“LET’S GO LEE HI!” Junhoe screamed, clapping at full volume as the small girl in front of him continued to sing loudly.

With a microphone in hand, she laughed at the screen as the words to “” came up. The lyrics were going fast and she struggled getting past Bobby’s lines.

“Ha! My rap almost messed you up,” Bobby laughed, sipping on his drink.

Lee Hi tried to hold back her laughter as she let out a fake cry and began to sing the chorus of the song. Everyone in the room sang along, giggling and stomping to the beat. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the song ended and the girl gave everyone in the room a small bow.

“You’re too good at this noona,” Donghyuk clapped again, giving her a high five.

“Who’s up next?” Lee Hi smiled, looking around the room filled with boys.

Being the only girl, she was used to feeling like the centre of attention but with these guys, she always felt like she was with family.

“What is going on?” Hanbin yelled from the room next door.

Almost instantly, the whole room groaned and started complaining about the sudden interruption.

“Hyung, you’re always a drag!” Junhoe frowned, getting up to refill his drink.

“Yeah hyung, can you not kill the party for once?” Donghyuk added, crossing his arms over his chest.

Jinhwan, sitting beside him, slapped his knee, “Don’t talk to your elders like that.”

Lee Hi tugged on her skirt, nervous that the boy might come out and yell at the younger ones. She had always been fond of Hanbin ever since she met him. She adored his hard work and dedication to music it was so hard to stay away.

But of course, like any other crush she knew to ignore her burning sensation of love and endure the pain because those things never happened. Especially not the way she wanted. She knew Hanbin was work, work and more work. And he would NEVER consider liking her, nonetheless dating.

“Shh, stop being so mean!” She managed to giggle, sitting herself down near Bobby who was too engaged in his phone to notice.

She had no choice but to play off everything as a joke. Even when he told her she looked good or that she had a nice voice, she always took it as a joke and nothing more.

“Yah! Who said I was a party pooper?” Hanbin cried, stepping in the karaoke room.

He eyed Lee Hi for a second and noticing her awkward expression, he looked way.

“I did! And I’m not scared to admit it either!” Junhoe stood up, towering over his hyung.

Donghyuk threw a punch at Junhoe who groaned in response, grabbing his arm in pain.

“What the hell-“ He began, turning to throw a punch back at Donghyuk.

Normally, Hanbin pushed Junhoe back and glared at Donghyuk who still had his fists clenched.

“Watch your language maknae!” Jinhwan spat, crossing his legs on his seat.

“Why would you punch me?” Junhoe yelled.

Lee Hi bit back her laugh, not wanting to bring any attention away from the situation. The scene seemed so normal and even Bobby didn’t know what was going on as he chuckled at something he just read on his phone screen.

“Because I said he was a party pooper not you, liar!” Donghyuk countered, leveling himself near Junhoe.

Hanbin yawned, plopping himself in the empty seat near Lee Hi. She gulped, positioning herself so they weren’t touching and so that all of her body weight was on Bobby. She noticed Hanbin give her a look but he shrugged it off and reached for the water in front of him.

“Move over,” Bobby whined, pushing her off of him and without warning, she flew into Hanbin’s side, knocking over the water and allowing it to spill on his lap.

“Oh!” She screamed, jumping up and covering her hands over . Hanbin froze for a second but quickly, he smiled, waving frantically at her.

“It’s okay Hayi,” He laughed, standing up.

His height was almost double hers but Lee Hi didn’t notice. The only thing she heard was him call her a nickname. One they had discussed as a joke months ago and now he was bringing it up. She bit back a smile and sighed,

“I’m such a mess. Let me help you!”

Hanbin shook his head, putting the water back down on the table and examining the spill.

“Both of you go clean it up and be quiet,” Junhoe mumbled, turning off the karaoke machine. He leaned back and pulled out his tablet, scrolling through something.

“I’m okay, its okay,” Hanbin tried to reason.

“Let’s go,” Lee Hi smiled, building up almost every ounce of bravery to grab his wrist and drag him to the kitchen.

Once they got there, everything was calm and the only thing heard was the sound of Lee Hi awkwardly rummaging through the cupboards to find a paper towel.

Hanbin was leaning against the counter, watching her smugly.

“Why are you not mad?” Lee Hi laughed, picking a pink towel from the left drawer.

Walking over to him, she dabbed it on his shirt, allowing the water to dry faster. She tried to keep herself from looking at his stomach since his shirt was basically see through.

“You don’t need to do this Hayi-“

“Is it getting dryer?” She cut him off, tilting her head to look at the spot on his shirt which was once soaked.

“Hayi,” He called softly.

“How about now?” She replied nervously.

“Hayi, listen-“

“Is it okay now?”

“Hayi!” He chuckled, pulling her worried hand away.

His skin against hers was smooth and his hand lingered above hers before sighing and letting her go.

“It’s not a big deal. Water dries on its own.” He reasoned, smiling like nothing went wrong.

Lee Hi stepped back, brushing her hair from her face. He was so sweet. This was why everyone in the company found him attractive. His personality was a delicate as a flower but he could be harsh when he needed to be.

“I’m not dying right?” He questioned, bending down to look in her eyes.

“Thankfully no,” She laughed, playfully shoving him away.

She wished one day something strong would happen between them. Maybe something little so that all the little things she dreamed of would come true.

“Listen, I have to make it up to you Hanbin-ah,” Lee Hi pouted, leaning back against the fridge.

Hanbin opened his mouth to reply but stopped himself when he smiled evilly.

“How about you take me to dinner?” He requested causally.

Lee Hi almost fainted in that moment.

“You’re paying!” He added, strolling out of the room.

It was times like this she wished he noticed her more or thought of her as more than a friend but for now, she would take what she had. She wasn’t going to complain and even though she would rather have them take a romantic stroll in the park at midnight watching the stars, she would take a dinner any day. She hoped later on they would become something more but for now, she was accepting everything and moving slow.

‘Small steps Hayi, don’t rush’ she mentally scolded herself, smiling like an idiot while she walked out of the kitchen and back to the rest of the bunch.