He's awake now, she knows this because he tried to catch her bewildered gaze but she looked away. And when she looked up again, he closed his eyes. How would it be if the split second they spend averting their eyes, their sights meet, and they both win the game for a change? 

Jiyong stretched out a bit, looking down at her, "How's it going, rabbit?" He asked her smiling.

She didn't answer. She was too consumed by the moment. She wanted to stay in his arms for all of eternity, lest it be possible.

"You okay?" 

She nodded. "Erm...just..hungry..." That wasn't a fib. 

"Oh, are you now?" He smiled. "Did your eye- at me made you so hungry?" He added smugly, poking her cheeks. 

Dara giggled. "Andwaeeee~..." 

"Well I couldn't blame you, I always knew I'm irresistible." He suggested with a smirk. 

"Aigoo, that was hardly the case!" She was laughing heartily. 

Jiyong stood up and Dara followed him to the kitchen where he raided her fridge while she sat at the counter. 

"Do you have anything else aside from ramen?" He chuckled. 

She was staring at him again, his eyes b with amusement as he gapes at her fridge. 

As a writer, she always thought there were words for everything. But all he is doing right now is standing, shoulders squared, leaning over her fridge, immersed in thought. And for the first time in a long time, she is rendered speechless. 

He slightly turned to look at her, brows creasing. 

"Ya..are you still sleepy?" 

"Hul~! Uh, no." She quickly pretended to be looking at something outside her windows. 

"Well? I was asking why you only have ramen here? No wonder you're too skinny." He juts in. 

"Bwo? I am not skinny, excuse me. And I love ramen! What kind of living entity doesn't?" She retorts, still not looking at him. 

Jiyong held his hands up. "Alrighty pipsqueak, but we'll have to do some proper grocery shopping this week. And I'll cook for you." 

"You...can cook?" She raised a brow. 

"Do I appear spineless to you?" He laughs, "I can cook well, you know. Never challenge a Kwon." 

She abruptly looks away, quite skittish. She couldn't stand looking at his eyes, its like traversing the whole galaxy. 

"Quit ogling at me and just set up the table so we can feed our hungry souls." 

Dara sneers, "Such an egotistical pig you are." 

Surprisingly, she managed to set the table and move fluidly around him despite the conundrum brewing on her insides. 

Jiyong sat down and looked over at her. "So.." 

She turned to look back at him questioningly. "So?" 

"I was meaning to ask, have your old folks been here?" 

She shook her head. 

"I bet they'd be proud of you if they did. For someone to afford an apartment like this, heck you're more successful than you make it appear to be." He shrugged. 

"You don't know my dad. He thinks everything I do is just a lame excuse for a living. Even an entire mansion wouldn't impress him so long as I'm a writer." 

For a whole minute, he gazed at her with an intensity she couldn't grasp. She fiddles with her spoon and tries avoiding his eyes. 

"You make me reconsider so many things in my life, do you know that?" He reached for her hand and she dropped the spoon in surprise. 

"Huh. Does that mean you won't be a prick anymore?" Dara teases. 

"No, missy." He smirks, kissing her hand gently. 

Her eyebrows shot up. "Why'd you keep doing these things?" She jerked her hand away. 

"Doing what?" He laughed. 

"You don't have to play around with me. I know we'll have to pretend like a couple but you can put down the act when its just the two of us. I'm not..comfortable." 

He took a deep breath. "Precisely. You're not comfortable. And omma will see through the act and we can't have that, can we? So we have to practice, neh?" 

"I don't think I'll ever be comfortable with all this pretense, Kwon." 

She's already feeling the world spinning just thinking about lying through her teeth, and to make things worse, she has to act sweet with Kwon Jiyong. She's definitely digging up her own grave, for Pete's sake. 

She stood up and started placing the plates on the dishwasher. 

Jiyong was quiet for awhile. "If you hated being around me too much, then why did you agree? Why am I even here?" 

That ticked something. 

Yeah, Dara. Why? 

This was a bad idea. 

God, how dumb can she actually get? Before she can help it, her tears were freeing themselves from her eyes and running wildly down her face. 

Damn it, why does she have to be an angry crier? How is she supposed to choke this guy when she's a crying mess like this?! 

Jiyong was quick to realize his mistake, though. He his heel and hastily run to her side. 

"Tokki, I'm sorry." He wrapped his arms around her waist. 

"Let go of me and get out of my house, you monster." She bites her lip, trying to prevent herself from crying more. 

He didn't say another word, and hugged her tightly instead. 

"I will stab you if you don't let go