Trust me, trying to wake Doeksun up was like trying to uproot a tree. When the clock hit midnight, I finally decided it was time to go. Right then, her alarm went off. It took another five minutes to actually get her out of bed, but eventually, we were on our way home. Since she was still half-asleep, I decided to drop her off. I opened her gate, practically holding her up as I walked her to her house, which was under Junghwan's place. His room light was still on. "I'm home!" she yelled, loud enough to inform the entire neighborhood.
On my way out of her house, I noticed that Junghwan's room was no longer lit. Well, guess we'll have to check up on that tomorrow.
Taek and I stood in the kitchen, determined and ready for battle. "You two should just quit while you're ahead. We all know this isn't going to end well," my dad remarked from the dining table, already bracing for disaster. "No way, Dad, this time we're nailing it!" I declared with confidence. We were attempting to bake a chocolate cake. I can cook just fine, but somehow, this cake was proving to be our ultimate nemesis.
"I'll call out the ingredients, and you grab them, okay?" I said, and Taek nodded like he had this under control. "Alright, first, flour, then brown sugar-" I looked over and saw him just staring blankly at the cabinets. "You know what, let's switch. You read the list, and I'll grab the stuff before we burn the kitchen down."
As we measured out the flour, Taek squinted at the recipe like it was written in a foreign language. "Are you sure this much is right?" he asked, holding up the cup. "Positive," I replied, even though I wasn't entirely sure myself.
We mixed the ingredients, and I swear, the batter looked like something out of a horror movie. But we were too far in to back out now. Taek dumped in the cocoa powder, and a puff of chocolate dust exploded into the air, covering both of us in a fine layer of cocoa. My dad chuckled from the table. "Looking good, chefs."
Ignoring him, we poured the lumpy batter into the pan, shoved it into the oven, and set the timer. "Now we wait," Taek said, wiping his cocoa-covered face with the back of his hand.
Half an hour later, the kitchen was filled with an odd smell-burnt, but also kind of sweet? We cautiously opened the oven door to reveal a cake that had somehow managed to be both burnt on the outside and raw in the middle. "What the hell is that?" I muttered in disbelief.
My dad burst out laughing. "Congratulations, you've invented a new kind of disaster. Want to try again?"
Taek and I looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. "Let's order takeout," we said in unison, abandoning the cake to its tragic fate.
We settled into our takeout, savoring the relief of food that didn't require a hazard suit. Taek was still scraping cocoa powder off the counter when I suggested, "Next time we cook, let's choose something we can't ruin. Like toast."
Taek laughed, "Yeah, toast is hard to mess up. Unless we invent burnt toast ice cream."
I nodded seriously, "That's a niche market. We could be trendsetters."
Just then, my dad chimed in from the table, "Are you two really going to give up on baking?"
I waved him off, "Dad, I think we've given the kitchen enough excitement for one day. I prefer my desserts without a side of smoke alarm."
Taek raised his takeout box in a mock toast. "To our next culinary adventure: something that won't set off the fire alarm."
We clinked our boxes together and dug in.
Doeksun had left earlier from the study room to visit her sister. I must've dozed off, probably from the exhaustion of the chocolate cake fiasco. I hadn't realized how late it had gotten, and now it was pouring rain. Taek had dropped me off, so I didn't have an umbrella. I dashed for home, clutching my bag above my head.
As I rounded the corner, I spotted Junghwan standing there with an umbrella. I walked up to him, stunned and unable to move. What was he doing here? Without a word, he pulled me under the umbrella. "You should stop being so careless," he said, gently guiding me under the umbrella.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, surprised.
"What do you think I'm doing?" he replied with a soft smile, his eyes locking onto mine.
I don't know what came over me, but in a sudden burst of courage, I pulled his face down and kissed him.
Junghwan's arms wrapped around me, pulling me closer as the rain continued to fall around us. The kiss deepened, both of us savoring the moment as if time had stopped. When we finally pulled away, our eyes met, and a shy smile played on his lips.
He just kept looking into my eyes. I was really confused, so I chuckled nervously, "What's up?" He smiled softly and said, "I like you." My smile immediately dropped as I tried to process his words.
"Who am I kidding? I love you," he said, chuckling. "Trust me, I've denied this for too long, but I'm not going to hide it just to regret it later." He looked at me intently. "What are you saying?" I whispered. "What do you think? We kissed around for fun? You think I'd do that with just anyone?" He sighed, looking down. "Taeyeon, I know it sounds a bit cringe, but ever since we were kids, I've liked you. It wasn't until recently that I realized that my feelings were about wanting to be with you."
"Junghwan, you better not be kidding with me," I said, searching his eyes for any sign of mischief. But all I found was pure sincerity. "I love you too, you idiot," I said, giggling as I leaned my forehead against his.
He smiled so widely I couldn't help but notice how adorable he looked in that puffer jacket. "Can I have the chance?" he asked, his eyes hopeful.
I looked at him, puzzled. "A chance for what?"
"To make you happy," he replied.
"What do you mean? You always make me happy," I said, giggling.
"Can I be your boyfriend?" he asked, his voice sincere.
"Always," I said with a smile, and we both leaned in for another kiss, sealing the moment with a promise of more to come.
