Kihyun was back in therapy, and he realized he had skipped a whole week, and now had a lot to talk about. He dropped down on the therapist's sofa and sighed with a blissful grin. "I'm sorry I haven't been around lately, but, boy do I have some news for you. It'll make up for all of the missed time, I swear."

His therapist looked up from his work and laced his hands on his desk. "Oh. Kihyun. Well, usually people don't have weekly appointments, but it's good you came back. How have you been?"   Kihyun puffed his cheeks and sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "Well, it's definitely been a roller-coaster. I was sick for a few days, which, big surprise! I had no idea I could even get sick. Then, my roommate came onto me. I mean, nothing happened, but that still says a lot, doesn't it?"    His therapist was surprised. He didn't think that would ever happen, judging from the things he had heard about you. He raised his eyebrows and tried not to act too surprise (out of consideration for Kihyun). "Really?"   Kihyun nodded, his eyebrows raising even higher. "See, I'm just as surprised! I'm even more surprised by the fact that it was when I was sick. She wasn't into me when I looked perfectly healthy, but there I am on the verge of dying, and she decides to hop on. It doesn't really make sense, but then again, my friends think it's pity. I've asked her, but she's being weird about it."   His therapist cleared his throat. "Well, from what you have told me about your roommate, I don't actually think it'd be that. She doesn't seem like the type of person to carry out actions solely out of pity."   "See, that's what I've been thinking, too," Kihyun replied as he propped his fist under his chin and played with his lower lip in thought. He hated thinking about things too deeply, or at all, but he couldn't help it. It seemed like he couldn't know you, and not think about what he said and did to you. It was frustrating, but that was how it was. At least he had his therapist to give him the answers he needed. He cocked his head to the side and puffed his cheeks. "This isn't what I thought it'd be like. In all honesty, I thought I'd be proud of myself for coming this far, but I had no control of the situation at all. It was like she decided I was good enough, instead of thinking it all along."   His therapist pursed his lips and nodded. "It's certainly a valid feeling. You're used to having control of every situation and being the central character, but now you're not. Life isn't a sitcom, or a movie, Kihyun, as much as you'd like it to be."   Kihyun ran a hand through his hair and sighed. He didn't care that he had messed up his hair. He was just so frustrated. It was weird how quick his mood could shift, but apparently that happened when everything in his life shifted quicker. "I know, but the thing is, now I don't feel like I have any control. She has all of the control, and it's not even that she takes it. I give it to her! I don't even realize it in the moment. It's always after, when I think. I hate it."   His therapist cocked his head to the side, and squinted. He was noticing a very different side of Kihyun. He looked more human now, and less polished and confident. It was refreshing to see. Usually, when he saw confidence in people, it was a breakthrough; for Kihyun, it was reversed. He wrote down the thought in his notes and continued. "Do you think it's a bad thing to let someone else take charge of a situation?"   Kihyun paused for a second. He opened his mouth, wondered if he was really going to say what was forcing out of his thoughts, and then said it in an exhale. Even if it wasn't true, it was what he was thinking. "Control and confidence is all I have. If she takes it away, what do I have left? My looks? I know tons of handsome guys who aren't as liked, because they have no confidence. The last thing I want to be is ordinary."   "What does that make you feel for this girl?" his therapist replied, taking note of Kihyun's lost expression. "If she's a threat to who you are, or who you strongly feel you are, how does that make you feel towards her?"   Kihyun sat back on the sofa and laced his arms behind his head. He was constantly shifting and repositioning. He shrugged and crossed his arms over his chest. "She's great. You know, I really like being around her. It's the highlight of my day sometimes. It's just... it's going to take a lot of adjusting, I guess. I think that's the only thing left to do, right?"   His therapist nodded, a slight chuckle b his voice. "You've progressed a lot, Kihyun, and I haven't even helped you all that much. I guess I have your roommate to thank for your maturity."   Kihyun smiled shortly before looking around to keep his thoughts active and occupied. He shook his head and squinted curiously. "Well, she gives and takes. She certainly humbles me."         ///         Minhyuk never asked for help, but there was a first for everything, and he didn't seem to like it at all. Kihyun wasn't the only one with a lot of pride in the group. He was in a terrible mood when he showed up to your apartment with his binder of papers, but he had the drive to get straight to work.   "Of course we'll help," Shownu blurted, throwing an arm around Minhyuk's neck as he dropped down on the couch. "I'm happy to give back, since you always help me with my work."   "Yeah, yeah, yeah," Minhyuk mumbled under his breath as he distanced himself from Shownu and focused on laying out his work on the living room table. "I just need help with this quick assignment for a composition class. Apparently, I have to write similes about my friends. The example is something about someone being like sugar because they're sweet and make your heart beat faster." He gave a defeated sigh and smoothened out the invisible creases in his forehead. "Now you see why I need help?"   Wonho gave an amused look. "Why are you even taking this class? Aren't you a political science major?"   "I thought it'd help me articulate my papers better," Minhyuk defended as he dropped his pen and crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm good at math, I'm good at sciences, I'm good at-"   "Yes, we understand you're good at a lot of things," Wonho replied in mock sympathy, "but that's not what we're talking about, is it?"   You laughed slightly, not able to help it, even though Minhyuk's immediate glare at you was intimidating. "It's not the end of the world, Minhyuk. Let's just look at what you have."   Minhyuk cleared his throat and took out his paper. He scratched his head awkwardly and gave you all warning looks. "You better not laugh."   Wonho held his hands in defense, and Minhyuk continued in a mumble. "Kihyun is like a lemon: if you take a bite of the skin, it tastes bad, but if you take a bite of what's inside, it still tastes bad and wears the enamel off your teeth."   Shownu furrowed his eyebrows and straightened, not sure how to react. "Man, that's harsh. Funny, but harsh. It's a good thing Kihyun's not here. I think he'd be hurt."   You nodded. It wasn't that Minhyuk didn't get similes, or even the assignment; he just had a very... different way of executing it. You had no idea what to expect going into this, but you couldn't say you were surprised he'd written that. "What's next?" you replied, unsure how to make notes on that one.    Minhyuk continued on with a sigh. "Wonho is like an airplane: strong on the outside, but full of panic and anxiety on the inside."   Wonho's expression went from optimistically curious to completely horrified. He leaned over Minhyuk's shoulder to read it with his own eyes. "Wait, what? I'm not comfortable with you sharing that with your class."   Shownu couldn't suppress his laugh. He was obviously having the time of his life. "These are terrible, but they're so funny. I don't know if you even need our help, in all honesty."   Minhyuk took that as a sign of approval, wrote a check next to Wonho's name, and moved on. "Okay then. Shownu is like a kite: entertaining, but can easily run into a tree if you're not paying attention to it."   Shownu shrugged, knowing if he got offended, he'd be hypocritical. "I'm not going to get offended, because you're honestly just telling the truth. Would it be correct to write 'it' though? I'm not an 'it.'"   Minhyuk pursed his lips in thought and nodded, quickly making the correction. "Thanks."   "If Shownu's okay with it, I think it's good," you replied, since you could tell Minhyuk was getting impatient with the lack of participation. "I'm not exactly the smartest, but I think you have a lot to be confident about."   Minhyuk smiled a ghost of a smile, but it was a smile in any case. You were surprised by it, since it was the first time you had seen him smile. Shownu, who had been his friend for two years, was in shock, too. Of course he'd seen Minhyuk smile, but it was rare, and he hadn't expected it at the moment.    "Stop looking at me like that," Minhyuk grumbled, looking around at all three of you. "If you all make a big deal out of me smiling, I'll never do it again."   "Touchy, touchy," Wonho replied, scooting a safe distance away, a couch pillow hugged to his chest in case Minhyuk got punchy.    Minhyuk scratched his temple with the end of his pencil and sighed. "Let's just move on to the next one. This is _________'s."   You straightened. You had no idea Minhyuk thought to write about you. Y