She then ended their conversation. She sighed. Hong Ki is sick too. He must have gotten that from her. Then, something popped into her mind. She remembered something from yesterday when Hong Ki was attending to her needs. And was dropped open with what she recalled. And her cheeks are burning red. Hong Ki kissed her in the lips yesterday!!! Wait? Is that everything that had happened yesterday? Or is there something wrong she had done?

____________________________________________________________________________

            Li Anne felt like she has to give back on what Hong Ki did for her yesterday. And so she went to their dorm. And she found Hong Ki sleeping on his room. Traces of sweat are on his face, and he is hugging himself like he’s really cold. And she felt a tinge of guilt in her heart. She knows it is because of her that Hong Ki caught fever too.

            She sighed as she puts his blanket to cover his body. He looks really cold and sick when she looked into his face. She sat at the spaces in his bed and eased the traces of sweat in his face with her fingers. Then, she soaked a towel into the water and put it into his forehead.

            “Babo,” she whispered even though she knows he isn't hearing her as he’s asleep. “Who told you to kiss me? Now, you’re sick. Babo!” Her eyes seemed to have its own mind that it traced Hong Ki’s soft- thin lips. And her heart pounded again like crazy.

            Then, after some time of attending Hong Ki’s needs, she went to the kitchen and thought of cooking something for Hong Ki so he could eat before drinking some medicine. She doesn’t know how to cook porridge or anything that a sick person could eat. So she just searched for their food stocks at the food cabinet hoping to find something easy to cook and eat. And she found packs of ramen. It’s the easiest to prepare among their stocks. And Hong Ki could probably eat it easily, even when he’s sick.

            She poured water on the casserole and waited for it to boil. Then she poured the ramen noodles on it. And as she was waiting for the ramen to be cooked, she went to the food rack and looked for something she could give to Hong Ki for him to drink. She was busy scanning each food stack when she felt arms enveloped her waist. She knows it was Hong Ki. She could even feel his hot arms because of his fever. But she was more startled when he buried his head on her shoulders. Her heart thumps again the way it beats only for this guy. And she was so petrified on that moment that she actually doesn’t know how to act, what to say, even how to move.

            “Ya, what are you doing?” she said, making herself sound like she isn't affected at all. She also hit Hong Ki’s arms that are hugging her tight. “You should be resting.”

            “Just stay still and listen,” he whispered which actually made her more petrified. His husky yet soothing voice just made her heart thump even when she couldn’t understand what he means. “I just really can't let you go now.”

            Her heart seems like it rolled over her chest. It’s as if she’s riding in a roller coaster ride hearing him utter those.

            She tried to let out a chuckle to make the mood lighter. It’s becoming awkward for her. “What are you saying? You’re just sick.” She tried to get out from his grip but he’s just hugging her tight.

            “You’re the only one I can't control,” he exclaimed, not minding what she told him. “Everything doesn’t just go on my control when it’s about you. You’re the only one who had hit me like you did. You’re the only one who has these guts to argue with me. And that made me real challenged.” She can't understand what he is talking about. But everything he says is just making her heart beat louder than ever and her knees tremble.

            “I came to tease you every time to make you regret fighting with me, but every time I do that, I came realizing that I’m doing it more because I wanted to be near you. Every time you smile and do good things at my friends, I feel real frustrated ‘coz I know you won’t do it for me. And every time you laugh, you make my eyes look only at you.” She can feel the outmost sincerity in his soothing voice. It’s as if everything he is saying connects automatically in her heart. Her mind can't still synthesize everything that is happening but her heart understands everything he’s conveying.

            “And it was the hardest thing to see when Jong Hoon confessed his feelings for you. It was the hardest thing to ask when I asked about you and Jong Hoon’s state. And when you told me that you wouldn’t dare to kick Jong Hoon because he isn't as mean as me, I regretted treating you rude. When I saw you kissed Jong Hoon’s cheek on our preview presscon, it made me stood at my place. But like I told you when we were in Jeju, I know it’s somehow foolish but I can't stay away from you even when my best friend’s courting you.” was actually dropped open. She doesn’t know he’ll ever feel this way towards her, and that he’ll actually confess it to her. She doesn’t even think that he’s laying her eyes on her and observing.

            “And now that Jong Hoon surrendered, I promise myself not to let my chance go. I don’t want to see you with anyone but myself.”

            She stood there for a moment, synthesizing every word he said. Then, she hit his hands again that envelopes her.

            “Ya, you’re just hallucinating,” she told him. He’s sick. And he must not be thinking of what he’s telling her. She doesn’t want to give herself any hopes. She doesn’t want to get hurt.

            But Hong Ki didn’t release her. Instead, he put his hand on her shoulders and let her face him.

            “I’m not hallucinating. I have fever but I know what I’m saying. I’m telling the truth Li Anne- ya,” in his eyes she could read his sincerity. And her heart tells her mind to give him a chance and listen to what his heart is uttering.

            “I love you. I knew I love you from first sight but each argue that occurred between us made me feel that I don’t deserve you. But now, I just can't seem to let you go.”

            No words are left to speak. Only their eyes are enough to convey what the heart wants to say. And with that, they fully understand each other’s hearts. And it just made her feel so right. Her heart is thumping like crazy, as if it’s celebrating deep inside her chest. Then, Hong Ki cupped her face as his face slowly travels the distance of their faces. She knows what will be next but she prevented him from doing so. She covered his lips with her hand, and playfully grinned at him. Hong Ki’s eyes looked disappointed.

            “Ya, waeyo?” Hong Ki asked when he pulled her hand from his lips.

           “Do you know why you got sick today? It’s because you kissed me yesterday!” she hit Hong Ki’s arm. “Why did you do that?!”

            Hong Ki just grinned and then pinched her cheeks. “Ah, kyeopta!” he told her. “Aigoo. Let me just hug you then.” And she can't resist him pleading her. He let him hugged her real tight. And so she hugged him back too. It’s the first time she hugged him without the fear of revealing her feelings for him. And she’s just so happy. Letting Hong Ki hug her real tight and hugging him back just feels so right.

            “Saranghae,” she heard Hong Ki whispered. And it just made her heart flutter with so much happiness. She hugged him even tighter.

            “Omo!” she exclaimed when she smelled something. When she turned to look at it, she saw the ramen she was cooking is already boiling. “The noodles!” she uttered as she hurriedly ran away to turn the stove off.

            She bit her lower lip as she turned to Hong Ki. “Bya ne. I over cooked the noodles.”

            Hong Ki patted her head. “Gwaenchanha,” he told her. “Let’s eat your specialty,” he grinned, teasing her. She pouted, but what can she do? This is Lee Hong Ki! The Lee Hong Ki she hated but loved the most. So, she poured his bowl some of her over cooked ramen.