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"wah... what took you so long? were you buying the whole town?" jooheon was waiting leaned against the now cleaned and sparkling car, arms crossed on his chest. boki laughed as she walked towards him, carrying some bags, that he quickly took from her hands and put them on the back seat.

"i got distracted, sorry." he glanced at his watch.

"took you 45 minutes."she laughed again.

"i know. i said i am sorry." she said as they both hopped inside the car. he turned on the engine as boki looked around marveled.

"woah they cleaned it out good."

"that's why it's called a car wash." he said with an obvious tone. he was funny. the way he talked and expressed, boki found it really cute.

"anyway... what did you buy?" he asked, eyes glued on the road.

"just some stuff i needed... nothing fancy but hey- she said stretching to the back seat. he glanced at her curiously.

"i saw this and thought of you." she said handing him a cute bee key chain. jooheon frowned at it first but then secretly found it cute.

"a bee?" boki nodded.

"yes. it looks a lot like you... look at this, it has your eyes! and then this - she said pointing at its dimples, bringing it close to his face so he could see better - its dimples are so cute." she said smiling, glancing lovingly at the key chain.

"tsk. i don't need a key chain." boki glared at him.

"yes you do. she said leaning close to him and adding it to the set of the car's keys. her proximity raced his heart. he felt nervous as he tried to keep his focus and eyes to the road.

but her sweet fruity smell hit his nostrils. she smelled really good and then, her elbow touched his softly and then his hands began sweating.

"yah... you're gonna make me have an accident." she laughed as she returned to her seat, smiling as she glanced at the key chain.

"there. it's ready." jooheon looked at the small key chain. sure, it was cute. he'd never have picked it in the first place, not out of his own choosing.

but once he took a second look, he glanced also at boki, who's eyes were now focused out of the window and suddenly, he found the key chain cute. just like her.

"alright. i guess it looks okay." she quickly turned to look at him, their eyes meeting for a second before he returned them to the road.

"it is cute. admit it."

"i am not. it's whatever." she giggled now at his words.

"plus you needed it, those keys look kind of miserable without a key chain." jooheon glanced at the keys and realized it was true. now with the key chain they looked better.

"fine, okay i guess i could use a key chain."she shook her head, narrowing her eyes slowly.

"is that your way of thanking me?"

"uh?" he looked surprised and confused.

"come on... you can do better. buy me an ice cream." she said turning the volume up. the radio was playing and jooheon's heart skipped at beat when she mentioned the word ice cream. it was his favorite thing ever.

"i am not buying you anything. i didn't ask for it."she laughed now. he was surely stubborn and sometimes a bit mean, but she knew under that tough facade was a sweet guy.

"you didn't ask for it... but we're friends and that's why i bought it for you." the word friends somehow felt hurting on his ears. he mumbled curses as he looked away.

"but i'll buy ice cream not because you asked me but because i am craving." she smiled, nodding eagerly like a little kid.

"there. the ice cream is nice, let's go." she said going out of the car as soon as he parked. he smiled before stepping out of the car.

"flavors?" the girl asked.

"chocolate for me." he quickly said. boki glanced at him surprised.

"what?"

"nothing. vanilla for me." she said smiling. they walked towards one of the tables inside the small ice cream shop. "this is actually good." he said while licking his cone.

"told you."

"anyway... why are you surprised i ordered chocolate?"she shrugged as if it was obvious.

"thought you were more of a cookies n' cream guy...with lots of sparkly sprinkles and an unicorn cone as a topping." he rolled his eyes. he knew she was being just a tiny bit sarcastic but he assumed he deserved it since he had been quite ungrateful about the key chain situation and now having a secong look, it was kind of a cute key chain.

"tsk. i am not a fairy okay? that's your boyfriend... who orders stupid flavors." boki frowned at the mention of it since he'd always order things lemon flavored. why would he order lemon flavored things if he liked other flavors? jooheon's been knowing him almost the same time as her, but he lived with her, so he probably knew him better in some ways.

"anyway - she said shaking her thoughts away - let's not talk about him."

"first time i agree with you on something." suddenly her phone beeped. she looked for it on her small purse and glanced at the screen. she felt jooheon's eyes on her immediately.

kihyun's name appeared on the screen. a text.

kihyunnie: hi there

kihyunnie: what are you up to babe?

kihyunnie: i am cleaning my room and throwing stuff away and donating some other

kihyunnie: i've been thinking about you lately. i wondered what were you doing?

the nickname made her heart skip a beat. it was the first time he'd use it on her. she felt her temples throbbing and she was sure her cheeks had turned red now. for a second she forgot where she was and with whom.

"yah... is everything okay? is your mother worried or what?" jooheon's voice brought her back to earth. but soon's her nervous expression, somehow embarrassed and nervous gave her away, he quickly knew what was going on and rolled his eyes.

"let me guess... the devil's succubus." boki's eyes widened as she tried not to laugh.

he was surely funny and she didn't bother now, whenever jooheon called kihyun names. because she knew, she couldn't actually say anything to defend him. and even if she could, she wouldn't do it. kihyun deserved it. but that didn't mean she didn't like him either way.

"he's just saying hi." jooheon rolled his eyes, shaking his head, clearly judgmental over her.

"i don't care. as long as he doesn't appear here. i don't want to see his ugly and stiff face." boki shook her head as she quickly texted kihyun back.

boki: hi kihyunnie

boki: nothing much, just been working lots with my mother and the restaurant.

boki: i haven't had time to rest properly actually

boki: also, that's good! maybe i should do the same... cleaning is therapeutic. ha.

boki: i've been thinking of you too... right now i am just having ice cream since i came to the town to buy some stuff

boki: but i'll be soon returning home, to work

boki: are you enjoying this short vacation?

she hit send in that last message and pulled her phone back into her purse. she found jooheon staring at her, more like glaring at her with a straight poker face.

"what?" she asked him. he just shrugged and ate the rest of his cone.

"let's go. it's getting late." he said stading from the table. boki quickly followed him. every time she'd talk about kihyun, or kihyun called or just he mentioned something about him, boki noticed, jooheon's mood would change.

she's been knowing jooheon for a few months now, and in all that time, she hadn't been able to know from jooheon's side, what have happened between them. they got inside the car and he finally drove away and towards the restaurant.

the phone beeped again, with what boki assumed, were kihyun's replies. she glanced at jooheon one last time once she noticed his eyes were focused on the road, then she pulled her phone out.

kihyunnie: don't over stress yourself. i know you're taking this time to help your mother, but you should fine spaces to rest too

kihyunnie: you're going to start your 3rd year of career and you should prepare because it's getting heavier

kihyunnie: i don't find it therapeutic, but actually bothersome. did you know i was allergic to dust?

kihyunnie: ice cream? sounds delicious! what flavor? is it good? i wish i could have ice cream right now. well. not only that...

kihyunnie: please don't overwork yourself. i'll call you tonight yes? let me know when you're free. i want to hear your voice.

kihyunnie: i wouldn't say i am enjoying it completely.

kihyunnie: listen... i wanted to ask you... should i visit you now? i mean... i want to meet your mom.

kihyunnie: i think...it's time.

her eyes widened when he delivered that last message. jooheon's noticed her concern as he kept driving.

"yah kumquat... it looks like you've seen a ghost? is it him again?" boki's eyes remained glued to the screen as her heart raced.

"because if it's him then i'd understand... you definitely saw a ghost. an obscure presence... something evil. a dementor." he said glancing at her with worried eyes.

"is he texting you again? yah! kumquat!" she blinked twice and turned to look at jooheon only to realized they've arrived home.

"uh... no. it's- hawon." she said stepping out of the car first. jooheon frowned as he turned off the engine and followed her outside.

"don't lie to me do boki. i know it's him... it's the dementor in him... i can feel the cold."

"stop it!" she said smacking his head with her purse. he complained in pain.

"ouch! that hurts." they grabbed the bags and walked inside.

"why are you defending him?"

"i am not defending him. shut up." her eyes returned to the screen, where his last text was, opened, waiting for a reply.

kihyunnie: listen... i wanted to ask you... should i visit you now? i mean... i want to meet your mom.

kihyunnie: i think...it's time.

she swallowed hard and before she knew it, jooheon snatched the phone from her hands. her eyes widened as she tried to get her phone back from his hands, but he made it impossible for her.

"stay still. let me read." he said walking around the room, holding her phone up high as he avoided her arms to get the phone.

"give it back! jooheon!"

"stop it, i can't read if you're moving so much."

"that's the idea! i don't want you to read my texts." she noticed how he stayed still for a second and she assumed he had reached the last part.

he put the phone down slowly and that's the time when she snatched her phone back. he remained silent in the middle of the living room, blinking twice.

she opened her mouth to say something but soon, boki's mother walked inside. "yah kids... why are you making such fuss? boki did you bring the milk i told you?"

"yes mom." she said walking with her to the kitchen. jooheon felt his stomach upset for a second as he excused himself and went inside his room.

"what happened to him?" bona asked as she helped boki getting out the items from the bags.

she shrugged. "no idea." she simply answered, as she tried to hide her concern. why was jooheon acting like this? it was absurd at this point. he knew they were dating and it's not like he could change it.

"poor thing... i think he has trouble back home. do you know anything about his?" she asked putting the eggs away. boki shook her head.

"he's hard to talk with... you have to take the words with the biggest spoon you can imagine." mrs. do laughed as she shook her head.

"he's a nice kid... i think he just needs some love." boki's eyes widened as she looked away.

"listen... mom." she started as she glanced at the texts in her phone. her mother stopped what she was doing and looked at her.

"is there anything you'd like to tell me boki?" she tilted her head, somehow her eyes sparkled with anticipation. boki found the whole behavior strange, a frown appeared on her face.

"uh... how do you know?" mrs. do shrugged.

"just call it mother's instinct. go on."

"well... uh- it's just - she started, scratching the back of her head, hands sweating with nerves.

she didn't know how to bring up kihyun to the conversation. but she knew eventually he'd meet her mom. she couldn't put on excuses forever.

even if she knew jooheon would hate it. she knew it would happen either way. "uh... a... there's this friend who wants to come to the restaurant and to meet you." mrs. do eyes widened as she frowned in confusion.

"a friend?" boki nodded approaching her slowly, grabbing her hands into hers, looking into her eyes with a sweet expression.

"a very important friend to me."

"yah... that sounds confusing... who is this friend?"boki knew there was no use of keeping denying it. she sighed and smiled.

"my boyfriend, mom."

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