kimchi ⇸ dks.

two

"kyungmi! i need help reaching the chilli powder!" he heard her snicker slightly before striding over to him, standing on her tiptoes while reaching up to the top cabinet. with a smug smirk adorning her face, she handed him the container of chilli powder, their fingers brushing gently. "hey! don't make fun of me! it's not my fault that you're like one and a half inches taller." kyungsoo whined, seeing her cackle to herself about his petite height as she tugged on his cheek with her fingers.

"yeah, yeah, whatever." she giggled, turning around to stir a pot of soup.

"i'm hoping this turns out right, i haven't made this in a while," she admitted sheepishly, adding in some black pepper and mixing it in.

kyungsoo came behind her, hugging her shoulders. "it smells great, so I'm sure it'll taste good too. thank you, kyungmi." she turned around swiftly, returning the embrace.

although kyungmi never knew it, kyungsoo had developed quite a crush on her. she noticed some strange behaviours - she is his best friend, after all - but never really commented on them, considering she thought it was because of stress.

in a few minutes, the soup was finished, the neon numbers on the stove indicating that it was one-thirty in the morning. "here, drink up," kyungmi said gently, pushing a bowlful to the tired do across from her. he smiled gratefully, hastily slurping up the tangy soup. after some moments of silence, kyungmi inquired, "do you want to talk about it?"

he sighed, dropping his spoon back into his bowl. kyungmi's hair was a mess - dyed brown-blonde haphazardly pulled into a braid, strands falling out to frame her face. she fumbled with it for a bit before kyungsoo called her over, sitting her down between his knees to redo her braid. "well, there was this one customer." he heaved out, crossing her soft locks over each other.

"and he asked for kimchi. so i told him, 'sorry sir, this is a chinese restaurant.' then he asked for chicken chow mein." kyungmi hummed to indicate that she was listening, her eyes contentedly closed at the feeling of kyungsoo's fingertips gently brushing her neck. "then when i gave him the food, he said that i did his order wrong, and that he asked for kimchi. before he could get riled up about it, minji came and told him off."

kyungmi clapped. "minji to the rescue!"

kyungsoo chuckled quietly, tying off her hairdo with the elastic she handed him.

"well, i have news too." kyungmi exclaimed, in a slightly higher octave than what she'd usually use.

kyungsoo ruffled her hair, causing her to whine in protest. "what is it?"

shuffling out from between his knees and trying to fix her hair with a pout, she leaned against the wall behind kyungsoo's chair. "well i met this guy the other day, and he's pretty cool." kyungsoo felt himself deflate as she continued. "and he asked for my number, and - don't get mad - i gave it to him because he was cute."

kyungsoo playfully punched her shoulder, a pained smile etching itself onto his lips. "kyungmi, i told you not to give your number to strangers," he shook his head, continuing to speak. "though I think someone's got a crush," he teased, turning back to the soup.

"sorry," she sheepishly shrugged, tucking some of her bangs behind her ears, "but anyways yeah, we've been hitting it off pretty well and i kinda have a date with him tomorrow."

"oh?" he asked, grinning. "then i guess you have some outfit planning to do," he rested his chin on his hand, pale skin illuminated by the low light in their dining room.

she offered him a bright smile. "yeah, i do. but before that. i was wondering..." she trailed off, biting her lip. "can we cook together again? like maybe now? i know it's late and all, but-"

"yes. kyungmi, i would love to cook," he intervened, quite happy that she had suggested what she did. they hadn't cooked together in weeks now, and the fact that it was nearly 2am didn't seem to be bothering either of them. he quickly finished his soup, carrying the empty bowl to the sink.

soon enough, the two had gathered vegetables and sauces, cooking in a peaceful and comfortable silence alongside one another. kyungsoo was cutting zucchini, gently sliding the sharp knife back and forth across the vegetable.

kyungmi watched from a distance, leaning against the stainless steel fridge, the low light in the kitchen bringing out her very prominent eyes and cheekbones. she noticed the way kyungsoo's back heaved with every breath, how the circles under his wide eyes seemed darker than usual, and how tiredness consumed his being.

i will cheer him up, she vowed, uncrossing her arms and pushing herself off the fridge. before she could move any further, a sharp inhale from kyungsoo had her rushing to his side and taking in his finger that was seeping warmth.

"oh no," kyungmi said, taking his bloody finger in her hand. in a haste, she grabbed some paper towel, wrapping it around his finger to absorb the maroon liquid. "i'll be back with a band-aid, okay?"

he opened his mouth to protest, but she was already running to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit. kyungsoo sighed, holding the paper towel to his injured hand. "i always manage to get hurt, huh."

he reached his hand up to his heart, where it was aching already from what kyungmi had told him. a strangled laugh left his lips. "i'm stupid. of course she'd never like me—we're only friends."

"who would never like you?"

kyungsoo jumped at the close proximity of her voice, letting out a small yelp. "yah! you scared me," he admitted, a blush dusting his pale cheeks. that was close.

she patched him up without a word, though her eyebrow was raised. "so, who is she?"

he sighed; he'd have to make up a lie. "i-it's minji," he choked out, heart hammering against his chest as he felt her shake with laughter. "stop laughing." he pouted, thick lips pulled tight against each other.

"good luck, man. minji is lowkey crazy." patting his shoulder, kyungmi silently began to clean up. "but you're an amazing person, soo. just remember that. if she doesn't like you, then just know that there's someone a million times better for you."

kyungsoo smiled sadly, watching her tidy up the kitchen.

"right," was what he found himself answering, "thank you."

but his heart broke a little more, hearing her words.

how come you don't like me then? if i'm all that great, then maybe I'm not good enough for you, kyungmi. but I'm willing to wait, as long as it takes.

because the girl who's a million times better than minji, is you.

an;
lmao guys the update time for this book is like once a week, okay? i'm just really excited so i'm updating anotha one. i hope you guys are enjoying it so far! the plot will pick up soon ;)