The Brothers Kim

Chapter 22- Odd One Out

Namjoon grinned from his desk as he watched Gyuri's face screw up in concentration. "Are you having trouble already?"

Gyuri looked up from the desk and chuckled awkwardly. "Kind of."

"Which one?"

Gyuri watched as Namjoon sauntered over to her side, where she was hunched over a pile of papers. It had been almost a week since Gyuri had been shot by an arrow and so far, she had been recovering swiftly. Being indisposed, Gyuri was instructed not to do any work to allow for a quick recuperation. But with nothing to do, she had soon grown bored and restless. Noticing her agitation, Namjoon had given her a task. He had asked her to organise his medical records for the sanatorium.

Gyuri pointed to a symbol on the scroll. "I can't remember what this one means" she admitted.

"This one?" Namjoon glanced at the scroll and told her, "This one is for a patient with an eye disability."

"Oh," she managed to say as she watched Namjoon put the paper to one side. "I'm sorry, Master Namjoon. It seems I really have forgotten how to read."

Namjoon smiled at her kindly. "Do not fret, Gyuri." But then he cocked his head to one side as he thought. "Maybe... I can help refresh your mind?"

Gyuri looked up at Namjoon, who was hovering behind her. When he saw her looking, he smiled, revealing his dimples. Gyuri's heart fluttered at the sight. Geez, Subin, you and your raging hormones! She scolded internally. She couldn't understand why but lately, she had become a lot more aware of Namjoon's presence. Every time he visited her for a check-up, she would subconsciously check if her breath stinks and if her hair was neat and tidy. It was only when she was around Namjoon did she start worrying about her appearance.

"Well, only if it's not too much of a bother..." she replied shyly. In truth, she really was keen to learn how to read ancient characters for real. Not because she wanted to read books but because of the opportunities that would present themselves to her. And one of them was impressing Namjoon and spending more time with him.

Namjoon sat beside her on the desk with their elbows almost touching. Currently, they were in the library section of his quarters. Gyuri stiffened at the sudden contact of their arms brushing against each other. She jolted.

"Sorry" she quickly uttered.

Namjoon just gave her a brief smile. He didn't seem to mind at all how close they were. Was it only Gyuri who felt self-conscious?

"We can start from the basics" he began as he produced a plain sheet of paper, an ink brush and ink pad. With elegant strokes, Namjoon started writing cursive, Chinese characters but to Gyuri, all she saw were fancy scribbles.

"What does it say?" she questioned after Namjoon had finished.

Namjoon chuckled. "It says, 'Gyuri'."

Gyuri's eyes rounded in surprise.

"This character here means 'stride of man'," he explained, "while this one means 'merit'." He gave a satisfied nod. "Taehyung sure knows how to name others well."

Gyuri flinched at the mention of Taehyung which Namjoon noticed. He gaped at her curiously. "Speaking of my cousin, how are things between you two?"

"Everything's good" she replied as casually as she could manage. "We're getting along quite well." But inside, she thought, Too well. Every time she thought of Taehyung, she couldn't help but think about what he had told her, and she reddened.

"For me, you are irreplaceable. You are not one amongst a million, you are one in a million."

Namjoon hmphed, interrupting her reverie.