"I wish everyday would be like this," the sheets rustle as she moves around at the sound of my whisper. "Are you awake?" 

The dark-haired beauty groans at the question and I chuckle in return, "I'll make breakfast, get some rest."

She says nothing as I leave my spot, a quick run to the bathroom leaves me feeling refreshed and ready for the day. I leave Ri Na in the same position as I head to the kitchen, the apartment is empty and I come to the conclusion that Chanyeol's elsewhere, and Sehun didn't return for a sleepover last night.

I hum quietly to myself as I get comfortable in the kitchen, I take my time with the pots and pans as I don't want to disturb Ri Na. The memory of last night is fresh on my mind and I can't help but smile naturally as I think about what happened.

Everything just feels so right between us, I mean, I know that both Ri Na are destined to be together, but I feel like we've opened a new chapter to our relationship. There's a sudden burning within me, and it's not a hurtful feeling, I just feel as if there's much that I can accomplish.

Heck, I can even do all of EXO's hardest choreography back-to-back without feeling like I'm about to die.

"Baek Hyun-ah?" I lift my head as I hear the sound of her voice. She enters the kitchen and I smile widely as I look at her.

Her hair is up in a messy bun, and she's wearing one of my hoodies, which is too large for her. I furrow my eyebrows as she yawns silently while rubbing her right eye, it's then that I realize how tired she is.

"Maybe you should sleep some more," she waves her hand at my comment as she takes a seat at the granite-top island.

"That's alright, I know you have a busy schedule today." I sigh at that as I place a plate of scrambled eggs before her. 

"When am I not busy?" She shrugs at the rhetorical question but watches silently as I continue to place dishes before her.

"You're going to Japan on Friday right?" I nod my head as I sit. "And when do you get back?"

"Next Monday," I look up at her with a smile, "will you miss me?"

She hums in response but the sound of her voice leaves me worried. "Are you sure you don't want to get some more rest? I could always show up at the company a bit late."

"It's fine," she takes a deep breath, "I just have a small headache." Worry continues to consume me as I look at her, and it seems she has picked up on my change in mood as she sighs deeply.

"Stop worrying," she places her chopstick on the table then squeezes my hand gently, "I'll be fine."

I nod my head, "I know, I'll get you some painkillers once you're done eating."

RI NA slept for the entire duration of the drive to her home, I tried to shake the worry from my shoulders but I couldn't. I wondered if she's just tired but it seemed to be much more than that.

On the other hand, I came to a decision while we were having breakfast, I feel there is a need for me to safeguard my relationship. It's not a sudden decision, I've been thinking about it for a while now, and honestly, with what went down in the group chat while we were overseas, I really need to do this.

"Hey," Ri Na groans as I gently touch her shoulder, "you're here." She sits up with a yawn while I unbuckle my seatbelt.

"I think I'm going to continue sleeping," I shake my head at her but exit the car with a smile. The artist greets me with a sheepish smile of her own as I open the passenger door for her.

"Get some rest," she wraps her arms around my waist as she buries her face in my chest. "I won't be able to see you before I fly out to Japan."

"I miss you already," I place a swift kiss on her forehead, "think of me when you're away."

"I'm always thinking of you." Our lips meet in a sweet kiss, I enjoy the moment as I treat this kiss like it's our very last.

A few minutes later I find myself at the very place that exists to drain my energy. The practice room is where I should be, but there's something that I need to address before I do any of that tiring stuff.

"Baek Hyun, this is a surprise..." I rise from my seat as my manager's boss enters the room.

He's the last person to enter the meeting room, seated before me are two of the company's directors and of course, my own manager. I look at them, it suddenly dawns on me that no normal person should even be in this situation.

Why am I now in a position where I have to share every aspect of my life with my employers? 

"I know this meeting wasn't planned, but I have something important to discuss." I take a deep breath before dropping the bomb, "I'm dating someone."

I wait, the revelation hangs in the room as I give them some time to digest it all. "I didn't need to tell you about this, but I figured it would be better if I told you now, than to watch you scramble if the media suddenly caught whiff of this."

I scratch my head nervously, my heart rate slowly returns to its normal pace as I got everything off my chest. 

"Thanks for telling us this Baek Hyun," I nod my head, "is your girlfriend a celebrity?"

I quickly shake my head, "no," I clear my throat, "well, she is a famous artist. But she has managed to keep her identity a secret for years, and I would like to respect that by not giving away much information about her."

One of the directors nod his head with a sigh, "and would you say this relationship is serious?"

"Yes," I look him dead in the eyes, "we're serious about each other."

"Alright, Baek Hyun-ssi, there's nothing we can do or say to stop you from dating." My manager's boss looks back at me with a small smile, "thanks for being honest. You may head to practice."

"...SHOULDN'T we be practicing?" I pause in my footsteps as I open the door to the practice room. 

The members are scattered all over the room, the tension is so thick I feel as if I'm drowning in it. I close the door behind me with a sigh as I enter.

The others look up at me, and judging by the look on their faces I know that a secret was just revealed. "If we're not going to practice, can I leave?"

"Seriously..." Junmyeon rolls his eyes at me and I shrug as I take a seat on the polished floor.

"Why are you late anyway?" Jongin looks back at me suspiciously, "you missed the important announcement."

I fold my arms against my chest, I realize that Jongdae eyes hasn't met mine since I entered, and I sigh in disbelief as I look around the room. "I get that we're close as brothers, but we don't need to be judgemental when it comes to our personal lives."

They all look up at me, "we're all adults here, and Jongdae hyung can make his own decisions. If I were in his shoes the only thing I would need right now is the support of my brothers."

"Hyung's right," Sehun stands to his feet, "now can we start practicing? I have other important things to do."

The tension in the room dissipates after we spent hours in the practice room. Our spirits rise as we ended up chattering away while having dinner in Minseok's empty apartment.

"You still haven't told us why you were late today," Jongin squints his eyes as he looks at me.

"I had a meeting," I place the spoon on the table as I look at them, "and since we're all in the spirit of sharing, I think it's fair that I let you guys know that I have a girlfriend."