Sick

The next morning, you woke up with a cough and a slight headache. You hadn’t really been prepared for the sudden water adventure that the boys brought you to the previous day, so you didn’t have any clothes to change to after you fell into the pool. Apparently, you still caught the colds even after Sunggyu’s efforts to keep you dry.

As you tried to drag yourself out of bed, you took your phone to see if there were any messages. Sure enough, there were a couple of unopened messages in your inbox, one of them from the senior staff you worked under.

Shoot has been delayed to next week. No need to come to work today.

After reading the message, you immediately fell back in bed. Since you didn’t have to work, you didn’t need to get up so early anymore. Lazily, you settled back into the pillows and opened the next message.

Slave. Come out of your room.

Puzzled at Sungyeol’s message, you slowly headed to your door. Carefully, you cracked it open, half-expecting him to pounce at you. However, no one was outside, and just when you were about to close it again, you noticed something lying on the floor beside the wall. Curious, you picked up the white plastic bag and opened it. To your surprise, several cough and cold medicines were inside.

How’d he know I was sick? Heading back to the bed, you took your phone and dialed Sungyeol’s number.

“Yoboseyo?” came his voice.

“Hey, how’d you know I was sick?” you immediately asked.

“How could I not know? You were sneezing on my face in the car last night!”

Sure enough, you had started getting colds on your way back from the beach. And since you sat between him and Sunggyu, Sungyeol was the constant witness of your sniffling because you always turned to his side whenever you tried to hide your runny nose from Sunggyu. You couldn’t help but chuckle at the memory.

“You think it’s funny huh?” he asked sarcastically. “You have to pay me back for the medicines later.”

“You’re so stingy,” you frowned. “When did you bring it here anyway? Why didn’t you just knock and come in?”

“So you could give me your virus? No thanks,” he retorted.

“Whatever. Hey, I heard the shoot was moved to next week. What will you guys be doing today?”

“The usual. Dance practice probably. Some of the others need to attend a variety show recording.”

“Really?” you pouted disappointedly. “Too bad. I guess I’d be stuck in the boutel today then.”

“Just sleep,” he ordered. “Get better so you won’t spread your germs to us.”

“Aisshh… Fine. Hang up now before I send my germs to you over the phone.”

“Arasso, slave,” he laughed. Sighing, you hung up the phone and slumped back in bed.

Oh well. I guess I can’t have fun every single day.

+

The day seemed to go by agonizingly slow. For the most part of it, you were just holed up in bed with nothing to do. After taking the medicines Sungyeol gave you, you found yourself feeling a lot better. By nighttime, the cough was almost gone.

I’m sorry if I couldn’t come and visit. I still have to attend a program recording. Get well, okay? Take care.

You smiled as you reread the message that Sunggyu sent to you earlier that day. You didn’t really expect to receive a message from him, and, somehow, you found it sweet that he even bothered to think about you even when he was busy.

You were just staring into space in boredom when a knock suddenly sounded at your door. Bounding out of the bed, you immediately swung the door open.

“What are you doing here?!”

“To collect your payment, of course,” Sungyeol said with a gummy grin. “Did you take the medicines?”

“Yes.”

“Good. I poisoned them.”

You gave him a light punch in the arm before allowing him to enter your room.

“Why are you here?” you asked again. “I thought you guys were busy?”

“We’re done with dance practice,” he answered as he settled himself comfortably in your bed. “The hyungs went to the program recording. Myungsoo is at his drama filming and Sungjong is… I don’t know what that brat is up to.” He stretched his arms and yawned. “I was bored.”

“And you decided to come here and mess with me?”

“Well, I figured you could provide some entertainment,” he grinned.

“Aishh… Whatever.” You leaned back on the bed’s headboard. “Let’s just see what entertainment you can get here. I was just about to die of boredom myself.”

“How about some storytelling?”

“And what story do you want me to tell? The Tale of the Perverted No-Brow Owl?”

“BWOH?!”

“Just kidding!” you laughed. “Story-telling? You can’t be serious.”

“Just read your diary to me.”

“WHAT?!” You almost fell off the bed at his request. “I knew you were up to something!”

“Why can’t you just do it?” he whined. “Are you keeping a secret in there?”

“N-no! What secrets?” you quickly answered. You eyed the diary which was lying at your bedside table. I need to get ahold of it – fast! “Why are you so interested in it anyway?” you asked in an attempt to distract him.

Unfortunately, Sungyeol caught on with your plan, and he immediately sprinted to the table and snatched the diary away before you could even touch it.

“Ha! You think you can outdo me?” he snickered as he held it up above your head. “This is the payment for the medicines!”

“No fair! Give that back!”

“Come and get it!” he taunted. He didn’t have to run or even move from his place because even with his hand just holding it up, there was no way you could reach it. Slowly, as if to tease you, he flipped the pages and began to read in his broken English.

“Dear Diary. Sungyeol is a jerk. Why did he steal a kiss from me like that?! Scumbag! Idiot! Pervert!” He turned towards you and furrowed his brows. “I know my name’s here, and I know ‘kiss’, but what’s a scumbag?”

“Give that back to me and I’ll tell you,” you offered frantically. It was the entry that you wrote the other night, when he had kissed you – you wrote it just before you found Sunggyu’s note under your door. You can’t read the next part! You can’t! You can’t!!!

“But,” he continued reading. “I don’t know what happened to me. I seemed to like ---- ”

“NOOOOOO!!!!!!” you yelled as you jumped up and tried to snatch the diary away from him. However, instead of grabbing it, you only succeeded in knocking it out of his hands, and it went flying across the room. Without even thinking twice, you scampered after it. Unfortunately, Sungyeol also did the same thing, and you ended up crashing into each other’s head as you bent down to pick it up.

“Oww!” you both yelped in unison as you fell to your butts on the floor.

“Are you going to kill for that thing?” Sungyeol demanded as he rubbed his head.

“Well I can’t just let it go to the wrong hands!” you retorted, diary secured in one hand as you started to get back on your feet.

“Help me up, will you?” he ordered, hands outstretched to you.

Rolling your eyes, you grabbed his hands and pulled him up. However, just when he was almost about to stand up, the sudden pull of his weight caused you to fall out of balance and come crashing down again. This time, however, it wasn’t just any floor that you landed on but the floor right in front of him. He was sitting sprawled on the floor, and you somehow barely escaped falling right on top of him. Your hands were on his shoulder, and his hands were on your waist - both because of your failed attempt to break the fall.

Your surprised eyes met, and for a few seconds, you just stared at each other. You didn’t know when it started, but suddenly, your heart was already pounding deafeningly in your ears, and whether it was just because of falling over or something else completely, you couldn’t tell anymore. Apparently, your brain had also fallen out of head when you fell because you couldn’t think about anything else anymore aside from how Sungyeol’s eyes seemed to be sucking you in again.

As to who had moved first, you weren’t really sure, but within seconds, you found your hands not on his shoulders but around his neck. And instead of just his hands on your waist, his arms were already wrapped around your back. As if attracted by some sort of super magnet, your lips seemed to have found their way to each other. While his arms continued to envelope you, all other thoughts slipped away from your mind, and you clung to him just as tightly as he held you.

Just like the first time you kissed, everything also seemed to be a haze -- a muddle of mixed emotions that made the ground spin beneath you. You could feel yourself getting drawn into him more and more as each second passed. But just when you thought you thought your heart would finally break out of your body, he suddenly stopped.

“This- this is bad,” he breathed against your lips, his forehead still pressed against yours.

You couldn’t say anything but just take in large gulps of air as you tried to steady your breathing. He was right: it was bad. But why did it feel so right at the same time? For him to say it aloud, it made you suddenly realize just what you had done.

He pulled back and looked at you. There was a strange look in his eyes – it was as if a battle was waging inside of him. For a moment, you thought he’d finally turn away, but all of a sudden, a different light came upon his orbs and the shield finally fell.

"Why are you making this so hard for me?" he said in a voice so low it almost sounded like a growl.

Before you could even blink, he had already swiftly pulled you back into his arms, his lips pressing against yours. And in your bleary state of mind, you wouldn’t have it otherwise. Instinctively, your hands found their way up until each finger was already tangled up with his hair. His lips seemed to have a certain effect on you – an effect which included losing all of your control, sense, and reason. And although there was a voice at the back of your mind that was telling you that you’d regret it later, you found that you just couldn’t get yourself to pull away from him.