Spending time with Ren turned out to be fun this time for Soo Min. Usually his idea of fun was shopping for clothes or beauty & skin products… maybe even manicures at the salon, everything that Soo Min wasn’t fond of. This time, he let her pick the place and activities. With that kind of power, she picked the arcade and had fun winning against Ren several times. It was fun to see Ren be defeated and try so hard to win a single match, but she was just too good at games for him to do it. Despite losing so much, he was happy to see her having fun.

 

At some point, the fun had to stop since he got an important call regarding business and had to go. He offered to take Soo Min home first but since it had stopped raining, she told him she’d rather walk and enjoy the fresh air. He was worried about her walking around alone, but he didn’t have time to persuade her to let him drive her, so he had no choice but to agree and leave.

 

She was kinda bummed that their fun time was cut short, but there was always next time. When he was gone, she started to head home. Along the way she decided to take a walk through the park and smiled when she noticed a familiar face sitting on the bench in the distance. He seemed to notice her when she got close and she decided to go and greet him.

 

“Fancy running into you again.” Soo Min smiled and stood in front of him. The sun was setting and those warm colors were casting on his face so beautifully it almost took her breath away.

 

“Do you have my helmet?” He bluntly asked in his own greeting.

 

“Do you have my umbrella?” She scanned the bench. There was no sign of it. Good.

 

They both gave a silent smile, almost as if they knew what they were thinking… that excuse to see each other still stands. “Sit.” He gestured to the spot next to him and she happily obeyed that command, like a cute little puppy. He didn't mean for it to come out like a command but it did, at least she didn't think too much about it.

 

“What are you doing out and about on your own?” He asked. “Aren't you worried about someone seeing you?”

 

“A little.” She sighed. “But I just had to come say hi when I saw you sitting here.”

 

“Taking a risk for me?” He teased.

 

“Pretty much.” She chuckled. “You should feel honored.”

 

“Whatever.” He playfully rolled his eyes.

 

“What about you? Are you worried about being seen with me?” Because that would mean his picture would be in the tabloids, he'd probably get harassed for details on their meeting in an empty park.

 

“Nope.” He simply replied. “I don't care. I don't think you're that special to be honest. The fact you haven't been chased by paparazzi yet just proves that. If you were as famous as they say you are, you wouldn't be out here right now. I highly doubt you'd take a risk either. You're really just a normal girl who stole my helmet.” He finished off with a smirk.

 

“Tsundere, huh?” She grinned, feeling happy despite someone would have scolded him for being rude. She didn’t mind it for once, others were always too nice and too fake around her at least he’s being honest, right?

 

“What?” He asked, suddenly confused by her reply.

 

“Right, I'm just that girl who stole your helmet.” She said while getting up. “Perhaps I'll steal something else from you next time?”

 

“Like what?” He looked up at her, highly interested in her reply now.

 

“I won't tell.” She placed a finger to her lips.

 

“Figures.” He snickered. “Better not be something important.”

 

“Like?” She hummed.

 

“My phone.” He deadpanned and she giggled.

 

“Keep it safe and hidden!” She chimed before turning to leave.

 

He watched her leave with a faint smile on his lips and once she was out of sight he felt his heart start to race, like he was having a delayed reaction to the encounter just now. Damn. He took a moment to calm down before finally getting up to head home.

 

She didn't even get mad when I said all of that… he thought on his walk home. Even though I didn't mean for it to sound insulting, she looked happy? He was definitely confused now. She said tsundere, too?

 

As he was entering his apartment he could hear his roommates in the living room.

 

“Stop!” Won Woo complained and Mingyu just laughed in response. “You're so annoying. I hate you!”

 

“I love you too, my little tsundere!” His boyfriend cooed.

 

“Oh god!” Jeonghan blurted out before running off into his room and slammed the door shut. He then proceeded to fall face down onto his bed and lied there motionless for several minutes. Could being around Won Woo have something to do with that? He picked that persona up from him? Or was he always like this?

 

Time could only tell.

 

...

 

The next day it was raining, just like the previous two days. “More rain today?” Seokmin said while doing dishes at the kitchen sink.

 

“Three days in a row, perhaps it’s a sign from above.” The elder said mysteriously behind her daily newspaper.

 

“A sign for what?” Soo Min asked while watching her beloved Carrot eat her delicious canned breakfast. “That summer is too hot and it should be raining every day?”

 

“No, that you should get out of the house again.”

 

“Weren’t the last two days enough?!” Soo Min snickered.

 

“No.” Her grandmother said bluntly. “Now go! Before it stops raining.”

 

“Where am I even supposed to go? Don’t you even care about paparazzi?”

 

“They never bother you anyways, they don’t expect you out and about, they don’t even try. You can relax.” The elder assured her. “If you happen to run into them, just hide and wait for them to leave.”

 

“Great advice, Halmoni.” Soo Min chuckled. “Fine, since you want me out of the house so bad, I’ll go.” She added with a small sigh. “I’ll just go look for new toys for Carrot.” That could be a fun task, right?

 

…

 

Wrong. Soo Min found herself lost in the city after browsing around the small shops in town. She got a little distracted and pretty much forgot the purpose of her trip. “Whoops, where am I?” She muttered to herself and pulled out her phone to check. Seeing her location on the GPS map didn’t make much sense, so she decided to tap in a familiar cafe name to see if it was close by. She could seek shelter there for a bit until the rain lets up. She typed in Carat Cafe and what did she know, she was only two blocks from it. “A hot cup of tea would be nice.” She grinned and started to make her way over.

 

When she made it, she could clearly see Jeonghan cleaning the front windows and spotted her. She happily waved to greet him but he didn’t greet her back, instead he looked annoyed and reached over to the open sign to switch it to closed, as if to keep her out. She could only laugh now that she recalled their brief meeting from yesterday, when she called him a tsundere.

 

Instead of leaving, she stood there in the rain with her black umbrella and waited for him to flip the sign back to open. He tried to ignore her while he finished cleaning the windows, but it was no use, he kept getting caught sneaking glances at her. She was watching him and it made him nervous. She looked cute standing there while leaning back on forth on the heels of her shoes. The smile on her lips never went away, either. That was until there was a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder that followed after, she was startled and quickly made her way over to get out of the rain. Her irrational fear of being struck by lightning still bothers her despite knowing it was very unlikely.

 

Jeonghan finally caved and flipped the sign back over, obviously because it was wrong to mess with the store sign like that, and opened the door for her to come inside. “Oh, so you are open?” She teased and he gestured to get inside already.

 

“Hello again, Soo Min!” Won Woo greeted when he finished serving a table nearby. “Did you get caught out in the rain?” He asked when he noticed the weather outside.

 

“Almost.” She said with a sheepish giggle. “I thought to drop by for some hot tea and carrot cake.”

 

“We don’t serve carrot cake.” Jeonghan reminded her when he joined their small talk. He was done cleaning the windows.

 

“Still?!” She pouted. Won Woo laughed at Jeonghan’s annoyed expression and gave him a pat on the shoulder.

 

“Go ahead and take your break. I’ll get the tea.” He said and left Jeonghan dumbfounded by what just happened.

 

“Oh! So, you’re on break now? Why don’t you join me for tea and cake? My treat!”

 

“No thanks. I don’t actually like sweets.” He declined but paused when he saw her kicked puppy expression. “Though I don’t mind tea.” He sighed in defeat.

 

“No worries! Tea is just fine!” She beamed and happily made her way to a booth of her choosing. She chose one in the back corner where there were less customers and they had access to the window where they could watch the rain fall. Jeonghan didn’t like the location and wanted to suggest they move far from the windows but she already took her seat and was gazing out at the rain with a calm smile. He was curious about why she seemed to like it so much, even if it scared her before earlier. He thought to ask, but Won Woo returned with their tea before he could.

 

“Just call if you need anything else.” Won Woo’s words were directed to Soo Min and she nodded with a cute smile and waved. He went back to work after that, leaving her and Jeonghan alone to talk. But it was quiet, they actually had nothing to talk about at the moment and Soo Min tried to think of a topic they could talk about, based off what she knew about him already.

 

Nothing really came to mind and there was a long awkward silence between them as they sipped their tea. Jeonghan was flustered and Soo Min was disappointed. She was hoping he would have come up with something to talk about, even if it was something stupid. Once they were done with their tea, Soo Min paid the bill like she said she would. When she placed the money down on the table, Jeonghan took notice of her bandaged hand. “What happened?” He blurted out. I didn't notice it until now?

 

“Ah, Carrot scratched me pretty bad yesterday.”

 

“Carrot?” He asked, completely confused.

 

“My kitten.” She grinned. “Her fur is orange so I named her Carrot, cute, right?”

 

“Not if you plan on using her for Carrot Cake.” He gave a small laugh.

 

“Never!” She pouted. “I need the other ingredients before I could even think about it but that is way too many kittens…” she got another cute laugh out of him and she couldn't help but smile too. His smile was contagious! If she knew he would have been interested in hearing about her little feline friend, she would have said something sooner instead of sitting in awkward silence for the last five minutes. She let out a quiet and defeated sigh just when she got a text from Ren about wanting to get lunch together. Jeonghan noticed her stare at her phone with confliction, like she was having a difficult time deciding on something.

 

“What is it?” He blurted out by accident. He wasn’t planning on asking but he did.

 

“It’s Ren.” She answered. “He wants to have lunch together… but I just saw him yesterday, isn’t that enough?” She chuckled sheepishly.

 

“Is he annoying?” He raised a brow. She gave a quite nod and placed a finger to her lips, hinting to keep quiet about it. “I get it.” He sighed and took their empty cups from their tea and she pouted. He was implying that she was annoying just now, wasn’t he?

 

“Fine, l'll let you go for now.” She smiled despite that comment.

 

“You were holding on?” He laughed at her words.

 

“Maybe…” She said cutely and rested her chin in the palms of her hands. “Perhaps, would you like to go out-”

 

“No.” He rejected quickly.

 

“You don’t even know what I was about to say!” She complained.

 

“My breaks over. Goodbye.” He simply said and hurried off to the kitchen to escape. When he made it to safety, he carefully places the cups into the sink and turned to lean against it. He clutched his chest with his beating heart, his cheeks felt warm and he felt butterflies in his stomach. What was she about to say? He wondered.

 

“Yo!” Suddenly he heard Mingyu say behind him and he nearly jumped, now his heart was racing for a different reason.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!” He scolded. “What do you want?!”

 

“Relax!” Mingyu laughed. “I just wanted to ask if you would like to go out-”

 

“No!” Jeonghan blurted out. “You are a taken man, Kim Mingyu, how dare you!”

 

“What?!” Mingyu was shocked. “What are you talking about, I was asking if you’d like to go out and get the trash bin from the back so I can throw the scraps away.”

 

“Why can’t you do it?!” Jeonghan was embarrassed now, his voice an octave higher than it usually is.

 

“Because I’m working! I have orders to make! I was just asking for help! Oh my god!” Mingyu was frustrated and left to do the task himself, leaving Jeonghan in the kitchen flustered and irritated. If only it would stop raining

 

...

 

Soo Min let out an amused laugh when she saw the text Ren left her on where to meet.

 

Ren: Carat Cafe

 

She hadn’t left the cafe yet, which was good and so she texted back and told him she was already there and in the back booth. Ren showed up a moment later and was greeted by Won Woo at the front.

 

“Are you here with her?” Won Woo came up to him with a bright smile.

 

“Yes.” He answered and returned that bright smile. “I like your beanie, by the way.” He added before they heard something knock over on the counter behind them. They turned to see it was Mingyu supposedly cleaning the counter and knocked over the napkin dispenser.

 

“Great job on being obvious.” Jeonghan's voice caught Ren’s attention and he gave a small friendly wave. Thinking back on the small talk they had before, how Jeonghan seemed like potential competition when it came to Soo Min, he had to remind himself to be friendly with the guy.

 

“Go ahead and go join her in the back. I'll get you a drink, what would you like?” Won Woo spoke up and gained Ren’s attention once again.

 

“Tea, please.” He said calmly before making making a custom order of cake for Soo Min. Then he was off and headed over to greet her. “You look pretty today.” Ren complimented when he approached the table.

 

“Really? I didn’t even make an effort today.” She mumbled as he sat across from her. “Your vision must be going already.” She added with a small snicker.

 

“I don’t think so.” He only grinned. “I like your casual style the most.” He saw her look at him with a small look of surprise. “I know I scold you sometimes for wearing casual clothing but it’s only when we’re out on important errands or shows.”

 

“Are you sure, you seem so angry when you do it?” She said with a small frown like it really affected her.

 

“You should be lucky it’s only me scolding you.” He said while sitting back in his seat. “I’m just trying to keep you out of trouble, I do it because I care!”

 

“Fine.” She said with narrowed eyes. “I kind of believe you.”

 

“Kind of?!”

 

“You’re a fashion student, you fashion students are so crazy about your outfits…”

 

“Fair enough, but your casual outfits aren’t bad. You have a fashion sense somewhere in that head of yours.” He said while leaning forwards to push her head back with his index finger in a cute manner. “A cute fashion sense.” He smiled.

 

“Owwww…” she played hurt while rubbing her forehead with a pouty lip. “I think you knocked the fashion sense out of my head now.”

 

“Should I put it back?” He said while reaching over to push her head back again, she giggled this time which had him giving that cute laugh he always did when he found something funny. It left Soo Min smiling because she actually liked it when he laughed like that. Hearing him laugh was a treat given his background, of all the things he’s been through, it was nice to hear him happy. “What? Are you admiring my gorgeous good looks?” He asked while brushing his side fringe out of his face with that teasing smile.

 

“Yas Queen, slaaaay!” She grinned from ear to ear when he pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance while laughing. “All hail the queen-”

 

“Okay, stop.” He held his hand up to stop her from talking.

 

“I win, again.” She gave two thumbs up. “Better step your game up, Queen!”

 

“Whatever.” He didn’t even look annoyed that he lost to her taunting… she always wins because he let her. Seeing her little victory smile always made his day. Though, he wondered what it’d be like if he won for once?

 

“Here’s your order.” Suddenly Won Woo interrupted Ren’s thought process. The waiter set down two pieces of chocolate cake and instantly they heard Soo Min squeal in delight.

 

“You already ordered the cake before coming to the table?” She asked while pulling her piece over to her side. “It’s chocolate…” she suddenly noticed one did not look like the other.

 

“Double chocolate with chocolate frosting and chocolate shavings and chocolate chips, chocolate wafers, I would have ordered more chocolate but I didn’t want you overdosing on it.” Ren explained as he watched her stare at the desert like it was the love of her life. He didn’t mind because it was him who ordered it so technically that look was for him, right?

 

“It’s so pretty, I almost don’t want to eat it now!” She frowned before pulling her phone out to take a picture. While she was taking the picture, Won Woo noticed that Ren had been looking at him in his peripheral vision.

 

“Yes? Is there something else you needed?” He asked, turning to face him.

 

“No, not really.” He shook his head. “I was just admiring your face is all. You’d make a perfect model, you know?” Won Woo couldn’t believe his ears and felt his cheeks warm up from getting flustered.

 

“Ah, I see it too!” Soo Min spoke up when she heard Ren’s comment. “Those sharp features make you look so cool and chic, something everyone looks for when it comes to modeling. You’re pretty hot, Won Woo!” She beamed, not even realizing how it sounded. She was just being honest!

 

“T-Thank you.” Won Woo managed to say, his face almost turned red, he was so embarrassed now, the two people he admires in the fashion world just complimented him!

 

“Yah…” Ren didn’t look too pleased by her comment and it confused her.

 

“What? He has a boyfriend, right? I was just being honest! He’s good looking!” She defended herself. “Sorry!” She then apologized to Won Woo.

 

“No need to apologize, I know what you meant. It’s alright.” Won Woo assured her while Ren just shook it off. The waiter couldn’t help but smile, he figured there must be something going on between the two, perhaps he just saw Ren getting jealous just then? Something to gossip about with his co-workers.

 

“Thank you for the cake!” She chirped before digging in to change the topic.

 

“I’m the one who ordered it, I’m paying for it too! Why are you thanking him?” Ren complained and Won Woo could definitely see the jealousy now.

 

“I didn’t see you bring it to the table!” She laughed at his expression. Won Woo quietly excused himself from their table before heading back to the counter, grinning from ear to ear.

 

“What?” Mingyu asked bitterly when his boyfriend made it to the register. He had heard what was said at the table he waited on and didn’t like it.

 

“What?” Won Woo said back, not understanding why his boyfriend looked so annoyed. Mingyu snickered before frowning. “What is it?”

 

“Nothing.” He muttered before returning to his task of cleaning the counter.

 

“Okay.” Won Woo simply shrugged it off before the person he was looking for showed up to the counter to fulfill an order. It was Jeonghan! “Hey!” He quickly gained his attention. “How’d your break go with Soo Min?!”

 

Jeonghan looked confused until he saw Won Woo point over to the table near the back and his eyes landed on a familiar face. It was Soo Min and a smile spread across his lips unknowingly before it dropped into a frown when he noticed that familiar blonde hair across from her. His happiness was short lived. He remembered her saying how Ren wanted to eat lunch with her, he didn’t think they’d be eating here for it. “What am I looking at?” He asked, sounding so unamused now.

 

“Your guardian angel.” Won Woo teased before Jeonghan scoffed at his reply. “You’re not happy to see her?” He asked, genuinely confused, he was sure he saw that smile a few seconds ago on his friend’s lip.

 

“Why would I be?” He asked with a straight face. I spent my break on her, isn’t that enough? He was lying to himself now.

 

“I see right through you, Yoon Jeonghan.” Won Woo laughed before glancing over at Soo Min’s table to see the two chatting normally as she devoured her cake. She knew how to eat things like a lady, for sure. If she could, she’d it up like a vacuum, kirby style.

 

“Good, I was never here.” He said before trying to leave the counter.

 

“Wait!” Won Woo stopped him from leaving. “You have to go serve them tea!”

 

“And why can’t you do it?” Jeonghan snatched his hand away, first Mingyu and now Won Woo, he swore they’re plotting against him. The bell at the front door dinged, alerting new customers.

 

“I have to wait on them! Just hurry and take the teas to their table!” Won Woo said before rushing to wait on the new customers. Jeonghan just rolled his eyes before looking to Mingyu who was still pouting about his boyfriend getting complimented by Soo Min and Ren. Instead of saying something about how sneaky Won Woo was being, he just did as he was told and got the teas ready.

 

When he approached the table, he noticed Ren was missing. Where did he go? He thought before setting the teas down on the table. “Oh! Thank you!” Soo Min gave him a bright smile and it caught him off guard. “I forgot about this order.” She added before pulling hers over to take a sip. She noticed Jeonghan remain after serving the tea and wondered if he needed something? “ Uhm?” She asked, looking up at him.

 

“Uh… is there anything else you wanted?” He cleared his throat, cringing on the inside for spacing out in front of her.

 

“I would ask for more cake but,” she pouted and it was the cutest thing, “he’d probably scold me if I did.”

 

“That’s okay, just eat the cake while he scolds you.” He flashed a mischievous smirk and it had her giggling.

 

“I like the way you think.” She admitted and his expression faltered. He quickly pulled out his notepad to write down what kind of cake she wanted for her second order. “Carrot cake.” She simply said and he almost laughed.

 

“Again, we don’t serve carrot cake here.”

 

“Awh, really? I was sure someone would have added it to the menu after the last time I was here.” She pouted while sitting back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest.

 

“That was thirty minutes ago. Don’t hold your breathe.” He chuckled while pulling out his pen only for it to drop on the floor by her feet. He immediately bent over to pick it up but didn’t notice she too leaned over to pick it up for him and just like that, their heads collided.

 

“Sorry!” They both quickly apologized before laughing since they had said it at the same time. “Are you okay?” She asked him before he could ask her.

 

“I’m fine.” He nodded. “What about you?”

 

“I think I’m okay.” She mumbled while rubbing the sore spot on her forehead behind her straight cut bangs. “That hurt.” She whispered, not really wanting him to hear, but he did. She should have kept that in her bruised noggin.

 

“Let me see.” He gestured for her to move her hand so he could take a look for her. He slowly reached out to brush her bangs away from her forehead to see a light patch of red, obviously it was the spot she hit her head on his. He lightly ran his fingers over the spot before they traveled down the side of her face until they reached her chin and he gently tilted her head up to look at him. He could see the look of surprise in her wide eyes and a smirk tugged at the corner of his lips, like he suddenly got a surge of confidence. “What is it? Do I make you nervous?” He asked in a soft yet amused tone and that really made those wide eyes widen more, probably because his face had gotten closer.

 

Suddenly they heard someone clearing their throat and they looked over to see Ren standing there not looking amused by what was currently taking place at the table. He even looked annoyed, mad… jealous. “Did I miss something?” He simply asked as he stepped over while Jeonghan took a step back away from the table to allow Ren access to his seat.

 

“Nope.” Jeonghan shook his head before putting his notepad and pen away. “Another chocolate cake coming right up.” He said before leaving the table.

 

“What the hell was that just now?” Ren asked, he didn’t sound too happy when he saw her still in a trance from the encounter. What was he trying to do?! “Did he say he was bringing more cake?”

 

“Huh?” She finally snapped out of it when she heard the word cake, figures. Ren didn’t say anything and just sat there looking so bothered. “It’s just cake, chill out.” She gave a sheepish laugh.

 

“You’re going to get cavities.” He simply said before his phone vibrated on the table. He was going to ignore it since this was his time with her, but given their status, he probably should be sure it wasn’t something important. When he saw the email in the notification bar, he sighed. He jinxed himself, didn’t he? “We have to go.” He said before getting up and gesturing her to follow him.

 

“What? Where? Why so suddenly?” She frowned. She was still waiting for her second cake.

 

“C’mon, we have a last minute job to do, we can’t be late, even if it’s on short notice.” He stepped over and pulled her up out of her seat by her hand.

 

“But, my cake!” She whined as he dragged her out of the cafe. She had her arm reaching out to Won Woo who watched in confusion on why they were leaving so suddenly, without paying, too?!

 

“W-Wait!” He called out to them. “You didn’t pay!”

 

“Just give him a tab. We know he can pay.” Jeonghan blurted out from behind. Won Woo turned around to see Jeonghan standing there with another serving of cake.

 

“Was that hers?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“Damn.” Won Woo looked back over to the cafe door. He could see Ren cover Soo Min with his jacket like a gentleman. Could Jeonghan be jealous of Ren? He thought to himself, curious. When the bell on the door dinged again, he snapped out of it and went straight back to work.

 

...

 

Because this was a modeling job, it was probably best that Soo Min changed clothes before showing up, luckily Ren's place was closer and she could borrow an outfit from LiNa. “Pick a dress.” He mentioned as they entered the house.

 

“Eugh…” she groaned in reply. “Does it have to be a dress?”

 

“Just go and change.” He pushed her towards LiNa’s room. She gave in and stepped up to the door and knocked, that's when she noticed the faint sound of her favorite song. She quickly opened the door a door rushed in to see LiNa was currently watching Snuper’s Platonic Love Choreography ver. MV. “Ahhhh, Snuper!” She squealed as she ran over to join LiNa on her couch.

 

“We’re not here to fangirl!” Ren marched over to stand in front of Soo Min to block her view. He was pointing towards LiNa’s closet, too.

 

“C’mon, it’s just a for a minute, the MV is almost over!” She pouted while trying to peek around him. Ren just let out a deep sigh before walking over to LiNa’s closet to pick the outfit for her, allowing Soo Min to finish watching the MV with his sister. “Why is Sebin so cute?” He heard her gush and LiNa went on about her bias who happened to be Suhyun from the group.

 

Once the MV was over, Ren returned to Soo Min on the couch and tossed the outfit he picked out for her. “Go change.”

 

“What?!” She frowned while examining his choice. “I don’t like this!”

 

“Too bad! There’s not enough time to pick something else. Just wear it.” He said a bit harsh as he checked the time on his phone. “Hurry up and change, I’ll be in the car.” He added before leaving the room.

 

“Whoa, why is he being like that?” LiNa asked once he was out of the room. She noticed Soo Min looked a little bothered by the attitude Ren was giving. “Did you guys fight on the way here?”

 

“I honestly don’t know what his problem is? We went to the Cafe I told you about earlier. I ordered another slice of cake and he’s been a jerk ever since.”

 

“Over cake? Seriously?” LiNa rolled her eyes.

 

“I mean, I did notice him acting grumpy when he came back from the bathroom and the waiter was talking to me.”

 

“What waiter?!” LiNa gasped before they heard Ren honking the car horn outside. “Let’s talk after! I’ll go with you just so he won’t pick on you any further!” She added before helping Soo Min change at the speed of light.

 

When they came out to the car, Soo Min got in the backseat while LiNa got into the front seat. “What are you doing?” He asked in that annoyed tone.

 

“Shut up and drive.” She simply smiled while buckling her seatbelt. Ren just rolled his eyes before mumbling a whatever. He glanced back to see Soo Min looking at him with a mix of anger and dejection before looking out the window, at least the rain had stopped. He figured her mood was due because of his attitude just now and the outfit he picked out for her. He had picked a pale pink mini dress with fancy white sandals. Simple and pretty but something she absolutely hated.

 

…

 

“What are we even doing for this shoot?” Soo Min asked just as they were pulling up. The entire car ride had been silent.

 

“They didn’t say in the email. We’ll find out once we head inside.” He simply said while parking and turning off the car.

 

“Seriously? They don’t even tell us what we’ll be doing? How professional!” She muttered as she got out. LiNa happily linked her arm with Soo Min and they headed in together which made her feel a little better. After getting inside, Ren did all the talking for the photoshoot and the girls waited by the snack table to hear what was going on. It took a few minutes, but not very long. Ren approached them at the table and explained what they were there for. “A jewelry line.”

 

“Oooo!” LiNa was excited, too bad she wasn’t the one doing the shoot.

 

“Oh.” Soo Min simply answered while avoiding his eyes and poked at the snacks on her little plate.

 

“There won’t be any face shots, we’re just modeling bracelets and necklaces.” He said calmly though on the inside he was feeling bad. He didn’t mean to upset her like that earlier. “I should mention this is jewelry for couples. That’s why they asked for us.”

 

“What?”

 

“They needed a male and female model and naturally they thought of us first. They know we’re not a couple but that’s what acting is for.” He clarified. Something about it seemed weird to Soo Min but she knew there was no use in arguing about it.

 

“Fine.” She said bluntly. “How long will this take?”

 

…

 

“I’m sorry.” Ren apologized as they were posing for the photo. He had his arms around her waist as in to mimic a boyfriend holding his girlfriend close. They were modeling a couple necklace that cleverly links together like a puzzle piece. She didn’t say anything back and wouldn’t look him in the eye, and she was wearing the fakest smile on the planet because their photos were being taken. She might fool others, but she wasn’t fooling him. “I don’t like getting last minute jobs, I was stressed.”

 

“Sure.” She simply said as they changed to a different pose.

 

“I’m serious.”

 

“So you took it out on me, is that it?” She muttered as the photographer told them they were moving on to the bracelets. “Let’s make Miss Dress Hater where the shortest and girliest dress we can find. And while we’re at it, let’s make her wear sandals, too. She won’t hate it.”

 

“I didn’t know what kind of shoot this was going to be. I figured they’d want something cute. I didn’t do it to piss you off.”

 

“There were other choices.” She barely said, looking hurt. “There were other choices for the cute look and you know it.” Because he’s dressed her in cute outfits that were more to her liking before.

 

He didn’t know what to say to that this time. Crap. How was he going to fix this now? Now that they had the bracelets on for modeling, they sat at the pure white table prop for the small photoshoot. Soo Min used her uninjured hand despite they told her they could just photoshop the band-aid on her hand out of the picture, she didn’t want to give them more work to do. They sat across from each other at first for some landscape shots before having to sit next to each other to hold hands in a more couple like manner. They did a standard hand holding but the photographer told them to interlock their fingers with each other because they were trying to simulate an actual couple holding hands. It’d be so fake if they didn’t do it that way.

 

They did as they were told before the photographer asked for them to stand for the next part. It felt like hours were going by, this part of the shoot was longer than the rest and Soo Min didn’t like it. Holding hands with someone who pissed her off, but she had to keep it professional.

 

“Go ahead and keep the jewelry, thank you!” The photographer gave them a bright smile before the rest of the staff did the same.

 

When Soo Min tried to let go of Ren’s hand, he kept his hold. “What?” She asked while looking down at his hold. “Let go.” She looked up at him with warning eyes.

 

“No.” He said. “Not until we talk this out.”

 

“Ren.” She sighed, this was annoying!

 

“I guess I’ll drive then!” LiNa said with full, she was still at the snack table eating the food this entire time! The two just looked at her, amazed how almost all the food was gone. Where was it all going?!

 

…

 

“I’ll never do it again.” Ren promised. “I’ll never make you wear a dress again.”

 

“Sounds too good to be true.” Soo Min snickered as she was staring out the window, he still had a hold on her hand, her arm and fingers were limp because she wasn’t holding his hand period, kind of like when you hug someone who doesn’t want to be hugged.

 

“Besides the fancy occasions, I seriously won’t ever make you do it again. I admit I was upset and took it out on you and I’m sorry. I’m sorry that I’m a jerk.”

 

“More like a .” She tried to hide her laugh and failed. That’s when LiNa a Lady GaGa song. Check it out, I’m blonde… I’m skinny… I’m rich… and I’m a little bit of a . “Ren’s theme song.” The two girls laughed and he was a good sport about it at least.

 

“Tell me how I can make it up to you, then?” He finally let her hand go but she surprised him when she took a hold of his hand this time.

 

“Buy me cake whenever I ask for it.” She grinned, giving his hand a small squeeze before letting it go.

 

“Okay.” He gave a small smile, happy to see things worked out in the end.

 

“Go ahead and drop me off here.” Soo Min spoke up to LiNa as they were a block away from Carat Cafe. Before the siblings could protest to it, she opened the backseat door and stepped out since they were stopped for a stoplight. “See you gals tomorrow.” She waved with a cute laugh. Well, at least she was back to her normal teasing now. They supposed they shouldn’t stop her and left it alone. Before driving off, LiNa shouted out the window for Soo Min to be careful.

 

Once their car was far out of sight, she headed to the Cafe in hopes it wasn’t too late to get another slice of cake. “Aw man.” She sighed when she saw someone turning the sign over to closed. They happened to notice her and flipped it back to open before opening the door and beckoning her over. It was Won Woo. “You’re still open?” She asked after stepping inside only to see him flip the sign back to closed and she laughed. How sweet! “Thank you!”

 

“No problem. I assume you came back to let us know if Ren will be paying for the order earlier?”

 

“Ah, right, I almost forgot about that!” She frowned before reaching for her shoulder bag that was not on her shoulder. She was going to pay for it until she discovered she didn’t have her bag with her. “Uhm…” she looked up sheepishly. “Whoops, it looks like I left my stuff in Ren’s car.”

 

“That’s alright, don’t worry about it!” Won Woo assured her. “Just let him know to come back and pay as soon as he can.”

 

“I can pay it when I have my bag, don’t worry.”

 

“No, he should pay.” Suddenly they heard Jeonghan say at the counter. “It’s his order anyway.”

 

“Don’t make it complicated.” She chuckled. “He’s probably long forgotten about it by now. It’d just be easier if I paid for it now. How much was it?” She asked curiously, she’d be sure to come first thing tomorrow morning to pay for it. Jeonghan didn’t say anything and retreated back to the kitchen. She sighed in frustration, why was he giving her a difficult time about it?

 

“Sorry about that.” Won Woo apologized. “Sometimes he gets grumpy when he’s tired.”

“I get it.” She gave a cute giggle. “I get like that too.”

 

“Ren’s order wasn’t a lot, so if you could pay it first thing tomorrow morning, that would be great.” Won Woo explained with a small smile. “Don’t mind Jeonghan.”

 

“Okay.” She agreed and looked to the kitchen. When Mingyu exited through the doors, she could see Jeonghan standing at one of the counters looking incredibly stressed by something, or someone. She felt kind of bad for him, she hoped she wasn’t the one who caused it. “Well, I guess I’ll get going now. I’ll stop by again tomorrow.” She pushed those feelings aside and addressed Won Woo and Mingyu. With that, she left through the front door.

 

“Should we be sending her off on her own like that?” Mingyu worried. “She shouldn’t walk the streets alone.”

 

“But we’re not done cleaning up here?” Won Woo frowned. Just then, Jeonghan emerged from the kitchen with a small to go box in his hand.

 

“Where did she go?” He asked, confused when he didn’t see Soo Min around anymore.

 

“She just left.” Won Woo answered. “You can probably catch up to her if you leave now? Gyu and I can handle the clean up, don’t worry.”

 

“Thanks.” Jeonghan was glad his friend was offering, because he was going to head home regardless, he’s just too tired to properly clean right now… but of course he’s able to run after a pretty girl to give her cake from earlier. Jeonghan Logic.

 

Jeonghan: it’s really not like that, she wanted the cake and that dumb Ren snatched her away before I could give it to her. I’m just doing my job! *Over explains self lol*

 

He was ready to sprint down the sidewalk in search for her but immediately stopped when he saw here standing a few feet from the cafe, waiting. “I had a feeling you’d come running after me.” She teased and his expression soured. He felt embarrassed again. “Oh, what’s that?”

 

“... nothing.” He decided she doesn’t get her cake after all.

 

Jeonghan: You know, I just forgot, I’m off the clock now so…

Lol Jeonghan Logic.

 

He turned away to avoid getting teased for blushing, he hadn’t paid much attention to her when she returned to the cafe, as in, he hadn’t noticed what she was wearing until now. She was a wearing a dress, a cute dress and he thought she looked quite pretty.

 

“Well, if it’s nothing then I suppose it’s nothing.” She clasped her hands behind her back and turned away before looking up at the changing sky. The rain had cleared up and the sunset colors were starting to come through. It was bittersweet since she’d rather it rain, but after seeing Jeonghan in the beautiful sunset glow twice, she was starting to like sunsets a lot. She turned to glance back at him and caught him staring over at her, his expression was calm yet something was bothering him. “Mind walking me home?” She smiled. He seemed taken aback by the sudden request.

 

“...” he was about to say no, but he couldn’t help himself. “Sure.”

 

“Great. Lead the way~!” She gestured for him to walk ahead.

 

“As if I know where you live, idiot.” He snickered. “Besides, walking will take too long. We can take my motorcycle.” He gestured to the side of the cafe were his motorcycle was parked. He noticed her tense up and chuckled, he recalled the last time she rode his bike with him. She ended up stealing his helmet. “What is it?” He asked when she hesitated on walking over to the motorcycle.

“I don’t think I’m dressed appropriately for the fast lane.” She pointed out while tugging on her dress to cover her legs more.

 

“You can borrow my jacket.” He suggested and pulled it off of his back. It was a long jacket and was perfect for helping cover up. She thought it was sweet of him and she also felt a little nervous at the same time, she felt the butterflies in her stomach stir a bit and her cheeks get warm. She was getting flustered. Once she put the jacket on, she proceeded to take a seat behind him after a small struggle because of the dress and how it wasn’t meant for riding on the back of motorcycles. Thank god for Jeonghan’s jacket.

 

“Here.” He offered his helmet. Safety first.

 

“I’m good.” She declined. “You wouldn’t want me stealing this helmet too, right?”

 

“But it’s dangerous!” He scolded.

 

“I know you’ll be careful!” She giggled. “Unless we just walk like I suggested?”

 

He really thought about it for a second before sighing and putting his helmet on. “Hold on tight, okay?” He instructed.

 

“Roger that, yes sir!” She said happily and latched herself to his backside. He flinched slightly from the sudden touch and felt those strange feelings again. He suddenly worried about his helmet fogging up from his blushing and tried to calm his nerves down. “Ready when you are!” He heard her tease behind him. He smiled under the helmet, knowing she couldn’t see it before starting up his motorcycle. Then they were off.

 

…

 

The ride to her grandmother’s estate was going a bit slow since Jeonghan was being careful about not driving recklessly. He definitely didn’t want any accidents happening. Because of how slow he had been going, Soo Min was enjoying it unlike last time. It seemed so relaxing that she almost dozed off here and there while resting her cheek against his back. It was a different feeling for him, but he didn’t mind it honestly, it almost made him go that much slower, as if to make these moments last. Eventually, they arrived to her grandmother’s estate and it was time to part ways. “Thanks for the ride. It was fun this time.”

 

“No problem.” He nodded and purposely kept his helmet on to so he could look her in the eye without her seeing his body betraying him in broad daylight by flushing red, she had made him feel strange during that ride and he felt extremely nervous now that he was facing her. “Here…” he handed over the takeout box from earlier. “The cake you asked for before you suddenly left.”

 

“Oh, you saved it?” She was surprised. “Thank you!” She accepted it from him with clear happiness. “I’ll go inside now before anyone catches you here. Get home safely, okay?” She said before taking a couple of steps forward and surprised him by giving a quick kiss to the side of his helmet, as if she would if she kissed his cheek. “Bye, Jeonghan~!” She called out while hurrying over to the front doors of the estate. He watched her rushing off and stood there, stunned at the sudden action. He did not expect that at all. When he saw her disappear into the large house, a smile slowly spread across his lips. She was quite something, wasn’t she? Then it dawned on him. “She stole my jacket, too!”

---

Chapter five!

 

Long time no seeeeeeeee lol

She stole his jacket, wow. 2 for Soo Min 1 for Jeonghan.

Sorry for not updating for so long… it’s my fault for posting too many stories and being so inspired for new things all the time… but hopefully I can start updating this fic again…

I hate neglecting running fics, but I just have way too many ideas to stick to one project OTL

Anywho… hope to see you soon… young lol

Until next time~!