Sooner or later I will have to fess up. When was it a good time though? Would Kang even feel the same way? It’s not like I asked him what his preference is, and losing him as a friend would hurt me. Frustration mounts inside of me. How could people confess with such confidence? Something hits my shoulder as I continue the battle inside my head. I turn to look at Kang, who has fallen asleep. His cheek presses against my arm as he moves closer to get comfortable.

I reach out and rub my hand against his hair, feeling the soft strands slide through my fingers. The negative feelings in me begin to wash away leaving a feeling of contentment in their wake. Right now, it doesn’t matter. He is here with me. I gaze over his head, watching the city pass by as we gently rock along with the bus. A hand clenches mine and I hear Kang whimper in his sleep. His eyes scrunch with either fear or pain and I watched his jaw clench. My fingers move over his eyes, down his nose and across his cheek,and I’m amazed at how he relaxes under my touch.

“You’re okay,” I whisper.

I can see the familiar buildings moving past us. Our stop is coming up next. The bus slowly comes to a stop and I shake Kang awake. Mumbling in his sleep, Kang’s eyes blearily blink open.

“We need to go,” I reply quietly.

He nods before I help him up. He wipes his mouth, despite not having any drool on him, before he stumbles out of the bus. I grab his arm to keep him from face planting and pull him towards me.

“Come on. I’ll help you home.”

“I’m fine,” he huskily growls.

Rolling my eyes, I hunch down, pulling his arms over my shoulders before lifting him onto my back. Shifting his weight so that we we’re both comfortable, I begin walking down the street. Kang’s nose nuzzles my neck before he’s back asleep. He said the dorm wasn’t that far away from here. Maneuvering Kang enough so I can drag my phone out, I type the address in and sigh at how close it is. That’s good. I make my way to the dorm, amazed at how busy it is despite being so late at night. The big building looks like an apartment complex. I check the address twice and then hit the button on the large screen that’s mounted on the wall.

“Hello?” a groggy voice answers the call.

“Dae! It’s Morgan. I’ve got Kang but he’s asleep.”

There is a pause. “I’m coming.”

A buzzing sound comes from the door and I manage to open it in time. I see DaeDae stomping down the stairs with a sleeveless black shirt and grey sweats on while rubbing his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” I whisper.

He waves my words away before muttering under his breath, “Let’s get him into his bed. If you don’t give him trouble about this tomorrow, I’ll do it for you.”

“You’d tease your hyung over falling asleep on my back?”

DaeDae snorts as we both walk up the stairs. “I’ve teased him for less.”

The others are either holed up in their rooms or completely asleep. We kick our shoes off near the door. DaeDae points to a room across the big family room and then shuffles to the door across the hall. “You might as well stay the night too. Kang would kill us for letting you walk back alone.”

“I’m fine.”

“Stay.” He stresses the word out with a sigh. “I’m going to bed.” Then he disappears into his room and closes the door.

I go to Kang’s bedroom and slowly lower him to the bed. Gently, I pull the covers over him. He sighs and turns onto his side. I bend down and press my lips against his head before making my way out of the room to give him some peace. I shouldn’t stay. I can make my way back to the hotel.

A yawn breaks free and I can feel exhaustion creeping up. Should I really stay? That would be rude of me. Then again, DaeDae was the one who invited me. Rubbing my thumb over my lips in concentration, another yawn escapes me. Finally making up my mind. my back hits the couch with a soft thud and I groan in relief. I put my arms behind my head and close my eyes as the sound of a clock ticking in the background lulls me to sleep.

I will just nap for a couple of hours and make my way back to the hotel before anyone notices that I am here…

***

I discreetly wipe the sweat from my forehead as I watch the boys collapse onto the floor, panting and sweating. The studio has quickly gotten hot from their training session. Music slowly fades away.

“I can’t,” Hajoon gasps. “No more.”

“I think I’m going to die. Maybe I’ll cough up my insides and die from this torture.”

Jay moans as he covers his eyes with his arm. “How much longer?”

Sunshine wipes his face with a towel and hands it to Jun, who is running a hand through his hair. He quickly dabs his face and hands it to another member.

“That was good,” I remark. Even looking at them I was slightly out of breath. Was it because I was imaginging the torture that they were putting their bodies through? They were so in synch though. Kang drops down into a crouch and shakes his head hard enough that sweat goes flying.

“We should do it again.” Sunshine claps his hands. Being the main dancer and basically their teacher when it comes to choreography, he is a brutal person.

“No way in hell,” DaeDae whispers.

I bite my lip to keep from laughing.

“Dae!” Hajoon admonishes. “Language.”

DaeDae shrugs before he stands up. “Sunshine is like the Energizer bunny. He keeps going and going and going.”

Jun chuckles. “He doesn’t know when to stop.”

“You’ve never complained in the past,” Sunshine shoots back.

“Yes we have,” Hajoon scoffs. “You just don’t listen.”

Sunshine stands up and advances on Hajoon. “Bro, why are you so grouchy today? Is it because you didn’t eat well?”

Hajoon scrambles to his feet. “Sun, don’t you dare.” He points at the younger one and narrows his eyes.

“If anything, you should be mad at Kang for letting the guest sleep on the couch.” Dragon grumbles.

Kang’s face grows red. “I didn’t…”

“Why are you ganging up on Kang?” I laugh.

“Rule one is that we don’t let the guests sleep on the couch,” Jay advises me.

The others nod and Kang ducks his head.

“Rule two is that if someone is invited over, the other person has to give up their room,” Sunshine continues.

“Or get punished,” DaeDae adds.

“No, Dae. There isn’t any punishment. Kang feels bad as it is already.”

The youngest thrusts his hands towards Kang. “No punishment? Really? Can it be little? Like shaving his eyebrows off?”

Everyone blinks at him. He pulls his legs to his chest and lays his head on his knees. “You ask for a tiny sacrifice and they just look at you like you’re weird.”

“You are weird,” Dragon pipes up.

A familiar song comes on and the others groan. “No more!”

“I already have the big car and big house.” Dragon mocks the lyrics with a wail as he stands up.

I can’t stop laughing as they get serious with their choreo. I watch as Kang pulls his shirt up, revealing abs as he moves through the motions. My laughter dies away as heat races through my veins. I become focused on the dance moves, or more importantly, Kang as he glides across the studio. Towards the end of the song, I can see Kang watching me. Can he see how attracted I am to him? A few in the back break formation secretly and I cover my mouth as DaeDae and Hajoon grab Sunshine’s shirt, yanking it over his head. He doesn’t have the defined abs like Kang, but you can tell he works out.

He curses loudly as he rips his shirt off and throws it at them. The others break into laughing fits. The serious mood has shattered again and there is nothing that the dance leader can do about it.

“Fine. We’re done.”

“Oh my god!” DaeDae cries in English before he sprints for the door. “Freedom!”

Hajoon shrugs. “I’m hungry.”

“Who needs food when a bed is calling my name?” Dragon doesn’t miss a beat as he takes off after DaeDae.

Kang pauses in front of me and rubs his head. “Do you want to go out for a bit?”

“Sure.” I grab his outstretched hand and pull myself to my feet.

He pulls his sweat soaked shirt from his chest and gives me a smile. “I should change. I’ll be back.” I watch him leave the studio. Jay slaps a hand on my shoulder.

“It’s nice seeing Kang smile.” What’s that supposed to mean? He gives me a look before leaving.

Twenty minutes later, Kang comes out into the family room with slightly damp hair. He grabs his phone and joins me.

“There’s this place that I know very well. It’s not far from here.” I follow behind him down the stairs outside. Flowers are starting to slowly bloom and I soak in the warm temperature.

“We only have four days left. I’ve been thinking of what to do,” Kang begins as we make our way down the sidewalk. “I feel like this week has gone too quickly.”

“I know what you mean.” Sadness creeps into my voice. In four days I will have to leave, and who knows when I will see him again. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”

Kang pauses, giving me his full attention. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I shake my head. “It’s something that’s been on my mind lately.”

Kang yanks me against him unexpectedly. We stumble to the side and I feel his breath brushing against my cheek as a cyclist rushes past without sparing us a glance.

“Are you okay?” He looks me over. “You’re not hurt are you?”

I shake my head. “I’m fine.”

He visibly relaxes before letting me go. “What’s been on your mind?”

Us, I want to blurt out, but my courage fails. “Nothing. Where are we going?”

Kang cocks his head to the side and gives me a puzzled look before pointing to the tower. “This was one of the biggest sights I wanted to show you.”

He grabs my hand, tugging me to follow. The Seoul tower is bigger than I expected. Once we go inside and reach the top, it is like I am seeing the whole world.

“Cool, huh?”

I make a noise and nod. Really cool. Lightning flashes in the distance warning us that a storm is approaching.

“Morgan.”

Turning to Kang, I freeze, our lips brushing against each other. My eyes widen and I feel my heart stutter in my chest. I… just… Jerking backwards, my head hits the glass and I wince at the pain.

“Are you okay?”

Embarrassment hits me hard and I feel the blush rising on my cheek. “I’m fine. Really. I didn’t mean...” How could I save myself from this?

He looks out the window and takes in a deep breath. “You’ve changed.”

“In what way?” I ask quietly.

Kang smiles, his eyes crinkling. “In a good way. I’m glad you’re here with me. A part of me wants you to stay, but isn’t it kind of selfish to keep you here?”

“If you asked me to stay, I would,” I tell him seriously.

He glances at me and searches my eyes before he looks away. “Maybe. Jay used to tell me that fate had a way of giving us someone who is meant to make us shine. You make me shine and I hope I can do the same for you.”

“Where is all of this coming from?” I lean in, hope blossoming inside my chest.

Kang blows out a breath and takes a step back away from the window. “I don’t know. Maybe this tower makes you want to spill your secrets.”

“I like you, Kang.” The words blurt from my lips before I can pull them back.

I watch him laugh. “I like you too.”

“Is that Kang from Wish?” a girl whispers. Kang visibly wilts and turns away from the fans who are staring openly at us. Phones come out and we barely have time to cover our faces before pictures start being taken.

Him being here might get him mugged. Grabbing his arm, I pull him after me as we leave the tower. I take my jacket off and help him get into it before I pull the hood up to hide his face.

“We should be careful.” I make sure no one will notice him before we step outside. Rain is pelting the ground with a fury. People are dashing across the sidewalk to get away from the cold, stinging drops.

“Should we stay until it lets up?”

“Kang!” The girls followed us. “Lee Kangsu!”

I push him out into the rain. “No time.”

The both of us take off into the rain, back to the dorm. I’m drenched and I can feel my body shaking from the cold by the time we reached the building. Kang brushes the hood off and eyes me with worry.

“You’re freezing.”

“I-I-I’m fine.” My teeth chatter. “This is not the kind of cold we experience back home.”

He rubs my arms to put heat back into them. I want to groan in relief. “You should go inside. I’m going to make a run back to the hotel and change out of these clothes.”

“Be careful.”

I nod. “Go. I’ll be fine.”

He taps the code into the lock and I watch him open the door and slip through. I give him a wave before I sprint for the hotel. By the time I make it into my room, I can barely move my fingers.

I catch my reflection in the mirror. My lips are slightly blue and I feel so cold. I can’t get my fingers to work properly to pull the wet clothes off. Giving up after ten minutes, I step into the shower, blasting the hot water. An hour later, I am still freezing but I am dry at least. My phone beeps and I roll in bed to reach for it.

Did you make it okay?

A smile curves my lips and I tell him I did. Sleep takes over before my head even touches the pillow.

Hands rubbing my head softly feel so good. Moving towards the touch, I can hear a soft noise droning on. Water sloshes and something presses against my forehead making me stir. Who? My eyes crack open and I groan at the harsh light. I feel like death.

“Shh,” Kang hushes me. “I should have known that you would get sick from the rain. When you didn’t answer this morning, I came to see if you were okay.”

“Kang?” I couldn’t believe he was here. How did he get inside?

“Try to sleep.” His melodic voice is easing the headache.

My hand touches his wrist. “Don’t go.”

The cloth swipes across my face softly. “I won’t.” He starts singing softly, the song is familiar. Where have I heard it before?