"Ahmm…” Chawoon whispered.
“Yes?” Ayesha leaned closer, curious, her heart already beating fast.

“Actually, I…”
He hesitated, his fingers nervously tapping his leg.
“I want to say… ahmm… that… yes!! Best of luck for tomorrow’s program. I know you will win.”
He flashed his shy dimple smile.

He was so close to confessing… but ended up saying this instead.

“Really? You just wanted to wish me good luck?” Ayesha laughed softly.
“You could’ve said that in front of everyone…”

“Yes, I can… but I wanted to tell you alone.”
He scratched the back of his neck.
“Don’t worry about your act. I believe you will win the hearts.”
Like you won mine, he said silently in his heart.

Ayesha felt her cheeks warm.
“Thank you…” she said with a small smile.“Um… can I ask you something?”

“huh??” Chawoon blinked, confused and cute and after a second he smiled
“Okay! I’m ready to answer it!” he said, eyes lighting up.

Ayesha inhaled deeply and she began slowly “I want to know… why you trust me so much. Even though you don’t know me that much… but you were always there for me. she paused and looked at the floor

"When I had no one by my side, you were there. You always made me feel better.....And this makes me…”

Her voice cracked tears slowly filled her eyes.

“And this makes me fall for you…
I’m in love with you.”

Her lips trembled.
“The way you smile makes my heart race… I can’t control it anymore,” she whispered.“I really love you… ahm…”

Tears slipped down her cheeks, one after another.

Chawoon stood frozen, like a statue  too shocked to move, too stunned to speak.

Ayesha’s breath broke as she cried, quiet sobs escaping her chest.

And then…

She snapped out of it.

Everything she had said every word, every confession had only existed in her imagination.
But the tears were real.

Because the feelings were real.

“What ?” confused
“You wanted to ask something, right?” Chawoon asked gently.

Then he noticed. “Ayesha… are you crying?? What happened? Did I say something that made you cry?!”

“N...no! Something went in my eyes,” she said quickly, rubbing them.

“Wait, let me see...i” he moved closer.

“No!! Stop!” She stepped back instantly.
“Ahh… I think it’s gone.... I’m fine now.” she said clearing her throat

Chawoon awkwardly lowered his hand, embarrassed.

A few seconds of heavy silence hung between them.

Then he swallowed hard.“Q..question?”

“Oh! Yes.” She wiped her tears.
“I wanted to ask… ahh… why you trust me so much? Even though you don’t know me… nor am I your friend?”

Chawoon chuckled softly, finding her innocent question adorable.

“Alright, so this is the answer…”
He smiled gently.
“Your heart is pure, I observe that. And I don’t know about others, but I can say your eyes speak the truth.

He looked at her as continuing

If you want to trust people, it’s not important that the person should be your friend.
Sometimes you feel you know everything about her without knowing her name…”

Ayesha’s heart melted. She gave him a soft smile.
“Thank you, Chawoon.”

“No need, yaar,” he said casually.

Ayesha raised her eyebrows. “Wait you said yaar?!”

“Yes! As I said before learning a new language!” he said proudly, lifting his shoulders.

She giggled. “Oh, I see....learning fast already.”

He giggled back.

“So… now can I go?” Ayesha asked softly.

“Yeah… sure,” he said, giving her a respectful gesture to go, watching her as she walked away.

As she walked away, Chawoon admired her quietly, completely lost in her.

Then Ayesha turned back gasped
She caught him staring.

Her heart nearly burst.
She wanted to scream,

Don’t look at me like that, with that smile…
I’ll only fall in love with you more and more.

She turned back and  hurried outside without looking back. As she whispered

"Allahumma Khirli Wakhtarli"

"Ya Allah, protect my heart from loving in the wrong way.”

Outside the college,

Umer was the first one who went home leaving the four behind
later Ahmed and Min Joon went as well

while Ji Won and Ameena stayed behind, still talking softly near the entrance.

Ahmed adjusted the strap of his bag as he was stepping into the parking lot, the  air slightly cooler now.

But Ahmed wasn’t alone. He noticed

A small cat kept following him slow steps, tiny meows as if begging, Take me with you…

Ahmed stopped and knelt down.
“You want to come with me?” he asked softly.

“Meow…” the cat let out a low, sad sound.

His heart melted.
He smiled, carefully picked her up, and gently patted her head.

“Alright then,” he whispered. “If you want to be a family member…so why not...we have to do some shopping.”

He placed her gently in his car and drove to the pet shop, buying everything she needed food, toys, a bed… even a little cute bow.

He couldn’t explain why…
but he already felt attached to her.

Outside the college

Ji-won smiled softly as she listened, but a tiny thought crossed her mind.

"...ahhh stop it Ji won.

Just then, Ayesha came running toward them, slightly breathless.

“Let’s go!” she said quickly.

Both Ameena and Ji-won looked at her, curious.

Ameena asked politely but sparked in her eyes , “So… what did he say?”

“He wished me best of luck for tomorrow,” Ayesha replied, trying to sound casual.

Ameena looked confused.
“That’s all?” she murmured

Ji-won smiled warmly. “That’s sweet. Good luck again for tomorrow.”

Ayesha nodded "thank you"
and quickly grabbed Ameena’s hand.“Okay! Goodbye, Ji-won.sorry We have to leave now!”

Ji-won waved.“Goodbye. Don’t skip your meal!”

“Bye!” Ayesha smiled as she and Ameena walked away.

The moment they were a little far, Ameena stopped, turned to her, and whispered sharply“You are lying,right? ”
Ameena narrowed her eyes “Wait. No...does he prop.....she grap her mouth " Huh!...Don’t be shy! Tell me, I’m like your sister!”

“No!! No! Why will he say that?!
I’m telling the truth!”

Ayesha pointed at Ji-won and Chawoon.“Look… they both look so perfect together. See how happy they look.”

Ameena glanced at them  talking, laughing, looking comfortable.

“Hmmm… but…she looked at them again“...okay. Maybe you’re right.”

Ayesha nodded quickly and immediately said “Let’s go, I’m hungry…”

“Okay, but today is your turn to cook,” Ameena teased.

“Yes, yes, I’ll make tasty food today.”

Both giggled and walked away.

Meanwhile, Chawoon & Ji-won

Ji-won and Chawoon were walking together, talking about random things, when suddenly she remembered something.

“ohh...Chawoon, I wanted to show you this,” Ji-won said, taking out her phone.“Have you seen this?”

Chawoon blinked. “What is it… my brother?”

Ji-won paused. “You haven’t seen it?? I watched it yesterday. Kim Min-kyu didn’t tell you about all this?”

Chawoon gave a small, bitter smile.
“No… he didn’t. He only said he had a press conference.”

They stopped near a small café and sat down. Ji-won played the video.

It was a media clip of Kim Min-kyu at the J&N press conference.

Reporter: “Is it true the manager, Yuseok, betrayed the company by working with Mr. Johns?”

Kim Min-kyu: “Yes. Yuseok was a traitor all along. He cooperated with Mr. Johns, and they both even tried to harm me because of business rivalry. Mr. Johns is Yuseok’s uncle.”

People in the video murmured loudly.

Reporter: “But manager Yuseok has been with you for years. You didn’t notice anything?”

Kim Min-kyu: “I trusted him the most. He was good at his work. He never talked about his family… he always said he lived alone.”

Another reporter stepped forward.

Reporter: “It feels like there's something deeper than business rivalry. Is it true?”

For a moment, a flicker passed through Min-kyu’s eyes.

Kim Min-kyu: “No. It’s only about money, nothing else.”

He immediately refused more questions and left with bodyguards.

As the video ended, Chawoon exhaled slowly.." he is hiding something for sure " Whispered

He had noticed it too that same flicker in Min-kyu’s eyes, just like the day he avoided answering him

Ji-won leaned back. “Hmm… I’m glad both of them are in prison now. But… I don’t know. It feels like Kim Min-kyu became a bit sad and tired after all this, right?”

Chawoon nodded softly.
“Yeah… it’s too much to handle. I just hope I can do at least something for him.”

Ji Won was lost in thought.
“Hm… what if we give him a good rest? A complete rest?”

Chawoon smiled. “Yeah… not a bad idea.”

They both walked ahead, quietly thinking about the plan.

At Ahmed's house

Ahmed happily talking to the cat.
“Look how much we bought for you!” while showing her the cat foods

Suddenly Umer appeared. His eyes widened at all the cat items.

“Ahmed… are you okay? Or… WAIT… are you a secret cat-man on a secret mission? And you never told me?!” he Gasped and held his mouth

Ahmed burst out laughing.
“What are you even saying? Look at this cute little cat!”

Umer leaned closer to the cat and gave an awkward smile.

“What? A real cat?! Hashh...it would’ve been more fun if you were a cat men.  He sighed "So… you decided to have a pet?”

“Yes! And you won’t believe… I used to be SO afraid of cats. I...”
He was excited to share but

Umer didn’t let him finish and started laughing loudly.

“Really? Afraid of a CAT? Not a lion, not a tiger… but hahahaha CAT! Meow! Meow!”
He imitated the cat. “ scared ?”

When he saw Ahmed giving him a deadly look, he tried to control himself.

“Huhh… okay… okay… I’m fine,” he said, still snorting.

Ahmed sighed. “If you don’t stop, get out of my room.”

“No, no, I’m fine! Tell me...were you really scared of cats?”
He tried to hold his laugh, face completely red.

“Promise you won’t laugh,” Ahmed said, his voice unusually serious.

Umer thought for a moment, tapping his chin dramatically.
“Hmmm… I’ll try…”

“No. Then I won’t tell you,” Ahmed said immediately, narrowing his eyes.

Before Umer could react, Ahmed grabbed his arm and started pushing him out of the room.

“Hey wait! What are you doing?” Umer protested, trying to hold onto the doorframe. “Okay, okay! I promise! I won’t laugh!”

Ahmed paused, still holding the door, studying him carefully to see if he meant it.

“Good,” he said at last, stepping aside and letting him back in.

Ahmed took a deep breath.
“So… when I was a kid, in Pakistan… I was playing alone...

Umer leaned in slowly, his eyes widening as if Ahmed was about to reveal a life-changing secret.

"A small grey cat was eating something near the road. I went near her and tried to touch her… and she scratched me so hard that the mark is still here.”

He showed Umer the scar.
“I always had to go to the doctor for treatment. An injection every single time.”

He paused, his jaw tightening slightly as the memory crossed his mind.

“Since then… until yesterday…” he swallowed softly, “…I had a phobia of cats.”

He let out a small breath, almost embarrassed to admit it, his eyes briefly dropping before looking back up.

Umer nodded slowly.
“Ohhh… that’s why. Even the cat doesn’t like you.”

Ahmed immediately pointed toward the cat sitting comfortably in her lap.
“Are you blind and an idiot both?”

Umer let out a laugh. “Okay, okay....just kidding! But seriously… why didn’t you tell me before?”

Ahmed smirked. “Because I know you. You would’ve laughed like a donkey. Just like earlier.”

“Really?” Umer rolled his eyes dramatically.

Right then, a soft “meow” filled the room.

Umer glanced at the cat and tilted his head. “Ohhh… so what’s her name? Have you decided anything yet?”

“No… I was thinking, but I didn’t get a good name yet.”

“No problem, cat men” Umer said, patting his back.

They both started playing with the cat like little kids.

At Chawoon’s House

Chawoon and Min Kyu were sitting in the living room.

“Chawoon, I decided to go shopping today,” Min Kyu said.

“Pardon? Don’t you have office?” chawoon asked startled

“No. I don’t have the mood. I want to spend some family time.
So, after one hour be ready  and tell Mom too.”

“Okay!! I’m excited!” Chawoon grinned,as he stood up ,

Then he whispered, “We were already so confused about what to do… and he came up with the best plan all on his own.”

When he started to go his room, Min Kyu stopped him.

“Wait… I wanted to say one more thing,” he said softly, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Yes?” Chawoon looked at him, eyebrows slightly raised in confusion.

“If you want… you can tell Ji-won to join us.”

For a second, Chawoon just stared at him. Then his face lit up. “Really?! I’ll call her!”

Min Kyu walked away, shaking his head with a small smile at chawoon's sudden excitement

A few minutes later, Chawoon sat on the edge of the couch and excited dialed Ji-won’s number.

Her phone rang…

And she answered.

“Hi,” Chawoon said spark in her eyes

“Hi. So what made you call me?” she asked curiously.

“You won’t believe it! My brother came up with a plan all by himself. He said he wants  to spend some time with family and also you can join us for shopping if you’d like.”

There was a small gasp on the other end. “Really?! I’ll definitely come! What time?”

“After an hour. We’ll pick you up from your house.”

“Okay! Now hang up...I need to get ready!”

Chawoon laughed softly, shaking his head. “Okay, don't be late...bye!”

After one hour...

They picked Ji-won up and drove to one of the most famous malls in Seoul.

After entering, Chawoon and his mom got busy checking some items in one section.

Ji-won wandered into another store, quietly looking through dresses on her own.

Just then, Kim Min Kyu walked toward her.

“Ji-won, how are you?” he asked, his deep voice coming from behind.

She was so focused on the dresses that she jumped slightly. “Huh! You scared me,” she said, placing a hand on her chest before sighing. “I’m fine.”

“Sorry about that… enjoy,” he replied with an awkward smile before walking away.

A few steps later, he muttered to himself, lightly tapping his forehead, “I’m such an idiot…”

Time skip .・。.・゜✭・

After a few minutes, he noticed Ji-won standing still in front of another store. She hadn’t moved for a while.

From outside, he saw her staring at a particular dress displayed near the window.

She walked closer and checked the price tag.

Her eyes widened. Her mouth slightly opened.

“What? So expensive!” she whispered to herself. “I should go to another store…”

And she quietly walked away.

Kim Min Kyu had been watching her from outside.

His expression softened.

Without hesitating, he stepped inside the store.

“I could buy the whole mall for you, Ji-won…” he murmured under his breath, his eyes following her retreating figure.

The dress



It was a long, red velvet prom dress perfect for her, as he knew she loved red.

The moment he saw it, he didn’t even think twice. He purchased it without a second thought.

Meanwhile, Chawoon and his mom were roaming around, carrying a few shopping bags. Suddenly, Chawoon stopped in front of a hijab store.

Rows of soft fabrics in pastel and deep shades were displayed beautifully.

The moment he saw them, Ayesha came to his mind.

He smirked to himself. "I’m so in love with her…"

His mom noticed him standing still. “Why did you stop? Do you want to buy one?”

“Wh...What? Nooo! Mom, stop kidding,” he said quickly, getting a little embarrassed and looking away.

She laughed softly. “Alright, alright. Let’s go.”

As she turned around to look for Ji-won and Min Kyu, her smile faded slightly.

“Wait… where is Ji-won? And Min Kyu?” she asked

Chawoon looked around. “They were just with us. Where did they go?” confused

Both of them started scanning the crowd, their eyes searching.

Just then, Ji-won came running toward them.

“Sorry! Sorry! I forgot I’m not alone here,” she said, slightly out of breath.

“It’s okay,” his mom smiled warmly. “Did you buy anything?”

“No… not yet,” Ji-won replied with a small chuckle.

“Where is Min Kyu? Call him,” his mom urged to Chawoon.

Chawoon was about to take out his phone

When Min Kyu suddenly appeared in front of them.

“What are you all doing here?” he asked casually.

“We were waiting for you,” his mom replied little relief

“Why?” he raised an eyebrow confused and looked at chawoon

“Because we came here to shop together… but it doesn’t look like that,” she said meaningfully.

Min Kyu smiled softly. “Mom, sorry. From now on, we’ll shop together.”

He gently held his mom’s hand and gestured for the others to follow him.

Ji won and chawoon smiled and followed him

Time skip .・。.・゜✭・

After shopping, Kim min suggested, “Let’s eat something. What do you all want?”

After eating, they were about to leave the restaurant.

Chawoon grabbed the shopping bags, and his mom was adjusting her purse while Ji-won walked beside them.

Just as they were heading toward the exit ...

“Excuse me.”

A man stepped in front of them, blocking their way.

They all paused.

“Sorry, ma’am. I think you forgot this in our store,” he said, handing Ji-won a bag, and then walked away.

Ji-won froze, looking at Chawoon with a confused expression.

Behind, Min-kyu felt satisfied. "Yes… exactly what I planed.. "

When he purchased that dress, he quietly convinced the storekeeper to deliver it to her later without telling her anything and  Payed  him extra for it

She noticed the bag in his hand the logo of an expensive brand clearly visible.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh! … WHAT! … how…?” she stammered, looking at the bag , completely shocked but happy

Min-kyu was standing a few steps behind her, pretending to look elsewhere, but his lips curved into a quiet smile as he watched her reaction.
She looks so happy… that’s enough for me, he thought.

“but ...I… haven’t bought anything from their ?” Ji-won asked her aunty, still confused.

“I think you didn’t remember… that’s why he gave it to you,” Chawoon said calmly.

“Yes, he’s right,” Min-kyu agreed, hiding the little blush on his cheeks.

Ji-won let out a small sigh, thinking for a moment.
She decided to keep the dress with her, a little flustered but happy.

And Min-kyu quietly followed, just smiling to himself, satisfied seeing her hold the dress like it was a treasure.

                    ────୨ৎ────
***********************************

.
.
How was it?
What will be the ji won's reaction when she saw that dress

well continue reading and dont forget to vote and comment ,it's the only thing that writer want 🤧😗