The first thing she saw was his expensive looking shoes, going up to his long legs and then broad shoulders, going further up to his thin lips and then… cold eyes. Yet Joohyun didn’t feel at all threatened by the cold gaze in the man’s eyes; she actually thought that it was a façade of his, and recalling the careful way he had approached her the other day and the favour he had asked from her stubborn father, Joohyun knew that there was more about Oh Sehun than his cold gaze and handsome features.

Sehun approached her, striding confidently with his long legs, and Joohyun was about to get up from her seat when the other mentioned her to stay put and pulled the chair in front of her for himself. His eyes seemed to ask permission for her then, and she wordlessly gestured for him to take a seat, earning herself a quiet yet polite ‘thank you’ and a small smile.

Wow, he’s really… polite.

“Did you wait long?” he asked her, and Joohyun smiled a little before shaking her head.

“I actually came early because my class ended earlier than usual, and I didn’t want my friends to tag along.” Joohyun replied truthfully.

Sehun nodded at that before a frown adorned his handsome face. He tilted his head a little and wondered aloud. “Friends as in Soojung-ssi and Jongin?” Upon meeting the surprise look on her face, he smiled. “Jongin is my best friend, and I know Soojung-ssi as well although I’m not close to her.”

“She… never mentioned she knew you,” she muttered quietly.

“We haven’t been officially introduced, to be honest. But it’s impossible for me to not know her when my best friend had been following her around like a lost puppy.”

Joohyun chuckled at that, imagining Jongin with his puppy eyes and his habit of always tagging along behind Soojung wherever she went. “Yes, he’s been rather… persistent.”

“His effort was not lost though,” Sehun smiled to himself, thinking about his best friend. “I heard that they were taking things slow.”

She nodded, confirming his statement. “That’s what she told me.” Silence filled the air for a moment, and Sehun took the opportunity to place his own orders before the silence fell on them again, making things awkward for them. Joohyun decided that she didn’t like it and randomly thought of something. “I’m actually glad that we have mutual friends. It’s unexpected, but comforting.”

Sehun smiled and nodded his head. “Yeah, it is. Uhh, maybe now that we know we have mutual friends, we could… uh, hang out sometimes.” Okay I sounded so lame. What the hell, Oh Sehun? “If you want to, that is.” he added as an afterthought.

“I’d like that.”

“…cool.”

Joohyun suddenly sighed and shook her head with a flustered chuckle, earning a quirked eyebrow from the male. “I’m sorry, but it’s very awkward isn’t it? Yet I was the one who called you out and this is just… I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine, Joohyun-ssi.” he smiled, chuckling a little. “I was quite surprised that you actually wanted to meet up with me today.”

“Ah, well. About that.” She bit the bottom of her lip nervously, dropping her gaze to her lap, before building up the courage to say what’s in her mind. “I wanted to thank you.”

“For what?”

“For approaching me first. For… for giving me more time to get myself used to all… this.” she said, sounding breathless. Truthfully, she was very nervous. Not only was she feeling awkward with the guy, Joohyun was slightly feeling flustered under his intense stare. She knew that he might not know that he was doing it, but as uncomfortable as it was, it also made her feel like her heart was about to jump out of her chest. “I-I didn’t, uh… think that you’d approach my dad at all.” she managed to add once she casted her gaze elsewhere.

“Ahh… well, you’re not the only one who needed the time to get use to everything. Even though I am open with the idea of this marriage, it didn’t mean that I was ready to just jump into it. Like you, I’m young and I’m clueless about some things, and this responsibility I’m about to carry is not a minor matter.” Sehun said, eyes soft and sincere. “And also, I didn’t think that it’s fair if we were to just get married without letting you know me beforehand. I figured that we should at least be… uh, friends first and get to know each other. I don’t want you to be uncomfortable with me in any way.”

Joohyun was really surprise to hear what he has to say about their arranged marriage, and to think that he was being considerate of her view touched her. She could feel how sincere he was about making a relationship with her, and even with the way he spoke, Joohyun knew that he was showing her his respect for her as not only a person, but his soon to be wife.

The thought made her smile.

*

*

*

Joohyun concluded that Sehun was a miracle.

Not only was he polite, but he was also a real gentleman with the way he spoke, acted and reacted to the things she did or said, and the way he spoke to her and the little gestures he made brought her to think that he was actually treating her as an equal. He respected her, and listened to every words or opinions she had, and he didn’t make her feel like he was the superior one despite belonging in the dominant species. Within days since they first met up at the sushi restaurant, Joohyun realized that she rather liked having Sehun around.

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