#jbumim

She stared at him, wide-eyed in shock as he grinned back at her dumbfounded expression. She had told him clearly that kisses weren’t allowed that day—she was sick with fever, and she didn’t want him catching it. She lightly hits his arm, but strong enough to tell him that she found him rather annoying at the moment, and Jaebum could only laugh at her so childishly, arms wrapping around her shoulders while she nestled with the blanket. Earlier, Seungah made it known that she didn’t want him cuddling with her until her temperature reached at least 37 degrees, but he simply wouldn’t let up—eventually, she lets him have his way, as she was in no mood (nor does she have the strength) to argue with him.     “You better make sure you don’t get sick, though, or else, I’ll kick you before I take care of you.”

     “Naneun noege sarangeul gugeolhaji anhasseo, jinsimeul wonhaesseo…” Seungah stood by the door, listening to Jaebum sing the familiar song to himself, as he was unaware that she had already come back from the convenience store. She’s already heard him sing this song before, in an attempt to avoid the awkward silence between them—though it probably just worsened the atmosphere. She remembered clearly how she was torn between the facts that she hated the song, and that she loved how his voice sounded while singing.  While her brows furrowed, she smiled; shaking her head slightly as she walked in, his attention finally shifting to her presence. “Ah, noona.”          “Don’t you have any other song you like to sing in your free time?” She teased, resting a hand on his head, ruffling his hair. “I hate that song.”

     “Mm…I wish we had more days like this.”

(; squints ;)

     She had known of his struggle, how his ankle often hurt because of some past accident. She knew how it would render him completely unable to move; how he would feel searing pain every once in a while, especially when he would moves it a certain way, or whenever he would land wrongly on his feet, shock coursing through the soles of his feet up to his ligaments. Seungah hadn’t experienced something similar, although by the expression he had on his face every time it would hurt was enough for her to know that it was more than something she could probably handle.Jaebum had messaged him earlier about how it throbbed during one performance and how he was able to pull through it, at least, enough for the group to reach the ballad part of their showcase, which requires less movement, or none at all. She’d asked him to get some rest, and to put something cool over it to pacify the pain. He said he would, although part of Seungah felt like he just said that so she wouldn’t have to nag at him any longer, but she didn’t press on the matter anymore. Unnecessary stress wasn’t something he needed at the moment, and she knew that.To say she was surprised to find him in front of her door that night was an understatement; she didn’t really think he would ever come to her apartment, soaking by the rain (it had been pouring the whole day)—and crying. His eyes didn’t meet hers; they were downcast, his gaze fixed on his soggy shoes. When she was able to bring herself to call him, he lifted his head, his red, puffy eyes meeting hers, and said the only thing he could bring himself to say.     “Noona…”Almost instinctively, she pulled him into her house, arms wrapping around his shoulders. He whimpered about something along the lines of ‘having to take a break until his injury had healed’ and ‘it seems like it’s more serious than the doctors thought.’ He was scared—she knew, they’ve talked about it before on the days she, herself, attended to his pain. Rubbing his back, she consoled him, cooing into his ear assurances that things will get better—that he will be better, and that in the mean time, he should rest, to quicken his recovery.That night, she devoted herself to him and his needs—taking care of him like she usually does. Until he fell sound asleep, and even when he was sleeping, Seungah tirelessly tended to him; eventually, when the first rays of light had colored the sky purple, pink and orange, she herself had fallen asleep while holding him in her arms.

     It was December, and it was the first time they were going to spend Christmas together. Five months after the announcement of their relationship, things have finally settled down for Jaebum and Semi. Their fans expressed support for the both of them, although there could really be no hate—but they’ve learned how to deal with it. Now, they freely roamed around Seoul, and the country, without much care, feeling extremely normal like the next couple to them.It was Jaebum’s idea that they go out and ice-skate that night, to which Semi excitedly agreed. On Christmas Eve, they set out for the nearest rink—a frozen pond big enough for the two of them to enjoy. It felt private, only a few people have seen them skidding around on ice, playing like little children on Christmas morning. In between their childish play, they’d slow danced, enjoying the distant sound of Christmas carols lingering in the cold winter breeze.Snow had begun falling, and the two of them were at play once again, throwing snowballs at each other while skating. In the heat of the game, Semi had skated rather aggressively towards Jaebum, and out of reflex, the younger had slid out of her way, resulting into her crashing into the nearby tree, only barely avoiding a body slam by stretching her arms before her even before she could hit the trunk. She fell on the ground with a thud, the snow that had accumulated on the branches of the tree falling onto her, and she groans loudly, at which her boyfriend cackled out of sheer amusement.     She pouted at him, naturally, brows furrowing as she watched him glide to where she sat dejectedly. He crouched before her, his boyish smile plastered on his lips as he dusts off the snow from her hair and her face. Rising, he offered her his hands to help her stand, an arm wrapping around her slim waist to balance her before moving around once again, enjoying what little time they had before the clock strikes twelve.

     It had been a roller-coaster of a week for the two of them, that sleeping with each other had become a luxury; a getaway of some sort, where there’s only the two of them in her room, and no one else. Seungah found peace in his presence, and she relished every moment she had with him in private. With him, there were no sleepless nights full of tossing and turning, until that one time, when he came home to her, tired, cranky and exhausted. He had been hurt during rehearsals, and she had attended to him like she always does, just ignoring his irate state. That night, when they went to bed, tension was high, as she held to every bit of patience she had.It wasn’t that she was a push-over to him, no; she simply knew better than to bite back when he was in pain and/or in obvious irritation. With minimal interactions, they both went to sleep, their backs facing each other instead of cuddling one another, like every night that they spend together.In her slumber, stress manifested itself in the form of a bad dream—he had come home and they had fought, for he had finally pushed her over the edge. Words were thrown all over the place; they were literally holding back from actually hitting one another, resorting to just stomping, or balling up their hands into fists that their knuckles have turned white. She had screamed at him and he shouted back; and everything ended when she finally asked him to leave, which he did. He packed up his things and left her just like that.It was uncommon for Seungah to have dreams, even more so nightmares. She often slept peacefully, regardless of what was going on through her life. It was the first time in a very long time (if not in her life) that she had actually jolted awake, Jaebum’s face quickly coming into vision as he hovered over her, worry written all over her face.     “Noona!” He exclaimed, letting out a sigh of relief when she’d finally woken up from her dream. “Jesus Christ, I thought you’d never wake up… you were whimpering in your sleep! Not to mention, you kept tossing and turning, and you were murmuring my name and…” His voice trailed off as her attention zeroed in on the fact that he was there. He hadn’t left.Whatever tension between them was gone as he was back to his usual, caring self. With her gaze fixed on his face, she felt something tug at her heart, and her brows furrowed, scowling as her eyes brimmed with tears. His eyes widened, and the next thing she knew, she had already thrown herself at him, arms wrapped around his neck as she sobbed, muttering apologies repeatedly.     “…aigoo, Semi.” He sighed. With the way that his hand gently caressed her back, and how he whispered assurances into her ear, she knew that everything was alright—that it was just stress; that no one was going to fight, and that he was not going to leave her that night. And to her, that was all that really mattered.    They were fine.

What— but—