"You're the last one to finish. Again." Sehun commented flatly as Chaeyoung finally finished her morning five-kilometre run, panting and red-faced and several minutes behind the rest of the class. "How disappointing."

"Somehow, I feel like you actually enjoy seeing me fail," she muttered under her breath, unintentionally allowing Sehun to hear. He raised an eyebrow. 

"I enjoy seeing you fail? On the contrary, Cadet Park, it's quite embarrassing to see one of my students fail so miserably," he declared, crossing his arms and giving her a taunting smirk. She straightened up and narrowed her eyes at him. 

For Sehun and Chaeyoung, not much seemed to have changed since the bread roll incident. Sehun was still a bossy, rude and obstinate prick who somehow always managed to destroy Chaeyoung's good mood, while Chaeyoung was still the annoyingly cheery cadet whose surprisingly snarky attitude never failed to get on Sehun's nerves. 

But to others, particularly Chanyeol, there was a significant difference. In the past few days, though Sehun continued to be rude and demanding, he began to stop habitually insulting and humiliating Chaeyoung. Instead, his criticisms, though always negative, began to take on a more constructive attitude. In fact, he began paying more attention to her progress than any other cadet.

It was as if for the first time, he began truly wanting Chaeyoung to succeed, even if he didn't realise it himself.

"I'll be sure to continue then, sir," she replied pleasantly, giving him a sweet smile. "It's good to have a bit of humility in your life, which is something you seem to be lacking."

Of course, this new banter between them was also recently developed and never failed to surprise anyone listening. Everyone was used to fearing and revering the young captain that hearing someone (especially someone so small and harmless-looking) openly insult Sehun back was a little disconcerting. 

Yet, somehow, though her words often infuriated Sehun to no end, not once had the thought of punishing Chaeyoung for them ever crossed his mind. Not one person, ever, in his entire life, had ever spoken to him in such a way, and while he wouldn't admit it even if you forced him at gunpoint...

He actually enjoyed the verbal sparring. Just a little bit. In his entire life, no one else had ever had the guts to speak to him like that before.

As for Chaeyoung, never before had she encountered a person as horribly rude and stubborn as her captain. Chaeyoung was a kind person - it took a lot to annoy her. But for some reason, just one snide remark from Sehun got her skin itching in irritation. Maybe it was because, no matter how hard she worked, everything he said was true and justified. So, in order to prove him wrong, she could only try harder. Oddly, he became her main source of motivation. 

"Alright then! Good job everyone!" Chanyeol called out, breaking up the staring competition between Sehun and Chaeyoung. "Go wash up and take a break. We're done training for the day."

A surprised exclamation ran through the class. It was barely midday. Chanyeol, seeing this, grinned. 

"Yah, don't think you're getting off today! Today, we're starting theory classes. We'll see you in the lecture hall at 2 pm sharp!" he called, and many of the class groaned. They trudged off as a collective hall towards the dormitories, leaving Chaeyoung behind with the two captains.

"Good job today, Chae," Chanyeol grinned, ruffling her hair. She smiled in return, looking significantly cheerier. 

"Thanks," she dusted off her uniform. "Man, I'm starving. Let's head to the cafeteria before it gets crowded."

Behind them, Sehun watched. For some reason, that irritating itch was back. How was it that Chaeyoung could glare at him so sharply one minute and then go back to smiling and laughing with Chanyeol the next? He pressed his lips together, feeling an odd feeling twisting his stomach. Somehow, he disliked the sight of Chanyeol goofing around with that particular cadet. 

**

Sehun sighed in frustration, running a hand through his hair. He glared at the documents scattered across his desk, mentally cursing the army for requiring so much paperwork. His head throbbed, a consequence of getting barely 3 hours sleep for 3 days straight. He blinked tiredly, rubbing his sore eyes before going back to work. 

Unknown to him, Chaeyoung witnessed the entire ordeal through the window. She was just about to enter the room and report to him when she noticed just how tired he looked. Even now, he rubbed his temples, grimacing as he read another report. 

Pursing her lips, she mentally debated on what to do. She frowned when she caught sight of how messy his usually spotless desk was, as well as his dishevelled appearance.  'That's no way to work...'

Sehun annoyed her. He really did. 

But it was times like these when she found herself reluctantly admiring him for his dedication to his work. And with that admiration came just a smidgen of concern. It was surprising, how such a strong, collected and organised person was unable to take care of himself. With a sigh, Chaeyoung made a decision and turned around, leaving his office and retracing her steps towards the mess hall. 

**

'Where is that bloody cadet?' Sehun growled mentally. 'The one time I need her the most she's not here.'

He sighed. He was just about to stand up and get the documents himself (and maybe find Chaeyoung along the way to give her an earful for arriving late) when suddenly the door opened, revealing the very cadet herself. He glared at her. 

"Finally you're here. You're 10 minutes late. I've told you before I don't tolerate tardi- what do you think you're doing, Cadet Park?"

He blinked when Chaeyoung approached his desk before placing a banana and a glass of water on his desk. Next, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a small, white pill, wrapped in a napkin. 

"Here," she gave him an expectant smile. He stared at her. 

"What the is this?" he snapped, too tired to play games. His head throbbed again and he massaged his temples. At his rude tone, her smile dropped and she rolled her eyes. 'This girl's attitude...'

"Trying to wo