Jongdae tossed and turned in his sleep. He didn't know what time it was, and he was exhausted, but for some reason sleep didn't ease its way into him like it did usually. Today, sleep was far away, blocked by his stress and utter worry. 

 

Thanks to his complete lack of organisation, he had lost another important document today at work.  

 

Thinking about how irresponsible he had been made Jongdae's heart fill with disgust, but this was soon pushed away by repeating thoughts of what work was yet to be done, when they had to be completed by and so on. His thoughts weren't focused, and not one of them made him relaxed. In fact, the more he thought, the more stressed he felt. But he couldn't stop this train of thought from rapidly crashing into him at breakneck speed either. His bed felt like the wrong place to be, not when he had so much to do. 

 

So Jongdae climbed out of his duvet, sweaty even though the air-conditioner was on, and stumbled to his desk, squinting as he switched on the lights. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly and sorted through the enormous pile of paper he had brought home. His head throbbed but if he convinced himself that he was okay, then it seemed to go away. Work didn't start and end at a certain time for him. Work was 24/7. And since it was, he couldn't afford to slack off and sleep, not then. 

 

 

_____________________________________________

 

 

WS had informed Hyejin's team the next morning of something she felt was a blessing descended on her. As their team made their way to a studio, she felt her heart rate rapidly increase, and even the usual stoic Jinkyung looked as if she was bouncing in her steps. 

 

Who wouldn't be? The trainees in their group were the lucky ones who got to watch the process of advertisement posters being made — which meant watching the company's models, VIXX, do a photoshoot. Thinking about it made Hyejin want to die of excitement. When VIXX debuted, she had just started college, and nineteen year-old her spent all her free time gushing over the six boys. Never in her life would she have thought she would get to see VIXX up close for free. Although now she wasn't crazy over VIXX as she was in the past, that was no reason to feel any less excited about what she was about to experience than her nineteen year-old self.

 

They were advised to take notes on the session, but only Jinkyung brought a notepad (which she had chucked into her bag once they entered the studio). Automatically, they turned silent when they opened the door, and Hyejin knew everyone had their breath bated. 

 

Inside, cameras and staff filled the area. Some rushed around with clothes in their arms, shouting through walkie talkies, and some hovered around the set with different kinds of makeup in their palms. Others took charge of the lighting and aesthetics, holding up reflective boards and huge lights on their shoulders. There were some people also clad in formal office wear managing the entire chaotic situation, and Hyejin guessed they were the team in charge of this particular advertisement. 

 

And in the middle of it all, made even more prominent by the lights shining onto them, was VIXX. They held WS brand products in their hands while posing for the camera. Hyejin wondered how they managed to make instant rice cakes look so good. 

 

Beside her, Chaeyoung squealed softly, her face turning a bright shade of red. "H-Hongbin looks so amazing," she stuttered with a starstruck expression on her face. Hyejin was pretty sure her expression mirrored that of Chaeyoung's. She simply couldn't peel her eyes off VIXX. Especially Hyuk — oh gosh, he looked so good with his hair styled downwards like that. When she was in college, she often joked with her exasperated mother that she would date Hyuk (and only Hyuk) in the future. (Maybe that was why her mother kept on arranging blind dates for her — did she take Hyejin seriously?) 

 

 "You've been staring at one guy for a very long time," Taehwan teased, appearing next to Hyejin. She giggled, slightly embarrassed that she got caught. 

 

"He's Hyuk," she said. "Not just 'one guy'." 

 

Taehwan rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Pop music is so overrated." 

 

"There's a reason it's called pop music, stupid. It's short for popular." She laughed, then went back to gazing at the boys. "Besides, Hyuk's my ideal type," she joked, and Taehwan looked so appalled it was funny to her. 

 

"Hyuk just made eye contact with me!" Hyejin whispered excitedly to Taehwan beside her, and suppressed her excitement by hitting his arm repeatedly. He merely rolled his eyes and told her she was being delusional, but she was pretty sure she wasn't. Hyuk was so hot. And besides, his eyes were just small — maybe Taehwan hadn't seen him looking, but Hyejin sure did. All her sanity was gone by then. 

 

She didn't know how much time had passed. She had been having the most fun at work since she started it, and not having to rush around but instead just being given the task to observe was the most amazing thing ever. Hyejin was so caught up in her real-life fantasy that she got a shock when she felt a breath next to her ear. 

 

"What is it about Hyuk that you like?" The person whispered, tickling her with his warm breath rippling against her skin. She didn't have to turn around to know it was Chen. He hadn't been with the trainees at the beginning because he was working in the office, but Hyejin guessed he turned up in the end because no one would give up a chance to see VIXX. Or at least in her opinion. 

 

"Everything," she gushed, but sensed somewhere deep within that something was off. "But now I don't want to date him anymore. Really. Although he's super hot." 

 

"Then?" He challenged, his lips dangerously close to her jaw. 

 

"Then that means you don't have to worry," she said factually. 

 

There was a short pause before Chen moved away and stood up straight, dusting his sleeves. "Who said I was worried?" He asked, raising his eyebrows. 

 

"You are," Hyejin insisted, although now she wasn't sure about it herself. She didn't even know why she was insisting on such a weird thing in the first place. (Maybe she wanted it to be true? But...) 

 

"I'm not," he impassively said. 

 

"...You aren't?" Hyejin's tone was now meek, and she sheepishly grinned. Chen leaned downward again, and she moved backward instinctively. He stared into her eyes, and although she was confused as to what was happening she stared back into his because it made her feel warm somewhere. It was as if she was looking into a magical black pearl (not a galaxy — galaxy-like eyes were too overrated), one that enclosed her in its embrace and held her there.  

 

"Chen, what are you doing?" She managed to ask, her eyes still fixed onto his unwavering ones. 

 

"I just made eye contact with you," Chen grinned, then cocked his head. "You can go to brag to Taehwan about it. I'm sure he likes me more than he does Hyuk." His smile now turned into that of a kitten. He turned around to leave, but swivelled back on his heel again, stumbling slightly. 

 

"And okay, honestly, I was worried about the Hyuk thing. I trolled you." 

 

 

_______________________________________________________

 

 

 

The rest of the week was quiet until Friday, where by late evening everyone in the office was rushing off somewhere. 

 

"I'm sorry for the inconvenience. I'll work overtime next week for no extra pay." Jinkyung bowed, phone in hand. Hyejin saw Jongdae assure her it was fine. Apparently, her college friend had flown from London to Korea for a trip, and Jinkyung had applied for half-day leave so she could help her friend settle into her house, where the Londoner would then be temporarily residing. 

 

"But it's supposed to come next week! And in the evening!" Taehwan sputtered into his phone, mouth wide open in an exaggerated shocked expression. Hyejin watched as he rushed out of their office and down somewhere. For Taehwan, a delivery courier had just called him to tell him that his television set was at his doorstep and he had to claim it — except the delivery wasn't supposed to come just then. 

 

Chaeyoung shared a look with Hyejin and they both spontaneously laughed. "Guess the office will be empty until we leave too. I just saw Jongdae head somewhere with a bunch of files as well," Chaeyoung said, nodding towards the entrance. 

 

"He's been really tired recently," Hyejin mumbled, sighing. It would be a lie to say she hadn't noticed that Chen had been going to the coffee machine more often recently, and laying his head down on his desk a lot, and also popping pills into his mouth that Hyejin was pretty sure were painkillers. 

 

Chaeyoung left the office a few hours later when she was done, but Hyejin lingered, reluctant to leave. She had been going home with Chen every day anyway (just until recently, when he had to stay in the office to work a lot), and no matter what it still felt weird to leave him in the office alone, especially when she knew something was off. 

 

She twirled her bracelet from Chen round and round her wrist, watching the jasmine charms shimmer under the office lights. She thought about how upset she got when he called her a 'friend' when she met up with Minho. She glanced at the coffee machine, then at his empty desk, and felt something incomprehensibly sad fill her heart. 

 

Standing up, she tread out of the office and into the common room, where she guessed Chen would be. Recently, he always went there after carrying a huge load of work with him and returning only a long while later. Hyejin peeked in and saw the man lying on a beanbag at a corner of the floor, pieces of paper messily framing his body. He had his laptop propped onto his knees, and his head drooped to one side, eyes closed. Chen was asleep. 

 

She tiptoed into the room, careful not to make any noise, and crouched down beside him. Slowly, Hyejin removed the laptop from his legs and tidied up the strewn paper on the floor. Looking at him for a second, she couldn't help but admire his long eyelashes, but that was all she could take in because she had started to take off the oversized coat she was wearing. Hyejin placed the coat on top of his body to cover him. 

 

But just as she was about to stand up to leave, she felt a touch pull her back. Chen was grabbing on her wrist limply, and Hyejin turned back, crouching down beside him again. The coat shifted, and she placed it back properly on him again. Chen snuggled in. 

 

"Your hand is freezing," she exclaimed in worry, peeling his icy palm off her wrist and gathering both his hands to warm them in hers. His hands, usually big and sturdy, suddenly seemed small and vulnerable. 

 

"Jasmine," Chen spoke in a whisper, his eyes remaining closed. "Can you stay here with me? Please?" 

 

"Of course I will," she gently assured, giving his hands a little squeeze. Hyejin reached up and lightly felt the rest of his body to check if he had a temperature, but luckily he didn't. Chen was just extremely cold, and this pricked her heart. 

 

"Are you in pain anywhere?" She asked, brows furrowed. She felt pressing worry throb in her heart when Chen didn't reply. 

 

"It's cold, Jasmine. But you're so warm," he finally said after a while, letting his body nudge closer to Hyejin. She watched as the tiniest smile materialised on the corners of his lips. "And I'm okay now because you're here." 

 

Hyejin felt her heart skip a beat or two, and she somehow found the heart to smile even through her distress. "I bet tomorrow you won't even remember I was with you like this," she lightly chided. 

 

"Come here." Chen pulled her down beside him, and although his pull was weak, Hyejin found herself falling naturally next to him. He leaned his entire body on Hyejin, and she held him there. It was her first time being this intimate with any guy, and thinking that guy was Chen made her heart jump faster than it should. Picking up what looked like his to-do list from a small deck on the floor, she read it silently and sighed deeply. Chen chuckled weakly, like he knew what she was doing. 

 

"This is insane," she sputtered in utter disbelief. "You have to complete this by tomorrow?" 

 

Chen gave a single light nod, and Hyejin felt the movement against her skin. She would never be able to complete all this in a month, let alone a day or two. She rubbed his arm like she was coaxing a baby to sleep. 

 

"So is this the reason why you've been taking so many painkillers? Because you don't sleep?" Her voice came out softer than a whisper, because she was almost afraid to ask in fear the answer might be 'yes', but she did anyway. 

 

"Don't worry," he merely mumbled, and Hyejin bit her lip to prevent a pout from forming. Chen had been smiling lightly all the way, and his smile looked tired — but every time Hyejin thought it would fade away it only came back brighter.  

 

"Dumb," she berated. "Why are you still caring for others and helping everyone when you have so much on your plate? And also accompanying me home every day when you have so much to do? Can you just think about yourself for once?" Hyejin resisted the urge to flick his forehead in fear that it would make his headache worse, but Chen kinda deserved it for enduring everything without telling anyone. 

 

"Are you worried?" He asked in a hoarse voice, cautious but teasing at the same time. His nose moved a little closer to Hyejin's skin, and his hair tickled her neck. Chen's closed eyes fluttered open slightly, then as if he couldn't take the light in the room, he shut them again slowly. 

 

Hyejin closed her eyes too. "What do you think?" She whispered, trying to make her voice sound hard. 

 

It must have failed terribly because Chen only laughed, then smiled a smile that seemed less weak than those he had given Hyejin previously in the evening. 

 

"It's all okay now." 

 

He snuggled closer to Hyejin, his cheek rubbing her shoulder and his hands — now warmer, thankfully — looped around her arm. Chen settled her coat around them both, then nuzzled his head into Hyejin's neck. 

 

"You're beautiful," he whispered, every word grazing onto her neck. 

 

His breaths were warm and steady against her nape, and that was the only thing she thought about at the moment. Hyejin stopped trying to be harsh. Instead, she tucked him into her own arms. Chen's body was cold but it made her body more than just a little warm inside, and she found herself liking the feeling of him in her embrace. During that time, reality seemed to fade somewhere far, far away, somewhere they weren't. 

 

They stayed like that until time ran away from them and they forgot where they were. 

 

 

_________________________________________

 

 

Jongdae awoke the next morning still in the office, still fully covered by Hyejin's coat, still lying on the beanbag on the floor. He reached for a figure beside him, and was disappointed when all he felt were wisps of nothing. Getting up slowly, he straightened his shirt and sat still for a moment, hands loosely clasping onto the edges of his collar. He had caught sight of a large yellow post-it he didn't notice the night before stuck onto the top of his laptop, as well as a styrofoam cup placed beside it. 

 

The post-it made him smile. 

 

Chen, 

        Wear my coat if your shirt looks crumpled, or if you're afraid people would question you wearing the same clothes for two days. Unless you're afraid of it looking girlish too (which it is not). Also, the coffee is for you — I bought it from a café nearby, not from the office, so I hope you'll enjoy it more. Drink 2 cups of coffee today tops, alright? Too much caffeine is not good for you. 

        About how I knew you were sick of the office's coffee, you were mumbling it in your sleep yesterday. Or maybe you weren't asleep yet but you were rambling nonsense. 

 

- The girl you called beautiful 

 

 

 

The word 'beautiful' had been cancelled off and scribbled back on a few times, like Hyejin herself was embarrassed to sign off like she had done. And Jongdae himself initially was flustered knowing that he had blabbered things (which he didn't know) in his half-asleep state, but he decided it was okay because it was obvious Hyejin felt at least just a little happy hearing the compliment. 

 

And he got nice coffee today, from all that rambling. Jongdae picked up the cup and brought it to his nose, catching a whiff of the drink. He couldn't help but smile. Americano was his favourite, and somehow Hyejin knew, or maybe it was just a lucky coincidence, but she had bought it out of everything they sold in the store. The taste of the drink was more than wonderful — and he was pretty sure it wasn't just because it was from a café. It was aromatic because Hyejin had bought it. 

 

Holding it in his hand like a trophy, Jongdae strode into the office feeling hyped up. He had worn Hyejin's oversized coat although his shirt wasn't exactly crumpled. And he made a resolution not to have more than two cups of coffee that day, Hyejin's cup taking ultimate priority. 

 

"Morning, Jongdae!" Taehwan was first to greet him, and Jongdae waved back, grinning. He waved at Chaeyoung and Jinkyung too, and when he turned to Hyejin her eyes darted downward suddenly, like she had been staring at him for a long time.  

 

He lifted the cup slightly as a message to her that he had noted her post-it, and she flashed him a small smile that lasted merely a second before hurriedly returning to her work. Jongdae knew she was feeling shy and awkward again. It was incredibly adorable. 

 

The day in the office was a relatively quiet one. The morning was spent calling up different smaller corporate suppliers to confirm stocks and deals with them, as well as stealing glances at Hyejin every now and then. During lunch, Jongdae had to attend a board meeting with the team in charge of the particular advertisement with VIXX, because he had been suddenly put into the team to fill up the spot of a member whose family member was severely ill back in her hometown and had to return for a while. In the evening, he had so much to handle he didn't notice when it was time for the trainees to go home. Jongdae had glanced at Hyejin then, but she mouthed at him that she wanted to take the subway home by herself that day. He wasn't convinced, not even when she flashed him a reassuring smile, but he let it be. Hopefully his workload would slowly ebb away and he would be able to continue his normal life. 

 

Sitting in his car — or taking the subway — without Hyejin in the evenings just felt especially lonely. Jongdae wanted to continue being the last person Hyejin saw before she reached home. 

 

That was why he found himself driving to Hyejin's house instead of back to his own after he had left work that day. It was dark and traffic was light by then, and Jongdae didn't need to use a GPS because he had memorised her address by heart. 

 

What he didn't expect to see when he turned round the corner was Hyejin herself, looking smaller than ever, sitting outside her apartment building in the cold. She held her phone in her hand and looked at her screen every few seconds as if she was waiting for a call or message. 

 

From inside his car a few metres away, Jongdae curiously dialled her number and watched her pick up her phone. 

 

"Hey," he called, and saw a slight smile twitch on her face. 

 

"Hey. Why'd you call?" She pulled her knees to her chest. 

 

He considered it for a moment. "What are you doing right now?" 

 

"I'm watching TV on my sofa," she lied, almost effortlessly across the receiver, as she glanced up at the sky. Jongdae held back a scoff. If he wasn't looking at her then, he would've believed her without any doubt, but now as he watched her bite her lip and she hugged her knees tighter, he couldn't ignore the fact that she wasn't on her sofa watching TV. 

 

"Liar," he muttered into the receiver. Hyejin laughed, and he saw her eyes crinkle up crisply. "I installed a camera inside your house," he continued. 

 

He had to hold back his laughter as he watched a shocked Hyejin sit up straight, her laugh vanishing from her face. "Wait, what? How? Why? Are you serious, Chen?" 

 

"Nope. Troll," he said, and smiled. "But I really can see you, though. And the walkway outside your apartment doesn't look much like a sofa to me." Hyejin still looked shell-shocked as she glanced around, craning her head to figure out where Jongdae was. 

 

"Never mind where I am right now," Jongdae said. "What are you doing, sitting outside like this?" 

 

Hyejin looked sheepish as she released her knees and let her legs splay out straight. "I may or may not have forgotten to take my keys out of my house this morning, and it's way too late to call a locksmith. And my friends outside work aren't picking up their phones. Chaeyoung too. And Jinkyung's house is way too far from here." 

 

A pause. "Why didn't you call me?" 

 

"You're a guy," Hyejin said, as if it was something obvious, but he apparently didn't think this was so. 

 

"So what? It's me and not anyone else." 

 

"How can I stay at your house like this?" 

 

"Why not?" Jongdae pressed, hoping his tone was persuasive enough. 

 

"Just no." Apparently it wasn't. 

 

He sighed. "You're so stubborn, Hwang Hyejin." 

 

And then he hung up. 

 

 

 

 

Hyejin swivelled her head as the headlights of a stationary car suddenly flashed. Staring at the car suddenly made her realise it wasn't just any car, it was his. 

 

She was still slightly shaken when he got out of his car and bounded towards her. 

 

"One night," he said almost breathlessly. "My house. Just one night." Hyejin opened to protest but he spoke again. 

 

"It's better than staying out here in the cold, or in the lift lobby." 

 

"I can always stay in a —" 

 

"Motel? No way. It's a waste of money and the beds mostly ," he interjected, then closed his mouth again. Chen cautiously grabbed onto her wrist, and tilted his head slightly, his eyes large and childlike. He looked so inviting she let him drag her to his car. He smiled as he buckled her in, and then bounced back to the driver's seat. Hyejin let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding — she had lost all her ability to protest when she was with Chen, she realised. 

 

 

_____________________________________

 

 

Hyejin almost forgot why Chen's house was so familiar to her: she had visited once when he got into that accident and broke his arm, but for some reason this time felt different, it made her heart throb. She wondered if this feeling was coming from the knowledge that she would be alone with him in the house the entire night. It made her nervous but she liked it. A lot. 

 

He disappeared into his room and Hyejin stood awkwardly in the living room, dusting out the pillows on the sofa so she could sleep on them that night. Chen reappeared again after a while, with his backpack for work gone from his back. 

 

"I set up a mattress on the floor of my room already. Don't worry, we won't be sleeping on the same bed. I'll be sleeping on the mattress." He dabbed at the light drops of perspiration on his forehead. 

 

"Chen -" 

 

"If you're going to ask me to sleep on the bed and you on the mattress, I will attack you." Chen narrowed his eyes. Hyejin laughed, biting her lip. 

 

"I have one room only and we're both going to sleep in there because it's the only room with a working heater. It gets pretty cold in the night, you know, so I'm not going to sleep in the living room and you aren't going to too. Okay? Okay." He didn't wait for her to respond before shooting her another question, eyeing her up and down in the process. "Are you going to sleep in your work blouse and skirt?"' 

 

"Uh -" 

 

"You're mad. Hang on." Chen vanished into his room again, and this time he came out with clothes in his hands. He held up a sweater to Hyejin, as well as a pair of sweatpants, and smiled. "You're lucky, Jasmine. You're the first person to wear my clothes, ever." Hearing that made her heart skip a beat, and she found herself liking the feeling once again. 

 

The sweater and pants were too big for her, so she had to roll them up, but she loved how it felt against her skin and made her feel like she was in a perpetual embrace, and she loved the smell, oh gosh. It smelt a little like softener, a tinge of jasmine, and a lot of Chen. Mostly Chen. She could smell his clothes the entire night, but Chen was outside, and if she stayed in the toilet for too long nuzzling her nose into his clothes he might think something had happened. 

 

So she exited the toilet and headed straight for Chen's room, where the lights were mostly off except for a lamp on his desk. He was sitting there, hunched over some paper, with a mug next to him. She crossed her arms. 

 

"Is this your second cup of coffee?" Hyejin asked, knowing that it wasn't. She'd seen him finish up her Americano and go to the coffee machine once already that day. Chen turned to face her upon hearing her voice. 

 

"If I said it was?" He asked, his voice playful.  

 

"Then I'd know you're lying," she finished, then took the mug away from him. "Don't drink coffee at 11 in the night, Chen. You have to go to sleep."

 

"It's not coffee," he finally chuckled as he stood up from his desk. Walking towards Hyejin, he tugged at her big sleeve lightly and gestured to the cup. She looked down and realised it really wasn't — in fact, the aroma was just starting to waft into her nose. It was jasmine tea he was drinking all along. 

 

Chen beamed as he continued to tug at her (or rather, his) clothes, running his finger along the rolled up sleeves and unrolling them so it covered the entirety of her hands. "See, I listen to you, okay?" 

 

He led her by the sleeve to the bed, then sat her down. "Good night, jasmine." Hyejin lay down and pulled the covers to her neck, then turned to the desk and watched him work. 

 

"Aren't you going to sleep?" She asked, her voice muffled under the duvet. 

 

"Soon," he said, eyes on his laptop. He took a long sip of the tea and smacked his lips, and as he worked his eyes never left his laptop and his documents, although Hyejin could see they were tired and heavy. 

 

Time passed. His 'soon' sure didn't seem all that quick. 

 

"Work tomorrow, Chen. Come and sleep, it's late," she insisted, her voice becoming a tired drawl. Her eyelids were slowly getting heavier and heavier, and how comforting and familiar his duvet smelt didn't help in her staying awake. "I want to go to sleep. Together." 

 

Hyejin closed her eyes drowsily. The keyboard clicks stopped. She could imagine him hesitating, eyes on her. Paper rustled against one another. And after that, the desk light switched off and the room became blanketed in total darkness. 

 

She smiled as she heard him snuggle into the duvet on the mattress right beside the bed.