“Over here!”Myeolchi oppa waved us over.

Seeing that, I quickly went over to greet him. He put down the weights he was lifting and wiped away his perspiration.

“Here,”I took out my water bottle to give it to him.

“Thanks, you’re the best,”he grinned at me, taking it.

Myeolchi oppa, you need to stop saying such things. Although I know you probably meant it in a friendly way, I couldn’t help but just hope…

“Ouch!”

Immediately, I turned to find Soobin holding onto her ankle tightly!

“I think she’s sprained it,”Myeolchi oppa commented.

Deciding it was best to send her to the hospital, Donghae offered to bring her there though I was wondering if Myeolchi oppa had wanted to bring her there instead. He seems to have a crush on her, no? Leaving just me and him alone in the gym, myeolchi oppa decided that I do some simple weight lifting.

“Shouldn’t we go with Soobin?”I asked as we walked over to the weights station.

“Well, we would crowd the emergency area if we all go together. Donghae can handle it himself. Besides, I promised you this gym session,”he gave me a smile.

So, if it wasn’t for the promise, we wouldn’t even be here? I brushed that thought away and focused on the situation at hand. Soobin was injured and all I could think of was Myeolchi oppa.

“But I’m worried for her,”I told him.

“I know. We’ll go visit her after our gym session, alright?”he ruffled my hair, waiting for me to nod my head.

Slowly, nodding it, he reached out to pinch my cheek before he went over to grab some weights for me. Just like that, we trained on toning my thighs and my arms which I complained a lot while exercising.

“Oh my god, I can’t do this anymore!”I put it down and lay down on my back on the floor.

“Seriously, Haemin. You’re so skinny that I thought you exercised all the time!”he couldn’t help but laugh at me.

“Yeah, well, high metabolism rate does that to you,”I panted.

“Okay, little princess, it’s time to do sit ups,”myeolchi oppa grinned.

“What? I haven’t even got to rest for five minutes. You’re too much!”I groaned.

“If you don’t work on it, you’ll never get abs like Yuri. Come on! The faster you finish, the faster we see Soobin. And I’ll give you a present after that too. How’s that?”he winked.

“PRESENT? What are you giving me?”I sat up to face him.

“It’s a secret. Now, do your sit ups so we can jog after this! Come on, come on!”he clapped his hands together.

Sighing, I lay back down on my back as myeolchi oppa positioned himself at my feet, holding it down as I did.

“One! Yah, Haemin, this is pathetic! You should at least do ten!”he couldn’t hold in his laughter.

“It hurts….,”I complained.

“This is the only way to get abs! Come on,”he encouraged.

Groaning and panting, I did about twenty more in a snail pace and when I hit the 23^rd mark, I stopped. Chuckling, myeolchi oppa reached his hands out.

“That’s it for today then. Let’s jog,”he gestured for my hands.

Hesitantly, I placed my palms on his and he pulled me up. It was such a strong impact that I wasn’t expecting myself to come up inches away from his face. Myeolchi oppa and I stared at each other for a bit before I started blinking and he cleared his throat. We slowly stood up and went to wipe ourselves down.

“Erm, how do you operate this machine?”I tried to digress as I went towards the threadmill.

“Oh, er, just the start button. Ready?”he turned to look at me.

Avoiding his gaze, I nodded. Just like that we spent about thirty minutes running with no words exchanged.

“That’s it for today then! Meet me here after you’re done showering, okay!”he smiled before walking off to shower.

I did the same and all the time that I was showering, I thought of our moments together. My heart wouldn’t stop racing when he looked me in the eye. After I was done, I was met with myeolchi oppa who was using his phone, texting someone. All the while, his face always had a smile and I was wondering who he was texting. I wasn’t trying to be a busybody but was just genuinely curious as to who was it that could have gotten him to smile like that. More importantly, it made my heart sink for I got some sense knocked into me. I wasn’t the only one who he talks to on the phone. I could even laugh at my stupidity for thinking that way. He knows so many female celebrities, of course, he would be texting them, trying to ask them out. I wasn’t that important to him. I was just a friend.

“Oh, Haemin, you’re done?”

I looked up and managed a small smile as I walked over.

“What’s with your expression? Did something happen to you in the female changing room, huh?”he asked in such a soothing voice that I had to bite the insides of my mouth again.

“No, I just got scolded by my mum, that’s all. Let’s go visit Soobin. She hasn’t text me about her condition,”I sighed.

“I called Donghae while you were still showering. They’re almost done with the consultation so we should head over now. Don’t worry, Soobin’s fine,”he reached out to the back of my head.

Feeling that it wasn’t right for him to do that, I cooked up some excuse about wanting to get a drink from the vending machine. I was about to put coins into the machine when he stopped me.

“Wait, remember I said I was getting a present for you?”myeolchi oppa smiled.

I nodded my head.

“Let’s go redeem that present now!”he led us out of the building.

He got me to wait outside the convenience store and went in to grab something. I leaned against the wall and took out my phone. I should probably stop harbouring such feelings for him and stop being so selfish. Whoever that he was texting probably needed him more than me. As a friend, I shouldn’t be disrupting his love life.

“Here you go, little princess!”

I turned to see a bottle of orange juice in front of my face. My eyes widened and I couldn’t help the smile on my face.

“THANK YOU!”I grabbed it from him and was elated with the present he got for me.

It wasn’t much but anyone who knows me well enough knows that I’m practically obsessed with orange juice. Yes, just like how myeolchi oppa is with his strawberry milk.

“You can drink in the car. Soobin and Donghae are waiting for us!”he opened the car door for me.

All the while, the smile on my face couldn’t be wiped off as I continued savouring the present that myeolchi oppa got for me.

“I thought you were joking when you said you would be really happy after a sip of orange juice. Now, I believe you. Gosh, that smile on your face is really pretty,”myeolchi oppa glanced at me as he complimented.

“Geez, are you trying to say that I’m only pretty after I drink orange juice? What kind of logic is that? I’m pretty 24/7, dude!”

Oh, not to mention, my mood gets incredibly good after orange juice. It just lifts my spirits.

“Yes, yes, you are, Haemin!”he laughed as he nodded.

Getting off at the hospital, the two of us scanned around for the other when my eyes landed on Soobin in a wheelchair.

“SOOBIN!!!!”I shouted across the floor.

“Shhh, Haemin. People can’t know that Donghae and I are here,”myeolchi oppa shushed me up as he pulled his cap down further.

“Sorry,”I quickly apologized as we walked towards them.

He muttered something under his breath that sounded like, “cute” but I wasn’t able to catch it properly.

“What?”I asked.

“Nothing!”he merely shook his head with a smile on his face.