“Why are you looking at me like that, hyung?”

“Because I'm waiting for you to continue your story, which to me, if I may add, sounds like a love story in the making...”

Leaning back and resting comfortably against the seat after he placed his cup of Americano back down on the table, Kibum rolled his eyes at Jinki. “Hyung, that is the end. After I hugged him, I asked where I should sleep, he pointed me to the guest room and I went to bed.”

“What about the morning after?”

“This morning you mean? It was hell. His schedule was packed, and I had to work my off.”

“What? That’s all?” Jinki had major doubts and tried his best to scrutinise Kibum’s facial expression and body language to see if he was speaking the truth, “Seriously? That’s all I’m hearing today? Or are you keeping all the juicy details to yourself because I know I don’t look like I’m interested in stuff like that but Kibum, I may be awkward but I-”

“Hyung!” Kibum raised a hand at his friend to stop him from giving too much information that was better left unsaid. “Would you calm down? What makes you think I have more to tell you? I’m honestly not keeping anything from you.”

Even with Kibum’s assurance, Jinki remained suspicious. “I travel all the way here, sit with you at a café where I can’t get a proper full meal at dinner time and all I get is this?”

“Hyung, this café is just a street away from your dorm.” Kibum deadpanned as he squinted at Jinki.

Jinki gasped, rather offended by Kibum’s comment. “It still is a distance away!”

Kibum stared at his hyung, hard enough for Jinki to shrug his shoulders and turn defensive.

“Come on Kibum, this isn't like you. Since when are you this conservative when it comes to someone you like?”

“Like?” Kibum raised his eyebrows, feeling disturbed that Jinki had used that word. “In which part of our conversation did I declare I like Choi Minho?”

“You don't?” Jinki asked with a confused frown.

“Does it seem like I do?” Kibum instantly retorted.

Jinki nodded his head like an obedient student in school.

Throwing his hands in the air, Kibum sighed. “I work for him, Jinki hyung. I can't like him.”

“Yeah, tell that to everyone who has ever fallen in love at workplaces.” Jinki singsonged before slurping noisily at his glass of iced Americano just because he wanted to annoy Kibum even more than he knew he already was.

True enough, Kibum had to take in a deep breath to calm himself down before he spoke again, “Remind me again why I decided to ask you out today, hyung.”

“I'm the closest thing to the best friend you never had.” Jinki presented his eye smile to his dongsaeng and let out a chuckle. 

“You make my life sound so miserable.” Kibum groaned.

“Hate to break it to you, Kibummie, but right now, it is.” Jinki held his straw and swirled the ice around as he rattled on about Kibum’s current situation, “Your parents aren’t talking to you, your father’s on the verge of disowning you, your mum’s begging the university to let you back in, your boss is an innocent boy who’s obviously in love with you and finally, there’s you… you who has the hots for your boss but decides to act all prim and proper as if you can separate business from pleasure but the truth is, you’re failing so horribly to be professional, what with the spark you felt, the improper hug and all.”

Kibum should have been offended at how straightforward Jinki was or at least get all defensive since he did feel that he had been wronged by his hyung especially when it came to the part about Minho. Yet, all Kibum did was laugh and give a thumbs up to Jinki because he was very much impressed with his hyung’s concise (note: not precise) analysis of what has been happening in his life.

“Hyung, you should go write a book or something.”

“What? Why?” Jinki finally let go of his straw and placed his full attention on Kibum.

“I’m truly amazed with what your brain can come up with.” Sarcasm was evident in Kibum’s voice even though he still had to give it to Jinki’s ability to interpret his current situation.

“Kibum, just admit it, you know I’m right.” Jinki shrugged, “Besides, I’m an outsider and that means I’m seeing things the most clearly now.”

“Based on what I told you?” Kibum scoffed and argued, “How clear can you be?”

“I’m not here to argue with you.” Jinki simply said in reply, “I’m just pointing out facts you already know.”

Upon saying his piece and effectively ending their conversation, Jinki turned his attention to the menu while complaining under his breath that he needed proper food to fill his stomach. Kibum could only look disbelievingly at his hyung because as Jinki’s words replayed in his mind, he was reminded why this socially awkward person in front of him was his closest friend – because Jinki always listens, hears every word, is open, honest, and genuine, and helps him find direction in life.

*

It was nearing 10pm when Kibum stood outside Minho’s apartment with a paper bag that held the freshly washed and neatly ironed clothes he had borrowed from the actor the night before. Minho’s last schedule for the day had ended in the early evening and appropriately, Kibum was granted time off as well since that meant his job was finished too. After arranging a catch up date with Jinki which ended rather soon since his hyung had his thesis to get back to, Kibum didn’t have much of a mood to do anything else and so, he headed back to his dorm. That turned out to be a wrong decision since your mind would start to wander when there’s nothing much to do and silence becomes your best friend. This was why Kibum found himself thinking about Minho and everything that Jinki had said to him earlier. Kibum was restless, and when he got all edgy, he turned to household chores as a distraction, which ended up as a bigger mistake since he began doing his laundry. And that brought his thoughts back to Minho because his boss’s plain boring clothes were part of the stack of clothes he had to wash. Although exasperated that it seemed like he could never run away from Minho, Kibum accepted that it was the universe’s way of telling him that he had things to settle with the actor. And so, with the help of brilliant inventions known as the washing machine and clothes dryer (as well as the iron), Kibum decided not to waste any more time and headed straight to Minho’s apartment using the excuse of returning the clothes he borrowed as a perfectly legitimate reason to visit Minho off work and from there, let nature take its course.

It was unusual for Kibum to spend so much time outside Minho’s apartment since he knew the code and usually went straight into the apartment like it was his own home. Yet now, the personal assistant had already spent minutes at the door as he took in a deep breath and prepared himself for what was about to come. Not that Kibum knew exactly what was going to happen in Minho’s apartment because it wasn’t as if he planned to say anything so that things between them weren’t left hanging any longer, but Kibum knew something was bound to happen now that their relationship had turned so ambiguous. It was this uncertainty that got him abnormally nervous because Kim Kibum was a dare devil and never let nerves get in his way. So if that was the case, what on earth was he doing now? Kibum realised he was being so ridiculous standing outside the apartment like a fool that he rolled his eyes at himself and wasted no time in entering the code to unlock the door and invite himself in.

Entering the doorway that led to the living room, Kibum was pleased to see that Minho’s sneakers were left at the side. However, when he saw a pair of unfamiliar boots messily placed directly next to Minho’s shoes, Kibum froze. As Minho’s personal assistant, he was familiar with all the shoes that Minho owned right down to the actor’s shoe size and choice of style; which was why the pair of boots, for one, although it could be classified as Minho’s style, was definitely not in Minho’s size. All of a sudden, Kibum felt like he was caught in a sticky situation. He probably should have checked with Minho beforehand if it was convenient for him to drop by and not assume that he had the right to enter Minho’s apartment so freely. Kibum had never felt so stupid before, and he almost felt like banging his head against the wall. Where did his rationality disappear to? Maybe it still wasn’t too late to salvage the situation considering he was still stuck in the corridor and nobody knew of his presence in the apartment. And with that in mind, Kibum quickly turned around and took a few steps back towards the front door to escape from the self-declared embarrassing situation.

Of course, the universe was conspiring against him. This Kibum concluded when he was reaching out for the door knob only to stop his action mid-air because a voice had sounded behind his back.

“Who are you? And what do you think you’re doing here?!”

Kibum frowned at the unfamiliar voice and the hostility in the tone. It made him feel as if he was some kind of criminal and Kibum hated being wrongfully accused of something he most definitely wasn’t. With a glare so fierce, Kibum turned around with every intention to scowl at the owner of said unfriendly voice but he found himself softening his glare into a warm gaze when he recognised who was standing in front of him.

“You’re Lee Taemin! Younique’s dance prodigy with superb vocals, Lee Taemin!” Upon seeing the boy who recently caught his attention when he had been browsing YouTube, Kibum couldn’t help but announce a little too excitedly. “I didn’t know Minho knows you!”

With such compliments coming from the stranger who apparently was a fan of his, Lee Taemin did what he normally did and chuckled awkwardly, completely letting his guard down and returning back to his shy self. “Hi…”

“Oh my, you’re adorable in real life too!” Kibum’s excitement had clearly got the better of him as he didn’t hold back in squealing out loud and hide his admiration for the boy.

“Umm, thanks?” Taemin replied out of habit, still smiling as he then shifted uncomfortably in his position and eventually turned back to call for help as subtle as he could, “Minho hyung!”

It was then Kibum was reminded of his original intentions and he quickly snapped out of his enchanted state, regaining his composure to assure Taemin that he was no bad guy.

“I should have probably introduced myself first…” Kibum muttered to himself before he cleared his throat and spoke at a volume Taemin could hear, “I’m Kim Kibum, Minho’s personal assistant.”

“Nice to meet you.” Taemin nodded with a polite smile and continued, “I didn’t know Minho hyung-”

“Taem, how many times have I told you not to wet the entire bathroom floor and dry yourself first?”

Just as Taemin was in the midst of starting a conversation with Kibum, Minho came walking out of his room while pulling a shirt over his head and at the same time, distractedly lecturing and reminding his young friend on a certain house rule he was particular about. When he didn’t get an immediate response from Taemin, the last thing Minho expected to see when he looked up after pulling down his shirt was two pairs of eyes looking right back at him. Of course, his attention went straight to the pair of eyes that he recently couldn’t look at without feeling his heart beat erratically.

“Kibum, what are you doing here?” Minho questioned in surprise, also suddenly very much aware of the current situation that an awkwardly clueless Taemin was in his apartment too.

“Sorry for dropping by like this.” Never sounding as sincere as he did now, Kibum smiled apologetically and lifted up the paper bag towards Minho. “I just wanted to return your clothes to you.”

At the corner of Minho’s eyes, the actor could see Taemin raising a curious eyebrow at them but he honestly couldn’t be bothered with the dance prodigy because there was something else he was more concerned about.

“Oh.” Disappointment was evident in Minho’s voice even though he kept a straight face and walked towards Kibum, taking the paper bag from his personal assistant. “Thanks but you could have waited until tomorrow.”

Kibum coughed awkwardly and shifted his gaze away. “Well, I umm… was in the area.”

“At this time of the night?” Minho creased his eyebrows, wanting to ask so much more but eventually swallowing all his questions because he didn’t want to come across as intrusive.

Kibum simply shrugged his shoulders and gave a slight smile, choosing not to answer and instead deciding to take his leave. “Well then, I should probably get going… I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Kibum then leaned to the side so he could see past Minho and wave goodbye to the company that Minho obviously had over, “It was nice meeting you in person, Taemin!”

Upon hearing his name, Taemin snapped out of his daze and flashed a smile at his new acquaintance. “Bye Kibum hyung!”

Kibum nodded in acknowledgement and turned around to leave when Minho caught hold of his arm and stopped him in his footsteps.

“I’ll send you back?” Minho offered.

“Thanks but no thanks.” Kibum shook his head and gently pushed Minho’s hand away from his arm. “I can handle myself.”

“Kibum, you couldn’t have come here just to pass me this.” Moving a step closer to Kibum, Minho lowered his volume and stared straight into Kibum’s eyes.

“You’re thinking too much.” Kibum said back in a volume only Minho could hear.

“Am I?” Minho countered, not letting Kibum off so easily. “It seems to me that you’re the one who’s thinking too much right now.”

“Look, I’m not interested in arguing with you.” Kibum replied with a huff and narrowed his eyes at his boss, “May I also remind you that you have somebody over?”

Minho sighed and turned around, reluctantly diverting his attention to said somebody that Kibum was concerned about.

“Taem, we’re not some television drama for you to watch so could you please give us some privacy?” Minho asked a fairly amused Taemin who suddenly had the spotlight on him.

“Sure!” Taemin grinned, pausing for a moment before his smile turned mischievous as he sent Minho a wink. “I’ll be waiting in your room then, Minho hyung!”

“Lee Taemin!” Minho shot a glare at the playful dancer who had obviously caught on to the situation but to no avail since said dancer had already turned around to make his way into the room. The actor let out a breath and quickly turned back to face Kibum, who was thankfully still standing there with a straight face.

“He’s just like a little brother to me.” Minho blurted out once he met Kibum’s eyes.

Kibum gave Minho a nonchalant smile. “Once again, Minho, there really isn’t a need for you to clarify anything with me.”

Minho instantly shook his head. “No, Kibum, there is. Because you’re-”

“Your personal assistant and I need to know this?” Kibum completed Minho’s sentence for him and said, “Yes Minho, I know. We’ve been through this conversation before… remember Kwon Yuri at the movie premier?”

“No, you don’t know. That’s not what I was going to say! You see, you’re doing it again.” Minho let out a breath as he reached out for Kibum and placed his hands on the other’s shoulders. “You’re frustrating the hell out of me.”

“You know, the solution is pretty simple.” Kibum remained expressionless as he spoke, sounding too calm and in total contrast with Minho’s rapidly rising temper. “Let me go, and you won’t have to deal with me anymore for tonight.”

“That’s the thing, Kibum!” In his frustration, Minho raised his voice and tightened his hold on Kibum’s shoulders. “I can’t. I don’t think I can ever let you go… not for this lifetime.”

With their eyes locked on each other and only the sounds of their breathing filling the apartment, Minho could only wait for Kibum to break the silence. He didn’t plan for this to happen but the reality was that the deed was done. Minho had already done and said whatever he could to explicitly express his feelings for his personal assistant, the feelings that he tried so very hard to deny and didn’t want to understand but utterly failed at doing so. It was now entirely up to Kibum to decide their fate. Scary isn’t it? How his happiness could be determined by one person’s decision? Minho could honestly say it was and he was terrified because this was his heart on the line here. Kibum could choose to own it… or break it. Seconds felt like minutes, minutes felt like hours. The wait was killing him and all of a sudden, Minho felt like backing out. It was then the actor realised how much he actually liked (love?) Kibum. Minho didn’t think he could deal with hearing Kibum’s decision and so, he parted his lips and planned to break the silence by laughing it off when Kibum moved and finally ended Minho’s wait.

“I hope you know we’re consciously heading towards a collision course.”

“What?”

Kibum rolled his eyes at the daft look on Minho’s face and decided that actions speak louder than words. And so, he leaned forward, closing the distance between their faces, and marked the corner of Minho’s lips with a kiss that barely lasted for a second.

“I guess this means I’m not just your personal assistant anymore.” Kibum thought out loud as his arms found their way around Minho’s waist, “Oh and Minho, if you want to be with me, you need to be a little more intelligent… just saying.”

Still reeling from Kibum’s kiss (even though it was so light and lasted too short) and the feel of his arms around him, a silly smile spread uncontrollably across Minho’s face while his heart (the very heart that now belonged to Kibum) raced in his chest. And the only thing Minho could do at that moment was nod and pull Kibum into a proper hug that meant the world to him – a hug that spoke of promises, hopes and a future they would build together.

(“Wanna spend the night?”

“But Taemin’s here.”

“I can kick him out.”

“Don’t be mean to that kid, he’s adorable… why is he here anyway?”

“I called him over to play Winning Eleven with me.”

“And how on earth did that lead to him wetting your bathroom floor?”

“Aha! I knew you were thinking too much.”

“Choi Minho, are you sure you want to bring that up right now?”

“Sorry.”

“So?”

“Taemin spilled banana milk all over himself when he tried to multi task while playing the game.”

“I see.”

“It’s your turn to answer my question, Kibum.”

“What question?”

“Stay the night?”

“What about Tae-”

“Oh for heaven’s sake, if you two could just move out of the way so I can leave this love nest, I won’t be a problem anymore!”)

Author's Note: oh boy was that a long chapter! and i didn't even see it coming. the truth was, i wanted them to stay ambiguous much longer, but when i wrote this chapter, the story took a life of its own and taaadaaah, i bet you guys are happy they are finally together! like finally huh! after 10 chapters. woah. alright, first half of AAA done! i'll be taking some time to write the following chapters and plan where this story is going so until then, i hope you awesome readers continue to enjoy the story. and thank you so so much for subscribing and leaving such wonderful comments that never fail to brighten up my day! in the mean time, i'll be getting ready for SWCII SG! maybe i'll get some inspiration from there... hehehe. ♥v♥ have an awesome weekend everyone!