The view was stunning. Jaejoong was definitely right about the shimmering lights that reflected off the dark waters of the still inner-city lake. The entire restaurant was adorned by tiny fairy-lights which set the atmosphere to serenely festive. The both of them sat facing eachother around a reserved table on the verandah that overlooked the water. Yeonhee could now see why Jaejoong so badly wanted to come to this particular restaurant, aside from the fact that he took the liberty of secretly booking their table beforehand. And Yeonhee couldn't help but smile to herself from his humble endeavor, trying her best to avoid having to look at him so that he wouldn't notice the wide grin that surfaced on her face. Instead, she faced the direction of the water and studied the way it receded into the distance, and watched the way the reflected lights of the city buildings in the background glistened along the sparkling dark blanket of water, its form distorted by the slight ripples from the trail of small wild ducks that swam about. Everything was so scenic, so beautiful...

All the while, Jaejoong had been watching Yeonhee. He gazed enchantedly at her, examining the way the surrounding lights glowed against her silky smooth skin; examining the the way her lips curled upwards with such grace, and how it glossed temptingly, drawing him in as he absently shut everything else out of view... until she was the only thing within his sight. He smiled musingly as he thought back to how idiotic she looked prancing around him in that puerile manner of hers, 'You think I'm gorgeous~' repeating over and over in his head, and he sighed to himself as he could only agree to her words.

You really are gorgeous...



Yeonhee had sensed a pair of contemplating eyes surveying at her direction. Shifting to face the owner of the gaze, Yeonhee couldn't help but smirk from the way Jaejoong's orbs widened the instance she looked at him before turning away and fixating his gaze on his food. But it wasn't difficult to notice the bright red glow on Jaejoong's cheeks as his eyes danced sheepishly, head drooped down as locks of blonde tried its best to curtain off Yeonhee's searching eyes. For someone who was fully aware of their own attractiveness, it was rather amusing to witness this sudden diffidence from the handsome idol; amusing yet... endearing.

Jaejoong, you can be so damn cute sometimes...



Roles reversed as Yeonhee sat watching him now, watching the way he positioned his knife and fork against the sizzling meat, grind at it with such poise, then shoot it into his mouth, and watch him chew away with lips sealed tight, a bulge at his smooth cheek. He looked so innocent. He was feeling uncomfortable, she could tell, especially from the way his eyes shifted across the table, groping for a napkin and dabbing it across his lips, blindly searching for stains with its corner while still detaining to look up from his drooped posture. The last thing Jaejoong wanted was to make a fool out of himself in any possible way, and Yeonhee's pinning stare was only making him self-conscious to the point where he couldn't take it any longer and resolved to finally be captured by her gaze.

Jaejoong waited until the beef dissolved down his throat before proceeding to shatter the silence. "I know you're entranced by my good looks," he smirked jokingly, "but I believe your food's getting cold." he remarked, casting away his unusual inhibition and returning as his usual self, emanating with spunk.

Slightly startled by the break of silence in such a jesting manner, Yeonhee paused to giggle while buying time to think of a reprisal. "Oh, I do apologise" she prefaced, "for being drowned by your mesmerising beauty, oh Jaejoong-shii!"

Amused by Yeonhee's response while immersing himself in the mood to speak articulately, "No need to apologise my dear, for it is I who should be sorry for being so damn hot and y and gorgeous that you just want to kiss me, hug me, smooch me and date me... all night long ;D" he simpered.

"Oh damn, you caught me red-handed you gorgeous beast, you."

"Oh Yeonhee, admit it you've fallen head over heels for me!"

"Why, yes of course!" she chimed sarcastically before shifting the mood back to reality, "Dream on, you big dork!" she laughed.

Dragged back to Earth, Jaejoong could only chuckle at the conclusion of their merry yet mocking ice-breaker. And it was sad, really, to end their frivolous conversation, but food was being neglected and cooling away on their still-filled platters. And so they sat for another thirty minutes or so indulging in the meal while attacking eachother every now and then with inane remarks and/or actions that would cause the other to ...be owned:

Yeonhee: *indicating there's something dripping off Jaejoong's mouth onto his chin*
Jaejoong: *becomes overly self-conscious and frantically wipes away at his lips with a napkin only to find it stainless in the end*
Yeonhee: *laughs hysterically*

And as time elapsed, their playful actions had only gotten more intense by the minute...

Jaejoong: *fondles up Yeonhee's leg with his shoe underneath the table*
Yeonhee: "......"
Jaejoong: *sniggers*
Yeonhee: *kicks him on the shin with her heels*
Jaejoong: *whimpers in pain*
Yeonhee: *laughs hysterically*
Jaejoong: *flicks bits of rice into Yeonhee's cleavage*
Yeonhee: "..... o_o!!!"
Jaejoong: *laughs hysterically*

Eventually, their playful battle concluded with empty plates, empty glasses and empty seats.



After dinner, Jaejoong had led Yeonhee down to the isolated bay area of the lake. Water reeds sprouted around large boulders that stationed as a barrier from the water; and the only illumination glowed from the single string of fairy-lights that trailed its way from the restaurant against the surrounding bamboo sticks.

The boulders were waist-high yet the eroded curves and smooth crevices were enough to act as a ladder for Yeonhee. The adventurous side of her persona had decided to unleash itself as she hastily took off her heels, dumping them onto the ground along with her bag and climbing on top of the largest and widest boulder, beckoning her new friend to join her with an outstretched arm and wide grin. Jaejoong stood hesitantly for a second, inspecting if the boulder was stable enough not to roll into the water from their weight, only to notice that half of the solid mass was rooted deeply into the ground. It seemed safe enough, and so he crawled onto the ginormous smooth rock and stationed himself beside Yeonhee who sat nonchalantly gazing out onto the water, her legs draped lazily near the egde.

The two of them sat silently gazing out into the open space before them, inhaling in the night summer breeze that brushed itself over the dark water, carrying its cool vigor onto their skin, evoking thin hairs to rise from their tepid flesh. Jaejoong shivered to himself from the sudden chill and edged closer to Yeonhee, hoping to cultivate some warmth between them. The sides of their clothed arms rubbed together as Jaejoong hugged himself to salvage some heat while glancing at the unusually quiet girl beside him. Yeonhee was usually one who enjoyed her personal space, and often fought to defend it. But she seemed rather unfazed by Jaejoong's benign attempt at physical intimacy. Instead, she curled her knees up to her chin and cradled her legs inside her arms, continuing to bask in the pensive silence.

After a long time, Yeonhee broke free from her deep contemplation. "Jaejoong-ah..." she whispered into the air, feeling like she achieved something from finally grasping the courage to address him as a friend, and perhaps now as close one at that. And Jaejoong responded with a twitch of his head to the direction of the crooning voice at the mere sound of his name. Yeonhee paused as soon as noticing she had captured Jaejoong's attention and pondered for the right words to express the one thing that was prodding at her mind.

"Why..you bring me here?" she finally inquired to the sparkling water.

+ + + +

Jaejoong took the time to realise whom Yeonhee was speaking to and he squinted his eyes at her with slightly furrowed eyebrows, unsure of what Yeonhee meant with the ambiguity of her question.

Yeonhee cracked a smile, amused by Jaejoong's perplexed silence. "I mean... you don’t have to do this if you want me to forgive you, we’re friends right?" she shot out feeling a bitterness in her voice, this time facing his direction with the instinctive intent to search his bemused face for answers. But she was only returned with a sudden locking gaze from the proximity of their bodies. And for a moment they sat immobilised, frozen from its unexpected intensity. And for what seemed like minutes, they enveloped themselves in deep exploration ...of one another.

Jaejoong felt himself flinch slightly from the awkward contact.

But Yeonhee was obstinate, unperturbed by the lock of eyes. She wanted to delve into his soul and be proven that he wasn't the kind of man Jaejoong had described him to be. She wanted to see for herself who Jaejoong really was underneath his elaborate shell. She wanted to plough through the dense layers of good looks, charm and enticement for something else, for something -anything- he cunningly concealed inside. She wanted to dig through to his burning core and find... someone else. Him. She wanted to find him.

On the other hand, Jaejoong fought back the temptation to capture her lips with his own. They were so close, breathing the same air as a soothing and heartening warmth interchanged between them, each shared breath palpitating against eachother. They were sharing time, space... and air. And he became lost inside the comforting unison, building a shell around them, shutting out the world outside, from reality; and submerge themselves into a feeling so surreal. He didn't know where he was anymore except inside the eyes of this enchantress before him. And whatever this moment was, he wanted to savour it, to be reveled in the atmosphere of this natural connection. Yet he wanted more. He wanted to touch her, to feel her, to taste her.

He wanted her.

Now, he know the answer to Yoochun’s question.

And then he kissed her.

+ + +

Yeonhee couldn’t even express how her feeling right now, aside that being kiss by those plumsy lips belong to one of the iest men on earth is not bad…Nahhh it was wonderful!

Don you know how soft his lips and do you know how extraordinary expert he is when he is kissing??? CONTROL YOURSELF WOMAN!

And so reluctantly Yeonhee pull apart from the kiss.

Breaking free from the unison and slowly retreating back to his own space, Jaejoong nodded his head contritely as a meek apology for his invasion. His eyes shifted away, afraid to be captured by her gaze once more; yet he felt a prodding from himself to glance up and seek for her reaction to it all. He felt that if he evaded looking at her, he was also evading her feelings, ignoring them as if they didn't matter to him. But they did. They mattered to him more than anyone realised. And it was at this very moment that they mattered more than his own.

Jaejoong turned to face Yeonhee, only to be returned with a shifting placid face. Yeonhee withdrew back to her original position, chin cupped inside the interval of her knees, gazing pensively out into the water. Jaejoong didn't know whether to feel hurt from Yeonhee's impassive expression, or simply be confused. Instead, he followed the direction of her gaze and submitted to the open silence once more.

On the other hand, Yeonhee took the time to float back to reality and accept the last few minutes as only being caught up in a moment. A very awkward moment. There were so many questions racing around in her mind, interlacing into one another and disappearing behind closed doors, that it made it difficult to encapsulate her thoughts. What had just happened? Why he is  kissing  me? What was holding him back? Why isn't he saying anything? Why aren't I saying anything? How is he feeling? How does he feel? How am I feeling? What am I feeling? What did I feel? What is he thinking? What did he think he was doing? What was he doing? What was I doing? What am I doing? What now? Wha--

"Because I think I love you."

Yeonhee's overlapping murmur of thoughts had suddenly halted at the very sound of a voice... his voice... Jaejoong. And it took her a moment to realise that he had finally responded to her question --the two measly words she vaguely inquired to him moments ago... yet it felt like it had been a long time now. Yeonhee searched him with her dancing eyes, groping across his face for more answers, beckoning him to continue his words.

Jaejoong was hesitant to speak to her direction, hesitant to be faced with those eyes once more. Instead, he continued to gaze out into the open air before him in silence. A moment later, he curled his lips upwards, forming a grin to alleviate the awkward silence of the atmosphere, and bring back the exuberance of eachother's presence. "I love you because you're cute." He proceeded, "Cute: meaning ugly but charming." he smirked, "I find you charming."

Yeonhee couldn't help but smile from noticing how Jaejoong possessed the skill of brightening up a gray moment, and soon enough her smile had burst out into a chuckle accompanied by a riposte. "Why, thank you." she jeered sarcastically, "I find you damn ugly too."

One of the few remarks Jaejoong feared most was to be told that he lacked physical appeal. Because he knows he's not ugly. He's not, right? "Don't lie, I know you think I'm gorgeous!" he retorted, sounding almost offended.

Noticing the slightly flustered expression that taut the skin on Jaejoong's face, Yeonhee chortled heartily to the lake. "As should you, and as do you, Jaejoongie!"

"Yeonie! How dare you accuse me of lying!" he mocked with a large grin, now facing her direction.

"Jaejoongie!" Yeonhee fumbled for words, only to snap back to the reality of time. "Take me home!" she exclaimed rather abruptly. She hadn't intended on sounding so demanding, but she was sure it bore no provocative undertones. And besides, by the looks of the emptying restaurant in the distance, it seemed like it was already getting late.

Jaejoong paused for a second, somewhat startled by the sudden shift of subject before purring enticingly. "Oh baby~" he goaded with a smug twinkle in his eye.

Disgusted yet amused by his reaction, "You know, I told myself to kick you in the nuts if you pull any sleazy moves on me." she confessed bluntly.

"Is that a threat? ;)"

"......"

";D"

"Don't make me push you into the water!"

"Hahaha OK, OK..." he finally surrendered, slowly rising from his position while holding out an assisting hand, which Yeonhee obligingly took hold of as she pushed herself up on her feet. And together they jumped off their boulder, Yeonhee's elegant fingers coiled inside Jaejoong's firm clasp, before being released at the moment a double thud resounded from the contact of their hooves to the dusty ground, emitting off a small waver of brown powder into the air around their ankles. Yeonhee quickly slipped her heels back on as Jaejoong took the liberty of picking Yeonhee's handbag up from its dusty station only to swing it over his shoulder in an mockingly effeminate manner that drove Yeonhee to exude an amused giggle. Yeonhee was of course, tempted to address him as ...queer, but opted to reserve those remarks only for Jaejoong. And the thought of Jaejoong only gave vent to the temptation of playfully pairing him up with Jaejoong within her mind, and she wondered what Jaejoong's reaction would be if she blurted her thoughts out --as a joke of course! And it was tempting, really, but it would only be panhandling for either another awkward moment, or a cunning retort. Perhaps it would be better to keep it to herself...

Jaejoong, who had pranced ahead, turned back to Yeonhee as he noticed that she was sniggering to herself. "What?! You don't think the bag suits me?" he jested, his posture returning back to masculine, his voice plunging seductively deep.

"Oh don't be silly Jaejoongie!" Yeonhee laughed, "It looks absolutely stunning on you, the handsome fellow that you are!"

Grinning rather smugly to himself, both amused and somewhat flattered by her words; Jaejoong waited until Yeonhee caught up with him before slinging a casual arm over the girl's shoulders.

"You know, I meant it when I said I loved you..." he professed with such composure.

"I loved you too." she returned. "Just... don't touch me."

Having come to conclusions that Yeonhee was most likely joking about the opposing request from physical intimacy, Jaejoong quickly released his hold over her shoulders, only to slap her on the before dashing ahead towards his car. Yeonhee, on the other hand, hadn't minded shouldering his arm... but that -slap was definitely asking for some spankin'! Although, that's what he probably wanted anyway...

And so Yeonhee only sighed in defeat as she trudged towards the silver beauty that gleamed before her, its owner smugly sloping against it, her handbag still draped over his shoulder.

Jaejoong, you really are a dork...

...and I'll get you back, someday.