KFPCA 15

Chapter  15

She knocked on the door, but there was no response. Kim Seung-hyun pushed the door open and saw a long lump rising from the middle of the soft bed.

“Ji-yong-ah? Ji-yong?”

She called out tentatively twice, but got no answer. She walked to the bedside and gently pushed Kwon Ji-yong, who was completely curled up under the covers. “Ji-yong-ah…”

“Hm?” A sound like a kitten’s mew came from under the covers.

“It’s two o’clock. Aren’t you getting up?”

“Hmm…” A hand emerged from under the covers, pulling the blanket away from his face to reveal Kwon Ji-yong’s sleepy, bleary-eyed expression. His voice was hoarse. “It’s two already?”

“Ne. If you sleep any longer, you won’t be able to fall asleep tonight.”

“Then I’ll get up.”

Seeing that Kwon Ji-yong was awake, Kim Seung-hyun went out.

After staring into space for a while in bed, Kwon Ji-yong came out of the room and saw Kim Seung-hyun standing at the kitchen counter, drinking water.

Hearing the sound, Kim Seung-hyun turned around and looked at Kwon Ji-yong’s disheveled hair. “Want some water?”

“Hmm…”

Kwon Ji-yong shuffled over, leaned against the counter, and held out one hand, waiting for Kim Seung-hyun to hand him the water.

After finishing a whole glass of warm water, he slowly came to his senses. “What are you doing this afternoon?”

“Reading.” Kim Seung-hyun held up a book. “I need to finish up the literature my advisor assigned, organize my notes and thoughts, and then prepare an outline for the seminar discussion the day after tomorrow.”

Kwon Ji-yong puffed out his cheeks and followed behind her. “What should I do then?”

He hadn’t rested like this in a long time—suddenly having nothing to think about felt a bit unfamiliar.

“You don’t like playing on your phone?” Kim Seung-hyun sat on the two-seater sofa, looking at Kwon Ji-yong standing before her. “Then keep me company while I read. You can pick something from my study.”

“Sure.”

Kwon Ji-yong chose a book that interested him from the study and sat down in the rocking chair on the balcony.

The sunlight was just right. Sitting there, soaking up the sun while reading—it couldn’t be more comfortable.

Kim Seung-hyun got up, brewed a pot of tea, washed some fruit, and placed them on the small dining table by the floor-to-ceiling window.

She pulled the sliding doors open to both sides. The dining table and chairs now served as the boundary between the balcony and the living room.

Kim Seung-hyun moved the dining chairs aside, pulled the small table within reach of both of them, and sat down again.

Basking in the sun, with a book in hand, hot tea and fruit beside him, Kwon Ji-yong smiled. What a truly comfortable life!

How comfortable was it?

Probably to the point that when Kim Seung-hyun finished the last bit of her book and was about to open her laptop to organize her notes, she turned her head and saw Kwon Ji-yong with his eyes closed.

The winter afternoon sunlight was as soft as teased cotton, slanting across the balcony. The air was filled with the warm scent of sunshine, mingling with the faint, sweet fragrance of the black tea beside him.

Kwon Ji-yong was curled up in the rocking chair, the open book resting on his lap, his long fingers still lightly touching the pages. His eyelashes cast a small, soft shadow beneath his eyes. With steady, even breaths, he slept peacefully and comfortably in the warm sun and tea aroma.

She knew she should wake him, but thinking about all the sleepless nights he’d probably endured recently—lying awake, waiting for dawn—Kim Seung-hyun couldn’t bear to disturb him.

Gently draping the blanket from the sofa over Kwon Ji-yong, she thought, *If you want to sleep, go ahead. I’ll keep you company tonight if I have to.*

Before long, the sunlight shifted its angle. The water-washed blue sky and white clouds gradually turned into warm orange, slowly transitioning to gray-blue, then deepening into a rich navy blue.

Kwon Ji-yong slowly woke. The warmth of the sun had faded, replaced by the cozy, soft embrace of the fragrant blanket.

His gaze passed over the small dining table. The living room light had been quietly turned on at some point. Under the warm golden glow, Kim Seung-hyun sat cross-legged on the carpet, bent over her work, writing. Her profile was softened by the light and shadow, and the room was perfectly still, save for the faint scratch of her pen against paper.

As if sensing his gaze, Kim Seung-hyun suddenly turned her head and met his eyes. Her brows curved into a gentle smile, and she asked softly, “You’re awake?”

“Hm, I’m awake.” Kwon Ji-yong let out a low response from his throat, his voice still carrying the lazy hoarseness of just waking. “Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Gwaenchanha. If you can sleep, sleep a little more.” Kim Seung-hyun shook her head and closed her notebook. “Hungry? Should we get dinner ready?”

Kwon Ji-yong drank the entire glass of tea beside him—now cold. “Are you hungry?”

“Not really.” Kim Seung-hyun stood up and took the blanket from Kwon Ji-yong. “Come inside. The sun’s gone down, and the balcony’s getting cold. If you hadn’t woken up, I would have called you anyway.”

“Ne~” Kwon Ji-yong replied in a soft, mumbling voice. “Feels like I slept for a really long time—didn’t even get to read.”

“That’s okay.” Kim Seung-hyun draped the blanket over Kwon Ji-yong, who was now sitting cross-legged on the sofa looking a bit dazed. “If you don’t finish it, take it back to Seoul as a souvenir.”

Kwon Ji-yong slumped sideways onto the sofa, boneless. “Wouldn’t that be a bit much—taking both food and gifts?”

“Don’t worry, noona permits it.” Kim Seung-hyun instinctively tried to get the upper hand verbally.

“Ne~”

This time, Kwon Ji-yong didn’t retort, which made Kim Seung-hyun a little uncomfortable. “What’s wrong? Did you lose your soul during that nap?”

“Ani.” Kwon Ji-yong shook his head, his gaze unfocused, speaking slowly. “I just feel too happy.”

Seeing Kwon Ji-yong lying there on the sofa, his face squished out of shape, Kim Seung-hyun reached out and stroked him, from his hair down to his cheek, her voice laced with laughter. “Aigoo aigoo, wuli Ji-yong is so cute~”

“Ji-yong-ah, can we discuss something?”

“…Hm?” Kwon Ji-yong’s tone was slow, half a beat behind. “What?”

“Be my dongsaeng for a month. Noona will let you use her card—you can even buy luxury items.” Kim Seung-hyun leaned in, her big eyes wide and sparkling with anticipation as she looked at Kwon Ji-yong, her voice full of temptation. “What do you think? What do you think?”

Kwon Ji-yong blinked, reached out, and pinched Kim Seung-hyun’s soft cheek, speaking slowly. “Not happening.”

Kim Seung-hyun sighed, lowered her head, and said with regret, “You’re awake now…”

“What’s that supposed to mean? Were you trying to trick me into an unfair deal while I wasn’t fully awake?” Kwon Ji-yong found it amusing.

“How is it unfair? It’s perfectly fair—I give you my card, you be my dongsaeng. Very fair!”

“Why?” Kwon Ji-yong laughed. “Why are you so obsessed with being the noona?”

“Ani!” Kim Seung-hyun shook her head, her expression serious. “It’s not about wanting to be a noona—it’s about wanting to be *your* noona. Wuli Ji-yong this year is really, really cute~”

As if afraid her words didn’t carry enough weight, Kim Seung-hyun pulled out supporting evidence.

Kwon Ji-yong craned his neck to look—it was two video clips.

One was from the *Strong Heart* stage. With sleek black hair, Kwon Ji-yong tugged at the front of his black suit jacket and introduced himself with a cocky grin: “Annyeonghaseyo, G-Dragon imnida!” Then, embarrassed, he covered his face with both hands and sat down.

The other was from Bigbang’s performances of “Sunset Glow” and “Last Farewell.” The clip opened with the golden-haired little lion letting out a “Yeah!” as he spread his arms wide, doing an S-curve drift across the stage. His eyes sparkled as he looked at the camera, perfecting his expression management even when it wasn’t his part, smiling with his signature eight white teeth.

“Cutest! So cute!”

Kwon Ji-yong also thought he looked pretty cool back then. A lot of people had called him the “National Little Brother” during that time. But—

“Aniya!” Kwon Ji-yong rejected without mercy. “I’m the oppa. Oppa can give you his card too—you can buy lots and lots of luxury items.”

“Aish…” Kim Seung-hyun sighed regretfully. “I didn’t expect that after ten years of friendship, our biggest disagreement would be this.”

“But why is there even a disagreement?” Kwon Ji-yong asked, amused. “I’m older than you! Kwon Ji-yong, born August 18, 1988, is the oppa of Kim Seung-hyun, born February 12, 1989!”

“Hmph!” Kim Seung-hyun huffed, getting up from the carpet and heading to the kitchen. She turned back to throw down a challenge at Kwon Ji-yong. “I’m never giving up on becoming the noona! I’m a very patient person!”

“Aish, Kim Sparkle, you’ve said you’re a patient person so many times now.”

**Author’s Note:**
*Both of them have that desire to be the one in charge!*

*2011 Ji-yong was really adorable—so many iconic moments.*

*Black-haired Strong Heart with that clueless puppy look, and that moment under the flashing lights when he took off his mask—absolutely stunning. Complete shy and cute little brother image.*

*And golden-haired, super handsome. The “Sunset Glow” + “Last Farewell” stage—good enough to watch once a day, so cool. Same golden hair, but 2009 was the prince complex; 2011 was pure baby dragon, little lion!*

*Sure enough, the only one who can beat Kwon Ji-yong is Kwon Ji-yong. But then again, has he really been beaten? I love them all!*

**Chapter 11**

“Because I really am a patient person!” After saying that, Kim Seung-hyun added, “It’s five o’clock. Let’s get dinner ready so we can wash up early and have more time for other things tonight.”

“Okay.” Kwon Ji-yong walked over. “Ready to show off your no-cooking skills?”

“Ne. I’m going to open your eyes.”

“What should I do?”

“Hmm…” Kim Seung-hyun tapped her chin. “Let’s prep the meat we bought today first.”

“Prep?”

“Ne—wash it clean, cut it into pieces, so we don’t have to deal with it next time we use it.”

“Okay. Lead the way, Chef Kim.”

“Now, please wash the ribs. There’s flour in the cabinet. Put the flour and ribs together in that stainless steel bowl and wash them until the water runs clear.”

“Okay.” Kwon Ji-yong worked as he asked, “Why add flour?”

“I don’t know.” Kim Seung-hyun was deveining shrimp. “My mom told me to—she said it gets them cleaner.”

“Alright then. Following mom’s advice can’t go wrong.”

Kwon Ji-yong washed the ribs, set aside the portion for tonight, patted the rest dry with paper towels, put them in a ziplock bag, and stored them in the freezer.