“Saranghae.”

Those words didn’t travel smoothly to Seyoon’s ears. Neither did it register quite clear in her head.

Of course, things weren’t quite right in the first place. So the first thing that came from Seyoon’s mouth was a one-word question.

“What?” she asked anxiously.

But it seemed like sixty seconds had already passed and she got no response from Kai. The second thing that she thought of was probably to slap Kai from his sleep. But then, that would be inappropriate while he was on that state.

‘He didn’t mean it,’ were the words repeating on Seyoon’s head. Soon after, Kai’s grip of her hand also loosened.

“A dream. That’s it. He must be dreaming. Haha…,” Seyoon kept on repeating with an awkward chuckle. If anyone was there, they would surely think that the girl had already lost her sanity. Why wouldn’t she? Just hearing something unexpected from Kai totally flipped her brain upside down.

If he was awake and tell her again those words, her sanity would surely fell into the brim. But of course, she knew that in reality, he would never say those words to her. Never.

“It’s just a dream. Maybe he is dreaming about him and Krystal. That surely is it,” she concluded.

To turn her attention away from that incident, she started applying cold compress to Kai. Once in a while, he would see Kai frowning, maybe from the cold or something. But when she would tap his hands resting on his chest, his expressions would turn calm. Seyoon find that cute.

“Don’t worry. If staying up all night is what I need just to make you feel better, I will,” she told him while she observed Kai’s sleeping face. The creases on his forehead subsided and Seyoon’s hand trailed on the outline of his face.

She gave him a light peck on his cheeks. “Kai, fighting…”

---

Seyoon woke up the next morning, feeling the warmth of the morning sun brushing her skin as the rays gently passed through her window. She opened her eyes only to see Kai’s sleeping face close to hers – close enough that her forehead was already touching the tip of Kai’s nose. She immediately lifted herself up, feeling her cheeks heat up from such close contact.

“I must have fallen asleep while I was observing him,” she thought as she yawned. She quickly rose up and checked Kai’s temperature. It hadn’t gone down since the last time she checked his temperature.

Seyoon looked at Kai and noticed that he was still wearing his school uniform from yesterday. She forgot to ask her friends to help change Kai’s clothes. Even if she wanted to do it by herself, she couldn’t find the courage to undress Kai. And she knew there’s only one solution for it.

---

“Seyoon, is this true? I received your message this morning so immediately go here. I never thought that you already miss me within just a short time.”

Once Seyoon opened the door, all she heard was Luhan’s endless talking. On top of that, he was wearing his biggest grin ever that somehow irritated Seyoon.

“No Luhan. Stop daydreaming. I ask you to come here because I need your help,” said Seyoon as she let Luhan inside. As much as she wanted to have a day without Luhan, she had no choice but to ask Luhan to come over to their house as he was the nearest person she could ask to come. Unfortunately, all of her friends had some extracurricular activities to fulfill during the weekend.

“So, what kind of help do you need?” Luhan asked. “By the way, where’s the tanned boy?”

Seyoon sighed and asked him to come after her as she opened Kai’s room. Luhan entered only to see Kai lying on his bed.

“You ask me to come here just to wake up Kai?” Luhan teased. He received a nudged on the stomach by Seyoon.

“Kai is sick, pabo.”

“Really? What happened? It seemed like yesterday, he was still alright. He even ate a lot of ddeokbokki.”

“I know. He must have gotten the flu from the rain the other day. Anyway, I ask you to come here to help me change his clothes to a more comfortable one,” Seyoon requested.

“Really? You want me to change Kai’s clothes?” Luhan asked enthusiastically although it wasn’t the reaction that Seyoon expected from him.

“Why is it as if you are happy about it?” Seyoon asked curiously.

“No. I’m just happy that you let me do it and you didn’t attempt to do it by yourself. I really can’t imagine you doing it.”

“Pabo yah,” Seyoon said to him while she pinched Luhan’s side.

“Ouch!” Luhan shouted.

Seyoon cupped his mouth immediately. “Yah, don’t shout. Can’t you see that he’s sleeping?” Seyoon whispered.

“Sorry,” Luhan pouted.

The next thing Seyoon knew was that Luhan shoved her outside of Kai’s room as he locked the door.

“Pabo, Luhan…”

---

“What happened to you?” Luhan asked as he stared at Kai’s sleeping figure.

Luhan wouldn’t admit it but even though Kai was not in his good condition, Luhan couldn’t help but felt jealous of him. When Seyoon opened the door of their apartment, he saw that she was still wearing her school uniform. Just by the look of it, Luhan was sure that Seyoon stayed up all night taking care of Kai.

Luhan was able to change Kai’s clothes without waking him up. Well, it seemed like Kai wouldn’t wake up despite the disturbances around him. His flu had gotten to him worse.

---

Seyoon was preparing breakfast for them when Luhan opened the door to Kai’s room.

“How is he?” Seyoon asked with concerned eyes. Luhan pouted and immediately sat on the stool in front of the kitchen counter.

“He’s hot.”

“Really? Tsk. What should I do?” Seyoon asked.

“I didn’t mean that. What I meant was he’s hot. Is he going to a gym or something? My abs is incomparable to his,” Luhan joked.

“What? Aish! I am asking you seriously. You!” She was supposed to hit Luhan with the ladle but Luhan stopped her while holding her wrist tight.

“I’ll continue what you’re cooking. I think you should change your clothes too,” Luhan said too her seriously. Seyoon also sensed his sincerity saying those words.

“Alright. Just be careful,” Seyoon said softly.

“I will. These are just pancakes anyway. This is easy.”

---

“Have you gotten any sleep? You look like a panda with those dark circles under your eyes,” Luhan teased Seyoon with a smirk on his face.

“Do I really look that bad?” Seyoon asked seriously though Luhan knew that she wasn’t. She still looked simply beautiful in Luhan’s eyes but he couldn’t admit it because teasing Seyoon seemed more fun than telling her the truth.

“Yes. You look really bad. I think you should take a rest.”

Seyoon lowered her head, staring at her plate. “I can’t do that. No one will take care of Kai other than me. Besides, I am responsible for…I mean, he’s my responsibility right now.”

“Seyoon,” Luhan said softly. Seyoon lifted her head and looked at him. Luhan hesitated at first but he couldn’t help asking Seyoon the question that had been bothering him ever since. “Do you like—”

Without Luhan finishing his question, they heard soft knocks coming from the entrance door. Seyoon and Luhan looked at each other.

“Are your friends coming?” Luhan asked.

“No. They told me they won’t be here since they all have extracurricular activities.”

Seyoon stood up and went to the door. Luhan trailed after her. When she opened the door, she didn’t expect to see someone and what even bothered her was how that person knew their address.

---

“Who is it?” Luhan asked as he grabbed the door frame and opened it wider to see the person on the other side.

Seyoon looked at him concernedly then back to the person standing in front of them.

“Krystal?” Luhan asked with a shocked expression drawn on his face.

Krystal also looked at him bemused and it seemed like she didn’t also expect to see Luhan standing behind Seyoon, the two of them inside their house.

“Come in,” Seyoon breaked the momentary silence that built up. She had no choice but to let Krystal inside. But she knew that Luhan also deserved some explanation later since she knew that Luhan didn’t have any idea of Krystal’s relationship with Kai.

Luhan looked at Seyoon, surprised that she wasn’t reacting differently or even surprised upon seeing Krystal on their doorstep. For all he knew, Seyoon was still unaware of Kai’s relationship with Krystal. What surprised him even more was when she let Krystal inside like it was natural for her to be there.

Once they were all inside, another silence longer than the first hovered in the air.

“Ahh, I – I found out that Kai is sick that is why I am here. I hope you don’t mind if I see him for a while,” Krystal said with her soft voice as Seyoon stared at her. Luhan was just behind Seyoon but avoid having any eye contact with Krystal.

“Sure. He’s room is right there,” Seyoon walked towards Kai’s room and opened the door for Krystal. As soon as she entered, she gave Seyoon a bow as Seyoon closed the door.

Seyoon was staring blankly into the wall as Luhan approached her.

---

“You also knew about their—” Seyoon stared at Luhan. The two were seating inside her room when Seyoon decided to tell Luhan about Krystal.

“What do you mean I also knew? Do you also know about them?” Seyoon asked Luhan. Luhan averted his gaze and gave Seyoon a nod. “How?”

“I just happened to…to see them inside the music room and—”

“Oh…” Seyoon sighed.

“So you also knew about them?” Luhan asked. Seyoon nodded at him. “Since when?”

“Ever since they started their relationship,” Seyoon said softly as she hugged her knees and propped her head on top.

Luhan just reacted with his mouth forming ‘o’. ‘That was long enough,’ he thought. He looked at Seyoon who seemed crestfallen as she just stared blankly somewhere in her room.

Before they even started another conversation, they heard another knock coming from the door.

Luhan stopped to open it and saw Krystal standing in front of him. Until now, he still couldn’t look straight to her eyes as he still felt awkward now that she couldn’t hide her relationship with Kai anymore.

“I’m sorry to disturb you but can I ask something?” said Krystal.

“It’s okay. We’re not doing anything anyway,” said Luhan. Seyoon approached him from behind and looked at Krystal.

---

“I already brought the ingredients,” said Krystal as she put the grocery bag on top of the kitchen counter. Seyoon already saw that bag earlier but she didn’t know that it contained ingredients. “I just want to ask if I could use your kitchen for a while. That is if you don’t mind,” said Krystal.

“Ah, no problem. If you want I can help you,” Seyoon volunteered.

“No need. I’ll do it all by myself. Besides, I think you’ve taken care of him since last night. I think it’s time that I do take care of him.” Krystal looked briefly at Luhan. “I think you should take a rest for a while,” she said to Seyoon.

“You’re right. Okay. The utensils and the pot are inside that cabinet. The condiments are all here,” Seyoon pointed out.

Luhan just watched the two of them and he could see the awkwardness in Seyoon’s face as if she was hoping that she was the one doing all of those things. Her face looked differently from the Seyoon that Luhan saw earlier. Even though she looked exhausted earlier, she still looked calm as if everything she was doing was alright. But right now, Luhan could see how downhearted she was. Luhan heaved a sigh seeing her like that.

“If you don’t mind Krystal, I think we have to leave you here for a while. Seyoon and I will just go somewhere,” Luhan said.

Seyoon looked at him surprisingly. ‘What are you saying?’ she asked him without any voice coming from .

Luhan just grinned and grabbed her hand. “We’ll be back in a while,” he said to Krystal. Krystal nodded.

---

“Yah, what are you saying? Besides, where are we going?” Seyoon asked as soon as the two were at the ground floor of their apartment building.

“Krystal is there anyway. I think you should relax for a while.”

“How can I relax when I know that Kai is up there burning in flu?” Seyoon said frantically.

Luhan held her hands. “It’s okay. Just…just trust Krystal. We know she will do her best to take care of him. You’ve done your part Seyoon. It’s alright.”

Upon seeing those words, it seemed like Seyoon’s face turn more dejected. “I guess you’re right. I’ve done my part. I am useles--”

“No, no, no. I am not saying that you are useless. I am just saying that we should let Krystal do things for Kai once in a while.”

When Luhan noticed that Seyoon already had the calm but still nearly blank expression on her face, he already stopped talking.

---

“Seyoon,” Kai mumbled with his hoarse voice as he tried to open his eyes. He noticed that no one was inside his room but he could hear the sounds of the utensils coming from the kitchen.

Before he could stand up, the door opened, revealing someone whom he didn’t expect to see.

“Let me help you,” said Krystal as she placed the tray on the nightstand beside Kai’s bed and help him sit with his back still leaning on a pillow.

“Why are you here?” he asked Krystal not in a way as if he didn’t want her to be there but in a tone as if not in his dreams that he expected her to be there.

“I found out that you were brought to the clinic yesterday. I was supposed to see you there but you already left then I asked Dr. Nam about your condition. He said that you have flu. Since I am not doing anything today, I decided to pay you a visit. I hope that’s okay.”

Kai stared at Krystal for a while before he gave sheepish smile. “Of course. Thank you for coming here,” he told her.

Still, Kai couldn’t feel any better maybe because the person he expected to see was nowhere to be seen. And it seemed like she wasn’t outside his room either. He looked at Krystal who was cooling down the soup she made for him.

“Uhm…” he finally voiced out. Krystal stopped what she was doing him and looked at him. “Where is Seyoon?” he asked awkwardly although there shouldn’t be anything embarrassing about his question.

“Seyoon left earlier. Luhan told me that they’ll just go somewhere.”

“Luhan?”

Krystal nodded. “Luhan was already here when Seyoon opened the door for me.”

“So…what did Luhan say when he saw you?”

Krsytal shrugged. “He looked a little bit surprised when he saw me standing in front of your door but he didn’t say anything. But I guessed, Seyoon already told him after that,” she replied.

“You should take this soup so you can have your medicine,” Krystal finally told her as she broke his deep contemplation.

Kai couldn’t help but think of Luhan’s reaction when he found out about his relationship with Krystal. Although he didn’t know why he was feeling anxious of Luhan finding out about them, he knew there would be a great consequence to it. Another thing that was bothering her was Seyoon’s reaction upon seeing Krystal in front of their doorstep. He knew that she didn’t expect to see her either especially when Kai had not told her yet that Krystal already knew about their arrange marriage. Just thinking about those things and Kai knew that the next thing that could happen won’t be anything good.

---

When Seyoon insisted that they just stay inside the proximity of their neighborhood, Luhan insisted otherwise. The next thing that Seyoon knew, she was already somewhere in Seoul, looking over the rest of the city.

“Woah, I never thought that Namsan Tower is so beautiful,” Luhan exclaimed.

Indeed it was and it was also Seyoon’s first time to go there. She remembered that there was one time when Kai also asked her to go with him there but unfortunately, she had a lot of things to do back then. Chanyeol also asked her once but she couldn’t because Kai insisted that if she would go with Chanyeol then he should come with them too. But Chanyeol didn’t like that so in the end, the three ended up going to Itaewon by themselves.

“Do you know that this place is famous for lovers especially when you hang padlocks with your names there?” he pointed at the fence full of hanging padlocks.

“Wow,” Seyoon took a closer look and Luhan could see the fascination in her eyes.

“I wonder if I’ll see your name someday there,” Luhan told her.

Seyoon gave her a glare before returning to look at the padlocks again. “Why? Are you expecting that our names would hang in there?”

“Hm? I don’t know. Maybe not,” Luhan replied as he continued walking away from Seyoon.

Seyoon didn’t expect Luhan’s answer. What she was expecting was Luhan insisting to hang a padlock with their names on it right at that moment and she was expecting that he wouldn’t stop nagging her about it until they were done. But none of it came from Luhan. Instead he just walked past by the locks.

‘That’s unexpected,’ Seyoon thought.

“Seyoon, let’s eat. I’m hungry,” Luhan shouted. Seyoon ran after him as the two entered one of the restaurants.

---

Luhan wanted to spend more time with Seyoon but as time passed by, he could see the anxiousness and concerns escalating in Seyoon’s face. He knew that even though she was with him physically, her mind was still locked on Kai’s condition at home.

“Let’s go home,” Luhan said to her.

Seyoon nodded but he couldn’t understand why Luhan seemed quiet all the time that they were in Namsan. Well, he was still telling her some stories but she noticed how he would end it fast and everything would turn quiet again. There were a lot of quiet moments along their trip and Seyoon knew that she was partly guilty for it. For one thing, there were times when Luhan would ask her questions but her mind seemed blank and ended up asking Luhan again about the question. There were times when she would just answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’ even though his questions required something more than that.

Their bus trip wasn’t different either as the two stayed silent the whole time. But after just a few minute boarding the bus, Luhan suddenly felt a weight on his shoulder. Looking to his right, he saw Seyoon was already asleep, probably exhausted from her lack of sleep last night. He observed his sleeping face and even though Luhan didn’t want to do this, he knew he had to. He wanted to make things clearer between the two of them.

---

Luhan and Seyoon were nearly a few walks away from the apartment building when Luhan stopped Seyoon.

“Why?” Seyoon asked him as she looked at Luhan’s hand holding her wrist.

“Can we talk for a while?”

Looking for a place to talk (although Seyoon didn’t know why they still had to since they could just talk once they got inside their house or just somewhere on their way), they still ended up talking on the nearest playground and from there, Seyoon could see the window of Kai’s room.

Seyoon sat on the seat of the swing without moving as her eyes were fixed on Kai’s room window. Luhan also sat beside her but his eyes was fixed on her.

“Seyoon?”

“Hm?”

“Can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

When Seyoon noticed that Luhan wasn’t talking after that, she looked at him, only to be met with a pair of brown eyes.

“What is it?” Seyoon asked, half irritably.

Luhan chuckled upon hearing Seyoon’s irritated tone. “Sorry. I am supposed to ask something but you’re too beautiful and it’s distracting.”

Seyoon frowned but smiled a little seeing Luhan’s crocodile laugh. “Okay. Now, what is it that you want to ask?”

Luhan’s face became serious once more and this time, he averted his gaze to his feet.

“Seyoon, do you like Kai?” he finally asked. Luhan saw how Seyoon flinched when she heard his question and without any doubt, he thought he already knew the answer to his question.

“What do you mean? He’s just a—”

“Do you know why I ask you to date me even though it’s an abrupt decision?” Luhan asked. Seyoon looked at him and his eyes turning lighter with the rays from the afternoon sun.

“The first time I saw you when we were still in middle school, I always thought that you really were Kai’s loyal fan. Just the way you confronted me to support him, it was really amazing and funny.” Seyoon saw Luhan smiled.

“Do you remember when you gave Kai a cake after the dance competition even though we were the ones who ended up winning? That time, I was really hurt because I could see how you really cared for him. Each time that I would see the two of you, you smile differently in front of him. I mean, your smile was the reason why I like you in the first place but I never thought that you could smile differently when you’re in front of someone, in front of Kai. It was more special, more adorable, and more genuine.”

Seyoon could hear the sadness in Luhan’s words and somehow she felt a tugged on her heart. How could someone notice things that even she didn’t realize?

“When we came back here, I was really hoping to see you but I never thought I would see you accidentally on the street that night. It was really funny. I thought that luck was on my side that day. But then I found out that you and Kai were living in the same apartment, I thought that you were already in a relationship. Again, I thought everything was over but when I saw Kai and Krystal in that music room and…That’s when I realized that you and Kai weren’t on a relationship that I thought it was. That’s when I decided to tell you what I really felt.”

Luhan looked at her straightly in the eyes but his smile never left him. “And then I found out about your arrange marriage but it was okay because I thought when Kai could have a girlfriend then you too shouldn’t be restrained to have one. All this time, I am convincing myself that this relationship could go somewhere deeper, somewhere that would lead to a longer, more intimate one. Seyoon, would it be selfish of me if I ask you to forget about Kai and your feelings for him?”

This time, the smile on Luhan’s face faded and was replaced with a serious look. Seyoon thought for a second before she met Luhan’s eyes again.

---

Seyoon entered their apartment with no people in sight. She thought that maybe Krystal had already left so she carefully opened Kai’s door without making any noise.

“I love you,” she heard Krystal said.

“T-thank you,” Kai replied.

Seyoon immediately closed the door and went to the living room. She saw how Kai, who was still on his bed, embraced Krystal with a smile on his face. Even though she shouldn’t be saddened by it, she still felt sad when she saw Kai looking better. Maybe Krystal was more effective in taking care of Kai than her. Maybe Krystal was really the one that Kai needed. All of those ideas flooded her mind when she heard the door of Kai’s room opened. Krystal went out with the tray, closing the door behind her.

“Oh, Seyoon-ssi, you’re already here,” Krystal greeted her.

“Sorry.”

“Hm? What are you apologizing for?”

“Sorry if I left you to take care of Kai all alone. I should have—”

“No. It’s okay. Besides, he is feeling better now. That’s all we want anyway,” Krystal smiled at her.

Krystal started washing the dishes when Seyoon approached her. Seyoon didn’t know how to start the conversation but she knew that she wouldn’t feel any better if she didn’t ask Krystal the questions building in her mind.

“Krystal-ssi,” Krystal looked at her but she still continued doing what she was doing. “Do you already know about…about our—”

“If it’s about the arrange marriage, yes I do.” Krystal said to her seriously. “But don’t worry; it’s not something you should worry about. I already said to Kai that he should accept the marriage because we knew we couldn’t go against whatever your parents had decided for you. But I know things would eventually work out anyway. Besides, Kai assured that it would only be a paper agreement, nothing else.”

Seyoon stood speechless upon hearing Krystal’s words. No, she didn’t sound mad or intimidating. In fact, she sounded calm despite the topic being awkward between the two of them. All Seyoon could reply was ‘I see’ and in the end, Krystal left with a bow and a thank you and a gentle smile plastered on her face. That moment, Seyoon didn’t only felt that she betrayed Krystal but she also betrayed herself.

---

Seyoon didn’t bother to talk to Kai that day because once she opened the door of his room, he was already sound asleep and Seyoon didn’t want to disturb him.

She ended up sleeping inside her room that night. Of course, from time to time, she would go to Kai’s room to check his temperature and Krystal was surely a better care giver than her since Kai’s temperature had already dropped nearly to the normal temperature. She gave him another cold compress before leaving Kai’s room, her final visit for the night.

---

Morning came and Seyoon wasn’t really awakened by the sunrays passing through her window. Instead, she was awakened by the loud knocks coming from the entrance door. For one thing, she didn’t expect Luhan to come because of what happened yesterday. Neither did she expect Krystal because she already told her that they would see each other again on Monday. There were only a few options left.

“Good morning Seyoon!” Kyungsoo’s vibrant voices and doe-eyes greeted Seyoon upon opening the door. He was followed by Baekhyun and Sehun.

“Are you alright? Kai didn’t transfer his sickness to you, has he?” Chanyeol came after as he pressed his hand on Seyoon’s forehead.

“No Chanyeol, he didn’t,” said Seyoon as she removed Chanyeol’s hand.

“I think Seyoon did a great job on taking care of Kai,” said Baekhyun.

Seyoon looked at them and swayed her head. “No. I really didn’t do anything at all. Someone took care of him.”

“What? Who?” Chanyeol asked.

“Did his mom dropped by?” asked Sehun.

Seyoon swayed her head. “No. Krystal went here yesterday to take care of him.”

The four looked at her, jaw-dropped, and then they exchanged glances.

“What…what did she say to you? Did she say anything?” Baekhyun asked concernedly.

“Nothing. No. We didn’t talk a lot. She was taking care of Kai the whole day.”

“So, have you already…ahh…you know?” Chanyeol couldn’t grasp the words to say.

“I think she already knew about the marriage. Apparently, Kai already told her.” Seyoon tried to sound okay but she couldn’t hide the sadness in her tone.

Kyungsoo went to her and caresses her sides. Chanyeol did the same and placed his arm on Seyoon’s shoulder.

“It’s okay Seyoon. I don’t think she’s mad at you,” Baekhyun told her.

“I know. I know that. Anyway, thank you for coming here. I think Kai is still sleeping. If you want, I’ll prepare our breakfast right away,” she said as she went to the kitchen but Kyungsoo went in front of her and stopped her.

“No. The reason why we went here is to help you. So, just sit there and I’ll cook for our breakfast.”

With that, Chanyeol dragged Seyoon to sit on the dining table while Baekhyun and Sehun also sat beside them.

---

Kai woke up a few minutes after hearing some noise coming from the kitchen. For all he knew, those weren’t voice coming from a girl like Seyoon. And once he heard that deep-voiced laughter, he knew immediately who were there.

Kai opened the door and saw his friends eating on the table. He saw Kyungsoo adding something to their food; he guessed it was kimchi spaghetti, before they finally settled down. He saw how Chanyeol would add food to Seyoon’s plate and Baekhyun also begged him to add food on his since Chanyeol’s arms were longer and he could reach the fork better. Apparently, they were talking something about a band practice and Chanyeol wouldn’t stop talking despite his mouth being full. And Kai thought that that was also the reason why even though he was already there for a few minutes, no one still paid attention to him.

When he saw Chanyeol trying to wipe the spaghetti sauce from Seyoon’s mouth with his hands, that was the time he cleared his throat loudly and everyone’s attention was on him, finally.

“Kai,” said Seyoon.

Everyone’s head turned to him as Baekhyun stood up and went to him. His hand traveled to Kai’s forehead to feel his temperature.

“You’re not hot. So it’s true that you already feel better now,” said Baekhyun as he gave Kai a hug. Soon after, Chanyeol went too and did the same thing.

“Let’s eat. Kyungsoo prepared his famous spaghetti,” said Sehun.

Chanyeol dragged Kai to sit beside him but Kai insisted to sit beside Seyoon, shoving Chanyeol’s plate to the side. Chanyeol pouted but he just let Kai with it.

“If only you weren’t sick…” he mumbled.

“What?” Kai asked.

“Nothing. So, you are really feeling better. Did Krystal do something to make you feel better?” Chanyeol .

“What?” the rests of the guys had mischievous smirks on their faces and Kai could also see Seyoon smile at him, but it was half-hearted.

“What are you saying? She just cooked something for me. Then we just talk like what we always do. Nothing else. And stop making the derp face Chanyeol,” he said as he gave Chanyeol a glare. Chanyeol’s smile faded and he continued eating his spaghetti.

“I’m glad you’re okay now,” Seyoon said to him in a soft voice.

“Thanks,” he said as he gave Seyoon an awkward smile. Seyoon’s gaze didn’t last long as she went back to her food.

“Here, have some spaghetti,” said Chanyeol as he put some on Kai’s plate.

Their day continued teasing Kai. Chanyeol continued with his band stories with Baekhyun and all of them would end up laughing. Sometimes, Kai would notice Seyoon staring at him but she would avert her gaze once their eyes meet. Sometimes, she would smile and laugh at Chanyeol’s jokes. But the whole time, Kai noticed that she wasn’t talking at all unlike Sehun who was not really the talker of the group but had a lot of things to say that time. The day passed and their friends left when evening was already arriving.

There was a moment of silence once Seyoon closed the door. She saw Kai was still sitting on the sofa, cleaning up the mess that their friends had left.

“Let me do it,” said Seyoon as he approached Kai. “You don’t have to force yourself. Your flu might go back and I am not that efficient taking care of you,” Seyoon said to him.

“What?” Kai chuckled hearing Seyoon’s words.

“What? Why are you laughing?” Seyoon asked shyly.

“Who says you’re not efficient in taking care of a sick person like me. I knew that you stayed up all night taking care of me.”

Seyoon lifted her head a met Kai’s smiling eyes. “What?”

“I think I woke up when I felt someone’s weight beside me. Then I saw this hand holding a towel resting on my chest, and this snoring head on my pillow.”

Seyoon’s eyes widened and she could feel her cheeks blushed as Kai continued describing her sleeping state. She didn’t know that Kai saw all of that. She really didn’t expect to fall asleep in front of him but the way Kai described it, she knew she looked awfully bad.

“Sorry. I never meant to disturb you. I—”

“You didn’t disturb me. In fact, I find it cute when I heard you talk to your sleep,” Kai said, giving Seyoon a playful smile. It was indeed cute when Kai saw her in her sleeping state. And he thought he ended up sleeping while observing her face.

“What? Did—did I say something inappropriate?”

“No. I couldn’t understand anything that you have said. I think they were in English.”

Seyoon pouted and sat beside Kai after she finished cleaning the living room.

“Well, I am not the only one talking while sleeping,” Seyoon teased.

“Why? Did I talk? What did I say?”

“Ah…I couldn’t—”

“What? Is it about food? Or something else?”

“No…I—I I couldn’t remember actually,” Seyoon said nervously. But obviously, she still remembered those words but she won’t tell Kai about it, not for the rest of her life.

“Eh…I think I’ve said something. Why are you turning red like that?” Kai once again.

“What?”

“And I noticed that you’re not talking a while ago. Did I transfer my sickness to you?” he asked as he placed his hand on her forehead. Their faces were too closed to each other and Seyoon’s face turned from a shade of light pink to rose.

“Yah, you are the same with Chanyeol. No, I’m alright. I just…I think I ate a lot of Kyungsoo’s spaghetti. That’s all,” she said with her voice shaking.

“I never thought it has that kind of effect.”

“So, I think I should go to my room now. I still have some assignments to do that I wasn’t able to do yesterday. See you,” Seyoon quickly stood up and walked briskly to her room.

But even before she grabbed the doorknob of her room door, Kai stopped her and spun her around to face him. The next thing Seyoon felt was Kai’s arms closing her into a tight embrace, her face buried on the crook of his neck.

“If I remembered correctly, I wasn’t able to join your group hug that last time. I think I deserve one right now,” he said to her. If only she could melt in Kai’s embrace, she would. If only she could hug him back tightly, she would. If only she could give him a kiss on the cheek, she was more than willing she could. But she couldn’t do it, not in front of Kai. So on that moment, she just gave Kai a simple friendly hug before she pulled herself away from him. But when she tried to, Kai’s embraced became tighter.

 

~*~

"Seyoon, would it be selfish of me if I ask you to forget about Kai and your feelings for him?”

This time, the smile on Luhan’s face faded and was replaced with a serious look. Seyoon thought for a second before she met Luhan’s eyes again.

She looked at him straight in the eyes and she wanted to sound as sincere and as honest as possible. "I'm sorry Luhan. I couldn't do what you're asking me to. Yes, it is true that I like Kai. In fact, I think this is not a like anymore but more than that. And even though I already knew his relationship with Krystal, I think my feeling haven't changed. I like him ever since we were in middle school and my feelings remains the same until now. I am sorry if I am saying all of these things to you right now. I never meant to deceive you or-"

"It's alright. You don't have to apologize. It's my fault anyway. I've already seen it but I just couldn't accept the fact that you like him or love him." Luhan heaved a deep sigh as he stood up.

"Luhan..."

"Unfortunately, Luhan doesn't accept being dumped. So, Seyoon, I am sorry but I have to dump you," Luhan said without looking at her.

"Luhan...Sorry."

"I'll just see you tomorrow. But..." Luhan turned his head and faced Seyoon. He placed his hands on Seyoon's shoulder. "If I were you I wouldn't let my feelings drown inside me. Even if it's not right, I think you should tell Kai about what you feel. You would just suffer if you won't let your feelings out. Besides, we wouldn't know what would happen if he finds out. Don't worry. You can still run after me but I could only offer a friend's hug," Luhan told her as he gave a delicate smile.

"Luhan...Thank you."

"Can I have my friendly hug now? Someone just dumped me, I need a friend right now," he told her with the intention of teasing her but Seyoon ended up giving him a hug, a hug that Luhan knew he would treasure for a lifetime, the last hug he would receive from the girl he loves.

'You're lucky Kai...'

~*~

 

“Just a little longer. I still wasn’t able to thank you for everything you’ve done,” he said once again with his deep voice.

“No, it was nothing compared to what Krystal have done. Kai, can I ask you one thing?” Seyoon said as she was still captured by Kai’s embrace.

“What is it?”

“Is it true that—” Kai could feel Seyoon’s embrace became tighter. “Is it true that you accepted the marriage agreement because…be…because Krystal…to…told you so?” Kai wasn’t sure but she knew that Seyoon voice sounded as if there was a lump on , as if she was holding something in, as if she was about to cry.

He tried to pull away from her embrace but she embraced him tightly.

“No, please just answer my question,” she told him.

“Seyoon, are you—”

“Is it true?” she asked again. Kai couldn’t look at her because she was embracing him tightly as if preventing him from seeing her face.

“Ye—” Kai also felt something stopping him from speaking but he still had to answer anyway as Seyoon won’t let him go if he didn’t. “Yes,” he admitted.

With that he heard Seyoon sobbed. “Alright,” she said as she pulled away from Kai but her head was lowered down and her hair was flowing in front of her, covering her face. She turned around to grab again the knob of her door. Without looking at Kai she said, “See you tomorrow. Goodnight,” before she closed her door.

Kai stood in front of her door dumbfounded. Kai didn’t know what that was all about. Kai didn’t know why Seyoon acted differently all of a sudden. Kai didn’t know why she asked that question to him and why she cried upon hearing his answers. Kai didn’t know or maybe he knew but he couldn’t and wouldn't believe it.

‘Seyoon, do you have feelings for…me?’

 

 

 

 

 

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Okay, I finished it today. And this is a week's worth of an update. 6k+ words. Oh my gawd! Update would be a week or two from now. For the meantime, please enjoy this adorable gif. I want to hug him tightly. So cute!!!!

(cr: right owner)