Seunghyun held my hand and dragged me away of Yohee and Daesung oppa's suspicious stares. I almost ran, just to follow his huge steps, when we rounded a corner and he only slowed down when we are out of their sight. I breathed hard and gradually pulled my hand, and he looked at our entangled hands before taking his hand off. There was an awkward silence before he put his hands on his stomach and acted as if he's having LBM.

 

 

"I'm suddenly very hungry." He grumbled, and I looked at him. Sheez, I know where this will go. "Are you hungry, Sunhee-ssi?"

 

 

I looked away while contemplating my thoughts. Will I eat with him? If I do then it means I already accepted his apology. But if I don't then he'll continue bugging me, maybe for the rest of my life...

 

I stared back and caught him looking at me patiently, waiting for my answer for like ages. I sighed then, closing my eyes. "Okay, let's look for a restaurant and eat."

 

We continued walking in silence (although, Seunghyun-ssi's triumphant smiles were super visible under the street lamps) until I found an open convenience store. He almost passed by it, but I abruptly stopped. Seeing what I did he stopped too and looked at me before the building. He then frowned.

 

 

"We'll eat there?"

 

"It's not like we can find an open restaurant at this time."

 

"But I—" Before he can continue I entered the store. He can't do anything but follow me.

 

He followed me as I picked a ramyun in a bowl and two triangle bibimbap. As I picked my second bibimbap I looked at him. "Get your food."

 

"Wait for me at the counter." He looked at me for one more second before going to another aisle. I sighed and went to get a bottled water.

 

 

I waited for him at the counter like he said. When he's done, he went to me and took all my food with one sweep of his hands and put them on the counter table, still frowning. Maybe the attendee sensed his weird mood that she flashed a comforting smile while swiping the goods. Seunghyun paid for them all, gave the other foods to me aside the ramyun, went to fetch hot water for the them, and then went outside (because the tables are outside), with me tailing him.

He sat on one of the chairs and I sat across him. He set the other bowl in front of me, waited for some time, his arms crossed on his chest, and then when the ramyun's all cooked he started eating sullenly. I just breathed and shook my head before eating my ramyun. I can never understand this person, really.

 

 

"I can never understand you, really." He suddenly said, and I looked up. He practically voiced out what I just thought about him.

 

"Why?" I asked, meeting his eyes, daring him. He shrugged and looked at the table before sighing.

 

"I can treat you in a more comfortable restaurant, but you chose to eat outside of this store, in the cold."

 

"Why, I did say we won't be able to find a comfortable place in this time anymore. It's better to be cold and full than to be cold and hungry." I slurped the remaining of my ramyun before looking around the place again. And then I stopped when I remembered something. "This is a part of my neighborhood." I suddenly blurted out and then silently cursed. Seunghyun-ssi don't have to know that kind of private information.

 

"Really?" He looked around too, and then back at me. "Should I walk you home?"

 

"No!" Oh God. Control yourself, Sunhee!

 

 

But this is not the time to be calm. I mean, I'm so near to my parents' house they could discover I'm here anytime!

 

 

"I mean," I tried to breath heavy breaths before continuing, "I can't go home just yet."

 

"Why not? It's late. Your housemates would worry..." He stopped and looked at the road again. Maybe it hit him too. "But if this is a way to your house, why didn't we see Yohee-ssi?"

 

"Because it's not the sharehouse I'm talking about." I said, my voice so small. He flashed a curious but consoling stare, but it felt awkward that I looked somewhere else.

 

"I'm really curious on why you guys had to stay together, but I won't ask."

 

 

A pause. And then I heard his chair move, so I looked at him, but I abruptly shut my eyes when I saw his face so near to me. My heart pounded so fast as I felt his breathing, and I really, really wanted to run now while screaming for help, but I can't even move the muscle of my eyelids. I tried to exhale, but my breath was caught in my lungs once again when he touched the side of my lips.

 

 

"Don't worry, I won't kiss you." He whispered and when I opened my eyes, he's already sitting on his chair, his eyes almost shining, and although he now rests his chin on his hand with his elbow on the table, which is a position that barely covers his mouth, I can say that his lips are curling into a small smile. “You’re a messy eater aren’t you?” He said just before he opened his canned beer.

 

~-~-

 

Seunghyun didn’t dare show what he really feel. He knows Sunhee would get awkward if he showed even a little hint, and he doesn’t want that. Anyway, even he who feels it, is kind of awkward about it too. He knows he has the righht to feel giddy because this is D-Day, the day when his guilt is finally leaving him, but a while ago he didn’t know why he felt like kissing the woman (or kissing the noodle crumb out of the woman's face). Good thing he had controlled himself before he could do it.

 

But then there I go again. He thought. Kissing her is a sin, why would I dare?

 

He can't settle that feeling of unease that he drunk his beer with one gulp.

 

After their late dinner Seunghyun walked Sunhee up to the bus stop. Sunhee said she can go by herself, but of course Seunghyun would not let her. Sunhee rolled her eyes and mouthed a whatever, and let him walk her. They were silent during the journey, until they reached the stop.

 

 

“I suppose we are square now.” Sunhee suddenly blurted out of nowhere, and Seunghyun’s attention went from the cars to her again.

 

“I think so.” He replied, smiling again. This is the win-win situation he was thinking for days. Eating out with a girl (even though it was kind of short and odd and uncomfortable), and lifting the guilt he was feeling for like ages (but it was for a few weeks, mind you).

 

“Thank you for the treat,” she said when the bus arrived. “See you next time.”

 

“Sure.” Seunghyun said, and unconsciously flashed a smile, bigger this time. Sunhee entered the bus, and although she didn’t see it, he continued to wave a goodbye. “Next time…” He whispered the words that, he didn't know, really made his night.

 

 

~-~-

 

Hoseok is now banned to enter Ardent Spirits.

 

He can’t go back to his old job, and while his and Jimin’s school is being built, he thinks he must consider himself a bummer. But he isn’t. At night he walks through Hongdae and performs street dances merely because he wanted to have something to do. Although money definitely comes even when you’re just a street performer, exercise is his priority when doing it. And also a way to keep him from remembering Minhee.

 

Minhee is not just his boss. She is also his friend in an irritating way. Not that he hated Minhee’s presence but sometimes it irritates him. Well most of the time it gives him a sense of calm and control. But the she’s still his friend and somehow it saddens him to go. Also he feels guilty of leaving her on her own. On why, that he doesn’t know.

 

Whenever he feels the guilt he stays up until morning and instead of dancing, he promotes A.S. by giving away fliers (not thinking that these papers do not really suit a bar’s image), without Minhee knowing it. At least he still feels like he is part of the bar. At least he feels like he is closer to Minhee.

 

One Sunaday morning while he was giving away fliers, he wasn’t aware that he had given some to Minhee’s friend, Taehee, who had taping with some actors on that day. Taehee is building up a career of being a screenplay writer, and from a scriptwriter on variety shows she started writing for movies and dramas. It is her first time to do it, and she is so nervous that she had to walk to Hongdae to make her forget the queasiness. Hoseok had offered her the flier, and although Taehee doesn’t usually take fliers, she had taken them anyway.

 

Only then that she had realized it was Ardent Spirit’s flier. She doesn’t remember Minhee giving away those, worse in Hongdae when A.S. is in Gangnam. Besides, everybody knows fliers are not a thing for bars…

 

And so Taehee went to Minhee and discussed the problem. Taehee is positive that it was a man who gave the fliers, and now that Minhee said she did not told anyone to roam Hongdae and give fliers, it became more suspicious. Because of the fear that maybe this man is just using A.S.’s name for his own store, they both went to Hongdae, with Taehee ignoring the call of his senior writer and Minhee telling the others to take care of the bar. They swore they would not go home, not until they hunt this man.

 

Taehee pointed him upon seeing him, after looking for some minutes. She couldn’t be so sure, but then this man is the only one who gives away and wasting papers. He could be the culprit.

 

She and Minhee walked to the man. He is sitting on the sidewalk, wearing a cap and covering his face with his hands. On his lap are the leaflets he was giving to people a while ago. He seemed tired, but not that Minhee and Taehee cared. He’s the culprit, after all.

 

 

“Yah, how dare you!” Minhee started when she saw the same flier on his lap and the one Taehee had. Minhee is about to hit him, but the man looked up, and Minhee suddenly stopped.

 

“What is it, Minhee-ah?” Taehee looked from Minhee’s back, and then she gasped.

 

 

She knew this person so well. How could she not notice him a while ago?

 

 

“Uhm… I think I’ll go…” Taehee said, sensing the trouble. The two did not seem to notice her go though, and that’s almost a relief.

 

“Why are you here?” Minhee asked. After she saw the culprit was Hoseok, she doesn’t know what to feel. She definitely do not want to see his face any time now, but now he’s here, looking at her with a stunned expression, but still looking at her. She doesn’t know if she’d get angry, or happy, or grateful.

 

“I’m sorry if didn’t tell you, boss.”

 

“Stop boss-ing me.” She retorted. “Remember I am not your boss anymore.”

 

“Sorry.” Hoseok murmured. He wasn’t sure what that apology means. Is it because he said boss even if it doesn’t fit anymore? Or maybe because he gave fliers even without consent? Or maybe because he had left Minhee behind without even a fight?

 

 

Maybe he said sorry for those reasons. He knows he could’ve just do anything to for this moment not happen but he doesn’t know what went wrong. He sure had liked his job. He had liked being with Minhee. And now he is sure he really felt guilty, but he wished that Minhee would understand.

 

 

“I know you are.” Suddenly Minhee sat beside him. He looked at Minhee, bewildered. Minhee ignored him even though she got weirded be his attitude. “I accept your apology, don’t worry.”

 

“So… Can I go back to Spirits?”

 

“Nah, you can’t.” Minhee replied. After seeing Hoseok being like that, guilty of a sin he didn’t even commit, Minhee had decided she can’t be selfish anymore. She doesn’t want to see Hoseok suffering anymore, giving away fliers on a city far away (but not that far) from Gangnam, without her consent and with not much style. She doesn’t want to see him feeling guilty and cannot move on from her and A.S.

 

“Why not?” Hoseok asked her rather sadly. She needs to be real serious when sending a crew off, but then she seeing Hoseok as if he’s a child and his mama had lost him, she can’t control her laughter. She laughed, keeping in mind that this is Hoseok’s most comical face, and in a second his face changes into a more comical one. “Hey, why are you laughing?”

 

“Because – HAHAHAHA – you are sooo – HAHAHAHA!” She can’t continue what she need to say. She laughed all the humor out, and when she’s out of breath she decided to stop. She breathed may times before beaming at Hoseok. “I mean, God, you can’t possibly stay at Spirits are you? I mean you have your school now.”

 

“But it hasn’t been built yet.”

 

“Then you can help me with Spirits. I will pay you of course. But then please go away when your school is done.” She smiled, and Hoseok knows she’s letting her go – in a good way of course.

 

---

 

A short update before Part 3! I was planning to write a HoseokxMinhee scene, but I guess I'll just include it next chapter, or I'll edit this chapter when I'm done writing it lol. Either way, I'll be posting it. Hoseok needs more exposure, you know!

Anyway, I won't be able to post new chaps until November 6. I have some errands to do. So the intro to Part 3 will the the last for the month. So yeah. Thank you for reading and take care everyone!

And since I won't be posting for the whole month of October, I wanted to greet Jimin a happy birthday in advanced! I love (teasing) you, Park Jimin, even if it is not that obvious!

 

bunnyTOP~