Third Person POV…

Sohee nuzzled her face into her arms. She could hear the birds chirping and feel the sun the top of her head. It felt warm but different. She turned her head and rested her cheek on her forearm. She breathed in. It smelt different. It wasn’t the ingrown smell of her duvets but a sterile crisp scent without that comforting feel to it.

Gradually Sohee opened her eyes. Everything was too bright all at once and her sight became blurry. Sohee blinked several times and brought herself up. She was in a seat by a hospital bed. It took her a while to recall yesterday’s events but her recalling of thoughts came to a sudden halt as she noticed two eyes on her.

Zelo was elevated on several pillows, waiting for the girl to come back to her senses. He stared at her like he was asking why she was there.

Sohee abruptly clicked back to life. “Uh—err—you—you collapsed yesterday,” she stuttered.

Zelo squeezed his eyes shut and rubbed his nose bridge. "Ah, really?"

Sohee tipped her head to the side. He really must've hit his head hard enough so that his attitude fell out.

“How long have I been out?” He twisted his body to look around the room, it looked uncomfortable and straining when he tried to do so with only his head. “Has it been days?” he asked after a moment.

Sohee shook her head. “You collapsed yesterday."

Zelo stopped and turned back to the girl. “Did—” He looked like he was having difficulty to find the right words. “Did— did you… stay the night… here… with me?” he asked in a blunder.

Sohee hesitantly nodded her head. “Jongup was here too but he had to go home last night.” She paused and added awkwardly, “I thought you might’ve gotten alarmed if you woke up alone.”

Zelo rubbed the back of his neck. Looking down at his lap he gave her a muffled 'thanks, I guess.'

There was an unsettling silence. Sohee could hear her heartbeat pulsing against her ears, beating away the silence that filled the room.

“Am I… okay?” Zelo murmured under his breath.

Sohee lifted her head from her hands. “Okay?” she repeated, unsure what he was implying.

“I feel a bit sick,” he explained. He scrunched his face, lines formed between his brows as he frowned.

“Ah!” Sohee suddenly rose from her seat. “We should tell the nurse!”

“Don’t worry about it,” Zelo interrupted calmly as he tugged on the girl’s wrist. “A doctor came in earlier. He said I was okay and just told me to rest up a bit…”

Sohee stared at him for a second and slowly sank back into her seat. She began to wonder why he bothered to ask her if the doctor had already told him.

His hand was still gently clinging to her wrist. Sohee stared at it suspiciously before he hastily drew it back.

“I just… from…you” said a tiny voice.

“What?” Sohee chirped, “Did you say something?”

Zelo shook his head hurriedly. He suddenly stopped and rested his head in his hands with a sickened face. He could feel his face heat up immidiately. If hitting his head didn't kill him, all the blood gushing to his face might. "I’m going back to sleep,” he muttered as the noise in his chest hushed. Then he immediately shoved his head under a pillow.

Sohee frowned. He sure was abrupt. She had no idea what was going on with him and couldn’t understand his behaviour. ‘I wonder if it’s just part of the symptoms…’

A few minutes went by in silence. The rest of the hospital was once again humming with noise.

“…Junhong?” Sohee whispered after some time. She didn’t expect an answer since he may have already fallen asleep.

“What?” answered an unexpected muffled voice under the blanket.

Sohee hesitated. “The—the nurse said you’ll have to stay with us for a while, is that okay?”

There was a pause. Zelo rolled around, his head still under the sheets. “That’s fine.”

About half an hour later Zelo was discharged. Sohee and Zelo then met up with Minhyuk and Suho in the hospital waiting room where the nurse explained the situation.

“Please take care of him and if any problems occur make sure to bring him here,” the nurse instructed.

The two guardians nodded as the nurse took her leave.

Minhyuk scanned Zelo up and down as if to search for any threat. “How you feeling?”

Zelo had dressed back up into his practice clothes he had arrived in, a loose white shirt and a pair of sweat pants. He nodded “better.”

Suho patted his shoulder and gave it a firm squeeze. “You’ve grown,” he smiled comfortingly.

“A bit.”

The conversation stopped there.

“Well—” Sohee sighed, “let’s go home.”

Zelo dumped his baggage which they had collected before heading back to the house, beside the bed.

Minhyuk leant on the doorframe with his arms crossed while the other two readied the other sleeping arrangements in the lounge.

“I thought I told you to stay away from my sister,” he grumbled.

The younger boy hesitantly lifted his head. To Minhyuk's surprise he wore a look of relent and regret.

Minhyuk pursed his lips. “Don’t think I don’t know how you’ve been treating Sohee."

Zelo flinched. Slowly, he straightened up and walked towards the older man. He looked him dead in the eyes. Minhyuk flinched slightly, his eyes hovering around the boy’s straight face.

Suddenly Zelo folded over into a 90° bow.

Caught off guard, Minhyuk jumped back. “H-huh?”

“I deeply apologize,” he said still bent over.

Minhyuk hastily looked around. “C-c’mon… Stand up!” he exclaimed as he patted the boy’s shoulder.

Hesitantly, Zelo got back up, looking slightly more inferior than he did a second ago.

Minhyuk drew a breath then crossed his arms. His face twisted as he attempted to make sense of the situation. 

"Why now?" he asked after a moment, "After everything, why now?"

Zelo hesitated. He wiped his sweaty palms on his pants. "I-I want to explain myself to Sohee before anyone else," he said confidently before adding, "because she deserves atleast that."

Minhyuk stared at the boy for sometimes, seeing if he would faulter. He didn't. Minhyuk smiled, folded his arms and nodded to himself as he left the room.

Zelo woke up to the smell of cooking. He twisted in his sheets that glowed white with the hint of morning sun dribbling through the shades. He groaned as he gradually pulled open his eyes. He stared at the ceiling for a second, recalling all that had happened the past few days. It suddenly came to him that he was at Sohee’s house. He had slept under the same roof as her. He squeezed his eyes shut then let out a loud groan as the same ceiling reappeared. He kicked the blankets in embarrassment.

“What am I? A little boy??” Zelo muttered as his face began to flush. He shook his head and threw on a shirt before leaving the comfort of the room.

Sohee was already up to cook breakfast. Eggs were already laid out on the table along with cut fruit and toast. The clock read just past 9 o’clock.

Zelo peeked into the kitchen where he found Sohee cooking bacon. Her hair was tied up in a messy bun, loose strands falling over her face and tickling the back of her neck. Her face looked refreshing and clean, with a hint of morning glow to her complexion.

Zelo smiled to himself, preferring this look on the girl over the makeup she often wore at school nowadays. There was no sign of Sohee’s brother or his friend.

“Oh,” Sohee exclaimed as she caught his eyes. “How was your sleep?”

Zelo smiled politely, “It was good. Yours?”

 Sohee nodded. “Fine—ah right! My brother and Suho had to leave early for work." She smiled awkwardly and continued cooking.

“Oh is that right…” Zelo murmured. He was going to be left alone with Sohee for the day and he couldn’t help but feel a little uneasy. “Do you need help with that?” he asked noticing Sohee was still at work cooking breakfast.

She waved a hand. “It’s okay! It’s okay! Thank you though.”

Zelo pursed his lips. She was speaking formally and it made him feel distant. Was he being a bother? He began to furrow his brows as he realized how much food the girl was preparing. “Why are you making so much?” he chuckled as she dropped some more bacon into the pan.

Sohee blinked as Zelo stepped towards her. He examined the plate of already-cooked bacon, then looked back at the table already decked with fruit, toast and sunny-side-up egg.

Sohee waved the spatula in the air as if to get her mind jogging. “I invited Jongup, Jisu and Kai over for the day. I thought it would be uncomfortable for you if it’s just the two of us…” the girl shrugged as she flipped the bacon. “You’re close to Jongup, right? You’re in the same club after all…”

Zelo couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. He nodded reluctantly, “What a relief…” he murmured. He felt a swirl of sickness in his stomach whenever Sohee mentioned Jongup’s name. It also bothered him how she mentioned his name before the other two.

There was a knock on the door. Sohee immediately dropped what she was doing and sprinted to answer it.

Zelo got up from his seat at the kitchen table to greet the visitors. He stared wide-eyed at the man by the door.

“Where’s Jisu?” Zelo asked. His tone came a little more irritated than he expected. He coughed into a closed fist.

Jongup smiled and bowed slightly to the boy as Sohee ushered him inside. “Jisu said she had somewhere to go,” he shrugged. He lifted a brow to Sohee, “Any idea where?”

Sohee’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Right!” she exclaimed out loud. She suddenly covered the smile that was creeping up her flushed cheeks.

Jongup laughed at her flustering, teasing her a little. Zelo pursed his lips.

“If that’s the case, Kai probably won’t be coming either…” Sohee commented.

The two boys stared at her with a puzzled look.

Sohee just giggled and ushered them into the kitchen for breakfast.

Earlier...
Jisu stared herself in her bedroom mirror. “How should I do my hair and makeup…” she whispered as she studied all the angles of her face, “What should I wear—”

“JISU?!”

Jisu jolted back at the sound of her brother’s voice. “WHAT?!” she yelled back. She could hear the sound of running approach her bedroom door. Knock, knock.

Jisu sighed and unwillingly opened the door just wide enough to poke her head out. “What?” she repeated.

Jongup looked like he had just woken up. He held his phone in front of his sister’s face. “Sohee’s inviting us over for the day,” he announced as he showed her the txt that invited both him and Jisu.

“Odd,” Jisu said with a pout, “Why didn’t she just txt me?”

Jongup’s eyes widened. He waved his hands in denial. “Uh—no—she must have just forgotten… or or or she hasn’t—”

Jisu began laughing. “Idiot!” she snorted, “Of course she messaged me too!” she said poking her tongue. Her brother stared at her with a dumbfounded look slapped on his face.

“I can’t go.”

“What??” Jongup exclaimed in a fluster. He felt like he had been shoved onto an emotional rollercoaster first thing in the morning and he didn’t know how to feel.

“I have somewhere to go…” Jisu murmured under her breath, pink flowering in her cheeks as she shut the door to leave her brother staring into space.

She could hear more running and the shower immediately turn on. Less than ten minutes later she heard her brother telling her to take care, followed by the shutting of the door.

Jisu dressed into a pair of shorts and a billowing light blue blouse. She tied her hair effortlessly in a bun, wore a minimal dose of makeup and picked a petite white cross-body bag to carry her essentials.  She glimpsed nervously at the message in her phone marking the time and place of meeting.

She stood by a fountain square in the heart of the city, waiting impatiently after arriving twenty minutes before the scheduled time.

After only five minutes of waiting a familiar figure began jogging her way.

Kai smiled as soon as he saw her. He pressed his lips together, taking a moment to catch his breath. “You look nice,” he said softly.

Jisu smiled, “You too.”

Kai wore a light denim coloured button up with a pair of jeans and sneakers. He couldn’t help but notice the resemblance in each other’s outfits, and he couldn’t help to deny made him fell a tinge bit happy.

“So,” Jisu said as she looked around nervously, “Where to?”

Kai rubbed the back of his neck and laughed shyly. “I thought we could just get something to eat and just look around…”

Jisu shrugged. “Sounds good.”

After an hour of strolling through stores and a few minutes of walking and idle chit-chatting they came upon an ice cream vendor.

Jisu immediately spotted it, and upon seeing the look on her face Kai immediately ran up to it and bought two cones.   

He handed an ice cream to the girl who gladly accepted it.

Jisu smiled blissfully as she indulged into the dessert. As she looked up she caught Kai staring at her. “What?” she barked.

“This is a date,” Kai remarked with a small smirk, “remember?”

Jisu frowned. “So what?” she mumbled.

Kai tipped his head backwards slightly. “Give me some.”

Jisu shook her head and began to whinge. She brought the ice cream behind her and continued refusing.

Kai groaned. “Argh! Just come here!” he scoffed and suddenly leant in.

Jisu felt his face swipe past her, his breath barely grazing her cheek. She froze in place, her eyes wide and hands trembling slightly. She heard a crunch before Kai took a step back.

He his lips, a satisfied look on his face.

Jisu frowned as she inspected the bite mark in her waffle cone. She began to complain and gently hit Kai’s arm repeatedly with her free hand.   

“Ah, ah!” Kai laughed as he continued being attacked. “I give up! I give up!” he chuckled and offered her to take a bite of his ice cream.

“Aww.”

Jisu hesitated as she heard a lady passing by ‘aw’ them. The lady then turned to the man beside her and linked arms with him.

“Honey, did you see that couple? Weren’t they cute? Even their shirts matched!”

Jisu’s eyes trailed after them for a moment as they wandered off. She bit her lip as she turned back to Kai.

“C’mon,” she insisted, her face growing red. 

Kai followed after her as Jisu took on a faster pace. Her mind was swelling with commotion. She was obviously agitated even from Kai perspective.

Kai swiftly took her wrist and swirled her around, Jisu's blouse fluttered in the sudden change of direction. He firmly gripped her upper arms.
"What? What is it now?!" Kai asked, it came out slightly more aggressive than he intended.

Jisu shook her head, attempting twist around and avoid eye contact but Kai wouldn't let go. 
"I-I can't!" Jisu whinged, "Why? Why was it so easy to fall for you?!" 

Kai's eyes widened and he immidiately let go in disbelief. He couldn't feel a muscle in his body. "What...what did you say?"

Jisu dropped her head, her lip quivering. "I said it... I--"

Before she could finish she felt her head swiftly lift up. One moment she was gazing into two brown eyes and next hers were shut. Her lips on his, softly in the middle of the street like no one was watching. 

"The competition was yesterday, right?" Zelo asked as they cleaned the plates.

Jongup gave him a comforting look. "Yeah, if you were there we might have gotten first place. We got fourth." 

"Congratulations," Sohee said softly, cautious of Zelo's feelings. She then noticed his bed hair. "Do you want to  go ahead and take a shower?" she suggested with a giggle.

"Don't worry, we'll finish cleaning up," Jongup insisted as he glanced in the girl's direction.

"Ah," Zelo exclaimed as he caught a glimpse of his reflection on a mirror hung on the wall. "Yeah, excuse me," he said before shuffling away.

After he had gone Jongup turned to Sohee and said as casually as possible, "You seem to be getting along again." He was smiling but the statement came out stiffled.

Sohee nodded aloofly. "Yeah, fortunately." She was cleaning the dishes while Jongup, who insisted, was drying them.

"Hey," Jongup exclaimed, looking up from the plate in his hands. "Can I tell you something?" 

Sohee passed him the last plate before turning and nodding. "Is something wrong?" she asked after noticing his scrutinized expression.

Jongup gripped the plate. He could hear a beating in his head, so loud he could hardly hear himself think let alone hear what he was about to say. "I like you." 

Zelo got out of the shower refreshed and his mind set to a single resolve. He quickly dressed, afraid his courage would fade with the condensation on the bathroom mirror. He decided it didn't matter if there was company but he felt somewhat relieved to find Sohee alone.

"Are you okay?" he asked. She was still by the kitchen sink, a shocked look plasrered on her face, a hand over and a single plate alone on the kitchen bench.

Sohee snapped out of her trans and placed the plate with the rest. 

"Where's Jongup hyung?" Zelo asked after a moment. He noticed how she flinched at his name and quickly ushered her to the living room couch. 

Sohee still looked upset? Shocked? Scared? Confused? It was difficult to tell. 

Zelo placed a hand on her shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Whatever he did, I'll be here for you-- from now on I promise I won't leave you again."

Sohee looked up at him. Her expression was now tipping towards surprised. Zelo continued.

"I've been horrible to you and I don't know why you even let me stay here but I really have been planning to apologize. It's just that every time I tried, I messed up or hesitated and let the opportunity slip. And every time I failed the harder it got, the more I feared you hated me, and the harder it got to apologize, so--" he took a deep breath then got down to his knees and bowed, his hands in front of him and his forehead pressed to the ground. "Sohee, I'm so sorry. I don't expect you to forgive me or acknowledge the stupid thing I'm about to do." He then suddenly got back up and took the girl's hand.

Sohee stared back at him more dumbfounded than earlier. 

"Sohee, I like you-- no, I've liked you for so long I just couldn't express it."

Before Minhyuk and Suho returned, Zelo left insisting his head was fine and saying he should let Sohee have some privacy to think and, if she wished, consider.

Sohee lay in bed, her mind and heart an absolute mess. It was a shock especially since it came all at once. "Jongup... Junhong..." she muttered to her ceiling. 

Suddenly her phone chimed with a text. She had to read it aloud to hear it over her own thoughts. It was from Jisu and read simply, 'Kai and I are officially dating,' followed by countless exclaimation marks and emoticons. Then there was an incoming call. For about an hour, Jisu reported on her day, absolutely giddy in love. She said she could suddenly envision everything after she confessed.

In the midst of her friend's fantasies, Sohee realized there was a clear choice. She hung up, ran out the door and to a familiar house. Her heart drumming with both the nervousness and exhaustion as she knocked on the door. It opened.

"Yes!" Sohee exclaimed.

Jongup stared in shock.

Zelo stared in shock.

Pick one.