Kyungsoo had never felt more vulnerable in his life. He was, in essence, physically and mentally weakened when he opened his door to find Jongin.

            Out of all people, it had to be him.

            Jongin; the stranger Kyungsoo had been trying to pretend was another ephemeral memory of no importance to him, a fleeting face that just happened to catch Kyungsoo’s eye in the crowd of millions others.

            Jongin; the person who could have been so much more to Kyungsoo, who could have given Kyungsoo what he so desperately wanted – but had left him with nothing but disappointment.

            A sudden recollection of the unpleasant nights that he spent spiraling into severe distress with tears dampening his cheeks took over Kyungsoo’s thoughts. He remembers how tightly he gripped on to his pillows, letting out short, rapid breaths as the pain numbs his mind and body whole. Kyungsoo’s lips tighten as he looks at Jongin, who was none other than the cause of his pain. The creases on either sides of Kyungsoo's mouth were subconsciously made very evident to Jongin — that is, until he manages to successfully snap back into the real world, and not the world of the thoughts that were kept confined in Kyungsoo’s head.

            “Are you the babysitter for Jihwan and Jihoon? I’m here to drop them off for you. I’m Chanyeol’s friend.” Jongin smiles.

            And that’s it.

            A single smile, though ambiguous, is all it takes for Kyungsoo’s hatred towards Jongin to dissolve completely. What was once abhorrence was replaced with warmth, empathy – affection.

            Kyungsoo returns the smile, but only halfheartedly. Not to lead Jongin on. “Yes, I am. You can just drop them off now, if you’d like. I suppose you have things to do and uh, places to go,” he notices the unintentional rudeness in his reply, causing his cheeks to turn a brilliant shade of pink. “I’m s-sorry, I mean, you must be very busy and—“

            “It’s fine,” he smiles again. Why was he smiling so much? Does he normally smile this much? Don’t be stupid; he’s probably this friendly around everyone. “I’m free for the rest of the day, anyways.”

            Kyungsoo’s mouth forms a small O-shape and his face reddens more and more by the minute. “That’s good,” is all he can say.

            “You look like a tomato.”

            Kyungsoo wants to respond with a chuckle at Jongin’s remark. Laugh, even. Because he remembers how nice their first encounter was. Jongin had succeeded in making Kyungsoo feel at ease around him in less than twenty-four hours, something no stranger in his life had ever accomplished before. While Kyungsoo considered it an achievement, the flowers of fear and paranoia that took root in his heart were thriving.

            Ice began to form around Kyungsoo's frail fingers, rendering them frozen as his mouth ran dry. “You can just give me Jihwan and Jihoon now and then be on your way out. It’s always good to take time to relax, after all,” he doesn’t stutter this time, but the words come out of his mouth in a voice that was barely audible.

            “No. I’d like to stay.”