After peeling Charity up off the floor, Jong Kook does follow through with his promise to Miranda and delivers Zoe to her down in front of the building. Checking his watch, he sees he has just about ten minutes before his manager is due to arrive to collect him, and hurries back up to the apartment.

He punches in the code and lets himself back in. Charity is sitting on the bottom stair pulling on a pair of bright pink sneakers and looks up as he enters. "You out of here?," she asks.

"In just a couple of minutes. I wanted to try to catch you before you left," he replies.

Charity stands and pulls a backpack off the steps behind her. "What's up?"

"I realize I probably crossed a line --"

"No, that was hilarious," Charity breaks in.

"Oh, really?" He grins and feels his cheeks warm a bit with pleasure at her approval. "Good. Good. But actually, I meant promising Zoe I'd play a game with her tonight. I know she's only here for a short time and I don't want to intrude on your time together."

"Oh." Charity waves a hand dismissively. "It's cool. I'm making grilled chicken salad and I think Kwang Soo said he might be here tonight, too. I'm sure Zoe's already looking forward to it. But if you're too busy -- "

"No!" Jong Kook exclaims, then says again more calmly, "No. I'm not busy. I'll be here," he says firmly.

Charity raises her eyebrows at him wordlessly, then shrugs. "All right, sounds good. Do you need a ride anywhere?" She's looking into her bag as she asks.

"No, my manager will be here in a few minutes. I'm just going to grab my stuff and I'll head down to wait for him."

"All right." She zips her bag shut. "I'll see you tonight, then."

"See you tonight," he agrees as she heads out the door.

As the door closes behind Charity, Jong Kook walks into the kitchen to grab his cell phone. The message indicator light is lit and he pulls up his chat program to find a text from Hannah.

HannahBanana799476: Had fun last night, Mr. Kim Jong Kook! Your friends are great! Looking forward to seeing you again sometime!

He smiles goofily down at his phone. He's about to respond when the phone rings in his hand. It's his manager, calling to let him know he's out front. Jong Kook slides his phone into his pocket and makes a mental note to message Hannah when he gets a break, then hurries out of the apartment himself.

Shortly after noon, Jong Kook was able to find some space in his schedule to finally sit down and have a bite to eat. A long string of radio interviews, quick photo shoots, and wardrobe meetings has filled his morning. Digging into his meal, he slides his phone out of his pocket to check his messages. There's one from Kwang Soo, asking if he'd be at Charity's that evening, and he responds in the affirmative. Kwang Soo quickly writes back that he'll see him there.

Jong Kook pulls up his messages from Hannah, reading them over for the thousandth time. He wonders if it's too soon to ask her to hang out again and decides it probably is. Quickly, he shrugs that notion off. Why shouldn't he see her as much as he wants? They need to get to know each other better. He's pleased that things are moving along, but the pace feels too slow. He wants to race to the end, to the part where their lives together finally begin. 

He chews thoughtfully as he pulls up the keyboard to send her a message. Should he ask her to dinner? Cook for her? Maybe she'd like to go to the gym again. He realizes yet again that while he feels like he knows her, he doesn't know her. It's hard to separate what is actually Hannah from what he's kind of made up in his mind as he's imagined them spending time together. Since the day he met her in the airport, he must have played through a million different scenarios, all where Hannah played the role of the perfect partner for him. In reality, she's different. She's brighter, funnier, more of a force than he could construct in his mind before spending real time with her. She's more independant than he imagined. She's more outgoing, not shy or retiring at all. And very driven. Her desire to work toward her goals and come out on top shines through in everything she says and does. It's admirable, of course, but not at all what he pictured. He mentally shrugs, figuring that the fortune teller had been right this far, so there must be something he doesn't see yet.

He shakes his head, setting his thoughts aside for now. Instead, he sends Hannah a quick message.

kjk76: I had fun, too. But we didn't get to talk too much with everyone there. Are you free for an early dinner tonight? I know your schedule is going to only get crazier.

Her response comes just a few moments later.

HannahBanana799476: I actually have a break around 4pm today. Dinner would be great. Do you want me to pick you up?

Jong Kook winces at the idea of getting in the passenger seat of Hannah's car again.

kjk76: No, that's all right. I'm with my manager today and he can bring me. I'll text you an address.

HannahBanana799476: Oh, a manager! Fancy. All right. I'll look for your message and see you later!

HannahBanana799476: XOXO!

Jong Kook smiles slightly as he locks his phone again, then quickly finishes his meal before his next appointment.

The rest of the day drags, but it's not long before it's time to meet Hannah for dinner. He texts her quickly to ask if she's having any trouble finding the restaurant, and she lets him know she's already inside, so he heads in. He spots her at a table in the back, grinning up at two attentive waiters. Overly attentive, he thinks to himself, grimacing.

He makes his way to the table and slides into a chai