Sehun & Irene  Fear

 

Sehun and Irene's Playlist: - 'Sentimental', WINNER - 'HER', Block B - 'All I Wanna Do', Jay Park, Hoody - 'Little Lies', Fleetwood Mac

- 'Official', Lee Hi

- 'Press Your Number', Taemin

- 'Cry', Faith Hill - 'Now or Never', Halsey

 

 

"Oh Sehun I swear to God, if you don’t get up and get yourself ready this instant you’re going to have to find some other place to live! Your interview is today!" 

Sehun was rudely awakened by the unpleasant screeching of his father and the sudden sunlight that streamed through the window. He groaned as his eyes burned. His discomfort only increased when his ear seared in pain.

“Ow, ow!”

“I will let go of your ear when you promise to get a decent alarm clock!”

“I promise! Can you just let go of my ear!”

“We have to be at your interview in Seoul in two hours, which will be exactly twenty minutes before your interview, giving you an hour’s prep at most - will you get yourself together boy?!”

Mr Oh exhaled deeply as he finished near-throttling his son on the morning of the Big Interview. Sehun pressed a hand to his throbbing ear, squinting in the brightly lit room as he recovered from the assault at the hand (quite literally) of his father.

"Do you have to be so loud?" Sehun groaned as he rubbed his eyes clean of sleep dust and gunk. His body ached from sheer exhaustion from a late Friday night of online gaming with Luhan and Baekhyun. Sehun's bedroom was a complete mess as per; his father could barely move about the place without knocking his feet against something or tripping up.

His father groaned, throwing his hands up in their air dramatically, "I wouldn't have to shout if it wasn't for the fact that you slept through three alarms! On interview day!" 

Sehun made an 'o' shape with his lips. His eyes wandered over to the tailor-made, custom suit that hung against his wardrobe, the only seemingly orderly thing in his chaotic bedroom. A reminder of the only seemingly normal thing in his chaotic life. 

“I'm going to repeat myself now. Listen. We have to be at your interview in the City in two hours, which will be exactly twenty minutes before your interview, giving you an hour’s prep at most - your suit is ready, but make sure you clean your face properly, I don't want any pimples or food stains on your a face when-"

“But Dad, they’re all geeks too! They’ll look worse than me!” Sehun complained to his father, earning himself a stern look of disapproval for interrupting him. Sehun sighed and arose from his bed, too nervous to bother arguing at this time of the morning.

“The CEOs who do the hiring tend to base things off of the first impression – believe me, I would know, I do it myself. Anyways, your Mother wants to put some makeup on you before you go, and I think she should do something with your hair.”

“Dad-” Sehun cut in, knowing his Dad was going overboard.

But he droned on anyway, “You might want to check your shoes are perfectly polished too. I’ve replaced your phone case, it was filthy and I don’t want you looking out-of-date with technology. Which reminds me, you need to clean your room out, your sister found rotten pizza under your bed the other day.”

“Dad!”

“What?”

Sehun couldn’t help but smile at all the investment his father was putting into him for once; it felt nice knowing he wasn’t totally overlooked for his younger siblings. Even if this coddling was verging on slightly obsessive.

“Will you calm down? I think you’re more nervous than I am.”

Mr Oh gave him that look; that look where a parent realised they were going to have to let go of their child soon, stop being there to push them every step of the way, stop coddling them, and let them live their own life.

“How long have you been preparing for this internship?”

A sigh of exasperation overcame Sehun as he thought about how he'd gotten the interview; he'd worked his off to get this interview with Samsung's head offices in the City - well, mostly thanks to a chance meeting with a senior director at his little sister's Martial Arts Showcase where he'd (unintentionally) displayed his flair for computing with a crack video he'd once made of his friendship timeline with the boys. Even old, meaningful clips of Xiumin appeared in the video. It was very personal to him. The director had watched the video over his shoulder, seeing the app that Sehun had programmed all by himself, and liked Sehun's skills so much, that he'd offered him an interview on the spot. Only problem being, Sehun wasn't exactly the most confident guy around. 

"A long time," Sehun answered, knowing full well his father would probably end up crying by the end of this discussion. He was the definition of a working Soccer Mom Dad.

“And how many competitors have you overcome?”

“Thousands of other intelligent, young men and women who want their app to receive funding. Now it’s between ten of us for three places at Samsung.”

“And who’s going to get one of those places?”

“Me, hopefully.”

And that look was quickly wiped off of Mr Oh’s face, “No! Not ‘hopefully’” his father mocked Sehun’s monotone voice, “Definitely!”

“Dad, you’re too perky for your own good.” Sehun deadpanned as he stepped around his father and headed to his draws to find fresh underwear to put on.

“And I wonder what the hell happened to you.” Mr Oh mumbled as he retreated from Sehun’s mess of a room.

Sehun fished around his draw for a decent pair of underwear that he could wear to his interview, but either they had turned pink, smelled bad or had some dodgy 3D embellishment that would make his trousers look strange.

“These can’t be too bad…” Sehun mumbled as he brought a black pair to his nose to inspect their freshness.

“TEN MINUTES THEN YOUR MOTHER IS SORTING YOUR FACE OUT!”

The sudden screaming of Mr Oh caused Sehun to throw the fresh pair of underwear in the air, the fright making him double backwards onto his bed – but not without hitting his leg on the bedside table on the way down. As Sehun rolled around on his mattress, clutching his shin in pain, Mr Oh poked his head around the corner of the door.

“What did I just tell you?! Why have you gone back to bed?!”

Eighteen-and-a-half minutes later and clad in a black pinstriped suit, Sehun had survived through the ordeal of having his mother lather him in makeup and beauty products. The procedure was awkward enough for him to come to terms with, let alone uncomfortable to sit still with under the delicate brushes his mother near-tickled him with.

“Who knew you could be this handsome?” Mrs Oh cooed over her oldest son, allowing him to move and open his eyes once more once now her masterpiece was finished.

“Really?” Sehun raised his eyebrows at the prospect of being above-average for once.

Mrs Oh shrugged, “Well, if you sort that god-awful poop-brown hair out, then yes! And keep doing that 'Resting- Face', as your friend Baekhyun calls it! It makes you look cool.”

He eyed himself in the mirror as he fiddled with his tie, all the while his father milling about his bedroom in an attempt to clean it up - Sehun hadn't even bothered to stop his father from seeing his adult magazines and stubbed out spliffs as his mother oggled his face - he was too deep in conflict with himself. With mousy brown hair in a near-mushroom cut, a couple zits, a bad case of blackheads covered with makeup, and coffee-stained teeth, Sehun didn't exactly look the part of a computer geek - he looked better. But he still felt ugly despite his mother's work. 

How can anyone find this attractive? 

But Irene does...

Sehun sighed once more as he adjusted to his suit, the formal wear and high-end fabric feeling incredibly strange against his skin. He'd never worn anything other than t-shirts and baggy trousers his entire life, but standing in a designer suit, he looked kind of handsome. What was it that Irene saw in him? Since that random kiss at the party, Irene hadn't left him alone, be it with daily messages or 15-minute long conversations at lunch or in the school hallways, Sehun was confused more anything. Not because he found her weird or intense, but it was the complete opposite. She was so beautiful, so golden and vulnerable that Sehun didn't know how to act around her, and he feared something. He didn't know what or why, but he was scared about reciprocating the interest Irene showed.

But what if I could change that?

Sehun never figured he'd actually get somewhere with his technical and computing interests, the same way he'd never get anywhere with a girl, the perpetual . But the former seemed to be working itself out, so why couldn't he work the latter out? He gazed at himself for a second, one of only a few moments in his life where he actually indulged in his own vanity. Tall, lean, broad-shouldered, and a face that, if he took care of himself, could be deemed 'handsome'.

But he had no idea where to start on the grooming process. His best friends weren't the type to know how to help out despite how fashionable they managed to be most of the time, and he didn't exactly have any 'girl-friends' who knew what to do either. Not to mention, he'd convinced his mother to stop buying him his trousers last year - he did not want to have that argument again.

Even on the drive to Seoul, where he should've been considering his interview questions as his successful Dad hounded him with countless pointers and advice, Sehun couldn't take his mind off of the strange happenings between him and Irene during the last month couple of months. He couldn't work out why she was so keen on speaking to him all the time - sure the kiss at Amber's party was out of line and kind of creepy on his part, and he was fully prepared to apologise for his taking advantage, but Irene didn't seem concerned about this at all. It was obvious the girl had severe trust issues with guys, bad enough to the point where Sehun was suspicious that something horrific happened to her.

But that doesn't mean she can't trust me...

Of course, Sehun would never tell the girl about his ever-growing fondness for her, he realised as he stepped out of the car. In spite of Irene's iness, need for control, narcissism and occasional tantrums, he couldn't help but feel more and more drawn to her every time she came and bugged him in the hallways or popped up to him randomly on Kaokao in the evenings. He cursed himself for letting matters of Irene plague his thoughts before his big interview. the flash cards he'd spent hours prepared remained clasped in his hand, untouched the entire journey to the City.

Looking up at the skyscrapers around him, Sehun inhaled the city air, finding a comfort of sorts in the smoggy air and the sounds of traffic unfolding around him. He always liked coming to the city - the chaos of it all was a comfort to him, and he could live in this world if he made it through this interview. He hadn't told any of his friends about it, especially not Luhan, in fear of being put through endless mock interviews with his best friends becoming caricatures of the interviews on The Apprentice UK. Sehun would rather have something positive to surprise his friends with. If he had something positive to report, that is.

"Are you ready for this?" His father asked, his dark eyes stern and unwavering, his broad shoulders -identical to Sehun's own- steeled.

Sehun nodded, although he didn't mean it. Nothing could prepare him for what might have been the biggest moment of his life so far. 

But in that brief moment of Sehun's weakness, where his nerves began to show through a heavy sigh, his father's gaze lightened.

"Just know," he smiled softly, gently resting a hand on Sehun's shoulder, "Whatever happens, however badly this may go-"

"Thanks Pa,"

"Listen!" the older Mr Oh scolded his son, before continuing, "Whatever happens, we're proud of you for getting here."

"You are?"

Mr Oh smiled warmly, "You might feel overshadowed by you siblings' own pursuits, but don't think we don't see your talents. Let's not forget you created the website for your mother's boutique and my office!"

Sehun smiled to himself, fond memories of weekends spent coding in his conservatory and garden during summers between holidays, and seeing the finished products of all his work. Sehun suddenly felt less like a nerd over having learned to code ing 5 different languages considering where his skills got him now.

"You aren't hopeless, useless, or an idiot. And I know what happened last year was difficult for you. I know we're hard on you, but it's because we know your potential, and you're finally starting to show it."

Sehun wasn't useless - he was just waiting for the right moment to arrive. Just like with girls, he wasn't so useless after all, and his moment may very well have arrived at last. And now, the moment where his future may very well begin - he wasn't useless, he wasn't a pushover. He was going to fight for this

"Thanks Pa, I think that's exactly what I needed to hear."

 

*

 

A sigh of relief overcame Sehun as he walked out of the office, an hour and two coffee's later. the rest of his former competitors racing through the speedy rotating doors miles ahead of him as he hung back, alone with his thoughts. He reached up to his tie and loosened the knot, continuing to wear his signature Face to hide how he truly felt.

Yet Sehun couldn’t help but feel confused as the people entering the building moved around him, like a rock in water, as he approached them. They obviously mistook the tall boy with his domineering aura for an employee of importance. As he left the building, his eyes scanned the skyscrapers surrounding him with a new lens compared to earlier, more realistic, cynical if anything, now newly aware of the brutal nature of what actually went on in those offices.

Sehun, continuing to wear his mask as he crossed the road, the skyscrapers and vast business towers looming over him as he headed towards the shopping centres through the sea of pedestrians, sighed with apprehension. He was filled with a mix of emotions, so confusing that he wasn’t sure how he felt at the moment.

Yet before Sehun even had a moment to gather his thoughts, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. 3 missed calls from Luhan, 2 from Chanyeol, 2 from Baekhyun, 1 from Kris, 2 from Irene and 1 from his father. Sehun never realised he was so popular. 

Reality came back to his mind as the reminder of his friends' bickering and break-up-make-up nature surfaced. Something bad went down at the Solstice a couple of weeks ago. Baekhyun and Chanyeol had been tense around each other ever since. Chanyeol became a slight recluse, smoking more, hiding at work with Tao and Kris, and also hanging out with Kora. Baekhyun was avoiding Chanyeol, and so hung out with Kora more, and he clung to Sehun a lot more recently. Luhan was avoiding Sulli like the plague after a stupid argument they'd gotten into at the club, and neither of them spoke even during class - he also clung to Sehun. And the worst? Irene - she clung worst of them all.

Compared to the glimpse of the grown-up world that Sehun was just blessed with, whatever strange happenings were occurring with his friendship group was beyond him at this point. But being in limbo about his interview also presented a good time to deal with everything.

Sehun jumped at the sensation of his phone vibrating in his hand. His father.

"How did it go?"

Sehun sighed. The 4 words he didn't have any idea how to answer. He figured it would be best just to straight up tell his Dad the facts.

"I didn't get it."

Silence.

"I got something better. They offered me an all-expenses paid, paid placement. In Tokyo. At their Development Offices. Apparently Japanese Law will allow a student to do a work placement during school. I'll be living there during the holidays and for some time after. I'm getting a specialist development team to help me programme a Beta-Version of the app, and will present the final version by the end. And if I like it, they'll sponsor me for university."

But Sehun had no idea how his father reacted - he was frozen to the very ground he stood on, heart almost leaping out of his chest at the sight of Irene, across the road, ethereal with her blond hair less bright and faded to a more coppery-blonde, more natural as she she strutted down the street, the perfect, preppy princess. 

Sehun gulped. He quickly ushered his father good bye, apologising for having to hang up, before he found himself sprinting across the road, busy with traffic, dodging cars and receiving angry car hoots, to catch up with the girl. Making a fool of himself by tripping up on the curb, Sehun picked himself up, calling out to the girl who was talking with her posse. 

"Yah!" Sehun called as he brushed himself down, "Irene!"

Her head spun, her now-coppery hair almost dazzling a dozen different colours and her face beautifully vacant - until her eyes landed on Sehun. Sehun gulped again as he made his way over to her, nerves overcoming him as her friends giggled at his unruly behaviour, not to mention Irene's cool gaze. Usually so icy, all he felt was warmth around her.

He would never understand how his friends managed to come across so cool in front of girls.

"Hi,"

"Hey,"

Sehun's palms sweated as Irene's cool gaze held his own. He noticed her eyes were actually a brighter brown that he'd always thought, her natural look much more beautiful than her infamous blonde-haired-blue-eyed look that had gotten her thousands of social media followers. But then again, Irene looked beautiful no matter how she looked or what she wore. 

Only I would never tell her that?

"Isn't he awfully quiet?" one of Irene's minions giggled to her friends, all of them matching in style and aesthetic to Irene's own fashionable clothing.

“I think someone’s trying to say something to you.” Irene nodded to the phone in Sehun’s hand.

Sehun looked down and cursed. He could hear his father still trying to get a hold of him, screaming at him down the phone, “Dad, I’m sorry, but- but-I can’t talk now. No, I don’t want you to take my Water-Cooled Computer away from me. Okay, I’ll call you in an hour.”

Irene's posse giggled at Sehun's disucssion with his father, not to mention how awkward he was in contrast to his appearance. Sehun pulled a face, embarrassed over his inept social skills.

Yet Irene clearly picked up on Sehun's disdain; she spun on her heel, coppery hair flicking in the air fiercely as she her minions and said, "Why don't you minions go make yourself useful and go find those Mary Janes I told you about an hour ago?"

"B-but-" one of the minions started, clearly slightly scared over Irene's ability to shift into a dictator at a moment's notice.

"No 'but's! I want those heels!" Irene scolded as she leaned over the four girls like an angry giant.

A very beautiful giant at least.

And at that, the girls scuttled off in fear of Irene's inevitable wrath. Sehun himself was scared -just for a moment- that Irene would soon turn her rage on him. Only when she turned back to him, she wore a beautifully soft smile on her face. Sehun's tongue dried up.

"Cat got your tongue?"

Sehun could only nod.

"Now, what would a lost Oh Sehun, dapper in a suit and tie, be doing in Seoul on a busy day like this?" Irene pondered as she pressed a finger to her pursed lips.

"Interview. Samsung." Sehun said shortly. He didn't mean to come across so bluntly, but he couldn't help it, being around Irene was so consuming that he somehow forgot himself and became all about her. He hated it, but she was so captivating that he couldn't resist it.

Irene smiled sweetly, "You look handsome. The suit is nice but..." a devilish smile played across her plump, red lips, making Sehun's palms sweat profusely. He was relieved when she didn't ask about the interview - he did not want to think about his future for now.

"What?" Sehun raised an eyebrow. He was nervous to say the least, but at least he wasn't giving this away. His poker face was coming to to pay off for once, one thing the boys didn't have over him when it came to girls. Sehun just hoped this facade would actually last and he wouldn't crumble. 

Irene tilted her head as she looked Sehun up and down. He couldn’t help but feel nervous under her steady gaze, “You look like a smart business man, but your hair is awful.”

“Why does everyone keep telling me that?!” Sehun snapped out of instinct, not being able to hold back his tongue even with the girl he felt so nervous around.

"You can't surely hope to be a high-end software designer with hair like that?" Irene giggled, gently pushing Sehun's shoulder. 

He shivered under her touch, "I won't?"

"Exactly!" Irene beamed, apparently missing the question-part of Sehun’s statement. But this didn’t matter, clearly she was satisfied in things working out the way she wanted them to. Sehun didn't mind. In fact, he was more than content as Irene grabbed a hold of his hand and dragged him into one of countless shopping centres in the City.

 

*

 

"I'm thinking, y chop, short back and sides, but not too short - I don't want him to look like a piece of candy."

"Nice to see I'm getting a say in what's happening with your hair."

Irene rolled her eyes at Sehun's request as the hairdresser placed a covering apron over Sehun, pinning it up at the back, "How can I trust you to pick something decent? You've been walking around with that mushroom haircut of your's for the past two years! I don't know who dyed your hair with henna, but they did a horrible job maintaining your roots!"

"Well you can take it up with Baekhyun since it was his idea in tenth-grade."

Irene gulped. She prayed Sehun didn't pick up on her blatant discomfort at the mere mention of his name. It was enough to make her skin crawl, but also a deep, buried hurt that still panged in her chest whenever Irene found herself thinking too much.

Don't think, don't think. It's long over. He's long finished.

"Irene?"

"Sorry?" she snapped back into reality, cursing herself for phasing out like that. 

Sehun looked up at her from the chair, his face stoic and expressionless as per. She was dying to know what he was thinking; whether or not he thought being here with her was a waste of time, whether or not all the time they'd gotten to know each other over the last few months was worth it in his mind, and whether or not he felt the same as she felt for him.

"I wanted to make this decision regardless of your opinion, dearest Irene, but you don't have to sit here and watch me get my hair cut. I feel bad for making you bored."

Irene shrugged, trying her best to play it cool - Sehun was the only person whom she ever had to actually try hard around, "You're right. I'm going to sit and read a magazine and blog about my fashion project."

"Project?" Sehun raised an eyebrow as the hairdresser danced around him, angling up his face and fiddling with his hair, trying to ascertain the prognosis of the work being cut out for him. 

Irene smiled devilishly at Sehun's ignorance, "Yes. You."

Sehun gulped. 

A good 45 minutes passed in the high-end salon, Irene having kept herself busy by flicking through the various look-books and style guides, trying to piece together the perfect look for Oh Sehun. Sure enough Irene had pursued these projects on other peers and members of their class, but those were just Irene trying to make someone in her image - she didn't want that for Oh Sehun. She knew she had feelings for them at the very least, he saw the real her and still had sympathy for her when she was at her lowest. He saw beyond the facade she fought so hard to maintain and knew the real her, all without even really trying. He deserved the best version of himself that he could be, and Irene was more than happy to help out along the way.

She didn't want to mold him into a certain image, but rather better his own. Sehun had so much potential, and for some time since that fateful night at the party, Irene had been the only one to see it. His friends adored him, but they never saw him beyond the geeky- title that had been inflicted upon him since he was 15. Irene knew Oh Sehun could be more than that - that he was more than that. 

That's why she took so much pride in the ideas she had come up with for him the past 45 minutes; she'd scrolled through the makeshift look-book prepared on her phone, ready to show him the final ideas and seek his approval. She didn't totally mind letting Sehun decide his own haircut - again, she didn't want to nag him like she did everyone else. He'd showed the Latino Hairdresser, Paolo, the hairstyle he wanted and the tones he wanted it in, and Paolo was more than happy (in fact, rather eager) to oblige with Sehun’s request.

“I hope this will you look better than your old hair style did,” Irene grumbled as she sat down in the chair on the opposite side of the mirror Sehun sat before, unable to see the finished masterpiece.

“What was wrong with how I had my hair?!”

“The brown was seriously fading, and you had a mushroom cut. A mushroom cut.”

“And what about it?”

“You looked like Toad off of Mario Kart!”

“Well,” Paolo the Hairdresser called out to Irene as he ushered her around the mirror, a smug look on his face, “Toad no more. This masterpiece is ready to be unveiled.”

What she didn't expect, was to have the air completely taken out of her lungs.

"What do you think?" 

Her tongue dried up in . Oh Sehun stood before her - except it wasn't the Oh Sehun she knew. 

He looked like he'd stepped out of a magazine spread with his custom, tailor-made suit, broad shoulders, handsome face and styled hair. No longer a dodgy-brown, mushroom cut, Sehun looked sleek with dark, dark brown hair, slightly short at the sides and longer at the top, his hair gently hanging over his face in thin wisps. Irene thought it strange how much a haircut could change a person, the vibe and aura they gave off, the confidence they alluded. Sehun stood calmly, eyes dark and cool as they held Irene's own.

"You look...amazing." Irene mumbled. She wasn't often rendered speechless, but she was powerless at the sight of Oh Sehun with a fresh haircut and a suit.

Sehun smirked, devilishly handsome, "You think I'm good-looking." He teased, his voice high-pitched and cooing.

Irene blushed, her cheeks burning red as she was caught out for once, “I swear to God, you would never be talking to me like this a few months ago, Sehun.”

“And I swear that a few months ago, you would never have spoken to me at all.”

A brief, awkward silence fell between the two, before Sehun began to panic again, "It's horrible, isn't it?!" 

Sehun panicked, near-leaping off of the hairdresser’s stool to see himself in the mirror. But Irene couldn’t work out what he thought was wrong. Paolo had gotten it just right.

“The boy worries too much what the girlfriend likes!” Paolo exclaimed dramatically before leaving Sehun and Irene in the confrontational scene. Irene couldn’t help but blush at the hairdresser’s innocent mistake.

We’re anything but that…

Stop staring at him. Don’t make it so obvious you idiot.

“It’s good. I like it. Let’s go.” Irene said dismissively before turning away and heading to the receptionist of the salon, fighting her embarrassment off as best as she could.

What was happening to her? Irene never lost her control with guys; never lost control over them or herself. So why all of a sudden was she growing so weak now?

Is it because he looks hot?

But despite asking herself why, she knew very well why. Irene figured that if all it took was a new haircut to make her so nervous around Sehun, then it must’ve been a pretty a stupid façade to play it cool up to this point.

But then again, that was all she wanted – Sehun to react. Whatever this was, she knew she wanted more out of it, but Sehun wasn’t giving anything away. Irene wished she could know what he was thinking – that way she’d know whether what she was feeling for this guy -with his perks and quirks, food-stained shirts and baseball hats- was real or just wishful thinking.

“Come on, let’s get out of here,” Irene mumbled as she stormed out of the shop ahead of Sehun, frustrated over her own feelings as she used her loyalty vouchers on the haircut and paid in silence. 

 

*

 

This unregistered awkwardness hung in the air for the rest of the day, among a blur of sales, special offers, discounts and price tags as Sehun followed Irene like a lost puppy, sticking to her like glue and trusting in her judgment as she selected and instructed him in the art of clothes shopping.

He didn’t know -or in fact care- for what each brand or chain of stores offered, he just knew that he felt confident, bold, striking even in what he was doing. Maybe it had something to do with being around Irene, but Sehun knew people weren’t going to be overlooking him any longer. All of this from a mere haircut.

Maybe it’s time I became what I was meant to be, but can I do that without losing myself?

“Turn around,” Irene commanded Sehun for the nth time today as she eyed his clothing with scrutiny in her dark irises. Obediently, Sehun turned for Irene, not forgetting to admire himself in the mirror; Irene had picked out a black leather bomber jacket with a white fur lining inside, the combination with a black shirt and pants making him dark yet striking at the same time.

“I don’t know about this one,” Irene lamented as she circled Sehun repeatedly. He couldn't help but notice how her eyes bore into him, differently than they usually did.

Sehun looked at his reflection carefully, having no idea in what way possible Irene knew what exactly she did or didn’t want when she eyed him. He just knew that there was one thing about the jacket that he himself didn’t like, “I don’t like this collar down, it gives me a bobble-head.” Sehun sighed before folding the collar up and outwards.

“That’s it!” Irene screeched, making Sehun jump as she bounced around eagerly.

“What?”

“The collar, idiot!” She bounded towards him, pressing her hands on his shoulders and appearing to measure them out. Irene's eyes avoided his own. He quivered under her touch, “You were right on that move. It brings out the lines in your shoulders nicely.”

Sehun couldn’t fight his blush no matter how hard he tried. But then he realised something.

Letting his instinctive tongue run wild, he smirked, “You mean, I got something right?”

Irene looked up at Sehun, obviously taken aback at his sudden surge in confidence. She removed her hands, stepped back and cleared , as his eyes held her's, “You’re getting the hang of this fashion lingo.” She shrugged before quickly walking away. Sehun smirked at the way she so hurriedly strutted away from him.

“The tables are turning…” He sighed as he stared himself in the mirror. He looked dapper, handsome - confident. Words he’d never imagined being able to describe himself with, words that never went together in a sentence about him. But now the person standing before him was the product of a slight dose of character-building.

For so long he was used to holding his true thoughts and opinions back, too scared of the trouble they’d land him into when he let his tongue slip. But if all it took was a few layers of over-priced clothes to break this barrier, then he figured it must’ve been a stupid one to keep up. And it was all thanks to Irene.

“I think I’m about done now,” Irene sighed as she came back into the dressing room, apparently unconcerned with knocking in case Sehun was mid-stripping.

“You’re done? I thought this was about me?” Sehun teased as he removed the jacket and put it back on the hangar.

Irene rolled her eyes, “If you begin to make that sort of talk a habit, I might just return all that clothing we’ve spent the past two hours buying.”

“Easy for you to say, you’re not the one whose debit card’s getting exploited.”

“As if you didn’t already have enough money on it!” Irene exclaimed, a playful smile quickly working its way onto her features.

“And I earned that through a job – which, if I’m not mistaken, you don’t actually have?” Sehun said sassily, raising his eyebrows and pointing a finger at Irene challengingly.

She huffed, “Just shut up and take those clothes off.”

“I didn’t expect you to be saying that to me so soon.”

“Sehun!”

 

*

 

“Wait up!” Sehun called after Irene as she stormed through the department store, but with his long legs he easily caught up with Irene, despite all the shopping bags he lugged along the way, “What’s the matter with you?” Sehun tried moving into her eye-line, to catch her attention, but Irene kept her eyes fixed ahead of her. She knew that the second she gazed into those chocolate pools she’d be under the spell Sehun had no idea he weaved every time he looked at her.

“Nothing! I’m fine, perfectly fine!”

“Say fine one more time,”

“Fine!”

“You’re angry at me?”

“Angry? Why would I be angry? I just convinced you to spend an entire month’s worth of your tutoring pay for the sake of aesthetics! I’m anything but angry!”

“Was it just for the sake of aesthetics?”

“Yes.”

“Completely?”

“Whole-heartedly.”

At that moment, a group of girls, all pretty and the same age as Sehun and Irene, flocked past the quarreling duo, the girls giggling at Sehun, whispering things along the lines of “You’re so handsome!” as th