Chaerin decided to avoid Jiyong as much as possible. It bothered her that he often took up too much space in her mind, and avoiding him really seemed like the only smart idea. And she tried. But that wasn't much of an achievement - he was and still is in her apartment after all. So she would take care of him until he is healthy and ready to go. Yes, that much she took on herself and she would see it done until the end. It's best that he leaves soon though. The sooner the better, too. No need to get attached in any sort of weird way. She never imagined she'd form any sort of relationship, however odd, with this stranger. It was a stupid thing to let him in - and not just into her apartment. 

Thinking about it, she never exactly let him in, not willingly. He saw through her, completely uninvited; and as much as Chaerin hated it, a part of her also loved the idea of someone actually seeing her. Not many people did. A lot of people claimed to know her - people who have been in her life and close to her since she can remember - but very few actually knew her even to a small extent. Whereas this man here managed to read her soul and reach chapters she never even allowed him to. Chaerin is bewildered by it, to say the least. At first it annoyed her beyond belief, but now it simply bewilders her. He saw parts of her that she wasn't exactly proud of, and somehow she has almost completely reconciled with that fact. She is fine with it. She is also pretty sure he saw things he didn't even say to her. 

Chaerin is known as a rather social person, and she is very much aware of that. She is good with people, and gets around making her way through the social circles almost effortlessly. It's one of her better traits, she thinks. She is likeable to people. But she also knows it is only because she chooses which sides of her to present to them, and in which way. She knows she is very good at concealing what she did not want seen. She has always been very successful with it, too. But not with Jiyong.

Realizing that she's thinking of Jiyong once again, she sighs heavily, before filling their mugs with coffee. She places his on the table in front of him before making her way out to the balcony. Just as she is about to step out, however, she can hear a silent chuckle, barely audible. Turning to Jiyong she can see him smiling, putting his mug back down.

''What's funny?'' she asks.

''This is the first sip of coffee I've had since I've been here'' he says.

''I figured coffee isn't all too good for recovery. Still, you should've asked.''

''No, it's not that'' he says.

''Then what is it?''

''You remember'' he says. ''You remember how I like my coffee.''

She feels she could almost blush. She doesn't want to remember. She hates that she remembered. The only reason she remembered was because he was such an ordering it. 

''Who could forget after being asked so politely'' she says and they share an unannounced, unpredicted laugh. It is a genuine, whole-hearted one, coming from absolutely nowhere. A part of her wishes she could fight it.

It isn't as loud as laughter should be. It is more breathy and a laugh of relief, really, but it is as soothing as ever. Her mind feels less heavy. The tension between them has been like a string of a bow drawn far back, and that laugh right there released the string fully. 

''Come,'' he says with a grin, ''Drink it with me. I promise I won't be a . In fact, I won't even talk if that will please you.''

''Hmmm,'' she humms with her finger on her chin, squinting her eyes, pretending to consider the offer. ''You not speaking sounds very tempting. And very pleasant.''

He laughs, but rather weakly. With a smile, she sits next to him on the sofa and it's barely a second before she jumps back to her feet.

''Oh! We could listen to some music,'' she says, ''Yesss, I've missed music. One sure way to keep your mouth shut for the most part.''

''Alright, surprise me, please'' he says, waving his hand elegantly, the smile never leaving his face. Once he hears the first few beats of the song, however, that smile of his turns into a grin as wide as he can ever remember grinning.

''Cash Rules Everything Around Me...'' 

''Are you serious?'' he asks with happiness blooming in his voice and his eyes glistening.

''You know this?'' Chaerin asks, moving her head in rhythm, even though she knows the answer. But why not ask just to spite him a little bit?

''Are you kidding me? Wu Tang is why I started making music! God...''

Chaerin looks at him and she can see that his entire face is absolutely glimmering with happiness. He looks like a child. It's refreshing and it spreads positive vibes quicker than the Sun. She switches to a faster song and before she knows it, she's fooling around, dancing and rapping along. Before she knows it, he joins her. 

The song finishes and they throw themselves back onto the sofa. They're still smiling, and how could they not? For just a short while, Chaerin felt like a child again. For just a short while, Jiyong did, too.

''Well that was fun'' Jiyong says, still breathing heavily. ''Ow! Oh boy...''

''What is it?'' Chaerin asks hastily, seeing Jiyong's hands on his head.

''Just a sudden rush of blood, I'm fine,'' he says, ''Dizzyness, but it's gone.''

''Well, there goes your fun, Mr. Kwon. Back to bed if you're planning on ever leaving it.''

''Are you so eager to get me out of your apartement?'' he asks with a grin.

''Well, you do have a life to start. And I have to continue mine.''

''Of course,'' he says, ''I bet I've been a major .''

''Ha ha,'' she says unamused, fixing the blanket for him to lie down. ''I have much more important things on my mind than men.''

''Oh loosen up,'' he says, ''Maybe you could use one. Or a few. Whatever floats your boat.''

''You're being very inappropriate,'' she says, ''And you said you wouldn't be a .''

He sighs, very heavily. 

''It's in my blood, isn't it'' he says, looking away somewhere quite undefined. ''It's settled into my genes. Sorry. You're one of the few that's gotten so used to me. It's funny, really. You're the one who's come the closest ever to accepting me as I am. Without punching me once. Isn't it weird? I mean, a few days ago we were strangers. I'd say we still are, if I didn't know better. But we're not. It's weird, but we're not strangers anymore. You can't deny it either. But there's something. Something between us you can't quite put a finger on, isn't there? I feel like after a few days you know me better than everyone I've ever known.''

Chaerin recognizes the truth in his words - the incredibly impossible truth. Her common sense tells her it's impossible, but her heart says otherwise. It's weird, it's strange, but it's true. He sees her, and she sees him. It's there.