Hands

You know how you get sweaty palms when you get nervous?

Like when you’re taking a test or driving in the heat. Or just any nerve-wracking event. Well, one of those nerve-wracking events in my life just happen to be dating Princess Cho Miyeon.

Ok, so she’s not actually a princess but with the way she acts and I enable her, you’d think she was. I literally held all her shopping bags the last time I went out shopping with her. And I…also may have bought her bubble tea and lunch…But that was because she looked cute.

Anyways, I have an underlying condition called hyperhidrosis. (Why is it spelled with an ‘i’? Isn’t water for the Greek root like hydro or something?) This is just a fancy way of saying that my hands have moisture levels of a rainforest.

I wish I was kidding. If people shake my hand, they get complimentary humidity. And it’s been like this since I was kid. So I’m permanently traumatized from handholding games. And at one point, I kind of…stopped reaching out.

But then…the world threw Cho Miyeon my way. The most affectionate, gorgeous, and sweet girlfriend a man could ask for.

And I need to prepare a checklist every time I try to hold her hand.

My relationship with Miyeon was…a bit complicated. We weren’t exactly public like known to Korea and the world but the company, most people knew. But still, that didn’t stop Miyeon from giving me heart attacks.

Today, I was checking schedules on my tablet in the rehearsal room.

“Y/n-ah”

“Yes?”

“Walk with me”

I followed her down the hallway. But then she…reached for my hand. I smoothly switched my tablet into that hand. She grabbed nothing. She looked at me. I looked very intensely at the general direction of the elevator despite being nowhere near the elevator.

“…Interesting.”

“Hmmm?”

“You just avoided me.”

“I had some…important paperwork.”

“Paperless paperwork?”

“It’s on the tablet. It’s digital.”

She raised an eyebrow but didn’t press on further. Crisis avoided.

But peace didn’t last long. She tried many, many more times. That time, I had to suddenly become interested in my watch. Another time, I scratched my neck. Next was pretending to answer a text. After that, I was running out of ways to avoid holding her hand.

She stopped walking.

“…Y/n.”

“…Yes?”

“Look at me.”

I did. She folded her arms. She looked like a kdrama boss. You know, the hot boss that pull you into her office before she st- SHUT UP Y/N! STOP BEING WEIRD FOR NO REASON!!

“…Have I done something?” she asked.

“No!”

“Are you upset with me?”

“What? No!”

“Then why won’t you hold my hand?”

“…I…well…” I tried saying something. I sounded like a dying printer instead.

She kept looking at me. “You know I can tell when you’re panicking. You make that exact face. I’ve seen you negotiate with television producers but one question from me and suddenly you’re buffering.”

“…Would it help if I said it was because I was bedazzled by your beauty?”

“Nice try Mr. Buffering.”

“I am not buffering.”

“You absolutely are.”

If the universe throwing Cho Miyeon as my girlfriend was a firework, the members entering the room at this exact moment was a nuclear bomb.

Yuqi looked between us. “Why is our resident couple fighting? Are you already breaking up? Because please don’t. I made a bet with Soyeon unnie you guys would last longer than 7 months.”

Good to know my relationship is great gambling material.

“We’re not fighting. We’re not breaking up.” I clarified.

Minnie gasped dramatically. “Are you guys getting divorced instead?”

“No we’re no- hang on, getting divorced? We’re not even married yet!” I shouted.

“But there’s still time right?” Shuhua asked seriously.

Soyeon just pinched her nose. “Everyone…just shut up. Resident couple. explain.”

Miyeon pointed at me. “He won’t hold my hand.”

The members’ heads immediately turned towards me. I wanted to sink into the floor. If you haven’t seen four women five you the gaze of judgment, then you haven’t experienced true fear.

Minnie looked horrified. “Did you cheat?”

“WHAT!”

Shuhua looked genuinely disappointed. “I thought you were better than this.”