KIM JONGIN

When I woke up the next morning, Sehun was no where to be found in the room. I was usually the one to wake up first so I was a little confused to see that he wasn't there. Looking over at his empty, tidy bed, I noticed a small note placed on it. I stood up to pick it up.

"Went out for breakfast with Yixing and Luhan. Don't wait up.

-Sehun"

I couldn't really help feeling a little disappointed since we usually had breakfast together, but shrugged and dropped the note. Guess I'll just go grab breakfast alone.

After I had come out of the toilet, all freshened up, I heard a knock at the door. Is that Sehun? I thought to myself as I unlocked the door and opened it, only to see Luna standing there in front of me.

"Hey, Jonginnie!" She greeted happily, placing a big, noisy kiss on my left cheek. I noticed a few guys in the hallway looking over at us weirdly and I quickly pulled her into the room and closed the door behind us, "Where's Sehun?" She asked as she walked in causally, hopping into my bed and laying down comfortably. 

"He went out for breakfast with Luhan and Yixing," I shrugged.

"Hm... Well, good. I wanted to talk to you alone anyway," she said with a smirk as she sat up and tapped the space next to her, gesturing for me to sit. I cautiously made my way over to her.

"Really? About what?" I asked as I sat down next to her, watching her smirk grow wider.

"You," she pointed at me, narrowing her eyes, "You like Sehun, don't you?"

I blushed, "W-What?"

"Don't try to play dumb on me, boy. I heard your little chat with that Soojung girl last night."

"...You did?"

"Yup. I'll have you know I have pretty sharp ears. And even if I didn't, it's already pretty obvious. You stare at him like you wanna eat him up and you keep asking me about him."

I bit my lip, turning away from her accusing stare, "Alright, fair enough."

"This is freaking great!" She squealed excitedly, before quickly composing herself as if realizing something. I raised an inquisitive brow at her.

"Say... Is Sehun interested in guys?"

She looked away from me an shrugged, "I don't know. But! You are pretty hot. With looks like yours... I believe you could even turn the straightest man gay!"

I rolled my eyes, "Quit fooling around."

"I'm sorry I'm just excited. I'm all about that gay love!" she said dreamily, before clearing and looking at me, "Sooo.... What do you plan to do?"

I shrugged, "I'm not sure."

"You should totally try to seduce him. He might just give in to your charm, you know."

"You think so?"

"I know so!" she exclaimed, "Also, I heard you two are dancing Latin together. You're already in a pretty good position if you ask me."

I stayed quiet at that, thinking over what she said. It seemed like Luna was holding back, like she knew something but wasn't telling me. Or rather, she couldn't. I wasn't going to force her to.

"Oh!" She clapped her hands together, wide-eyed as if coming to a genius realization, "You could totally use that friend of yours, Soojung! I mean, she's pretty freakin' gorgeous. You could totally use her to make Sehun jealous!"

Yeah that was kind of what I was trying to do last night.

"And hey, at least you have me now. I shall make sure you two get together and have your gay happily ever after," she said encouragingly, nudging me with her elbow. I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"Thanks. I appreciate it," I said jokingly, but with just a tinge of sincerity in my tone. It felt good to know I had the support of Sehun's best friend.

Whether he liked Yixing or not, I knew one thing. To some extent, I had an effect on Sehun.

It took me two weeks after the barbeque party to put two and two together and realize Sehun was avoiding me. It started with him bailing out on our Latin classes for a few days, having some or the other excuse for not being able to make it. He later asked me to put our Latin dance sessions on hold for a while since he had to practice for his showcase and he had to work a few extra shifts at the cafe since one of his co-workers resigned. I understood he was busy so I agreed to it, even though I was a little disappointed because I'd really come to enjoy our lessons together. But then I realized how little time we spent together, or more rather how rarely I even saw him. He'd sometimes leave early in the morning to have breakfast with his friends, contrary to before when we'd always have breakfast together. He'd usually only come back to the dorm room to either shower or sleep. When he returned at night, it'd usually be pretty late and he'd go straight to sleep. It took me a while to realize he really was avoiding me. And not to mention spending way to much time with Yixing for my liking. 

Meanwhile, I had been looking into dance a lot more, watching countless dance shows and plays online, trying to immerse myself. I wanted to be the perfect dancer for Sehun. I wanted to fall in love with dance. I practiced for hours on end by myself, trying endlessly to find that 'spark'. It did help a little, and I found myself enjoying dance a little more than I did before. But I was still far from passionate. I still needed some sort of kick.

"You guys are coming to the dance showcase right?" Taemin asked, raising a brow at us.

"What showcase?" I asked, slurping in my spaghetti.

Taemin glared at me, "The one I've been talking about non-stop over the past week."

I tried to recall when Taemin had talked about a showcase but nothing came to my mind. I was probably too pre-occupied with staring at Sehun from our lunch table to notice.

"Oh right, that showcase," I said, pretending to know what he was talking about. Wait, showcase? "Wait, when is it?"

"October 18."

That must be the same showcase Sehun and his crew will be performing at. The one he never bothered to invite me to, I thought bitterly to myself.

"Yeah sure, I'll come. Wouldn't miss it for the world," I winked at him, making him cringe and throw a French fry at my face.

"Gross."

"Well since Jongin's going, I will too." Soojung said nonchalantly as she ate her salad.

Taemin pouted, "So you're only coming because Jongin is?"

She shrugged, "I couldn't care less about your performance really."

"Ouch..." Taemin clutched at his chest, pretending to be hurt. 

I chuckled to myself. I had been hanging out with Soojung and Taemin long enough to know he had a thing for her, but she was as icy as ever when it came to him. I almost felt bad for the poor guy.

I suddenly sensed a pair of eyes burning into the side of my face. I turned to see Sehun staring right at me with an unreadable expression on his face. He looked away almost instantaneously and smiled at Yixing who was telling him something. It was almost infuriating seeing them together all the time. Why is he avoiding me anyway?! Is it because he realized he felt something towards me? Then why doesn't he realize his feelings for Yixing and avoid him as well?!

"You okay?" Soojung ask worriedly when she noticed I'd been stabbing at my steak with a deadly look on my face. I quickly composed my expression and smiled.

"I'm fine."

"Hey, I'm not fine though!" Taemin exclaimed, "You just pierced a hole right through my poor little heart!"

Soojung rolled her eyes, "No one cares about you, Taemin."

I was studying Dance History when Sehun walked into the dorm room, seeming absolutely exhausted. A sight I was rather used to by now.

"Hey," I greeted nonchalantly, still looking through my textbook.

"Hey," he groaned as he jumped face-first into his bed. I looked over at him, amused.

"You okay there?"

"Mm-hmm." He mumbled, voice muffled.

"Uh... You sure?"

He made a few odd noises before whimpering softly.

"Sehun?"

No reply. I worriedly stood up and made my way toward him, turning his face to see that he had passed out from exhaustion. God... He must have skipped out on his meals and overworked himself again. I kneeled down next to his bed and cupped his cheek, softly caressing it with my thumb. He unconsciously leaned into my hand in his sleep, letting out a soft sigh. It reminded me of the time I entered his dream... Only he looked even more beautiful in real life.

Why are you avoiding me, Sehun?

I pressed my palm against his forehead and it seemed like he was running a slight fever. Probably because he walked back to the dorm building in the cold after work, with nothing but a leather jacket to shield him from the cold. He looked pale and had dark circles around his eyes. He really looked like he had been working himself way more than he needed to. I sighed and covered his body with his blanket.

"Take care of yourself some more, dammit..." I whispered, standing up and grabbing my jacket and beanie and quickly putting them on before heading out the door. 

"Sehun... Wake up."

"Mmm..." He moaned in his sleep, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

"Sehun," I slapped his cheek softly a few times, only earning myself a few more incoherent sounds. I sighed," YAH, OH SEHUN!"

Sehun shot up from his bed, looking around frantically, "Huh? What? What happened?!"

I chuckled softly, "Finally you're up."

He calmed down on realizing it was just me, "Was it really necessary for you to give me a damn panic attack?!"

"You weren't waking up. Anyway, I got you some chicken soup."

Sehun sighed and slumped back against his headboard, "Could you please stop buying me food all the time? I don't even know if I can repay you for all this."

I couldn't help but get a little annoyed with how formal he was being. When did he get that distant?

"Idiot," I took out the hot soup from the plastic bag and pulled the lid off, "I don't need you to repay me. Plus, what was I supposed to do when you walked in here like a goddamn zombie and passed out on the bed?"

Sehun simply groaned and covered his face with hands. It looked like the stress of college really was getting to him.

I kneeled down next to his bed. "Open up," I urged, blowing on the hot soup a few times before bringing the spoon to his lips.

"I might be tired but I can still feed myself, you know."

I smiled and brought the spoon to his lips anyway, making him roll his eyes and open his mouth, swallowing the warm liquid.

"I-I can take it from here," he said, blushing as he took the soup container from my hands.

"Hey... Are you really okay?"

He didn't answer, staring straight ahead soullessly as he brought the spoon to his lips. "Ah! HOT! HOT!" He hissed, jumping up in surprise and accidentally dumping the hot soup in the container all over my torso in the process.

"Ahhh!" I yelled in pain at the sudden intense heat on my chest, falling to the floor as Sehun's eyes widened in panic.

" ! I'm so sorry! Oh my God!" He jumped up, alarmed as he watched me struggle in pain. He suddenly kneeled next to me, pulling my shirt off my body. He then quickly ran to the bathroom, coming back a minute later with a cup full of cold water and a thoroughly soaked washcloth. He poured the cold water all over my chest, numbing the pain from the burn slightly. He then brought the washcloth and spread it out on my skin.

"I'm so sorry... Oh God I'm so sorry, Jongin," Sehun seemed on the verge of crying. I would have laughed if I wasn't in so much pain myself.

"Stop... apologizing," I groaned out, eyebrows scrunching together in pain. 

"Wait, I think I have some burn cream. G-Give me a second."

"Got it!" Sehun exclaimed after a minute. He quickly made his way back towards me. Before I knew it, he was carrying me bridal style and placing me down on my bed. Oh God... I never felt more like a girl in my life. I hadn't realized before how strong Sehun was but he had carried me so effortlessly.

"I... can still walk," I retorted. He ignored me and uncapped the bottle in his hands, squeezing a good amount of cream into his fingers before slowly rubbing it into my skin.

"Nnng..." I groaned in pain as the slightest touch from his fingers stung so much.

"Sorry! Sorry... I'll be gentler," He whispered, applying some more cream into his palm. He thoroughly applied it all over my now burning red skin, apologizing every time I whimpered in pain. It took a moment for the cream to cool me down enough so the pain wasn't so excruciating.

It was a silly thought but I figured I'd probably get burned all over again if it meant Sehun would take care of me like that. It felt good to have him worry about me for a while. And even if it stung, it felt good to feel his touch.

"Thanks..." I said gratefully as he was applying the cream on my chest. He looked up at my face to see me smiling at him.

"This was all my fault in the first place," he said with a frown, "I'm so sorry."

I groaned, "I'm so sick of you saying that. And it was an accident, not your fault."

"I know but..."

"Shhh," I hushed him, "Hand me my phone."

He frowned but did as I asked anyway, "What are you doing?"

"Ordering you another bowl of chicken soup, obviously. Since this one's gone to waste."

Sehun's jaw dropped, "You kidding? How could you still be worrying about me in this situation?!"

I ignored him and dialed in the number of the restaurant before placing my order as Sehun stared at me incredulously.

"Relax, you'll be paying this time," I said in an attempt to cheer him up, "Plus you still have this mess to clean up."

"... I'm sorry." He said once more, but this time it was different, like he was apologizing for something else. And I guess I knew what that was. 

"Yes, we've accomplished that already," I rolled my eyes, smiling at him warmly. It's okay. 

Our eyes connected for a while before Sehun finally broke the silence.

"I-I'm gonna clean this up," He said, standing up, "Don't move, okay?"

"Okay," I sighed, silently looking at Sehun as he began wiping the spilled soup on the floor. The pain in my chest was already disappearing. After all, Travelers tended to have superior healing abilities, healing much faster and more effectively than normal humans did. And thanks to Sehun's immediate aid, I was healing even faster.

Once he was done cleaning, he made his way toward me, "How does it feel now?"

"Better. Thanks, Sehun."

He smiled at me, "I'm glad." It had been a while since he'd smiled at me genuinely like that. I'd sure missed it. I'd missed spending time with him, just having small talk. I'd missed him.

"Hey, have you really been doing okay?"

"Honestly..." he sighed exasperatedly, shoulders slumping, "It's been tiring. And I tend to skip meals without realizing it so by the end of the day I'm just... drained."

"I can see that. You really should take care of yourself some more."

"I know... I'm just a bit of a workaholic is all," he shrugged, "So um, how's Soojung?"

"Soojung?" I lifted a brow.

"Well, you guys seem to spend a lot of time together lately," he stated, trying his best to sound casual.

The corner of my lip twitched, "We've gotten pretty close. I guess you could say we just... clicked together."

"Well she is a nice girl. She's beautiful too."

"Hm."

"Do you like her?" He asked abruptly. I looked at him and found him staring at me curiously.

"I don't know yet," I shrugged. Of course I didn't like her, I just wanted him to think that I might. 

"Well... You guys looked pretty good together by the bonfire that night," he stated, clearing his throat. He sounds almost... jealous. How cute.

"You think so?" I asked with a smile.

"Y-Yeah," he averted his gaze. Right then, my phone rang. I answered the call and put my phone down a minute later.

"You have a delivery to pick up."

"Okay," he smiled at me before walking over and touching my chest. I winced slightly, not because it hurt, but because his touch sent tingles down my skin, "The cream hasn't dried out yet. Are you feeling okay? Does it still hurt?"

"Don't worry about me," I waved my hand in the air dismissively, "I'm fine now."

"Of course I'm worried. If you end up getting a burn scar because of me I'll never forgive myself. Thankfully there aren't any blisters..."

"Well you've taken care of me pretty well, haven't you? I'm sure I'll be fine," I grinned, "Don't worry."

He blushed slightly before nodding and heading out of the room to get the delivery. I smiled to myself.

Yeah... I'm glad I got burnt after all.