"Huh...?"

"Kim Taehyung, at your service!" Taehyung chirps the moment Jimin wakes, clapping his hands together delightfully. Jimin's warning look dissipates the moment he sees the boy flop on the bed lazily.

"Uh..."

Jimin looks at me uncertainly as he shyly pulls up my blanket up to his nose. His eyes glance up at Taehyung, his full lips pursed together.

He's so cutely shy it's killing me.

And apparently Taehyung thinks so as well because he smiles, patting Jimin's soft hair even though they're the same age.

"It's okay— I don't bite."

"Yeah. Actually, he's the one who convinced and paid for me to get you," I explain, and Jimin's eyes go wide. "So yeah— he's not bad at all."

"So he's the reason why you've neglected my poor soul for the past two days," Taehyung says, analyzing a Jimin that is still too shy to meet his eyes.

"I mean, it's a good excuse."

"Well," Taehyung says lightly, and only then do I notice the black plastic bag clutched in his hands. "I'm leaving this here— tell me how it tastes, okay?"

________________________

Alcohol.

He'd left alcohol in my house?

"What's this, Minah?" Jimin asks, his eyes wide and curious as he stares at the green bottle. "It doesn't smell... that nice."

"Do you want to try it?" I ask, cautiously pouring out a tiny cup. Whenever Taehyung had drunk it in front of my stunned face, he'd said it was the best drink that could possibly exist in the world.

He only drank it whenever his parents scolded him, told him that he wasn't good enough even though he was amazing at his job. Even if he'd secured two major deals— his parents always told him why he hadn't secured three.

He'd called it his happy juice.

"Do you think this really makes you happy?" I ask Jimin, swirling the transparent liquid in my cup. "I mean, I know it smells bad and all— but do you think being drunk makes you happy?"

He shrugs.

"I'm not really sure— the information's not in my database." Jimin answers, glancing at the alcohol. "But would it hurt to try?"

"I mean, Taehyung does it."

"Then I guess it wouldn't hurt."

________________________

He was right.

I feel like I could fly— just lift off from the ground like I weighed less than a feather.

Opposite from where I am, Jimin is giggling cutely with both his cheeks flushed an adorable shade of red. Even the tips of his ears are scarlet.

My words sound slurred in my ears as I reach over and squeeze his cheeks.

"You're so cute, Jimin~" I laugh, fluffing his silky hair. "And how is your hair so fluffy? It's softer than a cloud!"

"You— You touch a cloud before?" He stutters, which makes me want to crush him like a teddy bear. "A real cloud? Really? Did you jump so high?"

I can't really understand him, but it still makes me happy to just watch him try to count the alphabet backwards.

Then a wave of unexpected nausea washes over my body, and I immediately hunch forward. Jimin's hand heavily falls on my shoulder, as if he can't find himself to control his own strength.

"Minah— Minah? Minah, are you 'Kay? 'Cause you don't seem 'Kay at all. Want me to take you to the white place that smells like poison?"

"I don't feel so good," I mumble, grasping his wrist. "It'll probably pass— so fine I'm fine."

"Jimin?" I ask, and he looks up at me. The crimson seems to have gotten deeper in his skin, but it doesn't make him any less attractive.

"What's a kiss?"

"A... A kiss?" He repeats, eyes glazed. The pad of his finger suddenly moves to trace my bottom lip.

"Do you want me to show you?"

"Yeah— I always been curious, you know?" I whisper, my voice hushed and barely audible. But Jimin's ears perk up, and I know he can still hear me.

"But I don't know—"

"I'll show you, Minah." He tells me, and I feel the warmth of his hand surround the back of my neck. "I'll show you everything I know."

The daze in my eyes grow deeper as he presses his lips to mine. His mouth feels soft and warm, and I hang onto his body as euphoria pours in me like a waterfall.

"Woah." I mumble as he pulls away, back to shy and cute and drunk. That feeling— that feeling when he'd kissed me. I couldn't quite put a finger on it, since it'd dissipated right after he'd done it.

I needed to feel that.

"Can I kiss you again?"

"Anytime," He says, and I don't hesitate a moment to press my lips against his, my hand wrapped around the back of his head just like he'd done. The amazing feeling comes back in my heart, racing and twisting and burning.

And it feels enchanting.

"Are you... okay with... t-this?" He fumbles with his words, face now bright red as he pulls away. "I don't— I don't want to violate you, Master."

"It's Minah."

"And you're not violating anything."

________________________

By the time I sober up, I'm crumpled on the ground with Jimin's arms tucked around my body. The floor is hard and should feel cold, but everything feels warm— my face is undoubtedly flushed.

Dear Lord.

What in the world happened as to how we both ended up on the ground cuddling each other?

Besides me, Jimin stirs. His eyes slowly flutter open as he winces, no doubt the headaches blinding his head. And was it just my imagination that his lips somehow looked fuller today than yesterday?

"Minah...? What happened?"

"I don't know," I groan, cursing Taehyung out when I look at two empty bottles of alcohol rolling on the table. "But I know one thing— Kim Taehyung dies. Today."

"Tae...hyung?" Jimin groans, his eyes unfocused as he looks at me. "The one this morning?"

"Yeah." I hiss, grimacing when I nearly trip over the couch. "Why did I even drink that in the first place? I'm so stupid— and I made you drink it too. I'm sorry, Jimin."

"It's fine."

For some reason, my heart goes up in flames every time I see him. And even though I'd seen him plenty of times before, it feels different.

The way his silver locks move with every step he takes, his sheer silhouette as he crosses the room with more grace and elegance than a jaguar sneaking up on prey.

I'd known he was beautiful before.

But now he looks ethereal as he glances at me, his dark-slitted eyes terrifyingly intense.

I'm dreaming.

"You're staring, Master." He says worriedly, and I break away my eyes. What was I doing? What am I doing, looking at my AI like I loved him.

I did love him, but not like that.

"Is there something on my face?"

"No," I stutter, instinctively moving backwards when he comes closer. He presses a hand against my cheek, and my eyes go wide with shock.

"What are you doing?"

"You have a temperature, Minah." He explains as he shifts his hand to my forehead. "I think you have a fever."

"Fever?" I mutter dumbly. "There's no way I have a fever, Jimin. This house is perfectly at room temperature, and I haven't left this house for like days!"

He glances at the thermometer.

"53 degrees isn't room temperature, Minah. It's freezing in here— I'm sorry for not noticing sooner."

"53 degrees?!"

Kim. Tae. Hyung.

He must've accidentally stumbled on the curve again and smashed the air conditioning button with his back or something. This had happened last time, and it'd nearly froze me to death.

"Go rest, Minah," Jimin says as he quickly pulls up the temperature. "That fever isn't going to heal itself."

"I'm fine," I mumble, starting to notice the freeze in the air. "And I just slept, remember? So it's not going to—"

Jimin's hand quiets my lips, and I glare at him when he lifts me up from the ground. Noticing me trying to stare daggers at him, he gives me the shyest, most adorable smile.

"I'm just trying to keep you healthy."