“Yumi, oh my goodness, okay, okay.”

I gulped nervously and watched Daehyun press a hand to his forehead.

“Okay, you’re actually here. Wow.” he said, wide-eyed.

I smiled meekly and nodded. “Yeah. Um, yeah.” I mumbled awkwardly, red rushing to my cheeks. “I um…” I blinked and shook my head quickly, ing the cake box into his arms. “Gift. For you. And the others. If you want to share, I mean. Yours.” I wanted to slap myself for being such a retard.

My head spun and I tried to keep my eyes set on his, but it was just so blaringly hot and I honestly felt a strong need to sit down. He must have noticed because he coughed a little before promptly suggesting that we head inside.

I was greeted by a rush of cool air, instantly shaken awake by the sudden but pleasant change in temperature. The air conditioners hummed from the edges of the lobby area ceiling. Daehyun headed towards the elevators to the left of the lobby and I quietly followed suit, eyes darting all over as if I’d never seen a lobby before. He held the doors for me and I dashed in a little too hurriedly, stumbling just a little before straightening up with a giddy smile.

I was standing. In the same elevator. As. Jung. Dae. Hyun.

He shot me a huge smile, his eyes in their usual tipped crescents. I felt like melting. I quickly looked away.

“This is the second floor,” he told me as we stepped out. “It’s where all the training rooms are.”

I looked around in amazement at the area, from the spotlessly polished marbled floor to the warm yellow lights that bounced off the walls. We walked past a windowed dance room where I gaped at a few trainees exerting top-notch dance moves to a thrumming beat in perfect synchronisation. Daehyun laughed at my reaction and pushed the door to the room next door open. He held it for me and ushered me inside.

Laughter rang high from inside the cosy dance studio, and I couldn’t help but let the biggest grin grace my face as I realised who they came from.

All five boys of B.A.P were either rolling on the floor in fits of laughter or doubling over in them. They calmed down when they heard the door open and shakily stood or sat up straight. My heart surged when all their eyes settled on me and I began to feel a little dizzy.

“Who’s this?” Yongguk asked curiously, wiping a drop of sweat off his brow.

“I didn’t know Dae had female friends,” Youngjae quirked cheekily, earning a high five from Zelo and a scoff from Daehyun himself.

“I didn’t know Dae had attractive friends who aren’t me,” Himchan added, raising groans from the rest of the members as he smiled proudly, arms folded.

“Guys, be nice,” Daehyun chuckled, walking to the centre of the room. He set the cake box on the floor and waved an arm in my direction. “This is Yumi and she bought us cake.” The boys whooped before swarming around the box, Yongguk the only one out of them who remained where he was.

“You hardly answered my question,” he said seriously, crossing his arms. “You’re not allowed to bring just anyone in here, Daehyun; it’s against TS rules.”

I stood awkwardly by the door, not knowing what to do. Fear crept over me as I realised that I could have been doing something wrong.

“Don’t worry about it, hyung,” Daehyun smiled. “I’ve already spoken to Manager-hyung about this. He said it’s all right.” Yongguk seemed to relax a little and I was relieved to practically feel the tension slip away.

“In that case,” he began, his lips spreading into a gummy smile. “Welcome to our practice room, I suppose.” I returned the smile and bowed.

“Come have some cake first, Yumi.” Daehyun beckoned. “We’ll talk later.”

I was unsure of whether to feel glad or nervous about those two contrasting sentences.

~~~~~~

A few slices of cake, multiple rounds of laughing fits and many bouts of blushing later, Daehyun finally decided it was time to go. He left the other members in the room to their practice session and dragged me out by the wrist.

“D-don’t you need to uh, practise with them?” I stuttered lamely, palms growing sweaty from his grip on me.

“No.” he said simply, smiling sweetly.

We went back down to the lowest floor and he led me out the back door of the lobby. He pulled his hoodie and mask up, explaining quickly that fans would recognise him. I nodded in understanding.

As if they won’t recognise you anyways, I thought to myself with a smile, but didn’t say anything. “But where are we going?” I asked instead as I walked beside him to a nearby bus stop.

“You’ll see.” he said. I loved that I could practically hear the smile in his voice.

We boarded the bus and took two seats side by side. I felt a little flustered at how close we were but tried my best not to show it. Though I’m pretty sure he noticed. “Why did we go up to the practice room if we’re going out?” I asked awkwardly, more to break the silence than anything else.

“I wanted you to get comfortable around us.” he said, pulling his mask down and smiling. “And me.”

I pursed my lips, supressing a fangirly grin. This boy was too adorable.

“Thank you for that,” I smiled, surprisingly casual. I turned away from him, hiding a yawn. Frankly, I was still pretty tired from the flight despite the nap I took on the way to TS, but letting Daehyun think I was bored was probably one of the last things I could ever want.

“Are you sleepy?” he asked immediately, startling me. Caught. I was thankful that he didn’t misunderstand. “You’re probably beat from the flight here, huh? You should rest. I don’t mind.” he told me warmly, patting the back of my hand. I bit my lip, embarrassed. “I mean it.” he pushed, patting his own shoulder. “You can even lie your head here if you want.” He flashed a cheeky grin.

I turned beet red, clapping both hands to my face in a vain attempt to hide my embarrassment. I shook my head frantically and told him that it was okay. Me? Fall asleep on Jung Daehyun’s shoulder? Not gonna happen. I’d probably die of happiness if that ever did.

Why are you doing this? You barely know who I am.

I sniffled, leaning my head back into the seat of the bus and closing my eyes to try to sleep.

I defied my own words.

Before I knew it, my cheek was pressed against his shoulder, and everything was black.