“In a dream you appear, so I keep sleeping, just to keep you with me.”- Miley Cyrus, Bottom of an Ocean

Consciousness came to her slowly. With a quiet groan, Yoona allowed herself a little stretch, enjoying the exquisite sensation of Egyptian cotton rubbing against her skin as she snuggled deeper into the warm duvet.

With a content sigh, Yoona pressed herself closer to the sheets, basking in the serenity of the moment, allowing the warmth of her nest to lull her back to sleep. Yoona inhaled deeply, her room smelled good; of lavender and freshly laundered sheets and… masculine cologne?

Yoona’s eyes snapped open immediately, her drowsiness fleeing the moment she had realised she wasn’t in her own bed, only to let out a groan of regret as her sudden action triggered the bout of headache she didn’t know she had. Great, in addition to her waking up in a stranger's room, she was hungover.

Taking care to keep her movements as minimal as possible, Yoona laid on her back, taking in her surroundings, a mild sense of panic flooding her system as she attempted to recall what exactly went down last night for her to wake up in a stranger’s bed. She remembered the vicious gossip she overheard and how lousy she had felt afterwards. She remembered the array of drinks and shots she had, her vision turning into a swirl of wonderful blinding lights. She recalled the numerous drinking games she played with Boyoung, Taehyun and many others; her wild abandonment in the name of fun. And she recalled…. Oh God.

Yoona groaned, blushing hard as she remembered all too well what had transpired between her and Jiyong at the empty stairwell, each scene flashing in her mind with amazing clarity. Yoona brought her hands up to cup her red hot cheeks, just what on earth possessed her to be so wanton and bold?!

Slowly, she brought her fingers to her lips, remembering the feel of him and the kiss they shared. Yoona fought a giddy squeal and a mortified groan at the same time; torn between enjoying the kiss and wanting to kill herself over the embarrassment she felt. How was she to look him in the eye and face him now?

Yoona stilled, taking in the familiar masculine tone of the interior decor. Yoona gulped, that could only mean that she was currently in Jiyong’s.... Yoona groaned, wanting nothing more than to bury her head under the pillows, this was taking the term ‘the morning after’ to a whole new level. Carefully, she snuck a peek to her side, exhaling a relieved sigh at the man’s absence. Good, she wasn’t sure if she was ready to face him just yet.

Laying in bed, she strained her ears for any possible indication of the man’s presence. Nothing. Yoona chewed on her lower lip as she contemplated on her next course of action. She really really really didn’t want to leave the sanctuary of the room and risk meeting Jiyong but staying in bed for all eternity was not exactly an option either. Yoona sighed.

Ever so slowly, she got out of bed, taking care to open the closed bedroom door as quietly as possible. The sound of cookware clanking against each other and the smell of something burning assaulted her sense immediately. Wrinkling her nose, Yoona padded over to the source of the commotion cautiously, only to have her head tilt to the side curiously at the sight of Jiyong standing over the stove, cursing to the heavens above, in a baby blue apron no less.

Jiyong cursed as the hot oil splattered onto his bare skin, giving the scalded area a hasty rub before flipping the egg over in the pan. Jiyong frowned, was it possible for eggs to turn this black? Just then, the bean sprout soup that he had been boiling in the adjacent stove bubbled over. With a startled yelp, Jiyong turned off the stove immediately before deciding to call it quits with an aggravated toss of the spatula, the loud clang echoing in the spacious cooking area.

Jiyong huffed, his hands on his hips, glowering at the charred food as though their mere presence had offended him greatly. The online cooking site had said this ‘easy-peasy’ recipe was ‘idiot-proof’, a 'guarantee for cooking beginners'. What lies! Just then, a movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention, and Jiyong spun only to be greeted at the sight of the girl staring at him curiously, her doe eyes blinking.

And just as abruptly as she appeared, a small smile appeared on her face before giving way to chuckles, “Having trouble?” she asked.

Jiyong rolled his eyes, huffing as he gestured agitatedly towards the stove while grumbling under his breath. Yoona held back a laugh, knowing that the man probably wouldn’t appreciate it at the moment. Bringing herself closer to the stove, she grimaced at the sight and Jiyong’s head drooped lower in shame. Yoona caught sight of that and fought the urge to give the dispirited man a hug. The poor chap probably just wanted to cook for them a simple meal but had so clearly failed on his rather obvious first cooking attempt.

Yoona walked over to the rice cooker, opening it to take a look at its content, “The rice looks okay.”

Jiyong snorted. What use is there to only have the rice but no dishes? He had wanted to prepare (and maybe to impress the girl a little) a simple home cooked hangover soup for her, but that hadn’t worked out had it? Instead it only made him looked like a stumbling fool.

Yoona made her way back to the stove, giving the pot’s content a little poke with a pair of chopsticks, “The eggs are a bust but I think if we add in more water and boil the soup again, we should be able to save it.”

With a tender smile, she gestured for Jiyong to hand over the apron before shooing him out of her way. Jiyong lingered in the kitchen, uncertain of what he was supposed to do now before opting to trail after the girl, shadowing her every move.

Tossing the burnt egg away, Yoona brought the pan to the sink, scrubbing off the charred bits as she prepared the frying pan for another bout of egg frying. She laughed the moment she realized Jiyong had become her personal hovering shadow, the joyful sound triggering a small smile from the man, “Stop following me!” she exclaimed with a laugh, “Go set the table or something.”

Jiyong smirked as he went to do her bidding. He liked her being bossy, it meant that she was comfortable being with him. It wasn’t long before the sound of oil sizzling and the aromatic smell of food filled the air and Jiyong’s stomach gave a little growl, excited at the prospect of food.

It wasn’t until that breakfast was cooked and there was nothing le