♦ CHAPTER III ♦

◘◘ THE HABIT THAT IS GETTING WORSE BY THE MINUTE ◘◘

The easier it is to do, the harder it is to change. 

~Eng's Principle

The next day when I opened my eyes and found a teary Ken looking at me like I did him wrong, terribly wrong. What have I done this time?

An instant reaction my body did after witnessing Ken’s red puffy eyes was by  reaching out for his cheeks and wipe away those tears.

“H-hyung…”

“What’s wrong, Ken? Did I—“

I couldn’t finish. I didn’t have the heart to know what I did to Ken last night. Ken’s crying face tells it all. I did something very wrong. Whatever it is, I don’t want to know.

Ken’s sniffle brought me back to my senses and Ken’s cold, wet cheek in the process.

Seeing Ken’s face made me curious that I want to kill a cat for it but at the same time, I’m scared to find out the truth. It makes me dizzy to think that whenever I sleep I’m becoming something I can’t even comprehend.

It makes me restless, thinking that I’m becoming a burden to Ken. I wish this thing to stop but, how? How can I stop it when I don’t even have an idea what’s really happening to me?

“C-can I know what you did last night?”

Ken’s question knocked me off guard. What I did last night? I don’t even know what to answer—but, hey. I think I remember something.

“Strawberries,” I muttered as I rummaged my brain for something more detail than strawberries but the only thing that struck my bleeped up brain is that fragrant scent of strawberries and the undoubtedly fresh and sweet taste of it. Actually, the taste still lingered at the back of my tongue? Or, is it my throat? Anyway, the taste I vividly remembered. End of story.

“S-strawberries? You d-dreamed about strawberries, Hyung?”

Without knowing it, my head nodded in quick response. When I stare back at Ken’s eyes, I saw it shimmer with flooding tears.

“D-do you remember t-tasting it?”

“Yes.” I answered, confidently. “Sweet and fresh…” I mumbled.

Ken then wipes his tears away and nodded.

“W-why are you asking it, anyway? A-are you alright now, Jaehwan-ah?”

I asked him as he took a sit on the bed and looked at me. He then suddenly squished my cheeks so very early in the morning that I didn’t have the time to dodge his attack.

Ken then lean downward then stops before our noses touch and mockingly smirk.

“I’m glad you liked that fresh, young, sweet, funny and cute strawberry because if not,” Ken paused and pinched my cheeks hard, making me screamed in pain out loud. “I will never forgive you.” He then hopped off the bed after letting go of