. T E N .

"By the way, Taemin invited us to dinner next weekend," Euisoo mentioned. 

Jihye choked on her drink, and sat up in her chair. After she had finished coughing up her lungs, swatting at her chest the entire time, she picked her phone back up from her desk. "W-What?" She spluttered, wiping the corners of . "As in, you, Taemin...and me?" 

"Yeah, plus Mina. What's wrong? Have you already got plans or something?" 

It had been two weeks since the airport incident. Taemin hadn't said anything to her about it, and Jihye hadn't broached the topic either, probably because she hadn't had the chance to. Whereas before they messaged each other back and forth throughout the week, her notifications had run depressingly dry. She told herself he was just busy. It's not like they talked the way friends did anyway- there was definitely a line drawn between them. At the same time, she thought that they had bent the line a little. Just a little. 

"Next weekend? I mean, I'll be babysitting."

"Oh yeah, he said that he was giving you next weekend off. He was supposed to message you about it, but I guess he forgot." 

For a second, Jihye smiled at the thought of having the whole weekend off, but then the anxiety of Euisoo's proposition came rushing back. 

"No, I guess I don't have anything going on then," she mumbled reluctantly.

"Great, so-"

She looked distractedly around her flat, as if it could provide her an excuse. There-lying on the floor was an overdue book from the school library that she had only looked at once. Perfect. 

"But I really should use the time to study," she cut him off, smiling devilishly. "My education is really important to me, you know." 

"You can take a few hours off," Euisoo replied, dismantling the only excuse she could come up with. He saw straight through it because he knew her so well. "If you're worried about hanging out with Taemin, then don't worry. He's a really chill dude, you don't have to stress about it," Euisoo said knowingly. "So it's set. See you next weekend."

It didn't seem like Jihye had much of a choice. 

. x x x .

When Jihye arrived at the restaurant, she peered inside the window, hoping that she'd spot Euisoo and Mina already at a table. She checked her phone for the time. She was a little bit early, as was her habit. She hated being late for things, even things that gave her a great deal of anxiety. On the flip side, Euisoo had the habit of being late for things, which was ironic considering he was a manager and it was his job to make sure things ran according to schdule. 

She didn't see them inside, but she also didn't see Taemin. The restaurant was quite small and there weren't many people sat inside, only a few groups. 

She headed inside and gave the name of the reservation, and was lead towards the back of the restaurant into a private room. She was the first to arrive. She took a seat and flipped distractedly through the menu. It was a bbq place, so maybe they would get a set, but as long as she got some spicy dalkbal, she really didn't care. 

Ten minutes later, the door opened. Jihye's head immediately snapped up. Taemin entered, peeling off his face mask. He sagged into the seat opposite her, offering her a warm smile. "Hey." 

And he looked the same way he always did. Tousled black hair, warm eyes, pouty lips. Literally unreal. It was actually insane how someone could look so casual while at the same time being so effortlessly gorgeous. Jihye could probably stare at him forever, and she hated herself for it. Not just because he had a girlfriend, according to numerous online articles, but because even if she wanted to try something with him, she couldn't. He was her boss, and she needed money more than she wanted . 

"Hey," Jihye replied, trying to sound casual. 

"Were you waiting long? Sorry for being late." 

"Oh, it's fine. No worries."

"Should we order something to drink while we wait for Euisoo and Mina?" He suggested.

The drinks arrived a few minutes later- water and soju. Jihye poured him a shot glass and then filled up her own. She turned sideways and slugged it down- wincing as the alcohol burned its way down and settled in her stomach. 

As she poured herself another, her phone vibrated against the table. 

Sorry, Mina and I won't be able to make it tonight. Mina slipped in the shower and it seems like she might have broken her ankle. We're heading to the hospital now to get it checked out. 

Jihye read Euisoo's message twice before replying. No worries, hope she's not badly hurt! "Euisoo and Mina aren't going to make it tonight," she informed Taemin. 

He quirked an eyebrow in a silent question. 

"There was an accident. Doesn't seem like anything serious, but they're going to the hospital to make sure everything's okay." 

"That's unfortunate," he said quietly, and they retreated back into the harmless territory of polite small talk. Things like how was your week? and How's school going? and did you see that latest film that everyone's talking about?.

But when their oder of samgyeopsal, bulgogi, galbi and other assorted meats and side dishes came, Jihye placed the slices of meet on the grill, and she suddenly cleared . "Hey, um. About...I mean, when we saw each other at the airport two weeks ago. I just wanted to say sorry for my friend's behaviour. She's obviously a major fan of yours, and I think in the moment she just got super excited. She didn't mean to announce your presence to everyone and blow your cover." 

He threw his head back and laughed. Jihye glanced up at him in confusion. This wasn't the reaction she had been expecting. "You know, I thought that was you but I wasn't sure. Everything happened so fast." 

"Yeah, I mean what are the chances that we would both be there at the same time," she grumbled.  

"It was a weird coincidence, but anyway, you don't have to apologise for your friend. I was actually really flattered."

Jihye's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I thought you probably found it super annoying. It seemed like you were trying to be incognito."

"Yeah, I kind of was," he allowed. "I thought doing the whole security guard thing would attract attention that I didn't want. But afterwards, I was kind of ...well, happy."

"Happy to be swarmed at an airport?"

"No, I mean..." He seemed to choose his next words carefully. "I was happy to know that I have fans. That people haven't totally forgotten about me while I've been on hiatus or whatever."

"Aren't SHINee the princes of K-pop? Who could ever forget you?"

"Things just move so fast. There are always new groups, new trends. Just because fans loved you yesterday doesn't mean they'll love you tomorrow. That's always been in the back of my mind. Even before, in the run up to a comeback, I always had this sensation of holding my breath. Waiting to see if people still care enough to pay attention to us."

"Taemin, from what I've seen...you don't seem like the kind of performer- or even the kind of person- who can be forgotten."

He leaned his elbows on the table and leaned in closer. "Are you flirting with me?" he asked chee