The next morning where Dara woke up at quarter 4am with a headache. She then turned to her side and slightly shake Jiyong, waking him up in the process.

 

“What?” he asked her in sleepy voice.

 

“My head hurts,”she said before she felt him leaning towards the lampshade and turned it on which gives dim light to her room. He then felt her forehead then clicked his tongue when she was a little bit hot.

 

“Wait here. I’ll get something for you.” he said leaving the bed while she snuck in the sheet, curling herself inside.

 

Not long enough, Jiyong returned with a tray on his hands now, placing it on the mini table beside the bed.

 

“Can you sit up?” he asked.

 

“Yeah I think so.” Dara forced herself to sit up while he guided her to the bed’s headboard. He then gave her a cup of ginger tea with honey which she forced herself to drink.

 

“No flu med?” she asked.

 

“Let’s not resort to that for now.” Jiyong said while waiting for her to finish her tea.

 

Dara pouted, “but my head hurts,”

 

“I’ll massage it after your done, okay?” he said while she nodded. “now, finish it.”

 

After she drink her tea, Jiyong had massage her aching head which made her a little sleepy.

 

Jiyong turned off the light again and fixed the blanket to her. Dara scooted over to him. “I’m cold,”

 

Jiyong just let her pillow his arm to warm her up.

 

Eight in the morning, Dara and Jiyong woke up.

 

“How’s your head?” he asked her while reaching for her head.

 

Dara sniffed instead, “the pain’s gone but I think I have colds.”

 

“We shouldn’t have played water battle last night,” he said.

 

“We have exams tomorrow,” Dara problematically said.

 

“You’ll be better then,” he assured.

 

An hour later, they were called to breakfast down stairs. Jiyong placed his arm to her shoulder while they went to the table.

 

“Your nose’s red, dear.” Rona noticed.

 

“she woke up while ago with a headache, omma. Looks like colds to me.” Jiyong said while sitting across Dara who felt weak on her body.

 

Rona had felt her daughter’s forehead and clicked her tongue, “this is the result of your plays last night.”

 

“Ah omma, my head hurt. Will you please?” Dara asked in tired voice while Rona just nodded. Jay had come over to the table and noticed Dara’s dispirited self. Rona then explained to him when they started to eat.

 

Dara grudgingly placed down her spoon when she had no appetite at all.

 

“Eat, Dara. We have exams tomorrow. You gotta be better today.” Jiyong said while Dara clicked her tongue and threw him a glare.

 

“How come you’re alright? I threw you lots of waters last night.”

 

“I have healthy lifestyle and strong immune system.” he said simply which annoyed her more.

 

Rona and Jay just agree to Jiyong statement saying that Dara hadn’t even thought of exercising during weekends.

 

“If I wont get better, I’ll fail the exams.” she groaned.

 

“You wont-,”

 

“My head ached so much when I’m solving maths even when I’m healthy. How do you think I’ll do tomorrow? It’ll be catastrophic depletion of my brain cells.” she whined.

 

“You’re overreacting--,” Jiyong’s words were struck his throat when Dara leaned over him and gave him a lingering kiss on his lips. “What was that for?” he later asked when she gone back settling down her seat.

 

“ruining your future,” she said smirking to him while he shook his head in disbelief.

 

“Take vitamin C later, Jiyo. You might actually get her cold.” Jay suggested.

 

“Aigoo. You don’t have humanity in you, Dara.” Rona said to her, “You know Jiyo’s candidate for valedictorian and here you are casually making him sick like you.”

 

“I wont graduate if I don’t pass the exams tomorrow, omma. Why would I go down alone?” she said to which Rona reached to pinch her cheek. “Ah omma!”

 

“Go downhill yourself. Don’t drag Jiyo with you.” Rona said before turning to Jiyong. “Go home for now, dear. We don’t want you staying with a sick person.”

 

Jiyong looked up to Dara who only struck her tongue to him before glancing at Rona and Jay. He silently sighed but nodded otherwise.

 

***

 

In the school, Dara let another sneeze which was filtered through the surgical mask she worn in the school. She lazily leaned over her own desk after finishing up her exams for the morning period. Now she only have to endure until she finished the afternoon exam.

 

“Are you still gonna make it until later?” Bom asked her after placing the water bottle to her desk.

 

Dara just nodded although she doubt it because her face felt so hot that she put the cold bottle to her cheek.

Some of the student gone out to have lunch in the canteen while the two of them stayed behind.

 

“You should go, Bom. I’ll sleep for while here.”

 

“But you need to have lunch too.”

 

“I brought my own lunch. Go now.” she said while Bom just agreed.

 

“I’ll be really quick.” Bom said and left her in the silence of the room.

 

Dara let another sneeze, “Aish.” she muttered before grudgingly pulled down her mask to drink her water, ignoring how her eyes water so much brought by the colds.

 

“Still not well, Dee?”

 

Dara’s attention went to Jiyong who went inside the room. She then worn her mask back, hiding her scowling face when she saw that he was so healthy to her eyes.

 

“Go away. Omma said to stay away from you ‘for your sake’.” Dara sarcastically said while he just laughed at how silly she looks on her pink Bennie with mask on.

 

Jiyong pulled a chair and sit in front of her, “have you had lunch already,”

 

“I was about to. Now get away because I’m taking my mask off.” she said in glaring eyes but Jiyong unceremoniously pulled it down. “Ah yah!”

 

Jiyong just felt her forehead and sighed when her fever wasn’t going down.

 

“Why are you so weak, Dee?” he asked problematically while she didn’t answer and dug out her lunch and placed it her desk. She began eating her lunch while Jiyong was also feeding from it too.

 

“Don’t blame me when you got sick. Omma will get angry at me if you do. We don’t wanna ruin your honor records,” Dara shot another sarcastic remarked while Jiyong snatched the chopstick off her grip.

 

“will you eat first?” Jiyong said and picked a vegetable rolled bibimbap and feed her.

“Mom always nag me about you oh precious one,” Dara said while not backing down.

 

“sleep in my place tonight then,” he suggested after eating his own share of the bibimbap.

 

“Paboo-yah! Stop using my chopsticks!” she tried snatching it from his grip but he held it high out her reach.

 

“too late I already have your virus,” he said.

 

“you seem okay to me,” she shot back.

 

Jiyong grinned at her.

 

Not a while they were talking about random things after they finished her lunch box when Bom arrived with lots of vitamin C drinks on her hands.

 

“Didn’t know you’ll be here, Jiyong.” Bom said, sitting beside Dara who immediately covered with a mask. “It’s alright Dee. I’ve strong immunity.” she said while Dara scowled again at the grinning face of Jiyong.

 

“It’s only you who are so weak, Dee.” Jiyong said while opening a drink for her. “Drink up.”

 

“I hate both of you,”she said.

 

“We love you,” Bom countered back while high fiving to Jiyong.

 

In the afternoon, Dara literally shot her hands in the air after submitting the last exam subject. She then exited the door with Bommie and Jiyong waiting at her outside the classroom.

 

Jiyong then placed his arm to her shoulder, guiding her while walking since she seemed like walking zombie as what he stated to her which she just mightily pinched him on his side.

 

At home, the Kwon had called the Park residence that Dara will be staying at their house for the night. Even though Rona had voiced out her concern about Jiyong’s health, Emmie Kwon just assured her that her son will be fine.

 

At the dinner, the Kwon residence had a hot chicken soup for Dara’s sickness to which brought Dara a little comfort of her body.

 

“Thank you, omma, appa,” she smiled at them in red nose while they cheerily nodded to her.

 

Later after dinner, Emmie remind them to sleep early so that Dara can have fast recovery to which Jiyong and Dara just nodded.

 

Collapsing in the bed after washing in lukewarm water and changing into clean clothes, Dara dug out her phone and began opening the game app. She groaned when Jiyong had snatched it when he finished into washing and changing for the night.

 

“No cellphone for now, Dee.” he said and put it in the drawer. “ mom said to rest early,”

 

“But I’m bored and not sleepy,”

 

Jiyong just fixed the blanket to her instead and lied down beside her, pillowing his arms with his head. “Sleep Dee. No excuses.”

 

“You’re so boring,” she said.

 

“I know.” he said, turning to her. “wanna hear some story?”

 

Dara’s eyes lit up knowing that Jiyong is a great story teller.

 

“So do you wanna hear about the mermaid in the antarctic?” he asked which she grinned and scooted her pillow near him.

 

“It’s so cold in there,” Dara commented while he nodded.

 

“That’s why her tail’s color is bluish like that of the ocean. And when a man beholds her, he will instantly fall in love at her beauty.”

 

“Ohhh…” Dara’s eyes were full of wonder when Jiyong continued to tell the mermaid’s adventure in the land.

 

Emmie and Suho secretly smiled with each other upon seeing how their son entertained her like a little girl. They left them be and dismissed the thought of bringing them snack most especially that Jiyong had sing a lullaby that the mermaid sang in the story.

Jiyong wasn’t halfway the story when he felt her gentle snoring. He smiled at her sleeping face and gently put the blanket to her body. He caressed her cheek before deciding to got out the bed and went down the stairs. He found his mom in kitchen, boiling something.

 

“mom?” he went near her.

 

“How’s she?”

 

“Sleeping.” He said while getting a portable vacuum flask. “I thought of boiling red ginseng for her. It’s great to have mom like you,” he grinned at her.

 

“Go back to bed. I’ll place them at your room after I’m done here.” she said while Jiyong nodded and went back to his room.

 

Jiyong had slowly lied down beside her afraid she might woke up in the process. She actually stirred on her sleep but immediately sleep again.

 

At midnight, Dara woke up with a dried throat and gently bolted from the bed when she saw Jiyong sleeping soundly beside her. She then stirred on the other side of the bed, negotiating her head to stay still. And when she can stand up without losing her balance, she pulled herself up only to be placed in place again in the bed. When she looked a her right wrist, she saw his hand wrapped in there.

 

“Jiyo…”she said even though the room was a little dim. “I’m gonna go and get some water.”

 

He bolted up into a seat, “are you thirsty?”

 

“My throat felt so dry,” she said while he reached a portable vacuum flask placed on the mini table beside the bed and opened it.

 

“Here,” he handed her the flask.

 

“What’s this?” she asked.

 

“Red ginseng,”

 

Dara filled the cup and savor the warm tea’s aroma first before drinking it.

 

“One more,” he urged while she drank another cup of the liquid. She then handed it to Jiyong and had it placed beside the bed. She lied down back the bed as well as him. “How are you feeling?”

 

“I only felt dry throat but I think my runny nose is gone.”

 

“Do you feel hot?”

 

Dara shook her head while he smiled at her. “mom put some medicine in the chicken soup. Looks like its working,”

 

“Sneaky,”

 

“You’ll hate the taste of it if we wont trick you,” he defended.

 

“Whatever,” she said, comfortably settling herself under the covers while he fixed it up her shoulder.

 

“Sweet dreams little monster,” he said.

 

“hmm,” she nodded in closed eyes, ignoring how he planted a gentle kiss to her temple.