“How am I glad to see you here. You saved me.” Ha In said as she wiped away the tears, this time managed to bring out a bright smile.

“Why? What’s going on?”

Ha In slightly shook her head as she looked at the worried face in front of her.

“Oh. It’s just this movie I was watching. The Conjuring. You have no idea how shaken up I was when the doorbell suddenly rang.”

“A horror? Really?” Dong Wook asked, feigning a mocking expression. But deep down he was trying to calm his thumping heart. When she suddenly jumped into his arms a moment ago, his stomach dropped, fearing that something horrible had happened to her.

Ha In nodded and smiled sheepishly as she motioned to invite him in.

As they took seats in the living room, Dong Wook quietly observed her. She seemed to revert back to her lively cheerful self now, but from the look in her eyes earlier, he knew that it wasn’t a reaction from a horror movie. From all her babbling to him whenever they were together, he distinctly remembered how she had mentioned a fair amount of times that she was a scaredy cat. In no way would she choose to watch a horror by herself. Not even if her life depended on it.

“So which scene scared you the most? Was it the one where the doll started attacking the family?” Dong Wook tested. Just to be sure.

“Yeah. That one. Scary, isn’t it?” Ha In replied frantically and curled up into a ball on her couch as if the mentioning of the scene made her shiver.

Yup. Lie. Dong Wook concluded at the back of his mind. The scene he was talking about was in another movie, Annabelle. But he decided not to press on the matter for the time being.

“So what brings you here today? What about your big project.”

“Done. And I’ve missed this yapping noise around my ears. That’s why I’m here.” Dong Wook smirked as he made a hand gesture that looked like a talking mouth.

Ha In threw a pillow at him knowing that he was teasing her about her habit of constant talking. But Dong Wook wouldn’t stop laughing at her reaction so she wrestled him until they both fell off the couch and started laughing their heads off.

Looking at them now, Dong Wook couldn’t help feeling stupid. He couldn’t believe he’d been such an idiot for worrying so much for the last few days. He’d been determined to text or even call her since that day he talked to Seung Gi and Jung Gi at the restaurant. But he never did, thinking that it’d be awkward.

He only realized he’d miss her so much when he found himself looking up at her apartment building from inside his car. He didn’t even know how he got there in the first place.

“Stupid habit.” Dong Wook groaned as he banged his forehead on the steering wheel. That’s right. In lack of anyone to blame, he blamed the habit.

After staring at the building for another 10 minutes, he decided he didn’t want to go back just like that. He sighed and took out his phone to send a message to a group chat.

- Quick! Give me an excuse

- (Jung Gi): For what crime?

As always, Jung Gi was quick to reply. Dong Wook rolled his eyes at the question.

- Dropping by someone’s house

It was quiet for two minutes until Seung Gi replied.

- (Seung Gi): Go Ha In

It wasn’t a question.

- (Jung Gi): U’re out of your mind

- What!!?

 - (Jung Gi): U of all people don’t need an excuse to drop by

- But it’ll be awkward

- (Seung Gi): Sigh. It’s Go Ha In we’re talking about

                                          She doesn’t get awkward around her friends

                                          I don’t see why you’re so worried

                                          Unless…

- (Jung Gi): She’s not just a friend?

Dong Wook snickered. But when he was about to type a reply, his hands froze. He didn’t have anything to retort to that. He didn’t know what to say. And when he took a moment to think, he realized that his worry was certainly irrational. But as to why he was harboring such worry was a mystery.

Or was it not.

He wasn’t a clueless idiot. He got what his friends were getting at all those times they about Ha In. But to understand what they meant didn’t mean he could just mindlessly accept that it was true. They could be wrong. Ha In could just be a special friend.

Just because your friends said you had romantic feelings for someone then you automatically felt that way? Only teenagers did that. And Ha In…Ha In was too endearing to be treated in such childish ways. Too important to be lost carelessly. Until he was sure what these feelings were, he’d tune out his friends’ endless nagging for the time being.

“Here. Let me get you another cup of coffee. Or do you want something else?” Ha In asked after noticing his empty cup.

“No. you stay put. I’ll go see what I want.”

“Ok. Get me some more chocolate too.” Ha In spoke before lying back on the couch and covered herself in her blanket again.

By the time Dong Wook got back from the kitchen, she was fast asleep like a little child. Dong Wook chuckled. He could have sworn he was in there a whole 5 minutes. He looked at the clock and was surprised to see that it was already 1am in the morning. He didn’t realize it was this late. They had so much fun talking and arguing that they didn’t notice that time flew by. For some reasons, it felt like they were making up for lost time. Even though it was just a few days of absence.

He sat down on the floor by her side and stared at her for a long while before brushing her stray hair and softly waking her up.

“Ha In?” He didn’t even notice he’d drop the honorific. For some reason, her name sounded so natural to him.

“Mmm?” Ha In stirred in her sleep.

“Go sleep in bed.”

“Mmmmm.” She replied sleepily but slowly pushed herself up and dragged her blanket into her bedroom with her eyes still closed.

Dong Wook followed closely behind in case she bumped into things on the way. And when she was all tucked in, he smiled and brushed back her hair once again.

“Won’t you stay?” Ha In mumbled.

She was too sleepy to open her eyes, but Dong Wook could tell she wasn’t sleep talking. He nodded, despite knowing she couldn’t see.

“I’ll be right outside.”

He didn’t have the heart to leave when all he could think of was