stardust | park seonghwa - Chapter 16: Chapter 16

SEONGHWA rushes to me as soon as San and I get back to the house. According to him, my face looks paler than before. His hands are on both of my cheeks as he takes a closer look, brows knitted together in focus. He then sighs, before looking at San accusingly.
"What did you do?" the blonde asks with his hands on his hips.
San rolls his eyes, "nothing. She's just not feeling well."
The younger one of the two then leans closer to me. "I'll get something for you to change into," he says and he walks off. Seonghwa exhales, irritated. His eyes then scan over me, frowning at San's blue jacket tied around my hips.
"Why are you wearing this?" he asks, tugging at the sleeve. I panic, thinking he was about to untie it and so I stumble back a little, tightening the knot of the sleeves more. There's a pinching feeling at the pit of my stomach but I ignore the pain.
"N-nothing," I squeak. Seonghwa gives me a side eye, suspicious before walking past me and holds the door open.
He nods outside, "well, don't you want to go now? Especially since you're looking unwell."
I hesitate for a moment, looking back at the hallway where San had disappeared off to. Seonghwa follows my gaze, lifting his eyebrow at the empty corridor. I find myself shifting under his eyes. "You're waiting for San to come back?" Seonghwa asks, closing the door.
"Well..." I murmur as I scratch the back of my neck.
Before Seonghwa could ask me anymore questions, I hear San's fast footsteps echoing down the hall in almost thundering chorus of stomps. Soon after, his red hair appears from the behind the walls and in his hands are two pairs of jogger pants. When his eyes meet mine, San smiles sheepishly, handing me both the pants. "I don't know what size you are so I got you one of the smaller ones I have, I hope that's okay," he tells me.
"If the other one doesn't fit, just throw it somewhere, I'll pick it up after," San places his hands on my shoulders and steer me into a bathroom not to far from where we were standing. I can feel Seonghwa's curious stare burning on my back.
After changing into one of the smaller one of the two, I neatly fold the other pair as well as the jacket San gave to me before heading out the door. When I call to ask San where to place it, he tells me to just throw it somewhere. So I shake my head and put it by the bathroom door, placing it down neatly on the floor.
Seonghwa then stands in front of me when I get back up. He tilts his head to the side, as if asking me what happened. "It's nothing, it's fine," I wave him off.
"So you don't feel cramps?" and I pause, caught off-guard.
"He told you, didn't he?" The boy simply smiles down at me when the throbbing feeling starts to come a little harder, making my face twist in a frown.
"I thought San did something to you at first," he laughs, placing his arm around my shoulders as he guides me to San's living room. "Made you stumble and had your nose bleeding or something."
"No, he didn't, my nose is prefectly fine," I tell him, looking up to glance at his side profile. "I'm really sorry if I stained your car seats, I'll clean them after if there's anything..."
Instead of a look of discomfort or disgust, or anything else negative I was bracing myself for, Seonghwa chuckles and ruffles my hair. "It's fine, I can't stop it from happening now, can I?"
"But still..."
"Shush," he places a finger on my lips to signal me to be quiet and speak no more of it.
The blonde then sits me down on a velvety couch that almost engulfed me whole when I lean back on it. He tells me not to move, for me to stay put and even turns the tv on for me without asking me what I wanted to do.
San strolls into the room soon after Seonghwa leaves to the kitchen, babbling how he'll brew some hot tea for my cramps or whatever he said. The younger cousin takes a seat on top of the couch armrests, mouth busy munching on a piece of bread his hand is slowly bringing up to his mouth. "Seonghwa hyung's such a fussy person when someone's on their time of the month, sorry about that," he says.
"I can see that," I comment, making San's head turn my way. He grins before paying his attention back at the tv, "He only does that to the people he cares about though, in example; his mum, our girl cousins... and now I guess, you're on the list."
"Really? Not even you guys?" I blurt without much thinking.
San pauses for a moment, before chortling up in laughter. "We're guys, Hyeshin."
"Oh, yes, you're right," I grin sheepishly, feeling my ears reddening. Then I frown when the pain at the bottom of my stomach throbs more and I bite the bottom of my lips to stop myself from whimpering in pain. San was next to me, it only made sense for me not to say anything to not put him through more trouble. Of course, like every other months, this always happened but usually I'd be able to curl into my own bed with a hot pack pressed to the bottom of my stomach and you know, suffer with my bowl of ice cream.
With my back pushed further into the couch, I watch the screen of the tv tight-lipped. From how quiet I've gotten, San glances at me with worry. "Does it hurt?" he asks, brows furrowing with concern.
I only give him a small smile.
"I'm sorry, I don't really understand all this but Seonghwa hyung does a little, I think," he tells me before getting off the arm rest and popping the rest of his bread into his mouth. "I'll call him, okay?"
And Choi San zooms out the room with his arms flailing around him, shouting Seonghwa's name at the top of his lungs.
The said older boy comes soon after San's "SEONGHWA HYUNG" siren quietens down. In his hands are a tray with a ceramic teapot and a small mug, in which he sets down on the coffee table in front of us and takes a seat beside me. "I've looked through San's first aid kit and couldn't find anything that could help, sorry, they must've ran out," he purses his lips apologisingly, "but I did make you some tea, I hope you like chamomile."
"You really don't have to, you know?"
"But I want to," Seonghwa tells me, "I know how much of a bitch cramps can be." I tilt my head questioningly.
He then turns to face me, resting is arm on the backrest of the couch and his head pressing against his palm. He sighs, a faraway look in his eyes. "San stuck on simulators when we were in high school to wake me up one morning," Seonghwa frowns at the memory and I gape at him. "Don't ask me where leech got the cursed thing, but he did."
"I was traumatised!" Seonghwa dramatically leans in, with his free hand waving in the air to add to the effect.
I laugh, "so that's why he said you understand a little!" His cheeks turn into the faintest hue of pink at my sentence and I wouldn't thought it was just the way the afternoon sun hits his face thought the windows if the much redder colour of his ears didn't give him away.
"Yeah, you could say that."
"Therefore, you should drink it," Seonghwa nods at the teapot on the table. I stick out my bottom lip. It's not that I don't want to drink it, I'm too lazy to get it and I'd much rather clutch my stomach like it'll burst if I don't. Judging from how he helped me cook chicken soup a few weeks back, I can tell something as simple as his chamomile tea would taste just as good. But like I said.
When all I do is stare at the teapot in front of us, Seonghwa sighs. "Man, you sure are different when you're on your thing," he mumbles.
I watch as he slides off the couch and sits on the floor, pouring the tea into the small mug. Before handing it to me, he retracts the cup when my hand was about to reach for it. "Don't just grab the sides!" he scolds me, whacking my wrist when I was about to touch the sides of the cup carelessly, "hold the handle!"
"Yes, mother," I roll my eyes. Seonghwa mocks my tone in a small mutter but he hands me the mug anyway, making sure my fingers are curled around the handle. God, he's such a mum.
"I heard that!"
I flash him a grin before blowing lightly into my mug, watching the steam fly off the surface and finally taking a small sip. Personally speaking, chamomile tea isn't very my thing. It tastes flowery in a way, it's too herbal for my tongue and I'd much prefer normal jasmine tea with 2 teaspoons of sugar. Of course, I don't tell Seonghwa that. However when I feel the hot liquid go down my throat and into my stomach, a nice wave of warmth heats up the pit of my stomach and I sigh. The throbbing lessens at the sensation and I find myself liking this kind of tea just a little bit more.
From the top of my eyes, I can see Seonghwa smiling at me and they get wider when I give him back the empty mug.
"You like it?" he asks, even though knowing what my answer will be. The blonde then goes back to sit next to me as I curl up next to him, hauling my legs to go over his lap when he pulls me closer.
"Yeah, it's nice," I answer, "thank you."
"You're welcome!" Seonghwa chirps brightly, "now tell me if you feel anything uncomfortable, I'll do anything."
"Does that include doing all my assignments?" I joke, looking up at Seonghwa mischievously. His face twists into his iconic disgusted look. "Heck no."
"Awh, that's a shame," but I clutch Seonghwa's shirt when my stomach hurts a little more.
Seonghwa notices my grip on his clothes and glances down at my hand. I can sense his worry, face laced with concern as he thinks of what to do. So he offers me another cup of tea but I shake my head, humming to tell him no.
"Then what should I do?" he asks, hand rubbing circles on my back.
I shrug, "honestly, I don't know. I usually wait this out and just... pretend to die in my bed at home."
I let out a small laugh when Seonghwa tsks.
"I don't know how you girls do this every month."
"I know right, I wonder how I'm surviving this too," I say as I tuck a strand of my hair behind my ear. "When I first got it, this hurt more. Trust me, this is somehow better."
"I barely had the simulator on for thirty seconds and I was ready to give everything up!" Seonghwa tells me, wide eyed, hugging me tighter.
"Are you sure you don't want more tea?" he asks before his face turns to hit a realisation, gasping a little. "You don't like chamomile, don't you? Oh my God, Hyeshin, why didn't you tell me? I could make you a different one, do you like green tea? Jasmine tea?"
I pull back Seonghwa's body when he gets ready to lift himself off the couch. Shaking my head, I tell him it's fine and I don't mind the taste. It was something new. Seonghwa nods slightly, saying "okay" and continues to rub my back.
There was no denying that my heart is speeding up now. Seonghwa is caring, too caring for my heart's own liking. I was a person who would literally fall for a person's words that are even close to being kind. So being treated all nice like this, I was in a malfunction. Not to mention that Park Seonghwa, from what I've heard from Yeosang and a lot of people in my classes, is everyone's dream angel.
Even more so when Seonghwa lifts me to properly sit on his lap and had my legs to wrap around his waist. I don't complain despite how intimate the position is — it was too comfortable. I find that hugging Seonghwa's body took my mind off the churning of my muscles, so I bury my face in his neck and inhale his scent. I feel his hands rubbing my back in comfort and I melt in his embrace.
"You know, this is kinda nice," Seonghwa says quietly with a tiny laugh. His voice ringing in my ear at such a soft tone make my toes tingle and my face warm, so I hide it with a small punch on his back, causing him to yelp teasingly.
"Shut up, Seonghwa," I say as I slightly tighten my hold around his neck.
A cool sensation tingles over my left shoulder blade and my heart speeds up even faster, so rapidly quick I think Seonghwa can hear it too. I know what that is and what exactly is happening with whatever is there. My mark feels something and I let my hopes rise; hopes to realise that maybe, just maybe, Seonghwa could actually really be my star partner.
I can't help a grin to spread on my face and tilt my head to the side, sighing at Seonghwa's soft humming to the jingle of a clothes detergent advertisement on the tv. There, I see San leisurely strolling into the room, but freezing at the door. He looks at us, eyes going back and forth from me, to Seonghwa, to me, then back to his older cousin.
"O..kay..." he mouths before quickly retracing his steps and disappears.
Seonghwa doesn't seem to realise his cousin's presence a moment ago, he's too focused on the screen. I shake my head, amused at San and lean more into Seonghwa, tracing stars on to his back.