His body froze and his mind reeled. Wha... what did she just do? He thought for a moment that he had imagined it, but he could almost still feel the caress of her soft lips on his chest. He looked at Jihyo and thought he saw her on her lower lip. He almost went berserk.

*********

Jihyo saw the direction of his gaze and was startled by her realisation that she was tasting her lower lip. It wasn't a conscious action on her part, but she secretly wanted to savour the feel of his skin against her lips. Jong Kook oppa looked shell-shocked as he stared at her.

It might not be apparent on the surface but her heart was thumping so madly that she wondered if he could see her pulse jumping at the side of her neck. She tried desperately to control her blush and appear calm. She didn't mean to bite Jong Kook oppa on the chest earlier today but it was impossible to win in their wrestling match otherwise. Hitting him in the chest was a futile effort as it felt that she was pitting herself against a wall, and Kwangsoo's tactic last week gave her the inspiration.

Now, the kiss she just left on his chest near the pink bite mark - that she had intentionally done. She was tempted by the sight of his well defined pectoral and abdominal muscles. There were times when those were flashed to the audience on the show, when the other Members lifted Jong Kook oppa's shirt. But she never had the chance to get a clear view of his chest and abdomen like this. He is as beautiful as she imagined, more so than all the male actors and models she knows. She was itching to run her palms over his chest as he took that step towards her with an arrogant tilt of his head to show her the mark. His skin, she imagined, would be hot to the touch.

During the past months she had been asking herself what she wanted from Jong Kook oppa. She had no firm conclusion, only that she wanted him to be part of her life, not just in front of the camera but also, more acutely, in other aspects. She wished that he would be there for her regardless of whether she's ecstatic or depressed, and she wanted to be able to do the same for him. He had always held a special place in her heart, even when she was dating someone else (which she had agreed to only because Jong Kook oppa had never displayed any indication that he feels something for her). That place for him in her heart had just grown somehow and her feelings had intensified after her breakup. Especially with him seemingly reciprocating her affections. There were times when he looked at her with pure adoration (or so she hoped) in his charming eyes, things he said or did that made her wonder if he was jealous of the Monday Couple interactions on the show. He had never moved away even when she sometimes found herself leaning (albeit unconsciously) against him a little, an action rather inappropriate in front of the camera with the official loveline and all. And when she told him about her breakup, with half a mind to observe his reaction, why, his eyes were almost crinkling at the sides! Kwangsoo even commented that Jong Kook oppa seemed to be in an extremely good mood afterwards that day.

She had been waiting for him to make an advance for quite a while. But the lack of any action on his part made her doubt her interpretation of his feelings towards her. She had alternated between depression and self-induced nonchalance for the past few months. But when she saw him coming towards her with that dangerous glint in his eyes, she threw caution to the wind and made her move. She's not known as Ace for no reason. However, the way he kept staring at her made her regret her impulsive and brazen action.