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Kyungsoo grasps the edge of the sink and glances at his reflection in the bathroom mirror. He sighs.


He let his guard down again.


While holding the door for you to enter the house just now, he's suddenly hyper aware of the subtle smell of your perfume and proximity of body heat as you brush against him. It's not until you turned around and asked quietly, "Are you coming in?" that he realized he'd spaced off.

Noticing the light blush across your cheeks, he wondered if you've been thinking about the same thing but promptly dismisses it as a ridiculous thought.


The deejay should be wary that you're agreeing to this whole arranged marriage thing in the first place, but all the recent interactions- your tenderness when you speak of your family, the occasional vulnerability behind that snarky mask- is making him waver.

And most importantly, why hadn't you admit to Grandma that you've already learned the recipe?



He also can't disregard the fact that he's getting more and more comfortable around you.



You're sassy. Unpredictable. And annoyingly so.

But the random glimpses of your pure guilelessness catches him off guard and he just... Forgets.


He forgets that he doesn't usually sing in front of people. Not that there's a lot of people he can sing around, since he keeps to a tight and small circle of friends. Yet when he sees you brightening up at your favorite song, which just so happens to be his as well, he lets go and it's not until you join him in the chorus that he realizes...


He's probably getting a bit too comfortable with you.



And he doesn't even know you.




He asked around and it's obvious you're not with any other label companies in Korea anymore. The only hint is the guy that accompanied you to the party. He looks Chinese and seems handsome enough to pass off as either a model or singer.



Kyungsoo reminds himself to ask Luhan about newbies in the China market.


 

❖❖❖

Why are you thinking of him first thing in the morning?


You groan and scrabble out of bed to brush your teeth.



Last night was... Nice.

It's the first time you don't feel the need to guard against the male, whose arrogant demeanor usually brings out the worse in you. To be honest, the deejay is very good company if he wants to be. He's got this easy-going vibe and pleasant voice that makes people open up to him effortlessly.


And his singing. You woke up remembering his heart shaped smile when you sang along with him.



Why is he suddenly behaving like this? What is he really up to?

He even propped the door open for you when you entered the house last night, his warm breath grazing your cheek as you passed through made you hold your own.



You had tensed up in that moment but didn't quite understand why. Heat rushed up your neck and you hoped he hadn't noticed your blush in the dim lighting.



To mask your jitters, you wanted to ask him about the heater upstairs when you noted something distinctly different in his gaze.

On you.




That caused a rhythmic skip in your cardiac organ and you mumbled along the lines of whether he's coming in before glancing away.

You are still befuddling over the entire situation when Tao calls you in the afternoon.






"Ga-eun noona, please don't tell Kris hyung whatever I'm going to tell you next."

"You know me Tao. Now shoot."


"I received a tip from a friend working near this hotel in Cheongdam-dong. It's Chen and the heiress."

Your hand tightens on the phone.



"Give me the address."

 

❖❖❖

Kyungsoo is trying to concentrate on the movie playing on his laptop but his attention keeps drifting to frivolous things like... What are you doing upstairs now?



His answer comes a minute later when he hears you padding down the stairs. And his pulse quickens.


What the heck? Why am I feeling nervous?


He his lips unconsciously as his gaze flits to the scene outside his room. And no, he did not shift infinitesimally closer to the door to see what you are doing. That's creepy and Do Kyungsoo is not a creep.



You are picking up your keys from the storage box on the wall, jiggling them a little as you stride into the kitchen.



Kyungsoo's eyes fall on the mug at his own desk and thinks it's time to refill the water.

It's only half full after all. And the movie still has a good hour to go.




You are pouring yourself a cup of water when Kyungsoo scoots over and clears his throat a little louder than necessary.


"Oh, I'm going to be done soon, yup, there, all yours."

You reverse a few inches to allow him access to the flask.



Kyungsoo moves towards the counter, his actions deliberate as he asks, in what he hopes is, a casual tone.

"Are you going out?"



Your eyes shoot up.

"Oh, erm... "


Damn, why are you afraid to look him in the eye?


"Yeah, I'm going out to meet a friend." You swallow the next mouthful with difficulty.



The deejay nods, slowly placing the flask back on the counter top.


"Is it far?"

Why is he asking?


"It's in Cheongdam-dong. Not very far."



He nods again.

"I'm going to pick up some things around the area, I can drive you there?"



The only thing that the deejay needs to pick up is more eggs and that's available at the nearest shop less than three minutes walk away, plus Sera is the one doing most of the grocery shopping anyway. But Kyungsoo thinks it might be nice to go out for a spin on this dull Sunday evening. Besides, didn't you just recover from a cold? Not that he's factoring that in though, he tells himself.



"I eh..." Your mind whirs speedily for an excuse.


Somehow the proximity of the male makes it harder for your brain to function properly.

"It's quite out of the way, so you might need to do a longer detour...?" You finally manage, hoping he'll say "It's okay then" and forget about it but...



"It's okay, I don't mind."



Heck, that's not the answer you're expecting.

❖❖❖

"Cheongdam-dong, you say?"

"Yes."

And that's the only conversation exchanged between the two of you the rest of the way.



Kyungsoo flips on the player and lets music neutralize the need to communicate. Something still lingers heavily in the air though.

While the male isn't looking, you take the time to study him properly. The freckles on his neck and earlobe. The way he bites his plush bottom lip when he's negotiating a turn or cutting lanes. His long eyelashes that flutters when he blinks. Which isn't often.


You remember reading somewhere a normal person blinks in an average of six seconds. The guy has gone through three traffic stops yet still not blinked once.


On the other hand, Kyungsoo is concentrating on the road in front, careful not to spare any glances to his right.



He can detect a faint whiff of your perfume. So slight it's almost non-existing. He wonders who you're meeting up with. Is it a guy or a girl?



Why am I thinking of this? It's none of my concern anyway.



After a short while, he leans forward to peer at a road sign.

"We're here. What's the name of the cafe?"



You startle from your reverie, feeling embarrassed and glad that the male's focus is fixed on the road and not noticing your blatant staring.

"Er, I'm not sure... Wait..."



You fish out the slip of paper from your jeans pocket that has the hotel's address on it. Kyungsoo slows the vehicle down a little to peek at the writing.



His approaching closeness makes you tense up and you quickly blurt out the street name and number, stuffing the note back hastily in your pocket. In your flurry, you don't notice the paper not quite making it's way in.


Kyungsoo is a bit perplexed at your reaction and moves back to his original position behind the wheel.


So she doesn't want me to find out where they are meeting huh?



"I think it's just straight ahead." He announces and sure enough, the designated street name appears before you. And the destination- The Yoke- is just right ahead. You quickly scan for a possible drop off point near the building.



"There." You point to a coffee shop. "I'm getting off there."



He silently cruises to the place as directed and you hurriedly undo the seat belt the moment his car rolls to a stop.


"You seem to be in a hurry."

He remarks.



You in a breath.


"Yeah, erm, I'm already late for my appointment."


He nods. It's almost time for dinner. Your date might be waiting to start the meal with you. Somehow that makes him feel a bit out of sorts.



"So... I'm going now." You hesitate before you hop off the car.

He nods again and waves a goodbye.




You wait until he pulls out of the curb and onto the road again before taking a look at the tall grey building in front. The Yoke, huh? Someone's gonna be in big trouble.


 

❖❖❖

Kyunsoo is feeling a bit dispirited when he pulls away from the curb and coasts to a stop at the traffic light.


He thinks of calling Baekhyun but remembers he might be busy getting ready for the gig next week.



Unconsciously, he turns to glance at the empty seat beside him.

What time will you be getting home?




That's when he sees the abandoned piece of paper.

After making sure the light still hasn't turn green, he bends down and picks it up.



The Yoke?

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