For once the long workouts for correcting and building up stamina came in useful. Arena and Kihyun sprinted along the sidewalk, Arena's red converse pounding on the places of pavement where snow had started to melt. They rounded a corner of different clothing shops, Kihyun's confident strides leading them towards the place Jaehyun was supposed to stop and pick them up at.

"Damn, my hat is gonna fly off!" yelled Arena, noting that her black beanie was dangerously high on the top of her head.

"Then take it off!"

Without hesitation Arena pulled the hat off, crumpling it into a ball in her hand, holding onto it tight. Her hair flew everywhere, getting plastered to her forehead. She knew she probably wasn't looking like a model off the runway at the moment, but it was better than losing her favorite head accessory in a chase with wild sasaeng* fans.

(*sasaeng - an over-obsessive fan of a Korean idol, or other public figure, that has engaged in stalking or other behaviour that constitutes an invasion of privacy)

Her pace didn't waver as people on the street jumped out of their way, letting the young man and woman pass through the crowds. Some people held up their mobile phones, recording the chase forever into their camerarolls. Kihyun glanced back at Arena, almost running into a cafe sign on the street. Arena met his eyes, her hair swishing behind her head.

Never in a million years did she think she would be in this situation. The fact that she was walking on the street with Kihyun alone was something that hadn't quite reached her yet. She was starting to really enjoy the life here and her heart kept growing at the thought of love in her veins. But even among all of her joy... from time to time thoughts of home had reached her. Unattended school and the family she had left behind.

Arena had only been in Korea for a month and already her life had changed drastically. Unfinished businesses back home in Colorado crippled inside of her. How was she going get a proper chance to deal with it all? Would she have to out figure the mess that was left in her wake all alone?

And now the sasaengs were onto her. It was only a matter of time until someone figured out her identity. She wouldn't be surprised if someone started sending her death threats for stealing their 'oppa'.

She shivered.

Their destination wasn't too far anymore.

Kihyun took her hand, interlacing their fingers and pulling her along. She looked up to him, the cold air making her eyes water. The temperature was supposed to be -10 degrees but all forecasting sites showed the true image of the Korean winter - the real feel was below -20.

Arena's bag was flailing behind her and kept banging against her butt with every step she took. Her toes were stiff and the freezing oxygen burned her lungs.

"We're almost there," breathed Kihyun, careful not to mess up the rhythm of his breathing in case that messes up his pace. Arena nodded, her own breaths now coming in ragged and slightly uneven. All that training and now she was starting to tire.

She nodded, gulping down another big amount of air, the chill of it sizzling in her airways.

Arena coughed.

Kihyun stopped abruptly, pulling Arena into a stop with him. He glanced at her worriedly, looking into her eyes, "Are you okay?" If Arena got sick because of this then Kihyun definitely would blame himself for it. Not the fans who made them run but because he was the reason they were there in the first place. Kihyun couldn't bare the thought of having to sit next to Arena's hospital bed because she had gotten pneumonia.

Cold sweat dripped down his toned back under his clothes.

"Why did we stop, we need to go," Arena started up again. Kihyun grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. He sighed, "We're here."

"Guys!"

They turned their heads to see Jaehyun from the front seat of a red Kia, kind of like the one Arena had back at home. The memory of her beloved car hit her deep in the chest. All the times she had sat there with Naha, going home from school or to school. Driving to cafes or even to the Monsta X concert they had attended. All the beautiful sights she had witnessed of her hometown through the glassy windows of her own car. She smiled bittersweetly.

Jaehyun waved a hand through his open window, looking right and left to see if there was anyone in sight who could be a potential threat. He signaled for them to cross the road, and get the hell into his car.

Kihyun was already making his way through, walking briskly. His fingers were still wrapped tightly around Arena's wrist, once again pulling her along. It seemed that no matter what, Arena was starting to lag behind him. She sniffled. Kihyun's strong grip on her was slowly getting painful as the heat from his fingers seared through her sleeve.

"Get in." Kihyun opened the door for Arena meanwhile running his eyes over the neighbourhood. It seemed quiet with everyone going about their days, so he dared to guess that the sasaengs had given up. Kihyun climbed into the backseat with her.

After he had closed the door and made sure twice that Arena's seatbelt was on and correctly fastened, he fastened his own and Jaehyun locked the doors from outside. They sped away with no particular destination, only knowing they had to get out of here and go somewhere with way less people.

Arena coughed again.

Kihyun unfastened his seatbelt, very arrogantly ignoring one of the most important rules of traffic (which is probably why he still doesn't have a proper license) and reached over. Arena sniffled. Again.

"Oh god, you aren't getting a cold, are you?" his deep eyes searched her face. Arena rolled her clear ones. "I'm fiiine. You'd think that all these years in Northern climate has made me immune to this shit." She chuckled softly, soon launching into another cough.

Kihyun bit down his lip. He saw the crumpled up beanie in Arena's right fist, something she had been holding onto so tightly that her fingers had cramped up around it. Both from the cold and the fact that she was squeezing it like you'd squeeze an orange for orange juice.

Kihyun gently unfurled her fingers from around it, taking her beanie. He looked up at her, pushing some of her hair out of her face before putting that hat on her head for already the second time today. Arena smiled. He wrapped her into his arms, placing a slow and silent kiss onto her fingers that had chilled down to become icy.

He couldn't shake the amount of guilt from his shoulders. Arena could be coming down with a flu. All because of him

***

"How many times do I have to say this to you? I'm fine!" Arena cleared her throat, plopping down onto one of the couches and resting her head on a cushion.

Kihyun paced after her, "Just let me get you some medicine."

Arena rolled her eyes, "Medicine for whattt."

She could hear Kihyun going through the cabinets of his kitchen, slamming the doors each time he couldn't find what he was looking for. They had come to Monsta X's dorm, all the way back in Incheon. The same place Arena's plane had had a touchdown weeks ago. It seemed like the only place to go to, just to get away from the crowded streets of the capital where locals and tourists were out and about.

"Medicine for your cold." Kihyun's muffled voice sounded through the open space from his shared room with Hyungwon and Minhyuk. He could swear he had used the cough syrup on Jooheon when he had felt under the weather last week, now he only had to remember where the hell he had placed it.

Arena groaned, sitting up on the couch and looking around. She had seen glimpses of their dorm on Vlive but actually seeing and being in this space felt like a small invasion of privacy. And yeah the place smelled of cologne and deodorant and a small aftersmell of kimchi. Even if Kihyun always gave his best to make sure the dorm was squeaking clean, the remenants of the smell of fermented food remained.

The dorm had three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room kind of open space where they had a producing corner with a TV and videogame controls tucked away beside it. The wall behind was kind of like a warderobe. Racks of clothing hung on the walls, coats and jackets and sweaters and t-shirts and what else. All of their clothes were here, since the bedrooms weren't spacious enough to fit in full cabinets.

Some pieces of clothing were kept somewhere else, underwear and socks. Arena scrunched her nose at the thought of where the boys might keep them. She squeezed her eyes shut, banging the side of her head.

Kihyun came out of the bedroom, a victorious smile playing on his lips.

He held up a bottle of cough medicine with a spoon and some tablets. A bottle of water was tucked underneath his arm as he sat down opposite Arena on the soft sofa.

Arena frowned, "I told yo.."

Kihyun pressed a finger to her lips, "Will you just take them? For me?"

"And take your coat off, you'll get hot," continued Kihyun.

It's like she didn't even have to bother to roll her eyes, they did it themselves. "Okay, mom."

She could hear Kihyun draw his breath and let it out slowly. He then proceeded to pour the syrup out onto the spoon. When he was finished he held the spoon out before Arena, raising his eyebrows.

"But those things taste disgusting."

"Just put it in your mouth."

Arena raised her brows in return, "Excuse me?"

"I MEAN THE SPOON."

Arena pouted, "Fine."

She opened her mouth. The bitter taste of the syrup spread on her tongue, almost making her cough again. She swallowed it down with struggle, grimacing. Kihyun chuckled, "Was it really that bad?"

Arena shot him a look, "You wanna try and find out?"

Kihyun shrugged, starting to unscrew the cap on top of the bottle once again when Arena put her hand on his arm, stopping him. "Oh you are so clueless sometimes."

She leaned in, kissing Kihyun. He acted immediately, kissing her back. The bitter taste from the syrup transferred from Arena to him and Kihyun's brows furrowed at it. Okay maybe it had been that bad.

He adjusted himself, holding onto the edge of the couch with one hand, placing the other down next to Arena. He leaned forward, making Arena lean backwards as a counter reaction. Her head touched the smooth surface of the couch, the weight of him pinning her down.

Arena's mouth opened to him, their tongues meeting. She ran her fingers down his chest, slipping them under his shirt. Kihyun groaned in the back of his throat, a deep furious male sound. Her hands roamed his abs. They travelled dangerously south, feeling the smooth skin as they went.

She could feel him on her.

Kihyun lifted his mouth from hers as Arena's hands came out from underneath his clothes.

"Would you have kissed me if I actually were your mom?"

"God, don't make it weird." She grinned and reached for his mouth again.

"Ah," Kihyun snaked away. He lowered his face to her ear, softly grazing it with his teeth, "You still have to take the other medicine." He pulled her up, fixing her hair back behind her ears. Arena swallowed, touching her lips. She lowered her eyes to where Kihyun's zipper was on the verge of coming undone.

Arena bit her lip as he handed her the bottle of water and the tablet. His cheeks were flushed.

"That could have ended dangerously again, you know," said Kihyun, watching Arena's throat as she drank. She handed the bottle back to him, her fingers shaking slightly.

"No one I'd rather share that moment with than you though."

"Yes well, I'd rather it be somewhere more private and possibly soundproof." He stood up to make his way to the kitchen.

"Yeah? Why?" Something hot surged inside of her.

He looked back, grinning. "Because I'd make you scream."

Arena chucked a pillow after him as Kihyun walked away laughing.