When Kai told her that he would be there for her, part of the hole Kyungsoo had created in heart had already begun to heal.  That, along with all the words he had said to her in that single ride on the ferris wheel were like the instant cure to her wound.  Haerin held back from completely giving in to his arms, because she knows, that when people are hurt, they tend to look for the closest help they can get, the one they can get to the quickest.  When people are thirsty, they’d accept water from anyone.  And when she was alone, Kai was there.  Kai was there to fill up the space Kyungsoo had left behind.  He was the one holding that glass of water that would just quench her thirst and ease her worries.  But she wasn’t going to use Kai for rebound.  She’s not Kyungsoo.

Haerin leans into the warmth of Kai’s hand as he cups her face.  His thumb runs under her eyes, wiping the tears trickling down her cheek.  “Don’t cry, don’t cry,” He says desperately.  “Please stop crying,”

Haerin lets out a quiet laugh, sniffling.  “I can’t stop crying if you baby me so much,”

Quickly, Kai pulls his hand away and puts his palms out.  “Not babying you anymore,” He watches Haerin as she roughly wipes her tears away, then continues.  “But you’re still crying,”

“Let’s go get something to eat,” Haerin looks away, tugging at his sleeve.  “Maybe then I’ll feel better,”

Kai actually had the whole day planned out.  He called it The Cheering Up Haerin Day.  Only after their food came out did he tell her about it.  “You know,” He says as he chews his food.  “I forgot to tell you.  Remembering that this is the day I cheer you up, there’s this special thing I’m doing where I’m supposed to do everything you tell me to,”

Faking an insulted gasp, Haerin drops her spoon.  “You did not!”

“We still have approximately four hours until today ends,” He checks his phone with a sheepish grin and flips it so that it faces downwards before setting his elbows on the table.  “So until then, your wish is my command,”

“Like anything, anything?”

“If it’s something I can do,” Kai nods.

“Okay, hmmm,” She taps her chin in thought and copies his posture, setting her elbows on the table and leaning forward.  “Stand on your chair and yell out ‘Son Haerin is the prettiest and she’s the best’,”

Kai hesitates.  “Are you joking?”

“No, I most certainly am not,” Haerin smirks, crossing her arms and leaning back into her chair.  “But I am waiting for you to do it,”

Kai contemplates his surroundings and sighs before actually standing up on his chair and cups his hand around his lips.  “SON HAERIN IS THE PRETTIEST, SHE’S THE BEST!”

When he sits back down, Haerin was cracking up like there’s no tomorrow.  The restaurant hoots at them but she could care less.  “You really did it,” She gasps.  “I can’t believe you, Kim Jongin,”

“Next,” He gulps down his water, fanning down his beet red face.  “Just move on to the next one, hurry up,”

“Uhh, let’s see, why don’t we leave this place now and you shoot one of those dolls for me?” Haerin stands up and pulls out her wallet to pay for the food.

“Ah, no, Haerin, no,” Kai stops her hand and pays instead.  “No paying.  Your day, remember?”

“Ugh, I hate you,” She hisses and shakes her head when he gives her a side glance.  

“I know that you’re very capable of buying your own meal, Son Haerin-ssi,” 

Haerin flips her hair and looks over her shoulder.  “Good boy,”

The two walk over to the shooting range and Kai picks up his gun, sneaking a look towards Haerin to see her leaning at the stall with her arms crossed.  “Don’t watch too closely,” He smirks.  “I at this and with you staring, I’m gonna get worse,”

Before Haerin could say anything, Kai starts shooting and she has to plug her fingers into her ears tightly to block out the explosive sound.  He was hitting every target with ease.

“I at this, my ,” Haerin sticks her tongue out at him as he hands her the plush doll she wanted.  “You’re so much better than I’ll ever be.  Thanks, Jongin,” She looks at the dark brown bear doll in her hands with a happy grin.  

“You’re welcome,” He smiles at her.  “Why that doll, though? There’s a lot of other ones,”

“Maybe because the colour reminds me of your skin,” Haerin smirks.

“I’m not that dark!”

“Kidding, I was kidding,”

After head-locking Haerin, Kai casually drapes his arm over her shoulders.  “So, what’s next? Come on, you gotta keep it coming,”

Haerin racks her brain for more commands but fails at finding any.  “What should I have you do, Kim Kai? It’s such a waste to let such an opportunity slip away,”

Kai shrugs, perking up at the nickname.  “Sehun calls me Kim Kai,” He grins at her.  “But why don’t you stick with Jongin? Anyways, I told you; anything.  Get you a dress, get you new shoes, get you ice cream and candies, give you another hug- or a kiss, really-“

The older girl laughs at his teasing tone and hits the back of his head.  “Aigoo, you’re such a kid!”

“I’m serious! I don’t think I’m going a very good job of cheering you up; I mean, you cried! That’s not cheering up at all,”

“No, you did good! Really,” Haerin crosses her fingers.  “Broken-hearted girl’s honor,”

“Seriously, Haerin, keep it coming,” Kai pushes her fingers away from his face.  “Piggyback? Carry you princess style? Bring you to the moon and back? Grab a star for you?”

“Eww!” Haerin cringes, repeatedly hitting his arm.  “Ewwwww!”

“Or,” Kai grabs Haerin by the elbow and stops her from advancing forward, making her turn to look at him.  HIs smile is quickly replaced by a pretence of seriousness.  “You can tell me to tell you how I’m falling for you, right here, right now,”

Somehow, Haerin’s insides bubbled at his indirect confession.  Her heart had skipped a beat as she met his dark eyes, the ones boring its way into her soul.  She quickly shakes her head, pushing away any sort of affection that had been threatening to slip into her heart since the moment she saw him smile this morning.  She was so scared at how he was getting it right.  “No, Jongin, please, don’t-“

“You just have to tell me to do it,” He insists.

Haerin pulls away, still firmly shaking her head in denial.  “I won’t.  I’m not doing this.  I’m not- I’m not going to use you to- to just-“

“I told you, I want to.  I don’t care if you use me,”

“It has only been a day since my boyfriend dumped me, Jongin,” Haerin clutches at her doll, looking up at him in hopelessness.  She unravels the red scarf around her neck and re-wraps it around its owner’s, with every loop hoping to cover him up from her heart.  “And only hours after I cried in your arms because of him.  Please.  Just- don’t, okay? If you’re hurt, I wouldn’t be able to stand it, so please, please, do anything but fall in love with me.  I don’t want to become like Kyungsoo,” Her hands tightly hold onto the ends of his scarf, making sure that he understands what she was trying to get across.

Kai gazes down into her unwavering eyes and pulls her into a hug, giving up, squishing the doll between them.  “As long as you’ve got the hint,” He chuckles into her hair when she weakly hits his chest.  “I’m sorry, I was pushing it,”

“You were,” Haerin hugs him back anyways, breathing in his scent.  “Now, take me home and be there to take me to school when I wake up tomorrow morning,”

“Hey! That’s over the time limit!”

“No, it’s not.  I said it now; when it’s still way before twelve.  So you have to grant it,” She grins up cheekily at him.

“Fine,” He sighs, not even putting up a fight.  “But in return, you have to sleep with that doll, take a picture of yourself in your pyjamas with it, and send it over to me,”

“What kind of erted request is that?!”

“My kind of erted request,” He smirks.

Although The Cheering Up Haerin Day ended, Haerin knows that it really won’t, because Kai’s mere presence by her side is going to cheer her up everyday, nonetheless.