt a firm tug on my collar. Taehyung pulled me right back and swung his arm over my shoulder to hold me against him.

"Stop touching me! Let go-" I grimaced, roughly pushing him away, but he wouldn't release me, so Hoseok glanced at me with a questioning look.

"Who's this-"

"Hwang Jiyoung. She's chairman Hwang's daughter. And she's my... friend," Taehyung smirked at Hoseok as he observed my casual clothes.

"Stupid pervert!" I snapped, finally shoving Taehyung away from me.

"Where are you going? Yah-" Taehyung called when I rushed off but didn't make it far when I bumped right into someone, again. The impact sent me stumbling backward until I was caught by Taehyung, who was right behind me.

"Ah- Ah~" I whimpered while rubbing my forehead in pain.

"Clumsy woman! You seriously don't have eyes do you?" Taehyung chuckled as he hauled me back onto my feet. I fired him an irritating glare before looking up to find- Seokjin. I sucked in my breath in shock when I found Seokjin standing before me with his secretary.

"What are you doing here?" Seokjin bitterly averted his eyes to his younger brother.

"I'm here to witness the showdown between you and Namjoon hyung, of course. You must be on edge," Taehyung smugly smiled at Seokjin.

"Who says I'm on edge?" Seokjin raised his right eyebrow with a slight smile.

"Well, you stopped seeing Jiyoung-shi. Why? Because you're too distracted? Oh! Maybe because you didn't want to ruin your reputation with the absurd rumors? Claiming you're using the chairman's daughter to cement your position in the council? Wah. People love to spread false rumors, don't they? Of course, you're a competent man. You don't need a woman to prove your worth, right? That's why I can never be as good as you. I'm a sucker for women," Taehyung beamed at his older brother, then turned to wink at me as he placed his arm around my shoulder. Seokjin averts his eyes to me and back to Taehyung.

"You talk a lot when you're nervous," Seokjin smiled. Taehyung's face suddenly hardened at his older brother's words.

"Ah! Jiyoung-shi wanted to speak with you! I forgot to inform you!" Secretary Yoon suddenly spoke up when he noticed tension arising between the Kim brothers.

"Oh! It's fine! You're busy anyways! I'll head home now!" I shook my head, quickly shrugging Taehyung's arm off my shoulder, and hurried out of the lobby. Why was I suddenly so timid when I saw Seokjin?

"I should've apologized! Ah~ Jiyoung- You're so stupid. Why did you avoid him like that!? Oh? You shouldn't dodge your responsibilities! Well- I didn't want to bother him because he was so busy! He didn't seem like he was in a good mood either- especially with his cocky younger brother around!-"

"That's right. I am busy," A familiar voice spoke up behind me as I walked through the park while arguing with myself, making me jump out of my skin.

"KAMJAGIYA!" I shrieked, wildly turning to find Seokjin walking behind me with his hands in his pocket. He was following me this entire time!? I glanced at the busy park before turning to blink at him in shock.

"My secretary informed me I have roughly half an hour before my next meeting. He claimed you've been waiting for me all day," Seokjin exhaled after checking his watch.

"Oh-oh! I felt really sorry- so I brought you food. It's probably spoiled by now, but that's not the point- I just want to say- I'm really- sorry for everything!" I stuttered between my words as I desperately searched for phrases to express my apology.

"Sorry? For what?" Seokjin raised his eyebrows at me in confusion.

"Well- I lied to you- not exactly- I didn't tell you I was in debt to your brother's people. I'm sorry. I didn't want to burden you with my problems. And it seems like- you don't have a good relationship with your brother either, so maybe you were disappointed because I was involved with him. But it was all a misunderstanding! He made his friend bring me to him and told me he was- just curious about me. Because I was your- woman," I frantically spoke in a rush, finally blurting everything out as I randomly waved my hands in the air to explain the incident. I gulped when Seokjin grew hushed before me. He stood staring at me with his not-so-impressed eyes until my cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

"You're sorry because I don't want to see you anymore?" Seokjin questioned, crossing his arms with a puzzled expression.

"Oh. That too, but I was expecting it. I told you- you won't like me once you get to know me. But I promise there are no bad feelings. I just wanted to set things straight and clarify the misunderstandings. So I can move on. I don't like to be on bad terms with anyone," I nodded at him.

Third Person POV

Kim Seokjin grew quiet again after he heard Jiyoung's straightforward confession. She stood nervously before him with her keen eyes trained on his, shifting from side to side as she waited for his response. Seokjin exhaled after thinking hard to himself.

"Araso. I'll head back now," Seokjin nodded coldly, suddenly turning to leave without responding to her.

"What- Did he just- Aish- Did I sound stupid? Does he even understand what I was saying? Ah! Whatever! I shouldn't have gone to him! I'll leave him alone," Jiyoung mumbled to herself in defeat after she failed to apologize to Seokjin and turned to walk in the opposite direction. Seokjin glanced at his watch again and made his way through the park when he felt a cold droplet on his face, so he glanced up at the night sky when it suddenly started pouring.

"Fuck!" Seokjin shielded his head and rushed through the park in his suit. He tried to seek cover, but he was in the opening, so he dashed under a tree to filter out the heavy downpour over the city, hopelessly trapped at the park. He's only a few blocks away from his building... he can dash forward, but the rain will soak his suit. He has a meeting in fifteen minutes. Seokjin gripped his fists in frustration when the cold droplet suddenly stopped pouring onto him. He looked up in confusion to find an umbrella over his head. Seokjin blinked in confusion, turning his head to the side to find Jiyoung holding the umbrella by his side.

"Your secretary gave me this umbrella. You should take it," Jiyoung pushed the handle into Seokjin's hand as he stared at her, taken aback by her unexpected presence. Jiyoung dart Seokjin a weak smile before turning around to walk into the pouring rain, and without thinking, Seokjin rushed after her.

"What about you? You'll be soaked," Seokjin questioned, pulling her under the umbrella with him to shield her from the pouring rain.

"I'll be fine! You have a meeting at 8:00PM, right? Stay dry and good luck with the meeting! Hwaiting~!" Jiyoung patted Seokjin's shoulder with a cheerful smile and hurried away into the pouring rain again before he could stop her. Seokjin stood staring at Jiyoung as she dashed through the park with her arms wrapped around her body and finally disappeared from his sight. Sighing heavily, Seokjin eventually returned to his building with the umbrella to attend the board meeting.

Fast Forward

"I'll send you the schedules for tomorrow. And I'll head home now- Oh. The lunch box," Secretary Yoon informed Seokjin after arriving at Seokjin's private villa.

"Lunch Box?" Seokjin questioned, turning to face Mr. Yoon in confusion as his secretary placed the lunchbox on the dining table.

"Jiyoung brought it for you. The food might be spoiled," Secretary Yoon nodded as he walked towards the door to slip on his shoes.

"I'll throw it away," Seokjin sighed in exhaustion as he took off his suit while loosening his necktie.

"The reason you stopped seeing her... is it because of your brother?" The secretary questioned, suddenly halting by the door to stare at Seokjin. The heir was rubbing his face on the couch.

"I told you not to be nosy," Seokjin mumbled with his eyes closed as he rested his head against the headrest. The secretary sighed and left Seokjin's villa afterward. The heir eventually got up from the couch, strolled into the bathroom to shower, then went to bed, but as usual, he couldn't sleep. Seokjin slowly sat up against his bedhead in silence and rubbed his nose bridge when the dreadful feelings filled his chest.

"You'll never be as competent as Kim Namjoon,"

The phrase repeatedly echoed in his head. Seokjin eventually got off his bed and strolled out of his bedroom in his pajamas. He pulled the fridge open to grab a water bottle and sat down by the counter to drink it when his eyes landed on the lunchbox on the dining table. Sighing, he walked up to the lunchbox to unpack it. The heir wanted to dump the food, thinking it was spoiled but halted when he opened the package to find a cute teddy bear-shaped Kimbap inside the container. Even the deep-fried eggs on the sides were teddy shaped. It wasn't perfect, and there were odd and uneven outlines, but he could clearly see Jiyoung's effort in the food she prepared.

"She must be really sorry," Seokjin muttered as he stared at the food with a faint smile, and without thinking, he grabbed the chopsticks she packed for him and pushed the Kimbap into his mouth. Seokjin slowly sat down under the dining table's light in the middle of the night and quietly ate the food Jiyoung prepared for him until he emptied the container. Seokjin placed the container into the sink and returned to his bedroom.

"I should thank her-" Seokjin muttered, grabbing his phone to text Jiyoung only to realize he didn't have her number. Seokjin stared at the screen without blinking and lowered his phone after letting out a deep sigh.

Jungkook's POV

I was busy cooking dinner on the stove while humming to myself when I heard my doorbell ringing, so I quickly adjusted the heat on the stove and hurried toward the door.

"What are you doing here???" I gasped in shock when I found Jiyong shivering in front of my door in her soaked clothes.

"Get out of my way! Where's your heater?!" She groaned, pushing me aside and stormed into my apartment without my invitation. I quickly closed the door and turned to stare at her in disbelief. Why is she drenched?!

Jiyoung's POV

I hurried towards the heater in Jungkook's living room and collapsed onto the floor before it with my arms wrapped around my body. Fuck! I wanted to go home, but it was too far! I'm freaking freezing from the cold!

"Yah! You're soaking my carpet! Why are you wet? Get up!" Jungkook whined, pulling me onto my feet when he noticed the stains and dragged me towards his bathroom.

"I'm- FREEZING!" I whined at him as my teeth chattered violently.

"Stop complaining and take a warm bath! You're a nuisance!" Jungkook snapped at me as he hurried toward the tub to adjust the water temperature and turned on the automatic faucet to release the water. He quickly walked out of the bathroom and shut the door, so I hurriedly undressed, stepped into the shower stall to drown my body with the warm shower. I exhaled in relief when I felt the hot steam washing away the tingling chills from my skin as I stood under the shower. I finally turned off the showerhead, walked towards the bathtub filled with warm water and slid inside to warm up my body. I exhaled heavily after resting my head on the edge of the tub. I thought I was going to die from the cold.

"I got a towel and a set of spare clothes for you," Jungkook knocked on my door and carefully opened the door. He didn't come inside. Jungkook extended his arm between the door gap to place the clean clothes and towel on the sink by the door.

"Thanks," I replied, so he closed the door and left me alone. I took my time in his bathroom and finally got dressed in his warm clothes. It's too loose for me, but at least it's warm. I stepped out of his bathroom to find him mopping the water stain on the floor, then averted my eyes to the steaming hot meal on his dining table.

"Wah~ Are you crazy? What were you doing in the rainstorm? Didn't you check the weather forecast?! It's a category three storm!" Jungkook scolded me after putting his mop away. I sat down at the dining table and hungrily dug into his food.

"I gave the umbrella to Seokjin," I shrugged with a mouth full of food. Jungkook grimaced at me and sat down on the opposite side to eat with me.

"Why would you give him the umbrella? Chivalry is really dead, huh? This is unbelievable," Jungkook rolled his eyes as I stuffed my mouth with food until it puffed up but choked in distress when a rice grain got stuck in my throat.

"Fuck- Ah!" I coughed in tears when I couldn't get the rice out of my throat.

"You and your bad habits! I told you to chew properly! Cover your mouth- You're spitting all over my food!!!" Jungkook snapped, scrambling onto his feet to pour me a cup of water and handed it to me. I frantically gulped the water to clear my windpipe and finally exhaled in relief. Jungkook fired me a disapproving look as he sat back down to wipe my spit off the table and proceeded to eat.

"He had an important meeting or something, and he had to head back to his building, so I gave him the umbrella," I shrugged, carefully chewing the food in my mouth.

"I thought he didn't want to see you anymore?" Jungkook raised his eyebrow at me in confusion.

"Oh. But I felt bad about the incident, so I prepared a meal for him. I wanted to apologize," I shrugged.

"You rarely cooked to feed yourself, but you prepared a meal for a man after meeting him for a couple of weeks?" Jungkook scoffed, slightly chuckling at me while shaking his head in disbelief.

"I felt sorry! You know I don't like to upset people-"

"You're such a people pleaser. By the way, you didn't tell me about the incident? What happened?" Jungkook questioned. I didn't answer his question and kept my eyes on the food to ignore him.

"Yah! Answer me!" Jungkook snapped, but I refused to respond and ate quickly.

"Ah! I'm full! I'm sleepy too! Can I stay over?" I questioned, hurrying into the living room to avoid him and slumped down onto the couch. I grabbed the cushions and buried my face into them.

"Yah! Answer me! Why are you avoiding my question?! I'll kick you out into the freezing rainstorm!" Jungkook snapped from the dining room, but I didn't respond and closed my eyes with a slight smile. Jungkook grew hushed afterward. I heard him clearing the table, and then the sink water started running as he did the dishes. I fell asleep in the living room for a brief moment after my energy burned out... until I felt my body elevating off the couch. So I sleepily opened my eyes to find Jungkook carrying me in his arms.

"What are you doing...?" I whispered, groggily rubbing my eyes as he carried me towards his bedroom.

"I'm throwing you out the window," Jungkook muttered.

"AH! JUNGKOOK!" I screamed in panic when he actually tossed me into the air. My dazed head thought I was falling out of his penthouse window until I landed on the soft mattress instead. Jungkook chuckled at me as I groaned on his bed and rubbed my eyes sleepily.

"We can share the bed," Jungkook exhaled, walking into his closet room to get changed. He returned to the bedroom after a while as I sat up to stare at his shirtless body.

"When did you gain so much body muscle?" I questioned as he pulled a fresh shirt over his torso. Jungkook smirked at my comment, so I rolled my eyes and slumped onto the mattress again.

"Stop staring, you pervert. And your hair is wet! You can't sleep on a pillow with wet hair! Gosh!" Jungkook snapped, tugging me back into a sitting position.

"Ah~ Can't I just sleep in peace?" I grumbled as he sat behind me on the bed. Jungkook drew open his drawer to grab his hair dryer and started blowing my damp hair from behind while ruffling it.  

"Let me dry your hair first," Jungkook mumbled as he combed his fingers through my scalp. I slowly closed my eyes when I felt his soothing touch on my scalp. He switched off the hair dryer and gently brushed my hair with a comb in silence, so I exhaled in relief.

"There. You should really take care of yourself. What will you do without me? Hmm? You don't cook your own food. You don't treat your own wound. And you don't even take care of your own body," Jungkook muttered after placing the hair dryer and comb away.

"I shouldn't sleep in your room. Your girlfriend might not like it," I whispered as he slowly crawled back onto the bed and sat before me with a faint smile.

"You are my family," Jungkook shook his head. I weakly smiled at him and leaned forward to hug him when I suddenly felt like crying. Jungkook gently patted my back as I gripped his shirt to suppress my tears and buried my face into his chest.

"I'm screwed," I whispered in pain. Jungkook tightened his grip around me and rested his chin on my head as he held me against him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" He whispered, gently combing his hand through my hair.

"No," I smiled, pulling away from Jungkook. I don't want to cry!

"Yah! Tell me!" Jungkook snapped in an offended tone as I grinned at him.

"No! I'm sleeping!" I laughed and collapsed onto his bed.

"Yah! Don't you dare-"

"Ah! YAH! JEON JUNGKOOK- AH! AHAHAHAHA!" I screamed in shock when he scrambled over my body to tickle me. I smacked his arms in distress and tried to shove him off me, but he was too strong, so he pinned my shoulders down and sat on my body with a mischievous smile.

"Tell me, or I'll torture you!" Jungkook chuckled as he playfully tickled my waist. I shrieked in distress and tried to push his chest when he firmly pinned my wrists against the pillow and laughed at my funny reaction until tears formed in his eyes.

"Fine! I'll tell you!" I cried in defeat, so he released my arm and rolled off me. I glared at him in annoyance and hastily struck him with my pillow for being an asshole. Jungkook faked a whimper after receiving the blow in his face and finally collapsed onto the bed by my side. We both panted heavily side by side with our eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Hit me one more time- and I'll make you scream throughout the night," Jungkook warned me as I tightly gripped the pillow.

"I think there's a problem with the Kim brothers," I muttered.

"Seokjin has a brother?" Jungkook turned to look at me in confusion.

"Younger brother. Kim Taehyung. Seokjin doesn't like his brother," I replied as Jungkook placed his arms under his head.

"I heard his brother is a infamous drug lord," Jungkook mumbled.

"Yeah. He's the mafia boss. I think," I nodded.

"For real? It was just a rumor-"

"Oh. It's true. Kim Taehyung took me to his place. That's why Seokjin was so upset," I shrugged.

"What? He took you???" Jungkook snapped his head to the side to stare at me in surprise.

"Oh. I went to the thug's hideout to repay Jimin's remaining debt. They dragged me inside. He took me to his suite. He's crazy rich," I shrugged. Jungkook suddenly sat up to stare at me with his worried eyes.

"Did he do anything-"

"I'm fine. Taehyung was very aggressive and perverted- but I think he was doing it to irritate Seokjin. He called me Seokjin's new doll. Creepy," I muttered.

"What did he do-"

"I said I'm fine! Listen. Do you know Kim Namjoon?" I questioned, curiously sitting up to stare at Jungkook.

"Kim Namjoon? I've never heard of him before," Jungkook shook his head at me. I furrowed my eyebrows at Jungkook, so we stared at each other in silence and finally went to bed as the rainstorm ripped the city apart.

I grunted and turned to hug Jungkook as soon as I woke up. He responded to me by encircling his arm around my waist and pulled me against his pulsating chest. I exhaled in relief when I felt his warmth against my body. Jungkook slithered his hand up my back and combed his fingers through my hair, lowering his face to breathe against my hair. I rubbed his back and snuggled against the crook of his neck, so Jungkook swung his leg over my hips to trap my body against his.

"Your leg is so heavy," I muttered, sleepily looking up at Jungkook. It was already bright outside. The storm passed. 

"Did you use my shampoo? Why does your hair smell so good?" Jungkook whispered with his eyes closed as he gently sniffed my hair and snuggled against my face. I chuckled at the ticklish sensation and lightly slapped his cheek. Jungkook chuckled under his breath, sleepily opening his eyes to stare at me. I carefully brushed his eye discharge with the tip of my finger as Jungkook played with my hair.

"No. I didn't wash my hair- Your lips are chapped," I mumbled, gently brushing my thumb over his dry lips. Jungkook pulled his hand out of my hair and placed his warm palm against my cheek.

"Give me your chapstick. I ran out of it a week ago," Jungkook mumbled, suddenly leaning in to kiss my forehead. My cheeks flushed red when I felt his lips on my skin, so I smacked his chest and chuckled at his teasing behavior. He loves giving me forehead kisses... since we were young. But he'd shove me around just as much, as if I'm his punching bag. His love language is weird.

"You keep on taking my chapsticks," I whispered, leaning forward to give him a gentle peck on his cheek. Jungkook grinned after I kissed his cheek and pulled me into a tight hug as we remained under the blanket together.

"If we're not married by thirty... let's get married," Jungkook whispered. I pursed my lips and glanced at him in surprise.

"Get married? It didn't work out last time," I chuckled as Jungkook stared at me with his tender eyes.

"I'll make it work this time. Let's get married at 30 if we can't find the love of our life. You're probably my only soulmate, so let's have a backup plan," Jungkook smiled, gently rubbing my cheeks with his thumb. I stared at his dilated pupils until I felt my chest churning with an intense emotion.

"Deal," I nodded. Jungkook broke into a wide grin, leaning forward to brush his nose against mine. I chuckled at the tingling sensation over my face when we suddenly heard footsteps outside his door.

"Jungkook-" Someone swung the door open. We both froze in shock when we turned to find a woman standing by the doorway. The woman halted in place when she found us on the bed and dropped the bag in her hand. I gulped in terror as she stared at me, then averted her eyes to Jungkook, who was gawking back at her.

It was Hyeri. Jungkook's girlfriend.

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I planned on updating this on Sunday night but I figured you guys might have school early on Monday, so here's an update in the goddamn morning. It's 4:30 AM in my region lmao. I hope you're enjoying the story~~~ How was it? Haha! I've already introduced everyone but Namjoon, Hoseok and Yoongi still needs a bit more introduction. Anyways, thank you so much for supporting Love Candidate~ I'll do my best! I love you guys so please take care and stay healthy! <3