“Achoo!”
          It was five in the morning. Jinah couldn’t sleep because of her constant sneezing and coughing. She was tired, but too sick to fall asleep. Jinah had been sneezing and coughing and being sick while Sehun slept on, oblivious of the noises. From the other room, Luhan, a sensitive sleeper, woke up. After not even five minutes, he got up. He just couldn’t stand it. Not because of the sounds, but because of who they came from, and what they meant. He went to Jinah’s room and literally carried her out. In spite of her hoarse, low-voiced protests, Luhan had her picked her up and gently tossed her on the couch. 
          She really does have a crappy immune system, Luhan thought as he wringed the towel and put it on Jinah’s forehead. His black shirt sleeves were pushed up. He had come back to her with a bowl of new, cold water while he let the porridge simmer. It had been like this for the past hour or so – Luhan attempting to put Jinah back to sleep so she could rest, who would sneeze and tell Luhan to go away. Obviously, Luhan didn’t listen.
          The porridge was just a pot of hot leftover rice and some water. According to an online recipe, he had to add other ingredients, such as squash, shrimp, carrots, and onions, but he had no idea how to cut or prepare those. It was a miracle he succeeded in turning on the fire of the stove. They didn’t even have half of the ingredients, anyways. It’ll have to suffice for now, Luhan thought. Damn it, only if I learned more cooking techniques from – Luhan sighed when her quiescent name carelessly popped into his head. Haneul, you really d –
          “Achoo!”
          Luhan snapped out of his thoughts. “I can’t believe you got sick from the wind…”
          “Go away,” Jinah croaked. “You’re going to get the cold from – from – achoo!” Jinah groaned and lulled her head back, exhausted. “From me,” she finished, and her body shivered violently.
          Luhan shook his head. “There’s no way I’m sleeping when you’re sick, silly.”
          Jinah kicked his leg and turned to face the couch instead of him. Luhan laughed quietly, but a soft hiss from the kitchen interrupted him. He got up to go over to the kitchen and poured some porridge into a bowl, which took him five minutes to find. At least the porridge is cool, sort of, he thought positively as he stuck a spoon into the unappealing bowl of sticky rice. He blew on it and rushed over to the lounge area because his fingers were burning from the buried heat underneath. When he dropped the bowl onto the glass coffee table, it made a loud clinking noise. He blew cool air onto his fingers. “That’s hot,” he murmured to himself.
          “Idiot, that’s why you sleep instead of making such a fuss,” Jinah lectured.
          “Tch. I made this for you from scratch, you know,” Luhan told her as he used the spoon to mix the porridge thoroughly and even out the heat.
          Jinah blinked at him with weary eyes in confusion and surprise. He… made this from scratch? It wasn’t a mixture? Or a blended package?
          “No, it’s not from a mixture or a blended package,” Luhan said, as if he heard her thoughts.
          Jinah gulped. “Can you read minds or something?”
          He chuckled. “Nah. I just thought that that would be something you’d think of. You know, being a Callidum and all.”
          She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously, but then unlike other times, her face slowly lost tension and her gaze and thoughts became more personal and tender. The ghost of his smile was on his smooth face, emitting a type of angelic innocence of a child. His jaw was so hewn that she could make out the sharp angle, even in the dark. His facial features seemed to have been carved by a sculptor. Was he always this… I don’t know… pleasant… looking? And did I always feel… this… fidgety around him?
          “Say ‘ah’.”
          “‘Ah’ a dog’s horn,” she snorted weakly, but was cut off by a fitful of coughs. Alarmed, Luhan hastily put the spoon down and began clapping her back, and before she could lie back down, he held her up so that she had to sit. She groaned in frustration, but even that was quiet and not intimidating. The fidgetiness must be a symptom of this damned cold, Jinah thought.
          After Jinah’s breathing became a bit more steady, Luhan picked up the spoon again, and held it by Jinah’s mouth for her. “Eat.”
          “No.”
          He sighed. She was as stubborn as a mule. This Callidum… “I made this for you, won’t you eat it?” Luhan said, his tone gentler.
          Jinah scoffed, but his different approach worked… somewhat. She did decide to try the porridge, but instead of letting him feed her, she took the spoon from his hands and fed herself. She frowned as she swallowed it. “It’s cold and plain.”
          “My bad.”
          Jinah ate another spoonful. “It’s not half bad. It’s probably because my taste buds are dying.”
          “I know.”
          Jinah looked at him strangely as she downed it, but didn’t say anything. The porridge tasted like bland mush and the texture wasn’t great, either. Cooking was not Luhan’s thing. However, even for just not burning it, Luhan deserved a praise. With that thought, just as she was about to give him a minor compliment, a different wave of thoughts invaded her mind. What’s it like being with Luhan? What’s it like being cared for by him? Unconsciously, her chewing slowed down as she indulged into unfamiliar thoughts like these. How do you feel? Not just with any male, but with Luhan… how do you feel?
          “Hey, you alright?”
          His voice snapped her out of her thoughts and back to reality. Her eyes focused on his face. He then leaned in and Jinah jolted back and pushed him away with her hands on his chest, but Luhan held her middle back and pulled her toward him, making her gulp. He came closer to her, and placed a hand onto her forehead, wrinkles on his own forehead, that had formed due concentration and concern.
          It feels…
          “Warm,” Luhan concluded. “You have a fever.”
          Jinah snorted as she finally managed to push him off. Her heart was pounding and going insane. She felt insane. Her face went bright red, and fortunately, she knew Luhan couldn’t see it because it was dark. “No , Sherlock…” Jinah said, playing it cool. “You could have used a thermometer or those beepy things that measures fever…”
          “Do I make you nervous?” Luhan teased, but then he scowled. “But don’t swear. It doesn’t sound nice on you.”
          Jinah snorted again. “Why, because I’m a girl?”
          “No, because it’s weird when ugly words come out of a pretty face.”
          Jinah blushed furiously and so did Luhan. Even if she couldn’t see the flushed color of his cheeks, she could tell because he shrank back timidly. Wait, Luhan being shy? Wolf, the Top Gang’s leader, Luhan?! She looked at him curiously and he cleared his throat, not meeting her eyes. “What did you say?” she asked, but was interrupted with a series of coughs. Luhan quickly began hitting her back again. The coughs died and Jinah sunk back in her seat again. Why did Luhan make her feel like this sometimes? Like she had run a marathon? The warmth in her face and thumping in her chest – the sensation was identical to one after a run. Probably symptoms of the cold, Jinah thought as she recalled that your heart picks up its pace when you’re sick, but she was very unsure that that was the only reason.
          Jinah felt her eyes burn a little from fatigue. All she wanted to do was close them and sleep, but she still had to finish the white porridge. Tomorrow, I’ll make it better, Jinah decided. I wonder what I should add? She ate a mouthful. Definitely onions… maybe carrots and celery… and some shrimp. Do we have shrimp? Maybe potatoes instead… I wonder if the gang would be okay with some soy sauce? Shrimp would go well with oyster extract, unless someone has an allergy…
          “So how are you?”
          Jinah raised an eyebrow at Luhan. “I’m sick,” she stated flatly. How else would she be feeling? Wasn’t her cold the only reason why they were here?
          “I know. But how are you holding up with… everything?” Luhan asked, being more specific this time. Jinah didn’t say anything as he continued, “You know, training, abilities, gang lifestyle… it’s still new for you, right? You haven’t told any of us anything about your feelings.”
          “It’s fine,” Jinah naturally fibbed. “I never really thought about it.”
          That was an utter lie. Jinah stayed up every other night or so, thinking about her life and the gang’s influence, wondering if she had become corrupted like DE. She thought about everything that had been told to her, and tried processing it all, but it was difficult, a challenge, but Callidum girls were strong mentally. Jinah swallowed and pursed her lips, then bit her lip, and then moved onto blowing her bangs. Minjung, everyone… She met many new people, like Seonah, Hyuna, Bora, and Taeyeon, and went to many new places, like the library, theater, and the markets. Gangs like Fang, Smoke, and Cougar were common names she heard. Training was hard, and both a stress-creator and stress-reliever. As if these weren’t enough, there was her public image to uphold, interviews to attend, Xiumin’s retorts, and above all else… these feelings. Jolts in my chest, thuds I hear, heated cheeks.
          She sighed. You’re over-thinking, Jinah.
          All this time, Luhan had been staring at her, the same way he had at the ceremony meet, when they first met. That was when he realized that he learned many things about her since then, but he still knew very little about her. In spite of all the things he found out, she was still an enigmatic mystery, a puzzling riddle. His eyes narrowed a tad at her features, but his thoughts didn’t revolve around her porcelain face. Instead, they wandered to one specific thought: Why can’t I figure her out? He didn’t know. Why is she an exception? He didn’t know. Most of all, he watched her blow her bangs again, and he let out a small sigh as his cold fingers slithered to his wrist, feeling his rapid pulse. What is this?