I can’t deny it, the feeling of his lips on mine was nice. But, more than that, it felt… wrong. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach that told me I wasn’t the one he was kissing, at least not in his mind. I shoved him away, scooting back and hiding around the corner of the couch. I placed a hand over my rapidly beating heart while the other covered my lips. My hands were shaking. I don’t know if I expected him to follow me or not, but when nothing else happened I peeked around the edge. He was lying flat on his back, asleep. I breathed a sigh of relief and got up.

I walked to the linen closet, where we kept extra blankets for guests. I grabbed three throw blankets and walked back over to the sleeping trio. I set the pile on the coffee table, using the first to cover Haeyun, the next to cover Kibum and the last I draped over Inguk’s slumbering form. I walked back to the closet and grabbed a pillow for Inguk.

I hesitated when lifting his head, not sure if he would wake up and kiss me again. Gently I maneuvered his head up and slid the pillow against the base of his neck and slowly put his head back against the cushion. A content smile played across his lips as he to his side and cuddled into the blanket. For some reason I couldn’t help staring at him. Like this he looked so peaceful and unworried. Then my eyes trailed over his lips, which only a few minutes earlier had been sliding across mine.

Gently I snagged my bottom lip between my teeth. His lips were velvet soft and tender as they pressed eagerly against mine. Maybe I was in too much shock earlier, but I vaguely remember a sweet yet masculine scent surrounding me. Just those thoughts alone sent my stomach flipping and my heart fluttering. But there was that feeling. The feeling that kiss was meant for someone else.

Forcing down my spit, my stomach slowly turned to sickening knots. It wasn’t like it was my first kiss or something. No, that had been given to… I stopped the memories of deep, almost black, eyes and perfectly proportioned lips that started creeping in. However, the nagging feeling that my first kiss in six years wasn’t actually meant for me left me feeling strangely ill. I was far from in love with Inguk, or even having feelings that slightly resembled like for that matter. It still didn’t leave me with a pleasant feeling, having him kiss me when he was thinking about someone else. Though I guess I wasn’t a hundred percent sure if he mistook me for someone else or not, it was just a feeling I had after all.

Shaking my head, I strode back to my room and made sure to leave the door unlocked in case Haeyun woke up during the night to crawl into his own bed. It took me hours to go to sleep. I stared at random objects throughout the night, everything illuminated in a dim glow from the night light plugged in by the bathroom door. Since Haeyun was afraid of the dark there was a night light in every room of the apartment, including the hallway. While I absently traced the outline of a shape with my eyes, my mind was in a completely different place.

Despite my best efforts I couldn’t keep my mind from wandering. First to Inguk and then to more forbidden thoughts; thoughts of a person who had long since been cut from my life.

I awoke after only three hours of sleep. From the gentle rays of sunlight I could tell it was still early morning. When I trudged out into the living room, all three men were still asleep, and headed to the kitchen. The clock hanging on the wall read ‘6:43’. I stretched, letting out a small yawn. I should go back to sleep, but I wasn’t really tired anymore. Instead, I opted to take a shower before I dressed for the day and started on breakfast.

I strolled out of the bathroom just after seven and the boys were still snoring away. I tied my wet hair up into a bun and set to work in the kitchen. I finished breakfast at around 7:45. Just as Kibum trudged across the wood floor I set the last plate on the table.

Good morning.

He waved me off and put his head on the table. His skull was probably pounding from a hangover. I quickly prepared some honey water for him, quietly setting it on the table. Kibum was hypersensitive to sounds when he was hung over and even the slightest sounds made him angry. Gratefully he took the glass and took two large gulps. I prepared two more glasses, which I left on the counter. I walked out into the living room to find Haeyun rubbing his head. Inguk sat up with a stretch and a loud yawn, looking around as if to determine where it was that he fell asleep in his drunken stupor.

Looking at the state of the three, I silently counted my blessings for not drinking much. I drew Inguk’s gaze as I approached. I stopped at Haeyun’s side and tapped him on the shoulder, to make sure he was looking at me.

There is honey water in the kitchen and breakfast.

Inguk looked from me to Haeyun, obviously expecting him to translate. Haeyun stood, motioning for Inguk to follow.

“Aerin made us some honey water and breakfast is ready,” he explained. They groggily made their way to the table and as they sat I placed the glasses down in front of them. They each took a long drink as I turned to the stove and put mitts on before grabbing the main dish, Kongnamulguk1. I set the pot in the middle of the table for everyone to dig in. There was idle chitchat among the boys as I silently ate.

“Aerin-ssi, you’re going to be at the studio today, right?” Inguk asked. I looked up from my bowl of rice and glanced around the table. They were all staring at me. I quickly put my head back down and nodded. “Great, we can talk about the theme of the show. I need to go to the office first and meet the new director, so I’ll be at the studio this afternoon.” I bit the inside of my bottom lip and nodded.

My life isn’t going to be peaceful again, is it?

Inguk

Inguk set his satchel down on his desk. He left after breakfast and headed home to take a cold shower before he headed off to work. After arriving at work he found that he was one of the last people to show up. He looked around, taking a mental note that he was at least fifth in the lineup of stragglers. Minah wasn’t even there yet. Said woman came rushing in only moments later to take her seat at the desk beside Inguk’s.

They said a quick ‘good morning’ to each other before they went to work. As he neared the end of an article about the upcoming ‘Han Rein’ exhibition for the gallery website, the company president walked through the door and cleared his throat. All eyes were on him and the