Kyung's POV

Jiho shoved my phone into my face.

"Call her. Now!" he demanded, desperate. "Ask her why she left."

"Why would I ask her that?" I inquired, reluctant. "She doesn't even know I'm here."

"Kyung, help me out," Jiho whined, begging like a child. "Kyung, I'm dying here."

"But..."

He opened his eyes wide and pouted his luscious lips. I might sound gay saying that, but damn, he's got lips to envy. 

I scrolled through my contacts list, thinking about his unusual request. What was I supposed to say to Karen? Being watched by Jiho made it all awkward too.

"I don't know, man," I said before pressing dial.

The phone rang but nobody picked it up. 

"Try again," Jiho ordered.

So I did.

This time, she did pick it up.

"..."

"Hi, Karen?"

"...What's up?" she said, her voice sad. 

"Um...did you just go to Jiho's house just now to leave some clothes?"

"I did..." she mumbled, her voice slowly faltering away. "I left some at Hyuna's house though, not Jiho's."

"Well, they live together," I told her without hesitation. 

"They...do?" I heard her take a deep breath. "Oh my goodness. I see why you asked me to stay away now - he's such a terrible man!"

"Wait, what?" I turned away from Jiho, who was signalling me to tell him what was going on. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Him - Hyuna - under one roof! That's what!" she exclaimed, horrified.

"But -" What was she on about? "Well, they're siblings, so," I muttered, confused.

Karen's POV

I jolted up from my fetal position after hearing something surprising. Some children around the playground looked at me weirdly.

"What? Siblings?" I lowered my voice slightly, facing away from the children.

"Step-siblings," Kyung continued, nonchalant. "Yeah...did you think..."

I hung up the phone in embarrassment. They were step-siblings? But why were they acting so dodgy around one another?

What did that mean?

Did it mean that my previous assumptions about Jiho were wrong afterall?

I was wrapped in a blanket of confusion and I hit my head with my palm, trying to get things straight.

 On the way home, I gathered my thoughts. When I was reorganizing my thoughts, I realized that 90% of them were about Jiho.

I felt exhausted. I never felt a need to get to know a person as much as I do now yet I also never met someone I needed to avoid so badly as him. He smelled like trouble.

Should I test the waters? Did it matter if I got hurt? 

My feet brought me somewhere not home and I ended up right at the front of the place where Kyung texted me not to come that night.

He told me they were going to hang out at this place.

I was right in front of it, just a few feet away from the entrance.

Somebody placed a hand on my back and I jumped in surprise.

"Nuna, you came to watch Jiho and Kyung?" Jihoon asked, grinning excitedly. "I can't believe it!"

My mouth was wide open but no answer was coming out.

"Come on in," Jihoon pulled me and Yukwon nodded towards the entrance.

We took a seat on a special reserved table in the corner with good view of the stage. Jaehyo and Taeil were already there, waiting. Minhyuk came with a tray of drinks.

"Oh, Karen?" Jaehyo raised his eyebrow at my presence and passed me a glass. 

I waved his drink away, telling him, "I don't really...drink."

"What a shame," Minhyuk commented, taking the glass away and gulping it down in one go.

"You guys are late," Taeil said, looking angrily to Jihoon and Yukwon. "You almost missed them."

"Excuse me, but what are we watching?" I asked, curious. Missed what?

"Oh, you don't know?" Yukwon asked, placing a can of Coke in front of me. "Why'd you come here then?"

"I..." I trailed off. "Just."

Yukwon glanced at me suspiciously, "Jiho and Kyung's rapping today here. There's a birthday party right now, if you haven't noticed." He pointed to a girl dressed glamorously in a sequined outfit.

The balloons that covered the whole club made it completely obvious that it was a birthday party though.

"Rap?" I repeated, amazed. "They can rap?"

"They're the best," Jihoon bragged, clapping as the host announced, "Introducing Zico and Kyung!"

"Zico...?"

"It's hyung's stage name. Z-I-C-O," Jihoon told me. "Woooo!!! Zico!! Kyung!"

Both of them came onstage wih an appearance so glorious and emitting charisma that would make anybody admire them. 

I wasn't exactly a fan of hip-hop or something similar but their song got me grooving and shouting support for them. After ten minutes of their exhilarating performance, they exited the stage to the applause of everyone.

"That was amazing!" I found myself shouting like a fangirl to Jihoon who similarly shared my enthusiasm.

"I know!" he said over the loud cheers. "You should go congratulate them! They'd be happy to see you!"

"You think?" I wondered, a flicker of hope in my heart. 

"Come on," Jihoon pulled me backstage but he left me to go to the toilet. "Just go straight there, I'll be right behind you!"

Cautiously, I walked towards the direction he pointed to, but found myself taking two steps backward after one step forward. 

Jiho's POV

She didn't realize it, but I was sitting right beside her, watching her pace around the corridor, stressed out about something. 

I couldn't help smile proudly.

Visions of her jumping to me rapping, cheering her support made me happier than any other cheer I had ever gotten. 

I had been sitting here after the performance, just replaying the moments again and again.

Kyung already went to change and perhaps chat up some ladies in the changing room, but I stayed near the stairs behind the stage, just enjoying the view I had of Karen during my performance.

Now I saw another view of her, pacing doubtfully around the corridor.

She was too cute.

"Thanks for returning my clothes," I spoke up, serious. She stared at me in shock. It was replaced by embarrassment a few seconds later.

She started to walk away from me but stopped halfway.

Suddenly, she plopped herself beside me.

Her actions got me captivated. All I could do was watch her internal emotions fighting.

The instinct to not be hurt trying to get her away from me... and her interest in me fighting its way to stay.

I had my own war going on inside. 

"You were amazing," she said, word by word and turned to me in awe. "Zico oppa, I'm your biggest fan!" she said, mockingly.

I chuckled at her sudden humour.

"Serious though, I don't think I would ever sit to a rap performance for ten minutes again...unless it was you," she said, softly, "And Kyung. It was that good."

Jihoon ran right past by us that moment.

The war inside of me was raging, getting me all heated up.

I wanted to kiss her so badly right now. I wanted to have my arms around and call her mine.

It didn't even have to be that. I just wanted her to stay longer and have a chat, make a bond so irreplaceable that it would take years to replace.

I watched her as she fumbled with her hands nervously. My eyes on her made her turn toward me and we both gazed at each other for a long while.

I felt goosebumps all over my body, felt my tummy filled with buzzing bees (because it wasn't manly enough to say butterflies) and I placed my hand on her cheek, warmth radiating from her blushing skin.

"I was never unaffected," I confessed, gulping. "Honest."