Sighing aloud, he turned in his bed and looked at the ceiling. Mumbling incoherent words, he sat up and rubbed his eyes. The boy picked up his phone and looked at the time. 7:30 AM.

It was months after they won the cruel survival game. WIN had been extremely tiring to all of them - including Team B. 

Groaning at the horribly dream crushing memories, he closed his eyes. Mino remembered completely how he let himself go, his vision blurry with tears that, only seconds later, started streaming down his face. He remembered how a lump formed in his throat as his breathe came out uneven. He remembered losing sense of his surroundings and hugging Bobby, who, clearly, was crying as well. He remembered the surreal feeling in his chest when he heard the results of the voting. He remembered all their faces, pain and happiness written in them. He remembered trying to go over to comfort them, but the opposite happening. He remembered holding whoever came his way for a faint grasp of reality. He remembered the fans and the member's family and friends, all silently praying for all 11 of them. He remembered her.

Opening his eyes, he shook his head vigorously. Enough thinking about it. He needed to get up, get ready and compose for their album, to then go to the company and train.

Upset at the fact that he was awake so early, Mino stood up and walked to the bathroom. He took his clothes off and stepped into the shower's running water. As the warmth involved his skin, the black haired Korean felt himself relax. There was nothing better than the moment when his cold body turned hot. Most people thought in the shower. He wasn't one of them. In his opinion, that would completely ruin the purpose of taking a shower. "Why dirtying your body and soul with corrupting thoughts when you are getting cleaned?" He muttered when he got out of the cabin and put a red towel, long enough to cover him past the knees, around his hips.

...

The snow was falling at an incredibly slow rhythm - or so it seemed - as she made her way to the company. Eyes red, with black eye bags that made her appearance look the worst possible and, topping all of that off, her usually bright face looked painfully pale. She dragged her feet along the sidewalk and let out a sigh that made a small cloud show up right under her nose. The girl stopped on her tracks, watching it rise and vanish, amazed by the patterns it made in thin air. Oh, how the simplest of things always amused her. 

Returning to what she was doing, she pulled her scarf higher, in an attempt to maintain at least a bit of warmth near her face. She was already pale enough and a red nose would only make her look like Rudolph, the reindeer. The wind gushed, making strands of her dark hair fly over, partially covering her face. She brushed them away and flinched slightly at how her cold fingertips touched her cheek, goosebumps raising on her back and arms.

Stuffing her hands inside her pockets, she looked around. She was near WINNER's dorm. Chaerin could swear she spent almost all night awake, thinking about him. The boy surely knew how to fill her mind with disgraceful theories and insane thoughts. Picking up the pace, she huffed to herself. 'Just get away from this neighbourhood, Lee Chaerin. It's not healthy for you or your career.' She thought, speeding away from the sight of the building.

Deep down, she knew it wasn't because of where she stood that she was thinking about him. It was her fault, but maybe, just maybe, if she stayed away for long enough, the feelings would disappear. Most probably, not. It was worth a try though. He was a distraction and never once she remembered being away in thoughts while working. He did this. He was the reason she spaced out so many times during training, recording or even filming. He was a sickness.

...

"Ah, I'm hungry." Mino announced as if it was a matter of life and death.

Seungyoon snickered and pat his back. "You'll eat soon, piggy. Calm down." 

The other one simply pursed his lips and kept walking. It was not like he was that fat. Why did he have to point out the fact that he couldn't seem to lose more weight so often? He was the boy's hyung as well after all. A little respect would be nice, no? 

Seeing the gloom expression in the his face, the leader sighed and opened the company's door to him. "Sorry. That could've been avoided." 

He simply nodded as if saying he accepted the apology and stepped in followed by the rest.

Feeling the mood that was dropping, Seunghoon immediately looked for something to raise it. "Hey, since it's midday we should go eat something at the cafeteria and see if any of the sunbaes are around." 

Mino cheered along with the maknae and the eldest and started skipping to the elevator, making everyone chuckle.

In the short trip to the floor where the cafeteria was, he had calmed down and started a conversation with Seunghoon about the time when he was in BoM. 
  
...

Chaerin heard the strong laughter of about 5 boys, coming down the hallway to the caffeteria. That only meant one of two things. Big Bang or WINNER were coming - and, judging by the sound of their voices and conversation, it was the group she didn't want to find today. 

Cursing to herself, she hurried to the table at the farthest corner of the room and hoped to all gods and saints they didn't notice her.

"-not that popular. We didn't have much fans, so I don't know what you're talking about. Tsk, what a erted maknae we have." She heard Mino say, his voice clearly giving away that he was trying to piss Taehyun off -- what, by the way, failed. "Ash, what the hell? He never get's mad!" He added, whining.

Seconds later, she saw them enter the cafeteria and head to the cooking ladies. They saw her. All of them. 'Lee Chaerin, what were you thinking? There's nobody else in here. Of course they'd see you. That was dumb.' Groaning inwardly, she looked back down at her tray and kept eating.

"Oh, my boys!" She heard one of the old ladies say sweetly, happiness painted in her voice. "I haven't seen you all for so long! How have you been?" The 6 talked for a bit before getting their food and sitting in the table in front of hers.

"Hello, sunbae." They all said, politely and bowed. She replied with a light bow and a smile, eyes lingering on him all the time. He sat right across her, which made it hard to look away. Nice thing she was a good enough actress and was able to pretend like it was nothing.

She finished eating and gave her tray back to one of the old ladies, smiling brightly, thanking them for the meal and saying it was tasty, as always. "No need to thank us, Chaerin-ah.. And, don't let some rascal keep you awake all night, eh?" One of them said, teasingly but worriedly and all she could do was send her a nod in reply along with a thankful look. Those aunts always knew if something was wrong with her. How did they do it?

She bowed one last time and walked away, bag thrown over her shoulder and heels making a clacking sound against the tiles. Chaerin could feel a few looks on her and, not wanting to pull more attention to herself, she fastened her pace and walked out, stopping at the beginning of the stairs that lead up to the many rooms. Sighing, the girl felt her facade slowly break and crumble until it fell to the ground. 

Making sure nobody -- or, rather, him -- was watching, she walked up the stairs, greeting the few people she passed by. She walked up, and up, until she got to the last level of the building. The terrace. By then, she was panting with small drops of sweat forming on her forehead and a rosy colour tainting her cheeks. Chaerin closed to door behind her and walked forward to the railing, hands slowly grazing the cold metal surface.

...

He excused himself from the group and followed the sound of her shoes up the stairs. When they stopped and he felt a light breeze blow through the last floor, he knew she was in the terrace. Inhaling deeply, he managed to gather some courage and opened the door that led outside, letting it close by itself after he stepped into the snow that covered the floor like a white sheet of paper.

Sending hot air to his hands, he looked around to verify they were alone. The world seemed to slow down as he made his way up to her. She didn't seem to notice he was there, because she didn't turn around nor speak up when the door closed with a 'bang'. He coughed lightly to get her attention, no reaction. Nibbling on his lower lip, he noticed she had earphones on. 'So that was why.'

When he was about to tap her shoulder, he heard her huff and speak to herself. "Ah, to hell with it. This is not good for you and he doesn't even like you back, Chaerin. You'll forget him and keep going with you life." She stopped for a moment and raised both her hands. 'What is sh-' Mino didn't even have the time to finish thinking, when she spoke loud and clear. "I, Lee Chaerin, promise to forget the rascal I've fallen with." Nodding, she intertwined both her pinky fingers and laughed lightly to herself.

He just went up there to speak to her, because she never seemed to leave his mind and they didn't have a nice time together in a while, instead, he heard something he didn't want to. She liked someone.

Maybe it was better this way, really. He was going to debut in a short period of time and she would be a distraction. He couldn't afford that. Not after hearing the words his boss said. He had to work and be the best of the best to be able to prevail in this industry. It wasn't like he didn't know that already, but his subconscious thought it was okay to laze around with things this time, just because he was on YG. Dumb.

As he walked back inside, he dusted off the snow in his hair and clothes. Mino walked back down the stairs and went to WINNER's training studio. Along the way, his thoughts wandered off to her.

He was pretty sure the one she liked wasn't him. Who would want him, right? He was just an almost average guy. Talented to the bones, lacking in personality and unfaithful. He was practically the worst person to like anyway. That man said it himself. Mino wouldn't be able to stay with one girl only. 

Besides, she probably liked Youngbae hyung. They were always together these days and when she was with him it seemed like the whole room brightened with her smile. Yes, it as better this way.

Entering the studio, he sighed and took his thick jacket off. Work time.

...

Days later, on her way to the 2NE1 practise room, Chaerin encountered Seungyoon, who, quite surprisingly, spoke to her. The boy was usually so quiet and shy when with her, but not that day. No. That day he spoke to her abnormally freely, asking for advice and opinions.

"Ah, yes.. and, noona... Have you been with Mino lately?" She pursed her lips and shook her head. Why did he have to ask such a thing?

"No, not really. Why?"

The other sighed and bit lightly at his lower lip.  "It's just that he's been acting weird lately. He barely even seems the same. Maybe it's just my imagination." Shrugging his shoulders to act like he didn't care, he added. "I was just wondering - since you two are, or used to be, quite close - if you knew something about it."

She shook her head once more. "I'm sorry, I don't know anything about it. We haven't been in touch recently, so I couldn't really be able to tell you anything." 

Now that she had successfully spent almost a whole day without thinking about him, Seungyoon had to bring him up. Maybe it was just really meant to happen and she couldn't fight it. Letting him wander her mind should be the best option, right?

"It's okay. Thank you for everything, noona. I'm going to write more for the debut album now. Good luck with your practise!" The boy smiled at her and made a 'fighting' motion before walking away to another room.

A low 'thanks' left her lips as she opened her studio's door. The rest of the group was already there, as well as the dancers. With some apologies, she entered, took her coat off and started stretching.

Hours later and finally, they decided to have a break. Chaerin was close to have a mental breakdown and it was all thanks to her fragile state. Him in her mind, soreness in her body. What a great day.

...

He rambled to himself about how everything seemed to get in his nerves lately and turned his PC off. His eyes were heavy and burning, but he wasn't tired - actually, he was, but he couldn't. He had lyrics to check, tunes to listen and, most of all, he had to think about ways to make all of those better.

Groaning, he leaned back against his chair and rubbed his eyes. It was over 3 AM and he still didn't feel satisfied about anything he did that day. When he felt himself fall asleep, he shot his eyes open and stood up. "No. No sleeping. You gotta work." 

Pacing around the studio, he tried to stay awake and think. "What the am I gonna do with my solo? Should I take it back to the underground days? Add an electro sound to it? God, I don't know."

Before he was able to even do anything, he fell onto the ground, immediately blacking out.

...

'I should get in and talk to him.. Maybe not. Or yes? No. Yes? Yes.' Taking in a deep breathe, she opened the door, just on time to see him lean back in a chair and groan. 

She had spent half of the night in the company practising her dance for various songs and her vocals since she didn't seem to get the right note on the chorus part of 'Missing You'. When she found out that the difference of tone she did live made the music a bit weird, she decided to practise and practise. It was almost perfect now, but she needed to rest before keeping up with all of this. hurt and she needed to speak to Mino.

'Maybe this is a bad idea.' She thought and, slowly, started closing the door, but, curiosity took over her when she heard him speak to himself and, deciding to hear, but flee right before he even get's a chance to see her, she opened it again.

"-gotta work." She observed him as he paced around and sighed to herself. 'Is he planning on working himself to exaustion? This idiot...'

Before she could process whatever he said after, she saw his body fall onto the ground. Gasping, she prayed to herself he'd be fine and moving in seconds. That didn't happen.

After exitating for a couple of minutes, she barged into the room. Kneeling next to him, she checked his pulse, her own hands trembling with nervousness and her heart racing with worry. He was weak and, seeing his face, she knew exactly why. Lack of proteins and vitamins in the blood. Looking around, she looked for his phone since - being smart -  she didn't bring her own.

Picking it up from the table, she clicked the speed dial and waited for the other line to pick up. "Yes?" A male voice sounded and she sighed in relief. He, whoever he was, sounded sleepy and Chaerin almost felt bad. Almost.

Looking at the name of the person she called, she put the phone back to her ear. "Mino, dude. Are you ther-"

"It's not him. It's a.. it's a friend. I need... help?"

"Oh? What happened?" Block B's leader asked, sounding worried, all sleepiness drawn away from his voice.

"Zico, right?" He answered with a 'it's the one' and she continued. "Zico, it's Chaerin. Mino just fainted and I don't know how to take him somewhere else since I'm not the strongest of girls. Would you mind passing by the company? Just say you came to see Mino to the security guards and they'll tell you where he is."

", I can't go... Pyo will be there in half an hour!" He answered, quickly, and hung up.

She put the phone back on the table and crawled back to the other's fainted body. "When was the last time you ate, idiot?" She flicked his cheek and looked at him with a pitiful look. "I know you want to do your best at this, but pushing yourself to the point you get sick is not okay."

She just sat there for a while, brushing strands of his hair with her fingers. She was worried. No, worried wasn't enough to explain how much she cared for him at that exact moment. This wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to be happy, healthy and sane. Not sad, sick and going crazy. It wasn't fair.

"I wish it was me." She murmured and softly his cheek, before giving it a gentle peck, sparks spreading from her lips to her whole body.

...

He woke up in a strange room, two recognisable voices speaking in the distance. He sat up and looked down at his lap. A white blanket was the only thing covering his body besides some weird hospital clothes. What was all of this? He didn't even remember getting there. The last thing he remembered was being in the studio, thinking about WINNER's album. Did he faint? , that couldn't be right.

A black haired girl with sweatpants and a hoodie rested in a chair, near his bed. Her head was down, but he recognised her instantly. Who wouldn't? 

"-ow did you know he fainted at the company though?" He heard Seunghoon ask from the other side of the door.

"CL called me from his phone." Mino felt his mouth curl up into a smile and his stomach get filled with tickling sensations as he heard Jihoon's answer. This girl had actually cared to call, ask for help and stay with him. 

Soon, the smile on his face vanished. 'Don't get your hopes high. She likes Taeyang sunbae.' The little piece of consciousness in his head said, trying to reason him into reality. 

"What was she doing there? Don't you find it weird she found him just in time?"

"Nah, not really, man. Can't you see how crazy for each other they are? The way they act around each other just makes it so obvious."

Seunghoon chuckled and Mino could practically hear his smile as he spoke. "Glad I'm not the only one who thinks that way." 

"You know, he said something about Chaerin liking someone. Does he not realise it's him?"

"That's why he's been acting different then? Tsk..."

With that, one of them opened the door and they entered, surprised to see him sitting up and staring at them with a questioning look. They laughed and his best friend pointed at Chaerin as if saying he should ask her instead of them. He made a face at them and looked back at her. How did they manage to piss him off like this right as he woke up?

...

She heard them. She heard everything they said about Mino and her, but all she could do was pretend she was asleep while ecstasy took control of her body. 

Happiness. 

That was the right word for what she felt.

Pretending to be waking up, she fluttered her eyes open and slowly raised her head as she yawned and covered .

"I know you weren't sleeping." The boy in the bed said. Upon a look at the bedroom, she found out they were alone.

"No." That was all she could say. After the effects of happiness disappeared from within her body, awkwardness installed itself.

... 

"You heard that, didn't you?" He asked in a whisper. He was afraid. Not of getting hurt, but of her reaction. What the other two said could be complete crap as well as it could be true.

She nodded. She just nodded. Plopping back down on the hospital bed, he huffed. "Well, then. Now you know."

...

Her breath started becoming heavier as she thought about it. "You mean, that was true?" She wondered aloud, pointing one of her fingers at the door.

"Pretty much." He answered, eyes on her, as if looking for a clue of how she felt about it. Chaerin, herself, didn't know how to act. She was happy, confused, nervous and thrilled at the same time. The mixture of emotions made her feel overwhelmed by it all and she stood up. 

Air. She needed air. Opening the window, she felt the cold breaking dawn air brush against her face. Minutes passed and she finally got the courage to speak. 

...

He saw her close the curtains and window then walk to him, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips. He sat up again.

He knew what was about to happen. She didn't like him and was about to tell him off. God, how he hated the two boys. Mentally preparing himself for the impact, he looked her in the eyes, maintaining a strong look.

"The way you feel.." He stopped everything he was doing for a while, waiting for her answer. "...Please don't stop feeling like that."

...

He blinked, confused. "What I'm saying is.." Sitting down on the chair she had just pulled to be next to him, Chaerin faintly tilted her head."I feel the same way." She continued, feeling relieved.

The urge to fill him with love was coming to the surface and it felt weird to her. A smile could be seen through his eyes as he looked at her. "Then you won't mind, right?"

...

"Wha-" He didn't let her finish and just planted a kiss on her lips. One of his hands rested on her cheek, while the other one played with a strand of her hair.

She replied the kiss with a smile he could feel on his lips and everything seemed fine. All his worries went down the drain and were replaced with ideas. Fireworks seemed to explode inside his stomach, leaving him dizzy with all he was experiencing at that moment. Inspiration washed over his body and he had the sudden need to write, compose.

He found his goddess, queen, muse.

More than that, he found his love.

I hope it's not disappointing. Personally, I think it could've been better, but it's not bad either, so I'm satisfied. Thank you for reading! ♥