Wheein’s POV

“For what reason are you punishing yourself for?” I coughed with the sudden question. He’s kneeling in front of me, searching my eyes, but I’m doing my best to avoid meeting his gaze. I wandered my eyes everywhere, from the bowl, up at the wall, back down to the blanket and even at the stripes on his shirt.

“W-what are you t-talking about? What p-punish?” I stuttered, slapping myself internally for being so obvious. I’m such a bad liar and I don’t know if I should be proud of it. I looked at him and he has his eyebrow raised at me, waiting for an answer. I took a deep breath and composed myself. If I don’t want to get caught and if I wanted to protect my secret, I should face him head on, without giving hints or whatnot. I don’t want anyone to discover the real deal between me and Namjoon and I certainly don’t want anyone to start talking about it too.

Not now that everything’s over.

I was about to open my mouth when he spoke. And what he said shocked me to my core.

“Are you ill?” He said. I snapped my head back to look at him, wide-eyed, trying to see if I really heard it right. What did he say? Does he think I’m sick? Is that it? And here I thought he’s being overly suspicious cause maybe he sensed something isn’t right between Namjoon and I but... Was I wrong?

“What?” I said, bewildered by his question.

“You were trembling so badly last night and your eyes are red and teary when you left the studio. I was thinking so hard about it before I decided to leave and look for you. I thought you were sick..” he replied, staring right back at me. “Well... are you?”

I squinted my eyes at him to see if he’s joking or not and all I got was a curious face, innocently waiting for an answer. Goodness, he really isn’t joking. He looks so clueless and I can’t help but feel happy about it. Letting out a sigh of relief, I thought maybe it’s a good idea to just ride on his assumption. It’s for the better anyway.

“Yes, I was sick that’s why I left. I was having a severe headache but I got it treated at the agency so I’m feeling alright now.” I thinned my lips and even shrugged my shoulders. Without moving an inch, we just stared right back on each other, with me wanting him to drop the topic off and him, probably waiting for me to give off some more details. Clearing my throat, I hurriedly look down and ate the last bit of the porridge, feeling his eyes burning in on me. Eating the last bite, I thinned my lips and looked right back at him, giving him the bowl. He gets it from my hand, still not tearing his eyes off of me. What’s his deal really?? Why is he looking at me so intensely like that? His stare makes me feel like he’s seeing right through me, right through my eyes and I certainly don’t like how it makes me feel uncomfortable.

I was about to say something when he just got up and left the room. Blinking, I was just left there dumbfounded. “That guy is so....” I trailed off, breathing out all the nervousness I was bottling up earlier. I really thought he had me there for a moment. After sitting still for a few more minutes, I got up and tidied the bed, went out of the room and sat at a chair that’s near the sink. I watch him as he cleans everything up. Watching his back, I began to check him out. You know, honestly, among all the seven of them, his looks was the most striking, well, at least for me. He looks good in anything he wears and no matter how weirdly he acts most of the time, he carries himself very well.

“Like what you see?”

I almost jumped off my seat when I heard him speak. For the nth time since I opened my eyes, I felt the urge of slapping my face so hard for being so careless. This guy is my enemy and him teasing me on how he caught me checking him out is the last thing I needed in this battle of pride of ours. This could be my potential weakness against him and I can’t let it happen.

“That’s the thing though, I don’t.” I said nonchalantly, shrugging my shoulders at him. He leaned on the counter, facing at me with a smirk etched on his lips. He knew the game was on. He knew I was already over of my stuttering state and can hit him with good come backs any time he wants.

“Oh really? Is it drool that I’m seeing right now?” he fired back, pointing a finger at me. I rode on with his joke and pretended to wipe something off the corner of my lips. “Oh this? This is a drool of disgust.” I even acted as if I’d wipe it on his face. His smirk was replaced with a grin as he holds my wrist not letting it near his face.

“While we’re on it, why don’t you smell mine too?” he said, his finger and is about to wipe it on my cheek if only I wasn’t fast enough to back off and sit back on my chair.

“Eww, don’t you even.” I shake my head at him.

“What?? You started it.” he retorted and instead of answering I just stuck my tongue out at him, he mimicked it and so I did it again and he copied me again until that’s the only thing we’re doing for a whole one minute. It’s childish yeah, but we both don’t want to be the receiving end of the last blow.

“You’ve got to get someone to teach you how to tone down your egotistical self, you know?” I joked at him.

“Me? Egotistical? Nope.” While still leaning on the counter, he puts his hands on his pocket. “I’m just confident about my looks because I have all the right to be.”

My mouth widened in shock at how he sounded and ended up laughing. “And here you are, saying that I’m impossible, where in fact it is you who’s hard to deal with.” I said, shaking my head.

“Well, do you want me to give you a fact right now?” he asked, in a very confident tone.

“Why bother asking when we both know you’d still say it even if I said no?” I caught the corner of his lips turning upwards as he try to hold in a smile, rubbing a finger on his philtrum. “You know me all too well, it’s weirdly shocking.”

“I know, right?” I replied. “You see, it isn’t hard understanding such simple minds.”

He squinted his eyes on me, probably taking in my not-so-subtle blow. “You really just don’t let go, do you?--Anyway, it doesn’t matter what you say because between the two of us right now, I’m the better-looking one. The much better-looking one.” He even smirked at the end of his sentence and it is now my turn to squint my eyes on him.

I blinked quite a few times at what he said, trying to make sense of what it is, if I heard it right or not, before my mind was able to come up with a response. “Do you know how random you are?? Why the sudden lie?”

“It’s random, yes. But it isn’t a lie.” he teased, crossing his arms and now it’s my time to mimic him. “You know Santa doesn’t like people who spits garbage.”

“I don’t mind, really. As a matter of fact, Santa would agree with me on this one. He would’ve given me a thumbs up.”

Raising an eyebrow I said, “He’s a noble man, he’d never side on someone like you.”

“Alright, alright, let’s just get rid of him. I actually know someone who’d agree with me and that person’s opinion you would accept. I am 100% sure about it. No doubts.” he smirked as I lifted my chin to show that there’s no way I’m backing down.

“Oh yeah? And who is that?” I asked. He didn’t answer and instead he raised his index finger, pointing at my direction. I turned around to see if there’s someone standing behind me but there’s no one. With confusion written all over my face, I shifted my eyes back at him and he’s still pointing at me, looking so amused. He even wiggled his eyebrows as I point a finger to myself.

“Me???” I said, all confused. He didn’t say anything and just nodded with his eyes closed.

I scoffed at him and plopped my left elbow to the back of this chair, resting my head on my hand. I even slid down a little bit and crossed my legs to look even more cool. “Keep dreaming, boy. You and me siding with one another would never happen. That’s just impossible.”

“Oh yeah? You really think so?” he asked on which I just nodded my head wearing a smug look on my face.

“You’ve got to trust me on this one though.”

“Nah-ah. Won’t happen.” I said wiggling a finger at him. Shaking his head in amusement, he walked towards a closet that’s just behind me and says, “Trust me, you’d want to look at the mirror.” My face that was scrunched up in confusion was suddenly straightened the moment I laid my eyes on the mirror. My hair was so messed up, my eyes are so puffy probably from all the crying and I really had a mark on my forehead.

“I know it’s hideous but you don’t have to be THAT horrified.” he teased. I just rolled my eyes at him and tried to tame my hair that are all flying in every directions. I kept on flattening it out but there are strands that just won’t listen to me, it’s