"So how are we going home tomorrow?" Claire asked when she and Kai arrived at the best shabu-shabu restaurant in the city the next day. The waiter led them to a table right by the window and next to a portable heater, and handed them both the ingredients and the drink menu. 

"Not sure yet. I've been contacting Kyungsoo since he's in the area for a convention," Kai responded as he shook off his jacket. 

"Mm, I see. When will we know by?"

"... No idea," he grinned.

Claire nodded, "Well, why don't you call him tonight if he doesn't get back to you?"

"Sure!" Kai replied. "Now, what should we eat?"

Soon, the two ordered enough food for a feast, since in addition to ordering lamb, chicken, and beef strips, they also ordered plates of assorted tofu, napa cabbage, assorted mushrooms, assorted fish balls, cellophane noodles, rice cakes, imitation crab sticks. For celebration purposes, Claire also ordered a small bottle of peach sake, which she and Kai shared.

Once the dishes arrived, the plates covered nearly the entire table, save for the boiling pot of seafood shabu-shabu stock. Claire swallowed her saliva, and Kai laughed, "Hungry?"

"Oh yes," Claire drooled. "I can eat all of this!"

"Really?"

"Yup."

"I've never seen you eat this much though?"

"You'll be surprised, mister!" Claire laughed.

"Alright, let's clear it then," he smiled.

The two sat and drank in silence, reveling in the delicious flavors that satisfied their taste buds. The beef they ordered was prime rib beef, and after it was cooked in the broth, each bite melted in the mouth in a flavor pool of umami and garlic. The napa cabbage absorbed all of the broth flavor, and the juices contained in the napa cabbage seemed to explode in the mouth each time they chewed. The fish balls were unique, for inside an outside encasing of ground fish was a small mix of savory ground beef. The rice cakes were chewy and made fresh, and the cellophane noodles have been soaked prior to serving, so those did not take long to cook. As for the tofu, mushrooms, and crab sticks, Claire and Kai went through those so quickly that they ordered seconds. Each bite warmed their body temperatures, and slowly their stomachs expanded.

By the end of the feast, each plate was cleared, and the pot of broth contained only some dregs that settled at the bottom. Claire sipped slowly on her peach sake and landed her gaze on the young man in front of her. Kai closed his eyes, and slowly chewed on his last fish ball. After swallowing, he filled his sake cup with more sake, and watched as Claire's cheeks turned rosy from the alcohol. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Awesome," she murmured before she took another sip.

"Want some more food?"

"Nah, I'm pretty full. You?"

"I'm a little bloated, actually," Kai laughed.

"Ah, the mighty Jongin is bloated! That's a first," Claire joked.

"Well," he smirked, "excuse me for enjoying every bite of my food, miss."

"Ah, I'm sure you did. I thought you were going to fly to heaven with all the facial expressions you were making."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"You closed your eyes, and were swaying at one point," Claire imitated him swaying, and stuck her tongue out at him.

"It was that good, okay?!" Kai blushed, embarrassed that Claire caught him in such a moment.

"Yeah, it was... Hey, don't look so embarrassed, are you sad that I made fun of you? I'm sorry..." Claire began to ramble when she saw him make a pout face.

Kai shook his head, "Nah, I'm just embarrassed..."

"Why?"

"Well," he started, "You're the only person who has ever seen me like this..."

"Ah," Claire nodded, "that's who you are though, so it's okay! We're bound to know things like this when we become closer, right?" Kai paused for a second before nodding. "And besides, I'm not going to judge you for it! I like you as you are," she beamed.

He pondered her words for a bit before shooting her a drop-dead gorgeous grin. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Claire."

"Why're you thanking me? For all you know, I could be saying those words so you could turn red along with me," she teased.

"Oh you, stop it! And quit drinking that much... can you handle it?" Kai suddenly grew worried since her face now emitted a very obvious Asian glow after three small cups of sake.

"I wasn't the tank for no reason, bud," Claire replied. Kai only shook his head, and wondered how he became attracted to such a spontaneous young woman.

Hey guys! Sorry it took so long for me to update! I had a quick moment to update today since the last few weeks have been crazy. I hope you all haven't been waiting for too long. I know this one is short, but I'll definitely write longer chapters after this. I hope to be back again sometime this month... Sorry again! Hope you're still enjoying the story :)