It was five in the morning and Solji was half-awake while staring at herself in the mirror. Today was the day they would go to that charity event and they had to travel early since it would take them approximately five hours to reach the location.

Good thing her baggage was already prepared ahead or else her mother was going to whoop her ass. Irene had to practically drag her out of bed to wake her up from a deep slumber.

Solji took a cold bath which instantly awoken her senses only to feel sleepy again while drying her hair. She was dressed in a faded blue jeans and a white shirt. It was the standard uniform of the volunteers participating in the event.

"Come on, sis. We're leaving!" Jungwoo said from the other side of the door. Solji stood up groggily and carried her luggage when she heard a knock on the door.

"Solji?" called a muffled voice.

Solji lazily opened the door and was beyond startled when she saw who it was.

Jeno in a white shirt and jeans just like them, his black hair covering his forehead and he was wearing a pair of glasses.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"Your father asked me if I wanted to come along for the charity event."

"I know that but why are you here?"

Jeno furrowed his brows. "How will I go there? I didn't know the place."

Solji was probably just too sleepy or too stupid to function, but her senses were awake now. Jeno snatched her luggage from her and went downstairs while she's following behind him.

When they arrived in front of the house, Solji's entire family was there, loading their luggage on their respective car.

"Good morning, everybody!" Suho greeted everyone in a loud and cheerful voice and Solji couldn't help but groan. "Today's the day! Are you all excited!"

All of them answered 'yes' rather lifelessly. The excitement would probably sink in once all of them were fully awake. Even the man standing beside her was still a little sleepy.

"Alright, let's get going then! The sooner we get there, the better! Solji, princess, you'll ride with Jeno today," Suho said and he didn't leave a time for Solji to complain.

But would she really want to complain?

She was too sleepy to drive anyway so she watched everyone get in their respective cars then followed Jeno to his. He opened the car door for her and she went inside, thankful that the heater was one. The first she took note of was the smell. Jeno's car reeked of his perfume and she wasn't complaining. Jeno occupied the seat driver's seat and turned on the engine.

"Do you want to drink coffee?" Jeno asked. "I also bought breakfast just in case you haven't eaten yet."

Solji's heart warmed at his thoughtfulness. She shook her head. "I haven't eaten anything."

"There's a paper bag in the backseat. You can eat it now or if you wanna sleep first, that's fine. But the coffee will get cold, though."

"It's fine, I'll eat it now."

Solji reached for the paper bag in the backseat and saw two sets of breakfast.

"Have you eaten yet?" Solji asked.

Jeno shook his head, his eyes fixated on the road following the car ahead of him. "Nope. I woke up too early today and drove here. I'll just eat later when we get to our destination."

"What if you get dizzy?"

"Don't worry, I'm used to not eating breakfast. I do that every day and I never passed out, not even once."

"You don't eat breakfast?" Solji exclaimed and Jeno hummed in confirmation. "Do you think that's something you should be proud of? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day!"

"But I don't have any appetite," Jeno couldn't help but whine. Solji stared at him while trying to calm down her own heart. It seemed like they were back to normal again with all the bickering. But of course, her conscience wouldn't allow her to be at peace until she formally apologize.

"That's it. I'm going to feed you."

Jeno's eyes widened and he momentarily glanced at Solji.

"Eyes on the road if you don't wanna die."

Jeno returned his eyes on the road but he would glance from time to time at the person sitting beside him.

"Are you concerned about me?"

Solji's cheeks warmed as she felt the butterflies in her stomach. She rolled her eyes at Jeno but she was suppressing a smile by biting the inside of her cheeks. She felt light when she was with him. She felt like she could be her own self but it was a struggle knowing that he could effortlessly affect her heart.

"I just don't want us to die if my driver drives with an empty stomach. Besides, my parents will kill you."

She didn't wait for Jeno to reply when she fed him a spoonful of pancake. Jeno moaned in approval as the fluffy pancake entered his mouth with a little drizzle of maple syrup. Solji smiled at Jeno's reaction. The journey went on like that. Solji feeding Jeno food, their nonstop bickering, the radio playing in the background, until finally, Solji fell asleep.

The sun was up when Jeno noticed that the girl beside him was snoozing. He stole a glance at her and thought she was adorable with her sleeping face, mouth slightly opened.

He let down the sun visor to protect Solji's eyes from the sun rays. It was a peaceful journey. Hours later, they arrived at their location.

***

Afternoon came and the program began. Jeno was well-loved by both children and old people. He would carry the children on his back and play with them. He would dance with old women and play cards with old men.

Solji, too, was favored by both. They were excited to see her again after a year and she brought a man with her, and that man was Jeno.

Solji sat with the older women while doing crochet. She took a pink yarn and started making a blanket.

"So," one of the old women said. "Who is the guy that you brought? Is he your boyfriend?"

Solji was taken aback by the straightforward question. "No! No, he's not. We're nothing like that."

"Are you sure?"

"But we've seen the way you look at each other!" a short-haired woman insisted.

The others joined in as well as soon as they heard that they were talking about Jeno. "Yes! I noticed that, too. That's how my husband used to look at me when he was still alive."

"Oh please! Didn't your husband cheat on you like five times?"

"It's only three! But he loved me and that's the truth."

"Silence! You're discouraging the girl!" the first woman who spoke silenced the other women and faced Solji again. "You two look good together. Just saying. You're beautiful, he's handsome. Imagine how beautiful your babies are going to be."

"I'm not thinking about those stuff right now."

"That's also great. No matter what, put yourself first. That's not being selfish. That's self-love. But see to it that you are not neglecting your other emotions. Always assess your feelings so you won't regret anything in the future."

Solji's eyes darted to Jeno who was laughing merrily with the old men. Without knowing, her lips curved into a smile.

She liked how his eyes would turn into a crescent shape every time he smiles.

She liked how he would attempt to make jokes then call himself unfunny when his jokes were the wittiest things she had ever heard.

She liked how his face would turn serious when he's focusing, then pout when he couldn't do it right.

But most importantly, he liked how gentle Jeno was to her.

She liked how soft spoken he was and would always worry about her well-being.

She liked how he was considerate of other people's feelings.

She liked how naturally caring he was and he would extend his help without hesitation.

She was so used to being independent all her life but being with Jeno made her feel that relying on somebody was not entirely bad.

She used to like his scent and his perfect features, but now, she's liking something beyond what she could see.

From the other side, Jeno was also having the same conversation with the old men. They were encouraging him to make a move but he only gave them a blunt answer. He didn't want to entertain the idea for he believed it would only complicate their situation.

He looked at Solji who was crocheting a blanket with a group of old women.

He used to admire her for her brains and beauty. For her determination and thirst to prove herself. All the things that everyone would find admirable about her, he admired it all.

But now, something indeed had changed.

He had never caught himself smile while watching someone sleep.

He had never caught himself adoring someone while watching them complain and rant about their day.

He had never caught himself breathless while watching somebody act so carefree.

He had never caught himself paying attention to somebody's likes and dislikes and constantly try his best to make that person comfortable.

He had never found himself admiring all the smallest things about that one person whom he met in a club.

What would have happened to them if Solji didn't get drunk and threw herself on his lap and kissed him? What would have happened if Jeno chose to stay in Taeyong's house instead of going to that club?

Would they get along like this or would they despise each other?

Solji was terrified.

Jeno was confused.

Yet they couldn't bring themselves to stop from falling deeper.

After all, both of them were misfits trying to fit in. Who would've thought they were a perfect fit?

***

Evening arrived and they just finished eating supper. Doyoung and Jungwoo were tasked to wash the dishes but they ran out of dishwashing soap so they asked their sister to fetch one from the storage room.

And now, Solji was on her way to the said storage room with a flashlight in her slightly shaking hand.

It was cold and she wrapped the blanket she made around her shoulders but it wasn't the cold that's making her shiver. It's the dark path and the shadows casted by tall trees. There were no lampposts and the storage room was separated from the main buildings of the orphanage and nursing homes.

"I should've brought Jeno with me," she muttered under breath as she wrapped the blanket tighter. "I should've known when they told me to bring a flashlight."

The trees were growing thicker and she started doubting the path she was taking. She was going deep into the forest and she could barely see the lights coming from the two main buildings.

"You can do this," Solji told herself as she walked faster. She hummed to herself as she tried to forget about the scary images that popped inside her head. Solji had a hyperactive imagination and it would always activate on worse situations like this to fuel her fear.

She heaved a sigh of relief when she spotted the storage room which looked like a big warehouse. The big doors were open and the lights were on. She hurriedly run towards it and entered, closing the doors behind her.

Solji rummaged the racks of supplies looking for a bottle of dishwashing soap when she heard cluttering noises nearby. She looked frantically around, aware that she was not the only person in that warehouse. She picked up a hammer lying randomly on a shelf and tiptoed to where the noise was coming from.

She heard a groan. The person was lifting something heavy.

Solji readied herself when she heard footsteps growing louder, walking to her direction. She pressed her back on the shelf as she prepared to hit the person.

Then she saw who it was.

Jeno.

Jeno was startled when he saw her there, her arms lifted above her head, ready to hit him with a hammer. When both of them realized what was going on, Solji breathed a sigh of relief as she tossed the hammer on the ground and slumped on the floor.

"God! You scared me!"

"What? I'm not even doing anything. You're the one who's planning to crack my head open with a hammer."

"I didn't even know it was you!"

"And I didn't even know you were here."

"What's that for?" Solji asked and motioned her head to the pieces of wood Jeno was holding.

"It's for the bonfire. Your father told me to gather firewood. The caretaker said they have a stock of dried twigs here. What about you?"

"My brothers sent me to get a bottle of dishwashing liquid and then I heard noises from here so I came to investigate. Turns out it was just you."

"You didn't close the door, did you?"

"I did."

Jeno nodded then realized a second later what Solji had said. "You closed the door?"

"Of course! What if there's a thug waiting outside planning to steal the supplies?"

"We're stuck here."

Solji's brows furrowed. "What? Why?"

"Because the door can only be opened from the outside. That's why the caretaker advised me to leave the door open."

Solji's hands flew to her mouth as she realized what she had just done.

"Holy shit. We're doomed."

Jeno put down the dried woods on the floor as he sat down across Solji, leaning on the shelf.

"No worries. I brought my phone with me. I can text Doyoung hyung and they'll be here any minute," he said. He silently typed on his phone and only the sound of the keyboard was heard. After he pressed send, they were enveloped with silence again.

Solji was about to open her mouth when all the lights turned off and the entire warehouse was engulfed with darkness.

Solji panicked. The only light source was coming from the moon shining through the window but that wasn't enough for her to see everything clearly. She scrambled on the floor and helplessly flailed her arms in the darkness when she felt a strong arm wrapped around her waist.

"I'm here. I got you," Jeno whispered on her hear, his lips almost touching her skin.

"Where are you?" she asked desperately.

"Behind you."

Solji blindly sat between Jeno's legs, her back pressed on his chest. Their position was awkward, and she had never let a man get that close to her. This was the first time, and she kind of liked it. Jeno caged her body in his arms and she felt safe. He could hear her heavy breathing slowly calming down.

"Are you okay now?" Jeno whispered.

"Yeah. I... can I lean on you?" Solji asked. She was embarrassed for wanting more contact but luckily for her, Jeno nodded.

Slowly, Solji leaned on Jeno's shoulder and she breathed his scent. Her heart was racing but not out of fear but something she couldn't explain. It was a mixture of excitement and comfort, two contradicting emotions she didn't know she could feel simultaneously.

"Thank you," Solji whispered.

"No problem. You'd do the same, too."

"No, not that. I mean, thank you for everything."

"Why are you suddenly saying that? We're not going to die here."

"Dumbass! I'm saying this to you because this is the only way I can express my gratitude without stumbling with words. It helps the fact that we can't see each other so I don't have to worry about how I look."

"Do you usually turn your back on the people you talk to?"

"Hey! Don't you dare use my line against me!"

Jeno chuckled and Solji swore in her mind. That was probably the hottest sound she had ever heard.

"Alright, alright. Go on."

Solji cleared her throat and focused again.

"Thank you for being so understanding, for always trying your best to be there and extend your help whenever you can. I appreciate it so much. I only a have a few people who's willing enough to be stuck with me and you're one of them."

"I wouldn't really say stuck, but well, we're literally stuck here right now."

"One more word and I will kick your nuts, Mr. Lee."

"Dang, have mercy on your future kids---ouch! Okay! Okay, I will shut my mouth now." Jeno couldn't finish his sentence when Solji pinched him on his arm.

"And also, I wanted to apologize to you. I know you're avoiding me these past few days, don't you dare deny it."

"I'm not planning to," Jeno whispered and Solji shivered. He wrapped his arms tighter around her, thinking she was just cold.

Solji cleared her throat, refusing to be distracted. "So I was saying, I'm really sorry for being such a bitch to you. You didn't do anything to deliberately upset me but I would always find a way to start a fight. And I'm really sorry for that."

"I'm sorry, too. I really am. I hated myself when I saw how scared you were. I promise I won't do that again. I'll make you feel safe, like how I make you feel right now."

Solji smiled in the dark and closed her eyes. She could stay like this forever. Heck, she didn't even mind if they would not be rescued right away. Jeno indeed made her feel safe and secured and she didn't even mind no matter how close their bodies were. She wanted to stay like that, wrapped in his arms, their hearts beating in sync, his scent rubbing onto her.

"Does your wound still hurt?" Solji asked.

"Not anymore. Jaemin helped me."

"Do you... want to tell me how you got that?"

Solji received no answer. "That's alright."

She felt Jeno shook his head before speaking, his breath fanning the crook of her neck. "No, I... I wanna talk about it."

"Go ahead. I will listen."

"My Mom and Dad got into a fight one time. My mother caught my father cheating on her. When my father got home drunk, my mother confronted him. He was too drunk and he couldn't contain himself so he wreaked havoc in our house. He was about to slap her, but I got in between them so I got slapped instead. The pain didn't matter. What's important is that my mother was unharmed."

Solji caressed Jeno's arms wrapped around her.

"I don't know why I'm letting you know this side of me, but there's something about you that brings me comfort. You see, I didn't grow up in an ideal family. They didn't raise me at all. Both of them were focused with work and expected nothing but the best from me. Their expectations were too high that it suffocated me.

"They always wanted to have full control over my life, making decisions on my behalf. Choosing my course, perhaps, is the first big choice I did for myself. They were against it, of course. There's not a day that they wouldn't remind me that they knew what's best for me. But after seeing them fight and hurt each other, if they couldn't even get along, I doubt they actually know what truly makes me happy.

"They never told me how proud they are, never supported my work, didn't bother going to school conferences unless I switch my course. But, that's alright. If I can survive this and show them that I was right for choosing this path, they will realize that I am old enough to decide on my own."

After that, silence prevailed once again. Jeno was finished talking and buried his face on the crook of Solji's neck, breathing in her scent. Solji shivered at the contact but he let him stay that way.

"I am so proud of you. I know what it feels like. My parents may be different from yours but we are on the same boat. And let me tell you this, there's nothing braver than a person who is determined to beat all odds, even if the whole world is stopping them. I am so proud of you, Lee Jeno. I believe in you."

Jeno slowly lifted his head and Solji turned around to face him. Thanks to the moonlight streaming through the window, Solji saw how Jeno's eyes glinted with unshed tears. She smiled at him.

Slowly, both of them were leaning to each other, lips breaths apart. Jeno closed his eyes and his tears fell. Solji mimicked him, she closed her eyes and waited for his warm lips to meet hers.

Their hearts were racing in anticipation as the tension grew thicker and attraction grew stronger.

However, their moment was interrupted when the lights in the warehouse turned on and the door burst open.

"Solji! Jeno!" Doyoung called.

They immediately untangled their bodies to each other and stood up apart as if nothing intimate was about to happen. Jeno discreetly wiped his tears and gathered the wood on the floor. Solji wrapped the blanket tighter around her and met her brother at the entrance.

"Oppa!" Solji called Doyoung and crashed into his arms.

"What happened? Are you okay? Where's Jeno?"

Right on cue, Jeno appeared.

Apparently, the caretaker, thought that Jeno already left because the doors were closed so he switched off the main breaker, turning off the lights. Doyoung wasn't able to read Jeno's text message right away because he was busy with Jungwoo. When he realized that Solji was taking too long to return, he got his phone to dial Solji's number and saw Jeno's text.

He went in a full panic mode but of course, he didn't tell his sister that. Jungwoo snitched him later on just to make fun of him.

The night was full of fun and excitement but Solji's eyes would always find Jeno. He was smiling now and laughing with the others as if he didn't tell such a sad story to her.

Solji admired how strong he was. She didn't even know that he was going through something like that because he would always show his smile and treat everyone with kindness.

That night, Solji tossed and turned on her bed but she still couldn't fall asleep. Her mind was plagued with Jeno, his words echoing in her head. She couldn't imagine the life that he went through while growing up.

And the fact that he grew up to be so kindhearted despite all of that was astonishing.

Then her mind would switch to the scenario that she would never forget. How their lips were about to touch. It was a moment of weakness. Of temptation. And Solji didn't even fight it. She succumbed right away.

Jeno's face was etched on her mind and she was so desperate to forget about it that she was willing to bang her head on the wall.

"Damn it!" she muttered as she stared at the ceiling, giving up on trying to fall asleep and wait for the morning to come.

"Damn it, Jeno Lee. Get out of my head."