A valid reason

Tensed— a perfect word to describe how Lee Soohyun felt when she looked at Han Minhyun. The dark black eyes of his imprinted fear in her mind.

After she had given him the correct answer, she was rewarded with silence. 

Nonetheless, he removed the shackles, and seeing that her legs were finally free, Soohyun wanted to let out tears of joy.

Since she probably made him a unfavourable opinions of her due to her words in the morning, she wanted to get on his good side by cooking breakfast for him.

However, under his intimidating stare, Soohyun was having a hard time flipping the pancake. 

Every second, she couldn't resist herself from taking a glance at him and noticing what he was doing. He did the same action— stare at her.

Turning towards her pancake, Soohyun flipped it whilst repeatedly chanting the same thing in her mind.

'Don't look at him, Lee Soohyun. Out of sight, out of mind.'

"If the pancake is slightly burnt or undercooked, it will be you who's going to be eating them," Minhyun spoke out.

'Even if I look distracted, my cooking skills are the best!' Lee Soohyun boosted internally.

Although Soohyun was extremely good when it came to cooking, never had she cooked under such a intense pressure.

Noticing that the pancake was turning more brown than it was required to be, Soohyun's eyes widened, and putting down the spatula, Soohyun tried to hold the hot pancake with her bare hands.

"Ouch!" Soohyun exclaimed when she felt the burning heat, and realizing her mistake, Soohyun wanted to bump her against the wall. This was truly embarrassing!

"A true idiot," Minhyun commented before efficiently placing the cooked pancake over the table.

Although Soohyun was angry at him for calling her an 'idiot', she was aware that she can't show that and voiced out, "Of course I am the nutcase here, and you're the smart one."

Instead of her voice coming out sweet like she actually she wanted it to be, it sounded sarcastic, and noticing that, Soohyun sighed. 

'Lee Soohyun, I thought that you have learned to control your emotions after so many years.'

Turning to look at her, Han Minhyun voiced out, "Is that so? Then, write that same sentence from earlier on a piece of paper for one hundred times."

Soohyun blinked her eyes once, twice, and then, thrice.

'W-What?'

"What did you say, Hubby? I didn't hear you clearly," Lee Soohyun voiced out.

'Please let my hearing be wrong.'

"Write that you're a nutcase and I am the smart one for two hundred times," Han Minhyun voiced out.

"Again, please?"

'I definitely am not hearing right.'

"Three hundred times, write that you're a nutcase and I am the smart one," Han Minhyun enunciated.

'Three hundred times? Is he actually increasing the number each time I'm asking him? What the hell? Does he take me for a kid!? 

Who does he think I'm? Of course, I won't write it. Write it on our own. I don't have a fun time calling myself an idiot!'

"H-Hubby, wasn't it one hundred times? How did it increase to three hundred?" Soohyun questioned nervously.

"So you heard me the first time? I thought you didn't," Minhyun voiced out— a mocking smile forming on his face.

Soohyun gulped and was speechless.

"But, Hubby, I can't write this many times. Please show my mercy on me."

"A valid reason?" Minhyun questioned.