Light streamed into the room causing my eyes to flutter open. I blinked to focus my vision. Where was I? My head pounded slightly and I felt groggy.

As I got up, I noticed that I was lying on my bed and my clothes were damp with sweat. How did I manage to get back to my bed? The last thing I remembered was going down the corridor to go and fetch water from downstairs but instead, I ended up meeting Baekhyun on the way. My memory was hazy after that.

I turned to my right to reach for my glasses. As I did so, I noticed that there was someone beside me. Their head was lying on top of their folded arms and they were sleeping soundly.

I jumped in surprise and grabbed a damp cloth, which was near my hand, and threw it at them. "Who are you? What are you doing in my room?" I screamed.

The person jolted awake at the sound of my voice and removed the cloth that had landed on top of them. They rubbed their eyes sleepily. I let out a sigh when I saw who it was.

"Chanyeol-ssi? What are you doing here?"

He blinked at me, allowing his eyes to adjust. "Is this how you treat people who look after you?" He yawned and stretched his arms. "You don't remember? You were sick last night."

I looked around and saw that he had several cloths next to him as well as an ice-pack. "I was looking after you all night."

I felt my face flush. I felt bad for having screamed at him. "Thank you," I told him finally.

He gazed at me sleepily, his face was worn like he hadn't had enough sleep. "Let me feel your temperature." He leaned in close as he placed his cool hand across my forehead. As he did so, I noticed that he had dark circles under his eyes. "Your fever has gone down." He smiled, "that's good. At least we know that you'll be fine after some rest."

"Thank you for looking after me," I told him once he had backed away. "I must have troubled you, Chanyeol-ssi."

Chanyeol pursed his lips at me, "If you're really thankful," he began, "then you would stop calling me 'Chanyeol-ssi'." He locked eyes with me and maintained a steady gaze. "What happened to calling me 'oppa'? Or just 'Chanyeol' like before?"

I averted my gaze. After everything that had happened yesterday, I had thought it best to put some distance between us. After all, I was an undercover reporter and by going back to formalities, it will remind me to stay on track. I had to remain unattached.

"Well?" Chanyeol prompted.

But I didn't know what to reply.

Chanyeol was displeased. "Nami-ah, if you're angry at me for abandoning you yesterday then, please just yell at me." He tried to meet my eyes. "I don't want you to stay silently angry at me the whole time." He added, "I don't want you to hate me."

I turned to him. "I don't hate you."

He smiled weakly. "Then, can we go back to how we were before?" He stared at me with puppy eyes, "will you forgive me?"

I looked at his worn appearance and nodded. Chanyeol had stayed up looking after me. The least I could do was let bygones be bygones. "I forgive you, Chanyeol."

He perked up at my words.

"Since you looked after me, we'll call it even," I told him. "But next time--"

"I'll protect you," he interrupted abruptly. I saw that his eyes were tenacious and unwavering. I didn't expect him to say that at all. "If anything like that happens again, I swear that, I'll protect you."

His eyes were so earnest that I felt heat rise up to my cheeks. I smiled. "As if I need protecting, pabo" and I threw another damp cloth at him.

~*~

The EXO members were ready to depart when I finally joined them downstairs. Their eyes lit up when they saw me shuffling towards them with Chanyeol as my crutch.

"Nami-ah!" It was Suho. "It's good to see you up so early in the morning."

"We were really worried about you, Little Umma," Kai said as he stuffed a piece of bread in his mouth. "I just heard from Chen-hyung that you had a fever last night."

"And that you had collapsed in front of Baekhyun-hyung" Sehun added.

I turned to look at Baekhyun who was, curiously, still in his pyjamas. He had a blanket over his body. "It's a good thing I caught you when I did," he said, his voice sounded hoarse and raspy. "But it seems I have caught something else in the process."

Xiumin approached me. "Baekhyun will be staying in the dorm with you today. We think he's caught a cold." He inspected my face carefully. "But I'm glad you're feeling better, Nami-ah." He patted my head affectionately and I felt the familiar racing heartbeat, I usually felt, whenever I came into contact with Xiumin.

I felt a sudden tug on the side as Chanyeol steered me away from him. "You should go and have some breakfast" he grumbled to me before leading me away.

As he led me to the dining table, D.O appeared with a plate and cutlery for me to use. "I'll be staying at home to look after both you and Baekhyun today" he informed me. He busied himself by preparing some toasted bread for me.

"But don't you have somewhere to go to today, D.O-ah?" Chanyeol asked from my side.

D.O shook his head. "It's fine. I can miss my reading rehearsal at least once." He offered the toast to me, "and looking after family is more important."

Chanyeol nodded but I couldn't help noticing how displeased he looked at hearing the news.

"Chanyeol-ah!" called Chen from the other side of the dorm. "We're going now."

Chanyeol looked back and saw that the other EXO members were heading out the front door. He gazed down at me. "We have a talk show that we have to go to today but, we'll be back later."

I nodded. "Don't worry, I'll be fine. D.O-ah and Baekhyun-oppa are both with me."

He gave me a reluctant look before joining the others.

~*~

Without my ability to walk easily, there wasn't much I could do around the dorm. D.O stayed good to his word and looked after both me and Baekhyun by making our meals and doing the chores. It felt strange seeing D.O clean but, it reinforced his nickname as EXO's second umma.

While D.O busied himself with the chores, I stayed upstairs and used this time to work on my report. After Nikka had told me about the promotion, my motivation had been renewed. I must get it no matter what! As I passed by the members' rooms, after returning from the bathroom, a sudden thought entered my mind. Could they have left their rooms unlocked this time?

I knew it was risky to try, since Baekhyun and D.O were still at home, but it was one of the rare opportunities I had. If I was going to get that promotion, I will need to take risks to get that scoop first. Blinded by my eagerness, I tested each door that I passed by until I found one door that was left unlocked. I looked around me to make sure that neither Baekhyun nor D.O was around. I knew that D.O was downstairs but I wasn't sure of Baekhyun's whereabouts.

Without knowing whose room it was, I sneaked in.

The room had two single beds and there were piles of clothes everywhere. The layout was like Xiumin and Chen's room but messier. And smellier too.

"Oh, holy mother," I said, pinching my nose. "What's that awful smell?"

It was a repugnant stench: a mix of sweaty clothes and guys' natural odour. It was hard to describe it in one word but, most people would say that this room smelled funky.

I peered around me while holding my breath, looking for anything that might be of interest. There was a bookshelf nearby with an array of 'Iron Man' figurines and 'One Piece' mangas. As I searched through the bookshelf, hoping to find an album of their trainee days or maybe a diary, I suddenly heard the sound of distant but fast approaching footsteps.

I panicked. If I get busted now, I'll have to kiss that promotion goodbye!

I searched the room quickly for somewhere to hide. There were two wardrobes on the other side of the room but, it would be too late to hide in them by the time I reached them. I quickly slipped underneath the bed as it was the nearest place I was sure I could conceal my whole body.

In the nick of time, I was able to hide in an awkward but, bearable position as the door opened and someone came in. I quietly rolled onto my stomach as I lifted my head to peer at the person from below the bed. Whoever came in had fair feet and a good pedicure. I held my breath as the person walked around their room, barefoot. Suddenly, a familiar blue towel dropped onto the floor and I immediately knew who it was: it was Baekhyun.

"Aish" I heard him mutter as he reached down to pick it up. Little water spots made stains on the carpeted floor as they fell from Baekhyun's wet hair: he had just taken a shower. He began humming along to an OST that CBX had recorded. It was the OST from the same drama he starred in, 'Scarlet Heart Ryeo'. I closed my eyes as he got dressed.

Suddenly, there was a soft tap on the door. "Baekhyun-ah" I heard D.O call from the other side.

"Hang on, D.O-ah. I'm just getting dressed."

In a few moments, I saw Baekhyun's feet walk over to the door. And a few moments later, D.O's slippers joined them.

"What's up?" I heard Baekhyun ask.

"Yah, Baekhyun-ah, your room stinks" D.O replied. I guess I wasn't the only one who thought that when I came in.

I watched as both pairs of feet made their way to the bed beside me and they disappeared as they sat down.

"I was wondering if you could offer me some advice" D.O started, his voice sounding unsure.

"What kind of advice?" Baekhyun enquired.

D.O paused. "The romantic kind."

My ears pricked up at this. It was the kind of thing I was looking for!

Baekhyun's voice sounded knowing, "The romantic kind, huh?" The bed shook slightly as he changed his sitting position. "Then you came to the right place, D.O-ah. How can the love doctor help you?"

D.O replied, "I have this dilemma with this... character."

"Character?" Baekhyun repeated, "is this to do with your role in a film?"

D.O was quiet. I guessed that he must have nodded in reply.

"Oh. Well. If it's still romance, I can still help. For a minute there, I thought you were going to tell me about your love life."

I imagined D.O shaking his head as he answered, "I'm just having problems with this character's behaviour. I mean, I don't know how I should act after considering his background and his conflicted thoughts."

Baekhyun sounded interested, "Tell me about it, then."

D.O began, "Well, the story is about this guy. Who is..." he paused, "attracted to this girl."

"Boy meets girl" Baekhyun observed, "Okay, carry on."

"But he finds out about her secret" he paused for some more, "and he's conflicted because he feels like he should tell his friends."

"Why does he need to tell his friends?"

"Because..." D.O's voice trailed off. "It's really complicated but, the main thing is, this guy shouldn't be attracted to this girl at all. It's like, they belong in different worlds-- parallel lines per se-- and they shouldn't have met in the first place but, they did. And now, he thinks that he's falling in love with her."

Baekhyun was quiet for a while. "And what about the girl?" he finally asked, "does she feel the same way about him?"

D.O was silent. "He doesn't know how she feels" he finally responded.

"Sounds like a really complicated situation, D.O-ah. And you play the guy?"

"Er, yeah."

"Well, what does the guy do with the girl in the movie?"

D.O was quiet as if he was thinking. "He's been trying to catch her attention. But there are two other characters who are trying to catch her attention as well."

The bed shook as Baekhyun sat up, "Ooooh. A love triangle? This movie sounds like it'll be a hit with the fans!"

"It's more like a love square" D.O replied with a hint of gloom in his voice.

"And what are the other characters like? The ones that are trying to catch her attention?"

"One likes to bully her" D.O sounded annoyed, "and the other treats her like a little sister."

Baekhyun chuckled, "Then it sounds like your character has a chance with the girl!"

"You think so?" D.O's voice sounded hopeful.

Baekhyun teased, "Yeah, as long as he stops being pathetic and just go for it."

"My character isn't pathetic!" D.O replied.

Baekhyun laughed. "By the sound of it, he is. Even if she has a secret, if he loves her, he will look past that and just man up and ask her on a date or something, I don't know."

"The problem is," D.O responded, "the girl thinks that my character treats her the same as other girls."

"What? Is your character a Casanova?"

"No, nothing like that at all." D.O sighed, "I don't know how my character should act to convince her that she's different."

Baekhyun was quiet for a while. And then he said, "D.O-ah."

"Hm?"

"It's a drama. Just follow the script."

"Baekhyun-ah!"

Baekhyun laughed as D.O mock-punched him. "If you want a solution to that problem, all your character needs to do is do something special for the girl. Do something rather than say something that would let her know that you care."

I listened for D.O's response. "You're right, Baekhyun. I think I know what I should do now."

"I'm glad the love doctor could help."

D.O got up from the bed and started heading towards the door. But before he could leave, Baekhyun called out to him, "Whose the girl, D.O-ah?"

I watched as D.O's feet turned around. "What?"

"The girl. What's her name?"

"W-what do you mean?"

The bed shook as Baekhyun got up, "The actress that will be acting opposite you. I want to check her out!"

D.O relaxed, "You really are a pervert, Baekhyun-ah."

As D.O opened the door, Baekhyun asked him, "What are you going to do now? You gonna check up on Little Umma?"

My eyes widened at them mentioning me.

"No, she might be resting" D.O replied.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"I heard from Sehun and Kai that you hugged her when she came back last night," Baekhyun said casually.

I saw D.O's feet stiffen.

"Could you perhaps be...?" Baekhyun intentionally didn't finish his question.

D.O replied, "No, it's not what you think. I think of Nami-ah as a friend. And I was really worried about her, that's all."

Baekhyun's voice sounded unconvinced, "If you say so. It's just that, you didn't have to stay at home today to look after us. I know how much your acting means to you and for you to skip a rehearsal just for us is..."

"Baekhyun," D.O said sternly, "if I didn't stay at home today you wouldn't have had anything to eat."

Baekhyun considered this, "Good point."

D.O stood still for a while before asking, "What do you think about Nami-ah?"

"I think she's pretty fun to tease" Baekhyun replied mischievously. "She reminds me a lot of Tao."

I furrowed my brows as I listened to this. Tao? Wasn't he one of the Chinese members that left recently? I tried to remember what I had researched about the past members. If I remembered correctly, Tao was the one who was afraid of cockroaches.

D.O chuckled, "I see what you mean but, a lot cuter."

Baekhyun picked up on this. He teased, "Sounds like you might have a small crush on Little Umma."

He sighed. "Like I said, Nami-ah is like family. I don't like her that way."

"Sure you don't" he taunted. "But I guess I don't blame you. Little Umma isn't that feminine. I wouldn't think that she's your type."

D.O hesitantly agreed, "But she's unique. I've never met anyone like her."

"Aish, you're just saying that because you haven't dated in a while. Go date a nice girl so that you can meet more types of women" Baekhyun ordered.

It was really faint but I swore I heard D.O murmur under his breath, "I don't really need to. I already have someone I like."

But Baekhyun didn't hear, "Huh? Did you say something?"

"No" D.O answered in his normal voice, "nothing. I'll leave you now."

I watched as D.O's feet disappeared as he left the room. Baekhyun went after him. "I swear you said something just now, D.O-ah. Yah, tell me, D.O-ah."

Once I thought the coast was clear, I quickly rolled out from underneath the bed and ran to my room. I slid down the back of my door as I shut it and contemplated on what I had just discovered.

"So D.O has someone he likes," I said out loud.

It was quite a shock. D.O had always been shy around me so I didn't know much about him. We never really spent much time together either, apart from the times when I would assist him when he was cooking. It was interesting to finally find out a different side to him.

"I wonder who his crush could be?" I murmured to myself. "I hope I'll be able to find out."

~*~

Author's Note:

Hey reader! Thanks for reading chapter 20 of Our Little Dorm Mother.

This is a short chapter again. I'm trying to regulate the length of my chapters for your benefit. I know that nothing much is happening but, I promise you, things will get more interesting as I'm building up to a certain something. >.<

I thought it was time for D.O's perspective. Did you get his anecdote? I hope you did!

Also, Happy Valentines Day! I didn't think I would be posting this chapter today so it's quite the coincidence that this chapter is entitled 'Love Doctor'.

Please look forward to the upcoming chapters and as always, please vote, comment and share too.

Next time...