Jongdae literally dragged the lift mechanic to the lift when he arrived (after what seemed like eternity) and found himself begging him to save Hyejin. It was another agonising wait as the mechanic tried to fix it and pry open the door, and Jongdae was getting jumpier by the second. By this time, a small crowd had formed around the lift where the mechanic was, shrouding themselves in hushed whispers, as if they were discussing secrets. Jongdae stood in the middle of them all, the most anxious, most jumpy, and most alone — he couldn't talk to anyone while he was in this state. No one but Hyejin. 

And when the lift opened and a weak Hyejin tumbled out, face streaked with tears, he didn't think twice. He ran towards her, and engulfed her in a big, tight hug. For a moment, he himself felt giddy with relief.  

"Do you know how worried I was? Oh, Jasmine, I'm so, so, so, so relieved right now," he sighed, still breathing heavily. Jongdae buried his nose into her hair and squeezed his grip a little tighter. She wasn't responding, but it didn't matter. There was something so sensational about just hugging Hyejin that could make all Jongdae's worries go away in just that one second — maybe it was the way she smelled of all the good things in the world (mostly jasmines), or maybe it was just the way her body moulded against his. 

"I told you I'll be here," he whispered into her ear, feeling wisps of her hair tickle his bottom lip. He didn't break the hug, not even after he realised what he was doing and was aware of the crowd still present. Hyejin needed the comfort, and he believed that. She still couldn't react properly, and he could still feel the hard, fast throbs of her heart on his chest. His hugs simply got tighter, and more protective, until finally Hyejin melted enough to wrap her own arms around Jongdae and let out the tears that were refusing to be released for a long while. 

"I-I was going to d-die," Hyejin squeaked, her voice softer than that of a mouse. 

"I won't let you. Not when I'm with you," Jongdae breathed into her ear, rubbing her back soothingly. 

_________________________________________________________

Hyejin let Chen bring her into his car and back to her home, because she was still too shaken to reply to anything he told her. Besides, he had reminded her that she couldn't do work in her state anyway and said he'll tell the rest as well as apply for an emergency leave for her. There was nothing much left for her to worry about. Except for some reason Hyejin still felt anxious. Very, very anxious. 

She gripped onto the seatbelt which was strapped tightly around her. Chen started the car, and she squeezed her eyes shut, just for a second, because she had momentarily forgotten how scary it felt to have the car suddenly move off. She felt trapped in its tiny little interior. 

Other than the rev of the engine and the occasional sounds from the streets, the car was silent. 

"Do you want to listen to some music?" Chen asked, fumbling with the in-car radio. The atmosphere was slightly stiff, and it felt like when they first met, but this time even Chen had an awkward air around him. The soft music managed to break the silence but not the stifling atmosphere of the car. 

"So, what did you have to buy that made you have to, you know, take the lift by yourself?" He cautiously asked, eyes on the road. It was then that, amidst all the swirling going on in her mind, Hyejin realised that the sandwich she had bought was still in the lift. 

"You haven't had your lunch!" She exclaimed, forgetting about all else for a moment. She let go of her seatbelt and leaned over slightly. 

"I did. And it's not the time to worry about me." 

Hyejin felt herself getting just a little upset. No soothing tone. No 'jasmine'. No 'baby', which sounded surprisingly good coming out of his mouth. It sounded so good that it was one of the only things she heard in the midst of her fear.  "Liar," she mumbled, flopping back into her seat. "You didn't eat." 

Chen cleared his throat. "So, anything interesting going on? You haven't talked to me about your usual stuff for a while." 

That's because we didn't have lunch together, stupid, Hyejin grumbled in her mind. She had broken out from her fear, and she guessed she could thank Chen for making her worry about his stupid lunch. She considered shrugging nonchalantly for a moment, since she wasn't in the mood to talk anyway, but she felt a small itch to tell him about the random things that happened in her life again. So she sighed, knowing that this itch wouldn't leave until she did what she wanted to do. 

"I suddenly have a new cousin. Like, not newborn, but someone I didn't even knew existed for the past twenty something years of my life," she started, and from the corner of her eye she saw Chen nodding, like he was interested for her to continue. He stopped at a traffic light.

"His name is Kim Joonmyeon," she said, staring out the window. "He works in a bank. He was supposed to be my blind date but our mums then found out they're cousins, so, yeah." 

"That's cool. You know, I recently met someone named Kim Joonmyeon who works in a bank too. One in Yeouido. He was with a drunk girl the first time I saw him." The traffic light turned green, and he made a left turn. 

"Really? Why was the Kim Joonmyeon you met with a drunk girl?"

"Hmm... I don't remember," Chen said, almost monotonously. The car made a roundabout turn. "Also, Hyejin?" 

"Yeah?" 

"About the, you know, hug just now, I'm really sorry. I wasn't thinking straight." 

The car was so quiet after that, all Hyejin heard was the thumping of her own heart. She hadn't expected to be reminded of the hug. Now she felt her heart racing again, and her palms getting sweaty, and she wasn't sure if it was because she was still afraid somewhere or if it was, really, the effect the hug caused her. Either way, she felt she was going to die again because her heart was beating so fast. 

"The subway station is right in front you can drop me there," Hyejin blabbered without pausing. 

"What? No!" The car jerked, and then moved forward properly again. 

"Just do it," Hyejin pleaded. Her heart was seriously going to explode from being next to him like this. 

"I can't let you walk home alone. I'll drop you in front of your apartment block, I know where it is." 

The car sped past the subway station, and Hyejin slumped back in her seat for the second time. "How would you know where my house is?" He didn't respond until they had turned into her street. 

"I told you I have all you trainee's information, right down to your elementary schools." The car's engines grumbled as it slowed to a stop in front of Hyejin's house. "See. It didn't take very long." 

"Thank you for the ride," Hyejin hurriedly said, stepping out of the car without looking at Chen twice. She clutched on to her heart, taking in a deep breath, and headed inside, but found herself face to face with the monster of a lift. She paled. There was no way she was going in one again. Just looking at it made her feel lightheaded in the worst way possible. 

She furrowed her eyebrows, willing herself to calm down. There would be another solution. There's nothing to fear, nothing to fear, she comforted herself, but she even wasn't convinced by her own words. Stepping backward, Hyejin glanced around for the emergency staircase. Just as she was about to head off, she felt a light tug on her arm hold her back. 

"It's okay. Don't be afraid because I'll be with you." A gentle voice said, and she immediately whipped around, to be greeted by a Chen who stared back at her with possibly the most emotive eyes she had ever seen. 

Hyejin eyed him, and then the lift, and she gulped. "I don't think I can." She felt tears prick her eyes. 

"What if I hold your hand?" His voice was velvety smooth and soft, just like jasmine flower petals. 

"I still —" 

"I'll hold it the entire way and won't let go." His voice now was rough with resolution, but beneath that Hyejin could still piece out the gentleness laced within. She couldn't say anything. He slowly pressed the lift button, and reached his hand out. "Okay?" 

Her gaze landed on Chen's hand, which was hovering in front of her. Wordlessly, she slipped her hand into his and allowed him to tug her into the lift, enclosing her hand in his. She was nervous. Very, extremely so. But somehow the presence beside her made her feel like she had a layer of protection, and although the fear threatened to engulf her — and almost made her run out of the lift — she didn't, because he made her feel, in some unknown part of her heart, strangely at ease. 

"I'm scared," she still whimpered. 

"Everything's going to be fine. I'm right beside you," he whispered, then glanced at Hyejin with a teasing sparkle in his eye. "Or, you could take the stairs up 27 levels," he joked, but his mischievous smile had turned into a soft one in a split second. "But even so, I'll still go with you." 

She felt her knees buckle as the door closed, but Chen pulled her closer to him. His dress shirt was damp with perspiration but she couldn't help but think he smelled really good — not of any particular smell, just one that was familiar to her. And she really liked it. She let her head rest on his chest, feeling the rise and fall of it as he breathed. 

"Lunch tomorrow, Hwang Hyejin?" His frame vibrated as he spoke, and Hyejin faintly could feel his heartbeat increase. 

"I've promised someone else lunch already." Hyejin felt a small sense of disappointment sizzle inside her as she said the words. Why had she promised tomorrow out of all days? 

"Who are you meeting?" The vibration of his chest was strangely comforting. She snuggled slightly deeper, hoping he wouldn't notice. 

"Why?" She idly asked, concentrating more on watching his veined arm clutch onto the railing in the lift. Unconsciously, her fear was rippling away. 

"Is it a guy?" 

"Yeah, why?" Hyejin closed her eyes and softly smiled. She had long forgotten they were in a lift. 

She heard him swallow. "A blind date?" 

"A friend from college," she stated relaxedly. "Alone," she added for extra emphasis, and although Hyejin didn't exactly know what she was doing, somehow she hoped Chen would give her the reaction she expected him to give. 

"I'm going with you." 

Score. Hyejin hoped he wouldn't see the grin on her face. "No," she chirped, just for the sake of it. 

"I'm not kidding," he half-whined, and imagining a pout on his face was enough to make Hyejin inwardly giggle. 

"What if I still say no?" Hyejin asked in a sing-song voice. The lift doors opened, and Hyejin was the first to let go of Chen. She was afraid that if she allowed herself to linger on, she would end up wanting to inhale his scent and feel the rising and falling of his chest for the whole day. The lift doors closed again, and Hyejin stared until he almost completely disappeared from sight. Then, at the last moment, she heard his voice again. 

"I don't care. I'm still going to go." 

_____________________________________________________________

"Jasmine, it's so hot out today." 

"My legs ache, Hyejin." 

"How far more is the restaurant? I'm tired..." 

"I want to eat. Now. Together." 

"Why are you walking so fast? Slow down!" 

Hyejin rolled her eyes playfully and slowed her pace for the extra slouchy, extra whiny Jongdae trailing behind her. "Why did you want to come in the first place?" She asked.

Jongdae didn't know how to respond. "Lunches are supposed to be reserved for me," he mumbled, slumping down. 

"We'll have lunch together tomorrow, okay?" Hyejin cocked her head and tried to appease Jongdae as if she was appeasing a little kid. She smiled, but he wasn't won over (not completely, at least). 

"I hate you, Jasmine." 

"I know you don't," she sang, and quickened her pace suddenly again. "The restaurant is just there." She pointed a finger at a small Italian restaurant across a street. Jongdae pouted.

"Why an Italian restaurant?" He asked, displeasured. Italian restaurants always reminded him of the Disney movie, Lady and the Tramp — his mind always pictured the scene where the two dogs ate from the same plate of pasta and kissed from there. It made him shiver to think about Hyejin caught up in a situation like this (with a guy who wasn't him.) 

"Because," Hyejin stated. "He likes pasta. And I like pasta too." 

"You better not share a plate of pasta with him." 

Hyejin burst into short peals of laughter. "I won't, silly." 

As they neared the restaurant, Hyejin introduced her friend ("The guy in jeans there? That's my friend, Minho.") and Jongdae scrutinised the man, from his large, doe-like eyes to his flannel, down to his sneakers, which he was tapping on the floor in a steady rhythm. 

"He's not even good looking," he scoffed, and Hyejin smacked him on his shoulder. 

"I don't make friends only with people who look good!"  

"I'm not saying you do," Jongdae mumbled, then grabbed onto Hyejin's wrist. He felt his alpha instinct rise. "Call me if there's anything wrong, okay?"

Hyejin merely laughed, but Jongdae didn't see how this was so funny to her. "What, do you think he'll hurt me or something?" She said, waving him off with a flick of a hand. "Minho's a friend." 

After Hyejin (finally) managed to chase a whiny Jongdae away and went into the restaurant, he hovered around the street for a while, sticking his head out and trying to look for her, but he was constantly blocked by one thing or another, which made him grumble. Hyejin had asked him to go eat something good by himself while waiting, but he hadn't the mood to do so, especially when he was alone and she was pigging out with some other guy. So he bought a kimbap from a nearby convenience store and stayed there to eat it. Then he went back to the restaurant the moment he finished his food and paced outside restlessly. 

But Jongdae had this sneaky feeling in his heart that something was off, and he didn't like it one bit. Stretching his neck out to peek in again, he tried to catch just a single glance of Hyejin, but he couldn't. All he could espy was Minho's back — where Hyejin was seated was blocked by a plant. He knew he was about to reach his limit. Jongdae was dying just standing out there. 

And then he decided he couldn't stand it anymore. Pushing open the door resolutely, he strode over to where Hyejin was without thinking twice and plopped himself down next to her. His heart was beating fast, maybe from the adrenaline, or maybe it was slight irritation, and all he could see was the surprised expression of Minho opposite him.  

All he heard too, right before he crashed their meeting, was Minho telling Hyejin something about "compared to university" and "suddenly pretty". Through the loud beating of his heart, he could catch only those. 

"Don't flirt with Hyejin," he deadpanned. "Because everyone already knows she's pretty. And I bet even during — no, before university she had already been really pretty." 

Jongdae expected a swoon from Hyejin, or a retort from Minho of some kind, but all he got was silence — the awkward kind. Jongdae wished Minho would retort him instead. 

Beside him, he saw Hyejin fumbling for her glass of water after clearing awkwardly. Her face was reddening, and her other hand was stiff as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. She looked like she was in pain, like she always did when she was embarrassed. 

"We're actually talking about another friend from college," Minho said amusedly. 

It took Jongdae a second to process what he had just done. After that, all he wanted to do was to hide in a hole and stay there forever. 

"I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed, feeling his face burn up. Jongdae felt like he was going to die of embarrassment, and it didn't help that Minho was smiling at him like he was a little child. 

"It's okay," Minho said, reaching over to pat Jongdae on the shoulder, before turning to look at Hyejin. "Why didn't you tell me about your boyfriend?" 

Jongdae wanted to scream. 

Hyejin sat up straight. "Chen's a —" 

"Friend," Jongdae blurted in a rush to complete her sentence, and also to save himself from further embarrassment. "I'm just her friend." 

From the corner of his eye, he saw Hyejin stare at him with eyes that hinted sadness. He tried to ignore them because it made him want to hug her so much — but no way was he going to do that in front of Minho.  

"Ah, a friend," Minho said, nodding, but something about his tone sounded a little disbelieving. Nevertheless, he still smiled and greeted Jongdae, introducing himself properly. After that, Hyejin hardly talked, even when she was being called into conversation. 

Jongdae could tell Hyejin wasn't her happy self, but he couldn't figure out why. 

When Jongdae and Hyejin walked out together after her meal, she still was silent. She grasped the handle of her bag, and he smiled upon noticing what was on her wrist. 

"You're wearing the bracelet I got you on your birthday," Jongdae commented, grinning. "It looks really pretty on you."  

Hyejin mumbled something he couldn't hear, and he felt his heart wrench with a tinge of worry. 

"What's the matter, Jasmine? You feeling fine?" He grabbed on to her wrist but it merely stiffened in response, and she gently wriggled her arm out of his. 

"Nothing," she muttered again, eyes following her feet on the ground. 

"You can tell me your problems, I told you. Jasmine, I really don't like to see you sad," Jongdae was sure he sounded a little too upset by then. 

"I said, there's nothing wrong," she stated again, but he wasn't convinced a single bit. 

"Jasmine..." 

Hyejin still didn't respond, and Jongdae trailed behind her. Then she turned back to look at Jongdae when they had crossed a traffic junction. 

"A friend, huh?" She scoffed, then whipped back around and stomped ahead of Jongdae back in the direction of the office. He stopped in his steps and cocked his head. What was Hyejin talking about? His brain cells warped, and he felt confused. 

And then the realisation struck. Together with all the excitement and happiness it brought. Jongdae felt the biggest grin creep on his face. He watched Hyejin as she walked further and further. Her bracelet was bouncing on her wrist, as if it was happy for Jongdae as well. 

"Not a friend, best friend!" He exclaimed, although he didn't know if Hyejin could still hear him. It didn't matter much, really. Someone on the street turned to look at him like he was mad, and Jongdae thought maybe he really was. 

"Super best friend!" He continued, his grin spreading wider than ever. Hyejin was almost out of sight now. 

"Top-notch, incredible, sensational, awesome super best friend!" He laughed now. Jongdae couldn't see Hyejin anymore, and he stopped craning his neck. 

"Boyfriend," he said softly and tenderly, like it was a secret only he was supposed to know. He smiled. 

"Soon."

———————————

[a/n: oH NO i am a failure i'm sorry i said i would reply to all your comments ;-; but this week has been insane and yes it’s the weekend but i suddenly have a new research paper on japan’s foreign policy to do for a programme i’m in anD IT’S CRAZY the deadlines are killing me slowly

aha i’m rambling again do not mind me]