Let's Not Falling In Love (1st Book) (FIXED)

Weird

As the time went by, jeongyeon grew accustomed to their presence in her daily life.
She had learned that Momo, Mina, and Sana were all from Japan. Sana was an only child from Osaka. She was a gifted dancer, though she carried a strange trauma regarding Girls' Generation's "Taxi." Jeongyeon had also noticed that ever since their kiss incident, Sana often stole glances at her lips, quickly looking away whenever she was caught.
Mina was also from Osaka—a graceful ballerina whose father was a university professor and whose mother was a lawyer. Ever since she witnessed Jeongyeon kissing Sana, the girl crush had noticed the ballerina frequently dozing off while staring in her direction. Jeongyeon had no idea what was passing through Mina’s mind during those quiet moments.
Then there was Momo, an incredible dancer from the quiet city of Kyoto. Jeongyeon was genuinely relieved to learn that Momo was no longer working as a cabaret dancer; she had only taken the job temporarily to pay her college tuition.
Finally, there was Nayeon—the daughter of a wealthy family who was trying to carve out her independence by working as a lecturer. Jeongyeon often saw Nayeon carrying heavy stacks of files across campus, but as they had agreed to keep their distance while at the university, she couldn't offer a hand.
Back at the dorm, however, Jeongyeon would quietly finish Nayeon’s leftover work and clean up the mess left behind. She always did this while the older woman was fast asleep on the couch, surrounded by scattered papers. After gently tucking a blanket around her, Jeongyeon would often linger, watching over her late into the night.
Most of the time, Jeongyeon preferred her own company. She could happily spend hours inside her room doing things she enjoyed—building Lego sets, studying, playing mobile games, or strumming her guitar. Outside her door, the girls loved listening to her sing; her soft voice rarely failed to make their hearts flutter.
Still, there were moments she shared with everyone. They ate breakfast together every morning, and every Saturday night, they gathered for late-night snacks and movies.
"It’s pouring," Sana said with a sigh. Usually, they would have gone out to buy food for dinner.
"We could just order delivery," Momo suggested.
"No restaurant is going to deliver in weather like this, silly!" Nayeon snapped.
"Please, someone do something. I’m starving, I’m dying," Momo whined, slumping her head onto the dining table.
"Maybe we could cook, just for today?" Mina offered softly.
"Right, just for today—because right after we eat whatever we cook, we'll all die," the eldest interjected. "Remember the last time we cooked? We ended up with food poisoning. I’m not taking that risk again."
"Hmm... I think I could make tteokbokki for everyone," Jeongyeon offered shyly, rubbing the back of her neck. "I bought the ingredients yesterday. If you'd like?"
"Of course we would! Please, I’m starving," Momo begged.
"Are you sure you know how?" Nayeon asked, casting a doubtful glance.
"Why wouldn't I?" Jeongyeon rolled her eyes. "My dad is a chef. I used to make tteokbokki with him all the time."
"Just ignore her. Please cook for us, Chef Jeongyeon!" Sana pleaded.
Jeongyeon headed to the kitchen while the others sat at the table, watching her every move.
"All done and ready to serve," Jeongyeon announced a short while later, placing a bowl in front of each girl.
"Where’s mine?" Nayeon asked, noticing she was the only one without a bowl.
"Oh? I thought you weren't going to eat," Jeongyeon replied, pausing just as she was about to sit down.
Nayeon shot her a death glare and stood up to leave for her room.
"Whoa, hold on! I was only joking, ma'am," Jeongyeon chuckled, quickly heading back to the kitchen to fetch the remaining bowl.
"Here you go. Enjoy," she said with a warm smile, sitting down opposite Nayeon and next to Sana. Momo sat beside Jeongyeon, while Mina occupied the middle seat.
"Gomawo," Nayeon murmured, looking away shyly.
"You're very welcome... Miss Im," Jeongyeon teased gently.
Sana, Momo, and Mina struggled to suppress their laughter.
"Is something funny?" Nayeon asked, pouting.
"No, it's just... you’re cute, isn't she?" Momo said, trying to diffuse Nayeon's annoyance while nudging the others to agree. They nodded in unison.
"I know," Nayeon said proudly, playfully swatting Momo's shoulder.
The others were momentarily left speechless. It was amusing how a twenty-seven-year-old woman could act like a twelve-year-old child and boast so openly about her own cuteness.
As they ate, Jeongyeon found herself growing increasingly distracted by the sounds coming from the table.
"Shh... ah... hmm... ah..."
Momo was letting out soft, breathy noises as she ate. "It’s so spicy, but it’s so good! I can’t stop."
Jeongyeon froze, lowering her spoon. She glanced sideways at Momo, then turned toward Nayeon, who was making similar soft sounds.
"Shh... ah... yeah, this really is spicy," Nayeon muttered.
Jeongyeon then looked at Sana, who was staring right back at her, slowly licking her lips.
Jeongyeon lowered her head, taking slow, deliberate breaths. In and out. Calm down. She felt a sudden, embarrassing tightness in her trousers as her body reacted to the sounds around her.
"That's strange," Mina remarked thoughtfully, breaking the atmosphere. "I usually can't handle spicy food, but this seems fine to me."
"Shh... ah... I guess you've just grown used to it," Nayeon excused quickly. Sana and Momo nodded in hasty agreement, well aware of how innocent their youngest housemate was.
"Maybe..." Mina said hesitantly.
Jeongyeon tried to look away, but her gaze kept wandering back to them. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat, trying to find a position that would hide the prominent bulge, using her hands to cover her lap.
"Jeongyeon-ah, your nose is bleeding!" Sana exclaimed, reaching out in concern.
"Huh?" Jeongyeon touched her nose and felt the warm liquid. Momo quickly handed her a stack of tissues to wipe the blood away.
The girls gathered around her anxiously.
"Are you feeling alright?" Nayeon asked softly.
"Do you need to lie down in your room?" Mina offered, standing up to help her.
"No, no! I’m fine, really. Please, keep eating," Jeongyeon insisted frantically. She made desperate eye contact with Momo, tilting her chin down toward her lap to signal her predicament.
Catching the drift, Momo quickly stepped in. "Girls, her nose is still bleeding. It's probably better if she just stays sitting here and rests for a moment."
Thank goodness she understood, Jeongyeon thought, releasing a breath.
"If you need anything, just let us know, okay?" Sana said softly.
Jeongyeon nodded, leaning her forehead against the table with a tissue pressed to her nose, offering Momo a faint, grateful smile. Momo hid a small chuckle. Keeping her hands over her lap, Jeongyeon closed her eyes, trying to calm her racing pulse.
"So strange..." Mina murmured softly, as they quietly resumed eating.
After dinner, they spent the rest of Saturday night curled up on the couch watching Korean dramas and sharing late-night snacks—the simplest way to forget the quiet reality of being single.
"What are we watching tonight?" Momo asked, picking up the remote.
"There's a new drama called Whatever. Should we try it?" Nayeon suggested.
"Sure, let's watch that," Sana agreed.
It was Nayeon, Momo, and Sana’s turn to pick the genre. While Mina and Jeongyeon preferred action thrillers, the other three were fond of romances. Truthfully, Jeongyeon loved romance too, but she maintained a cool, reserved image in front of the group.
"Who is the lead actress? I haven't seen her before," Sana noted as the show began.
"That's Bona. She's a rookie actress who has been getting a lot of attention lately," Nayeon explained.
Jeongyeon was initially absorbed in a mobile game alongside Mina, but the name caught her attention. She raised her head toward the screen. It had been a long time since she had heard that name.
"Her visuals were trending on Naver recently," Momo added.
"Yes... she is beautiful," Jeongyeon said quietly, a faint, melancholy smile touching her lips.
The girls exchanged surprised glances. It was rare for Jeongyeon to pay attention to their dramas, let alone compliment an actress so openly. Yet her expression carried no joy; she stared at the screen with distant, sorrowful eyes.
Without another word, Jeongyeon stood up.
"Where are you going, Jeongyeon-ah?" Momo asked.
"To my room," Jeongyeon replied softly, turning away.
"You're not going to watch with us? Don't you like the actress?" Nayeon asked with a light laugh.
Jeongyeon paused in her tracks. "No," she said softly. "I don't like her."
She then walked down the hallway and closed her door behind her.
"The way she said that felt almost chilling," Nayeon remarked, letting out a nervous laugh. "If Bona heard that, she’d probably cry."
"Do you think she was jealous? She left right when the kiss scene came on," Sana mused.
Nayeon frowned slightly. "Maybe."
"Should I go to her room and kiss her so she feels better?" Momo offered, starting to stand up.
"Wait, stay here," Nayeon said, pulling Momo back by her shirt.
"Where are you going then?" Momo questioned as Nayeon stood up instead.
"Just to check on her."
"That's not fair! You wouldn't let me go!" Momo protested, and Sana nodded in agreement.
"Why don't we all go together?" Sana suggested with a sly grin, placing her arms around Nayeon and Momo. "We can share our affection. It's better than fighting over her."
"You're insane," Nayeon said, looking at her with disbelief before sitting back down to focus on the TV. Momo shook her head in amusement.
"What? Being unusual is my charm," Sana giggled softly.
She really is uniquely strange, they all thought.
"Let's just leave her be for now," Nayeon said quietly, staring at the closed bedroom door. They all knew Jeongyeon well enough to understand: as sweet, warm, and gentle as she usually was, there were moments when a shadow fell over her mood, making her cold and unreachable.
They didn't know the cause, but they knew better than to push. They would wait patiently, knowing that as soon as the storm passed, the warm of Jeongyeon would return to them.