"Excuse me?" I look at him in confusion.

He chuckles lightly and smiles directly at me before uttering the same two words to me, "let's date."

This time I can hear a hint of playfulness in his voice. I stare at him, not quite comprehending what he had just said as he maintains eye contact with me. It's not like this is my first time being asked out, but there's something different about him. I look further into those eyes. They give me an indescribable feeling. A feeling that seems so familiar. Kind of like two black holes; captivating me. A weird feeling takes over my stomach and before I am lured further in, I finally look away.

RiSe. Focus. He is offering to date you. This means more money for your goal.

He breaks the silence, "I know you're short on money."

I gawk at him in bewilderment.

He continues, "date me and you'll get what you need. I can help you."

What is this? Who is he? Someone undercover? Why does he want to help me? Why does he want to date me if he already knows all I want is the money? What is he trying to pull here?

As if he had heard my thoughts, he reassures me, "there's no funny business. I just wanna help you. Once you get everything you need, you can leave."

"Why?" I ask.

He glances at me, a bit stump on what to say, but that quickly disappears when he replies, "Why can't I?"

I give him an unsure look.

"This is a one time deal. Don't give it up."

Should I? I really need the money. But there's this strange feeling picking at me. Ugh, whatever. Suho did mentioned that this guy is loaded. It wouldn't hurt to take him up on the offer. Right?

"O-ok," I reply carefully.

I could swear I saw a twinkle of happiness in his eyes, but it is short lived. He suddenly takes ahold of my hand and leads me outside into the hallway.

"Where are we going?" I ask with concern.

"Home." Such a simple answer, yet it leaves me more puzzle.

"My shift isn't over yet," I state.

He comes to a halt and turns around to look at me. 

"You don't need to work here anymore. From now on, I'll provide you with everything you need until you reach your goal."

Before I can utter back a response, he proceeds to lead me to the front of the bar. I eye him from behind in disbelief. Who does he think he is? He can't just tell me to quit my job. That's my choice to make. What if I don't want to quit my job? What if I like working here? ..Okay, that's not true. But I don't want to trust this stranger and allow him to make decisions for me. 

We arrive to a bewildered EunBi sitting at the front desk. She gazes at me for some explanation, but nothing comes out from my mouth.

She politely asks, "what can I do for you Mr. Byun Bae-"

He cuts her off mid-sentence. "Can you give me all her stuff?"

EunBi looks just as puzzled as me. I absentmindedly nod at her. 

He goes on to explain to her simply what's going on. I can feel EunBi's gazes land on me from time to time, but I don't pay attention to any of it. Instead, I find myself studying this stranger before me. Someone apparently called Mr. Byun. Someone whom I don't even know the full name of...is helping me? I know nothing of the guy. I actually feel a bit frighten by him to be honest. I don't know what his personality is like. He could even call it quits whenever for all I know. And then, where would I go? What would I do? Nobody has ever been so spontaneous like him. I'm left here in confusion, I don't know how to react. Everything passes by so fast, my mind can't catch up. 

My thoughts are interrupted when I feel him pulling me along once again. My eyes drift to his hands. In one, he is already carrying all my stuff, and in the other, his fingers are tightly wrapped around my wrist, guiding me to his car. I feel my heart beat a little bit faster. This is it. My life is changing for the third time. People usually say third time's the charm, right? But I can't help it. I want to go back. To just reject his offer right now and run back. Run back to my comfortable life and forget this even happened. I had already gotten so used to it. I don't want to leave it. 

Yet, for some reason, I am not stopping him. I don't want to stop him.

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"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." --Neale Donald Walsch 

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Sorry for the long wait! This is my first story here, so please support me by commenting and subscribing! ^^

-Ming Ming, 8/05/2013