The stars overhead were drowned out by the dazzling lights adorning the city below. The honking of car horns; the laughter of couples on the streets; and the drunken mumblings of bar goers all mixed together into a cacophony of bustling chatter. Everyone was out and about, getting prepared to have a good time with the lively night scene that Seoul provided.
Yet there was one place where such loud frivolity didn't reach.
In the sanctity of his penthouse, the careful turning of pages and Jumin's honey-smooth voice filled the silence. The words flowed softly through the room as he continued to read aloud the book he picked out for your bedtime story. Everything was quiet and tranquil; he wouldn't have it any other way.
However, your light snores caught his attention and he stopped, peering up curiously from his place. Judging by the way your breathing was deep and slow, it was obvious that you had long been zoned out. He observed you for a few minutes, taking note of the way your hair splayed over the covers as your body curled up ever so slightly under the blankets. You looked so peaceful, so serene…he tried to imagine just what was on your mind as you drifted from Dreamland.
The moonlight emanating from the window cast a soft light on your figure, giving you the appearance of an ethereal angel personally sent to him and him alone. Which, if he was being honest, wasn't hard to believe in the slightest.
Almost on a whim, Jumin brushed aside the hair that had fallen over your face, leaning down and pressing a soft kiss to your forehead. He lingered a little longer than he would have liked to admit; your gentle warmth against his lips was far too inviting after all.
"I…think I'm in love with you, MC."
The words fell out before he could stop them. But they felt so real, so natural, that he wasn't sure if he even wanted to stop them in the first place.
With all the white noise that surrounded him–gold-digging women, paparazzi rumors, and his unresolved feelings concerning Rika–he wasn't sure if he would ever be able to get a proper peace of mind. He just resigned himself to his role as the perfect CEO and heir, killing off any emotional ties for efficiency's sake. After all, it was what was expected of him. If there was one person whom he thought understood him perfectly, it was Elizabeth the Third. And yet she could never give him the true understanding that he so desperately craved.
Perhaps the bright future he envisioned beyond the strings was only available in his dreams.
His eyes drifted back to your sleeping form and a dawning realization struck him. He…wasn't alone anymore, was he?
From your first introduction into the RFA, you had been among the first to reach a hand out to him in the darkness. You had laughed alongside him and defended him against the other members' teasings. You were one of the only few who could hear the desperate cries that he hid so well behind a stone face. Around you, he could feel his troubles ease with each message that lit up his phone's screen.
And now you were in his home out of sheer concern for his well-being without seeing any sort of price tag attached.
He was tempted to press another kiss—this time into your soft, soft hair—but he was a gentleman and gentlemen restrained themselves. Even if there was a small voice nagging at him to stay in your presence a little longer. To relish in the calming sight of your chest rising and falling with the deep breaths of a peaceful rest.
He would just have to hope that he would one day have the courage to tell you and apologize for his rash actions.
Jumin turned on his heel, carefully placing the book back on its shelf. Casting one last longing gaze at your form, he smiled fondly before turning off the remaining lights and slowly closing the door.
…
As soon as you heard the soft click of the lock, you shuffled a little under the blankets and brushed your fingers hesitantly over your forehead where his lips just were. Your cheeks lit up in a bright shade of red, the heat rising to your face as you mulled over the words accompanying such an action.
"I think I'm in love with you, MC."
Those words echoed in the back of your mind. One of your hands rested over your chest, reveling in the way your heart beat erratically, whispering the unspoken feelings that you had yet to voice.
Your eyes began to close, consciousness slowly fading out as sleep lulled you back into the world of dreams. But the final thoughts that crossed your mind were spoken in the silence. A secret that you would have to keep to yourself for now.
"I think I'm in love with you too, Jumin."