I wake up to the sun warming my back as it fills the entire room, searing from an uncovered window. My headaches as soon as I try to get up and pull the curtains to block the rays. I possibly passed out last night but I clearly remember the last bottle of beer I drank before I walked my way to my bedroom. With my eyes half open, I look around to see any trace of puke that could be harder to clean. 

Aftermaths of parties are my pet peeve. It doesn't add to my liking that the host should be the only one to deal with all the chaos and mess when everyone else contributed to it. After all, I'm not a big fan of loud parties. I like to keep gatherings that are very chill and laid back. Just friends sitting down around a table, casually jamming to songs while we talk about all sorts of things. Maybe it's because I didn't get wasted enough that there is no mess to clean up except for the bottles out in the balcony. 

The day's just about to start for me but my stomach seems like it's been battling with hunger when I was asleep. I check my phone and make my way to the kitchen as I back read in our group chat. I'm reading halfway through when my phone rings and flashes Shindong's name. I swallow a good amount of milk before I answered his call.

"Are you alive, Jungsoo?" He asks instead of the usual 'hello' greeting.

I softly laugh and say, "Of course. I just woke up. What's up?"

I pull out the pan from the cabinet and proceed to mix flour, egg, and butter to make some good classic pancakes. I thought of ordering instead but I like the scent it leaves inside my kitchen.

"Nothing much. We were just wondering if you still have your nose stuck up on your laptop. By the sound of your voice, though, I know you aren't."

Shindong laughs on the other end and I join him. I put him on loudspeaker just so I can mix the pancake batter with both of my hands working.

"I had a couple of drinks last night. It knocked me out to sleep so I didn't have enough time to actually stick my nose on my laptop. Maybe today, I could do that."

"Ah, no, no. I'll just freshen up after I'm done with the gym then I'll go there. I need to save you."

Before I can even reply, the line went dead, not giving me the chance. I busy myself with cooking instead. No one's going to do it for me anyway.

I turn the water on and click the heater off. It's relatively warmer now and I want to enjoy a cool refreshing shower at times like this. The sensation of the cold water as it touches my skin sends my body shivering. Ahhh, this is life. I spend a good few minutes inside before I wrap it up with trying out a new gargle Donghae has given me.

I connect my phone to my speaker and put my playlist on shuffle. Is This The Love That I Need? by  Flu blasts from the stereo. I close my eyes as I sing along with the song.

How do you measure
Love over pleasure
I just can't seem to believe
Could there be a fine line
In romance and good time
Is this the love that I need?

I enjoy prepping myself while I listen to songs like a routine. To kill time, I pull my laptop out from my bag and quickly open my email. I need to check the progress and logistics of this week's operation. I've been going around advertising with my small company that consists of less than thirty people. We're doing just fine but the last two weeks were hell for us all. I had to step up as the leader to keep my teammates sane. I was about to