AUTHOR'S NOTE: 

I WILL BE OUT FOR A WEEK SO HERE IS MY APOLOGY CHAPTER. ENJOOOOY!

*********

*** Irene *** 

Something landed on my face that made me wake up. I turned to lay my back against the bed because I was laying on my side. Unsure of what is it, I grabbed the thing and check it. It took it a minute for my eyes to adjust from the lightning inside the room, where it was pitched dark. Seulgi begged yesterday not to the lights because she hated it. 

I raised the thing that I'm holding, only to know it was Seulgi's arm. I'm pretty sure she's still in a deep sleep and unconsciously landed her arm to me. 

I just kissed it.

I sighed while fixing myself, turning my body to face her, who is still sleeping with mouth slightly opened. I hugged her arm, the one that landed, and put its fingers to my cheeks. I tucked her hair to her ear while my other free hand is playing with her fingers.

I looked at her, traveled my gaze to her beautiful features. She's just as ravishing when asleep as she's conscious. I leaned closer to give her a peak on her forehead, between her eyebrows. "Good morning," I whispered, knowing that she can't hear me because she's in a deep sleep. 

I was ready to get out from the bed, planning to make some breakfast for us, when a warm sensation grabbed my wrist and pulled me back to bed. 

"Not so fast," she whispered with her hoarse voice because she was just awoken while wrapping me with her embrace. 

Here I am, trapped by her arms, lying on the top of her, and could only feel her breathing, could only hear her breathing. "I need to make breakfast for us, Seulgi." I whispered, trying to convince her, turning myself to face her, whom still closing her eyes even if she's already awake. 

"Can we be like this for a minute?" She pleaded. "No, I mean, the whole day?" 

"Are you crazy?" 

"Am not." She mimicked. 

I scoffed. Admittedly, I cannot do anything when she's so sweet and clingy but to surrender on her arms. I wrapped my arms around her, guilty to my defeat, give up on my fate. I heard her laughing. 

I punched her to her shoulder. "What's funny?" I said.

"You accepted your defeat." She said with her hoarse voice, almost a whisper. 

"So what?" I said.

"I love that about you." She said. I felt the heat from my neck rises to my cheeks. "And more of you because I'm crazy over you." 

I gulped. She burst out laughing. "What's funnier now?" 

"You're trembling." She said. She opened her eyes and stare directly to my orbs. "You're trembling in a good way. Not like mine."

"Stop lying!" 

"Am not." She showed her squishiest smile. "Why are you so bad in returning a compliment?" She mimicked again. 

"I hate you when you're listening to me." 

The hug that sealed my body get tighter. I was taken aback when she pampered me with kisses on my forehead. 

"Aha!" I found myself shouted when I remembered something. 

"Hmm?" 

"You just said I love you." I said, teasing her by leaning closer and spoke it to her ears. 

Just like yesterday, I felt her body immediately shuddered. But it wasn't the same as mine, my body shook for good but hers was worst. I took a deep breath, disappointed because of her reaction, and decided pinched her to her side, starting a ticklish fight, so she can get over her shakiness, so she can forget about what I said.

It's a trauma. I'm sure of it.

But I don't where did she get it or why.

It makes me sad. It makes me really really sad to see her trembling like this. I wanted her to hear my I love you's and I wanted her to say I love you's. But her body isn't synchronized to her mind. 

"Sha!" I slapped her as hard as I can, so she will shift her attention to me. "I'll cook breakfast for us!" I shifted my weight to my legs, and swayed my body. In one swift move, I successfully get out from her hug and from the bed. I walked towards the door when she shouted something. 

"Don't be surprised!" She said cheerfully. I'm glad her mood came back. It became my nightmare to see her trembled like that. 

I looked at her over my shoulder. "For what?" I said. But she just motioned me to proceed.

I closed the door, only to let out a heavy sigh. There was a different about I Love You's. She will not tremble if she'll say just I or Love or You. But if she'll say or hear the entire I Love You, she will shake endlessly until she collect herself again. I took a deep breath and proceed to my original plan, to cook breakfast for us. 

I checked first all of her kitchenwares. She have plates, cups, glasses, spoons and forks. She have few which can help me to make my special tee, kimchi fried rice, though hers was also delicious but I'm pretty sure, mine is beyond her imagination.

When I was about to open the cabinets overhead me, two arms sneaked around my waist and a chin that was placed comfortably on my shoulder. I was dumbfounded when I found out that I wasn't surprised anymore when she wrapped her arms around me. 

"What?" I said, rubbing my hands to her arms. 

"Hmm... nothing." She gently shook her head. She swayed our tangled bodies together little by little. 

"Can I walk and check those cabinets above me now?" I said. "I want to see the ingredients, Seul." 

She nodded. "Go on," 

"How?" I asked when she's still wrapping her arms around me.  

"Just walk. I will follow you. I want to us to be like this for a while." She whispered while kissing me to my cheeks, not letting loose of the back hug she was giving me even if I wanted to cook.

"Your 'for a while' was already ended." 

She nodded, not wanting to argue anymore but didn't untangled our bodies. I just sighed and proceed in checking the cabinets anyway. 

"Don't be surprised." She whispered but I ignored it when I'm already approaching the cabinet. 

I was dumbfounded when I saw it empty. I shook my head to set things aside, thinking that the other ones have. But just like the first cabinet that I opened, everything is empty. I opened her fridge, only to see bottles of mineral water, and nothing more. 

"What the heck is this?" 

She traveled her lips from my ears to my neck and inhaled my scent. I giggled at the tickling sensation she was giving me. 

"Seulgi? I'm talking to you." 

She put her chin comfortably back to my shoulder. "I already warned you." 

"How can you live in this kind of place?" 

"I always eat outside." She said as she kissed my neck. I placed my hand to her hair and brushed it. We stayed like this and nobody dares to separated from the hug. "Don't worry, I already texted Krystal." 

I turned to face her, not letting myself get away from her arms. Our faces were too close to each other, enough for me to admire her auburn brown eyes. "About what?" 

"I asked her a favor to bring us some food." She was ready to lean for a kiss when I put a finger to her lips that made her brake from accelerating.

"When?" 

"When, what?" She asked. 

"When did you text her? She might be here anytime soon. What if she'll see us?" I could only think about how embarrassing it is for me if Krystal will see us being clingy with each other like snakes. 

She laughed silently. "I just texted her a minute ago." She swiftly took my hand away from and dive her lips to mine. "Don't be paranoid." She grazed her pair of lips to my chin. "It will take her at least an hour to be here." And traveled her kisses to my jaw. My heart beats faster when her lips reached on mine. 

But she cut our kiss. She loves teasing me. 

She trail her kisses again, to my face, to my neck and to my jaw. I groaned everytime I never catches her lips.

"Seulgi," I muttered. 

Her smile widened, teased me even more. 

"Kang Seulgi," 

She stopped and was laughing silently. She leaned closer to me. "I wanna make up to you." She breathe out beside the shell of my ears. 

"You didn't do anything wrong,"

"I did." 

"When and what?" I asked while slowly trailing my fingers from her neck to her collarbones, joining her playful antics. 

"I should have kissed you first." She said quietly, feeling guilty. "I should have tell you just how I feel first. But I didn't." 

A smile slowly showing to my lips after I heard her confession. I want to ask her if she loves me but I'm afraid she'll shake again so bad. Instead, I cupped her face and sticked our foreheads together. "I didn't regret in confessing my feelings first, especially if it's necessary to do for us to date for real." 

"Yeah, I almost forgot that we're officially dating." 

I punched her to her shoulder. "Don't you dare, Kang Seulgi." 

"I'm just kidding, alright?" She mimicked me again, but this time, she made a face that I always make. I avoided her by turning my head to the side. I hooked up my arms around her neck when she pushed me up and put me on the kitchen top. "Don't be upset. I'm just kidding." She pampered me with kisses on my lips. "I kept it in my mind and in my heart that since yesterday, you are officially my girlfriend." She scooped her hands under my clothing and trailed her fingers to my front body. I squirmed when she played with my sensitive spots, and sometimes tickled me. 

I gave up resisting because she's persistent. I cannot win when she went to her playful antics.

She raised my chin using her fingers, only to locked my lips to hers. She was so sweet and I cannot get enough of it, even if this wasn't my first time kissing her. 

She was ing her oversized shirt, which she let me used since yesterday night, when someone was punching the password on her door. We both shifted our heads to the entrance, waiting for someone to come in. But it looks like, they forgot the password because they punched it again. 

She groaned. 

"It's Krystal," I whispered. I jumped off from the kitchen top, rushed to her room and immediately locked it. I don't know how I managed to get in here so fast when my right leg is still injured. This is an advantage when the adrenaline rushed through the veins.

"Joohyun, where are you going?" She said. "Your leg," she reminded.

I hurriedly pickup my clothes from the floor. 

"Joohyun," she called from the other side of the door. 

"What?" I said while entering to her bathroom. I need to  change my clothes before Krystal will suspects us. 

I heard the door of her room opened. "Where are you?" She said. 

"In your bathroom!" I shouted. 

"Why are you in a hurry?" She said. "And what are you doing in the bathroom?"

"What else do you think a person will do inside a bathroom?" 

"I'm asking nicely," She said. She attempted to open the bathroom door, but I continue dressing myself knowing it's locked. 

"Of course, changing!" I shouted, sounded irritated. "Changing, Seulgi. Changing."

"Will you please relax?"

I don't see her but I'm pretty sure she copied me again.

"Krystal doesn't know my password anymore because I changed it yesterday. So, please calm down." She informed while knocking on the door. "And why are changing your clothes?" 

I paused when I heard her declaration. "How and when?" I said.

"Huh?" 

What a jerk. She's just as dumb as I thought. I rolled my eyes even though I know she will not see it.

"Can you open the door?" She begged. 

"Listen to me, Seulgi," I walked closer to the door but doesn't have a plan to open it, knowing that I'm half . 

"I'm listening," she replied. 

"No way in the world I would open this door for you. Bathroom is the only place a person can have his real privacy." 

I heard her sighed heavily.

"And second, how and when did you change the pass code to your door, knowing I'm with you all day yesterday?" 

"Am I allowed to talk now?" 

"Can you stop copying me?" 

"I'm copying no one, Joohyun." 

"You are!"

"Oh my God," she muttered. "Look, Joohyun," she took a deep breath. "First of all, okay, I won't come in. I'll respect what you said because you have a point there. Second of all, about how did I change my passcode, I have the very right to change it anytime. Now, you asked me how. Well, I click the reset button and made a new passcode." 

I can't help myself from smiling when she gave me a literal answer to one of my questions. I pressed my lips together, holding a laugh to come out. 

"Third of all, when. You are in a deep sleep yesterday night. So, I didn't wake you up and I don't have a plan to wake you up just to let you witness that I changed my code. And last of all, I am not copying anyone. Happy now?" 

Silence is what followed after Seulgi's explanation. I didn't hear anything from her, even a footsteps from the other side. 

Few minutes later, I decided to open the door, only to see Seulgi patiently waiting for me, standing, arms on her side with a partial smile. 

But her expression quickly changed. "Woah!" she shouted while covering her eyes. That's when I realized that I'm still half , no top at all. "What a confidence you have there, Joohyun, huh?" She said with a smirk. She get the blanket from her bed and quickly cover it around me, while I covered myself with my bare hands. "Bathroom is the only place a person can have his real privacy." She mimicked, beaming from ear to ear. 

Funny was, she got accessed all over my body yesterday night but playing this cover-me-kind-of-game today. 

"For all I know, you liked what you saw." I pouted.

"Hell, yeah." She said while raising her eyebrows many times. 

I gave her a look. 

"I'm joking. Don't take it seriously." She said.

Her action painted a smile on my face. "I'm sorry," I said, almost a whisper. 

"Oh, don't be," she wrapped her arms around me after she finished covering my body with the blanket. She swayed our tangled body together little by little. "No more sorries." 

"But I---" 

"Tsk!" She leaned back to see my face clearly. "Just answer one question." 

"What?" 

"Why were you hurriedly changing you're clothes when you know Krystal was coming?" 

I sighed. "I don't want her to see me wearing your shirt." 

"Because...?" 

"She might think something else." 

"Like...?" 

"Like we've had ." 

She laughed silently after she heard me. Then wrapped me by her embraced and swayed us again. "So what," 

"So what, what?" 

"So what, if Krystal will see you wearing my shirt? So what, if she thinks that we've had ? We both know we haven't crossed to that line." She put her chin comfortably to my shoulder. "I'm not you, never in my life. I will never have with you when you're not ready, Joohyun."

A drop of warm water suddenly fell from my eyes. I inhaled deeply and slowly sneaking my arms around her.

Why do I have to be so lucky in life? What did I do to deserved this person in front of me? I thought.

"Shhh," she was brushing her hands on my back. Little did I know, the drop of warm water that fell from my eyes earlier, turned into silent cries. "I will not force you to do things you're not ready or not fond to do, Joohyun." 

"Thank you, Seulgi." 

"Hmmm." She nodded. "Let's be like this for a moment, okay?" She pleaded. I let her because I wanted to ease myself from worries too. 

But the moment we wanted didn't last when her cellphone rang. 

She fished it out from her pocket and showed it to me. "See? I'm telling you the truth." I saw Krystal's name on the screen, calling. "She's probably calling me to open the door for her."

"Do you have a plan?" I asked. 

She winked at me. 

But wait, was that a winked? Why both of her eyes were closed? 

"Of course, I'm Kang Seulgi." She said, beaming from ear to ear. 

That's when I knew, my day will gonna be alright. That is when I knew, everything is gonna be alright when I'm with her. 

She put a finger to , telling me to shut up.

"Oh?" She said to the other line sounded like she's just awoken. "What's up?" 

"Your food--" 

I heard Krystal on the other line but not as clear as the ocean. After that, everything is unclear.

"Yeah," Seulgi said while yawning. Trying to convince Krystal over the phone that she just really woke up. "I changed it yesterday. What? No. I was trying to be protective and conservative." She said on the other line.

I rolled my eyes when I heard the word conservative. 

"Conservative, my ." I mouthed to her which she found funny because she was laughing, muted.

"No, she's sleeping." Seulgi lied. 

I was ready to go back to the bathroom when she s her free hand around me, prisoning me to her arm again, not letting loose. 

"The hell?" I mouthed. 

"Just don't move, please?" She mouthed too, smile widened.

"I'll be waiting here." I heard Krystal said from the other line. 

"Okay, bye." Seulgi hangup the call. "Joohyun, your scent is like a drug." She whispered, tighten the hug. 

"Pssh, why?" 

"I'm addicted." I immediately punched her to her shoulder which made her cried loud. "I'm not kidding." She declared. 

"Krystal." I reminded her. 

She nodded me like she already knew what is that supposed to mean. 

"I told her I just woke up and will do morning rituals before opening the door." 

My eyes widened because of what she told me. "She's not mad at you?" 

"Why would she?" 

"Because you are a dumb individual." I joked. 

"Ouch," she put a hand to her chest and acted like someone just shoot her to her heart. "By the way, I told her you're still sleeping. So, it's up to you to get dress or not to get dress. But I prefer the latter." 

"Silly." I whispered. 

She just laughed it out. For all I know, she's guilty of being one. 

"I'll leave you everything here. You can sleep if you want or you can join us." She separated from the hug and rushed to the bathroom. When she got out, her face was all wet. "I have to look like I just awoken. Please be a good actress here, Joohyun." She walked fast towards the door of her room. "See you in a bit." And she's finally gone.

When did I fell in love with this sweet weirdo? 

*******

"Bye," Seulgi said to Krystal, who brought us food, before she closed the door. 

I heard her footsteps from the kitchen, walking towards the living room. I'm washing the dishes that we used when we ate our lunch with Krystal earlier. 

Luckily, our plan worked. Krystal didn't interrogated us further. 

After we ate our lunches, Seulgi and Krystal had a little talk in the living room. I didn't hear a single word from it because of the television's volume, which was quite maximized. 

Seulgi put the plates they used on the kitchen top. 

"Are you done eating?" I asked, looking at her over my shoulder. 

She's still chewing a watermelon. "Yes," she said. She suddenly jumped on the kitchen top, sitting beside me. 

"What are you doing?" I asked when I realized she was staring at me for a long time.

"Watching you," 

"Wow, that's a great help." I gave a small sarcastic laughed, but Seulgi's face remained serious. "Is there something you want to share?" I continued. I was looking for the dry towel to dry off the plates, when she offered it to me. "Thanks," I said. I get the towel and proceed to do the chores. 

She just nodded. Her face remained blank and calm. She keeps on staring at me like see have something to say, but she choose not to. 

"Seulgi, I swear. If you have something to tell me, I can lend an ear." I said. 

She stared at me for a few minutes before she nodded, and decided to speak. "I don't think I have the right to ask you." She said silently. She threw the exist watermelon by shooting it like a basketball from the kitchen top to the garbage bin.

"Try me. What is it?" I walked to her after I finished arranging the plates to its place. I sneaked my arms around her waist and she reciprocated the hug immediately. I brushed her hair using my hand. We were like that for a few minutes. No one dared to speak until she broke the silence.

"I wanted to ask you about what you said last night." She said, almost a whisper while tucking my hair to my ear. 

"About what?" 

"About your..." she looked at me in the eyes, like she's transferring a word through her eyes. 

"About what Seulgi?" 

She gently wrapped her arms around me. "About your trauma," she said silently, silently enough for me to hear, gentle enough to touch my ears. 

The small voice she used by asking me, it means to me she asked about it for good purpose, she asked about it for a good reason. 

I felt like my internal organs suddenly malfunctioned. I felt like my entire body suddenly froze, most especially the body part I was traumatized. 

"It's okay, it's okay," she calmed me down by rubbing her hands on my back. "I will not ask about it again. I'm sorry," 

I buried my face in the crook of her neck when I felt the urge of crying, but my mind and my heart betrayed me. A waterfall of tears suddenly start raining when my face landed on her. 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She keep apologizing, brushing the tears that keep on falling away.

"I'm so-sorry, Se-seulgi," I can't speak properly. My silent cries turned into sobbing. 

"No, it's okay. I swear it's okay, Joohyun." She said. Just then I realized, she was crying so hard too. "I shouldn't have asked you about it even if I'm curious." 

Now, both of us are breaking down, holding each other's arms, hugging each other's body. 

"Why are you crying?"

"I don't know," she brushed her tears away using the back of her hands. She cupped my face. "Please, don't cry, Joohyun. It hurts me seeing you cry." 

Her latter words made me laughed silently. She laughed silently too. I brushed off my tears too. "Let's move on?" 

She nodded like a child with smile that widened. "Yeah, let's move." She smiled. She hugged me tightly. Her warmth, her smell is a perfect fit to me. 

And all I could do is to hug her back. Hoping, she fell the same way too.