D.O couldn't help smiling as he listened to Nami giggling from right next to him. They were back at the apartment now and they were currently watching a movie. After they had come back from the supermarket, they had decided to put away the groceries and watch a movie together since they didn't have much planned for the day. D.O took a handful of popcorn from the bowl on Nami's lap and munched on it quietly. He peeked at Nami again, who was grinning as she watched TV.

"You really must like this film a lot, huh?" he asked her. He gaped at Nami who showed a child-like expression in her eyes. "You look like you've seen this film dozens of times before."

Nami looked at him sheepishly. "Yeah, I've watched 'Shrek' at least a hundred times by now." She turned back to the TV screen just as the scene, when Shrek rescues Fiona from the tower, appeared.

D.O continued to watch the movie. He felt quite content just sitting quietly with Nami as they sat on the small leather sofa together. Currently, they were alone in the apartment as the WGM staff had left to do some editing. However, they had left two electronically operated cameras, that were motion-censored, stationed in front of them.

Even though they were not completely alone, D.O felt more relaxed. In all honesty, he had found being constantly surrounded and followed by the WGM very stressful and, it reminded him of how it used to be like, when they were filming for 'EXO Showtime', a few years back.

He remembered how he used to get cold sweats and how his words would get jumbled as soon as he noticed a camera on him. But now, he didn't mind the cameras at all. Being constantly in the spotlight had left him desensitised to all the attention and he could only guess what turmoil Nami had been going through up until this moment.

D.O snuck a glimpse at her again. She was munching on her popcorn happily, clearly relaxed at not having any of the WGM staff around. When the film finally ended, he asked her, "What do you like about this film?" he was curious as to why Nami had enjoyed it so much.

"What's not to like about 'Shrek'?" she replied. "'Shrek' is one of the best-animated films out there!"

D.O arched a brow. "Yeah, but there are other good animated films out there too. Like, the classic Disney films and--"

"You don't get it" Nami interrupted him. "'Shrek' is one of the best films because the princess, Fiona in this case, isn't your stereotypical damsel." She grinned, "She's a total badass!"

D.O was amused at Nami's choice of words. "So you only like this film because of the female protagonist?"

"Well..." Nami thought. "Yeah. Pretty much." She turned to face him fully as the credits rolled up on the TV screen. "Fiona's different. She's a capable damsel that doesn't really need to be in distress. I mean, she could literally climb down the tower and defeat the dragon by herself if she really wanted to." She paused before continuing, "She's a damsel in distress that doesn't need a hero."

"Ah, I see. You idolise this character."

She grinned, "I guess so. While growing up, I always wanted to be just as strong as Fiona." Nami thought for a moment. "Or Mulan. She was a pretty good role model too."

D.O chuckled. "But even Fiona and Mulan needed a hero in the end. There was Shrek and--what's his name-- Shang?"

Nami nodded in response.

"So if you are Fiona then... would that make me Shrek?" D.O gaped at Nami with an expectant expression. He hoped that she would understand his indirect message: I want to be your hero.

But to his surprise, Nami replied with "Nah."

D.O couldn't help feeling a little disappointed.

"You're too handsome to be an ogre."

D.O's spirits were revived. He smiled. "Then who would I be, then?"

Nami thought for a while. "You could be... Donkey!"

"What?" D.O was confused. "So I'm too handsome to be an ogre but ugly enough to look like an ass?"

Nami giggled, "No, silly! You're Donkey because he's fun, charming and he always makes me smile." She replied, smiling warmly at him and revealing her dimples which made his heart flutter. "He's my favourite character, you know."

D.O felt his cheeks going warm as he blushed. "So you're saying that while you're a princess, I'm a beast that walks around in hooves?"

"No! I didn't mean it like that!" she chortled and D.O joined in with the laughter.

~*~

I hummed along to music that I was playing on my phone. It was already late in the evening and D.O and I had a made a start on making dinner. Since I had bought a lot of ramyeon earlier, we decided to have that for dinner along with some soft boiled eggs that were currently boiling in a pot.

I looked up as my phone was suddenly playing advertisements, instead of music, as I was on YouTube. I was about to press 'skip' when something caught my attention "Oh. D.O-ah, is this you?"

D.O turned to my direction and left the hob. He had been stirring the noodles to check if they were ready. He peered down at my phone as an advertisement for his film was playing. "Oh, yeah, that's the trailer for the film that I participated in."

"'Pure Love'" I read, as the title of the film appeared at the end. "It looks good. It's a romantic film?"

He nodded. "The title is a bit of a giveaway" he teased.

I re-winded the advert again and smirked as I saw D.O's face appear. "You look really tanned here."

D.O gave a small laugh. "Yeah, I was out in the sun a lot during that time."

I watched a bit more and asked, "When's it out? I'd love to go and see it."

D.O grinned. "Well, the premiere is actually tomorrow" he informed me. "And we're having a press conference straight after." He eyed me expectantly, "If you want, you can come and join me."

"Really?"

He nodded. "They said I could bring a plus one so..."

"Wah! I can't wait!" I replied excitedly. "But would it be okay if I go? I mean, isn't this a red carpet thing?"

D.O laughed softly. "I think it's pretty casual. And of course, you can go." He added shyly, "You're my wife."

I gave him a small smile as a reply. I had gotten used to D.O calling me his wife since we were meant to be a married couple, even if it's just for show. But every time he called me that, my heart beat picked up ever so slightly. I turned away from him as I selected a playlist on Spotify that I hadn't listened to in a while.

"Don't tell me you're playing BTS songs again" D.O whinged from my side. He had returned to the hob and had seen that the ramyeon was almost ready.

"Relax, I'm playing something else" I answered. "Although, now that you mention it, I could listen to some BTS songs now--"

D.O shot me a warning look and I put up my hands in surrender. It looked like he was about to turn into Satansoo if I wasn't careful. Throughout the evening, I had been listening to BTS songs on repeat after we had finished watching a movie together. At first, he tolerated my choice of music but then I started singing along to it for hours on end and I had just managed to tone it down to humming when I noticed D.O was getting irritated.

I put my phone to one side as I listened to the melodic strumming of a guitar playing. After a few moments, Ed Sheeran's beautiful voice sang the first verse to 'Perfect' and I sighed contentedly.

D.O, noticing my choice of music, made an observation. "This song sounds familiar."

I turned to him. "Yeah, it was the song that Chanyeol played on my birthday--" I stopped midway my sentence as I was suddenly reminded about Chanyeol again. I averted my gaze. D.O and I had been avoiding talking about Chanyeol like he was a taboo subject.

After a while, I heard him ask, "Do you miss him?" His voice was low.

Hesitantly, I looked up at him and saw that his expression was unreadable. "I-I don't know," I told him. But I knew it was a lie. In reality, I sort of did. I missed Chanyeol. I missed the fun times we had together before I found out that I was just a bet to him.

D.O pressed further, "Nami-ah," he said tentatively, "how do you... really feel about Chanyeol?"

I eyed him carefully. "W-what do you mean?"

"I know that you said that your relationship with Chanyeol was just pretend" he began, "but, could it be that you've... you've developed real feelings for him in the end?"

I fumbled with my hoodie sleeves awkwardly. I didn't know how to answer. But what preoccupied me most was why D.O was so interested in the first place.

"I-I'm not really sure about how I feel about him anymore," I told him earnestly. It was the truth this time. "But I guess in the past, I did like him" I admitted. "I fell for Chanyeol." I laughed humourlessly, a weight lifted from my chest as I finally told someone the truth. "We had our differences but somehow, I ended up falling for him. Like you said before, D.O-ah, Chanyeol is kind and thoughtful but he has a funny way of showing it."

D.O watched me quietly from near the hob. His face was as blank as a canvas. "What is it about him that you liked?"

"I guess... the way he secretly cared for me?" I thought out loud, as I remembered how over-protective Chanyeol could be at times. "And probably the way he smiled. His eyes always looked so bright." I peered up at D.O and saw that he had a broody expression. "But, I don't feel that way about him anymore. I've already moved on--"

"What about me?" D.O suddenly asked.

"Huh?"

I watched as D.O took a step towards me. His round eyes were the shape of half-moons: they were determined and unwavering. His face was solemn as he repeated, "How do you feel about me?"

D.O took a step closer and I nervously took a step back. His gaze was so penetrating that it felt like he was boring into my soul. "Erm, well, I-I feel comfortable around you. And you're my friend so--"

D.O took another step closer and I retreated until I felt the edge of the table bump into the small of my back. I was trapped. My heart started racing as D.O approached me and placed his sturdy arms on either side of me so that I couldn't escape from him.

I looked up.

D.O's face was only inches away from mine. His half-moon eyes bore deeply into my almond-shaped ones, searching them like he was trying to figure out what was going through my head. I felt myself turn pink under his intense gaze.

"Can't I be the guy you like most?"

His words lingered in the air as I stayed trap under his spell. I blinked, Did I just hear right?

"Huh?" I managed to say.

"Can't I be...the one you fall for?"

D.O eyes trailed down to my lips where they lingered for a while before his round eyes locked with mine once more. I gaped at him, my heart thumping wildly against my chest as I recognised the look in his eyes. It was the same burning desire that I had been seeing for the past few days.

Suddenly, D.O leaned in closer so that our mouths were only a breath away from each other. He was so close that I could feel his warm breath blowing into my mouth. My eyes unavoidably trailed down to his heart-shaped lips. They were pink, plump and kissable.

How I wanted to kiss those lips so badly.

He was close to me now. Our noses bumped into each other as he angled his face so that he could gain access to my lips. I was so nervous that I forgot to breathe. As D.O closed the distance between us, I closed my eyes in preparation for our first kiss together. My stomach tightened in anticipation as I waited for the moment our lips merged into one--

But suddenly, I heard muffled laughter.

I opened my eyes immediately and saw D.O chuckling to himself from a distance. He had pulled away and was giggling to one side.

My face coloured in humiliation.

"Sorry" he managed to say in between fits of giggles, "I was only teasing you."

"Yah, stupid, D.O-ah!" I pouted angrily as I punched him in the shoulder. I continued punching him on the shoulder with my closed fists to try and clear away the embarrassment I was feeling. I was so stupid! D.O was just teasing me!

"Ow! Ow! Nami-ah, that hurts!" he whined.

"Stupid, D.O-ah!" I said, still hitting him on the shoulder. I was angry at him for tricking me but I was also angry at myself for expecting anything in the first place. What was wrong with me? D.O had someone he liked and that person wasn't me!

After I finished beating him, I looked away, still annoyed at what happened earlier. I was so embarrassed.

D.O rubbed his shoulder delicately and then proceeded to apologise, "I'm sorry, Nami-ah. It was a bad joke."

"You bet it was!" I shouted, not even looking at him. I was scared he'd see how flushed I was. It was unfair that it was only me who was affected by him. Why had I wanted for us to kiss anyway?

He tried to get into my line of view but I turned away from him again. "I'm sorry, okay? I promise I won't do anything like that again. I didn't think you'd fall for it."

I turned to face him at last, "What were you aiming to get by doing that anyway? The satisfaction of having teased me?" I asked, glaring at him.

D.O was apologetic, "No. I was just trying out my acting skills on you."

"What? Acting skills?"

"Yeah. They were the same lines from before. You know, from when we practised together the first time?"

I facepalmed myself as I realised what time he was referring to.

He smiled as he asked, "So, what do you think? Did I improve?"

"Yeah," I eventually told him, half-impressed and half-embarrassed that I fell for his acting. "You definitely improved." I was such an idiot. But then I smiled smugly. "I guess I taught you well."

D.O chuckled. "Yeah, I guess you did."

While D.O returned to minding the ramyeon, I stood from a distance and clutched my shirt where it was my nearest my heart. My heart was still banging against my chest.

Since when did D.O get so good at acting? I asked myself inwardly. My heart still hadn't calmed down...

~*~

Author's Note:

Hey reader! Thanks for reading chapter 54 of Our Little Dorm Mother!

Yay! Do you guys remember this scene? I told you a lot of themes will be echoed! Hehe, sorry, I like to tease you all.

Find out what happens next time!

P.S To celebrate reaching 1000 reads today, I will be doing a double update! Thank you to all my readers who have been tuning in day after day and supporting my fanfic by sticking around. I am very grateful and your support has kept me motivated to keep going. Please anticipate the next chapter which will be released later in the evening. See you again soon!