In the morning, I was awoken by very rude sunlight hitting my face. I complained and shoved my face into my pillow trying to avoid it. I still felt kinda sick, but admittedly better. I sighed and sat up confusedly. Usually I’d be forcing Hyemi out of the bathroom right around now so I could take a shower. “Guess I’m up for the day now,” I stood and stretched before stopping and looking around

Out of habit I smelled myself, and yes. I did in fact need one. I looked down at my body and remembered that these are not my clothes and this is not Hyemi’s apartment. I guess I’ll just have to go bother Mr. Man for some more clothes.

I walked out into the hall and the house was totally silent. I looked up and down the hall before walking towards the only other closed door besides mine. Upon nearing it, I heard snoring coming from the other side. Uncaring about the other’s privacy (I am in his underwear after all), I entered without knocking.

He was wrapped up neatly in the bed sheets and hugging a pillow. I could have taken a picture of the odd moment, but he still had my cellphone somewhere. Registering the thought, I looked around the room. It was mainly green with splashes of black and white, quite tasteful actually. The furniture was all very chic and modern and the arrangement complemented the space in the room nicely.

I stopped looking around when I didn’t see my phone and decided to wake him up and ask him for it, some more clothes, and directions to the bathroom. I lightly hopped onto the bed, making sure not to land on him, and I just took a moment to memorize his face. He had quite sharp features, his nose being the defining point. Overall, he’s not awful-looking…

“Yah, wake up!” I nudged his arm a little. He sure sleeps heavily. I tried again, this time shoving him harshly to the other side of the bed. He mumbled a little and lifted his head up with his eyes barely open to look at me. I smiled and waved, “Good morning~” but all he did was let his head fall back onto the pillow and soon the snoring started up again.

“Aish, are you kidding me?” this calls for desperate measures. I crawled over to where he was in the bed, ready to pounce on him and shake him awake.

“EEP!” I squeaked when a pair of arms restricted me from enacting my plan. He had captured me by my shoulders.

“Don’t even think about it,” his voice was muffled by sleep and the pillow he was talking into.

I squirmed incessantly, “Yah, lemme go and get your lazy up!” This was the normal Cha Hakyeon coming out in the morning, sometimes I can’t control my tongue, y’know?

“Ugh, stop moving, you smell bad,” I looked down to see him scrunch up his face. I harrumphed.

“How rude!” I hit his chest lightly simply to show that I was successfully annoyed. He sat up, now fully awake and donning a shocked expression.

“Say’s the guy who just pushed me!”

“Meh, whatever. Where’s my phone?” He turned to the left and right looking at both side tables, “I swear, if you lost it—” I was silenced by a hand to my mouth. I shrieked and slapped at his arm.

“Hush, will you? I can’t think with all your nagging!” I was finally able to remove his hand from my face.

“I don’t know where that hand has been,” I felt myself pouting. He ignored me and got up from the bed and walked over to the large black dresser. I got off the bed and followed. He grabbed my phone off the top and handed it to me before returning to slump into his bed.

I scoffed and then turned around to check my notifications. Hyemi was the only real friend I ever had therefore she was the only one who ever contacted me. I mean, I did chat with my parents sometimes, but they just were fulfilling their job description by checking up on me. I’m only 24, so it’s understandable.

I wasn’t really shocked when I saw I didn’t have a single message alert or missed call. I sighed a bit, letting my hand holding my phone drop. I took myself back over to where the guy was sleeping on the bed kicked the mattress. He didn’t budge, but gave me some kind of acknowledgement.

“Mmh?”

“I need to shower; can you lend me some clothes?” he exhaled deeply before responding.

“Just pick whatever you want from the wardrobe for now,” I thanked him shortly and did just that. I pulled a white long-sleeved shirt out along with a pair of dark skinny jeans (I’m just assuming my clothes are in the laundry). I found a matching jean vest and decided that’d be my outfit for the day as it went well with my black Converse anyway.

I turned around and the guy was sitting up in his bed now, watching me.

“Tch, creep,” I scoffed under my breath. I ignored his creepiness and walked over to the dresser pulling out different drawers until I found what I’m looking for. I put his clothes on the bed and went back over to the open drawer, pulling out a freshly cleaned pair of boxer shorts.

I turned back around and picked up the rest of the clothes, “So where’s the bathroom?” He stood up and gestured out the door with his finger.

“Just go down and it’s the first door on the left.”

“Thank you,” I started out the room but the guy stopped me by grabbing my arm. He didn’t say anything, but he put his hand on my forehead again, checking my fever.

“You’re still a bit warm, I’ll give you a fever reducing pill when you get out the shower, kay?”

“Alright,” and I walked off to go get clean.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Once the both of us were clean and dressed, we headed downstairs. He was dressed in a blue plaid button down and light jeans with white Vans complete with a matching cap. The look suited him, in my humble opinion.

“You hungry?” he asked me once we made it to the living room.              

“Yeah, I guess breakfast could be nice…” he looked over to the clock on the wall.

“It’s almost two, what do you say we head out for a late lunch instead?” he offered, “I was going to take you shopping today anyway, so we may as well, right?” the guy side smiled, but I couldn’t help but feel like I was taking too much from him.

“Okay, but I don’t think I have enough on me for a bunch of clothes, I mean I don’t even have a job…” I hated to admit it, but he needed to know, I guess. He chuckled a little, but I couldn’t find anything funny, so I pouted again.

“That’s fine, you just tell me what you want and it’s yours, kay?” Wow, nice stranger guy is nice…

“Okay…” I reluctantly agreed before adding, “But I’m treating you to lunch, then.” It was a statement, not an offer.

“Great,” he gestured for me to head out the front door, “let’s get going then.”

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

We were on the third store, and he already was carrying five bags of stuff he bought for me. After I paid for quite an expensive sushi meal for the two of us, he was insistent on repaying me, though so far he’s already done it like, ten times. He was now behind me, helping me look for clothes I liked.

“Baby, what about this one?” I turned around at the address. He was holding up a red and purple polo. I just made a disapproving face at it and he put it back and kept sorting through the hangers as much as the bags would allow him to.

I felt kind of bad for letting him hold all that stuff for me. I put down a scarf I was checking out and walked back to him. “I can hold some of the bags, sweetie, I don’t mind.” He pulled them back from me when I reached for them.

“That’s fine, I want to carry them. This trip is for you anyway, so you should comfortably enjoy it,” he smiled at me with his reasoning and I gave up.

“Okay. I don’t really like this store, and I think I’ve got enough already, right?” he exhaled deeply as if he was exhausted.

“Thank goodness, these bags weigh a ton, let’s go home and unpack already!” I was shocked since I’d asked to carry some!

“Now you’re making me feel guilty,” I pouted for the nth time today. He just laughed at me which made me stomp my feet in annoyance.

“I’m just kidding, don’t worry,” he grinned largely at me and I just huffed past him out the store. If he wanted to mess with me, he deserves to carry all those heavy bags.

Not long after I could hear his footsteps trailing me rather quickly, “Wait up, baby, I wasn’t serious!” He caught up to me and walked by my side. I still didn’t look at him. I only took my eyes off the floor in front of me when I heard a couple of teenage girls squeal and come up to us.

“Kyaaa, you two are so cute together, how long have you been dating?” I’m sorry, what? She must be mistaken. I turned around and looked over my right shoulder, then my left, and I didn’t see any couples. My stranger-friend and I exchanged curious gazes before he responded to the girls.

“We aren’t, but thank you… I think?” he awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and looked to the floor. He wasn’t blushing, but I could tell he didn’t want this exchange going on any longer. I chuckled a bit before saving him from his own embarrassment.

“Well, bye then! Maybe we’ll see you two around,” I was just saying that to say it, I really didn’t care if I ever met these two oddities again. I pulled the others arm which was a bit hard to do considering the heavy bags that he was holding for me and we walked out the mall.

“So,” he started when we got back in his car, “did you enjoy wringing out my wallet today?” he smiled at me and I laughed before responding.

“Every second of it,” I said as he made his way onto the street and started us on the way back to the house. I wasn’t really familiar with the way to get there yet, so instead of letting the flu take over me again and make me drowsy, I reached up and the radio at a pretty high volume.

The guy gave me a look before quickly snapping his attention back onto the road. He wasn’t displeased, and he didn’t seem to mind it so much. We drove the rest of the day singing along to Wonder Girls and SHINee.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

As soon as I got inside I lugged my many bags up the stairs to my room. I called out to the other behind me who was just locking up the door, “Thank you sweetheart, I’m gonna have fun sorting all these away,” I excitedly giggled as I trotted up the remaining six steps and to the door way.

“It’s not a problem,” he responded. I didn’t get to see where he went because I automatically dove into the shopping bags. I’d already tried most of these on, but I just felt so compelled to put them on again because they looked so good!

I smiled as I picked out a pink top I really admired and took the vest and shirt off I had on already to change into it. I heard a knock on my door and stopped in the process of pulling the shirt over my head. I left it around my neck as I walked over to answer to my visitor.

“What’s up?” I casually asked. He just held up my clothes from the night he found me in his hand, all neatly folded and smelling of fabric softeners.

“Just thought you’d want these back,” he set them on the bed.

“Ah, yeah, thanks,” I smiled gratefully and then turned around to continue putting my new shirt on. From my peripheral vision I saw him going out, but then he stopped. I just looked at him expectant of whatever it was he had to say.

“Eh, where’d you put the clothes I gave you before?” oh yeah, the tee shirt and the underwear. I’d thrown them into a pile in the closet. I went over and picked them up. I gave them to him and he started to leave again after giving me a small smile as thanks.

“Ah, wait,” I stopped him and tossed the white shirt and vest I’d borrowed today to him.

“Nice, thanks. I’ll bring you a laundry basket in here so you don’t have to keep giving them to me, kay?” I just nodded in agreement, “you can just throw those into there, too.” He gestured to his pants that I was still wearing.

“But what if they get mixed up with my clothes?” he put a finger to his chin and tapped it, making a really exaggeratedly funny contemplative expression.

“Hmm, I guess you just have to give them to me now then,” I obeyed shamelessly; he had already seen me before so it didn’t matter if he did again, right? I took the pants off and handed them to him before speaking up.

“I think I’ll remember that these are yours,” I pointed to the boxer shorts I was wearing. They were red plaid, and I’d bought packs of underwear for myself today. They consisted only of solid colors, so these would definitely stand out when sorting through my laundry.

“Okay,” he shrugged and walked out and down the hall. I finally pulled the shirt down and looked at it in the mirror. Needless to say, I was rocking it.

The guy called out from outside my door, “hey, are you getting in the shower before bed?” I really saw no need; I didn’t really do much today anyway.

“Nah, you can go ahead,” I pulled on some white pants and turned around to evaluate how they made my look.

“Cool,” we’d said out loud at the same time. The guy probably didn’t hear me as I had said it softly to myself while judging my pants. I laughed a little, but restrained myself from saying ‘jinx’.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

After I’d held my own little fashion show in my room and finally settled into a set of pajamas, I made my way down the stairs. I heard the shower running, so seeming as I had the place to myself for a while, I took it upon myself to take a small tour.

I started in the living room and firstly noticed picture frames hanging up on the walls. There were mostly magazine covers filling them, but others had pictures of him and other people I assumed were relatives or friends. The glass coffee table had a few magazines on it, too, now that I really look at it. They were all different titles, but they all seemed to be art magazines. I picked one up and flipped through it. I wonder why I’ve never taken interest in art before, a lot of this looks really interesting.

I set the magazine back down where I found it and looked at the room in its entirety. It was mostly an off-white color with the walls and the carpet matching perfectly. The entertainment center took up a large amount of space on its own, and there were two couches, both black and very cushy. One was a loveseat and the other could fit about three people. A potted plant sat in the corner the two pieces of furniture created, making the room tie together in a very chic fashion.

The sun was setting as I turned and looked out the window on the wall adjacent to the television. I drew the flowing green curtains closed and the floor lamp. The room seemed cozy under its dim glow.

I walked out of the living room and into the kitchen, and here my friend seemed to have diverted from the excessive green theme. The cabinets were white, and the refrigerator, stove and microwave matched. There was hardwood flooring and a few mats placed around the center island which had a granite top. I gave the room an approving nod and continued.

I found the laundry room, a small bathroom which lacked a shower, and a storage closet in the hallway as I walked past the staircase. These rooms held more of a color variation than the rest of the house that I’ve seen. A little yellow here, beige there, and a blue floor rug all gave the house a bit more personality whilst still managing to look tasteful.

I thought about the room I was sleeping in and how the walls were bare and the bed sheets were so plain. I’m going to have to spice it up a little for sure. I walked back upstairs and the guy’s bedroom door was wide open, and light was flooding out into the darkening hallway. I walked up and stood in the doorway.

He was puttering about in his room with a pair of shorts on and a towel around his shoulders. He had his phone pinched between his head and shoulder as he dug around in a drawer, probably for a shirt. I politely intruded and plopped down right on the center in his bed, sitting cross-legged waiting for him to finish his phone call. He looked up and noticed me sitting there, and I tilted my head, smiled, and waved shortly. He nodded and I couldn’t tell if it was meant for me or if he was responding to something the person on the phone said.

“Sure, I’ll ask him now,” he said and then stood up fully, turning to address me. I wondered who he was talking to that he’d told about me. “Yah, yeobo,” I raised my eyebrows showing that I was listening.

“Em?”

“My friend really wants to meet you, do you mind if he comes over tomorrow?” Why would his friend care about me? How much had he told…?

“Ah, nope,” I supposed that meeting another new person was harmless. He spoke into the phone again after giving me a short smile.

“He’s cool with it,” he paused as the person on the other line spoke, “yeah, I did, why?... aish, okay, you’re so weird. Bye,” he pulled the phone from his ear and sat down on the edge of the bed close to me.

“You did what?” I questioned. He seemed confused for a moment before he let out a small chuckle.

“He was just wondering why I called you ‘honey’,” ah that makes sense. I guess it would sound weird to another person which now that I think of it is probably why the girls in the mall thought we were together….I mentally face-palmed myself for being slow before I spoke up again.

“I don’t see any harm in it,” I shrugged, “I mean, you don’t mind me calling you stuff like that, do you?” he quickly dismissed the idea with a wave of his hand.

“Nah, we’re friends, so it’s cool, right?” I silently agreed with a nod. He smiled and got of the bed, toweling his hair a little before sorting through a drawer again. He produced a gray tee shirt and slipped it on before exhaling and placing his hands on his hips in contentedness. “Alright, I’m hungry,” he let his hands drop and dragging his feet out the door into the hall. I stood up, but didn’t take any move forward.

“Is there any of that soup left over?” I asked him. To my disappointment he shook his head.

“There isn’t, wanna order pizza or something?” I had something better than pizza in mind…

“Nope,” I stated simply. His eyes widened a bit and he stole my pouty thing. I giggled at how silly it looked on him.

“But I’m hungry…” is it me or is he starting to whine? This was really funny, but I had to stop it, for the sake of rudely bursting out in laughter. I just walked past him and headed to the kitchen. I heard his footsteps coming up behind me, but I didn’t pay him any mind. I just bent over to look in the fridge.

“What are you searching for?” he was sitting down at one of the stools by the island, looking at me. I just smiled to myself without responding. He’ll like this, I thought as I prepared the recipe in my head and grabbed ingredients from the fridge.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o

About half an hour later we were both sat at the kitchen island enjoying my homemade japchae. I smiled to myself every time he made a satisfied noise when tasting a mouthful of my food. I love cooking, especially when people give reactions like this. The guy was practically inhaling the noodles before he could even pick them up with his chopsticks. Hyemi always enjoyed my cooking a lot, too. I almost sighed at the memory, but stopped myself when I saw a finger poking my plate closer and closer towards me. I looked up from the table and gazed curiously at my friend.

“This is phenomenal, so stop sulking and eat it before I steal it from you,” he smiled largely and I laughed at how he looked chewing with his cheeks full of noodles.

“You look like a chipmunk,” I told him, and we both began laughing outwardly.

“Yah, whatever, and if you keep this up, I might make you cook for us every night.” I’m pretty sure that was supposed to be a threat, but I pretended to not want to do exactly that just for the fun of it.

“Hey, you can cook well; maybe I’ll make you do it!” He laughed and pointed to a recipe book on top of the refrigerator.

“Chef Yook can cook, I can just follow instructions,” he stated before smiling and tucking into his plate again. I frowned a bit. I was sure he’d made that yummy seaweed soup. Oh well. I’ll just make him memorize the recipe…

As I was thinking to myself, I was rudely interrupted by a wad of noodles poking my lips.

“What in the—” the noodles found their way inside my mouth, and I swatted the guys hand away for force-feeding me. “Yah, you’ll pay for that later!” he almost cackled he was laughing so hard. I took a moment to swallow the unnecessarily large amount of food.

“Your face was so funny!” I didn’t say a word. I just picked up my chopsticks, and glared at him. Now he seemed kind of scared. Good, Hakyeon, you still got it. “Hey, it was going to be wasted if you didn’t eat them now!” he tried to defend himself.

“Aish, whatever…” I swallowed another bite and dinner continued in a comfortable silence, save for a few chuckles and giggles every now and then whenever either one of us looked funny eating the food.

When we were done and full, I quickly stood up, removing his and my plates from the table and heading towards the sink. He came up behind me and eyed me curiously; I returned the look as I was unsure what strange action I was committing. I reached for the dish soap and he spoke up.

“Hey, you don’t have to wash them, baby, you already cooked, I can do this,” he tried to take the sponge from my hand, but I gave him a look that said ‘go ahead, try it’ and he got the idea and surrendered, walking away to the couch.

As I cleaned the few things in the sink I thought about how he’d told me his friend wanted to meet me. It’s kind of strange, him knowing me only for a couple of days and already someone wants to come over to meet me.  I decided to ask him a little about it as I finished wiping the last spoon and dried off my hands.

I headed into the living room where the only light was coming from the TV now that it was completely night time. He was perched on the last cushion on the end of the large sofa with his head resting in his palm. I sat down on the loveseat, making myself comfortable.

The guy didn’t seem to care so I sprawled out across both cushions, my head resting on one end and my calves set atop the opposite armrest. Neither of us spoke for a bit, captivated by the music video countdown, but then I remembered my previous inquiry.

“Hey…” I looked over, and he was drifting off to sleep, his eyes were hardly open. I picked up a throw pillow and chucked it at his face. “I said hey!” I giggled as the plushy object collided with his head.

He snorted a little as he gathered his bearings. He groaned and sat up, looking at me. “Yeah, what’s up?”

“Who’s your friend and why does he wanna see me?” he looked dazed for a minute and just stared at me before shaking the sleep from his head and giving me an answer.

“Oh, you mean about earlier?” I nodded and he muted the TV, “He’s a coworker of mine, and kinda my best friend, so he always just likes to intrude on my life.” He flopped back down, this time laying on the armrest, similarly to how I was. I guess I looked as unsatisfied with that answer as I was because he said something else. “Don’t worry, yeobo, he won’t bite.”

“Okay, so long as he’s not as creepy as you,” I smirked to myself. To my surprise he only scoffed.

“If I was that creepy, you wouldn’t be living here, would you?” Dammit, I hate losing. I huffed and crossed my arms, and then he laughed at me and I could feel myself pouting. Without another word I stalked off to my bedroom for the night.

“Aw, I didn’t mean it, sorry!” he got up off the couch just to get to the bottom of the stairs and see me close my door. I chuckled, I’m not really mad, but toying with him is too much fun.

A/N: Hey, don't look at me like that, I don't know what I just did either! LOL. So how do you all like Navi's couple names, huh? Comments are a great thing... :) If you likey don't forget to click that subscribe button~ TTY next Saturday ;)