EIGHTEEN

“Good god,” Kyungsoo mumbled under his breath, making sure Seorin couldn’t hear. She had just stepped out from her house in a beautiful yellow dress. It didn’t reach her knees, but it was far from provocative – rather, it was elegant with the silk underlying a flowy lace. Paired with minimalist heels and radiant smile, she looked more summery than summer itself.

Seorin was almost equally stunned to see Kyungsoo in his formal suit. She was glad he chose navy – they wouldn’t be the bumblebee couple. He cleaned up so well. His hair was slicked up and brushed slightly to the side. She was even more pleased when he stepped out of the car to open the passenger seat door. “T-Thank you,” she stammered, completely taken aback by his sudden good manners.
He smirked. “I’m a gentleman when it comes to dates – don’t look so surprised.”

She put on his sunglasses, smiling playfully.
"I'm guessing I'm never getting those back, huh?" 
She shook her head mischievously. "Never."

Kyungsoo walked over to the passenger side of his car to open the door for Seorin. Although paparazzi were banned from the event, nothing stopped them from gathering outside the venue. 
"It's the second son," he heard the whispers begin. "And he's... he's with a lady!" 
And so it begins.

Seorin could hear the buzz even before Kyungsoo opened the door. She gulped, suddenly extremely nervous about showing up to the party at his side. Was she going to be into the spotlight overnight? 
"Just keep your head low and look down," he whispered as he took her hand. "Walk quickly."
She did as told and prayed no one got a clear view of her face. She ignored the shouts of "Look over here!" and kept her clutch by her cheek. 

For once, Kyungsoo was not sitting with Sehun and Jongin at a back table. He strode through the floor, greeting all the executives and representatives. He had studied faces and titles all night in preparation. He wiped his hands against his pants; his nerves were making his palms sweaty. He muttered some notes to himself before approaching SPAO's director of design.
Seorin's heels clacked along the floor as she tried to keep up. He was really taking the reins of Kangdo. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was the face of Kangdo.

Kyungsoo was grateful he had a moment to rest while Seorin took some time to talk to the director. He had always been very laid back at all of these events, casually sipping a drink and chatting with his friends. This was so much more demanding. His brain was chugging out facts about each person so he could have an intelligent, meaningful conversation. So he couldn't be more pleased to see the director being entertained by Seorin's stories.
"Your lady friend is quite charming," the director praised. "I hope to see more of both of you in the future." 

Seorin bowed with a small blush. She wasn't used to so many top officials complimenting her. But her smile grew even bigger when she saw Kyungsoo giving her a satisfactory nod. "Who's next?" She asked. Her ankles were beginning to ache, but she would it up. She glanced over at Jinri to see how