His whisper filled the cold air that was swirling on his apartment corridor as soon as his gaze met that so unexpected sight in front of him. A young girl, the same girl that he met yesterday was there almost lying on the floor in front of his doorstep. Weak and frail.

“Seungyeon-ssi~” he couldn’t help but muttering her name again under his breath.

He knew himself well. He usually was not a panicky person but he couldn’t control him self to not be one at that moment. But instead of screaming for help or running everywhere, seemed that feeling panic and frightened made his sense and response became slower. For a moment he was just standing there and staring at that girl, mind all blank.

When he finally came into his sense, Seungyeon was all lying on the floor. Has no energy anymore to prop herself well. She was all worn out physically and mentally. And she didn’t know how she could be at that place, in a stranger’s apartment.

With his heart wishing for it to just be a dream, he kneeled down on the floor. Eyes on her white pale face, hand slowly reached out to touch her shoulder. He did it cautiously, a little bit troubled to whether really lay his hand on her as if she would break into pieces if he did it.

Stupid! It’s not the time to be afraid or anything. For God’s sake!

After some time of ‘should I do it or should not I?’ arguing with his own mind, he gave a soft nudge at her shoulder. He heaved a deep breath, heart was beating faster not from a romantic reason but anxiety.

Please. She does not die right? She hasn’t die yet right?

Silly thought overwhelmed his brain as he got no response for his small nudge a few seconds ago. He braced himself up to touch her forehead, burning. She was burning from high fever while he was shivering from the cold air and worry.

“Hey! Can you hear me? What had happened?” he asked the unconscious girl while slipping his left hand on her back, on his way to shove that girl into his arms. But again there was no answer coming out of her, not even just a single small move or small hum. Run out of his mind, he put his index finger under her nostrils. She was still breathing slowly.

What should I do now?

Now that Seungyeon was positioned firmly on his both arms, he can saw all those beads of cold sweat at the tip of her forehead, just around her fine hair. Her small lips were all dry and peeling. And really there was no trace of life that left on her pale face. It was the first time on his life he saw someone in that kind of condition, so weak and lifeless.

“We should take you to the hospital.” He said while turning himself entering the apartment to take his car key, still with Seungyeon on his arms. Walking through the corridor in a quick pace to his living room, peeking carefully here and there to find the key of his car but couldn’t find it there.

Then he remembered that he left it on the desk beside his bed and was about to set off there when he felt a faint grasp on the shoulder part of his shirt. He looked down and found her staring weakly at him, seemed like trying to form some words with .

“Oh Thanks God! You’re still alive. Ne? Ne ne ne? Are are are you alright?” It felt like he was carrying a big stone with him for all that time but it suddenly cracked and leaving half of it when he saw those eyes of her blinked faintly for several times.

But she ignored his question. She was too busy to even just to answering that question with a nod or shake. She had to say what she really needed to say before she run out of her energy and went unconscious again.

“I don’t want to go to the hospital…” She talked in a really low voice with the small remaining self control that she had. He needed to bend down a little bit, closing the distance of his ear with so that he could hear the words.

Youngsaeng gasped in frustration when he finally could recognize the words that she muttered just now. His mind filled with the thought of that girl being her usual stubborn self again and how he wanted to scream out loud of irritation. Why did it have to happen to him? What did he do wrong?

“Ya! I don’t care anymore. We have to take you to the hospital. The doctor has to check on you. For God’s sake, you’re freaking burning now. Can’t you feel your own condition? How many times should I tell you to please stop being so stubborn.”

It was amazing that he still could get a hold of himself for not throwing that girl to the floor or just anywhere around his apartment while he was being that frustrated. He looked at her again ready to throw out some words in order to knock some sense into her mind. To tell her to stop being so stubborn while her life was on the risk.

But he stood still when his eyes met hers. Instead of stubbornness, all that he found was misery, sorrow, and a pleading stare. He could feel the pain that those eyes emitted.

“Please…” That was the last word that she said before closing her eyes. A single tear came out, running down the left side of her face.

“But…okay. I get it.” He heaved another deep breath before walking toward his room. Absent-mindedly taking the girl there, forgetting that he had another room on that apartment that was so called guest room. He brought her to his room and laying her on his bed that was never touched by any other girl before, not even his only cousin Jiyoung.

*

Youngsaeng took care of Seungyeon for the entire night. He worked hard to bring down her high temperature, gave her some medicine that he knew would help to reduce the fever and constantly made her drink some water from time to time. In addition, he called Gyuri to say that she was safe with him at that time since he had feeling that she went to his place with no one of her family knowing it.

But just in case that Gyuri would freak out, he didn’t tell her the truth about Seungyeon’s condition, that he found Seungyeon almost lying lifelessly in front of his door. He merely told the lie, saying that she wasn’t in a good mood so that she didn’t want to go back home at that time.

And Gyuri was just to relief to hear that her little girl was safe on her so called boyfriend’s place for even being her usual interrogative self that she didn’t ask more about it. She bid him goodbye through the phone, thanked him and told her parent that Seungyeon was on Nicole’s place for some bestfriend’s sleepover.

Even though the parents thought it was a little bit strange because Seungyeon was just being hospitalized the day before but since Gyuri; the one who was more overprotective about Seungyeon than them, the parents; allowed it, so they put their mind at ease.

While on the other side, Youngsaeng barely got to sleep. He stayed all the night, taking care of Seungyeon, checking her temperature from time to time. He himself didn’t know why he became that worried over that girl.

Maybe because I’m afraid that people will blame me if something bad happens to her.He told himself. But was it really his genuine reason? He again wasn’t sure himself. Maybe, just maybe.

*

It was six in the morning when he found Seungyeon blinked her eyes in her sleep, started to wake up. She stared at the ceiling for a while as soon as she woke up, mostly like thinking where on the earth she was at that moment. When she turned her head and found Youngsaeng sitting on the single couch beside the bed, she almost screamed. But strangely the voice didn’t come out, felt dry.

“You woke up already?” Youngsaeng, ignoring the shock that was clearly printed on her face. “How do you feel?”

“What are you doing here?” It took her some time to clear and spoke out her question. Unmistakably didn’t remember that she went there by herself.

She doesn’t even remember that she dragged herself here.

“What am I doing here? Hmm…what do you think I’m doing in my own apartment, ah no, my own bedroom? What will it be?” He said, surely giving much emphasis on the word ‘apartment’ and ‘bedroom’. Putting his hand on the chin, giving out a thinking-pose while the later; who already got up and made herself sitting on the bed; became more shock at his remark.

“Your your bedroom? But…how…?”

She surely doesn’t have any idea, huh?

He didn’t know why he spoke out the later words. He was tired and thinking to get some fun. Or maybe lack of sleep made him running out of his mind.

“You really didn’t remember it, the things that happened last night? How could you forget it while you were like begging me to do it? Ah, even my body is still aching right now. Ah, I’m really tired.” He gave her a cheeky grin as he talked. Really, even he himself thought that he must have gone crazy for saying blurred things like that. But he was just being curious at how she would react.

“Wh-what do you mean? Last night? What? No! Nonsense! You didn’t mean that we…No! You’re lying right? It’s crazy. I didn’t…It’s impossible. What to do? I…I…” She was blabbering out of panic, thinking that she had done something ‘weird’ with him while he was enjoying it.

Her facial expression, at how her eyes went even bigger, the way she shook her head or at the way she put her hand on her cheeks then squeezing it while closing her eyes and the wrinkles that showed up on her forehead while she frowned her eyebrows. She’s kinda cute. He thought.

But then when he saw that lone tear running down on her face he realized that he was being unreasonable. Joking about that thing seemed a bit too much for her too handle. He clenched his fist as he started to feel guilty. Biting his lip, he cursed silently under his breath.

“Ya! Why are you crying? You think about other thing, don’t you?” He faked an awkward laugh. “What do you think we were doing last night? Don’t tell me you’re thinking about erted things. Ah, how silly Han Seungyeon. I can’t even joke around you. Stop being so serious.”

“But-but-you said…”

“What did I say? You even haven’t listened to the whole thing yet. I found you in front of my door yesterday almost dying. I was about to take you to the doctor but you harshly rejected, so it was like you were begging me to take care of you. I was carrying you around while we were arguing about the hospital. Do you know how heavy you are? And as if it wasn’t enough, I had to take care of you for the entire night. Do you know how tired I am? Ah, I feel like dying now.”

“Ah…that…” She bowed her head hanging down as a crimson hue crawling on her neck up to her face. “I’m sorry.” She muttered softly while blushing red, embarrassed at her own thought. How could she think ‘that’ way?

But there was no answer, he was too fascinating at how that small face went from pale to pinkish.

She’s indeed cute.

They sank in an awkward silent for a while until the reality hit Seungyeon’s head.

“Gyuri unnie!” She let out a soft scream, remembering that she run away from the hospital after the incident with that uninvited visitor.

“I’m so dead, she must be really worried.” She hung her head lower, burying it on her lap, blaming her self for being such a troublemaker for everyone around her.

“It’s okay, I’ve told her. I called her last night saying that you would stay here.”

“You called her? But…how? Where did you get her number?” She asked in disbelieve. How much does this guy know about me actually?

“She gave it to me.” He answered plainly. “When I picked you up at that time.” He added, started to move from the couch that he was sitting on.

“Wait!” Seungyeon stopped him before he could walk any further. “Actually what did my sister tell you? Really.”

Oh no! Not this again.

“Are you hungry?” He chose to ignore that question. He didn’t want to converse about that even though there was no really something so secret in his conversation with Gyuri. He was sure that she knew all already.

“What did she say? I really need to know.” She asked again, stubbornly ignoring his question too.

“I’m hungry.”

“Tell me about it!”

“What should we eat?”

“Argh, really!”

“What do you think I should cook?”

“P…wait. Do you just say cook?”

They went through a quite strong you-ignored-me-I-would-keep-going-on session until she heard the word cook from him. Did she hear it correctly or not?

“Yes and why?” he answered, thankful that she finally stopped asking him to tell her the conversation that he had with her sister.

“No, it’s just…” It was just that he was the first guy that she met in her real life that could cook. Even Kyujong never talked about cooking before.

“I’m going to be on the kitchen if you need me.” He said, finally walking out of the room leaving her alone there.

“He’s quite weird…” she whispered to herself as she went out of the blanket, unknowingly following him to the kitchen.

******************************************************************************************

Author's note:

This is Chapter 23. Aigoo, I hope that I didn't write it too cheesy. At the last part, it gave me a really hard time when I wrote it. There were quite a lot sweet words and everything. Ah, it's embarrassing. I hope it didn't turn out too cheesy.

I hope you guys enjoy it though :) I'm always waiting for comments and critiques :) Have a nice day :)