(please read my note at the end, ty^^)

"Hold up!"

Sehun halted his car near a pavement. Covering her nose with a tissue, Jinae sent her best friend a weird glance. The boy sighed and loosened his tie before looking at Jinae. "Are you serious?!" He asked and pointed his finger at the pink notepad lying on her lap.

Jinae wiped her runny nose with the tissue before answering her friend. "What do you mean?" She asked, oblivious.

With displeasure written all over his face, Sehun eyed the tiny scribbles. "The upgraded list. I don't know how and where you pulled the strings, but it looks like the list never ends."

Sehun frowned when he saw Jinae sneeze for the fourth time since they started their ride from home. He unfastened his seat belt and leaned forward to cup her shoulders. Jinae flinched at this out-of-the-blue touch. She shrugged his hands off.

"I don't want to infect you with my cold. You better stay away from me for a few days," Jinae warned and continued to wipe the infinite snot flowing from her nose.

Deciding not to fight with the Kim Jinae, he retracted to his seat. The worried looks he shot at her did not go unnoticed by the girl. Jinae mocked him by cocking her head to the side, eyeing him as if she was disgusted by something he had done. Sehun couldn’t help the chuckle that tickled his stomach. He knew she was fine if she was already twisting her facial muscles to make fun of his concern so early in the morning. He laughed at her exceptionally weird way of changing mood, shaking his head.

"Did you get wet in the rain yesterday?" He asked.

Jinae nodded like a child without looking at him. She was busy restraining her upcoming sneeze.

"You know, once again, if you feel really sick I can ask our boss for a day off and we can go to the clinic," Sehun suggested. He really wanted Jinae to rest at home, but she was forcing herself to work today, saying she wasn't a like him. Just recalling what  happened this morning gave Sehun chills down his spine. Angry Jinae is scary.

"No!"

A loud and sharp sneeze that Jinae was trying so hard to control escaped .

Sehun groaned and fastened his seat belt. "This is it. I'm taking you back home, now. You really need to rest," his jaw tensed as he tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

Jinae quickly picked the pink notepad in her hand. Puzzled, Sehun patiently watched what his friend was trying to do until he almost lost every ounce of patience he had. Jinae was testing him, threatening to throw the notepad out of the car window. His chances with Jisoo could not be flying in the air, getting crushed under other rubber tyres of fifty different cars before landing in a gutter or in a bird’s nest. 

"Hey, what kind of blackmail is this?!" Sehun's voice trembled with the newfound fear. He couldn't even imagine passing a day without that pink notepad at this point.

Face painted with a victory smirk, Jinae turned around to Sehun and gave him a not so innocent look. "I don't understand what you are saying, Sehun," she blinked and pursed her lips.

Sehun's nostrils flared. He closed his eyes in defeat and rested his back against the seat. A soft low grunt left his lips. Calm down, Sehun. Calm down. If it wasn't for her being unwell — if it wasn't for her looking cute with a nose as red as a tomato, lips so pink and soft, and so feeble — Sehun wouldn't have held back.

"Okay, ma'am. You won. We're going to the office just like you wished, are you happy now?" He finally admitted his defeat after being done with her tantrums.

"No," Jinae pouted. 

Her short reply made Sehun anxious as he began fretting, flipping his brain to detect what else could be wrong. 

"W-Why?" He asked anxiously, but his anxiety disappeared and was Paracetamol Check-upth existential crisis after hearing her reply.

"I am not happy because Sehun complains about the list Jinae tried hard to gather."

Sehun watched her with his mouth hung wide open. God, why was she acting cute now? It really didn't fit her character. He was cringing so bad. He knew this was a way of Jinae punishing him for acting like a brat about the list earlier. Sehun covered his mouth with his palm and turned his focus back to the road. He took in a deep breath and exhaled before starting the car engine.

"My mistake. I will never complain and follow every single step, ma'am. We are heading to the office, happy now?" Sehun said through his teeth, and Jinae had the widest grin on her face.

A subtle smile lingered on Sehun's lips while looking at Jinae's reflection in the rear-view mirror. Her smile really brightened his day, but his eyes suddenly widened, and the glow on his face dulled when he remembered the previous night. Jinae was with a guy in her house, and they were probably kissing, and Sehun saw them. 

Sehun tore his gaze off the mirror and cleared his throat, and sped to their workplace.

Jinae tiptoed, reaching for the sugar jar located on the top shelf. Who in their right mind would keep the very essential ingredient on top? Definitely some tall idiot.

The girl her teeth and added a spoonful of sugar into the cup filled with the hot coffee she prepared.

Humming a tune softly under her breath, Jinae stirred the coffee with the spoon until the sugar crystals dissolved in the hot liquid. Leaning her hips against the countertop, Jinae tried to inhale the aroma of the hot drink. Her lips formed a disappointed pout when she couldn't enjoy her most favorite fragrance in the world— coffee. The cold was really affecting her. Nonetheless, Jinae took a sip from the cup.

Just when she was about to take another sip, the sudden entry of someone inside the office pantry made Jinae pull her cup back and fix her posture. A sigh of relief escaped her lips when she noticed the person who entered the room was none other than Baekhyun.

Jinae placed the cup on the countertop and greeted the male with a smile. "Oh, hey, Baek!"

Baekhyun gave her a small nod and made his way to the other side of the pantry. Jinae rolled her eyes and scoffed. She just greeted him, and he just nodded back? To say that she felt kinda offended was an understatement. She thought Baekhyun was better than this. They were just together last night. A chill ran down her spine as something hit her senses— was he still mad at the Hawaiin shirt? But Baekhyun was nice to her after she told him she would not repeat it. The cold aura he emitted really confused her.

"Whatever," The girl grumbled under her breath and stared at his broad back. Jinae was curious, like really curious. Just what in the world was Baekhyun secretly doing on the other side? But she quickly jerked back to senses and up her curiosity. It was not her style to be interested in whatever the her colleague was making. Jinae wiped her runny nose and turned her back to him. If he turns his back on her, then she will too; Jinae was born competitive.

The hot coffee was slowly turning lukewarm, and Jinae hated it. She didn't want to drink her coffee. The silence in the room was killing her. Her ears perked up when she heard the sound coming from Baekhyun's side— stirring the cup with a spoon. She wished she could smell what he was preparing but too bad her cold said a big no.

Jinae chewed her bottom lip and traced the cup's handle with her index finger. She froze in her spot when she heard footsteps nearing her. Baekhyun was finally going to talk to her? Jinae wondered why she was feeling happy suddenly. 

It was just Baekhyun. 

Her eyes widened upon feeling the touch. Baekhyun placed a hand on her shoulder while his other hand placed a cup of freshly prepared Ginger Honey Tea.

"B-Baekhyun?"

Surprised with her own stutter, Jinae her heels. With the countertop being her only support, Jinae's body was only an inch away from colliding with Baekhyun's. The male smiled widely, showing off his crescent eyes and a perfect countenance. Jinae swallowed the lump down and covered with a handkerchief, scared she might cough on his face. Baekhyun chuckled at her action and pulled back, maintaining half a meter of distance between them.

He scratched the back of his neck and looked away.  "I saw you sneeze and being uncomfortable with the runny nose. It was my fault that you got sick."

Jinae intuitively wetted her lips with her tongue when she saw Baekhyun do that. "I was surfing the web and found this Ginger Honey Tea recipe. I didn't greet you back earlier when I entered the room because I was scared that I might forget or mess up the recipe, ya know," he explained like a shy boy who just graduated high school.

Not him being worried about forgetting the recipe that contains only hot water, ginger, honey, and sugar as ingredients. Jinae found it cute. Suppressing a giggle, Jinae grabbed the cup in her hand.

"Thank you, Baekhyun."

She smiled. Baekhyun watched her take a sip from the tea he prepared. He bit his lips as the nervousness began to surge his veins — just like how he faces the final boss in his game — while watching Jinae frown and look at him with her round eyes.

The boy whispered anxiously. "What's wrong?"

Jinae wanted to laugh out loud at his reaction, but she wanted to play along and . Taking a step forward, Jinae tiptoed to Baekhyun's right ear and whispered. "My throat now feels better. Thanks for the medicine, Doctor Byun."

Giggling, Jinae pulled back and drank the tea in one go. She wiped her lips with the back of her hand and placed the empty cup in the sink.

"Baekhyun?"

He replied absentmindedly. "Mmmh?"

Baekhyun was still zapped at what just happened.

"You came here to prepare this for me?"

"Yeah... I really felt bad when I saw you suffer from the cold. I even brought you a Paracetomal. Here-" Baekhyun softly held her hand and placed the tablet sheet in her palm. "Get well soon, Jinae." 

Jinae let out a short chuckle and looked at the male standing in front of her. Baekhyun really looks like a lost puppy when he's worried or anxious.

"It wasn't your fault, Baekhyun. I was the one who stood in the rain for a long time although you were ushering me to get inside the cab."

Baekhyun's lips parted after hearing her answer. He was baffled. Only Jinae could talk like this and never failed to impress him. Running his fingers through his hair, he watched the girl wash the cup from the sink. He could swear, he hated himself for thinking like this— Jinae was so pretty. Like, so pretty, perfect, and wholesome; in and out, and he wondered how his friend Sehun managed in catching no feelings for her and maintained a platonic relationship as best friends.

The male shook his head and cleared his throat. Jinae closed the tap after washing the cup and turned around to face him. Baekhyun stepped back a little and pocketed his hands.

"Baekhyun?"

"Yeah?"

Baekhyun watched Jinae wipe her hand dry with the kitchen towel and clear as she mentally prepared the questions she wanted to ask him. Baekhyun gulped when his eyes met Jinae’s hand that nonchalantly pushed the strand of hair behind her ear. The subtle action made his insides jitter— what was Jinae doing to him, and why did he wish that he was the one that pushed the hair behind her ear?

His train of thoughts was crashed by Jinae’s question. 

"Besides the things you mentioned in the list... Do you know anything that would make Jisoo look at Sehun in a different light? You know something that has to do with looks?" Jinae played with her fingers as she looked at Baekhyun with an I-really-want-to-help-Sehun look.

The male's shoulders hunched. So it was about Sehun.

Baekhyun touched his chin with his index finger, low-key teasing Jinae's curiosity with his pensive posture. For typical uncanny reasons, he liked her reactions. They were cute and enchanting.

After a few minutes of pondering, Baekhyun clapped his hand. Jinae was taken aback by his sudden enthusiasm.

"Glasses!" He exclaimed.

"Glasses?"

"Yeah, Jisoo likes guys wearing glasses."

Jinae glimpsed at the male. "You wear glasses too." She pouted.

Baekhyun pinched his nose bridge. "Yeah, I have had bad eyesight since I was young."

"Oh. You really look handsome with glasses on."

Here she went, once again with her blunt remarks making Baekhyun question his sanity. Although he hated to admit it — Baekhyun could feel the blush creeping up his neck, and he needed to do something before it reached his cheeks.

Baekhyun cleared his throat for the nth time today. "Right, I remember leaving the project open."

Jinae's eyebrows furrowed. He just didn't leave a project open and come here for her, right?

"I need to go now, take care, Jinae!"

And just like that, Byun Baekhyun dashed out of the office pantry, leaving Jinae alone inside the room. The male had a struggle catching his breath, but he somehow managed to reach his seat, ignoring the weird glances his female colleagues were shooting at him. He didn't have to mind them because, for a weird reason, they like everything he does. Even when he’d cry for help, they'd say he looked cute and adorable. Baekhyun scoffed just thinking about it.

Jinae blinked, eyeing the empty room.

"What's wrong with Baekhyun?"

Sehun, who just made it to his cabin after a very boring meeting, paused his hand mid-way to the doorknob when he saw a very stunned Baekhyun rushing out of the office pantry. Sehun, being Sehun, couldn't help but stroll towards the pantry room. He really wanted to know which office ghost had scared the life out of his friend.

The curious male opened the door to the pantry stealthily as if he was a ghost hunter in some low-budget thriller movie.

"What the , Sehun?"

Immediately upon hearing his best friend's voice, Sehun lost his grip and stubbed his toe against the door. So the ghost that scared Baekhyun was Jinae? Boys running away from Jinae as if they’d seen a ghost… Sehun wasn’t surprised.

Jinae folded her arms and glared at the male. "What are you doing, kissing the door and acting like a clown?"

Of course, Jinae is scary. She is scarier than a ghost sometimes.

"I just came from the meeting. Are you feeling better now?"

Jinae nodded. "Yeah,"

Sehun's shoulder heaved a sigh of relief after hearing her friend, and also, her strict posture made him feel comforted cause it meant she was indeed feeling better now. "I'm glad." He muttered.

"Sehun, are you free today evening?" Jinae asked, grabbing the cup of coffee she prepared earlier.

Sehun frowned. "Yeah, Why?" His eyes traveled to Jinae's hand, which was about to pour the coffee into the basin. Sehun rushed and stopped her hand from pouring the liquid into the basin. It was such a waste of resources. He took the cup of coffee in his hand and gulped it down in one go.

With hung open, Jinae watched her friend drinking her now cold coffee as if it was some soft drink. "Eww, Sehun. I already sipped it."

"So what?" The male wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and grinned, "You are my best friend."

"Eww," she faked a gag and slapped her best friend's shoulder.

"Tell me why did you ask if I was free this evening. Anime marathon again?"

"No. That’s supposed to be next week."

"Then?" Sehun pouted.

Jinae pressed her lips into a thin line and looked at Sehun. The confused male tilted his head to the side and frowned.

After a few seconds of the silent treatment, Jinae parted her lips to speak. "Sehun, how much is this?" Jinae tiptoed and shoved her two fingers right in front of his face. The male had to take a step back due to the sudden closeness of her fingers and his eyes. He really didn't want to lose his eyesight.

"Umm, two?"

Jinae glared at him and folded her hands. "You are wrong." She shook her head.

Sehun loosened his tie and scratched his head. He really did see her almost poking his eyes with two of her fingers, or did he see it wrong? No, but he definitely did see two fingers. Confusing. Sehun now used both his hands to scratch his head and looked around the room. His eyes squinted when it fell on the sheet of Paracetamol tablets lying on the table. Did Baekhyun leave this here? Is that why he rushed out of the room? Or was Sehun thinking too much, just as usual?

"Why are the tablets here?"

"Huh? What tablets?" Jinae looked at where Sehun pointed. She swallowed a lump down her dry throat. It was the tablets Baekhyun left for her, and Sehun would really act like a possessive brother if she revealed about her newly formed friendship with Baekhyun. No, She won't hide it forever. It's not like she is secretly having a boyfriend or something— it's just she will tell Sehun about it at the right time.

"Sehun, you are seeing things." Jinae casually lied through her teeth.

"W-What? But I see tablets there!"

her teeth, Jinae pointed her finger at Sehun. "You mistook three fingers for two and now you are saying that toffee looks like tablets to you. There's something wrong with your eyes, Sehun."

Shaking her head in a disappointed manner, Jinae walked to the door, nudging her friend's arm purposely with her shoulder.

Like an obedient puppy, Sehun trailed behind his friend. He continued to whine about how his eyesight was fine, and it was Jinae lying and teasing him.

"I'm booking an appointment with the ophthalmologist, right now." The girl said with a stern tone and left the room. With the glass door shut to his face, Sehun was standing all alone in the room.

He sulked, but soon enough, a sharp noise distracted him. Sehun kneeled to pick the plastic bag circling on the ground. He placed the plastic bag inside the cupboard and sighed. "B-But I really did see the tablets. Why is Jinae lying to me?" He scratched his temple with his index finger.

Sehun looked up to the ceiling and groaned. "And I ing hate going to the eye hospital! Damn it!!"

Feeling energized after taking the tablets Baekhyun gave her, Jinae dragged Sehun to the Eye Hospital near their house with all her might. Wrapping her arm tightly around his, Jinae pulled Sehun along with her, and now they were standing at the hospital's entrance. Sehun being the adamant child he was, didn't budge a bit and stood rooted to the ground with a whiny pouty on his lips.

Jinae freed his hand and her heels to face him. Sehun dodged her stares and looked down at the ground.

Jinae folded her hands and growled. "Seriously?!"

The cold breeze gently kissed Jinae's face and ruffled her hair. Sehun shifted his focus from the ground to his friend when he heard her shiver.

Sehun didn't have his jacket or anything to lend because they were in their casual clothing — an oversized hoodie paired with pants for him, and Jinae was wearing a grey hoodie coupled with a pair of shorts.

Groaning in defeat, the boy grabbed his friend's wrist and dragged her inside the hospital. Sehun just didn't want Jinae to catch a cold or get sick anymore— he could no longer see her being weak.

"Okay. I will get checked. Are you happy now?!" Sehun said through his teeth and brushed his dark locks back with a hand.

A sneaky smile crept through Jinae's lips when she watched Sehun look around the hospital and settle on an empty seat. His hands clasped together, legs shaking. He was nervous about getting his vision tested. It's not like he was going to get an injection. Jinae's eyebrows knitted when Sehun gestured her to sit next to him. Taking a seat next to her friend, Jinae connected her palms with his. His palms were so cold. He was fretting for no reason. Biting her lips, Jinae rubbed her palms together and placed them on his palms, trying to warm him up. Sehun stopped shaking his legs and looked at her with eyes that were as confused as he was during math classes.

"What's wrong, Sehun? It's just an eye checkup. You don't have to be scared."

Firstly, Jinae was mad at herself. She lied and brought her friend for an eye checkup when his vision was just perfect. She wanted him to wear glasses one way or another. Jinae didn’t know why but Sehun had always hated glasses, and he didn’t even like talking about glasses. Weird enough, he also didn't wear cooling glasses during Summer nor any decoratives made of glass.

Nonetheless, she wanted her best friend to woo his crush. Jisoo was the main reason Sehun was happy these days, and Jinae didn't want to ruin it.

"How did you get an appointment? The hospital looks busy." Sehun nonchalantly changed topics.

"Remember the transfer student during our final year in high school? Yixing."

Sehun's facial muscles relaxed hearing Jinae mentioning the familiar name. "Oh, him. That kid who you helped with your broken English because he was struggling to understand Korean. I still can't believe what black magic you did, he became a pro Korean speaker at the end of our high school."

Jinae pinched Sehun's hand. "B-Broken English?!" Sehun stuck his tongue out, earning another pinch from Jinae.

Sehun giggled and smiled apologetically. "Sorreh," to which Jinae rolled her eyes and continued. "We recently became mutuals on Instagram and I sent him a message asking if it was possible for an appointment today. Yixing, being grateful for everything I did to him during high school, secured an appointment for us despite his busy schedule."

"Woah, you really must have helped him a lot with translating notes and stuff."

"Yeah,"

If only Sehun knew everything Jinae had helped Yixing with.

Jinae cleared and squeezed Sehun's hand. "Be a good boy and get your eyes tested, okay?" She looked at him with her pleading eyes. Chewing his lower lip, Sehun pondered for a minute and shook his head. And that moment, Jinae knew Sehun would hit her with another whiny protest of his, but thanks to the good deeds she did in her past life, Sehun's whiny was interrupted by the nurse.

"Excuse me, Sir. Are you Mr. Oh?" The nurse asked and glanced at the card in her hand and then looked back at Sehun and flashed a smile. With the nurse's smile, Jinae understood the lady was dead inside but still smiled because it was her job, and Jinae could relate to her on a spiritual level.

Sehun passed his friend a puzzled look before answering the nurse. "Yes, that's me." The boy reluctantly got the card from the nurse's hand and frowned, reading his name next to his photo. Wait, how did they get his picture? Sehun angled his head to the side and gave Jinae a skeptical look. Jinae sheepishly smiled, showing off her pearly white teeth as if she had already read everything in his head.

If the devil works hard, Jinae works harder. Sehun thought.

"Here is your patient card. The next time you visit for an eye check up, you can just show this card and visit the doctor." The nurse explained.

"W-What, there's gonna be another time?!" Sehun yelped. Jinae slapped his arm and shushed him.

After scolding Sehun with her eyes, Jinae turned her attention to the nurse and smiled. "Thank you, ma'am. Is there anything else?"

"Oh, yeah." The nurse unclasped her other palm and showed a tiny bottle to them. "The patient needs to rest their eyes for twenty minutes with these drops."

Scared at the image of getting his eyes stung by the eye drops, Sehun nervously leaned to the side and whispered into his friend's ear. "J-Jinae. I think I'm going to die. I don't want these eye drops, please."

Jinae took his hand in hers and gave a tight squeeze. Anyone watching them would think they were a lovely couple who loved PDA, but only Sehun knew how much he was dying with pain. Jinae practically ripped his hand with hers. Wiping his tears that were on the verge of streaming down his cheeks like a river, Sehun nodded in defeat, and Jinae freed his hand.

"Please put the drops in my eyes." He said like a baby who was just threatened to say so. Jinae wanted to laugh out loud. Sehun was a friend one would die to have, and she considered herself lucky to have this clown of a smart man as her best friend.

The nurse giggled after pouring the drops into Sehun's eyes. Jinae wiped the excessive line of the drop coming out from the corner of his eye. Meanwhile, Sehun was dying inside because the fluid stung his eyes just like he imagined it to.

"Your boyfriend is really a scaredy cat," said the nurse covering with her palm to restrain a string of laughs.

"We are best friends!"

The pair of two yelled in unison, startling the nurse, but fortunately, no one was in the waiting room they were in except for them and the nurse.

"Oh- I'm sorry for making a mistake." The nurse gave a short bow and left the room.

Jinae shut her eyelids and turned her frame to face Sehun. "Oh Sehun," she said through her teeth. 

"Y-Yes?" The male asked, evidently scared for his life.

"Close your eyes, idiot! Can't you do that for just twenty minutes?!"

Sehun's eyes were immediately shut as soon as hearing Jinae scold. Sighing, the girl rested her head on Sehun's shoulder. "If I see you open your eyes again, I will ask Yixing to give you power glasses. Twenty minutes will fly like twenty seconds."

If only she knew that twenty minutes felt like twenty centuries in hell for her best friend.

"E. G. G. S. O."

Sehun was sitting on the high sofa chair wearing the test glasses as he read the alphabet out loud from the eye checkup chart. Dr. Zhang eyed Jinae in the corner of his eyes. Jinae raised her posture from the couch and gave him a confused look. "What's wrong?" She mouthed. 

Yixing pursed his lips and swayed his head as he mouthed back a reply, "His vision is perfect."

Jinae palmed her forehead and hissed softly. "Just give him at least reading glasses!" She clasped her hands together, and Yixing pouted, watching his good friend low-key begging.

Heaving a sigh, Yixing twirled on his chair and changed the slide on the projector. "Okay, Sehun, now read the numbers at the bottom."

Sehun shifted his posture in his seat and squinted his eyes. He ran his tongue nervously against his lips and read the numbers. "O-One... no, s-seven, eight, six, nine?" Sehun wiped the bead of sweat from his temple and looked at Yixing.

"Hmm,"

"Did I read it correctly?"

"Sehun, be honest. Is the first number seven or one? Do you see anything blurry?"

Jinae raised from her seat, bewildered. Was Sehun's eyesight defected for real? He did once say his eyes ached when he read the files for a long time. Yixing added another set of glasses and asked Sehun