Angel of Sanctuary [Block B]

Chapter 20

•• Next Morning: Jihoon ••

I yawned and sat up, blinking the blinding sunlight out of my vision and staring around the unfamiliar room. My eyes fell on a picture of a grinning boy with wet light brown hair and mud splattered all over his body. He was giving a thumbs up to the person taking the picture as he held up a trophy for a whitewater rafting competition. I noticed Hyorin in the back, being carried along by a smiling boy with a black bob.

Beside the photo was the real trophy and I could barely make out the inscription from the bed, managing to read the name Choi Dae Jung and nothing else. Hyung stirred beside me before covering his head with the blanket with a groan and falling back asleep. There was a dull thud of footsteps that went by the door and I stared at it before getting to my feet and walking over to the door. Opening it, I came face to face with Hyorin, standing frozen in the hallway in shock. She gave me a little wave and I chuckled and waved at her before shutting the room door and joining her in the hall.

"What are you up to?" She shrugged at my question and then waved me after her as she walked into the living room to clean up the mess we had left on the coffee table. I quickly helped her toss everything and store some of the things in the fridge before yawning sleepily. "Hyorin, are you ready for our exciting day?"

"I am!" she said with a smile, pulling at my tender heart. "What do you want to do today?" I frowned uncertainly and she smiled supportively. "I'm game for anything you want to do!"

"Promise?" I asked her a bit suspiciously. She crossed her heart and I grinned and gave her a thumbs up. "That's great! Do you want to go to the amusement park then? We can go have fun and then I'll take you out for dinner; my treat."

"Ah, you don't have to treat me to a meal," she countered quickly with a sheepish grin. "I would love to go to the amusement park with you though! Also, dinner sounds like fun."

"I'm treating you; no complaints," I told her stubbornly. "I may be two months younger, but I have just as much a position in this as my Hyungs do."

"Of course you do," she told me reassuringly with a supportive smile. "I'm fully ready for the adventure we're having today. I think we have to wait until after I get ready though."

"Duh Hyorin," he sighed with a roll of his eyes and an amused smile. "By the way, it's okay if we stay here to get ready, right?"

"Well obviously. I wouldn't expect all of you to drive home when it's negative ten degrees outside!" I chuckled and nodded with an amused smile as she walking into the kitchen and put a giant pot of water on the stove.

"What are you making now? It's so early!" I exclaimed as she set a cover on top of the pot and then pulled out a bag of unsweetened cocoa powder, a container of sugar, a container of salt, 2 liters of milk, a bottle of vanilla extract, and half-and-half. "I'm really curious now."

She chuckled and combined precise amounts of the cocoa powder, sugar, and salt into the pot. It turned a deep shade of brown and I was hit by the smell of chocolate. Hyorin kept stirring the mixture in the pot before adding milk into it and then some vanilla extract. She continued stirring it as U-Kwon-Hyung sleepily stumbled into the dining room, awakened by the smell of chocolate that had dispersed throughout the apartment.

He plopped down at the table and Hyorin gestured for me to join him. I nodded obediently, practically bouncing with excitement, eager to know what special treat we we about to receive. "What's that yummy smell?" Kyung-Hyung asked us as he sat down at the table with us. "It smells really good!"

"Hyorin is cooking something apparently," U-Kwon chuckled with a smile. "We should wake the others so they don't miss this." We both nodded in agreement and I bounded back into the room where Hyung was sleeping before practically falling on top of him.