That white shirt Sehun was wearing in what she assumed to be a dream, was hanging over her study table chair, still half wet from last night’s rain.

Don’t tell me...

A hand travelling up to in utmost disbelief, Mirae dragged her weak feet out of her room.

“AAACHOO!!!!”

Mirae jumped at the loud sneeze heard as soon as she set foot in the living room, and her eyes landed on the man sprawled on the couch with a cherry red nose. he rubbed the said nose with a yellow handkerchief (burrowed from her closet without permission) with a loud sniff and returned to staring at the morning news bulletin which was now giving weather reports for north America with warnings for thunderstorms.

Thunderstorms in North America. Yeah, that’s the biggest problem right now.

“Ahem.”

It didn’t take more than half a second for Sehun to sit upright on the couch and turn her way, and his eyes caught her nervous glare with the biggest caution.

“good morning... Kim Mirae.”

Don’t tell me you caught a cold by kissing me last night...

“Morning... Sehun-ssi, can we talk–”

“Have breakfast first. I ordered some porridge... We’ll talk over that.”

Mirae stared at the abalone porridge in front of her on the dining table, wondering when did she tell him that she loved having that whenever she went down with a cold.

“I called Baekhyun-ssi... And ask what you’d like to have.” Sehun bit his lip, before tearing his eyes off her and stuff a spoonful of porridge into his mouth. “It’s not as good as your cooking. But it’s edible. So dig in before it gets cold.”

Nodding, Mirae started having the meal. Sehun stared at her for a while in silence, until the piglet wall clock in the kitchen decided to nine o’clock with a faint tingle and break his trance.

“Kim Mirae,”

The girl raised her head to meet a pair of eyes, that was never this much serious before.

“Will you... will you go out with me?”

Did he just ask me out sharp at nine o’clock in the morning?

Or am I still not over my fever and hallucinating?

“I mean... I think I like you for real. First I was not quite sure about it, I thought it was just an illusion because I lived quite a while with you and just you...”

He was struggling, hastily putting together all the words that came into his mind, and trying to sound convincing.

“But I thought hard about it, while you were working on the research I was thinking about it... and I think you suit me the best... So why don’t we give it a try Kim Mirae? Even last night, when you were sick, I was worried to death... I’ve never been that much worried for anyone else before... so I think I really have feelings for you... so can we just give it a go? Can’t we start dating like a real couple Kim Mirae?”

Maybe it’s because he’s a lecturer. Why do I feel like I should say ‘Yes Sir’ at once?

“I maybe clumsy as a boyfriend...because I’ve always been busy studying like a madman in order to get to where I am today, so I might lack in many ways as you see me now... But Mirae I can assure you, I can make the best husband out there! I’ll never disappoint you if you say yes.”

It’s nine four in the morning and is he already bringing up marriage? Even before I said yes to dating?

“Mirae-yah!!!”

Holy G-Dragon.

Mirae dropped her spoon on the table with the loudest clatter, and stood up from the table with a gasp. Just then, a handsome male in his late twenties entered the kitchen carrying a bunch of bags in both hands, and stopped dead at the doorway once his eyes caught the unfamiliar figure sitting in front of the girl.

“O–oppa .”

It didn’t take longer for Sehun to remember the guy in the living room photo with Mirae, with large round glasses on, extremely fair skin and brown eyes, coffee brown hair and thick black eyebrows. And the facial features were identical when the two were shocked, bunny-like beady eyes rounded, a slight pout formed at their not-so-plump lips, and eyebrows dramatically narrowed.

The guest slowly placed the set of bags which looks like a bunch of gifts on the floor, and straightened up.

“Who’s this Mirae?”

“Er... oppa, are you just getting back? First take a seat... you must be tired–”

“Yah Kim Mirae,”

The young gentleman grabbed his white sweater sleeved arm away from his sister who was now clinging to it. “I’m not at all used to seeing men in casual clothes having breakfast with my sister in her apartment alone, except for me, Baek or Minseok hyung. So first, introduce.”

“Anyeonghaseyo, I’m... Sehun.”

Before the girl could answer her brother’s question, Sehun was on his feet, and was greeting her brother with a ninety-degrees bow. “Nice to meet you, hyungnim.”

Mirae’s brother was a little taken aback by the straightforwardness of the young man, but he managed to maintain his calm demeanour, as he nodded in acknowledgment. “Anyeonghaseyo. I’m Kim Junmyeon. Mirae’s brother.”

Sehun hurried towards the older male, and held out his hand, which the later took and shook firmly. “So Sehun-ssi, what’s going on here? If she can’t tell me, can you explain?”

Sehun smiled, having his hand still in hold with Junmyeon’s.

“I’ll be glad if I can introduce myself as your sister’s boyfriend. I just asked her out. But she didn’t give me an answer yet, hyungnim.”

“Ah, aah... I forgot. I left some papers in the car I’ll go get them!”

Mirae was quick to come up with an excuse and vanish from the apartment, leaving her brother to blink in confusion.

“Sorry for not introducing myself properly. I’m Oh Sehun. Professor Oh Sejoon’s son.”

Junmyeon’s eyes widened in surprise. “You mean, our Mirae’s research instructor professor Oh Sejoon?”

“Yes.” The younger male nodded. “But Mirae doesn’t know. And I don’t want her to know yet.” He pressed his lips solemnly. “Shall we take a seat and talk hyungnim?”

Junmyeon nodded in agreement, and followed him to the dining table. “What’s going on? And what do you mean Mirae doesn’t know who you are? And what are you doing here?”

“Taking Mirae’s help in completing my dad’s research without him knowing, because I ended up getting in an accident two months ago.”

Junmyeon rose from the table the next second, glaring down at the young man in front of him. “Don’t tell me you’ve been living with her in here for two months.” His voice was laced with utter disbelief, with a hint of fear, purely worried for his baby sister. Sehun raised both his hands, trying to calm the enraged brother down. “Listen to me, hyungnim... nothing, absolutely nothing happened between us. I can assure you that. We worked on the research day and night for two months straight, and nothing else, please believe me...and listen to what I have to say hyungnim.”

He reached for junmyeon’s clenched fist, and gently made him sit back again. “The only thing i lied to your sister is about my true identity. That was because I had to stay hidden from my dad. I regret it all the time, and I’m planning to reveal her the truth as soon as I leave this place.”

“And when is that? What’s this research? And why is it done behind your dad’s back?”

“Tomorrow. And I’ll explain about the research later in detail. I managed to prepone the drug launching event by a few days, so I’ll be leaving tomorrow. And I’m glad I got to speak with you before I leave.”

Junmyeon listened in silence, half puzzled, and half astounded.

“I heard you’re the managing director of Seoul Biogenics hyungnim.” Sehun leaned forward, propping his elbows on the table. “I heard it’s your parent’s company, a rising pharmaceutical company in Seoul.”

He got a nod as the reply. “Then you must very well know Nakamoto Holdings. I signed an agreement with them, to launch the Alzheimer’s disease drug under their brand name. But my dad, he doesn’t want it to happen, because he plans to sell the research to JYP Pharmaceuticals.”

“Sell the research? Doesn’t that mean... you’ll lose the credit of the invention?” Junmyeon’s eyes rounded even more in astonishment.

Sehun nodded with a sigh. “All the hard work of three years, he’s going to sell away that honour for a few more billions of dollars. He wasn’t greedy for money before. I don’t know why he’s like this now.”

“A drug for dementia you said. It’s a ground breaking product then... He might have gotten a huge offer,