Hidden Embers: A Tale of Unspoken Love || JJK

Part : 05

She graciously accepted the bouquet from Jungkook, her lips curling into a sweet smile.

"Thank you," she said sincerely.

Jungkook responded, "It's nothing. I hope you liked them. I didn't know your favorite flowers, so... I just gathered every flower available and asked the seller to make a bouquet." He then smiled awkwardly, unsure of what to do next.

She looked at him and assured, "Liked? I loved them, Jungkook. Honestly." His smile widened, revealing his cute bunny-like grin, warming her heart. After a moment of quiet, he decided to break the silence.

"So... shall we go eat dinner now?"

"Dinner? You haven't eaten yet?" she asked, concern evident in her expression.

"No, and how could I eat dinner alone, especially knowing that you haven't eaten anything since this morning?" he replied, leaving her puzzled about how he knew.

"What? Didn't you read the note, Jungkook? I already mentioned in it that I've already eaten dinner," she exclaimed.

"Don't hide it from me, Y/n. I know you haven't eaten anything since this morning. I saw the carrot pudding placed neatly and untouched in the fridge, when I went to grab a bottle of water. And if you didn't eat breakfast alone, then how could you have dinner without me?" This caring nature of his is what she loves most about him, always observant and attentive to those he cares about. Which makes her feels he's starting to care for her too.

"Yes, you're right. I haven't had anything since this morning. And how could I, knowing you haven't eaten anything since last night?" As soon as she said that, Jungkook's expression turned confused, wondering how she knew.

"I saw the untouched pizza box while cleaning the guest room."

"Oh, yeah, that's because, I didn't eat that as I wasn't hungry at the time," he replied.

"It's okay, I understand."

"So, what do you say we have dinner together?" he asked nervously.

Hearing his question, her heartbeat quickened with happiness, and she promptly replied, "Sure."

"Okay then... let's go."

With that, they left the room and descended the stairs. Jungkook and Y/n took their seats, and she began serving the dishes.

Jungkook asked, "Well Y/n..." 

"Yes"

"Can you bring the pudding you made for me as my breakfast today?" He sounded nervous, which made her smile at his flustered expression.

"Sure, I'll go get it now," she said, heading to the kitchen. She brought the pudding and placed it on the table. They started eating dinner when a work-related email came to Jungkook's phone.

He began checking it as it was important. Just then, Y/n's phone rang, which Jungkook noticed. As she went to the kitchen to get a jug of water, he checked her phone and saw a call coming in.

Jungkook grabbed her hand to tell her about the call as he was checking the mail, but Y/n winced in pain. The hand he held was the one she accidentally had burned with caramel in the morning.

Jungkook flinched and quickly leaving her hands approached her, asking, "What's wrong, Y/n? Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. It's nothing," she said, trying to hide her hands from him.

She didn't want to worry him this time or hear his scolding for her clumsiness. But Jungkook wasn't ready to let it go. He knew she was hiding something from him.

"I know something's wrong. Show me your hands," he insisted, reaching out and urging her to reveal them.

"It's nothing, Jungkoo-" Not wanting to hear her denial again, he grabbed her hand. She winced as his touch met the burned area, causing a fresh wave of pain. Jungkook looked at her hands, his expression filled with deep concern as he examined the burn.

Finally, he asked, "How did this happen, Y/n?"

"It's nothing, Jungkook. Leave it," she tried to brush it off, attempting to pull her hands away. But he held her wrist tighter.

"I asked you something, Y/n. How did this happen?"

His tone shifted from sweet to deep and intimidating, sending shivers down her spine.

She remained silent until he questioned again, "How did this happened? Did you try to hurt yourself?"

His eyes showed not just worry but also suspicion. Feeling relieved seeing the worry in his eyes for her yet realizing the seriousness of his inquiry, she quickly responded, "No, Jungkook, I didn't harm myself. This just happened when I was cooking pudding for you. I zoned out thinking about something and ended up pouring caramel on my hands," she explained, looking down.

Jungkook didn't say anything further and abruptly left, leaving her standing there in confusion. She didn't know where he went until she saw him returning hurriedly towards her.
He made her sit on a chair.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Stay quiet and give me your hand."

"What?"

"Just give me your hand, Y/n," he said in an intimidating voice.

Without saying anything, she complied, handing him her hand. Then she noticed Jungkook had brought ointment to apply to her burns. And he began applying ointment to her hand, causing her to hiss in pain.

"I'm sorry," Jungkook said softly as he continued the treatment.

"You should be more careful while cooking, Y/n. How can you be this clumsy?" His voice held genuine concern.

It was the first time Y/n truly felt cared for by someone wholeheartedly. She remained silent, simply listening to his sweet scoldings, watching his face filled with worries for her,  with a smile appearing on her lips.