Moon Chaewon rubbed her arms in response to the goosebumps that were prickling on her skin.

They were only 30 minutes into the interview, and Chaewon was already regretting her choice of outfit today. The silk blouse she was wearing was much too thin and did little to keep her warm. The studio was freezing, and she struggled to pay attention as Lee Joongi responded to the interviewer's question.

".... her focus and dedication to her character made me even more motivated to make sure that my acting is on par." Joongi replied the emcee, singing Chaewon's praises yet again. She noticed that he did this every single interview. But he also did that for his co-stars whenever he went on promotional interviews and Chaewon knew not to read too much into it. He was just doing his job. 

Chaewon stuck her fingers under her thighs to ward the cold off her frozen extremities. 

" ...so happy to be working with her again, and I look forward to our next production." Joongi finished off with a cheerful smile, the twinkle in his eyes bright and apparent for all to see.

Chaewon's cheeks burned even as chuckled to herself, before averting her eyes and looking down to her lap.

Ever since she was little, compliments made her feel uncomfortable for they sound a little too undeserved. And even though she knew that Joongi did that for everyone he worked with, and that it didn't mean anything, Chaewon still felt embarrassed by it. 

The interviewer eventually shifted his focus to Jang Heejin and Seo Hyunwoo, allowing Joongi and herself to take a break off camera. 

Joongi turned off his mic before leaning closer towards her. "Chaewon-ah, are you alright?" He asked softly.

"Just a little cold."

Chaewon shifted in her seat, wondering if she should ask for a warm cup of coffee. 

Joongi reached over and started rubbing her left shoulder gently with his right palm, which felt like it contained the warmth of the sun. His touch sent a delicious shiver down her back. Chaewon couldn't help but close her eyes in pleasure.

"Taegyu-ya," she heard Joongi call out to his manager. "Could you get us some warm coffees please?" He asked, turning to make his request to his manager standing by the side of the film set. 

"Oppa. I'm really okay."

"Nah, I want a coffee for myself too."

"You're spoiling me again," she muttered under her breath.  

Joongi could get so insistent about looking after her, that it was really hard to say no to him, and much easier to just relent and let him do his thing. She tried not to get too used to it though.

She gratefully accepted the steaming mug of americano from Manager Oh. The coffee had a nutty aroma and was made using arabica beans - exactly what Chaewon enjoyed, and what she needed. She took a small sip, savouring the bittersweet taste on her tongue, before cradling the mug in her hands.

"Thank you, Oppa."

"You're most welcome, Chaewon-ah. Is everything alright?"

She looked up from the brown swirling liquid to find his dark, searching eyes. For all of its merits, it's a little disconcerting how Joongi seemed to see right through her.

She did have difficulties sleeping last night. Chaewon went to bed tired enough, socialising did not come naturally to her, and tended to take up a lot of her energy. However, when she did finally got in bed, sleep eluded her.

She found her thoughts tangled up with the contents of the night's conversation with a certain man, his handsome face and sweet words chasing each other round her mind.

"It's nothing. I'm just a little tired today."

"Yeah?" He reached out to smoothen the stray strands of baby hair behind her ear. "There. It's unlike you to be distracted at work, are you unwell?" His eyes were still searching hers, deep and unreadable. Her heart started to hammer in her chest and she found herself blushing again.

"Oppa, I'm really okay. And don't do things like this. People will misunderstand."

"What Chaewon-ah?" He asked with an innocent grin.

"This?" His hand once again reached for her, but Chaewon ducked away.

"Yes, Oppa. This."

If she was younger, Chaewon would have misunderstood his affection for interest and attraction. But after having worked with him, she knew he's just being himself around her - playful and affectionate. He was the same with little Seoyoung-ie too.

"Oh sorry, our little Chaewon-e is all grown up hey, bossing Oppa around."

She rolled her eyes, "You know that's not what I mean."

"Well," Joongi leaned in closer to her to whisper in her ear. "What if I do want people to misunderstand?

Huh.

Chaewon's eyes widened, her mind blank. She found gaping, as she struggled to find a retort to throw back at him.

He was definitely teasing her.

"Oppa stop joking around. Otherwise, I'll really get upset with you."

He raised his hands out in mock surrender, "Alright, alright." His smile was wide and appeasing. "I'll stop if you want me to."

"Why do you still look so energetic anyway, Oppa?" Chaewon asked as she assessed his seemingly flawless features with a critical eye. "Didn't you go clubbing last night? You sounded so prepared just now when you were interviewed."

Joongi shrugged. "Actually, I didn't need to prepare very much - our answers don't have to be perfect, Chaewon-ah." He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "Our viewers enjoy honesty."

Chaewon only chuckled, used to his ad-libbing ways.

It was hard for her at first, because he would do it during their scenes together too - where they had a script to follow. He was ever so flexible where she was rigid, thinking on the spot with the director while she conscientiously memorised what the scriptwriter intended for them to do.

Yet, what surprised Chaewon was how their styles created this synergy - he was fluid while she was grounded - and together they produced a beautiful, well-emoted story.