Episode 7

Kai didn’t know what caused Soomin’s angry outburst the other day. He was careful around her but somehow she still wasn’t fine. Was she still upset over the same thing or did she really dislike him that much? The more he wondered, the more questions there were. Would he ever find the answers to those questions? He decided to forget about it for now, being the cool natured guy that he was.

That day, they were meeting at a supermarket. It was early in the morning and the supermarket was still rather empty so it wasn’t difficult for him to spot her. He crept up silently behind her and tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around quickly - totally unsurprised - already knowing who it was.

“What are we doing here bright and early?” Her voice came out slightly hoarse. He noticed her eyes were puffier than usual. She must have had training the night before.

He placed his hands gently on her shoulders and ushered her towards the trolley bay. “We’re going to do some shopping to stock up our fridge!”

“Are you indirectly asking me to cook? Like to fulfill my duties as a wife or something?” She stopped in her tracks, turning around with a judging stare.

“If it bothers you, then I’ll cook. So let’s get on with it.” He chuckled lightly as they got the trolley and began shopping.

Soomin went ahead first, picking up the things she wanted and then returning to dump them in the trolley. Kai smiled to himself as he watched her grab things like a child in a toy store. She was almost skipping through the aisles. She dropped another bunch of things in before announcing cheerfully, “I’m done!”

He stared at the trolley in disbelief. “Are you getting all these snacks? Aren’t you worried about…?”

“I snack when I’m working on my new songs. It keeps the creativity flowing. Besides I have dance practice and gym sessions so I can always lose the fat later. But once the inspiration leaves, it’s gone forever.” She lets out a hearty laugh. He nodded in pure amazement. He remembered her being different when she was tired but it never failed to amuse him.

After walking round the supermarket a few times, Kai decided he would make spicy rice cakes. It wasn’t a difficult dish but it still required some skill to prepare. He had made the dish once before with DO at the dorms. It would be his first time trying it on his own though.

With five full bags of groceries, they stumbled into their house. Soomin started putting away the items in the cupboards and refrigerator while Kai started preparing his dish. “Do you need help?” She asked as she noticed him struggling with something.

“I’m fine. I’ll manage.” He forced a smile. “Don’t worry about me. Why don’t you grab some snacks and work on your songs? I’ll be done before you know it!”

She spread her music and books out around the floor of the empty indoor studio. She opened her laptop, plugged in her earphones and started her work. However, she found it hard to focus. From time to time, she would find herself stealing a glance at Kai. He was so focused on cooking, he didn’t even notice. She was a little touched by how engrossed in cooking. Was he trying to impress her? She couldn’t help wonder what his motivation for cooking was.

He finally noticed her looking at him. “Just a few more minutes!” He called out calmly though inside he was panicking. Why was she looking at him before? She used to look at him in that way when they were dating. However the main problem was, the dish wasn’t going according to plan at all! He tasted it over and over again, but he couldn’t get the sauce to taste right. It just tasted like red pepper, not sweet, not salty, just spicy.

With shaky hands, he finally placed his dish on the table. She hurried over and noticed a worried expression on his face. “Have you made this before?” She asked when he handed her a pair of chopsticks.

“Not on my own. I’ve made it together with Kyungsoo a few times.” He watched her closely as she placed a piece in .

“I-it’s not bad.” She coughed involuntarily and he immediately hands her a cup of water. She picked up another piece to which he responded by removing the plate.

“It’s bad. Don’t eat it!” His voice coated with disappointment.

She shook her head. “Put it down. It’s really not that bad. If you don’t want to eat it, I will.” She took the plate from him and continued eating. He didn’t want her to finish the horrible meal by herself so he took a pair of chopsticks and joined her.

The truth was, the dish really did taste bad. She saw his sincerity and was touched by the effort he put into it. So she kept eating in order not to disappoint him and let his efforts go to waste.

Kai volunteered to do the dishes, as he felt bad for making her such a horrible dish. Soomin offered to help him by drying the dishes. “Thanks for eating it even though it tasted bad. I was really touched by that.” Kai admitted all of a sudden.

“Next time, I’ll help you with it.” She smiled in response but pushed what he said aside knowing that the cameras were present.

As she was drying the dishes Kai picked up her phone from the table and started typing something. He smiled to himself when he was done, placing the phone back on the table.

“What did you just do to my phone?” She asked, picking up her phone and quickly inspecting it. She unlocked her phone and saw that he had saved his number in.

“So… call me maybe?”

Kai smiled to the camera for his solo interview. “I wanted us to get closer. So I thought if I gave her my number, we could get to know each other better? I can’t say that, I’m not interested. I find Soomin very interesting so I want to know more about her.” He smiled again.