Back in the familiar surroundings of your bedroom, you were intrigued at how this place felt almost like a home within a home. It was somewhere you could retreat to whenever things started to overwhelm you. Kinda like how I feel now. You sighed deeply, thinking of his expressionless face void of that warm smile you loved. You absentmindedly twirled a strand of your chocolate brown hair as you sunk heavily onto the bed. Just as you were about to close your eyes, you caught sight of a grey sweater draped over the bed post and jerked awake. I still have his jacket. I guess I have to return it to him… Now is so not a good time. You pried yourself away from the tempting comfort of your bed, and shuffled over to the window. Pulling the curtains apart, the grey skies outside only added to your melancholic feelings. The sky was grayish black, with distinct streaks of slight purple. It’s going to rain… You thought with dread. “The weather seems like a bad omen”, you muttered nervously at the prospect of facing an angry Min Hyuk. With a deep breath, you gingerly picked up the grey jacket, fondly the soft cotton material. “Huuuuu!” You exclaimed in frustration as you reluctantly walked towards the hallway. Soon you arrived in front of his door. I still remember how angry he was the last time he caught me peeping. You chuckled slightly at the embarrassing memory. However, your reminiscing thoughts were short-lived when the impending doom of having to return him his jacket struck you. With shaking movements, you raised up your right hand that was balled in a fist. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. “Oppa are you inside?” You stammered, waiting intently for any response. It seemed like minutes passed before his voice called out. “Deh! Come in”, he replied in a voice that left you even more nervous. You couldn’t tell at all if he was still angry. With cold hands, you turned the doorknob rigidly. You saw a nonchalant looking Min Hyuk sitting on a sofa, holding a book. You shrunk at the realization that you were probably interrupting his reading session. “I…I… just wanted to return you your jacket”, you explained carefully, avoiding his questioning stare. “Oh, just leave it on the dresser”, he replied curtly before turning his attention back to the book in his hands. Nodding meekly, you walked slowly toward the dresser on the other side of the room.

At that moment, A sudden bright flash shone through the window, the piercing light shocking you. The storm was nearing the house. The lightning was accompanied by a loud roar of thunder that seemed to resound menacingly throughout the house. “Ahhhhh!” You shouted abruptly, frightened at the proximity of the storm and its accompanying crack of thunder. Despite yourself, you sunk to the ground, squatting whilst covering your ears with your hands. Your eyes were shut close, as if to shield yourself from the impact of the lightning, as you shivered in shock. “Mi Young! Where are you?” His urgent voice coaxed you out of your fear as you opened your eyes fearfully. To your dismay, the entire room was blanketed in darkness. The lightning must have caused a short-circuit in the house, leading to a black out. Before fear threatened to grip you even further, you whimpered. “Oppa..”. “Hold on! I’m coming”, he shouted reassuringly. You heard the distinct sound of him moving on all fours, trying to reach you. However, you could only stay rooted, cowering timidly. Suddenly, flesh crashed into flesh as you felt someone embrace you tightly. “I found you”, he whispered in relief. In the darkness, and with the loss of sight, you could almost hear the worry apparent in his voice. Feeling his warm breath against your forehead, you relaxed into his chest. After a few moments of silence, you felt much better. “Oppa… I’m afraid of thunder, and the dark.” You explained sheepishly. “I Know Mi Young-ah”, he chuckled at your honesty as you smiled weakly. “We’d better go flip the switches on the circuit panel. It’s in the kitchen. It’s gonna be dark down there too. You wanna wait here while I find my way down?” He asked carefully. Shaking your head earnestly, you said:”Let’s go down together. It’s scarier being alone”. Admittedly, he was the source of your strength and you would rather be with him than wait in the darkness. Slowly, he wrapped an arm around your back to guide you to your feet. On the contact, you felt your face heat up with an intense blush. For once, you were glad that the darkness was there to hide your pink cheeks and embarrassed smile. Once the both of you were standing up, the darkness seemed ever so endless. Holding your hand out, you gulped when you couldn’t even see your fingers. In the silence, you felt his hand envelope one of yours protectively. No words were exchanged in that moment, as your heart fluttered in disbelief.  The warmth radiating from his touch left you tingling as a small smile crept up your face. “Ready?” He asked tenderly, squeezing your hand. You could almost hear his bright smile against the impending darkness. “Mhmm!” You exclaimed with gathered courage. Min Hyuk began to move forward carefully, sweeping his other arm out in a radius, navigating his way by feeling the objects around him. “Careful, The chair’s here.” “Stand behind me while I open the door.” “We’re heading to the stairs soon.” “Here, grab the handrails with your free hand. I’ll lead the way down the steps.” With his meticulous instructions, he guided you towards the kitchen. Suddenly, you felt him flinch. “Wae, Oppa!” You asked anxiously. “Oh..It’s…nothing. I just bumped into something.” He dismissed it with unimportance. Soon the both of you had reached the kitchen. Whilst still holding on to you, you heard the sound of switches being flipped. In that instant, all the lights turned back on, nearly blinded the both of you who were now used to the darkness. You let go of each other to shield your eyes from the sudden brightness. “We did it!” You shouted while pumping your fists in the air. “We sure did”, he chuckled and ruffled your hair. You turned to mock-scold him for messing up your hair, when you caught sight of his right forearm. “Oppa….You’re bleeding!!” You shouted in frenzy, eyes fixed on the ugly-looking gash on his arm. “Ah, it’s okay. It’s just a small scratch.” He laughed dismissively. Shaking your head adamantly, you pushed him to sit on a chair in the dining room. You scurried back to the kitchen, reaching for a top shelf and pulling out a first aid kit. You grabbed a seat beside him. Ignoring his curious eyes, you searched for some antiseptic cream, cotton pads, and gauze. Holding out a cotton pad dampened with water, you blew gently on his wound. Then, you gently cleaned the dried blood around his gash before proceeding to dap on the cut itself. “Aishhhhh”, He flinched while gritting his teeth. “Ah Oppa, Mianhae”, you whispered while blowing on the gash tenderly. Too engrossed in dressing his wound, you didn’t notice the fond gaze with which Min Hyuk was looking at you with. With nimble hands, you wrapped the bandage around his forearm before tying a small knot. “There, all done!” You exclaimed while looking up abruptly. His face was just inches away from yours, his brown eyes locked deeply with yours in a unfamiliar gaze. He stared at you with such a soft intensity that left you breathless. Immediately, your heart kicked into an epiphany of beats that pounded repeatedly against your chest. “Why were you out with Hyun Sik?” He whispered softly. Your eyes widened as he moved closer to you. “I..i met him on the way to the supermarket, and he offered to buy me dinner” You stammered nervously at the tiny distance between your faces. “Do you know how worried I was?” He whispered, his warm breath falling on your face. “Oppa…” You started to say before he wrapped his arms around you, pulling you into his familiar embrace. Your eyes shot open in surprise as he continued to hold you tightly, locking his arms firmly around you. Oppa. Your eyes fluttered close as you pressed your face further into his warm chest. Suddenly, another crack of lightning caused you to jump slightly. Chuckling into your hair, Min Hyuk released you reluctantly. “Wanna wait out the storm before you try to sleep?” He asked tenderly, knowing that you probably wouldn’t be able to sleep with the constant flashes of lightning and thunder.

This was how you found yourself in his room a while later. You were snuggled up on his small couch, a blanket wrapped around your body. He was seated in front of the computer, half-immersed in his work-writing a set of lyrics. You watched him work, his handsome face carved with a serious expression as he penned down lyrics furiously. “You want to hear what I have so far?” He swiveled over on his chair to face you. Aish, this girl. He thought with a wry smile upon seeing you collapsed on the sofa. You were curled up on your side, legs dangling down and reaching the floor. Heaving with deep breaths, you were already dozing off to dreamland. Min Hyuk walked over to his closet, pulling out a thick comforter. He then gently lifted your legs, placing them comfortably on the sofa. Seeing you immediately tuck your legs in, he chuckled at your adorable half-asleep actions. He then draped the blanket over you, pulling it all the way up to your neck. Kneeling down beside the sofa, he rested his chin on the edge of the sofa, watching you intently. He reached out his right hand, tracing your cheek with his nimble fingers. His expression clearly pained. With a final shake of his head, he withdrew his hand rapidly. Turning off the lights, he crawled into bed.