Does anyone still read this or remember the story? I'm sorry for disappearing, life just got busier

I'm sorry for any mistakes, English is not my first language and I didn't double check the chapter

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

I've had a fair number of dates over the years, but nothing that left me feeling melancholy about the end of the date. On the contrary, in most of them, I looked forward to the end of the meeting. Unless it was one of those dates to do something more before ending the night. That wasn't the case with my second date with Seungwan. I enjoyed her company throughout the time we spent together, even when she confessed to liking me when I had no idea she existed, it didn't scare me one bit.

What was scaring me was exactly that; how easy it was to be in Seungwan's company and get to know her. At first, I thought the reason was because I was used to Wendy after so many years of seeing how she behaved in interviews and variety shows. But it wasn't that. I could see the traits that Seungwan dedicated to her artistic personality, but she was much more than that. And that side of her pleased me, made me want more. Know more, look more, listen more, touch more. Stay more.

I had already noticed how her look was different from my other suitors. The desire was there, but she didn't seem like a predator. Sometimes Seungwan seemed embarrassed for staring too much, especially when she looked straight into my eyes for too long – she always looked away first. The way she seemed to want to protect me from the little things, like switching sides while walking on the sidewalk so I wouldn't bump into people. Or when she asked me if the food was too spicy, or too hot.

It wasn't the first time someone had treated me like that. That was the least anyone should do for other people on a date. But the way Seungwan did it seemed different. I couldn't define it in any other word than the personification of affection. She was very attentive, sometimes too much. Which made me think that I should be like her too, I should show how I wanted to be attentive to her too. And this was also new to me because I never saw a date as a two-way thing. It was always about how the person treated me, never whether I should do something for the person too.

The only way I found to demonstrate this, at least on the way back home, was to prolong my touching. Hands joined together was already something natural, I would even say it was an obligation in the car. But I wanted more. I should apologize to Seulgi after that night because I decided to ignore her presence there and focus on Seungwan. In other words, focus on Seungwan's lips. Kissing her was making me addicted and I couldn't wait until we were alone to do it.

I couldn't help but smile at Seungwan's swollen lips when I stopped before the door and turned to her. The tangled hair was also my fault. The scene was familiar, with the difference that she was carrying the ceramic vase with the flowers we had arranged. She copied my smile and offered me the flowers, unaware that mine was because of her messy appearance.

I stretched my hands out to grab the vase, purposefully touching Seungwan's hands in the process. She looked shy, and her words came out almost uncertainly, "I guess I haven't scared you off with the whole liking you thing since ever."

Seungwan hid her arms behind her body and looked away, waiting for my answer. I hummed thoughtfully, intentionally prolonging my silence before speaking.

“It’s strange, Seungwan-ah. But it's in the past now, right? You didn’t talk to my mother about me again, did you?” She shook her head repeatedly denying it. I sighed and smiled, “It's kind of weird, though. I never imagined you would be some kind of stalker.”

“I'm not a stalker,” she said hastily with a frown.

We were silent for a few seconds. Seungwan seemed uncomfortable with that word and I could imagine why. As a famous person, she must have dealt with stalkers at some point in her career. There are harmless fans, those who make the artist feel loved. But there are also those fans without limits, who think they own the artists.

I didn't remember any news about Wendy having a stalker, but I wasn't going to ask her if it was really the case. She was right, though. Stalker was a strong word to use against Seungwan. “Can I call you weirdo?”

Seungwan smiled again, “Weirdo sounds better.”

“Well, my weirdo, I appreciate you telling me that even though you didn't have to. I’m glad you’re willing to share your shameful past with me,” I said also smiling.

“Does this mean a third date is a possibility?” I nod discreetly, enough to make Seungwan double her smile. “How about Wednesday night?”

"Wednesday?" my smile disappeared, giving way to a wrinkled at my forehead, slightly confused. "I will be working,” I concluded disappointedly. Seungwan's pout also said that she was disappointed with my answer.

Needless to say, I felt like jumping at her and kissing her, containing me just for the sake of the flowers I was holding. “Can’t you get a day off?”

Seungwan's question made me laugh. She said it with so much confidence, as if it would be easy to take a day off, “I can try swapping my shift with a co-worker,” I offered instead.

“Can you try really, really hard?” Seungwan insisted.

“Okay…” I started a little suspiciously, “What’s so special about Wednesday?”

Seungwan shook her head, “It’s nothing that special. It’s just – I don’t want to wait a whole week to see you again,” she looked away, preferring to stare at the ground for a few seconds. Then, Seungwan snapped her neck at full speed to look at me again, full of energy. “I mean, we'll see each other tomorrow, but it's not a date. It’s definitely not a date.”

“I will try very, very hard. I promise,” it wasn't like I could guarantee I'd be able to swap with someone on such short notice. It wasn't enough that I was going to come in a little later on Monday because of the meeting.

“Oh! And speaking of tomorrow... Should I bring backups?” I tilted my head, not understanding what she meant by that. Seungwan must have noticed and clarified, finishing with “Seulgi will be there, but should I bring more security?”

That was an excellent question to which I didn't have a right answer. Sooyoung promised to behave. Not just with my personal life, but with the meeting she requested.

“We've been here for a few minutes and nothing's happened...yet,” I sighed loudly. “Also speaking of tomorrow, should I bring a lawyer or something?”

She raised her eyebrows, “I won’t be taking one, but you can take one if you want.”

We had no plans to bring a lawyer to that meeting. I should probably have the emergency or fire department number on speed dial during the meeting. A lawyer maybe after the meeting ended, depending on what happened. Even if she said we should take one, it was a little too late to find someone. The only option would be Sehun and his academic knowledge.

This time it was Seungwan who sighed loudly, “I don’t want to go, but I don’t want to seem too clingy.”

“It's okay,” I said almost too quietly. I didn't want her to leave either, time seemed to run twice as fast in the company of Seungwan.

At the same time, time she seemed to have stopped as she approached to give me a chaste kiss on my lips. She even took care not to crush the flowers between the two of us. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” she pulled away enough to say that, giving me a quick peck immediately. “And Wednesday,” she repeated the process.

I smiled at that.

Her insistence could have irritated me at any other time. Lucky for her, I was finding her extremely cute.

“I'll see you tomorrow,” I said when she took a few steps back.

I was waiting for her to leave, but Seungwan stayed in the same place. She was looking at me, nothing that looked serious, though. She also had a slight smile on her face. It looked like she was waiting for something and I laughed when I understood what she wanted.

“And maybe Wednesday,” I said and her smile grew.

I watched Seungwan walk away and I could swear she was skipping her way to the car in front of the house. She was completely out of my sight when I decided to enter the house, coming face to face with Sooyoung stopping a few meters from the door. It didn't seem like she was there waiting for me or spying on me. She was opening a popsicle wrapper and met me halfway to the living room.

She looked straight at me pretending to vomit. “That was disgusting,” she said with a neutral expression back on her face, biting into the popsicle immediately afterward. That girl could be an actress if she wanted to.

Without waiting for a response from me, Sooyoung went straight to the couch. I had the option of going to my room or the kitchen. Anywhere really, but I chose to follow Sooyoung to the living room and sit next to her. She had her legs crossed on the sofa while I sat straight, hugging the vase with the flowers. I sneakily glanced at her while she was focused on eating the popsicle without saying a word. I was sure she was doing the same – looking at me, waiting for me to break the silence.

“How was the date?” she asked and I cracked my neck turning my head towards Sooyoung at lightning speed. She was already looking at me with a blank expression, playing with the popsicle stick in one hand.

I guess I wasn't expecting that question, and for a moment I doubted whether I had heard her right. That's why I took a while to respond, giving a simple “It was nice” as an answer. My brain was still processing whether this was Sooyoung's attempt to be more amicable with what was happening between Seungwan and me.

Sooyoung rolled her eyes and snorted, a reaction that was much more like her. However, instead of saying something sour, she gave me a sweet smile and said, “Unnie, I know you're the type of person who doesn't say much, but responding with 'it was nice' is too little even for you."

“Well… I-I don’t know if you want to hear everything.”

“I don’t want details,” she said hastily, “Just…did she treat you well? Did you guys go somewhere cool?”

“We went to a flower shop and learned how to arrange flowers. We made these together,” I said unconsciously smiling. So, I quickly added, “I made this vase last week on our first date.”

Sooyoung nodded humming, “That’s nice,” she said and I arched my eyebrow at her. She had just complained to me using that as a response and she did the same. “I'm trying, unnie. This is the most I can give you right now.”

At least she was trying.

But I was willing to push Sooyoung a little more.

“She told me something about her past,” I began; never taking my eyes off Sooyoung. “It was something strange and since you told me about her sweet words and you were friends... I wanted to ask you.”

“I’m feeling generous today, so go ahead.”

She said it in a gentle tone, but the act of breaking the popsicle stick in two as she spoke made me rethink whether it was worth getting into that subject.

It was worth it, though. I wouldn't ask my mother that. We hadn't been talking much since my unexpected return home. I wouldn’t casually call her and ask “Hey, Mom! Do you remember talking to Seungwan about me years ago?” out of the blue. Sooyoung was the best option despite all the drama between the two. They were best friends, Sooyoung was expected to know that part of Seungwan's life.

“Seungwan said my mom used to talk about me to her. That is true?"

She nodded once again, “Yeah. They used to do that,” Sooyoung looked thoughtful as if she was searching for the information in a distant memory. “Actually, the first time she was late for a rehearsal was when she was having tea with your mother in the living room. After that, we changed the rehearsal schedule for that time of year.”

“So, the band’s songs are…” I couldn’t finish my question, letting the sentence die in the air. Luckily, Sooyoung caught my train of thought.

“About you,” she said bluntly. “Who would have thought you would end up as our manager? I bet if she knew–”

Interrupting herself, Sooyoung frowned and turned her face away. I couldn't pinpoint what she was about to say, but I knew it would be a big “if”. One of those that leaves the heart full of resentment and takes the mind to impossible scenarios that could be real.

I didn't know if it was a good idea to continue that conversation. I had no idea what was going through her head at that moment, but it seemed like she was going to close that door once again. Unfortunately for me, I needed her to answer one more question before I closed this topic for good. It was something big, more important than Seungwan's story. Sooyoung's answer could make me get up off that couch and never look at her again.

“Did you have with me because of her?”

Sooyoung slowly turned her head towards me, confusion and perhaps disappointment on her face. “I slept with you because you are one of the most attractive people I have ever seen. Any functioning human being would want that.”

I couldn't feel flattered by the compliment behind her response because Sooyoung's words came out harsh. She seemed hurt by my distrust, but I needed to ask. And, unlike what I was doing moments ago questioning Seungwan's story, I believed Sooyoung's answer without a second of a doubt.

“I’m sorry, Sooyoung-ah. I don't really distrust you, but I needed to know if what happened between us was some kind of twisted revenge,” she snorted and I reached for her hand, only to be ignored.

Sooyoung pulled her hand away from mine and crossed her arms, turning her head forward again not before pouting. I knew she wasn't truly angry, she was just making a scene.

“I like you, you are already a precious friend to me,” I continued saying, being completely honest with her. “I just needed to make sure you weren’t using me.”

“I definitely used you to have s.”

“Yah! Don’t say something like that,” I smacked her arm a few times while Sooyoung could only laugh. Eventually, I ended up laughing with her.

That situation was defini