eighth bloom

{where Chen could also pull it off}

Minseok just stared at both of them blankly (sometimes, his mouth would open and close again). 

       "Wow, Krystal is such a good stylist." Chen couldn't contain his remark with a lop-sided grin which Yifan backed up with a shrug and a flick of his eyebrow. 

       "I don't usually compliment girls—and never boys—but you're exceptional. My sister just has an exceptional keen eyes in hiring the best employees, I guess."

       "You guess? She's an expert. I don't compliment either but your choice of clothes are wow."

       Minseok's attention just traveled between the two, eyes moving like a pendulum. Clearly, he still had no idea why he was brought in the stock room when he had more paper works to do.  

       "Am," he was  raising his hand bashfully slow. Both men looked at him, expecting. "Why are we here?" his voice was automatically back into masculine one. He had practiced to speak effeminate several times and had his brain conditioned to speak in high notes once he entered the shop. Somehow, he felt relieved even for a short time to have his voice back to normal.

       "Damn it!" He was surprised when Chen muttered angrily, unsatisfied. "Your voice just ruin the fantasy."

       "Sorry..."

       Minseok's apology was easily accepted when Yifan hit Chen's head. "We're not here for that. And seriously, stop fantasizing." He swayed his head disapprovingly. He turned to Minseok, but even he had weird fantasy multiplying in his head. He was trying to restrain them as hard as he could, thinking of Minseok's true boy form, and he felt fine. "We're here because...uhm..."

       "Because we thought that you should avoid going upstairs, inside the photoshoot studio."

       "Why?" Minseok tilted his head like a curious young girl, leaving Chen and Yifan revisiting their fantasies. 

       (THIS IS ALL WRONG!)

       "You just can't!" Yifan's patience had gone up in a wrong direction only because he was trying not to permanently consider Minseok the prettiest male turned into a female he had ever seen in his entire life.

       Minseok quickly ducked his head, shrinking under Yifan's authority. 

       Seeing her—his!—reaction, Yifan immediately followed with an apology. "I'm sorry  but there are issues up there." He saw Chen nodded on the corner. Yifan's voice fell a little softer. "And we don't want you to be involved."

       "Oh." Minseok smiled meekly. "Okay. That's understandable, I guess." 

       Chen grimaced. Even though there's nothing understandable or convincing about what Yifan said, Minseok was too quick to accept. 'Are you serious?' he looked at Yifan. Minseok's really gullible. He wanted to protect him forever. As a friend, of course.

       "So, am I going to stay here?" Minseok's eyes glinted, looking at them expectantly. Then, he smiled.

       Yifan felt sorry that they ever met. More specifically, that he and Luhan (and that model boy) got involved. He didn't deserve any of this. He didn't even know what this was all about.

       "No," Chen placed his hand on top of the boy's shoulder. "We're going to find a way out of this."

       After a while, Minseok's phone rang. He answered it with a feminine voice. It was the company's mobile phone. 

       "Minseok, where are you?" Victoria's soft voice could be heard at the other end.

       "Ah..." Minseok looked at the two boys as if waiting for them to give him instructions on what to do. Yifan and Chen looked at each other, shrugging. "I'm down here in the stockroom." He was biting his lips and even if Yifan tried to close his eyes, the image of Minseok's seductive lip-biting was already embedded in his impending nightmares.

        "What are you doing there?" Victoria didn't sound mad but mostly worried. "Do you have the papers? Those are Luhan's and Heecheol's contracts."

       Chen was already biting on his nails. "This is bad."

       "Are you with someone?"

       Yifan quickly covered Chen's mouth as he gave Minseok the instruction to say no. 

       "I'm the only one here. I'll go there quickly to hand the papers."

       "Be quick, okay, so we can start the next photoshoot."

       When Minseok ended the call, Yifan and Chen started arguing, blaming each other for everything when really their real problem hadn't started yet.

       "I'll just bring this upstairs and I'll go back here quickly."

       "Wait!" Chen enclosed his arms around Minseok's petite figure. Sometime, he heard Yifan mumbled 'ert'. 

       He turned Minseok to face them. "Do you even have an idea who's the Heecheol Victoria's talking about?"

       "Heechul? Super Junior's Kim Heechul?" As if Minseok made a realization, his face lightened up. "Ah! That's why you're preventing me to go up. Is it because of Kim Heechul? I heard he likes Sohee so much. Krystal said that I resemble her. Are you afraid that I'll be harassed by him? It's alright. I can defend myself. I am an arm wrestling champion." He pulled his sleeve, revealing his flexed muscled arm underneath. All their fantasies popped like bubbles. Yifan sighed in relief.

       "No! It's not Kim Heechul. Harassment doesn't even cross our mind." Then Chen muttered with a really almost unheard voice, "Although that's possible not only with Heecheol but even with Luhan." Yifan hit his head for the second time.

       "Do you remember the guy who helped you when you tripped in the cafeteria?" the elder asked him.

       "Oh, sunbae?"

       "Yes. Do you even know his real name?"

       Minseok pondered for a second then spoke, "I only know his surname and because he's my sunbae in Architecture. Why?"

       "Because Heecheol is Jung Heecheol and he's the model who's with Luhan right now. Let me ask you one thing, Minseok."

       "Yes, hyung?"

       "Do you want Heecheol to see you dressed like that?"

       Minseok stared, gaping. But only after a blink, "It's fine. Is there something wrong with my face?"

       Chen was wiping his fake tears. (God, why is he so innocent?)

       "Nothing's wrong with your face, but are you sure? You're aware that you're dressed as a girl now."

       Minseok looked at himself from toe upwards. That's when realization hit him. "Ah!"

       Finally, Chen thought.

       "Should I change my blouse with something that doesn't show my midriff? I think I look more decent with the white blouse with ruffles that Luna was offering a while ago."

       The two boys both facepalmed. 

##

"Are you sure you already called your secretary?" Heecheol asked. He was still smiling but Luhan knew it was forced. He even kept on peeking to his phone every second.

       "I'm sorry. She's just arranging the stocks downstairs but I already called her."

       Luhan was still in the middle of self-discovery, a whole journey in finding out his real preference. But the more he got immersed with Victoria's models, the more he wanted to puke everything that he had eaten for the past days (that was if they were still inside his stomach). And now, this annoying brat beside him was making it worse. Even his intestine was threatening to come out.

       "Victoria-noona!"

       His attention suddenly turned to the door as Minseok in his (iest) effeminate form came into view. He was wearing white blouse showing his midriff (Luhan's going to murder Krystal once he saw her; that's for sure), a short length skirt, and red stilettos. (Why did they think of Minseok—a member of SNSD?) This was just wrong in all angles.

       He watched with every click Minseok's heels made as the boy unconsciously swayed his hips. He could already feel the vile filling the lining of his stomach, tickling him (or torturing him). And his heart was constricted with tight knots around it, squeezing it erratically. He could sense Adonis waking up inside him. A deep exhale escaped his lips.

       The more he wait the sudden an idea dawned over him. Minseok was here. Heecheol was here. Minseok and Heecheol knew each other. But Minseok wasn't the Minseok everyone knew. He was dressed as a girl. As far as he was concerned (and as far as the stereotypical standard of beauty was concerned) Minseok's feminine form surely passed every criteria of a femme fatal. And seeing in the past few days how this ert sunbae kept on slapping Minseok's , he came up with a scary, frightening, and hair-raising conclusion. If Heecheol was already harassing the boy Minseok, then...Then!

       He quickly stood up, the same time as Heecheol noticed Minseok's presence. Still, there was no evidence on his face that he already recognized him. Who would? Minseok had his head bowed down all the while as he walked. He even stumbled on a small stool, muttering faint feminine sorry. His black wig with full-frontal fringe was covering his face. The more he got closer, the more Luhan was losing air to breath. He was looking back and forth between Minseok and Heecheol. The ert's eyes were totally fixed on Minseok. He was smiling, but not the erted 'I have a plan' type of smile. It was more like he a derision, an amusement as he observed Minseok tripped over his stilettos.

       "Sorry again!" Minseok was two feet closer, one... "Hello!" he greeted, still looking at his feet. He raised the envelope in his hands near Victoria's face. His sister accepted the documents with smile.

       "Thank you, Mins—"

       "Minyeo!" Luhan interrupted apprehensively. "My sister's secretary's name is Minyeo."

       Heecheol only lifted an eyebrow. "So, shall we start signing?" he said monotonously.

       Luhan heaved a sigh, stepping stealthily closer to Minseok, grabbing his hand. Both Victoria and Heecheol sat on the couch to sort of the contract as Luhan dragged Minseok away. Minseok's hand, it was...

"What are you doing?" When Luhan was sure no one would hear them, anger seeped within his voice as he started scolding Minseok. "Don't you know the risk? What if that —ahm—Heecheol saw you? It's dangerous."

       "Relax," a voice different from Minseok usual velvety surfaced. Out of the blue, there were cold rough hands cupping his face. "Am I beautiful?"

       "Chen!"

       "Sup, oppa!" Chen lifted his head, smirking.

       "Where's Minseok?"

       "Why look for another when I'm here, oppa?"

       "Stop kidding and calling me 'oppa'. Are you aware how disgusting you sound right now? Where's Minseok?"

       "Calm your heart, oppa. He's at the front desk doing his job. Luna needs to run an errand so he's back there. Why? Do you miss him?"

       Luhan averted his gaze. "No. I'm just asking. Why are you wearing woman's clothes anyway? When did you start working here?"

       Chen started scratching a part near his crotch. "As much as I love seeing girls, I never thought that wearing this would be this difficult. The lace is itchy."

       "You still haven't answer my question: why are you wearing that?"

       "Did you see that man?"

       "Oh. Why?" 

       They both turned their heads. Heecheol and his manager were busy reading the contract. 

       "I know him. He's the same man in the cafeteria," Luhan said faintly. "Plus, he and Minseok knew each other."

       "Ah, are you jealous?" Chen lifted his arm to put around Luhan. The horrifying fact was he hadn't shaved his armpit. It's nevermind...

       "I'm not jealous. Why would I?"

       "Then why were scolding me, who was dressed like Minseok, a while ago, telling him about the risk and so on..."

       "Minseok has a contract here. If Heecheol knew he was here, there's a chance he'd disclose Minseok's gender. If my grandfather finds out—"

       "Okay. Okay. I understand. That's why I'm here, saving his face."

       "So, are you going to dress up like that while Heecheol is here?"

       "Today is an exception. But the next time, it's in your hands."

       "Why me?"

       "It's your problem not mine."

       Chen was right. Even though he was mostly wrong, Chen was always right in terms of practical things. There's no way Heecheol was allowed to see Minseok in female form, or else Luhan had to forcefully castrate him. And he didn't want to waste his energy removing someone's bullocks away.

       "Fine. Just go away. You're a good-looking man but as a girl..."

       "What?"

       "Just go. Victoria knows nothing about this. I'll just tell her later."

       "Alright." Chen was closed to the door when he shouted, "Oppa, bye!"

"Your secretary is weird," Heecheol said to Victoria.

       "And she's unbelievably beautiful!" Victoria added. "If we have time, I'll ask her to model for you and Luhan. It would be a wonderful , I can imagine!"

       "That would be nice if only I like girls." Heecheol smiled.

##

Victoria entered the studio to retrieve some props from the photoshoot. She was surprised when there was a body lying on the couch, sleeping. He nudged the body awake.

       "What are you still doing here? Your shoot was done hours ago." 

       Luhan yawned as he stretched his arms. Exactly, where was he again? His mind was briefly disoriented until he remembered. 

       "What time is it?"

       "It's almost six in the evening. Aren't you going home?"

       "When is your office closing?"

       "We're almost done since it's weekend. Are you waiting for Minseok?"

       "Who says I am?" But he was.

       Luhan pressed the heels of his palms to his eyes to dissipate the sleep away.

When he went out, Minseok was already out of his guise, packed and ready to go home.

       "Luhan," he said, surprised. "You're still here?"

       "I fell asleep," he quickly reasoned out. "Are you going home?"

       "Yes! It's the weekend." He sounded excited. If he were just like any kid Luhan knew, he'd think that Minseok was excited because he was eager to go to weekend parties and have fun. But he knew better. "I'm going to cook dinner tonight so..."

       "Why don't you come with me? I'll give you a ride."

       "Really? Are you—"

       "The car has plenty of seats." He already walked towards the entrance doors, expecting for Minseok to trail after him. He did. Luhan just couldn't understand why he always had that permanent smile etched on his face. "Why are you smiling—always?"

       "Oh!" Minseok looked up then at him. "Because there's no reason not to. Aren't you happy? Now that I notice, I seldom see you smile. I don't think I can recall seeing you once." The smile on Minseok's face faintly dropped. "I already ask this to Chen and Yifan-hyung but I want to ask you directly: are you mad at me?" Minseok's eyes were clouded with seriousness Luhan had rarely seen. In fact, he'd never seen him so geniunely serious like that except for those times when the boy would ask him if he was feeling okay (you know, each time he fainted).

       "No," he denied quickly. "Why would I?"

       Minseok showed an expression of relief. "That's good to know. Thank you."

       "Why are you thanking me?"

       "For everything." The smile was back on Minseok's face.

       "Minseok?"

       "Hm?"

       "Will you do me a favor?"

       "What is it?"

       "Will you promise me—" Luhan watched the way Minseok's eyelashes fluttered. There was a smudge of eyeliner still left under his right eye. He instinctively wiped them away with his thumb, just making the smudge worse than it looked. Bad decision. "Oh my god. I'm sorry! I'm just trying to wipe—" Minseok looked like a half panda, half hamster. Still, wholly cute. (Stop thinking like that, Luhan!)

       "It's fine." He brought out a handkerchief. It was full of flower prints. Must be Victoria's again. "Is it gone?"

       "There's still some left. Let me..." He cupped Minseok's face with one hand. Their face merely inches apart. He never noticed how Minseok's eyes were intently fixed on him. "There. It's gone." It was those precious five or six seconds that Luhan looked back that he realized how threateningly closed their distance was. Minseok's eyes were still fixed on him.

       "Did you use vanilla-scented perfume?" Minseok suddenly said.

       "Huh?" That was Victoria's perfume that she tested on him. To be honest, he hated it at first but now that Minseok mentioned it, he might consider using it again. "Do you like it?"

       "Oh yeah," Minseok muttered dreamily.

       Then Luhan heard it—the same sound he heard when Minseok caught Chen's flying burger. The same thunder-like sound...

       "I remembered the vanilla cupcake sold in the bakery near our house." Minseok said. "I'm hungry." 

       Luhan would make sure never to use that perfume again. 

       "What is it again, the one your trying to say to me?"

       "What is it?"

       "The favor..."

       "Oh yeah. It's..." He stared at Minseok's eyes again. Why he couldn't get away of that magnetic field in his orbs? It was hard to resist. Maybe he's hungry like Minseok. He reminded him of baozi. Or maybe... "About the favor—will you promise me not to show your feminine disguise to no one but me and Victoria's staffs. You can't show it to Heecheol..."

       "Okay. Anyway, even if he saw me wearing girl's clothes, I know he wouldn't mind. He said to me that he doesn't like girls that much. He said that he only likes a boy in our university and he'll do anything for that boy. Don't tell him that I told you that. All I can say, that boy is lucky. Heecheol-sunbae is a nice person." Minseok smile gleamed under the setting sun.

       For Luhan, everything turned dark.

Thanks for the subscripion and comments. Commenting won't hurt so leave one before you go.