Slowly Falling | LK Adaptation

Chapter 18

"You're off work now." Lisa said, turning her phone screen towards him.

Seeing Lisa's phone displaying 00:00 in large white numbers, Jungkook was speechless for a moment. It wouldn't be appropriate for him to enter a young woman's home during the day, let alone now at midnight.

Seeing him failing to reply, she asked: "Or do you still have something to deliver?"

"No, no."

"Then come in and sit down. I ordered a lot of barbecue sticks, and I don't think I can eat it all myself."

"This...this isn't very good...."

"What's wrong?" Lisa's eyes were clear, and she looked straight at him, as if there was absolutely nothing weird with a man going into her home at such a late hour.

Jungkook didn't know what to say. It felt like he was the only one who had these dirty thoughts.

"You really helped me out last time, but I never had the chance to properly thank you. I'm inviting you in for some dinner to express my thanks." Lisa's reasoning was sound. She stood by the door and waited patiently for his answer. Jungkook pursed the corner of his mouth before finally agreeing: "Alright. Excuse me."

Lisa found him a pair of slippers and placed it by the door. Putting on the slippers, Jungkook followed her inside.

Past a collection of plants was a spacious living room. One side of the wall was filled with black and white tiles and had a white sofa with two pillows of the same color. Lisa went to the kitchen to grab a plate and placed it on the coffee table that was in front of the sofa. She turned to the still-standing Jungkook and said: "Come and sit down."

"Ah, yeah." Jungkook felt a bit shy. He was worried that his clothes might dirty her pristine sofa, so he sat at the very edge. Lisa squatted near the coffee table, tore open the foil containing the food, and passed a stick. "Here's some beef."

"Thank you." Jungkook accepted a stick but didn't start eating.

She transferred the rest of the food onto the plate, then standing up to throw away the foil, she asked: "What do you want to drink?"

He shook his head. "There's no need."

Lisa thought for a bit as she went into the kitchen, then opened her fridge to look around. There were a few cans of beer which would pair nicely with the barbecue. But Jungkook would be driving home. That would be considered drink driving, wouldn't it?

In the end, she didn't take out the beer and instead got the last two oranges that she had to make two glasses of orange juice.

When she brought the glasses out, she saw Jungkook still sitting in the exact same posture when she had left, the barbecue stick still in his hand. The word 'cute' traveled through Lisa's mind, though her expression stayed as blank as ever.

She placed a glass of orange juice in front of him then said: "Why didn't you start eating? Do you not like beef? Do you want some chicken instead?"

"No, no, I can have beef." Jungkook finally took a bite of the skewer in his hand. The barbecue smelled great, and there were a lot of seasonings put in the meat. The meat was covered in sauce, but he didn't taste any of this.

Lisa took a skewer and sat down on the sofa beside him. As soon as she got close, Jungkook sat straighter.

His nervousness was obvious to her. So to help him relax, she initiated a conversation. "I didn't know you deliver so late."

Jungkook replied: "I don't know about other companies, but our company delivers until 3:00 a.m."

"So late? wouldn't all the restaurants be closed?"

"Some restaurants close late. But don't eat late so often, it's not good for your health."

"Well, I actually seldom eat supper. It's just that I got caught up in packing some gift boxes, so I got really hungry."

Jungkook could tell. In the brief conversation they just had, she had already eaten two sticks of beef and a rib. She had said earlier that she had ordered too much and wouldn't be able to finish, but he thought that her order might not actually be enough for her.

After finishing the skewer in his hand, he didn't reach for another stick and sipped some orange juice instead. It was very late at night, and everything was silent. When they stopped talking, the silence was a hundred times larger than it would be during daylight.

"....You live here alone?" Jungkook asked.

Lisa nodded. "I wanted to be closer to Starlight Park, so I moved here. My parents live somewhere else. My parents don't usually stay in one place very long, though. My father works at construction sites and usually moved as the projects move. My mother follows him."

When you include the conversations he had with her in her store, this was the most Lisa had ever talked to him. The conversation even related to her family.

Jungkook liked talking with her, even if he was mostly a listener.

"Why don't you eat another stick?" Lisa noticed he had been holding onto the orange juice for quite a while now. She handed him several sticks and said: "You're welcome."

"Ah, well, thank you." Jungkook hastily received her offerings. Lisa had handed him a bunch of chicken wings and several ribs, very high-calories.

Meanwhile, she was happily eating some chicken wings with her hands. After eating, she took a paper towel to wipe her hands. "I have a little store employee, do you remember her? She's very curious about you."

Jungkook was puzzled. "Curious?"

"Mmh." He picked up her glass of orange juice and took a sip. "She's a budding screenwriter and is particularly interested in observing people."

"Oh, that's why." No wonder. Whenever he came to do a delivery, he felt that she would always look at him with inquisitive eyes.

"I think she would be eager to do an interview with you. Since I have this chance, I think I'll help her by asking a question. How do you feel about your work?"

"How do I feel?" At this, Jungkook couldn't help chuckling. This kind of 'feelings' question sounded like something a teacher would ask their student.

After thinking for a while, he answered: "I don't feel anything particularly special about it. Though I am curious, why don't people cook very much nowadays?"

"Pfft-" Lisa laughed at her glass. "Maybe they can't do it, like me."

After saying this, she looked at him said: "Oh, when I went to your house last time you were cooking. Do you know how to cook?"

Jungkook was a little embarrassed as he answered: "I'm not that good at it. I'm just OK."

"Next time you're free, why don't you come by and teach me how to cook? I'll pay you for tutoring me."

Jungkook froze when he heard this. Seeing his lack of reply, Lisa pouted, vaguely looking like an unhappy child. "You don't want to?"

"No, no, wait, I mean, you don't have to pay me."

Lisa's mouth curved up ever so slightly. "Deal."

"Ah, good." He felt like he was doing something incredible. He and Lisa were like old friends, sitting together and gossiping while they ate barbecue.

This was something he hadn't dared to imagine when he stepped into her home.

His eyes couldn't help but gravitate towards Lisa again. At her home, she looked relaxed and natural. She wasn't wearing any lipstick, so instead of the usual deep red, her lips were a light pink, like peach blossoms in early spring.

Her black hair wasn't in its usual high ponytail, but was just casually gathered to the back of her head and fixed with a hairpin.

Jungkook had always thought that she looked cool and strong whenever he saw her in her shop, but he also liked this casual and relaxed Lisa. It gave him the illusion that they were close.
　　
"What are you looking at? Is there something on my face?" Lisa subconsciously raised her hand to touch her face.

"No, no." Quickly moving his gaze, Jungkook looked down at the orange juice he was holding. Lisa stood up with her own empty glass and asked him: "Do you want some water? It's easy to get thirsty when eating barbecue."

"No, I'll just finish this juice." Jungkook replied. With the barbecue finished, it's almost time to go.

When she left to get some water, he drank the remaining orange juice in his glass. He then stood up, ready to say his goodbyes.

Meanwhile, Lisa opened her fridge to see only half a lemon left in it. She cut two slices and put them in some water. When she returned, she saw Jungkook standing up, as if he was preparing to leave.

"You're leaving?" She asked him.

He nodded. "It's already pretty late. Thank you for your hospitality."

"Oh." She felt a little down, and she took a sip of her lemon water. The sour taste made her feel a bit better as she walked him to her door. Jungkook's heart was also feeling a little stuffy. Before the opened the front door, he turned back to her and started: "Oh, by the way...."

He wasn't sure what he saw in that coffee shop. Should he tell her? Relationships between men and women were sensitive, and something outsiders shouldn't concern themselves with. But if that person really was dating other girls, what about Lisa? If he clearly saw something happening but didn't tell her...could he be considered an accomplice?

"What is it?" She stopped and stood there, looking at him. The living room light shined from her back, giving her profile a fuzzy layer of light.

"Um...Is that man I saw in your shop before your boyfriend?"

Lisa was stupefied by the question. Then she realized who he was referring to. "Taehyung? Who told you he was my boyfriend?"

Jungkook was also shocked by her reply. "Isn't he? I've seen him in your store several times, and your relationship with him looks good..."

"Of course not." SHe interrupted him and began to seriously reflect on whether she and Taehyung were getting too close. "The people who came to trash my store also thought I was his girlfriend. That's why they tried to make trouble. But Taehyung and I are just friends who've known each other for a long time."

Jungkook opened his mouth, but no sound came out. So he got it wrong? They were just friends, and not boyfriend and girlfriend.

Ah...good thing he didn't just blurt out the blind date he saw Taehyung attending in that coffee shop.

"Why'd you mention such things all of a sudden?" She asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. Since he isn't your boyfriend, it's nothing." Jungkook replied.

Lisa thought about it for a while, but couldn't understand why he would suddenly ask about Taehyung. But now that they were in this subject, it suddenly reminded her of another thing. "By the way, how're your injuries?"

"It's almost better."

"Really? Show me."

Jungkook subconsciously started to cover himself with his hands. "It's really alright, much better."

But Lisa wasn't fooled. Last time she saw his knee injury, it looked very serious. She hadn't been sure if it would heal with just some medicinal alcohol.

"Let me see." She saw that he really didn't want to. Accepting that maybe they didn't really have time for him to take off his clothes, she asked for the next best thing. "Then at least let me see the injury on your face. Don't move."
　　
Lisa went to her tiptoes. It seems that the wound on his face has recovered very well. Compared to what it looked like when she saw him last in his home, the wound looked much lighter. She moved closer to scrutinize the bruise more clearly.

Jungkook's heart was just about to jump out of his chest. She was so close that he could feel her eyelashes sweep across his face whenever she blinked. But he couldn't move any further, as his back ended up completely pasted against the wall.

Lisa was still studying the injury on his face. Her hand raised to touch his face, and she gently pressed on the bruised skin: "Does it hurt?"

Jungkook didn't answer. He was afraid that if he opened his mouth, his voice would completely expose his emotions.

Feeling his tense muscles, Lisa looked up into his eyes. His deep black eyes, just like last time, looked like a deep endless lake. When their eyes met, Jungkook quickly looked away. But even though he looked away, their breaths inevitably tangled together due to their close distance.

They were so close, neither knew whose heart was beating loudly.

Thump, Thump.
Jungkook knew he can't stay here a second longer. Before Lisa hates him, he has to leave immediately.

But before he could move away and open the door, Lisa wrapped an arm around his neck and kissed his lips.

He totally forgot to breathe.

Lisa's lips were much softer than he had ever imagined. It was so soft, his heart felt like it was sinking into cotton. Her body instinctually moved closer to his', making Xiang his body erupt in flames.

He wanted to come closer. Even if it would make her hate him, he wanted to be close.

She did it at the spur of the moment. She wanted to do it, so she did. But she didn't expect it to feel so good. Jungkook's masculine scent fascinated her.