“Okay, then.” She averts her eyes, and there’s a beat of silence so awkward that she longs for the easy banter of last night—the teasing about love poems and bums that are looking rather good in his pair of cotton pajama pants. Anxiety bubbles up in her, and before she can push it down, it all spills out in a humiliating rush.

“I’m not—I’m not hoping that she’s the murderer. I hope she’s not. I never…I never got help when I really truly needed it, and if I had, I might not be—well, dead. And I’m so sorry, Seokga, I know I shouldn’t have listened in on your conversation, but for what it’s worth…For what it’s worth, I like spending time with you, too. I, erm, when you called me…I felt…I also think you’re beauti…Never mind. Oh, gods. Uh—do you want to get breakfast?”

All of this is said so very fast that when Kisa finally comes up for a big gulp of air, her head is spinning. What is happening to her? Kisa has always rambled when she’s nervous, but this is on another level entirely. She has been reduced from a creature of pure logic and fact to a bumbling bee in front of her purely platonic friend.

Kisa wants to close her eyes before she can see what will undoubtedly be a look of dismayed confusion from Seokga, but when she forces herself to look up, she sees that there’s a small—almost affectionate—smile on the god’s lips. And his eyes are warm again.

—Hani—also rambled—when—she was—nervous—

For once, the fond comparison doesn’t cause any sense of envy. Only a strange sort of relief.

“I’d like breakfast,” Seokga murmurs.

To avoid the Godly Gossip spies, Seokga shape-shifts into a dark-eyed man as they eat breakfast in one of the ship’s many restaurants, shifting back into his regular form as he joins her in the sick bay. It’s restock day. Kisa opens the packages piled on the counter and sorts the medicine into its proper cabinets. Hajun soon joins them, bringing startling news.

“You won’t believe this,” he says as he helps Kisa rummage through the boxes. “For all Soo-min’s HR talk about improper relationships…”

Kisa arches a brow. “Who did you see her with?”

A mischievous glint blooms in his soft eyes. “The captain.”

“Captain Lee?” she asks in disbelief as her mouth drops open. “The SRC Flatliner’s rulebook explicitly states that crew members cannot date co-workers, never mind dating outside of their levels. Captain Lee is well above Soo-min. And he’s…” Alive, she wants to say, but finds herself falling silent after glancing at her—the—god. “Never mind.”