eleven.

Holding her hand out, Hyorin avoided his gaze altogether as she demanded for the return of her cellphone once again. Why does he feel the need to question her about her private life? And so what if she was trying to move on past him, was that really considered 'rebounding'? Donghae is a nice guy, if anything she would never purposely treat him in such a way. She was never one for using people to her advantage and she sure as hell wasn't going to start now. Yes, Kyuhyun had wounded her pride but not so much that she'd stoop that low.

"Are you still not giving it up?" Hyorin growled as she fumbled the keys in her hand. "Fine. Just give it to me tomorrow at work. Do charge it while you're at home though."

"Why aren't you answering my question?"

"Oh I don't know, perhaps it's because I'm sick!" She seethed through clenched teeth. "Could you stop interrogating an ill person now and allow me to rest in peace?"

"My apologies," he remarked as he moved her aside only to take the key from her grasp. Opening the door hastily, he placed a hand at the small of her back before guiding her inside the comfy apartment. "Since you're seeking comfort and some solitude, I figured you'd feel better here within your home and out of your neighbors' ear range."

"When I said I wanted solitude, I meant from you."

"You can seriously forget that option for right now until you answer me."

She watched for a falter in his expression, some sort of twitch to ensure that he was indeed joking but when his face remained placid and his gaze didn't soften, she knew he meant what he was saying. There was no way she was going to allow him to control in her own home. Yes, at the office it's a different story because she has no choice but here, she had all the right to kick him out of her house without any sort of back-lash or regret. Pointing to the door, she lifted a perfectly tweezed eyebrow as she mouthed the words 'get out' only to receive a smirk in response.

"Why are you acting so stubborn? It's like dealing with a child."

"I could say the same thing," he retorted before he lunged for her, knocking their bodies over and onto the cushions of the couch behind. After a few attempts to break free from Kyuhyun's strong grasp, Hyorin could only give up in the end as he turned them over with her beneath him glaring up through narrowed eyes. "Just answer me and I'll allow you to get up faster."

"Or I can do this," she whispered before she attempted to bring her knee up to his most private area in which he dodged away from it instead with that sickening smirk plastered on his handsome face. Crap, she cringed as he brought his face forth, his hot breath smacking against the shell of her left ear.

"You're not playing fair." Whatever was making her nervous, Hyorin could no longer contain it as she pushed him away only to result with the side of her neck being grazed by his upper teeth. She had definitely caught him off guard as he reached forward to inspect the newly fresh mark on her, "why did you do that? Now you look like you have a hickey."

"It's fine, just stop touching it."

"Where's your first aid kit? There's got to be something in there to help prevent this from marking your skin up too much." He stood to his feet as he began to search the room frantically, "I'd promised Jessica that I would call and let them know you're okay. You're definitely not okay after that hickey I've given you. It must hurt like hell."

"Can you not say it like that?" She began before her eyes rounded in realization, "but you didn't promise anything of the sort. Donghae promised, not you."

"But in a way, I've promised him too when I took over caring for you."

"It's in the kitchen," she murmured as she sat up to face away from him. "The kit's in the cabinet near the fridge. You can't miss it." There was no point in arguing anymore; with a throbbing head and all, she definitely needed to keep him around as the temperature in her body rose to an uncomfortable degree. 

"I'm going to change out of this dress." She called over her shoulder as she took steady steps towards her bedroom as he submerged from the kitchen at the same moment with a glass of water in hand.

"Not before you take these," he towered over her as he gestured for her to turn her palm over. Not wanting to argue with him any longer, Hyorin quickly accepted the medication as she threw her head back and allowed the pills to slip down her esophagus.  Motioning for the glass, he watched as she chugged down the clear liquid before using the back of her hand to rid of the wet substance from her lips. "I guess you can go change now."

"Well, I'd like to but it's a very complicated dress and I kind of need help getting out of it," she whispered sadly as she pointed to the laces in the back. "I'd need a pair of scissors if I'm going to do this alone; it's really too beautiful to destroy."

"That's funny, I find it kind of plain in comparison to others at the banquet." He grumbled in irritation before stepping forward to turn her back to him, "this is really too much for an employee-trainer work relationship."

"If you're going to relate everything to work then just let me be and you can exit out that very door. I'm sick, I'm burning up and I need this satin material off of my skin pronto." Staggering forward, she reached around for the loose strap before sending him a pointed look, "besides, it's not very employee-trainer like for you to be in my apartment at this time of night."

"Would you stop acting so melodramatic? I didn't say I wouldn't help." He reminded before placing his fingers around the strap she had once been holding and tugging it towards him. It felt like a century as she impatiently waited for him to finish unclasping the contraptions holding her gown together; a few times, it felt like he'd purposely swept his fingers across her skin and she could only blush at the contact.

As soon as the last button unclasped, Hyorin flew across the room as she held the garment up to her chest with Kyuhyun not too far behind her. The proximity in which they were standing sent chills down her spine as she caught the questionable gaze plastered on his face. Swallowing down her saliva, she squeaked, "what is it?" in which he remained silent a few more seconds before answering.

"You looked gorgeous tonight."

"Are you—well." This was new. She didn't even know how to properly respond to a compliment on appearance let alone from this hostile man although he had been showing her a different side as of lately, "—thank you?"

"You're welcome." He replied before closing the distance between them and reaching for her hair. Delicately, he untangled some of t