I fumble the blankets sleepily off me and climb down from the bunk. It’s another early morning and I didn’t sleep too well after everything that had happened. Maybe I was just sick yesterday or something. Today’s a new day and everything should go back to normal.

            I wash up and then head into the kitchen to get some breakfast. CNU is already seated at the table, and I join him after selecting some food to eat.

            “Morning,” he says to me. I return the greeting with a smile and begin to eat.

            I then hear footsteps approaching the table. I turn to see the culprit, and it’s none other than Baro.

            “Jinyoung hyung is hogging the shower, so I’m going to eat first today,” he explains to us. My eyes follow him as he reaches into the cabinet to grab a plate. I shake my head and return to focusing at the food in front of me. But my eyes unconsciously wander back to Baro, and this time, our eyes meet.

            I quickly look back down at my food, and once again, my face feels hot. This seriously can’t be happening, I think to myself. I shove the remaining contents of my breakfast in my mouth before Baro has a chance to get to the table. I hurriedly throw the dishes into the sink, and start to leave the room.

            “Hey Sandeul, are you feeling better today?” Baro asks me.

            Without facing him, I respond with a forced “Yes,” and then continue back into the bedroom to get ready for the day.

            No matter what, I can’t let him know what I’m feeling.

            On today’s schedule is a photoshoot, specifically one for an endorsement of some clothes. I’m given a trendy-looking long sleeved blue shirt with a company logo and a complimentary pair of jeans to wear. The photographers want natural lighting for this shoot. Unfortunately, that means that we’re outside in the summer heat.

            “Hyung, it’s hot today,” I hear Gongchan tell Jinyoung. And that’s definitely true. I’m roasting in these clothes.

            Thankfully, despite the heat, time seems to fly by. By the end of the day, the photographers are happy with the photos. We say our farewells to the staff and then return to the dorm.

            We all rejoice once we feel air conditioning inside our dorm.

            “Ugh, it was so hot outside. I guess I’ll go take another shower,” Baro says.

            That’s perfect, I tell myself, because now I can have some time alone… and away from him.

            Everyone else is in the living room watching some drama on TV. I decide to stay by myself in the bedroom. I rest my back against the wall and sit on the floor, busily surfing the web on my laptop. It’s nice to have a chance to relax like this.

            The door of the room swings open suddenly. Stepping inside is Baro, wearing only pants with a towel rested around his shoulders. His black hair is slightly messy and dripping wet from the shower, and droplets land on his exposed chest. He notices me on the floor and catches me looking. I instantly look back down at the computer screen.

            I hear Baro chuckle. I glance back up and notice that he’s looking at me, and slowly approaching me. He gets down in front of me and I scrunch up my legs closer to my body.

            He finally speaks. “I’ve got a nice body, right Sandeul? I may look small but I definitely have some muscle!” He flexes his arms in front of me.

            I just continue to look at the screen, acting as if I was busy, when in reality, I can’t focus on anything but Baro.

            He leans in closer to me, and I turn my head to the side to look away.

            He chuckles again, and says, “What’s wrong Sandeul? Embarrassed?”

            I mumble something, but he just keeps on staring at me. “Leave me alone… Don’t look at me,” I finally mutter.

            Baro seems taken aback by my words, and does the exact opposite of what I tell him. He grabs my face underneath my chin and forces me to turn towards him. Our eyes meet for what seems like eternity, and Baro slowly drops his hand and releases my face.

            “Sandeul… are you…” His face reads all sorts of confused emotions, and he can’t seem to find the right words to say. But I know what he’s thinking. My face must be completely red. He probably already knows.

            I can’t control myself anymore. My heart is beating faster than ever, and here is Baro in front of me, in this state. Without thinking, I find my hands automatically traveling to his face, holding it gently in between them.

            I don’t know what I’m doing. He still looks at me lost, and my emotions are about to burst. I find myself pulling his face closer, and me leaning into his. My eyes slowly shut as his lips meet with mine.

            I want to continue, but I know I can’t. I draw back and remove my hands from his face.

            My senses seem to come back to me, because now I feel a terrible guilt. What have I done? I don’t want to even look at Baro’s reaction right now, because I know it’ll be horrible. He wasn’t supposed to find out. This is going to ruin everything.

I can feel my eyes starting to water. I push him away and clumsily get up.

            “Wait, Sandeul…” Baro manages to say, but I don’t listen. I can’t deal with this.

            “Sorry Baro… you should have… left me alone,” I say, attempting to hold back tears before escaping, running out of the room.