The Red Tape (Winrina/Ningselle)

I'm sure you're happy

While Minjeong and Jimin were having a war of their own, Aeri and Ningning were having their own crisis. Ningning was consistently avoiding Aeri with every chance that she had, which was heavily affecting Aeri as a result.

Ningning's plan was that avoiding would mean fewer interactions and fewer interactions would mean less heart problems. She hadn't considered that it could affect Aeri. Maybe it was a little bit selfish, but what else was she meant to do? Being around Aeri just made her irrational and more awkward than ever because she spent more time ogling the girl than talking. Do you really blame her for not wanting to make a fool out of herself in front of her crush?

Usually welcomed by the sight of Aeri on their couch, Ningning walked into the dorm to see it empty. Or, what she thought was empty.

Aeri was huddled in her bed, blankets covering her from head to toe. Seeing that she was asleep, Ningning let her be, pulling out her laptop and working on an assignment. An hour into her work, she heard whimpering coming from Aeri and Ningning frowned, thinking that Aeri was probably having a bad dream.

She approached her roommate, gently shaking her to wake her up. "Aeri?"

Ningning received no answer as Aeri simply shrugged her hand off her. She had an unsettling feeling in her stomach. She didn't want to pull the covers of the bed down, but she was also worried about Aeri.

Stuck on what to do, she decided to risk it, pulling off Aeri's blankets and gasping. She was shivering terribly under, eyes shut tightly.

"Aeri?!" Ningning panicked, placing the back of her palm against her forehead. She pulled away quickly - it felt like she touched fire. "Why the hell have you been going to classes if you're this sick?" She scolded.

Aeri had the energy to chuckle, and Ningning would've slapped her if she wasn't sick.

"This is nice." Aeri mumbled.

Ningning was rendered speechless at Aeri's words. Who thinks being sick is nice? "Are you out of your mind? Maybe it's the lack of sleep."

"No. I mean, you are not avoiding me." Aeri hoarsely spoke.

"What-I haven't." Ningning tried to deny.

"Please. I know it." Aeri shook her head, trying to grab the blankets and cover herself again.

"Firstly, you're not getting back in bed. You're sick, get out of bed, and go shower. And then you're going to eat." Ningning demanded, holding onto the blankets.

"I just need rest." Aeri groaned.

"You need rest along with food and fluids. Which you've had none of. Get up." Ningning sighed, giving Momo her hand to sit up. She handed her an unopened bottle of water, making her drink more than a few sips.

"There's no food." Aeri pointed out.

"I'll make something. You just go shower and wash up, please." Ningning sighed, helping Aeri out of the bed. "Do you need me to help you shower?"

Aeri blushed profusely at the suggestion, shaking her head immediately as Ningning chuckled at her reaction.

"Alright. Go now. I'll make something simple for you when you get out." Ningning nodded, basically pushing Aeri inside the bathroom.

As soon as the door shut, Ningning called up her mother, asking her for a recipe she could make quickly. Of course, she was teased endlessly about it first, and Ningning was glad that her mother couldn't see how deeply she was blushing at what she was implying.

"Ma, just tell me something quickly. If it's Japanese, it can work because my roommate is Japanese." Ningning whined.

"Alright, sweetie. I'm sure she's beautiful if she has you cooking for her." Her mother teased. After hearing another whine from Ningning, she laughed, finally giving her daughter a simple recipe her own mother had taught her.