U N D E R    T H E    M O N T H L Y    S P E L L

Lee Jaehwan    |    Haemin

requested by wnterc

I pulled the covers over my head, trying to drown out the noise. In the silence of the small house, the obnoxious rapping on the door only seemed to be amplified, and I was not in the mood to greet whoever was at the door.

If it was urgent, they would call me. And since no one was calling me, it could wait. I shifted my position and tried to drift back to sleep, but it seemed like whoever was at the door was going to knock it off its hinges soon.

Groaning, I put on my fluffy slippers and shuffled to the door. I opened it, ready to snap at the person, but stopped abruptly when I realised who it was. Ken.

I gasped, and closed the door before I could register it. I ran to the mirror, and looked at myself. Knotted bed hair. Eye bags. Make-up free face. Wrinkled pj's. I let out a little scream, realising he had just seen this scruffy side of his girlfriend.

And then I also realised I had shut the door in his face and left him standing on my porch. I ran my fingers through my hair and fixed up my clothes to look a little more presentable. I opened the door a little, and stuck my head outside.

"Hey. Nice to see you, Haemin." He was obviously amused.

"Sorry, I...shut the door in your face."

"No, don't worry. I would too if I let you see me like that."

I pouted, and asked him what he was doing at my house.

"What? Your boyfriend can't miss you? I wanted to see you."

"And now you've seen how horrid I look…"

"I think you look beautiful no matter what."

He let himself in before I could stop him. I knew I wouldn't be able to make him leave any time soon, so I just let him be and walked back to my room. He followed me and pulled back the covers on my bed, tucking them around me.

"Are you just going to stay in bed all day?"

"Yup."

"Why? Don't you want to go out with me?"

"Nope."

"Pleaseeeee? We haven't had a date in so long! We can go to Lotte World. You've been wanting to go for so long!"

"Nope."

"Not even Lotte World?! What's wrong? Are you sick? Where are you feeling unwell?"

"Um, well, you know...um...the thiiinggg…" I hoped he would get the hint, because even though he was my boyfriend, it was still a little embarrassing to be so blunt.

"Huh? What thing?"

"The monthly spell?"

"What's that? I don't get what you're talking about, Hae."

I sighed. I guess when it comes to Ken, I have to be blunt.

"My period?"

I knew it had finally dawned on him when he grew silent. His expression didn't stay neutral for very long, and he broke out into a wide grin.

"Don't worry. We can always have a date inside your house!"

He ran around the house, grabbing things here and there. I listened to him, curious as to what he was doing. He came back into my room with an armful of pillows, blankets, movies, and two cups of warm milk.

I stared at him as he set up a cozy pillow haven around me, wondering how he had managed to find everything so easily in my house. He settled in bed next to me, and handed me a cup. As I brought it up to my lips, I felt a sharp pain in my stomach and let out a groan.

Ken realised something was wrong, and took the cup out of my hands before I spilled any of it on myself. I clutched my stomach with my hands and curled up into a ball, trying to make the pain go away. My boyfriend started to panic, and he started to scream out whether he had to call an ambulance, and whether I was going to die.

I gave a weak laugh.

"Ken, calm down. They're just cramps. They'll pass sooner or later."

That seemed to ease him a little, and his voice lowered. His eyes were still full of concern though, and he looked at me with a worried expression.

"Haemin, here."

He coaxed me out of my feeble position so that I was lying on my back. He lifted up my shirt slightly, and started massaging my stomach. His hands felt cold against my skin at first, but then the motion became soothing.

"Is this the right spot?"

"A bit more to the right…" I winced as I felt another sharp pang. My face scrunched up, eyebrows in a frown.

One of his hands left my stomach momentarily, and he placed it on my cheek. I opened my eyes to meet his, and he leaned in to give me a peck on my forehead.

"Try and relax, okay?"

I pouted and nodded, trying to focus on my boyfriend rather than my cramps. He could be annoying at times, but it was his way of showing his affection for me. And he really was the sweetest boyfriend deep down.

"Am I really that handsome that you have to stare a hole through me?"

I shifted my gaze from his face to the ceiling, feeling my cheeks getting red. He let out a laugh that was more like a giggle.

"Is it better now?"

I smiled at him, indicating that the cramps were gone. He lay back down beside me, and I snuggled my face in the crook of his neck.

"Ken, thank you."

"What are boyfriends for?"

I could sense the grin on his face, and I smiled into his neck. He shifted us so that we were in a sitting position, and he slung an arm around me. I leaned against him and the pillows, thankful for the warmth.

"If you ever get cramps again, call me, and I'll show up at your doorway to chase them away. I don't mind doing it every month for the rest of my life."

I giggled and hummed in response, and after he turned the movie on, I grabbed his free hand with both of my smaller ones.

"I love you, Ken."

"I love you too."