Night-Owl Romance

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Note: Chapter 3 was already long enough. ;=; Slight continuation of the night. I really need to plan chapters better, LOL. *sobsIcan'tdoitsobs*

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Chapter 4: Insomniacs

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"Ngh...!", stretching her arms above her head and silently yawning, jaw wide like a roaring lion, Mina felt like the online exploration had been more than enough for the time being. Any more and her eyes would drop on the floor from the exhaustion – plus, it was beginning to feel like she pried in their privacy more than it was necessary. She felt bad doing it behind their backs too... ;;;

For a while.

Then she remembered Seven's ending call and the guilt passed fairly quickly. Mina questioned what they all found about her... actually, she was curious enough to ponder searching her name online at the first opportunity. 'Should I worry...?'

Anyway~!

A brand new day was awaiting her, one where she would be officially entering the R.F.A. party-planning role. She had to be in the best shape possible, less insomniac zombie and more human... preferably. And for this to happen, she needed to rest while the night still reigned in the sky, stars and moon shining in their fullest glory~!

Sort of... *sigh* "..."

It was an uncomfortable sensation to sleep in the bed of a person who was no longer present in this world, so she settled for the couch, using the thin blanket she had found in the room as a cover. Before she even had the chance to put her head onto the pillow, the phone started vibrating chaotically for a few seconds, her heart instantly constricting.

Mina feared it might have been the hacker, gulping down heavily as she was reaching for the device on the coffee table. To her relief, it was just an R.F.A. announcement of a new chat room opening, 'Unknown' having nothing to do with it. She exhaled happily.

Until...

Her eyes widen when she noticed Zen was online... it was 4:35 a.m. 'It's so late in the night...'

Mina was unsure if she should make her presence known or just let it be, as her finger hovered on top of the chat window. The girl couldn't easily forgive their last conversation, already feeling her cheeks heating up again just remembering how foolish she felt from his flirting.

It was annoying...

*DING DING DING* "Oh! He wrote first.", she resumed her laidback position on the couch, resting her head onto the pillow while keeping the phone steady above her.

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~oOo~

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[ZEN]: MC?

[ZEN]: Why are you awake at this hour?!

[ZEN]: Can't you fall asleep? Or is there really something wrong with you?

[ZEN]: *shocked emoji*

[MC]: Heya Zen.

[MC]: I'm fine...

[ZEN]: ...

[MC]: Really, really I am. Trust me. ^^

[MC]: I just... umm.

[MC]: Sleep pretty late usually~? He he he...

[ZEN]: *shocked emoji*

[ZEN]: That's not healthy! A girl like you should be resting properly or else your skin will suffer in the long-term.

[MC]: *stares at you* (눈_눈)

[ZEN]: Hm? Do you want me to stare back?

[MC]: ... No.

[ZEN]: Is the avatar picture too small for such a handsome face?

[MC]: No!

[ZEN]: Should I send you a better picture? *winks*

[ZEN]: I'll have to look for a really good one, especially for you~!

[MC]: NO!

[ZEN]: WAIT!

[ZEN]: This is not time to do this!

[MC]: I agree 100%!

[ZEN]: I'm serious, though. MC. Why aren't you asleep? It really isn't good for your health to stay up through the night. I mean it.

[MC]: Why are you awake then?

[ZEN]: *sad emoji*

[ZEN]: Tomorrow is an important rehearsal with the entire cast and I still need to practice the rest of my lines. Only 12 pages left out of 89.

[MC]: You got to memorize all of that by tomorrow?! (º □ º l|l)/

[MC]: It's so much...

[ZEN]: Hm? It does seem like a lot of content, but I've been practicing hard all week. All I have left are the script revisions and final touches upon my act. Pretty simple.

[MC]: Simple?! Wow...

[MC]: You're really diligent. No wonder you're that good on stage...

[ZEN]: Hm?

[MC]: O-O I mean... umm...

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Mina panicked. She wrote it down without giving it a second thought, and then tried to quickly come up with an appropriate comeback – naturally, her exhausted brain malfunctioned. The last thing Zen needed from the girl was a compliment to boost up his already overconfident personality... he will turn it against her for sure ;;; AH! Why was Mina like this?! TwT

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[ZEN]: That good? So you've actually seen my musicals?!

[MC]: Nope, I never saw one.

[ZEN]: *shocked emoji*

[ZEN]: You are one of my fans~! How cute. ^^

[MC]: I just mentioned that I never saw one... ;;; what's with that conclusion?!

[ZEN]: You're not the stalker type... I hope. Although, if you're as cute as Seven says, then I might not mind it. *wink emoji*

[MC]: (ノಥ益ಥ)ノ

[MC]: I can't do this at this hour!

[MC]: Never mind. ;;; Forget I said anything.

[ZEN]: Hmm... if you've never seen a live show, then...

[ZEN]: Ooooo~! Now I get it.

[MC]: ...?

[ZEN]: *wink emoji*

[ZEN]: You've been stalking my videos and photos.

[MC]: What?! That's not...!

[ZEN]: *inserts selfie from the gym*

[MC]: fwegrwgrwh

[ZEN]: HAHAHAHA! Ah, so cute. I knew it!

[ZEN]: I knew it was too abnormal for a girl to reject me so directly!

[ZEN]: Virtually impossible! It's not your fault, MC – my genes are far too ungodly for any human to resist.

[ZEN]: You did your best to guard yourself against this perfectly chiseled face and body.

[ZEN]: *wink emoji* Don't fight the inevitable outcome~! It will only bring you more frustrations.

[ZEN]: Enjoy the Zen effect~! My fans say it is life changing.

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That picture felt like a very low sucker punch for Mina, the phone slipping from her grasp in shock, plunging directly into her face. The hit caused her to yelp loudly and roll down the couch in pain, hitting the hardwood flooring. Her nose was becoming numb, grabbing it painfully as she searched for the blasted phone, growling after it.

"You... YOU!", she was so flustered and appalled, glaring at the screen with the redness intensifying in her cheeks. "What's with this picture?!"

It was... it was so... "Guuuuh!", she slapped her cheek, unable to peel her eyes away from the full version, no matter how much she willed herself to. It was... not real.

There was no way a person like him existed in reality...

Zen's white training shirt was barely hiding anything from view because it molded onto his body so tightly, revealing the contour of his sculpted abs. It was damp, parts of the fabric sticking closer to his body than other – he must have taken the shot after a full workout routine at a gym, draping a towel over his shoulders as he was posing in front of the mirror, phone in his right hand. His grin was wide, winking in the shot in a seductive manner.

A glowing pink heart-sticker was purposely placed next to his face, with the caption: 'To help you enter the sweetest dream world from now on, MC' *heart*

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"H-How can I go t-to sleep now?!", she felt her breathing intensifying the more she stared at it. The buzzing brought back the attention towards the conversation. If anything, Mina was glad the app didn't have video calls or else she would have to leave the country from the gruesome shame.

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[ZEN]: Jokes aside.

[ZEN]: To be honest, that's not the only reason I am awake.

[ZEN]: I just couldn't after what happened today.

[ZEN]: ...

[ZEN]: Hello?

[MC]: Yes, yes. I'm still here, but... my phone had problems.

[ZEN]: Oh. Phone did? Interesting timing, jagi...

[ZEN]: *wink emoji*

[MC]: Battery drain!

[MC]: Anyway! ( `⌒´ l|l)/

[MC]: ... Because of what happened today?

[MC]: You mean me joining the R.F.A.?

[ZEN]: On one hand, yes.

[ZEN]: On the other... it bothers me how someone outside the group could hack into the system like it was nothing.

[ZEN]: How do I say this... It feels very unsettling, knowing there's someone who can be at Seven's level at what he does.

[ZEN]: Don't get me wrong! I trust in Seven's skills a lot, it's just... worrisome.

[ZEN]: The R.F.A. deals mostly with charity, so I really can't be sure why anyone would go to this extent in the first place. ^^;

[ZEN]: We've never had an incident like this before.

[MC]: I see...

[ZEN]: And now you're caught up in that apartment because of it.

[MC]: I really can't complain about that. ^^;

[MC]: Honestly, I truly did not expect all of this when I got the messages.

[MC]: It's almost surreal; I still can't believe even now where I am...

[ZEN]: You were too trustworthy with a stranger... It could have turned dangerous for you.

[ZEN]: That's also quite bothersome.

[ZEN]: And I suppose you would rather be in your home rather than there.

[MC]: Well, my home is at the other side of the country so that doesn't do me any good.

[ZEN]: *confused emoji*

[MC]: Oh... you meant in Seoul. Lol . ;;; I feel dumb.

[ZEN]: Hm, you don't live here?

[MC]: I should really get some sleep.

[ZEN]: Wait!

[MC]: Good night, Zen.

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~oOo~

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"Ack, what a troublesome girl...", the boy muttered, brushing a hand through his wet silver locks, unsure what to make of MC's sudden disappearance from the chat.

He had just gotten out of the shower, towel still wrapped around his torso, when he logged into the R.F.A. app, curious if he was alone at this hour or if Yoosung was still playing his silly game. He wanted to talk with someone, anyone, because his thoughts were clouded about today's event. He was unfocused... unable to properly do a last revision on his lines for work.

It was making him insomniac, more than he was before.

Tch... it all started when the week before he experienced a confusing dream during his evening naps. Actually... it was much closer to a nightmare in how it affected him. His heart pounded rapidly for an hour after he'd woken up. The weather didn't make it any better, heavy rainclouds in the sky as a sudden thunderstorm started – Zen thought it was an ominous feeling, dreading it heavily.

He hated rainy days... he liked sunshine, because it brought in more positivity to his life. These dark sensations would usually hit Zen when big life-changing events were right at the corner. Sort of like premonitions... It sometimes helped him. He would become more careful at work during practice, gym activities and performance shows. He thought it was somehow related to his acting career again – he had these dreams before.

Zen definitely didn't expect the R.F.A. to become the target.

So when his eyes went to the app, he was unnerved by MC's presence online. He quickly recalled her stomach issues from before – he hoped it wasn't something serious with her health, but she dismissed it too far too rapidly for comfort... Zen knew better than to coerce her into sharing more though. She was fairly new to the group and maybe she didn't take too easily to people she had just met. At least that was his vague impression from her attitude.

Heh, they were a bunch of oddities. Even he was compared to an alien, more than once.

MC felt quite nervous on the phone too, but she'd become more confident when Zen riled her up. It was amusing. He thought his jokes and teasing would break the ice, making her more comfortable around him. It wasn't his intention to become that playful, but it wasn't like her reactions warned that she disliked it. MC wasn't too honest with her feelings, acting in a certain way through her voice tone, but the words coming out of her mouth being entirely different.

Being an actor, he could tell the difference by noticing gestures and mimics of the face. Albeit, it was harder to tell these things inside the chat room, which is why he preferred to hear people and see them face-to-face when having discussions.

Anyway...

He couldn't prevent himself from messing with MC again. Zen didn't know the last time he had so much fun interacting with a girl – it was refreshing not being constantly pampered in compliments over his looks, even if he was baiting her for them. But...

"..."

She really did log off the chat too suddenly. Zen was actually concerned he had said something troublesome, but he wasn't exactly sure what. 'Did she not like the picture...? I thought it's between my best. I've even lost weight and gained more muscle tone.' Scrolling through the menu, he could still see her online, so he wanted to send her a text message.

But... he had trouble finding the exact words of what he wanted to say to her. 'Was she really ok?' Zen wasn't sure why she keeps disappearing in the oddest moments.

First, it was when he tried to be extra nice and helpful towards her – he really wanted to help her adjust to the R.F.A., reassuring once more that she could confide in him whenever she struggled. Zen wanted to be clear about it. Then MC went Poof~!

And now...

The second time was at the mentioning of her home – surely, she must want to spend her nights there, than in Rika's apartment. Wasn't it a natural feeling to have? "..."

"Right...?" It was confusing. "Did I say something wrong with this...?"

He didn't want to pry too much into her life. Curious as he was, he had boundaries and knew when to stop – normally. They didn't even know each other for an entire day yet, so asking about family was not helpful. Zen himself was the type to avoid such personal questions strikingly fast.

Hmm... whatever it was, he hoped she'll warm up as time passes by.

'Have a good night, MC. ^^ It hasn't been long since we've met, but I really am happy someone like you is in the R.F.A. It's a nice change of pace and I hope we become closer in time. Hope your dream world will be plenty of satisfactory *winks*.'

"..."

He was uncertain about what he wrote, but could not think of anything better. What he didn't expect was an answer, just minutes later. Zen raised his eyes from the script he was attempting to decipher, reaching for his phone to read it.

'Thanks Zen. And... sorry for being so weird, I'm still getting used to things here ^^;;; I'm really not used to talking so much. Also – depends on your definition of close; I may not look like it, but I can throw a pretty nasty kick. So ~ beware O-o dream world or not, don't do anything funny! Lolol... Well... Good night, Zen.'

"Hm...? Not used to talking so much...", he narrowed his eyes, looking at the time of the call he did earlier... it didn't even pass the 15 minutes mark. Was she joking or was she really so quiet around people?

"Ah, maybe that's why she disappears so rapidly... Shy? Or an introvert?", he wondered, but shrugged the thought.

Zen would pay more attention next time. For some reason...

He was really tempted to call her. He hoped to do it soon enough – maybe in the morning. And ask about her dream world. That should give him plenty of cute bubbly reactions~!