“I don’t like it,” Mira bluntly said.

After several blinks and several moments taken to digest the new found fact, Kyuhyun shoved the bracelet back into the box, placed the lid on and shifted his eyes back to Mira.

“Okay then.. I can’t do anything about you not liking it, can I?” a bitter smile left his lips as he spoke, to which Mira replied with just a simple hum, biting her lower lips.

“Yeah.. I’ll get going then..” she murmured and as she was just about to turn away, Kyuhyun grabbed hold of her wrist in one swift motion. It wasn’t a forceful grab and Mira could have just yanked it away if she wanted to, but no.

The girl stopped in her tracks and turned to face him again, but with a surprised look this time. There was no need of her to ask what the hell Kyuhyun wanted because the look on her face had given it away.

“Can you—urmm—help me with this thing?” he let go of Mira’s wrist to now hold up one end of his necktie.

Just the sight of that necktie pissed her off. It reminded her of yesterday, seeing Sora helping out with his tie. And then the blurry image of him comfortably putting his hands on Sora’s shoulders fogged her thoughts as well. Yeah.. I bet she’d make a whole lot better partner than me..

“Where’s Sora?” she asked nonchalantly, with the hope that Kyuhyun would understand what she actually meant.

“What—why?–will you help me with the tie or not?” a frown settled on his forehead. Seriously, Kyuhyun. Keep on frowning like that and you’ll have wrinkles before you even grow a grey hair.

“No!” Mira’s voice was a notch higher in volume, as well as in annoyance. Honestly, is that the way to ask help from a person? Shouldn’t you be all nice and proper when asking for help? She gave him a glare before turning around and started to walk away, without even looking back.

She heard Kyuhyun’s door slowly closed only after walking for about ten steps away from it.

“Damn it,” she hissed.

***

Kyuhyun slowly closed the door in frustration. Not only did he fail to attain help with the necktie, he missed an opportunity to have a moment with Mira. Despite him being all angry and grumpy about Mira lying to her about Sehun and that thought of Mira and Dr Jung previously had a ual relationship, he couldn’t deny that having her in front him would be a satisfying moment.

The frown on his forehead was still there. The frown was acting like it was his best friend—not wanting to leave his forehead. The frown was now pairing up with his furrowed brows. They made an ideal combo pack.

He was annoyed. It was vivid that he was annoyed. Thanks to the combo of his furrowed brows and frown. He thought that Mira didn’t have to ask about Sora. Knowing what she meant by asking where Sora was when he asked her to help him, he just could help himself feeling annoyed by Mira’s inquiry.

A part of him believed that Mira should be feeling, if not much, a tad bit of jealousy at the back of her heart, seeing how close he was with Sora yesterday. But then again, another part of him wants Mira to just chuck everything aside and act as if nothing crappy had happened between them, and just seize the moment for them to be sweet to each other, just like they used to.

Knock..knock..

“What?” he opened it immediately  as he was standing right by the door.

In came Mira, with an annoyed face. She straight away walked up to the surprised and confused Kyuhyun and yanked both ends on his necktie  a little bit too rough—sending Kyuhyun to jerk a foot closer to her, but neither of them seemed to mind.

Kyuhyun’s eyes, which were rounded in surprised just now, managed to retain to its normal size. What doesn’t seem normal though, was the soft smile uncurling on his red lips.

Did the sight of Mira standing just inches away from him made him smile? Was it the way she was helpfully knotting the necktie around his neck, totally contradicting the look of annoyance on her lovely face? Was it the scent of her perfume, which smelled like exotic wild flowers planted in the seventh heaven showered by unicorn tears galloping over rainbows that made him feel a sense of calm and happiness? Or, could it possibly be the way her hands touched his clothed chest, easing out the soft wrinkles formed whilst she was helping him with the tie—the slight heat created when she caressed the palms of her hands from the top of his shoulders down to his chest and ended right at the level of the pockets of the shirt.

Yes. Yes to all of the above.

“Done” she stated and gave him one super quick glance before she began turning around to walk out of the door. She hates herself now. All the prep talk she gave herself was a waste, for she didn’t have the heart to not help him when he asked for her help ever so earnestly. And the disturbing fact that he was looking strangely good looking in button-ups made her want to see more of him. She wants to see him, always.

Kyuhyun quickly stopped her by getting hold of the knob first and blocking her way out of his room.

Mira gave him that same look, which Kyuhyun knew he had to explain the reason to his unlikely behaviour. He didn’t know if he should be smiling at her, because they were still in a very much awkward and cold towards one another. His eyes began to wander about all the places in his room, avoiding Mira’s.

“What?!” Mira suddenly spat impatiently..

“What thank you  Sunshine!” Kyuhyun immediately answered, surprised by Mira’s sudden outrage.

Sunshine..

He bit his lips as soon as those words left his mouth. Mira shifted her eyes looking elsewhere and cleared before answering him with a ‘welcome’ under her breath. If it was two or three weeks ago, she was sure that she could pass out from excessive blushing whenever Kyuhyun calls her ‘Sunshine’. But now..

What are you trying to do to me, Kyu. Two days ago you asked me to wait for you. Then all of a sudden you were close to someone else, making me feel... I don’t know.. jealous?? She heaved a sigh. And then the way you were looking at me when I helped you with that necktie. Don’t you know how you make me feel, looking at me like that?! I mean—even I, myself, don’t know why the heck I helped you out with that stupid tie of yours. Freaking learn to knot that up yourself!!  Tch.. I want to ignore you, Kyuhyun!  I want to hate you for hurting me! I so very much want to.. but it’s so hard.. and please.. jjaebal.. stop calling me Sunshine..

The morning briefing by Leeteuk went by quickly. After assigning each group to their own task, he brought his group members to the Paediatric ward.

“This is my favourite place in the hospital,” he told the others. Sora observed Leeteuk as he held the hands of one seven year old girl, who had a pink cowboy hat on her head. Somehow, the way he was smiling to the little girl, revealing his simple dimple, warmed the heart of Oh Sora. Sitting on one side of the girl’s bed, Leeteuk was pinching the girl’s cheeks and that made her giggle and then her hat fell off the bed.

Sora gasped quietly. The little girl’s hair was uneven. Some of them were long while others were short. She has Leukaemia. The girl caught sight of Sora staring at her and she felt uneasy—trying her best to grab the hat which had fallen off.

Another hand passed by the girl’s hand and fetched the hat for her. It was Leeteuk.

“Park paksa-nim..” the girl whispered and urged Leeteuk to hand her hat back. “Ppali.. the new doctor will see my ugly hair. And then she’ll—“

“She’ll love you just as much as I do, Suminnie.. arra?”  Leeteuk smiled and gave her head a gentle pat before he placed the hat back onto the girl’s head. “Now go on and play with the others, okay beautiful?” he smiled and the little girl flashed him a grin before hugging him tightly and ran off to join the other kids playing in one corner.

“You really like kids, don’t you, sunbae?” Sora asked him as soon as they were left together. He looked at her and answered with just a simple smile and a nod. “Umm.. sunbae..” Sora called onto him again, gathering her courage to ask him something she had been wanting to ask ever since yesterday.

“What is it?” he turned his full attention to her, his favourite. “What can I do for my favourite hoobae?” he almost lifted his hand to pinch her cheeks.

“Is.. umm.. is it possible if you change me to Kyuhyun’s group?”

Leeteuk put his hand down and thank god he hadn’t pinched her. That would be ultimately embarrassing. Yet, the feeling of disappointment kept on swelling within him. He was fully aware of how Sora is so much into Kyuhyun. Plus, after what Donghae had told him about the happenings on the rooftop last night, he knew that he, of all  people, would never have a chance to recruit his love for her.

“No,”

***

“Mira, take these to the lab please,”

“Ne, sunbae,” the obedient girl answered Donghae.

Their group had been working on the blood samples taken from patients since this morning and now, it was nearing noon. The samples need to be taken to the lab to be tested for various illness and Donghae had assigned Mira to do so.

“Oh, and one more thing!” he called onto her, right before she exited the room. “Make sure you go and have lunch at 12 sharp. That’s an order,” he winked and she knew what he meant. Donghae is such a sweetie.

Mira stood in front of door which had a silver metallic sign on it which read ‘Lab 5’. There was a small clear glass window on the door, where you can see or peep into the inside of the lab.

She had been standing in front of the door for the past minute, hesitating whether or not she should go in.

It wasn’t that she was nervous or scared to carry out the tests her sunbae had assigned her to. As far as she can remember, testing blood samples had always excite her, what more viewing the samples under the microscope and make discoveries.

It was what she saw through that tiny window on the door that made her hesitate.

She looked down at the poor blood samples, screaming to be tested right away. Taking in a deep breath and closed her eyes, she thought she should just fight herself and just get her in there and ignore what ever—when the door opened in an abrupt manner all of a sudden to allow a man to exit from the room and closed itself behind him.

Her eyes widen and her breath was caught in the middle of .

“Kim Mira,” Dr Jung greeted her. She nodded and kept her eyes onto the tray of blood samples she was holding onto.

“Jung paksa-nim.. it’s been a long time..” she muttered quietly as her grasp on the tray tightened. The male doctor realised how nervous she was and decided that this wasn’t the right time for them to talk.

“Get in. The samples would turn out better if you work on them straight away,” he said and opened the door for her.

It’s like a never ending tunnel.. Mira thought. It wasn’t just Dr Jung she had to deal with, it was also the other person who was in the lab as well.

Cho Kyuhyun.

“Ne,” she said and entered the room, leaving Dr Jung holding onto the door.

“Kyuhyun, you work together with Kim Mira here. I’ll be back,” Dr Jung called onto Kyuhyun, who was working on his blood samples and didn’t realize anything, until he thought he heard Mira’s voice.

“Ohh. Ne, paksa-nim. Ne,” he replied, slightly stuttering.

As soon as the door closed, it felt as if all air had been out from the room. Kyuhyun wasn’t sure if he should greet her, or casually start a conversation, or to just shut up and ignore her.

Well, Kyuhyun didn’t have to decide, because Mira had decided for her.

She placed her tray of samples beside him and sat herself comfortably and reached for the microscope in front of her.

“You have to test those too?” she casually asked him, without even bothering to make eye contact. It was clear that she was talking to him just for the sake of manners.

“Uhh.. yeah,” he replied, strangely nervous. After the ‘sunshine’ incident that morning, he couldn’t quite let it go. He took a deep breath, quietly, and decided that if Kim Mira can play it cool, so can Cho Kyuhyun.

“I’m sorry I didn’t get to thank you properly this morning,” he said, looking through his own microscope. It was just like a scene from any hospital-based drama, where two people would be conversing while busy checking samples through their own microscopes.

“I thought you already did”

“I did?”

“don’t you remember?”

“well, no harm in thanking you again, is there?”

“there might be. Who knows..”

“What?!” this time, Kyuhyun’s eyes left the microscope to look at the girl who was fluently talking back. “What kind of harm will come out from that, Kim-paksa-nim?” he asked her, with an intention to irritate her.

“What I’m saying, Cho-paksa-nim,” she replied, now looking towards him too. “is that I wouldn’t want to be seen with you thanking me for small little things. Somebody might misunderstand,” she said and glared at him before shifting back to the microscope, resuming whatever she was doing a while ago.

Kyuhyun could literally feel the frown forming on his face as of that moment. “Somebody who?”. He didn’t get Mira’s subtle and underlying words. Or was he pretending to sound like it?

“Somebody like—I don’t know.. your current girlfriend??,” she replied, not bothered to look at the gawking expression on his face. Mira now understand how clueless Kyuhyun could be when it comes to relationship stuff, perhaps due to his lack of experience. But, honestly, Kyu.. it doesn’t take a doctor to understand that your girlfriend would feel jealous knowing you and an ex are in good terms, talking about stuff, being friendly, and all that.

If only people don’t assume and just ask, wouldn’t that make the world a happier place? Here is Kim Mira, assuming Cho Kyuhyun and Oh Sora might be in a relationship, whatever kind it may be. The minute she saw Kyuhyun sling his arms across Sora’s shoulders last night, plus the necktie incident with, again, Sora, she started to assume things were happening between them. She didn’t know about Kyuhyun’s discovery of Sehun, so the poor girl didn’t really get why Kyuhyun was acting cold to her.

“I don’t have one. I used to, but now I don’t,” his jaws twitched as he said that. Somehow, the fact that he lost Mira due to a simple misunderstanding in the first place, which was about the tuition fee, still haunted him. If only we survived that, none of this crap would’ve happened. But—you did lie to me about Sehun. %@#$!!!

“Sora would be hurt if she hears that, Cho paksa-nim,” Mira huffed through the microscope. “Oh look at that.. a family of bacteria..” she added. She didn’t want Kyuhyun to think that he and Sora are a big deal to her, even though the veins in her were throbbing each time the thought of Kyuhyun already moving on revisits. Hence, the mention of the bacteria was just a cover-up. Lol, Kim Mira..

“Then I guess I should go and apologize to her,” he said and abruptly stood up, making Mira caught by surprised and quickly shifted her gaze to him. Both weren’t smiling, that’s for sure, albeit Kyuhyun was smiling inside, because he knew he had gotten her attention right there. “I should go and apologize to her, shouldn’t I?” he motioned his hands to the door.

Her breathing was starting to get heavier. No. Damn it. Why am I such a meek! I don’t want you to go to her, Cho Kyuhyun. . Nonetheless, she nodded a weak ‘yes’ before shifting to the microscope again.

Disappointment, was what Kyuhyun felt. He had hoped that she would display some jealousy to the fact that he was clearly leaving her for Sora at that moment. He wanted Mira to show him that she hated the fake fact that Kyuhyun was placing Sora’s emotions as an important issue here.

“Yeah, I’ll—“

He stopped the moment he felt his lab coat was tugged. There could be only two possibilities.

1. His coat got stuck.
2. Mira was tugging at it.

Please be number 2.. please be number 2..

“Cho paksa-nim.. “ Mira swallowed hard, hating herself for breaking her own promise and vows she uttered in front of the mirror that morning. “Can you—please—take a look—umm—at this sample—here—please..”

wait. Did I say please twice?