“Sunwoo, help me"

         Junghwan’s stressed demeanour immediately alarms Sunwoo and sweeps away sleepiness from the awakened neighbour. “What happened?” Sunwoo asks, his tone just as tensioned as how Junghwan seeks for help.

         “Jinyoung-hyung is sick. I just-”

         “Wait here” Sunwoo interrupts “I’ll go get my car keys” he adds but as he shifts his steps back inside his unit, Junghwan firmly grabs him by his wrist, pulling him into an abrupt stop.

         “No, you don’t understand” Junghwan fires back, staring deeply into Sunwoo’s eyes and without any hesitations, he spills what he really needs from his neighbour “Sunwoo,” he begins “help me in coking porridge”

         In that instant, everything comes to a halt for Sunwoo. His mouth is slightly agape and his brows are furrowing in confusion as his midnight mind tries to interpret everything that has happened in the past minutes, starting from when he opens the door to a helpless Junghwan up to the moment when he learns that Junghwan only needs help in cooking porridge.

         “Are you for real? Don’t get me so surprised like that. I thought something bad happened to you” Sunwoo says a little louder than usual, sounding like a roar in the silent corridor. 

         It causes Junghwan to flinch an inch back, wearing a small pout on his lips. “I’m sorry,” he says “I know it’s late at night, but Jinyoung-hyung came home with a fever and wouldn't eat anything. I thought I should cook for him and maybe you can help me” he explains murmuring the last few words.

         In the end, Sunwoo isn't able to resist the pleading boy who got his adrenaline running around his body, in an alarmed state, in the middle of the night. He grabs a casual jacket and enters his neighbor’s unit, still in his sweatpants, ankle socks and house slippers. Technically, behind the not so thick wall of Junghwan’s living room is already his living room, which is home. 

         “Are you sure you’re trying to cook porridge in here?”

         Sunwoo’s question leads Junghwan to look around. In all actuality, Junghwan doesn't know what he is doing but Sunwoo’s question states that he is doing the wrong thing. For Sunwoo, the kitchen isn't entirely messy but instead, it is entirely wrong.

         “It’s not wrong to use the rice cooker but you the wrong setting, you’re not cooking a regular rice. By now, the ingredients should already be with the rice as well.” Sunwoo looks around “We can leave the rice cook as it is, let’s just use the stove for the porridge. Where are your ingredients by the way?”

         Junghwan lifts his hand and hesitantly points to the counter, just beside the sink.

         “That’s a green bell pepper” Sunwoo says in utter wonder and disbelief as if Junghwan wasn't taught what a green bell pepper is in middle school’s cooking class.

         Junghwan plainly fixes his gaze upon Sunwoo, seemingly absorbing everything Sunwoo says when in fact, words like rice, stove, and pepper are doing a merry-go-round  inside his head.

         Sunwoo checks the fridge and sees a reflection of Junghwan’s lazy diet: snack bars, bottles of milk, ice cream, cheesecake, bottle of water, and few leftovers from takeouts, nothing that can be made into an acceptable porridge. Now that it comes to him, where did the green bell pepper came from?

         Sunwoo goes back to his unit to grab a handful of useful ingredients. It didn’t take long for him, but when he comes back, Junghwan is already sprawled on the kitchen table. He can’t quite comprehend if the other is sleeping due to his buried face but as he plants the ingredients on the table, Junghwan doesn't even take notice.

         “You don't want to give up on me now, Junghwan” Sunwoo teases, just loud enough to wake up the boy who stole his precious sleep just a while ago and is now cheating with it.

         Junghwan lifts his face from the table and pulls off the most innocent face “I’m not sleeping” he defends and yet the yawn that comes after contrasts his assertion.

         “But you are sleepy” Sunwoo states, as he bends down to wipe the drop of tear that built on the corner of Junghwan’s eyes.

         Sunwoo’s action makes Junghwan wonder when did skinship became normal between their interaction. Junghwan has to admit that his clinginess is sometimes way over the line but no one really does the same back to him, not even Dongwoo. Not that Sunwoo touches him all the time, Sunwoo hadn't even been in his personal space that many times before. It is just that-.

         “Wah~” JungHwan yelps as he was dragged to the kitchen counter by Sunwoo’s sturdy hands. It is just that when Sunwoo touches him, he gets electrocuted. Not the most romantic way to put it but that’s how it actually feels. Thousand small lightnings creeps above his skin and it makes him uneasy. It happened first when Sunwoo saved him from slipping down the stairs which was also their first meeting. Dongwoo had kissed him once but it didn't feel like that.

         “I don’t think mincing garlic and ginger needs that much mental preparation”

         Junghwan turns to the boy who just teases him and who, at the moment, is filling the sauce pan with water. “I just remembered something. I simply have to mince these, right?” he says as an attempt for excuse.

         Sunwoo notices the blunt change in Junghwan’s mood through his facial expression and his voice goes deeper and hushed too. Here comes the mood swing that Sunwoo can never get accustomed to. He watches the way Junghwan cuts the garlic unsteadily. Obviously, Junghwan is struggling to