Too Close
 

The next few days went by pretty quickly. You  finished your classes on time Friday. The rest of your weekend went fine. Well, technically it went fine. Your family didn’t get into a car accident and you didn’t get amnesia; none of the typically ‘melodrama’ stuff. There was something that bothered you. It shouldn’t have. You were making your way back to your apartment with groceries in hand. You had started reaching for your key when you heard Nick’s voice. It wasn’t just Nick’s voice. It was also the voice of a girl whom you could not recognize. You had opened the door when they made it up the steps.

You could hear them whispering loudly when they reached the floor where your, and Nick’s, apartment was. You paid them no attention. (At least, you acted that way.) You could hear the girl giggle as you stepped inside and closed the door. It wasn’t the fact that Nick was with a girl. He could have said ‘hi’ or introduced her to you. It’s not like you need to give him your consent. You just thought you two were close enough friends, or acquaintances. It would have been the polite thing to do.
 

You finished your classes by three Monday afternoon. You ended up scoring the second highest in your class on the last exam, the one that determined if you stayed in the medical department. You only  missed one question because you had confused Babesiosis and Babesiasis mixed up. Dumb mistake right? The rest of your day was spent working on homework. You were tired for some reason and decided that ramen from the convenience store nearby was your best option for dinner.
 

Tuesday morning you stood in front of your door waiting for Nick. You two had not spoken since...well you can’t remember when. Therefore, you assumed he would come. He did. Nick didn’t need a lot of help this time but he still asked you for it. Whenever you came in contact with Nick, an image of Kyung Soo flashed in your mind. You weren’t cheating. Cheating involved lips and other things. You and Kyung Soo were not officially dating. Yet,  you still felt like horrible.

Halfway through, you began explaining more and touching (Nick) less. It was working so well you did not know why you had not done that before. You smiled smugly, proud of how successful your solution was. Nick did not seem to notice this. At least you didn’t think he had. Maybe you were just being a little crazy. You guys spoke briefly after finishing up. He was getting up to go when you ask him about the other day. “So was that the girlfriend?” Nick looks back at you and smiles. “Girlfriend, no. She is a girl that I’m seeing. Are you jealous?”

“Definitely.” You knew saying ‘no’ would be just like saying ‘yes’ so you decided sarcasm was the best approach. “You should have introduced us the other day,” you say subtly. You put on the best front you could. A part of you wondered if he was buying it. “I didn’t know I needed your approval. If I had known, I would have introduced you two.” “Sure you would have,” you decide to take it up a notch by overreacting. “I thought. I thought we were closer than that.” You pretend to fan away fake tears that were not falling from your eyes. He scoffs and laughs at you.

“You haven’t introduced me to your boyfriend.” His eyes matched the smile he wore  yet they also had something else in them that you could not place. He caught you. Your mouth hung open but nothing was coming out before you calculated your next move. “We just started dating.” “So did me and Soo Yeon.” You huffed like a toddler and stuck your bottom lip out. He laughed again and rubbed his fist playfully on the crown of your head. “Silly girl. No one likes a hypocrite.” “We-well, I’ll introduce him to you next time he comes by.” The words just flew out of your mouth before you could give it a second thought. “Deal.”


 

Wednesday morning started out okay. You decided you should clean up. It’s not that your place was dirty. You just wanted it to be spotless. You also didn’t want to start the twenty page research paper due next Monday. Was it bad that you couldn’t wait to see him? You guys texted each other on and off again the past week since your date. You found him surprisingly funny. Kyung Soo called at two to remind you he was coming over today. You are really looking forward to him coming over.


It’s half past six when you hear the doorbell ring. Your one room looks flawless. You had carefully placed some pots and pans around the stove for Kyung Soo to use. You walk over to the door and turn the handle. “Kyung Soo-ah!” you smile. He must have bought everything in the grocery store because his hands and arms are filled with bags. His oversized glasses and adorable expression make him look like one of those flower boys on dramas. “You should have told me you needed help,” you replied standing to the side so that he could get in. “The grocery store had some good deals. I couldn’t miss out. I only need half of these things. The rest I’m taking back with me.” “Wow. I didn’t realize you are such a savvy shopper.” He walks to the island and sits the bags down. “Do you need any help?” He looks at you as if trying to size you up. “It's okay. I can handle this.” “Well excuse me,” you answer playfully. You decide to walk over to the other side of the island and watch him work.

“Is it that much fun watching me cook?” He asks out of nowhere. The room is filled with the scents of spices. Each intermingling with the other. “You are like one of those television chefs. Can I keep you here always?” You can’t believe how aegyo you sound and act. The funny thing is that you are not faking it. “We’ll see how this date goes. So who is that odd guy that lives next door?” Your ears perk up. “Who, Nick?” “He let me in earlier. Said he was your neighbor.” “What makes him odd?” “He’s freakishly good-looking-” “That makes him weird?” “No,” he began, “you should let me finish.” “He started telling me all these-” Before he could finish the doorbell rang. “Who could that be?” you ask out loud.

You walk over to the door grudgingly hating having to leave your warm seat and peek through the peephole. Nick’s face hits you like a ton of bricks. “Nick!” you say a little too loudly. “Speak of the devil.” “ Actually,” you say spinning around to face Kyung Soo. “It’s not Nick. It’s some crazy telemarketer that has been hounding me for months.” Kyung Soo stops and tilts his head to the side with a questioning look. “Really?” He stepped back and wiped his hands off on his pants. “Yeah.” “I think you’re lying. You’re a horribly neighbor leaving him out there.” The doorbell rings again. “It’s not cold. He’s still inside.” “The cold shoulder you are giving him is even worse.”

Kyung Soo heads your way and you expand so that you block the door. He smiles and continues walking your way with his hands forming claws. “What are you doing?” “You should move?” “Why are you acting like a child?” Fear begins to consume you as he gets even closer. Before you know it he attacks you with tickles. “Stop! Stop!” You don’t hear the door open. You turn around and face Nick. Kyung Soo was leaning on top of  you with his hands on your side mid tickle. Your face was red from laughter and lack of air.

“You two look like you’re having fun,” Nick interrupted casually. “Hey Nick..” you say slowly. ‘What was he doing here? Did he think he could just walk into your place whenever he felt like it.’ “Just one minute.” You say quickly to Kyung Soo so that you can whisk Nick outside. You close the door quietly before turning to Nick. "Nick-" “You look pretty.” “Thank you. What are you doing here?” you ask a little irritated. “Just stopping by to see my neighbor.” “You saw me yesterday.” “Did you forget your promise?” You tilt your head to one side.  “What promise?” Then, it hits you. “I’ll introduce him to you next time he comes by.” The words just flew out of your mouth before you could give it a second thought. “Deal.”

“You remember right? It happened yesterday. Is your memory that bad?” You could hear the playful agitation in his voice. You weren’t sure if he was sincerely asking or picking playfully at the fact that your attention span was equal to that of a goldfish. “Your blush is a bit too much..” You freeze as he brushes his hand across your cheeks to remove some of the blush on each of them. You caught his hand after he switched two your left cheek. “You’re getting redder-” “Nick-” “You should learn how to apply blush properly.” “Nick-” “Okay, okay. I’ll only stay ten minutes.” He flashed you a child-like smile. “You promised. I’ll be gone before you know it.” “Ni-” Nick slid past you and into your apartment. “Do you need any help?” you hear Nick call to Kyung Soo. “Sure...” You huff and roll your eyes before going back into your apartment. ‘Let’s hope this doesn’t get awkward.’

“So what do you do Kyung Soo?” “Nick. You are not my father.” You give him a judging look. “It’s okay. I’m a grad student right now. I’m working on my masters in Dentistry.” “Really?” you turn to Nick. He looks as if he is holding back laughter by faking a genuine smile. You laugh softly before drinking more water. “Smiles are a person’s best feature.” “Is my smile the reason you like me then?” you ask. You had formed a hypothesis that if you acted sickeningly cute Nick would get the hint and leave. “That and the fact that you have gorgeous eyes.”  Nick picks a small bit of what Kyung Soo was making. “Really?” He smiles cutely and nods. “Uh-huh.” You take your charade a step further by leaning forward and opening your mouth waiting for some of what Kyung Soo was cooking. Kyung Soo gets the hint and takes some of the food and puts it on your tongue. You smile and chew. The two of you hold each other's gaze for a few moments.

“You could be a great chef,” Nick interrupts. You turn to look at Nick and he is his fingers. “Da Eun-ah, you have something-” You turn back to Kyung Soo who is looking intently at your face. “I have something on my face?” you ask. “Yeah.” You move your tongue from side to side trying to get it. You then look around for a napkin. Nick hops from his seat. “You are hopeless,” he says before moves quickly to you. However, Kyung Soo turns back to the stove to grab a napkin and hands it to you. You wipe your chin vigorously with the napkin with Nick less than arm's length away from you. “You missed it,” Nick says and sticks his thumb out and takes care of whatever food particle remained on your face.

You can feel the tension as Nick walks back to his seat. The three of you are silent for ten minutes. You decide to break the ice. “How much longer?” Kyung Soo looks up surprised. “Uh..Just a couple of minutes.” You nod. “I could use a drink,” Nick says. “Me too,” Kyung Soo confesses as if he has been holding his breath the entire time. “I’ll get some.” You scan your apartment and find none. You aren’t a big drinker so it did not surprise you that there was no alcohol in your apartment. “There’s a convenience store nearby. I’ll go get some.” You get your jacket and keys. You get a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach. However, your desire to get out of the situation trumps that of unease. It would just be five minutes. What’s the worst that could happen?

You practically run up stairs. What if they got into a fight and burned the apartment down? What if Nick was hurt? What if Nick hurt Kyung Soo? Your mind calmed when you remembered that you would not have stairs to run up if they had burned down the apartment being that everything would have caught on fire. Your mind went back and forth on who would win in a fight, Nick or Kyung Soo? By the time you turned the knob of your door you came to the conclusion that they ended up fighting and Nick, after winning the fight stormed off. Nick had the larger build so it would make sense for him to win. You took a deep breath and opened the door.

Nick and Kyung Soo sat fixated on the television. “What’s going””Shhhh!” both snapped at you as they began speaking quickly about what looked like a boxing match on the television. “Boxing?” “Mixed martial arts.” Kyung Soo said bluntly. Nick motioned for you to come closer. You obeyed. He took a couple of beers, one for him and one for Kyung Soo, and shooed you away. You could not believe your eyes. You found out later that after when you left, the two did not fight. Nick sat tried to start some conversation with Kyung Soo. It wasn’t until the match came on that they began to really talk to each other.

The rest of the evening was spent eating and watching Kyung Soo and Nick talk about the match and their favorite fighters. You felt like such a third wheel. You were glad when Nick finally finished his plate. You quickly refused his offer to stay and clean dishes. You expect Kyung Soo to stay over but he has to leave early since he has a thesis to work on. “I’ll see you later.” He walks over and gives you a big hug. “We could have lunch. Let me know when you are free.” He nods. “Night.” “Goodnight.” You shut the door and slide to the floor. Your back shivers a bit from the cold temperature of the door.




Nick showed up and was a little more excited than usual. He had a huge grin plastered on his face. Thursday he wanted to “try something different” for our next session. You thought he meant more difficult techniques. You were surprised when he asked if instead of you teaching him qi gong he could teach you some Thai martial arts moves instead. “I just want to show you how appreciative I am. Qi gong has really helped me relax my shoulder muscles.” “That’s great!” you said smiling. “So will you let me?” he asked. “You won’t hit me will you?” He smiles and laughs. “No. No I won’t.” You give in.

“I’ve never done martial arts. Heck, I’ve never been in a fight before.” You say cautiously. He looks over to you. “Really?” “Well,” you begin. “I did get into a little bit of a fight with a girl in kindergarten.” He laughed. “How?” he asked as he slipped off his socks. “There was only one apple juice box left and we both wanted it.” “You won?” “No. I almost did but the teacher came and gave it to her.” He laughed again. “Well, don’t worry. We’re not fighting. I’m just going to teach you a few moves. In case you ever get into a fight. “You smile and nod more confidently. “Okay! Let’s start!”

You were becoming even more aware of Nick. Maybe it was because dating someone now changed how you reacted to the opposite . Maybe it was because of their meeting yesterday. Or maybe it was because of the fact that he had on a wife beater and shorts that were neither too tight nor too loose. You seemed to do everything wrong. Instead of telling you how to do it right he would just move you around to each position. This made you extremely uncomfortable. Your heart would either skip or beat extremely fast with his every touch. You were able to hide your discomfort for the most part. You blushed a little but not much until he put his hands on your waist. He stood directly behind you. You could feel his breath up against your neck. You had not felt this disoriented during your date with Kyung Soo. You nearly lost track of yourself. Your mind was so foggy that it took Nick’s voice to bring you back. “You okay?” “Yeah,” you said slowly.

You were certain Nick was being more handsy with you than you were with him. ‘It was probably just his personality,’ you thought. Even though it seemed to take forever to do each move, you ended up learning to mostly defensive technique. It had only been thirty minutes yet you were already exhausted. “Can we stop?” you ask not attempting to hide the tiredness in your voice. You could tell Nick was just getting started. “Really?” “Have pity on me Nick. I’m a lover not a fighter,” you said as you walked over to the refrigerator and pulled out some Vitamin Water. “That’s no surprise.” You shot him a dirty look. “What is that supposed to mean?”

You reach for an orange and grab a knife. “You’re acting strange. Are you okay?” “Me?” You asked wide-eyed. “You were freaking out every time I touched you.” You blushed furiously. “N-no I didn’t!” “Now that you are dating, you are gonna have to get used to physical contact with the opposite .” You scoffed. “I’ve dated before. I think I know how to handle intimate situations,” you snap back before slicing the orange. You tried to focus so intently on cutting that orange that you jumped when a pair of arms wrapped around your natural waist. He ran the tip of his nose up and down your neck. “Are you sure?”

You take a deep breath to regain your composure. “Yes,” you say slowly. You feel a sharp pain in your finger.

[CHAPTER 14}

The club was dark with neon spotlights jumping back and forth. Your headache had not yet gone away. The music is blaring from all sides. You squinted looking in the crowd for a familiar face. There were none. A high-pitched voice that you were pretty sure belonged to BIG BANG’s leader GD could be heard throughout the club. It was getting late and you knew that the further away you are from your friends the more dangerous it was for you. Your family always diagnosed and analyzed stories on the news about girls and guys going missing or worse after being left alone. We always were able to relate it back to a horror or mystery movie we had seen.  

“She should not have trusted that stranger!”

“Guys are shallow! They will trust a pretty girl even if she told him to jump off a cliff.”

These conversations were lively in your home but you did not want to become one of them. You climbed up the stairs to get to the second floor. More of the VIP seating was here. You searched for two familiar faces through the crowd of bimbos and classy men and women. You could have sworn you saw Kim Ah Jeong but you dare not take a second look. You were about to lose hope when a voice called from behind.

“Da Eun!?”

AN// Okay so this took forever. It's like four pages. I updated the last chapter. The bit about the boy is not in there so there's no need to reread that. Anway, BIG BANG was AMAZING! Not necessarily worth what I spent overall but fantastic (baby) nonetheless. I will update when I can. Quitting my job so updates may become more frequent. Fingers crossed. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter and stay tuned. Also, comment and share with friends. If there are any errors (grammar or spelling or otherwise) let me know! Oh and Christmas is coming!! :D Love you all for reading!