The crowd was energetic and the performance was intimate.  It was one of the best private shows they had given in a long time, but Youngbae's mind was preoccupied all evening.  Thankfully, there was no dancing tonight; otherwise he would have been caught off guard. They were singing "Haru Haru" acapella, which was fine by Youngbae since he only had two lines to sing.  It gave him time to assess Amina in the crowd.

Her head was down again for the second time that night.  She whispered something to her friend nearby and beckoned for that person to sit back down when they tried to assist her.  Youngbae watched as Amina slowly got out of her seat and made her way towards the exit. She was almost to the exit door, when she stumbled and lost her balance, grabbing the nearest seats for support.  Youngbae flinched and got halfway off the bar stool before he remembered where he was at. He sat back down.

Other than raising an eyebrow to question Youngbae's reaction, Jiyong didn't miss a beat as he continued with his part.  He glanced at Youngbae and could see concern in his eyes.  He followed the direction of Youngbae's gaze and only saw the exit door closing.

The song soon ended and Jiyong leaned over towards Youngbae for an explanation.  "What happened?"

"I... I think I need to go," Youngbae replied.  It was hard for him to admit it while they were in the middle of a performance, but he couldn't shake off the feeling that something was wrong with Amina.

"Is it your leg?"

"No, I..." he whispered low, "I just saw Amina leave, but she seemed unsteady."  He paused.  "I just want to go check on her before she leaves."

"Alright," Jiyong said.  "We'll just call for the last song then."

They sang "Last Farewell" and it felt like the longest rendition that Youngbae could remember.  He imagined where Amina could be by now and wished he had her phone number to call.  The song ended and the crowd chanted for an encore, but thankfully Jiyong didn't make them comply.  Instead, to their delight, Jiyong announced they would have had a photo op session afterwards with the fans.  Everyone but Youngbae, that was, whose "leg was acting up."  Youngbae felt a twinge of guilt for the lie, but was grateful for Jiyong's insight.  He was in too much of a hurry to leave the stage.

Youngbae headed backstage and took the nearest exit that would lead him into the hallway.  He frantically scanned the empty corridors and headed towards the ladies' restroom. Unable to enter, he paced outside debating on what to do.  He jerked in surprise when the door opened and Amina walked out.  It appeared she had just splashed water on her face, the fringes of hair around her temples still contained small droplets of water.  She looked tired and flushed, but became alert when she noticed Youngbae waiting outside.  Her eyes widened in surprise.

"What are you doing here?"

He ignored her question.  "You need to go home and rest."

That's the second time he's said that to me tonight, Amina thought annoyingly to herself.  "I'm fine," Amina stated as she brushed past him and started walking down the hall towards the front entrance.

Youngbae walked after her and grabbed her right wrist.  "Where are you going?"

Amina looked up at his face and couldn't understand the concern in his eyes. "I'm going home."

Youngbae's shoulder slumped in relief.  "Good.  I'll take you home."  He started to pull her in the opposite direction, towards the back entrance of the auditorium.

She tugged on his hand slightly and he stopped to face her.  "I'm fine.  I can get home by myself."

"I just saw you stumble out of the Hall.  You're in no condition to take the transit by yourself."

Amina was dazed by his statement.  How did he know I...?  "Look, I'm more of a doctor than you are, so I think I'm the expert here when it comes to my own health condition."

He crossed his arms over his chest. "Fine.  Then tell me what's going on with you."

As annoyed as she was by his behavior, Amina couldn't help but compare him to a cute sulking little boy.  His arms were crossed over his chest and his feet were planted firmly, blocking her way out.  Her lips twitched.  "For your information," she replied haughtily, "I'm still recovering from the flu."

"And?" He cocked an eyebrow.

Amina sighed.  There was no getting rid of him.  "And... I haven't had much to eat.  I wasn't able to put anything down yesterday and then today... I got so caught up at work that I forgot to eat." She paused when he uncrossed his arms and positioned them on the sides of his hips. "I'll be fine after I get something to eat and drink."

"How can you take care of others if you can't even take care of yourself?"

Amina gaped at his rudeness.  Before she could respond with a smart remark of her own, the doors for the auditorium started to open and crowds of VIPs could be heard, spilling out into the hallways. 

"C'mon, we have to go," urged Youngbae.

"I'm not going with you."

Youngbae sighed, exasperated.  "Aish... if you don't come with me now, you're going to get run over once those fans see me in the hallway."

Now it was her turn to cross her arms across her chest.  "Run over me.... or run over you?"

She wasn't going to come with him.  He had to try another tactic.  He leaned into her, filling her space, and pressed quietly.  "Let me take you home.  We still need to talk about what happened the other day. Unless... you're afraid?" he challenged.

Amina swallowed an invisible lump in . His eyes had taken on a smoldering look and she found it difficult to resist.  The traveling sounds from the crowd of VIPs became louder.  "Fine.  You can drive me home."  She marched ahead towards the back entrance, not bothering to wait for him.

Youngbae watched her walk away and grinned. 

The private parking lot in the back of the Blue Square Musical Hall was pitched black when Amina exited the building. The air had taken a deep chill and little puffs of white air could be seen when she exhaled.  She waited patiently while Youngbae informed some of the staff members that he was leaving.  He emerged minutes later from the building, carrying a black backpack and wearing a red North Face puffer coat.

He spotted her standing at the bottom of the stairwell.  He gingerly walked down the steps until he reached her.  "Where's your jacket?"

Amina knew it was another strike against her.  "I didn't bring one," she grounded out.

"Uh huh," Youngbae nodded knowingly. He proceeded to take of his coat and pulled it over her shoulders.  She jerked away.

"I'm fine."

"Humor me," he commanded and continued to pull the coat fully on her.  He waited until she pulled her arms through and then zipped her into it. "There... that's better. C'mon..."

Amina rolled her eyes at his retreating back.  But she had to admit - the coat felt nice and warm.  Amina closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. She immediately recognized the light cologne he wore.

"Are you coming?"

She opened her eyes, embarrassed at herself for standing there like an idiot sniffing his coat.  "Neh," she replied and started following him.  She silently prayed it was too dark for him to see what she had been doing.

They reached a black Kicherer Mercedez-Benz CLS parked in the far back of the lot.  He clicked the unlock button on his key and the interior lighting inside the car lit up.  He strolled over and opened the passenger door for her.  Amina hesitated but didn't move closer.

He raised an eyebrow.  "What? Did you want to drive?"

Amina knew he was teasing her.  "Are you sure you can drive?" she responded smartly back.

He smiled.  "Neh... my leg is almost completely healed.  I had the best working on it."

Amina felt herself blush.  It was the closest thing to a compliment about her work that she had received from him since they met.  Feeling like an ungrateful brat, Amina relented and got into the passenger seat.  She buckled herself in while he made his way over to the driver's seat.

He started the car and the seat heaters.  He adjusted the heating vents and glanced over at Amina.  "Suyu-dong, right?"

"Neh..." She gave him additional instructions and told him the name of her apartment complex.

He nodded in response and pulled the car out of the parking lot.

Youngbae didn't engage her in any conversation as he drove.  The quiet rumble of the engine, along with the heated seats, made Amina drowsy.  She hadn't realized how tired she was until now.  She inhaled the comforting smell of the leather interior and closed her eyes.  Her eyelids felt heavy so she rested them for a bit.  Soon after, she fell into a deep sleep.

Moments later, Amina felt the car stop and heard Youngbae exit the vehicle. Am I home already? She opened her eyes and felt disoriented, unable to make out where they were at.  They had stopped on the side of a main street, outside what appeared to be Cheongjinok, a well established soup restaurant in Seoul.  Too tired to become fully awake, Amina drifted back to sleep.

Thirty minutes later, they reach their destination.  Youngbae parked his car inside the apartment parking garage and turned off the engine.  Unhooking his seat belt, Youngbae glanced over at Amina, who was still sleeping. He leaned over her and unhooked her seat belt, gently pulling it way from her chest.

"Amina-ah," he softly whispered, hating to wake her from her sleep.  He her face slightly with the back of his finger.

The cold air of the vehicle began to penetrate Amina's senses.  She slowly opened her eyes and found Youngbae's face only a few inches from hers.  She didn't know why he was gazing at her with such reverence and awe, but Amina felt her heart melt inside. "Bae..." Amina replied, her voice husky from sleep. 

Youngbae stopped caressing Amina's cheek and stared openly at her, taking in every inch of the beauty sitting before him. The only light inside the car came from the lamps dimly lit throughout the parking garage.  It casted shadows over her face and made eyes more luminous than before. Like gravity, Youngbae felt an irresistable pull and leaned in slowly towards her.

Liquid heat pooled in the pit of her stomach when Amina sensed him moving closer.  She felt his thumb underneath her lower lip, resting on her chin.  He pressed lightly and her lips parted in response. Amina closed her eyes when she felt his lips press gently against hers.  She parted her lips wider to allow him more access and returned his kiss, her tongue sliding against his tentatively.

The kiss was sweet and slow, the heat from her tongue scorching his own.  Youngbae shifted in his seat and angled his head so he could taste more of her. She placed her right hand lightly on his chest and could feel his steady heartbeat underneath her palm.  She slowly brushed her hand across his pecs.  He groaned deep into and led on her bottom lip.  Waves of ecstasy swamped Amina's senses. Feeling empowered by his reactions, she continued to move her hands up along his collarbone, grazing the side of his neck. She tugged him closer to her and returned the pleasure, lightly on his tongue in response.

The girl was driving him crazy.  Her every touch left trails of fire along his skin, the only relief coming from her sweet kisses.  Youngbae felt the adrenaline in his veins pumping, the same feeling he had right before he went on stage.  His breathing increased and he could feel himself become aroused the more they continued to taste one another. 

The distant sound of a car door slamming invaded his senses. With an inward groan, Youngbae gently pulled away from their kiss and smiled slightly when he heard her whimper of disappointment.  He rested his forehead against hers while their breathing returned to a normal. He pressed another quick kiss on her lips before moving back in his seat. He kept his gaze forward, giving her privacy to recover.  Youngbae knew that if looked at her again, the burn would start all over and they would never get anywhere tonight.

It took a moment before she responded. The ping of his jacket made him turn towards her.  "Thanks for the ride home," she muffled inside his coat.  Amina proceeded to remove the coat from her person, but he placed a hand on her arm, stopping her. She glanced up at him, her face shy and uncertain.

Her lips were swollen from their passionate kiss earlier.  Her eyes were still dilated and the blush on her cheeks still lingered.  He wanted to memorize her face tonight and every night.  "Well, you're not home yet.  I still have to walk you out."

Amina's eyes cleared a little as his intentions sank in. She shook her head slightly. "You don't have to walk me upstairs."

Obviously, she wasn't getting the message.  He tried again.  "I want to walk you upstairs. I need to make sure you make it there safely."

He had that determined look in his eyes again.  Amina could see that he wasn't going to back down.  Since he drove her all the way here, it seemed petty to not allow him to walk her upstairs.  She nodded her head and slowly opened the door.  The cold air burned her lungs as soon as she stepped out the vehicle. 

Youngbae quickly hopped out and grabbed a paper bag with handles from the backseat.  He waited patiently as she walked around the car and led the way towards the building elevators.  While waiting for the lift, Amina glanced curiously at the bag and asked what it was.

"Oh... this?" he responded, feeling shy all of a sudden.  He looked down at the bag as he replied, "I got you samgyetang... to make you feel better."

Amina stared at him for the longest time. A mirage of emotions swept her face.  She hadn't had someone care for her in a long time.  She didn't know whether to smile or cry.  She settled on gratitude instead.  "Gomawo," she replied, looking him directly in the eyes.  

He nodded in response.

The elevator carried them up to the eighth floor and Amina led them towards her apartment.  Fishing her keys out of her purse, she unlocked the door and the lights.  Amina turned around, taking off his jacket to return it to him.  "Thanks again for the ride home..."

He looked at her expectantly.  "You're not going to invite me in?"

Taken aback from his blunt request, she raised an eyebrow and asked, "You want to come in?"

"Of course.  I have to make sure you eat your soup."

"I can eat my own soup.  I don't need you to feed it to me," she replied indignantly, her right hand propped on her waist.

He smiled because he knew he offended her.  "I wasn't going to suggest that I feed you... but if that's what it takes."

The ding of the elevator interrupted their conversation and the sound of someone approaching alarmed Amina.  "Come in."  She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and dragged him in, closing the door behind him.

Youngbae grinned as he rubbed the wrinkles from his shirt.  "Where are your bowls?" He set the bag of food on the kitchen island as he quickly surveyed her apartment.  It was still scarce and bland as the day she moved in. 

She looked ready to argue but thought better of it. There was no use in arguing with him tonight.  Amina opened her cabinet overhead and pulled out two medium soup bowls.  She grabbed a pair of soup spoons from the kitchen drawer and laid them gently in the bowls. 

He looked at her questioningly.

"If I have to eat, you have to eat too."

"I can't.  It's against my diet."

She looked skeptical and waited patiently for him to explain.

"I'm serious," he laughed.  "There's like, too much salt or something."

"Hmm..." she nodded in mock agreement.  "I see. Taeyang-shi's too good for sick people soup?"

He sighed, still smiling.  "Fine... I'll have some soup with you.  But if I bloat up because of this, I'm telling Hwangssabu hyung that it's your fault."

Amina grinned, happy to have won one round tonight.  "I'm sure you'll be fine." She looked at him up and down, taking her time to observe.  She pursed her lips, looking through her lashes at him.  "I'm sure your body could resist a few pounds."

He blushed.

Feeling light headed, she couldn't resist teasing him some more.  "You go ahead and fix us the soup.  I'm going to go change into something a little more comfortable."

Amina pretended to not see the desire that lit his eyes as she walked to her room.  But it warmed her to her toes to know that she had such an affect on him.  Better be careful when playing with fire, she told herself.  It wouldn't be wise of her to too far tonight.  She wasn't even sure if she was willing to offer up anything in return.  She quickly disrobed and pulled on a pair of grey yoga pants.  She left her white tank on and pulled her hair up in a high bun.  If he thinks I'm getting into something slinky, he has another thing coming for him, thought Amina sneakily to herself.

She stepped out of the room and noticed Youngbae sitting on the bar stool next to kitchen island.  Hearing her approach, he turned in his seat and to Amina's surprise, he looked even more affected seeing her in her simple garb than before.  Self-consciously, Amina tugged at the bottom of her tank.  She walked towards the fridge and pulled out two bottles of water.  "Sorry, I only have water to offer you."

"That's perfect."

An awkward silence passed between them, in contrast to the jubilant conversation they had just moments earlier. She gingerly picked up her spoon and started talking, desperate to get rid of the silence.  "Soup smells good."

"Hmm." He continued to look at her politely.

Amina shook her head slightly, knowing he was waiting for her take the first bite before he would start in too. She scooped up some chicken broth and sipped. She scooped up some more and closed her eyes.  "Mmm... this really is good," she replied, her lips. She opened her eyes to see Youngbae's hot gaze on her.  Amina blushed, realizing how provocative that just sounded. Searching for some bland conversation to erase her comment, Amina remarked pathetically, "It tastes just like the soup my mom used to make when I was sick."

"Neh... my mom would make me this soup too when I got sick."

"Do you see your mom often?"

"Occassionally.  Whenever I get a chance, I'll drive by to see her.  You?"

"I haven't seen my mother in awhile," Amina responded, stretching the truth as much as she could. 

When she didn't say more, Youngbae continued.  "So how long have you lived here?"

"In this apartment?" she replied.  "Less than a month... I've been too busy with school and work to make much of the space. But maybe one day... "

He looked at her expectantly.

"... maybe one day I'll buy a painting or something to hang," she laughed at herself.  "Until then, the space serves its purpose for me.  Just something to tie me over until I finish school."

He nodded in understanding.

Amina jumped off the stool and went into her room to grab some pain medicine with sleep aide.  She returned to the kitchen and tossed it down with some water.  She continued to eat her soup silently as Youngbae watched her.

"You're finished?" she asked him.

"Neh..."

"You don't eat much."

"That's because I eat six small meals a day.  I don't usually eat as much.... well, only some foods I like to eat a lot of."

Amina smiled, "Like what kinds of food?"

He paused while he thought.  "Like Korean barbeque.  I love a juicy piece of flavored beef.." He hissed and savored his lips tastefully.  "Yeah, I could eat that all day."

Amina laughed at his expression.  "What else?"

"I like chocolate."

Amina nodded.  "Chocolates are my favorite too.  And ice cream... and lollipop candies." she teased.

He laughed. "Yeah... those too."

They sat in companionable silence.

"You did really great at the show today.  I think Top hyung is afraid you'll take over his spot one day."

"Aigo!" she exclaimed, laughing at herself.  She cupped her forehead in her left hand and looked up at him with humor in her eyes.  "I don't know what came over me.  If it wasn't for Yuri, I would have never been up there."

"Yuri, your friend?"

"Neh... the one that brought me up.  She's a huge Big Bang fan."

He smiled.  "And you?"

She didn't know why, but although he asked if she was a fan of Big Bang, it felt like he was asking her if she was a fan of his as well.  She smiled shyly, "Neh.. I've been a Big Bang fan for awhile now.  But," she sighed.  "I have to admit that I'm not the greatest fan."

He raised an eyebrow.

"I haven't even been to one of your concerts," she confessed.

"Ever?"

"Ever," she replied.  "Yuri happened to have backstage passes to your show last Saturday.  That's how we got in tonight."

"Well next time we do a concert, you'll have to come out and see us.  I'll make sure you get some tickets."

Amina smiled. "Okay."

"And you'll have to bring your friend Yuri too."

She nodded her head.  "Of course!  I wouldn't dare go without her.  She's a huge Seungri fan and would kill me if she missed an opportunity to see him."

He chuckled.  "Seungri's her bias?"

"Neh... she loves everything about Seungri.  Seungri this... Seungri that.. 'Oh noona, did you know that Seungri has this scarf?  I have to buy it!" she mocked, smiling.

Youngbae laughed at her exaggerations. "And your bias?"

An uncomfortable moment passed between them, when the both realized how awkward the question was. Amina bit her smile and responded, "Um, I don't really have a bias.  I think you guys are all great... Daesung, I mean... he has an amazing voice," she felt herself rambling but she couldn't help it.  There was no way that she was going to tell him who her real bias was.

Youngbae nodded, feeling a little disappointed in her response.  "So what other types of music do you listen to?"

They continued to talk about their interests in music and hobbies and found that they had many in common.  An hour later, Amina found herself quietly yawning as a shudder of coldness racked her body.

Youngbae checked his watch.  "Mianhae... I shouldn't have kept you up for so long."

"No, it's alright.  I think the medicine's kicking in that's all."

He got up and started to clear their bowls.

Amina stuttered, "W-what are you doing? That's not necessary, I'll get it."

Youngbae turned around and faced her.  "Why don't you get ready for bed?  I'll take care of this for you." He turned his back towards her and proceeded to wash their bowls in the sink.

Amina stood there for a moment watching him.  She yawned again, realizing how tired she really was.  She grabbed the kettle off the stove and interrupted Youngbae during mid-wash.  "What's that for?"

"Tea.  I need something to warm me up before I go to bed."  She made a mistake of looking at him and blushed.  Why does everything have to sound so ual? She cringed inwardly. She quickly moved away and set the kettle on the stove to boil.

Youngbae watched as she made her way to the bathroom.  He could hear her washing her face and brushing her teeth.  Once he was finished with the bowls, he turned off the water tap and proceeded to wipe down the kitchen island.  She walked into her bedroom and left the door slightly ajar.

He checked his phone.  Three messages and a missed call. The last of which was thirty minutes ago. All from Jiyong.  He read:

10:01pm: Heading over to the hangout for some late night pork skin bbq.

10:33pm: We're here. What you at?

12:07am: ???

Youngbae sighed.  He hadn't planned on being gone this long and knew he'd have a bunch of questions to answer when he got back. He wasn't ready to answer any questions when he still had so many of his own.  Well, at least tonight, he knew of one thing.  Amina desired him as much as he desired her.  The boiling water was finished and the kettle started whistling.  Youngbae glanced towards Amina's door but she didn't come out.  Rather than wait for her to appear, he went ahead and removed the kettle off the stove.

He easily located the single box of jasmine tea leaves she had in a nearby cabinet, but it took him awhile to search for a cup. Seriously, how hard is it to find a cup? He asked himself.  He opened several more cupboards before noticing the dishwasher next to the stove.  He pulled down the door and noticed one single white mug in the upper tray.  A feeling of euphoria swept over him when he realized what type of mug it was.  He grinned and chuckled quietly to himself.

After making the tea, he placed the box of jasmine tea back in the cupboard and pulled on his jacket.  He waited another minute but didn't hear anything coming from her side of the room.  He decided to bring her the cup of tea and say good night.  He approached her bedroom door and lightly knocked.  But there was no answer.

"Amina?" He knocked gently again before pushing to door open.

He found her, asleep on top of the comforter, her face cleanly scrubbed.  He set the tea next to her nightstand and watched to see if the sound would wake her up.  She continued sleeping blissfully.  A feeling of over protectiveness ran through Youngbae as he watched her sleep.  She looked like a little girl when she slept, all fire gone out of her.  He grabbed a small blanket from the foot of her bed and gently covered her body with it. He pulled out his phone and texted Jiyong. Heading back.  He turned off the lights in her room and locked the door to the apartment as he let himself out.