5 With Him

OST: SF9 – Together (Feeling Sensation)

Baekhyun gathers all of Jennie's luggages near the door. "Are you sure you didn't forget anything?" He said sardonically.

Jennie thinks for a moment and shrugs. "I'm not sure but if I ever leave something I can just ask Tzuyu to bring it."

"What? Hell no," I protested. Why would I go to Jeju just to deliver things she forgets?

"That was mean," Baekhyun pointed out. I nod.

"Not just to bring whatever. Hello? Let's go on a vacation!" She exclaimed. She danced the choreography of Boombayah. The chorus part. She seems so excited with just the thought of it.

"Hello?" Baekhyun imitated Jennie's quite annoying voice. "I'm living at SM Building for the whole two weeks. What about me?"

"We'll go together someday, Baekhyunnie." Jennie pulls Baekhyun into a hug. "I'm going to miss you."

Baekhyun loosen Jennie's hug and looks at her with unbelieving eyes, "Really?"

"Of course! I've always had you by my side and it'd feel empty not having you around for like-"

"Two nights and three days or three nights and four days at most," I filled in for her. Seriously, it's not even that long! They have become that clingy couple, ugh.

"Don't celebrate just yet, Tzuyu! You'll still take care of my cousin," Baekhyun reminds me of something I had already known 6 hours ago.

"You're going to be late for your ride to Jeju, Jennie!" I pushed them out of the house.

Baekhyun came back in to get Jennie's three big- luggages. "You will seriously look after Youngkyun while we're gone, okay? I can't check up on you two anymore."

"Baek, we're already 23 years of age (Korean age). We'd be fine." I assured him.

I stirred the soup lightly. The smell of it wafts all over the kitchen. I got a spoon and tasted the soup. "This must be enough." I nod to myself. I prepare the kitchen table - put two sets of plates, bowls, glasses and spoon and fork.

I'm not sure if it was the clunk of the kitchen wares that made Youngkyun wake up or the smell of the soup I made.

"You're up early, eh?" Youngkyun rubbed his eyes.

"Yah! Don't rub your eyes. I was actually awake since earlier when Jennie and Baek left," I took off the apron and pulled out a chair for myself.

"They already left?" He sat on the chair across mine. "So, what's this?" He looked at the soup too close, close enough that he seems to have his face steamed by the heat of the soup. "Hangover soup for me?"

"You wish." Yes because you're such a weakass when you drink and I already guessed that you'd need it as soon as you wake up.

"For me or not, thanks, sweetie," he said and then, winks.

I scowled but he didn't even bother tease me and just helped himself to the breakfast on the table. Today, I just prepared fried eggs and bacon, hotdogs, pancakes, and soup. Much of an American breakfast but really, I just don't know how to cook other things than that.

"Really, Youngkyun. Are you going to inhale all of that?" I said as I watch him take spoonsful after spoonsful of rice. He's actually using chopsticks but the amount of rice he gets per serving is like him using a spoon. "Whoa, using chopsticks on rice don't even stop you." He didn't reply. Not like I was actually asking for one.

I watched him devour everything I cooked - even those that were supposed to be for me. I didn't mind. Just watching him eat makes me feel full too. Ugh. Why do I sound like a mom feeding her 3-year-old child?

"Aren't you going to eat?" He asked me when he was done.

"I just don't feel like eating right now. Maybe I'll eat later." I stood up and took his plate. "You go back in there and I'll clean this one. Behave," I reminded him as if he's a 3-year-old. Isn't he one?

Youngkyun stood up as well but he didn't oblige to what I told him. Instead, he approached me, "Let me do the dishes, at least." He took the plate and glass on my hand. "I'll make you something after this."

I didn't go anywhere. I just stood beside him, watching him do the dishes. Usually, it only takes 5 minutes to wash but he was so meticulous he just had to do it for twice the usual time. When he was done, "You know what? In our next meal, I wouldn't let you wash the dishes anymore. I'd rather have my hands rough than smooth while I pay twice the usual price of our water bill," I said.

"Let me pay it for you, then. I don't want your hands rough," he winks and passes by me to get ingredients for his dish inside the refrigerator.

I seriously don't know what to say back so I just said, "Don't burn the house when you cook, alright? Call me when you're done." I left the kitchen hurriedly. I don't know what it was. I just felt hotter even though it's already the eighth month. "It'll probably take you so long to finish that. I'm off to sleep first. Call me, aight?" This time, I ran to my room. I can't just feel like this while seeing him busy in the kitchen for me. Wow. I walk towards the full-length mirror beside my vanity table and looks at myself. It's just now that I've realized I had this small smile on my face. When the hell did I have this on?

Shrugging, I slumped on my bed. Whether or not he sees it, there's nothing I can do anymore. I'm dead. So dead.

I just laid there, looking at the ceiling with definitely nothing going on my mind - just blankly staring at the ceiling with stickers of stars that are also just as dead as I am right now.

"Why would Youngbin even call? I'm hiding. Does he expect me to take his call and tell him I'm having a hard time here, Youngbin? I'm finally going back," I hear Youngkyun say to himself. Tiptoeing, I go over the door and opens it slightly - only enough for me to hear him much better. "I'm actually having a great time here, Youngbin. Thank you so much. Spending some time with Tzuyu is unexpectedly pleasant...," he pauses. "So far."

I blink a few times. Did he just say 'so far'? Hearing that, I started thinking how this day will go.

I didn’t know how long has it been. Youngkyun’s relentless knocks on my door woke me up. I am still sprawled out of my bed, pillows discarded on the floor, and my hair sticks onto my face.

“Yah, Tzuyu! You can just tell me you don’t want to eat what I prepared!” Youngkyun yelled.

“Five more minutes!” I shouted though muffled since I turned my body on the bed face-front.

“Five seconds!” Youngkyun bids.

I answered in inaudible noise.

The squeak of the door being opened was so loud it made my ears hurt. (For someone who has just woken up, this is really deafening…at least, for me.) “Aren’t you going to stand up yourself or do you still want me to drag you all the way to the kitchen?” Youngkyun threatened.

I turned my body over even though I am fully aware of how disgusting I look right now. I can feel my shirt sticking on my body and my bangs sticking on my forehead.

“Whoa, Tzuyu. The guts to show yourself to me like this,” Youngkyun clapped his hands as if he’s a villain in a 80s soap opera.

“Wow, aren’t you a demanding piece of ? You’re just the one looking, hello? Why do you care?” I sneered.

I heard his footsteps nearing me so I stood up curtly. “I’m going now to the kitchen. Aren’t you coming too?” I asked.

I just heard him chuckle. The smell of ramyeon wafts all over the house. I’m not yet in the kitchen but I can already smell it. I’m going to cook you something, my . I can also cook ramyeon by myself!

“You like it?” Youngkyun appeared behind me.

I turned to face him. “I can cook ramyeon, too. Thank you.”

“Hey, don’t judge it yet. Why don’t you go to the kitchen and see what it’s really like?” Youngkyun pushes me to the kitchen.

“Yah! I can walk on my own. You’re not that excited, huh?”

“Just go. Hurry, hurry!"

A variety of ramyeon dishes welcomed me in the kitchen – a ramyeon with flank steak with shredded beef jerky, a cheesy chilli ramyeon, and a ramyeon that shouts red in color (indication that it is hella spicy) topped with cheese.

“Hope you like it.” Youngkyun pulls out a chair for me.

“A variety of ramyeon? Seriously?” I sat on the chair he pulled out for me. “I appreciate it, of course,” I said before he misunderstands. “It’s just that, why are all these ramyeon-based?”

“Well, that’s what I cook best,” he shrugs. “Why don’t you try this first?” Youngkyun slides the third variety of ramyeon – the hella spicy one.

Not that I haven’t eaten something this spicy but I tried his dish and…

“What do you think?” His devilish grin shows the white of his teeth.

“Youngkyun, if you want to prank someone with a very, very, very spicy ramyeon, you better research if that person can withstand a ramyeon with this spiciness level, alright?” I smiled. I took the bowl and sipped the soup.

When I put the bowl down with only the pasta left, Youngkyun’s smile widened and said, “Whoa, you liked it, didn’t you?” He looks at me expectantly as if I would grab his hands and ask him to join me jumping out of joy.

Unexpectedly, instead of saying I liked it so much since I have always liked spicy food, I burped. He just looked at me expressionless and then laughed. “You liked it! Tzuyu liked it!  She liked it, oh yeaaaah,” he sings. He then stands up and dances as well.

I joined him laughing. “I actually like spicy food, Youngkyun.”

“I wonder what else you like…,” Youngkyun wondered and looks at me with curiosity in his eyes. His eyes light up and he said, “Why don’t we spend this day knowing about each other? Anyway, I’m going to live with you for about a month at most, I guess?”