The 10th Month

09. twenty-three

Jennie and Hanbin had been seeing each other more frequently ever since their first studio session. Despite her busy schedule, Jennie tried to drop by Hanbin's studio as often as she could. Her interest in producing music grew bigger than ever, and so did her skills. Every time she had a melody in mind, she would record it on her phone and showed it to Hanbin when they met. On days she wasn't able to visit his studio, she would send it to him and Hanbin would help her tweak some tunes or write the lyrics.

Producing music wasn't always smooth, of course. When two hard-headed, strong-willed people named Kim Hanbin and Kim Jennie were involved, things could never be peaceful.

The two had been texting each other all the time, too. It started with the "what time will you be here", and then the "i'm home" texts, and it became non-stop. Every morning they would ask each other what they would be doing for the day, and they also talked about whether they slept well or not. Days would go on as they asked what they'd have for lunch, and then for dinner, and then sending each other silly memes or videos. When night came, the two would share about how their day went and talked about anything until they both fell asleep.

Things started to feel natural, at last. It was never awkward anymore. Though they always bickered, Hanbin had grown more comfortable around her and Jennie felt the same way.

Jennie's schedule-free week finally came, and studio days with Hanbin welcomed her. After spending the last two days sleeping, Jennie decided to drop by his studio by midnight. She was fully recharged and ready to work by now.

"I'm hungry." Hanbin groaned beside her.

Taking a glance at the clock, Jennie noticed it was already 4 in the morning; the perfect time for Hanbin to whine about how hungry he was. Jennie was slowly picking up his habits.

Having a place in mind, she started to get up from her seat. She picked up her coat and placed her belongings inside her bag.

"Are you going home?" Hanbin asked, yawning.

Jennie ignored him as she put her hair into a half ponytail. Hanbin watched her as he rested his face on the palm of his hand, a bored look on his face. "Am I talking to a wall?"

Jennie held back her smile when she spotted him crossing his arms from the corner of her eyes. Once she was done with her hair, she finally turned to look at the sulking young man. 

"Come on. Let's have cereal."

"Cereal?"

Jennie nodded. "Let's have breakfast. I want something sweet."

Grabbing Hanbin's sweatshirt from the table, Jennie put it on on him. She ran her fingers through his messy locks, combing the tangled mess. Hanbin stayed still like a good little boy waiting for his mother to dress him up. She pulled the hood of his sweatshirt for the final touch.

"Tie my hair like yours." Hanbin suddenly said.

Jennie only stared at him. She was trying to read any expressions from his face, but she failed. He was expressionless.

"Please? It's getting long."

Jennie sighed, motioning him to sit in front of her. As she was pulling his hair up, Hanbin closed the both of his eyes. A small smile unknowingly stretched on his lips. It felt relaxing, somehow. He felt as if the weight on his head was lifted. 

"Your hair is still short, Hanbin." Jennie exclaimed. "See? This is not a man bun. This is apple hair."

He sent her a loop-sided grin in reply. "It's fine, I like it. I look cute, don't I?" Without allowing her to respond, Hanbin took her hand; dragging Jennie out of the studio. "Let's go."