Petals of Success

Ch.11: Making Things Clear

Logan paced back and forth in her recording studio at SM Entertainment, biting her finger as she did so. She was freaking out! Thanks to her nephew, Kris overheard her conversation with Nadia about her crush on an Exo member. If he wasn’t Logan’s little, sweet and adorable Linc-Linc, Leigha would be missing her twin. Kris didn’t know it was Tao but it wouldn’t be long before he narrowed it down given the fact that there were only 11 choices (he wasn’t included in the equation because she thought of him as a big brother and Ashleigh was destined to be the future Mrs. Wu). Now she needed to find a way to completely avoid the Chinese leader until she could find a good excuse for what was said. She’s been able to hold off the unfortunate for about 2 weeks since Exo-M had schedules in China but she wouldn’t be able to hold off for much longer since they were back in Korea. She couldn’t go back to the penthouse because there were only two floors separating her from doom. She could hide in the JYP building! Nadia would help her but it was too close to here, like literally down the street and around the corner. She could go to the YG building since most artists are scared to go in there and Erika could hide her or she could go to Jellyfish Entertainment and chill with Cece. Choices, choices. She could figure that out once she got to her car.

“There you are.” came the deep voice she was dreading to hear. This was not in the plan. She was supposed to atleast make it to the car, she sulked quietly.

“H-Here I am.” Logan stammered against her will. She then cleared . “What’s up?”

“Nothing much. Just want to know more about you, specifically which member of my group makes your heart flutter.”

And here we go. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Logan said innocently.

“I’m pretty sure you do. I can completely disregard me I hope but then again I am very attractive.” Kris stated but noticed the “you-can’t-be-serious” look Logan was throwing him. “I’ll take that as no which is a relief. I get little sister vibes from you. So maybe it’s Baekhyun but then again you switch from like to dislike way too much to consider him a crush candidate and as of recent the same goes for Chanyeol, so they’re out. This means 9 more to go.”

“I don’t know-“

“Maybe it’s Joonmyeon, he’s a pretty good candidate but I don't know, I still feel like that’s a no. Maybe Minseok since you both would compliment each other personality wise but I just don’t feel it, which would also eliminate Kyungsoo and Luhan.”

“Kris, please give it a rest.” Logan sighed.

“Why should I? I really want to know.”

“Because I’m aual.” she lied.

Kris snorted. “I’m completely sure that’s a lie. Now let me finish my solving.” he smirked. “Yixing would be a good choice but I think he’s really focused on his work right now. Jongin could also be a good choice with no huge age difference but the chemistry isn’t to that level plus Nadia would kill you, Sehun could work but he’s into cougars, MILFs if you will. That leaves Tao…”

“Ok! You got me! I like Tao a lot, okay!” Logan exclaimed exasperated from all the pressuring. “Are you satisfied?” she ended before plopping down on the sofa in the recording studio.

“Wait, you like Tao?” Kris asked completely shocked, confusing Logan.

“Didn’t you just say…”

“I was going to choose Jongdae but you cracked and said it was Tao.”

“Oh my…Damnit.” she groaned, clutching her face with her hands. After all that she ended up exposing herself which was so embarrassing. Kris sat down next to her and rubbed her back calmly.

“I honestly didn’t see this coming but I’m happy. Tao’s a really cool dude.”

“I know he’s really sweet, kind, genuine, and his look is unique and totally my type even though he’s very childish and immature.” Logan admitted. “I wasn’t supposed to find anyone to like but Huang Zitao just came out of nowhere to ruin everything.”

“But this is a good thing! Tao needs someone more mature than him to learn from, hence you. Nothing is more persuasive than a woman’s touch.” Kris assured as he sat up from the couch and pulled Logan up with him. “Plus he can really surprise you once you really see the many forms of his true colors so go for it. Fighting~!” he said lightly punching her shoulder. Logan lightly smiled at him.

“Okay, just don’t tell him, please?” she asked softly, staring up at him with those big, gray eyes. Kris twitched an eyebrow and felt himself go weak. She was so evil.

“Alright I won’t tell.” Kris promised and Logan sighed in relief. “But after a month, I’m going to accidently bring it up in conversation with Tao so don’t procrastinate.” he smirked.

Logan’s face fell. “You’re so mean to me.” she sighed and Kris chuckled.

“That’s tough love for you.” he said as they walked towards the door. Once they stepped out of the room, Logan immediately wanted to cry. In front of them was Tao leaning against the wall awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck trying to avoid his Logan’s gaze. She wanted to crawl to the center of the Earth and hide there forever. “Umm, hey, Tao. What’re you doing here?”

“I came to look for you so we can start practice with the other members but I…well…” Tao stammered off before finally meeting Logan’s stare. “Is that really how you feel?” he asked. Logan was beyond mortified and embarrassed, thoroughly flustered and Kris’s laughing beside her did nothing to help. She pushed the tall Canadian down the hall before walking back, grabbing Tao’s wrist and pulling him towards the recording studio.

“Go do your job, flat !” she yelled to him.

“Flat ?!” she heard Kris exclaim incredulously as she closed the door. Logan sighed at how aggravating he could be before she met the stare of an anxious looking Tao. Oh yeah, she had a situation to deal with concerning the wushu teen. Yay.

“So, Logan…” he started but she cut him off.

“Let me just cut to the point since you already heard pretty much everything to begin with.” Logan said clearing . “Ever since Rampant took over and I started hanging around all of you artists, I’ve become quite drawn to you. I thought it was just because you were my bias in Exo but I actually really like you, in a non-friendly way.”

“Wow that’s…”

“It literally scared me because I’ve only dated like once, and have never been drawn to a guy so strongly but here you are this incredibly goofy, clumsy, and absolutely imperfect human that makes me feel like a complete idiot with a huge crush.”

“Logan…”

“Go ahead and break it to me. I can take it. It’s better you tell me now so I can move on properly.”

“I like you, too.”

“Sometimes two different cultures don’t mesh plus you’re a Kpop idol who is under constant pressure to not date. I wouldn’t want you to be held back from something you’ve worked so hard for.”

“Did you hear what I said?”

“It was really silly for me to hope…wait, what?” she questioned staring up at the chuckling Tao. ”I’m sorry can you repeat that?”

“That’s probably the most I’ve ever heard you say, your Mandarin always impresses me.” he stated. “I said I like you, too.”

“Oh.” was all Logan said before looking away, smiling shyly as she tucked a stray tightly coiled strand of hair behind her ear. “When did this…you know happen?”

“Honestly ever since your birthday, after you gave me that pep talk about the cyberbullies.” Tao answered and Logan smiled. Tao was extremely flustered at that point. “Umm, so…yeah.”

“So, what happens next?” Logan asked.

“I guess we should go out, I guess? I don’t know, I’m pretty rusty with this.” Tao asked.

“Umm, sure!” Logan answered. “When?”

“Is tomorrow good? I have a short practice day.”

“Oh wow, it’s so sudden. I don’t know what to wear!” Logan said, thinking with her hands on her hips.

“I’m sure you’ll look great in whatever.” Tao answered naturally, both getting embarrassed by the words stated though it was cut short by the door opening suddenly.

“Oh, lovebirds~!” Kris teased and he did not miss the glares sent his way by his favorite hobbit and kung-fu panda. “Tao, we still have practice, remember?” he informed with a smirk. Tao shook his head before he turned to smile at Logan.

“I’ll see you later.” he told her and the musician nodded with a smile before the two Chinese members left together, leaving her to ponder a “serious” question.

What was she going to wear on her first date in three years?

~~~~~~~~~~

Cece typed up the last bit of information before sighing and leaning back into the leather chair. She finished organizing every last bit of Vixx’s schedule for the rest of the year. It was a lot to do. She had mad respect for those six guys because she never truly realized how much they had to do. Atleast there was a vacation period inserted into the mix. They deserved it, seeing as it took the work of both her and Milan and it took over a whole month to complete. All she needed to do was send it to the company CEO and bingo! It wasn’t due for another two days but she decided to get a headstart and send it anyway. Once it was 100% complete, she closed her laptop and decided to explore a bit.

She walked out of her small personal office and walked down the hall. Jellyfish Entertainment was a small building, which was to be expected from a new company with only one boy group and three male solo singers (no girls yet). It only had three floors and a basement. She had the floor plan mapped out by memory. She was already on the second floor so she walked down the hall to Vixx’s dance studio. When she opened the door she saw Hongbin, Sanghyuk, Wonshik, and Jaehwan talking amongst each other.

“Hey.” Cece greeted, walking into the dance room and gaining the attention of the others.

“Cece-yah!” Jaehwan exclaimed in greeting, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She smiled up at him.

“Noona, what’s up?” Hongbin asked.

“Nothing much. I just finished typing up Vixx’s schedule for the rest of the year and must say, may the force be with you my young soldiers.” she bowed slightly. The youngest members groaned and Cece couldn’t help but laugh. “Where are Hakyeon-oppa and Taekwoon-oppa?”

“You should know the drill by now. They had an argument and Taekwoonie-hyung is in hiding right now.” Wonshik explained and Cece sighed.

“I can’t with those two.” she said and the others agreed.

“Cece-yah!” she heard her name being called and she turned around to see the sassy leader.

"Hey, oppa."

"Have you seen Taekwoonie?"

"No but if I did, I probably wouldn't tell you. He's nice to me." Cece retorted and Hakyeon chopped the side of her neck, making her laugh and retreat behind Sanghyuk.

"Why are you like this to me?" he asked. "We have to practice!" Hakyeon stormed out of the practice room and the rest snorted at the leader's dismay.

Cece chuckled. "I think I'm going to head out for the day but good luck with practicing, that is if you ever get to practice." she said with a wave and the guys waved back at her before she left out. She walked down to her office but before heading in, she spotted a lone door which most likely lead to the basement and boiler room. Something, she didn’t know what, told her to check down there. There was the possibility of Taekwoon being down there so she followed her gut and went down. She made sure Hakyeon wasn’t lurking somewhere and closed the door behind her. She went down the small staircase and saw the space was dimly lit making her sure that someone was down there. She walked closer and the sound of “oms” became slightly apparent, assuring her of who's down there. As the mystical mantra became louder, she knew she was closing in on him and her ears brought her to the farthest door from the basements entrance. She quietly opened the door, enough to poke her head through and low and behold, she saw the chic main vocal sitting on the floor crossed legged with his eyes closed as his stoic features took on a serene appearance. He looked so pretty like a porcelain doll.

“Maybe I can join him!” she thought as she slowly opened the door to quietly enter.

Screeeeeeeeeech~! the door sounded, making the intern wince.

“Universe, why do you hate me?” Cece asked in thought before glancing over to a mildly surprised Taekwoon, who paused the music player and stared at her curiously. Cece scratched the back of her head, both embarrassed and extremely guilty. “Hey, Taekwoonie-oppa.”

“Hello.” he nodded.

“I am so sorry for disturbing you! I was just...intrigued.” Cece giggled slightly and Taekwoon smiled her way, assuring her that he wasn’t upset. She then closed the door all the way and walked over to sit in front of him. “Keep playing it. I’m going to join you!” she said and Taekwoon’s eyebrows rose in surprise but he didn’t question it.

“Okay.” he said softly with a nod. Taekwoon pressed the play button and the ‘oms’ started up again. He closed his eyes first and tried to concentrate on relaxing but he was more intrigued by the younger female in front of him. He slowly opened one eye and stared at her. Cece tried to focus but she kept fidgeting around which amused him. After a few moments her movements became more subtle before they ceased altogether, head slightly bowed and serene focus consuming her face. She was so beautiful like an ancient princess he’d seen in paintings, well in his head atleast. He liked her, that was his realization after their very first encounter. She was a man’s dream - smart, funny, sensible, dedicated, coffee loving - it was easy to fall into her trap. She was different, not just physically and culturally but in the manner she carried herself, and it was pretty cool. He didn’t expect it but he really did like this Cecilia Jauregui and it was getting harder to keep up the calm front (even for him). He had to stop himself from pursuing the point of no return on multiple occasions but it was getting harder to do so. He couldn’t stop his curious thoughts, though. He wanted to know the feel of his lips against hers and that was probably the scariest thought of the moment. He refused to think anything else.

“Taekwoon-ah! Are you down here? Taekwoonie-yah!” came Hakyeon’s voice from down in the basement. Damnit, Hakyeon. Why did he have to come? No scratch that. He was kind of thankful for the interruption seeing as he was leaned forward, mere inches away from Cece’s face. That would’ve been quite the explanation. Just as he backed away and quickly turned his music off, Cece opened her eyes slowly while blinking a few times.

“That was so cool! My head is like...tingling. Is that normal?” she asked while rubbing her forehead. Taekwoon could only smile at her.

“That’s pretty normal actually. It happens when you’re really calm and relaxed.” he explained before getting up and holding his hand out to her. “Hakyeon has caught on to this place and I have to save my cover from being blown. We have to hide so he won’t take this from me!” he exclaimed which made Cece burst into laughter before she closed to silence the outburst. He grabbed her hand and dragged her to the far back of the room. After passing through 2 doors, they were left standing in the moderate sized boiler room. Cece thought he must’ve been down here a lot since he knew where everything was. They heard footsteps close in on the location and they stayed absolutely silent, like they were playing a life or death hide-n-seek game.

“Ugh, Taekwoon! Where is he?” Hakyeon seethed. “He’s so dead when we get back to the dorm!” he declared and Taekwoon winced. He was not prepared for that.

“Why have you been hiding from him so much lately?” Cece asked while chuckling but quieted as she stared at him as he looked a little guilty.

“It’s just that...our comeback is in two days and I needed some alone time.” Taekwoon admitted while scratching his head. “I just needed some time to ease my nerves before then.”

Cece smiled before placing firm hands on his shoulders. “You’ll be fine! Don’t stress so much everyone loves you and that magical voice of yours. Don’t freak out, okay?” she encouraged. Kind and supportive, she was also those things and it had the magic to put everyone at ease, including himself.

Taekwoon smiled warmly at her. “Thank you.” he said before he, late to process what he was doing, leaned in and peck her on the lips. Cece was frozen in shock by what happened and the shy man couldn’t believe he did that.

“I’m-!” he began to apologize but three small fingers were placed to his lips by the girl as she smiled. Cece reached up and planted a slow kiss to his lips while gently wrapping her arms around his neck as he instinctively placed his hands on her waist as they leaned against the door to the boiler. Their lips danced with each other before they parted and leaned against each other’s foreheads while staring into each other’s eyes. This felt nice.

Cece smirked. “So this is why I felt your breath so close to my face earlier? You thought you were slick, too!” she snickered and Taekwoon looked embarrassed but she grabbed his face to caress his cheeks. “I’ve wanted this to happen for months now but I never thought it would actually happen.”

“Would you believe me if I said it was harder trying to not start liking you?”

“Are you going to start showing me your corniness now? Oh no!” she gasped dramatically but was silenced by the main vocal, shutting up her teasing with a very demanding kiss that made her laugh into it.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ashleigh was hungry, not just any type of hungry but borderline cannibalistic. She may not look like she weighs any more than a piece of celery, but she could throw down especially with mama’s home cooking...bruh. She just had to find her sister so they can find a restaurant, probably Chinatown so they can get the hotpot special. She came up to Erika’s fashion cave to hear people talking amongst themselves, coming up to the room she peeked in and saw her little sister talking to Seunghyun, smiling and giggling. Ashleigh frowned, this was a scene she was not liking. Soon the blonde stepped in, making her presence known.

“Hey, sis!” Erika greeted with a giant grin on her face. Seunghyun just nodded her way in acknowledgement.

“Hey, are you ready to go?” Ashleigh asked.

“Yeah.” Erika nodded with a big smile on her face. “Oh shoot. I left my purse in our conference room but let me get that and then we can head out.” She said before bolting off to said conference room and leaving the other two by themselves. There was an awkward silence in the air before Ashleigh sat and stared the older male down.

“I’m just going to cut straight to the chase. I see that you have become really close to Rika ever since she came back to YG and I am so on to your game.” Ashleigh pointed, the male raising an eyebrow.

“You are?” asked Seunghyun.

“Yeah, all this trying to get on her good side, charming her and what not. It’s so lame.” she added. “You are so trying to help Jiyong get back in her good graces.” Ashleigh accused and, after a short pause, Seunghyun bursted into laughter. “What did I say that was funny? Being Jiyong’s wingman is not funny!”

“Ashleigh-yah, I am not being a wingman for Jiyong.” he assured the girl. “What he did was messed up and not something I’m going to force her to get over.”

“Okay, then what is your plan for getting super close with my little sister?”

“I want her for myself.”

Ashleigh was, at one of the rarest moments, completely at a loss for words. Did...Did she just hear things correctly? Her eyes were wide as she stared at the Big Bang lead rapper who maintained eye contact. “Come again?”

Seunghyun smirked. “I've liked Erika since she first came to YG but Jiyong had those same feelings and I saw the chemistry they had so I left it alone.” he explained. “He then went back to Kiko and that's his prerogative. I'm being completely biased but I can never see how someone can choose other than Erika.” he added and Ashleigh had to keep her smirk under control and maintain her neutral facade. “He's my friend but he messed up and now I'm picking up the pieces doing something I’ve should’ve done 3 years ago.”

“Well, I’ll be damned.” Ashleigh exhaled. “Okay, Choi Seunghyun, okay. I approve of your pursuit towards Erika.” she said with a nod as she stood up. “But if there is any slight ounce of bull going on then I'm coming for you, understand?” she threatened and the male nodded completely serious. “Good luck.” she ended, just as Erika rounded the corner with her Coach purse in hand.

“Sorry about that. I am officially ready to go now.” the fashionista smiled.

“No worries. Seunghyun-oppa and I were having a really nice conversation.” Ashleigh informed her little sister before she sent a wink Seunghyun’s way, the man nodding with a slight smile. Erika had not the slightest idea how to interpret the exchange, like they suddenly had a secret code she wasn't aware of. “Let us go, hotpot is calling our name~!” the older woman singsonged as she dragged Erika away. Seunghyun waved after the two, a newfound motivation from Ashleigh for pursuing the younger Pratt's heart.

~~~~~~~~~~

Milan ventured down the oddly quiet streets of Myeongdong. The vendors and clothing stores would usually be packed with a bunch of high school students, college students, and tourists but today was severely lacking. She was in and out of stores so quickly, it was unbelievable. She pondered about why she didn’t bring Dana along but remembered that the younger Inoni had a cram session with Yeonji. This would’ve been the perfect time to hit up one of the restaurants but it’s so lonely and, to her, lame to just eat alone. Milan pulled out her phone to check the time. Maybe she could head over to the station to take the train back to her apartment…

“Milan-ah~!” exclaimed a cheery voice as a hand tapped her shoulder making her jump in surprise, dropping her phone in the process. Luckily it still had the otterbox case on it or this person was going to die. She crouched down to retrieve her phone before looking up to see an all too familiar face.

“Jaehwan?” Milan questioned, surprised to see him here. But then again, this has been happening quite a bit. Ever since the Christmas party thing and how she, in a moment of feeling really touched, kind of...sort of kissed him on the cheek. She didn’t mean to do that but since it happened, “fate” had been trying to be a matchmaker. “What are you doing here?”

“Practice ended early so I came to visit Seyeon-ie for a little bit, though all she did was slobber on me.” he explained with a bright smile as doted on about his niece. It was cute. “I then came here to buy some clothes but then, right in front of me, I spotted an angel playing on her phone~!” he added, gesturing towards her. Milan couldn’t even contain the massive eye roll.

“I’ve only been talking to you for about 5 minutes and you are already being ridiculous.” Milan sighed as the “cute” main vocal grinned.

“Sooo...what were you going to do now?” Jaehwan asked.

“I wanted to go to Hadongkwan but I think I’m leaning more towards catching the train back home since I have no one to go with.”

“I'll go with you!” Jaehwan said, almost a little too eagerly.

“Oh, Jaehwan, you don't have to do that.”

“But I want to!” Jaehwan smiled. “Plus I can drive you home. Manager-hyung let me use the car for the day.” he added and his offer was possibly the most tempting thing to her ears. She's been out all day and did not feel like catching a train. Still…

“Won’t it seem weird that we’re out together? What if someone sees us and get the wrong idea?”

“Then we could just say that you’re my manager chingu~!” he responded calmly. “No worries…”

“What do you mean there are no worries? There is everything to worry about!” Milan protested but while she did that, Jaehwan had grabbed some of her shopping bags and pulled her along by her wrist. “This isn’t really helping the situation.” she added. Jaehwan thought about before he moved his hand and wrapped it around her own, cheerfully. “Holding hands is definitely not helping as well.” she gasped but was ignored and, no matter how much she tried to pull out of his grasp, he tightened his grip on their laced fingers. He was so annoying but why did she marvel at how soft his hands were? She didn’t get a chance to continue on in thought when they arrived at the restaurant. They ordered gomtang and kimchi and eased into a simple conversation, nothing too deep. Just her asking if he was nervous about the comeback and the like, which he answered humbly and she liked that side of him. His extraness was funny at times but the part where he became deep and full of substance was what she appreciated the most. It was really attractive to her. Milan then paused. What the hell was she thinking? She then shook her head just as the check came. She then rummaged in her purse for her wallet.

“That’s okay, I have this~!” Jaehwan assured as pulled out his cash.

“No, I can pay for my meal.” Milan insisted.

“I believe in the man paying for the meal on dates.”

Milan’s mouth dropped. “Since when was this a date?! I don’t remember that agreement!” Why was he so ridiculous?

“Well, ever since I heard the waitress ahjumma say how we make a cute couple. I agree~!” he sighed. “Plus this is pretty date like to me~!”

“I didn’t get that memo, so here’s my half of the bill.” Milan responded, trying to keep her blush at bay.

Jaehwan huffed into a pout. “Why won’t you let me have this moment?” he asked taking her share, making her think he decided to split in the end. But, as soon as the waitress came back, he took out her portion and paid with his credit card. Milan’s mouth dropped while he grinned. “You can pay for hot chocolates when we leave~!”

“You are just...wow…” the Dutch intern sighed. Soon Jaehwan got his card back and the two left the restaurant. They then went to a Dunkin Donuts and like promised, Milan paid for both of their hot chocolates. Jaehwan had a small salted caramel while the had a medium-sized regular which is why she was still drinking her’s and Jaehwan walked beside her with his hands shoved in his pockets. He would make a bunch of glances at her, which he probably thought she didn’t notice but she did though she didn’t say anything about it.

Then it happened.

Jaehwan stretched out his arms (rather lamely, she might add) and wrapped it around her shoulder. This was the second time he’s done this, though she couldn’t push him off of a bench this time. “What are you doing, Lee Jaehwan?” She asked.

“Oh~ nothing~~!” he said innocently.

“It sure doesn’t look nor feel like a “nothing” to me.” Milan said before spinning out of his hold and walking a little ahead.

“Why do you always do that?” He asked in exasperation and the woman turned around.

“I’m sorry?”

Jaehwan continued. “Push me away.” he added. “The “hard to get” act was cute at first, okay it’s still cute, but what is the point of it now? Isn’t it tiring?” he began to question as he walked to stand right in front of her. He then placed his hands on her shoulders and gripped them gently, making sure to stare straight into her eyes. Milan always being taken aback by the sudden action and the fact that he was able to hold her gaze in place.

“Umm…” she stated weakly.

“You kissed me at the Holiday party, something I know you wouldn’t have done if you didn’t feel something for me. So I’m going to be straightforward and tell you that I really like you. You’re an amazing and beautiful person, inside and out. So I’m telling you that we’re going to go on an actual date where we play by my rules and we’re going to have a great time. I promise.” he assured her and she felt herself start to be annoyed by his confidence but the thought drained from her mind as Lee Jaehwan bent down and tilted his head to kiss her cheek. She was literally stunned into silence. “And after a successful first date, I will kiss you where I really want to.” Jaehwan finished his declaration by grazing her bottom lip with his thumb. Milan, against her wishes, became flustered and speed walked away from the “cute” main vocal. Jaehwan stared at her increasingly distanced figure before he smiled and jogged to catch up to her. Jaehwan then wrapped his arms around her in a surprise back hug, resting his cheek against the back of her head while smiling cheekily.

“Jaehwan!” Milan squawked, her blush intensifying. “A little subtlety, please.” she said and the male released his hug and instead took her arm and linked it through his as they walked closer to the car. It was much more her speed and not so over the top.

“Soooo...about that date?” Jaehwan drew out, looking at her. His voice was calm but when she glanced at him out the corner of her eye, she saw that his eyes reminded her of a hopeful puppy. She sighed before looking straight ahead.

“If schedules allow...we’ll see.”

Hello~~~! <3