Sunday 10:30PM

 

The rain was pouring. She could hear the heavy raindrops and strong wind prevailing outside the dormitory.

 

While still breathing heavily as the two of them run to hide inside the building, Minzy looked at the slightly floodlit square in front of her dormitory through the glass door. She flinched as the sight and loud sound of the next lightning – it was clear that the storm was right above them.

 

Worried, she glanced at Jongin who was standing right next to her. The light in the anteroom was poor, but she could still see his wet skin glistening in it. With his shoulders and hair completely drenched, he tried to wipe the water off his face with one hand.

 

Minzy bit onto her lower lip with a sigh – now she could see it.

 

He’s changed. She thought while measuring the toned, upper half of his body. Broad shoulders and tiny waist – is he working out regularly? Such thought went through her mind.

 

Now – while looking at him she couldn’t stop thinking about what he said earlier.

 

“So what are you here for?” She asked him back at the restaurant.

 

Jongin glanced at her swiftly with that cocky, arcane look that sent a pleasant shiver down her stomach.

 

After a moment “Money...” he replied shortly.

 

“Money?” she looked at him with a risen eyebrow. While recalling the look of his apartment from today’s morning “It didn’t seem to me like you were lacking any.” slipped out of Minzy’s mouth before she realized.

 

Afraid that it could’ve offended him somehow – she looked at him in distress, but Jongin just smiled at her in response.

 

I could feel he wasn’t completely honest. Minzy thought – but if he had really been trying to get back together with her – was she really going to just consent to that?

 

Am I this easy? She asked herself.

 

While thinking of how he helped at the restaurant today, about how quickly he picked on everything she taught him about the job or meant with just a slight glance at his direction – Minzy couldn’t calm down the wild beating inside her rib cage.

 

Embarrassed by how her eyes kept tracing up and down his exposed chest – Minzy looked away from him in and instant, while feeling itching redness popping out on her cheeks.

 

Irritated by her swayed heart – she grasped the shirt he gave her while they where on their way back from the restaurant, after their working hours. She still felt troubled by how without thinking twice he took it off and gave it to her so she could protect her head after it started raining.

 

Already that made her embarrassed.

 

She didn’t say anything, even though she planned to get back to the dorm as fast as possible after work to get some rest – as the next morning she had her shift at the other place, a convenience store nearby.

 

As it was slightly after 10PM and it was dark outside, Jongin insisted on accompanying her on the way back – so what could she do? Also with that heroic act of his and giving her his shirt and running with her through the rain – Jongin helped her get to the dorm as she planned.

 

The storm caught them when they were mid-way from the restaurant to her dorm.

 

He used to be like that before… she thought while recalling their high school days. But now he seems way more persuasive – Minzy felt. Or is it me who’s changed? The one who missed this? She couldn’t stop thinking as it seemed that just one look of his reassuring eyes was enough to make her follow him.

 

“How could I let you get soaked? … Aren’t I a man?” he asked when she tired to protest before he laid the shirt on top of her head and grasped her wrist to lead her through the rain and empty streets.

 

After thinking twice – this was the first time she had ever brought a man to the dormitory she lived in. Was her heart beating so fast because of that? Minzy wondered and pulled Jongin’s shirt off her head.

 

“Here…” she said and pushed it into his arms.

 

While seeing how she averted her eyes from looking at him for another time, Jongin took the shirt from her hands and quickly put it back on because – Wasn’t he soaked already and adding a piece of wet clothing on wouldn’t do him any worse or better. He thought.

 

“Well, I… I guess I should go…” he started awkwardly “… you’re safe now.” without enforcing any more words, eye-contact or touch from her – he simply grasped the door handle and was about to say his goodbye – when another strong thunder blasted outside.

 

Minzy flinched, blinded by the lightning – what left Jongin looking at her worriedly.

 

How can I let him go into this dreadful weather? She sighed after opening her eyes.

 

“Wait.” she said and this time looked him straight in the eyes – “...till it stops raining – let’s have some instant noodles. After the rain stops – you’ll go.” she added nervously and gently grasped his wrist.

 

“Oh...~” Jongin nodded pleasantly surprised and while trying to stop himself from smiling at her widely – he meekly followed after her.

 

Sneaking him inside the “all-females” dorm wasn’t that big of a deal as the person who was being in charge of the building was an elder woman who didn’t care as much about who was staying overnight in the building as long as it wasn’t bringing any harm to the building, her or other residents of the dorm.

 

Following closely after her, Jongin couldn’t contain his excitement about how he managed to get so far with her today. She’s not drunk now… she’s fully conscious of this decision, maybe she feels pity while looking at me being this soaked – he thought while pushing his black, wet hair off his forehead – but this is my chance to make everything clear – he hoped.

 

If it wasn’t for the girl from the neighbor room to Minzy’s – they would’ve been successful at sneaking in unnoticed.

 

“Nice job – 268!” Minzy heard while trying to fit the key to her room into the key hole. She gritted her teeth after looking at the source of that squeaky voice. The girl next door called her with the number of her room instead of her name.

 

“269…” Minzy replied with a forced smile on her face.

 

“Finally I see you with a man. Hi~” 269 added cutely and waved at Jongin with a wink.

 

Minzy used to think of her as the true Satan embodiment as she used to change guys she hung out with and asked to stay over every few months. Minzy grimaced with anger as she saw her looking curiously at Jongin who was standing right behind.

 

“I got myself one for tonight as well.” the 269 girl replied mockingly while biting onto her index finger.

 

Not thinking too much about what those words even meant “Have fun – then!” Minzy replied swiftly, finally opened the door and forcefully pulled Jongin inside.

 

The room had enough space for a single bed, desk and a wardrobe. Jongin looked around and smiled as no matter how small, the room was clean and cozy. It didn’t seem as girly as the room she had during high school days. Even though she had bright colored bedsheets and furry pillows placed around – it did seem more reserved than before. Jongin thought.

 

He looked back at Minzy and found her already diving inside her wardrobe. “Here!” he saw her placing a dry t-shirt he lent her this morning on top of her bed.

 

“You can wear it but first take the one you have off.” – she added and then pulled two big towels out. Jongin listened and shivered before she rolled the towel out and placed it around him.

 

Yet she was this close and he was afraid to make a move that could spoil this closeness between them.

 

It’s smell and the warmth of her hands radiating through the material as she tried to warm him up with rushed movements – all that left him gazing at her helplessly. As expected, it didn’t go unnoticed by her.

 

Slightly flustered, Minzy put the second towel on top of his wet head.

 

“Sit down, I’ll get the hair-dryer.” she said softly and moved away to look for it. Goosebumps covered his skin the moment she let go of him

 

With the towel on his head – just as she left him, Jongin sat on the bed like she ordered. He himself felt his face burning underneath it.

 

Few seconds after, without a word – already bracing herself to stay calm before facing him again, Minzy slightly pulled the towel off his head and without a word, turned the hair-drier on.

 

Jongin closed his eyes when she gently started to dry his hair. It took him a while before he opened them.

 

But as soon as he did, Jongin noticed wet stains on her pants in the place of her thighs. That’s bad – he thought annoyed with himself for letting that happen, even though he somehow managed to protect her head and shoulders from getting drenched.

 

Without thinking too much, he drawn his hand to check on how soaked the material of her pants was.

 

“Yah!” Minzy snapped when he placed his palm slightly above one of her knees and then she took a step away from him.

 

“Ah~Sorry but… you need to get changed.” flustered, Jongin replied with his hand left hanging in the air.

 

At that time Minzy checked the pants on her thighs herself with one hand, till now she was so focused on how cold Jongin could possibly feel that she completely forgot on how she felt.

 

“Do it yourself...” Minzy said and handed him the hair-drier. “I’ll get the water boiling.” he heard her saying and watched as she pulled out a small, mobile – electric cooker from underneath the bed.

 

With the bottled water poured inside the pot she also had, few seconds later – the two of them waited for it to boil.

 

Jongin ended drying his hair. Ashamed he looked at her searching for more clothes inside the wardrobe. “Don’t look.” she said after a while and hid her body behind one part of the wardrobe’s door.

 

Realizing that she was trying to change there, left Jongin looking away embarrassed.

 

Even though she was the one to invite him, somehow every time she looked at him – her words got stuck up in . The atmosphere between them suddenly became thick.

 

With fuzzy hair, Jongin also changed as Minzy handed him a pair of her biggest, gray sweatpants. “These should fit you.” she added shyly before giving it to him and so they almost did – by staying a little bit too tight around his thighs and way to high above his ankles.

 

After a while so they were sitting on the round, fluffy carpet that was on the floor in the middle of the room, right between the bed and desk – while waiting for the water to boil.

 

He watched her combing her long, now dark blond hair into a high bun. Before, he used to do that many times and seeing it again after all this time left him hanging his head low.

 

Always glistening… he sighed while thinking of her.

 

Jongin glanced her in the eyes swiftly, still not confident enough if he even had the right to say what he was going to. “That manager guy – ...” he started.

 

“Huh?” hearing that made her look at him with a risen eyebrow.

 

“The one who was leaving slightly before us.” Jongin continued.

 

“Jihoon oppa?” Minzy asked him

 

“Yeah, I guess that’s his name then…. Don’t you think that he has some kind of sick intentions towards you?” he asked and with the last words kept his eyes fixed on hers as they faced each other.

 

Only the sound of slowly starting to boil water filled the room as she tried to process his words.

 

Minzy looked at him both surprised and slightly amused. It’s been another time when she could see that mixture of doubt and untamed curiosity written all over his face.

 

“Huh?” Minzy smirked to herself and played dumb. Was she just – enjoying this shade of him? Is he jealous? Crossed her mind.

 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” she replied and at the same time started searching for the packages of instant noodles in her bag.

 

“You don’t know?” he asked with a loud sigh. Minzy saw him shaking his head in disbelief and fought the need of giggling at his adorable face.

 

“How can you even say that? He was using every opportunity to touch you back there.” Jongin ranted and leaned forward. “And that face of his – he was hitting on you with those lame pick-up lines!” he ended heated with his face only few inches away from hers.

 

“What are you saying? I didn’t notice.” Minzy lessened the heat on the portable cooker and threw the noodles inside the pot with no expression on her face.

 

Only after that she looked at him to ask “Well, aren’t you the same, Jongin-ah?”

 

Jongin blinked few times astonished by the weight of her words “Me?” he asked.

 

“Yes – you – you’ve been using every opportunity to touch me as well. How can I be sure that your intentions towards me aren’t sick at all?” Minzy asked him as calmly as she could. Though heavier words have been there inside her mind that she wanted to say to him, Minzy dammed them up from coming out.

 

Overwhelmed by these allegations, Jongin leaned back on the side of the bed he’s been sitting near “… but we’re different. I … we’ve kissed… you invited me over...“ he said unknowingly and glanced at her hesitantly.

 

Minzy felt pain inside her chest, but even though a thought – don’t say it – crossed her mind,“How can you be so sure that I didn’t kiss or invite him here as well?” she ended up saying.

 

Jongin looked beaten what made her painfully regret what she had just said in an instant. Dark fringe covered his eyes after he hung his head low.

 

Minzy gazed at him in silence.

 

The fact that she couldn’t see his face bothered her to the point of tightly clenched fists. She grasped a pair of wooden chopsticks and mixed what was inside the pot.

 

“I rejected him a while ago.” she added after a moment. “He confessed… but I couldn’t return his feelings.”

 

Minzy saw Jongin glancing at her again.

 

“I don’t think that he understands.” he replied after a moment and “… somehow I think that I do understand him.” he added almost whispering.

 

Freaked out by the reaction of her speed up heartbeat “After all this time I have to say that loneliness is … underrated! I’ve never been better.” Minzy blabbered out with a clearly fake smile and started getting the noodles inside the two handy bowls.

 

“Do you mean it?” Jongin grasped her hand when she placed one of the bowls in front of him. “Do you want me to be gone?” he asked with a hurt expression.

 

“I …” Minzy stuttered not knowing what to reply. Did she?

 

“Minzy-ah – I know that I was disappointing.” Jongin added while gently holding onto her fingers. “I turned into everything I said that I’ll never be. I lacked in everything.” he confessed.

 

“Jongin-ah stop.” she tried to ask because it hurt again as she never truly knew why he broke up with her so heartlessly. Wasn’t he bored with me? She thought.

 

“You can’t just erase the feelings you have for someone – that’s certain.” he continued “That day, I went form love to saying I thought I wouldn’t regret, but I can’t forget us… and you – what we used to be together.” he said with such a broken look on his face that if left her hurting inside.

 

“The noodles will turn cold.” Minzy slid her hand out of his grasp and grasped the bowl in front of her.

 

I’m mad… she thought while feeling her cheeks getting heated again and glanced at him grasping the other bowl with a heartbroken expression.

 

Why can’t I hate you? She thought.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monday 1AM

 

The rain was still pouring outside even th