Hayi stared up at the blonde-haired man that stood before her. A second passed. Then another. And another. She opened to speak; but no words emerged from her parted lips. She clamped them shut again. She was, in every sense, nonplussed. Even so, the two did not break eye contact. Jiho continued to return her gaze, perhaps trying to search her hazel orbs for her unspoken reply. She tried to speak again, but was interrupted by the front door opening behind her.

“Gooood morning, people!” Tablo said as he casually strolled inside. Hayi let out a breath of relief. Tablo noticed the two standing by the table and walked over, firmly placing a hand on Jiho’s shoulder in greeting. He faced Hayi. “Just going off, now?” he asked. Hayi nodded in affirmative.

“I heard the track already, Robin sent it to me. Great work, you really pulled it off. Go home and rest before your next session tomorrow,” he told her and she quickly dismissed herself after bowing and saying goodbye. Jiho just watched as she walked through the door, only turning to face his senior once she had disappeared from sight.

“Hyungggg,” he groaned.

Tablo cocked an eyebrow. “What did I do, Mr. Grumpy Pants?”

Jiho ignored the question with a sigh. He walked to the studio to let Tablo listen to his finished product, still feeling a tad dejected. It took him so long to muster up the courage to ask her that question - he had waited all night wondering if he should or if he should just back out. But when he was finally gonna get a reply this hyung just had to strut in and ruin everything. Well, whatever. He’d just have to wait till next time. Whenever that might be.

Zico was so lost in his own thoughts that he jumped in shock when Tablo pat him on the back after listening to the new track. “Its great! As expected, from top producer Zico.”

He was glad for the compliment, but he couldn’t take all the praise for himself. “Actually, Lee Hi-ssi helped me. I needed a second opinion yesterday and she happened to be here. There’s this one part,” - he clicked on the screen to replay it - “she actually suggested a couple of ideas for it.”

Tablo was both impressed and astonished before a look of understanding came across his face. “Ahhhh, so that's what you two were talking about when I came in?”

Jiho was about to say no but stopped short - if he did say no, what would he say they were talking about? He couldn’t possibly tell the truth, now, could he? Hayi said herself that her label’s boss didn’t allow her to date. Seeing that it was as good an excuse as any, he mumbled a “yes” in reply to Tablo’s question and started to pack up. He remembered to take out the trash. Unhygienic, her words rang in his head. He was about to leave when he suddenly turned back, recalling that he wanted to ask Tablo something.

“Hyung. Can I come again tomorrow?”

Tablo swiveled in his chair, “Uhm, of coursw you can. But we’re done with the instrumental, right? We don’t need to start recording yet since we need to write our lyrics first. You can write at home or in your own studio.”

Jiho tried to come up with an excuse. “Well, I think I’d get a better feel here. Plus, you’ll be here tomorrow night, right? I think it'd be better if you were there so I can get your opinion while I write.”

Tablo considered this for a moment. He then agreed seeing that this was, after all, a collaborative effort. He knew that Zico wouldn't need much help, but the artist had his reasons. So if it helped to promote his creative flow, why not? Tablo was about to get back to whatever he was doing but when Jiho remained rooted at the door, he figured the younger still had more enquiries. He stared at the younger, waiting for him to speak. However, after a few moments, Jiho just waved and left.

Asking what time she’s gonna come is way too obvious. I’ll just come whenever and hope she’s here by then. Jiho went back to his apartment, anticipating the next day. When he would finally get to hear her answer.

~

Hayi closed the windows and unravelled her ‘black-out’ curtains, engulfing her room in darkness even though it was 6:30 a.m.  and the sun was about to rise. She had just taken a shower upon reaching home and was about to go to hit the sheets. This had become her routine after all the late night recording sessions. Her sleep pattern was all over the place. I’m so nocturnal I’m basically an owl now, she thought to herself. She lied down on the pillow, her hair still slightly damp. She pulled the covers up till her chin, staring up at the ceiling.

After a few brief moments, she shifted to her side and closed her eyes. Then she turned around and rested on her other side, trying to get comfortable. Soon enough she gave up, flopping into her original position with a huff. Her eyes shot open as she frustratedly shook her head. How was she going to sleep if the scene from before kept depicting itself in her head like a videotape on replay mode? His request repeated itself. I was wondering if maybe we could get coffee again sometime?

It was not exactly a request for a date, right? It wasn’t as if he was asking her to dinner, right? So why was she getting all caught up in it for? Even so, she couldn’t shake the thought that this was way more than what she had bargained for. All she wanted was a casual invitation like, “Let’s get coffee again sometime.”.

But when he phrased it like that… Hayi raked her fingers through her hair, kickin her sheets in exasperation. This is why people always tell you to be careful what you wish for, she thinks. But perhaps… was she reading too much into the situation? Right. That had to be it. No way the Woo Jiho a.k.a Zico would ask her for coffee because he was interested in her that way, right?

Of course. It was just a friendly invitation for coffee. Nothing more, nothing less. She convinced herself as she shut her eyes once more, assuring herself that it wasn’t anything more than a warm gesture. She ignored the little nagging voice at the back of her mind that told her she knew what it really was. That she too had felt an undeniable connection with someone she barely knew before, but was too afraid and confused to try and explore it. She muffled the badgering voice and nodded off to sleep, the exhaustion from the day’s work finally taking its toll and sending her off to dreamland.

~

“Hey,” came a greeting from behind her. Hayi whizzed around at the sound. Only to find herself face to face with the very person she was trying to avoid. “G-good evening, sunbae,” she stuttered in reply. Jiho pouted. “I told you to call me by name, Hayi-ssi,” he whined, stomping his foot on the ground like a child. Hayi evaded his statement and tried to excuse herself. Before she could turn around and retreat, however, she was stopped by a strong hand grasping her arm.

“Wait,” he let go of her now that she was facing him again. He let out an awkward cough. She gulped. “About what I said the other time. Well, I was thinking maybe I could treat you for dinner instead of just a coffee?”

Oh, no. This was what she was fearing. She did not know what to say in reply. Once again, she stood there like a deer caught in the headlights. She thought about the repercussions. Sajangnim would probably be extremely pissed. The media might find out and cause unwanted scandals. She would be too busy what with her album production still underway. She looked back up at the man who stood, rocking on his heels as he waited for her to say something. Anything.

“I-” she began, but was interrupted by a loud BEEP. She furrowed her brows as everything began fogging up. “I-” she tried again, but this time the beeps are insistent. BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP they blared as she brought her hands to her ears to shut out the noise.

She blindly swatted at something on her left and the noise cessated. She blinked. She pulled her hand away to find an alarm clock that was blinking in neon pink. 2 p.m. She let out a sigh in relief as she took in the welcome sight of her bedroom ceiling.

It was just a dream…

Sure, it was a dream. But she knew what she was about to say right at the end of it. And it surprised and scared her all at once.

They say your subconscious knows you better than you do. That your underlying thoughts resonate what you truly want, or how you really feel about a certain thing. That sometimes, what your mind presents to you through the twisted messaging system of your dreams, unmasks the true desires that you keep hidden.

Hayi closed her eyes.

I- … I would like that. The girl in her dream paused to smile up at the tall man before her. As long as we’re getting something healthier than ramen.

A/N: whoop whoop here's the next chapter! as usual, hope u guys liked it and do leave a comment. my exams start tomorrow but i had finished this chapter some time along this week so might as well post it. i'm super scared for my tests and feel like tbh :"( imma get back to my revision now, wish me luck for the rest of the week! i'll get started on the next chapter by the end of this week ^^