AN: I'm so sorry for not updating in a while! I've been busy with work and the internet connection here is a b*tch. To make it up to you guys, here's a fluff filled chapter! :) Enjoy! <3

“Congratulations!”

Mina was greeted by Sehun’s beaming face on her phone. She was actually exhausted but apparently, not too tired when it comes to him. This day just drained the life out of her. They went from one location to another, and then back again. But all that was worth it. So worth it, because today, they got their first win.

“Aww, your eyes look puffy.” Sehun added. She brought her blanket up to cover almost the rest of her face. The whole group cried too much.

They cried at the music show. They cried backstage. They cried when they got to the practice room. They cried in the car, on the way back to the dorm. She even heard soft sniffles from Nayeon earlier, while sleeping. The joyous feeling was just too overwhelming for them to handle.

“Didn’t you cry too when your group first won?” She asked him accusingly, getting self-conscious.

“I cried like a baby at our dorm.” He admitted, chuckling. “You should put ice on that in the morning.” Sehun added sweetly making her nod obediently.

“Why aren’t you sleeping yet?” She asked him. They got back pretty late and today’s supposed to be his rest day. Sehun shrugged his shoulders but gave her a simple answer.

“I was waiting for you.” He said nonchalantly and then added, “Did you know that I wanted to hug you so bad when I saw you cry earlier.”

Thank goodness it was dark in the spare room. It was the only thing saving her from total embarrassment. She swore her whole face was red right now. Sehun didn’t even blink or look away. He was facing her straight on.

“Uhm..” She didn’t know what to say to that. She was scrambling her head for words when he spoke again.

“I..” This time, she could sense the hesitation in his voice. She saw him breathe in before continuing. “I.. actually want to hug you right now..” He said shyly, averting his gaze away from the phone for a second.

Mina froze. The butterflies on her stomach turned into a stampede and she felt like she’s going to die from happiness. It took everything she had not to smile or burst into a fit of giggles. Instead, she let out a nervous and awkward laugh.

Mina, being terrified of her own feelings, did what she knew best. Run away.

“I-i need to go.. We have an early schedule tomorrow.” She didn’t want to be so heartless. But what could she do? Each day that pass by, her willpower gets tested. It was bad enough that she couldn’t tell him how she feels. Now she needed to ignore all his antics too.

The way she sees it, it was just Sehun playing around. She could not afford to take everything he says seriously. It would just hurt her in the end.

“Oh. Okay. But I’ll be seeing you in a few weeks? At music shows?” Sehun couldn’t hide the disappointment on his face, knowing fully that she was avoiding him.

“I think so. Your comeback is soon right?” Mina secretly anticipated them meeting again.

“Yup, I think it will overlap with your group’s promotion period, at least a week. Anyway, I’ll let you rest now. Goodnight, Mina” Sehun spoke with hesitation. He sounded like he didn’t want to end the conversation yet. She didn’t too, but tomorrow is another busy day and with the way things were going, she was getting too used to his presence. That last thing she wanted was to get attached and get hurt in the end.

“Goodnight oppa.”

Mina quietly walked back to her bed with her chest still pounding aggressively. It kept her awake for a long time and when she finally dozed off, it seemed only a couple of minutes had passed when her alarm went off. Her 2 hour sleep felt like a whole 8 hours. She was on cloud nine and she didn’t need to think twice to know who made her feel that way.

***

Things started to calm down as their promotion period comes to an end. It wasn’t as hectic but still, they were busy as they can be.

Today is the start of their last week at music shows and although they were relieved that it will be one less schedule, no one was more elated than Mina. Since today is the start of Exo’s comeback. She was hopeful that she gets to see him backstage.

“You seem more fidgety than usual” Sana noticed how she couldn’t sit still and how she always turns her head at the slightest sound.

“Ah. Are you nervous since he’s here?” The older girl teased.

“No, I’m.. just nervous about the performance.”

“Oh please. Since when are you nervous about performing? You’re the most comfortable on stage.” Sana smirked, obviously not buying her lame excuse.

“Okay, fine. I am nervous since he’s here. But I’m almost certain we won’t be seeing each other. The first week is the busiest and they’ll be all over the place. I doubt he’ll even have time to text me.” There was a hint of disappointment on her voice.

“Don’t worry, we can always find a way to roam around. You’ll never know we might come across him on our way to the restroom. Also, there’s the announcement of the winner. You can be on the same stage as him.” Sana assured her with her usual chirpy tone that made Mina smile. Sana was right. There’s plenty of opportunity to see him. She became more excited at the thought of seeing him on stage again. He always becomes a different kind of Sehun whenever he’s performing.

After a while their manager called all of them to get ready for their stage. As they were passing by all the waiting rooms, Mina spots the door with the label “EXO” on it. She couldn’t stop her lips curling upwards and her heart racing. ‘It’s only a door, for goodness sake.’ She thought to herself and felt a little silly on how she’s acting.

The girls had fun for their first performance of their last stage. Who wouldn’t, it was a really fun song and their fans seemed to have enjoyed it. On their way back, she almost tripped when she saw Sehun emerging from their waiting room, with Suho and Kyungsoo by his side. She unconsciously grabbed and squeezed Sana’s hand a little too hard.

“Ow. What’s wro—Ohh.”

She quickly put her head down and her eyes stuck on the floor. She felt Sana nudge her and when she looked up, she came face to face with him. With both groups bowing to each other, Sehun was staring at her, trying to catch her attention. When she finally acknowledged and smiled at him, he beamed at her and mouthed ‘Hi.’ That made her smile widen so much, she had to put her hand up to her face. As soon as they were inside their waiting room, the girls were in a fit of giggles, giving her meaningful looks.

The long day ended with Mina not getting to see or hear from him aside from the show’s ending. It was a pity but tomorrow is another day and it gave her something to look forward to.

***

Things are just not working out for Sehun at the moment. He was grouchy and irritable since morning. Maybe he just woke up on the wrong side of the bed or maybe it was the fact that he didn’t get to see Mina these last few days and today is his last chance as it was their very last stage for their promotion. They were just too busy and luck wasn’t simply on his side. The day ended with him just watching her from afar.

Since today’s music show starts a bit early, they finished with time to spare for dining out and the boys decided on a place to eat. When they arrived, they were ushered to the second floor where the restaurant had private rooms away from the rest of the diners. While the others were busy with the menu, he was glued to his phone.

M: We’re eating out too. Have a good dinner. J

Sehun felt better, finally having the time to talk to her.

S: You too. J It’s a bummer I didn’t get to see you much today. I was looking forward to it.

M: That’s okay, we still have Music Bank. I’ll get to see you there, right?

He almost forgot about the show’s half year special and her group had multiple collaboration stages on that day.

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