BunBun Mine // taekook

Chapter 23

Due to the sudden engagement arrangements, Y/N's studies were in disarray. It’s not as if missing two or three days would ruin everything, but for someone like Y/N, who always immersed herself in her books, skipping even a single day of studying felt like a void pressing on her chest.

Lingering in her heart was a neglected, unsavory love. The love that blossomed in her heart had no color, no contentment, only an incomplete sorrow. Her fate left her no choice but to coax her rebellious mind into focusing on her studies.

Finding Yeonjun wasn’t difficult, but finding love was. Pulling her tired body up from bed, she stood up. A dull ache pounded in her head, her eyes stinging. She didn’t mind; such discomfort was routine after a night of broken sleep.

Having recently changed her sleeping spot, drowsiness had been reluctant to visit her. After much tossing and turning, sleep finally showed mercy and embraced her late in the night. Now, the only medicine to revive her lifeless spirit was her faithful companion: tea. Every morning and night, tea was Y/N's steadfast friend.

Twirling her curly locks into a loose bun, Y/N stepped onto the balcony. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath, inhaling the calm of the morning. The scent of blooming jasmine flowers reached her nose, as if carried by the very essence of autumn.

Y/N's full lips stretched into a serene smile. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gazed into the distance. The balconies in this house were exceptionally beautiful, open on all sides. The light mist veiled the surroundings, though in vain—it couldn’t obscure the view. Winter was still a guest on the horizon, awaiting an invitation.

Sometimes Y/N thought of nature as an enigma—wild, calm, and mysterious all at once. Suddenly, her gaze fell upon the swing in the middle of the garden below. She had a cherished memory attached to that swing, a memory filled with warmth and love.

FLASHBACK

Aera had just finished draping her dress. In that moment, Y/N entered the room, her small feet tapping softly on the floor. She looked at Aera with innocent admiration. With her sharp nose, thick lashes, long curly hair, and slender lips, Aera was strikingly beautiful, fair enough to turn heads. She looked enchanting in a red dress.

Though Y/N only recently started understanding beauty, she was already captivated by Aera’s elegance. Aera slipped on her glass bangles and sat on the bed, her voice tender as she asked,

“What brings my little sweetheart here in such a rush?”

Y/N quickly walked over and stood beside her, then praised her,

“You’re beautiful, Aera auntie.”

“How many times will you say that? Don’t you know? You’re even more beautiful than I am.”

Y/N shyly smiled, her chin lowering slightly as she hesitated, before asking,

“Can you tie my hair like yours, auntie?”

Aera looked at her hairs, a hint of disappointment in her gaze—it had barely reached her neck, far too short for  the design like hers. Thinking for a moment, she took out two white ribbons from a box and asked,

“Why do you want it to look like mine?”

With her childlike honesty, Y/N replied,
“Yeonjun oppa said he really likes how your hair is tied. If mine is like yours, he might like me too.”

Aera tied her hair into two small ponytails on either side, a soft smile spreading across her lips as she gazed fondly at Y/N's face.

“Does Yeonjun not like you?”