A/N: Was going to make this but I couldn’t get it right so for now this is just rated like 12, cannot guarantee the next chapter will be the same!

I take a breath to stop my hands from trembling, I roll my shoulders a few times to get the nerves out, I can do this. I pull the heavy doors open and peek into the beautiful waiting area of the upscale restaurant. A pretty young woman is standing at a podium staring down at something, too distracted to notice I’m there until I’m standing in front of her.

“Excuse me,” I mumble softly to get her attention.

She jumps, dropping her pen and placing her hand over her racing heart, “Oh my goodness!”

“I’m so sorry!” I quickly apologize.

Her eyes scan me, taking in my tight fit dress pants, matching jacket and white button up, “You must be the girl for the interview.”

I nod, “Yes but how did you know it was me?”

“Our manager said you were a foreigner.”

“Ah, I guess I do stand out a bit,” I chuckle looking down at my tanned skin.

“I’ll go get the manager if you would like to take a seat right here,” She gestures to one of the tall fancy chairs.

I thank her before going to rest in one of the seats. My feet bounce anxiously though I know I’m more than qualified for the position as a bartender there is always the chance they don’t want me here. I let my eyes scan around the room, the high ceilings, crown molding, magnificent chandeliers; the one through the large archway draws my eyes into the dining room. I peek curiously, noting how expensive all the tables, chairs and dining sets look, making a mental note not to spill or trip or drop anything, ever. Someone staring in my direction catches my attention, finding a handsome young face lit up by the candle on the table and the soft light from the chandeliers.

Cat like eyes narrow on me, suddenly we are having a staring contest. Pink lips are pressed into a firm line, his soft jaw line sharpens as he sets his jaw, making him appear more mature than he did a moment before. He rests back in his chair, completely ignoring the woman in front of him, his fingers tap against the wooden table’s edge, far away from where the woman’s hand is obviously reaching for him. In a pinstriped suit he looks like a gangster sitting there, confidence and power pouring out of him. I bite my lip, my eyes run back up his body to find his eyes, noting the small smirk now gracing his handsome face.

A waiter approaches his table with a tray full of food, he begins placing it down, a polite smile on the soft looking boy’s face. That smile falters when the woman says something. The man’s brow tenses as the woman continues to speak, pushing the plates away, making nasty faces at the poor waiter. Her voice begins to carry out of the dining room into the lobby, “Can you do anything right?” She sneers.

The man rolls his eyes, finally taking them off me and shifting them back to the woman. He tells her something, though from the look on his face I don’t imagine they are the kindest words. She continues to huff and puff profanities at the now blushing boy. All eyes are on them as she shoves one of the plates off the table, the boy jumps back, fear written all over his face, the man just looks annoyed.

I should leave the situation alone but I find myself on my feet, my heels click on the marble as I charge over since no one else is going to help this boy. “Is all this really necessary?” I say in a polite tone to the woman. All eyes seem to shift to me once the words are out of my mouth.

“Excuse me?” The woman scoffs, her glare now focused on me.

“I asked if all of this is necessary, what did he do wrong?”

She huffs, “He got my order wrong.”

I look down at the food splattered on the floor, “What was wrong with it?”

“I don’t have to explain that to you.”

“I’m curious, what could have been so wrong with it that you had to throw it on the floor like a child?”

The man chuckles, she looks over at him, completely betrayed, “Oppa! Say something.”

“No, it’s completely fine!” The boy jumps in.

The man chuckles, “I want to hear what was wrong with it as well.”

“It looked weird.”

I chuckle this time, “You do realize he didn’t make it right? Of course not, you probably have never worked a day in your life.”

She puffs her cheeks, once again looking for help from the man, “Oppa!”

“You act like she is wrong. You have never worked before.” She stands up and turns on her heel, huffing and mumbling insults under her breath. The man stands a moment after, sighing, obviously annoyed about the whole situation. “Thank you, this was going to be a long lunch, I have never been so happy for her to have one of her tantrums.”

“I’m sorry that I caused a scene,” I apologize to the handsome man.

“You defused something that could have gotten a lot worse, don’t apologize,” He pulls out his wallet and lays a few bills on the table. “This should be more than enough to pay for the food and dish.” The boy nods and begins to pick up the glass. I crouch down next to him and begin helping him place the shards on his tray. “You should leave him to it,” The man surprises me by taking my hands in his and pulling me back to my feet. “You helped him out more than enough for today.”

“I just did what any normal person would.”

His eyes scan the full dining room around us, eyeing the patrons, “None of them would.”

I chuckle, taking my hands out his and tucking them behind my back, “Any person who has ever worked a service job,” I correct. I watch his face contort into one of irritation, whether it’s from my words or taking my hands back I’m not sure.

“You work in a kitchen?” He questions in disbelief.

I nod.

“Eunsoo-ssi?” A familiar voice calls from behind me. I turn around and bow automatically to the manager of the restaurant.

“Good evening sir!” I say politely.

“Master Kim,” The manager bows to the man who came to stand beside me, almost possessively, towering over me.

“Manager,” He just bows his head slightly to the much older man.

The manager’s eyes scan over the almost cleaned up mess and the boy on the floor, his eyes widen in horror, “Did he drop your food?”

“No,” The man answers quickly, “My friend’s little sister threw a fit and pushed it off the table, I apologize for causing a scene and drawing Eunsoo-ssi into it.” The way he rolls my name of his tongue makes a squirm in my suit, something he notices.

“I didn’t know the two of you were acquainted,” Manager’s eyes go from me to the man and back again.

I’m about to deny that we know each other when the man responds first, “We are close acquaintances.”

“Eunsoo-ssi, if you had mentioned earlier that you are acquainted with Master Kim I wouldn’t have even bothered with the interview. Master Kim is a great judge of character, I could have just asked him about you.”

“Sir-” I try to correct this mess but the man has no desire for that.

“She didn’t tell me about it either,” He eyes me as if he is a father about to scold me, “she isn’t the type to name drop so that’s probably why she neglected to mention it.”

Manager nods, “Of course, Eunsoo-ssi, when was it that you were table to start?”

“Whenever you need me,” I answer immediately.

“Perfect can you start tomorrow night?”

I nod eagerly, unable to keep myself from grinning. “Of course! What time would I need to be here?”

“Seven? That way we have time to talk before the late night rush.”

“Thank you so much!” I bow to him deeply.

“Is there anything else that you need to discuss with her?” The man by my side wonders.

Manager shakes his head, suddenly looking more anxious than cheerful.

“Great,” The man places a possessive hand on the small of my back, “come along Eunsoo-ya, I can take you home.”

I’m about to put up a fight when the manager eagerly walks us out, bowing at least a dozen times before the large door closes leaving me alone on street with the man. It’s only about 7:30 so the nightlife hasn’t started up yet so there are few people on the usually busy street. I try to turn to the man but he continues to urge me forward with the firm hand on my back. I know I should stop him but I wait to see where is taking me. We are about half way down the block when he stops and pulls keys out of his pocket, points it at the car near us and opens the passengers’ side door.

“My parents told me never to get into a stranger’s car,” I blurt out like an idiot. My face burns bright red at my own stupidity, but he just chuckles, his thumb begins drawing small circles on my spine.

“That is a very smart thing to live by but as I already said, we are close acquaintances, not strangers, Eunsoo-ya,” My name rolls off his tongue so naturally it’s as if he’s said it a thousand times.

“I don’t even know your name,” I mumble meekly.

“Kim Minseok,” He bows his head slightly.

“I’m Park Eunsoo,” I return the action. “Thank you for getting me the job but I still don’t feel comfortable getting in a car with you and having you drive me home.”

He hums, “Oh this won’t do. How about we get more comfortable with each other?” Minseok closes the door to his car, locks it and begins leading me down the street more.

“What do you mean?” I ask nervously, wrapping my arms around myself in the chilly November weather.

His hand moves from my back to my hip, pulling closer against him and his warmth, “I mean lets get dinner. I wasn’t able to have my dinner thanks to Sooyeol’s attitude and since you were nervous for your interview I assume you didn’t eat either?”

I nod. I actually wasn’t planning on eating at all. Thanks to my landlord I had to pay to get my fridge fixed, taking the money for my groceries, now I have to make a half gallon of milk, three slices of bread, and two eggs last me a week and a half.

“See,” He beams a handsome smile at me, “This is perfect.”

I want to say no but my stomach growling stops me. This guy doesn’t seem rude, he seems really nice actually. He helped me out with the job, the least I could do is have dinner with him, and in the end if he’s a creep, at least I got a free meal out of it. Minseok seems to see on my face the moment I decide to agree and leads on with a new kind of swagger. I can tell just from looking at him that he’s from money and adding in the manager’s reaction to him, it must be a lot of money.

“Soo-ya,” He muses quietly, almost to himself.

I hum a yes.

“I have a friend, his name is Kyungsoo, he never let’s me call him that.”

I nod, “You can call me that. No one has since I was young.”

“What do your friends call you?”

“I don’t really have any. I have acquaintances, if anything and they all just call me Eunsoo.”

“A pretty girl like you with no friends?”

I chuckles, “It’s definitely my choice. People can get clingy, I like being able to move along without people weighing me down.”

“That must be lonely,” There is a strong sadness in his voice as if he is speaking from personal experience. I look over at him, he is staring at me with a large amount of adoration for someone he just met.

“Loneliness has become something I’m used to.”

He nods, not saying anymore. We walk into another nice restaurant, the people rush to greet us with the same anxiety the manager had. I should be concerned about that but it strangely makes me feel safe by Minseok’s side like no one would dare even look at me the wrong way. We are lead to a circular booth, Minseok mentioned how he preferred them but there were none clean. It took less than a minute for one booth to be cleared and reset for us. I watch a little in awe, it’s like something you see in the movies. Minseok squeezes in one side and I climb in on the other, meeting in the middle with only a foot in between us. They hand us menus and give us a few minutes to look. There are lots of fancy foods that I have no idea what they are, Minseok quickly notices my distress and scoots closer. He explains each thing on the menu, asks what kind of things that I usually like, gave me a few recommendations before helping me decide on some kind of seafood with a weird name.

Minseok orders for both of us, saving me from embarrassing myself trying to say the stupid name. He asks what I want to drink, I shrug. Once again the man suggests a few things before picking some kind of fancy wine. The waiter rushes away, basically shaking in his boots the whole time. I look at Minseok, my chin resting on my hand with my elbow on the table, my fingers dance across my lips as I study him.

He smirks at me, “What?”

I sigh, “I’m trying to figure out what must be wrong with you.”

“What?” His heart warming chuckle brings a few eyes to us.

“You are handsome, obviously rich, well respected, most likely powerful, what in the world would you want with a girl like me?”

Minseok seems offended on my behalf, “Why would I not want a girl like you? Do you even see yourself? You are a golden goddess who knows the value of a dollar and cares for someone other than yourself, you have no idea how hard a girl like you is to find.”

My cheeks flush.

“I don’t want to hear things like that from the pretty mouth ever again.” I look down at my hands bashfully, his words warming my core more than they should. “Now tell me about yourself. Do you have any family?”

I shake my head, “Parents died in a car accident when I was 9.”

“So who did you live with?”

“I went to an orphanage and lived there until I was 16. After that I’ve lived by myself.”

His hand rests on my knee, a small sign of comfort, “I’m sorry.”

With a sigh I shrug, “I’m stronger because of it. Now tell me about you. You seem like you will be more interesting.”

“What do you want to know?”

I hum, “What do you do?”

“I run many different business but I spend most of my time working with an organization.”

“So what are the chances of you owning the restaurant we were just in?”

He raises his brows at me.

“Stupid question, got it. Next question, why is everyone so scared to even look at you?”

“I am a tough boss, I like my workers to do their job correctly and be respectful.”

I nod, “So do I call you Minseok-ssi or CEO?”

“Oppa,” He quickly corrects.

“I mean at work, if I am one of your workers I want to talk to you with the respect you expect from other workers.”

“Respect my decision than, call me oppa,” His voice is soft but there is warning behind it.

“Yes, Oppa.”

He beams at me, “Now my turn! Now since you seem to be such a loner, I’m assuming there is no boyfriend in the picture?”

“You would be right,” I sigh, noting the way his eyes light up and decide to mess with him. “My husband wouldn’t be too fond of that.”

His smile drops, “Husband?” Those bright eyes quickly darken as his mind seems to take him someplace else.

I try to brush it off with a laugh, “I’m kidding! I’m very much single and have been for a while now.”

“Don’t joke with Oppa like that, you almost gave me a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry,” I offer with a big smile.

He sighs as he pets my head affectionately. We talk a bit more about his life and my own, the conversation flows nicely, his warm voice hums in my ears, and his hand never leaves me. It’s always on my thigh or shoulder, not y handsy at all, again I just find his presence comforting. The food comes to the table, I thank the waiter before he rushes off once again only to appear a moment later with a bottle of wine an two glasses in his hands. Once again I thank him before turning to Minseok to do the same. We eat in a comfortable silence, his eyes constantly on me, secretly making sure I’m enjoying it. After I eat at least ¼ of it I turn to him.

“It’s absolutely delicious!”

His eyes light up, “Really?”

I nod, “So stop staring like I have a third eye on my forehead.”

He chuckles as he holds up his wine glass, “Cheers?”

“Cheers!” We clank our glasses together before taking a sip, or maybe I took a big gulp, who are we kidding I downed that glass. It has been so long since I’ve had something that tastes this good. My food disappeared just as quickly, followed by two or three glasses of wine, I’m not sure. I realize as I’m wiping the side of my mouth that Minseok still has half of his food on his plate, his chin rests in his hand, his eyes on me of course. I blush and look away, feeling like a complete idiot.

Minseok reaches out and gently pulls my chin so I’m looking back at him, “You are absolutely precious. Don’t try to hide that beautiful face from me, understand?”

I nod. His hand returns to its spot on my back, drawing warm circles. We resume our conversation drinking more and more, religion, values, future plans, things I’m way too drunk to be speaking about. Minseok is responding to my last note when I find myself staring at him again, not just because he is speaking, I study his handsome face, those eyes and those perfect pink lips. As the thought occurs I nibble on my own bottom lip, something he quickly notices. So beautiful, I think to myself. Why is this beautiful man talking to me, buying me dinner, looking at me so sweetly? This has to be a dream.

“I think it’s time to go,” Minseok must pay the bill when I’m not paying attention because the next thing I know we are walking back down the side walk, one arm around my waist his other holding my hand, leading me back to his car. I don’t put up a fight this time, not when he places me in his passengers seat. Not when he pulls away from the curb going in the opposite direction of where my area of town is, though to be honest I don’t think I could make it there in this state. Not when he parks in front of some expensive building and gets out. Not when he takes my hand and leads me inside.

I feel hollow as he takes me into his penthouse, passed the living room and into the bedroom where I fall onto the bed. He is standing at the foot of the bed with his arms crossed over his chest and a scowl on his face, “Do you have any idea how dangerous this is for you?”

His question throws me off, “Huh?”

“I thought you were wise at first but getting drunk with a strange man who shows obvious interest in you, oh sweet girl, that is a very bad idea.”

I admit with a shrug, “I don’t have much to live for. I spent my days and nights working for a life where I can leave whenever I want and see whatever I want to see, I have experienced the world enough. If I’m going to die at least a handsome man will be doing it. If I die at least I’ll die with a full belly,” My hands rest on the little lump under my button up caused by the delicious meal. “Do you know how long it’s been since I actually felt full? I don’t.”

He doesn’t say anything, just begins taking off my shoes with gentle hands. This isn’t what I imagined to be like. His hands are so slow, so soft, so careful about where he places them. My pants are next, his eyes are on my face, looking for any sort of reaction before popping the button and ping the zipper. It’s easy for him to get them off and toss them to the side, I actually tense when he reaches for me again, not so fond of the idea of his him taking off my underwear and having his way with me. He doesn’t reach for them though, he s my top just as gently, taking his time before pulling it off along with my jacket.

He stares at me as if he’s never seen a woman before, as if I’m the only woman in the world that he would want to look at. My belly warms under his gaze, I look away blushing. I look back only to realize he isn’t there anymore. It takes me a moment and a few tires to get up on my elbows to scan the room for him. He’s in his closet for a few minutes then he goes to his bathroom, returning in boxers and a t-shirt, two pieces of fabric in each hand. Minseok reaches out and pulls me to a seated position. He dresses me as if I’m a child, head first, then the arms. It’s his shirt. The confusion must be written all over my face but he ignores it and brings the other piece of cloth to my face, gently rubbing my makeup away. He’s washing my face.

I stare up at him in a daze, he just focuses on getting on my makeup off. When he is done he takes the rag back to the bathroom, turns off the lights and climbs into bed. He drags me to where he wants me to be, head on a pillow, under the warm covers, his arm around my waist, body pressed firmly against my back.

“Minseok-“ I finally speak only to be shushed.

“Oppa is here to take care of you, just sleep for now.”

I do.

………………….

I pop up out of bed, dazed and confused, my alarm blares from wherever he discarded my phone last night. It’s on the nightstand, on his side of the bed, when did he put that there? I try to wiggle towards it but the firm arm around my waist stops me.

“What the hell is that?” He groans, rolling back slightly to see the bright screen shining up at us.

5:30

I scramble over him, making sure not to damage the man, to reach my phone and shut off the annoying ringtone that is programed into the device. Minseok is glaring at me in my new position, lying belly to belly we make a wide X, propped up on my elbows, my phone in my hands.

“Why is your alarm going off at 5:30?” His voice is rough with sleep, making him even ier than last night.

“I need to get to work,” I mumble, feeling like I did something wrong.

“Your shift doesn’t start until tonight.”

I chuckle at that, “Oppa, I have more than one job.”

“You aren’t going,” He decides shifting me back into the position we were in before hand.

“Yes I am. I appreciate you very much for feeding me and not me but I have to go. I don’t even have my work clothes me so I still have to go home for that. Agh! I’m going to be late, !” With that realization I scramble out of his grip, no matter how hard he tries to keep me. I make it to the floor with a thud, Minseok sits up with a groan, he watches me struggle to get my stuff together. Pants first, my shirt seems to be MIA, great.

“Where do you work?” He asks even though he sees me struggling.

“I’m a hostess at a little café, but certain days I need to go in early so I can help the new pastry maker out.”

He hums, “What exactly do you need for your uniform?”

“A pastel top and some flats. My pants should be fine, , and I need to do my makeup. I can just do that on the subway.”

“You aren’t taking the subway at 5:30 in the morning.”

I roll my eyes at him, “I normally don’t but since I’m all the way across town and in a rush I don’t have an option.”

“Where do you work?”

“Lala’s tea house, it’s a traditional tea house.”

He pulls out his phone and taps on it for a minute before climbing out of bed. He walks to his closet and pulls on a pair of sweat pants and a sweatshirt. “Put your pants on, you can change your shirt when we get there.”

“You are taking me home?” I ask hopefully, not wanting to take the subway at all.

“I’m taking you to work, someone will meet us there with a shirt, some shoes and some basic makeup.” He grabs another sweatshirt and once again dresses me as a child, head first, then the arms. “I’m assuming you work at 6?”

I nod.

“Do we have time for breakfast?”

I shake my head.

“I’m not enjoying this rushed morning,” He groans as he takes my hand and pulls me along out of the apartment. We go down in the elevator in silence, all the way to the car, not single word. My mind is racing, he hates me. He must really, really hate me for ruining his night and now his morning, god I would hate me. I open my mouth then close it, then open it again, and close it yet again. I don’t know if I should apologize when he is the one who brought me home, he signed up for that instead of trying to get home. But not this early morning trip across town. I’m so absorbed in my own thoughts that I don’t notice we are here until his rough hand caresses my cheek. He gently turns me to face him, his eyes soft.

I look down at my hands, “I’m sorry for running your morning. Thank you for taking me to work even though you are mad.”

“I’m not mad.”

I peek up at him though my lashes, “Really?”

“Let me correct that, I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at your job for having you here so early. I wanted to make you breakfast, I wanted to talk to you more, I wanted to get my claws into you more so you would want to come back again before I let you go.”

I’m blushing, “I’ll come back.”

“Would you really want to?”

“Yea, I don’t see why not. You took care of me, you fed me, you were nothing but sweet to me, why would I not want to come back?”

“People find me scary sometimes. They say I can be too intense.”

“Intense, yes, scary, definitely no. You took some random drunk girl home, changed me out of my work clothes, gave me something clean to wear and tucked me in tight. Many guys have trouble controlling themselves but you were able to do it without letting your hand slip once. I feel absolutely safe around you.”

A small smile spreads across his face, his hand finds it’s way to the back of my neck and pulls me in, placing a soft, chaste, kiss on my lips, “I’ve wanted to do that since I saw you.” His thumb runs along my jaw line, eyes focused on my lips, obviously wanting more. After him helping me out, it’s the least I can do. I reach out, placing a hand on either side of his head and pull him in for an actual kiss. He is surprised by my assault but quickly catches on, his hands snake around my waist and just as quickly pulls me into his lap. I’ve never kissed someone like this, never had someone kiss me like their life depends on it. His tongue slips through my lips, the hot muscle explores every inch of my mouth, hungry for as much as he can get. For a minute I actually think we are about to have in his car when someone knocks on the window.

“Holy ,” I nearly scream, clutching on to Minseok tighter, hiding my face in the crook of his neck.

He growls as he rolls down the window, the stranger chuckles, “Good morning Boss.” He hands something to Minseok.

“Good morning Kris, thanks now go.”

“Not even introduction?” The stranger muses, “I would love to see the face of the little goddess that got you out of bed this early for ride to work.”

“Goodbye Kris.”

“Goodbye Hyung and little goddess,” The window is rolled up and the stranger is gone.

“Sorry about him,” Minseok hums softly, his hand draws small circles on my back.

“I’m sorry I jumped you.”

“You do not have to apologize for that, I definitely encouraged it.”

“I could tell, that was…” I still feel breathless, “Amazing.”

“We will definitely be doing it again, but for now,” He puts a shopping bag in between us. “You seemed to be in a rush to get to work. Hopefully this shirt is to your liking.” It’s only now that I realize the position we are in. I’m straddling his lap, my arms still around his neck, one of his hands on my lower back the other rests on my thigh, this is definitely an interesting position. He watches me intensely as I debate on just climbing out or returning to my seat. But the moment I decide to move, he decides for me, keeping his hands solid on my body, completely destroying the idea.

“I’m shy,” I admit meekly.

“I saw last night and these windows are tinted, you have nothing to be shy about. You are going to be late to work if you don’t hurry.”

We keep eye contact as I pull his shirt over my head, loving his clone that I already know is coating my skin. His eyes shift down for only a second, I expect him to look at my chest but instead his eyes go to my thin waist. I reach into the bag and pull out a pretty blush top, with a high neck line and long sleeves it’s more conservative than I usually wear but I don’t feel like telling him that. I pull it on, looking deeper into the back I find some black flats and a smaller bag with some make up. But what really gets my attention in the little black box at the bottom. I narrow my eyes at him as I pull it out and pop the box open. Inside is a pair of blush colored diamond colored earrings. My jaw drops.

“How?” I question honestly confused.

“How what?”

“How did you get this stuff so quickly? How did you know my perfect size and makeup shade? This is literally the makeup brand I use! And these earrings! How did you get all of this stuff at 5:30 in the morning?”

He chuckles as he tucks a stray curl out of my face, “As you said last night, I’m a very powerful man. Now as much as I would love to keep you like this or take you back home with me, you are late for work.” I look at the clock on the dash and scramble out of his car door, nearly hitting the ground if he hadn’t caught me. I jump to my feet and begin rushing inside before turning on my heel and rushing back to the now open window, “Did you forget something?”

I lean threw the window and kiss his lips one more time, “Thank you so much. And good morning Oppa.”

…………….

Minseok’s POV

I watch her scamper inside the traditional style building, the sweet taste of her lips on my tongue. Oh god what has this child done to me. Eunsoo. Kim Eunsoo. The golden goddess who has caused a scene, refused to go home with me, got drunk, had me basically take care of her all night, now she has me up at this god forsaken hour to take her to work. Yet I have nothing but a warm feeling in my chest at the thought of her. I don’t know what it is, maybe the light flickering in her eyes, the way her smile lights up a room, her caring heart, even though she would disagree or maybe it’s the way she secretly craves to be taken care of and loved. The way her small frame curled into mine last night like she had never been held tells me everything I need to know about her. I can’t wait to have that little goddess in my arms again, but when?

………………………

Eunsoo’s POV

I nod every few sentences as the bartender explains some things to me. I’ve done this a dozen times before but I know that each place is different and even though I have an in with the boss man I don’t want to ruffle any feathers. The bartender seems to be a nice guy, Seungcheol is about a year and a half younger than me, but of course he is taller and looks more mature than I probably ever will. We match in black dress pants and button ups, sleeves rolled up to the elbow.

“We have special guests showing up tonight apparently so tonight is going to be a bit more stressful than usual,” He tells me as he cleans up the few spots that are now empty at the bar.

I nod but as I scan the restaurant I notice the small amount of people that should be there on a Thursday night at 8 at night.

“The place will actually be pretty deserted but the guys coming in are heavy drinkers and have horrible attitudes, I hope you have some thick skin cause those guys are going to try and eat you up.”

“I’ve dealt with bad guys before so I should be good.”

He sighs, “I told the manager to start you tomorrow night so you can actually work with costumers but he insisted that you start tonight. So I’m going to try and have you in the back as much as possible, get you acquainted with back there and tomorrow we can work on serving drinks okay?”

Again I nod, “Okay.”

Just than the doors open followed by lots of chatter of deep voices and hearty laughs. A few tall men in suits swagger in like the own the place, oh my god please don’t let this be what I think this is. I can’t even begin to hide the grimace on my face when one of them looks my way. I don’t try to cover for myself at all, just turn on my heel and duck behind the bar. Seungcheol raises a brow but chuckles and nods his head in the direction of out kitchen entrance. I slip back there, never rising to my full height until I know I’m completely out of sight of the men. I look around the mostly empty kitchen before moving to the liquor area and making sure everything is stoked like Seungcheol had told me earlier. I try to focus on my work but one this is bugging me. Minseok will not be here, I tell myself. I do not want to serve him after my ballsy move this morning, he probably hates me or finds me annoying.

My cheeks flush at the memory, my body has been buzzing all day with this new energy I have never felt. It has been so long since I’ve had an extra pep in my step like I did this morning, I couldn’t stop smiling, my coworkers had thought I went crazy and I think they might be right. I don’t fall for people, especially after just one night but I don’t know, Minseok makes me feel something I haven’t felt in a long time, like he cares.

But what if he’s different with his friends around. I’ve know many guys who turn into a completely different person when their friends appear, and usually it’s not for the better. Would he even admit that we knew each other? Would he be okay with his friends knowing he is interested in a bartender when he is some big important guy? I know these are stupid questions but many times in my life guys have answered them wrong.

“Noona?” Seungcheol peeks into the back at me about ten minutes later.

“Yes?”

“The manager told me you need to be out here, I’m sorry,” His dislike for the idea is all over his face but I know there is a good chance he argued for me but still lost.

I take a deep breath and follow him back out into the dinning room. Tables had been moved and the patrons from before have left by now, leaving the long table in the center of the room the only one with people at it. Seven men are sitting there, all impeccably dressed in three piece suits. I want to study them more but instead I find myself looking at the list of drinks Seungcheol has started on. I quickly follow suit moving to the next on the list. It only takes us a few minutes to have the drinks ready, Seungcheol takes them out, he tells me to pretend to look busy even though we both know there is nothing for me to do out here. I look around the bar a bit, noticing some of the shelves holding the liquor bottles seem to be dirty so I begin to clean literally everything I can reach. I’m kneeling on the back counter lost in my own head for about ten minutes before I realize that I have an audience watching me. I don’t turn around but their conversation has ended and I can feel eyes on the back of my head.

Seungcheol appears next to me with a tray, he tries to look cool but we both know the attention I’m drawing, “Is that good enough?” I offer to kill the silence, looking down that the younger boy with a smile.

He catches on and eyes up the shelves before nodding, “Looks good from down here, let me help you down.” His hands are on my hips, helping get down off the counter. I smile up at him and thank him quietly. Finally looking over at the bar I see all twelve spots are filled and all twelve pairs are on me but only the familiar cat like ones really catch my attention. My heart stops at the sight of him, I want to smile at him and rush to his side but the death glare sent at me keeps me from doing so. Turn that into my heart dropping and my gut clenching, he’s mad.

Seungcheol steps away from me, his hands go to his pockets, Minseok’s face automatically softens a bit, he rests back in his chair at the head of the table. “Ya,” He draws all eyes back to him with the single word. He holds up his drink with a small smile on his face, “We all did a good job today, everyone drink and be merry.”

The eleven men hold up their drinks and clink them together, “Cheers!”

The conversations begin again, the men are loud and seem pretty cheerful, completely unlike what I had pictured from what Seungcheol had told me. As they continue to talk and eat and drink I can’t get myself to keep glancing at Minseok. I want to talk to him. I want to hug him and kiss him and ignore my reasoning on why I shouldn’t feel like this for some guy I just met. It’s driving me insane.

A hand on my shoulder makes me visibly jump, “You okay?” Seungcheol worries.

I nod, “Yea, just a little out of it without much to do.” He my arm softly, it’s not an intimate touch, more brotherly in my mind than anything but it must not look like that from across the room. Before Seungcheol can respond Minseok is at the bar , almost pulling me across the counter to get away from him.

“Sir, be careful,” Seungcheol attempt to come to my unneeded rescue but a glare from his boss’s boss stops him.

“Seungcheol-ah, I’m fine,” I promise.

He is hesitant but he backs away to the other end of the bar. I turn around and stare at the strong hand still gripping my arm, keeping me basically chained to the counter. I raise a brow at him, he releases my arm to hold my hand gently in both of his.

“Well hello,” I greet with a small smile.

“Hello to you too,” He muses with the same smile.

“That was an interesting time to finally come say hi.”

“He has been touching you this whole time and it has been driving me crazy.”

I hum, “If I would have known that’s what it took to get you over here I would have encouraged it.”

He glares at me playfully.

“I’m kidding of course. But since when are other guys not allowed to touch me?”

“It’s not that they aren’t allowed it’s just that I’m not a fan of it,” He specifies.

“Your friends are staring,” I note looking over his shoulder to our audience.

“I don’t care.”

“So you haven’t been ignoring me because you don’t want your friends to know you are dating the bartender?”

He smirks, “I didn’t know I was dating the bartender either.”

My face is on fire, I didn’t mean to say that. I try to pull my hand away to run and hide in my stupidity but his grip on my hand is solid.

“Oh no Love, you aren’t going to just say that and run off. Would you like to be dating?”

I look away to hide my blush but nod, “Yea.”

“Than we’re dating,” He guides my chin back to facing him and kisses me softly on the forehead. A few hoots and hollers come from the table but he ignores them. “I didn’t come over here because I didn’t know if you wanted the whole kitchen to know you are dating the boss.”

“I don’t give a single who knows.”

“Good, so now I’m going to change my answer from earlier. From now on guys are not allowed to touch you.”

I’m about to sass back at him when a tall man joins us at the bar, “So you must be the goddess that got our boss out of bed this morning.” The man is obviously checking me out, a sly smirk appears on his lips before suddenly contracting into a scrunched scowl. “Ah!” He rushes away from the bar, limping slightly. “Hyung you are so mean.”

He snarls something in Chinese. The giant pouts, whining back in the same language. Minseok leans away from the bar, puffing his chest when the other, at least I’m assuming, questions him. “Do you have a death wish tonight?”

Kris glares back at him, “I’m sure there are other things you would prefer to be doing.”

“You are correct but I can definitely fit your death in there, now go sit back down.”

The younger huffs one more time but obeys. The rest of the table is in a silent fit of laughter and snickers at the man’s dismissal. Though some of them eye me up just the same they look away quickly when they realize Minseok is still looking their way. Suddenly they all find each other much more interesting, if not each other than a nearby wall or light fixture, anywhere but Minseok and I.

Minseok looks back to me, looking exhausted from the conversation, “Again, sorry about him.”

“I’m assuming that’s Kris.”

He nods, “Yea, ignore his wandering his eyes, I’ll make sure to let him know it can’t happen again.”

“Why do I have a feeling you are the possessive type?”

He chuckles, “I should have warned you, I’m territorial of what is mine.”

…………………

“Your friends are very eccentric,” I point out as I settle into his couch in his apartment. He appears next to me a moment later, two glasses of coke in his hands, he offers me one before settling his arm around my shoulders.

“Which is why they will be staying away from you for as long as I can manage. They are crazy especially the younger half. Kris, Luhan, and Suho should be fine but Chanyeol and Baekhyun are actually insane.”

I laugh, “You have interesting friends.”

“I know, but at the end of the day, they are very loyal and know when to listen and that’s all I ask for in a friend. Speaking of which, about what I said earlier. I need to get this out of the way or it’s going to bug me,” He is looking down at his drink, his other hand is playing with my curls mindlessly. We are both tense now, I have no idea where this is going and suddenly I feel like I’m about to be dumped. “I want to give you one last chance to leave.”

“What?”

“I’m going to warn you now Love,” He looks up at me with a little bit of anger in his eyes, whether he is angry at me or himself I’m not sure. “I am a very intense man in case you haven’t noticed,” I find myself snickering, he tries to hold back his smile during the serious conversation. “I’m being serious, I will protect you with my life and treat you like a princess but the cost of that are my um, possessive tendencies. I will take care of you, I will love you, I will only feel this way about you. I know this is a lot to handle but if you need to time to think about it I will understand and let you go.”

From the way his arm tightens around me I know that’s a lie. I stare at him for a minute, letting his words soak in, noting how on edge he is. I hum, “So we would be exclusive? No other men? No other women?”

“Yes.”

Again I hum, I’ve been a free agent all my life. The idea of being in a serious relationship absolutely horrifies me, I don’t really know what I’m doing and Minseok has made it very obvious this is going to get really serious really fast. But even with my usual fear of the situation in my mind I find myself saying, “Okay.”

“Okay?”

“I’ll stay.”

He is obviously over joyed but quickly reels himself in, “Are you sure? Once this starts I can’t promise I’ll be able to let you go.”

“I’ve been running long enough, I think it’s time I decided to stay a while.”

That is all he needs to pull me up onto his lap like he had this morning. Those pretty pink lips that have been in my thoughts all day. I’m straddling his hips, my hands cup his face as I bring him closer for a delicious kiss. His hands are on my hips, gripping me tightly, still afraid I might run away. I chuckle into the kiss, pulling away for a moment to place my hands on top of his.

“I’m not going anywhere tonight so rest easy, alright?”

He still looks unsure, “Really? I have you all night?”

“Well until 5:30,” I muse.

He scowls, “Again? I don’t like that job.”

“Well that’s unfortunate, is that a deal breaker for you? Should I just go?” I joke, not really even attempting to step away. His arms wrap around me in an iron grip.

“Very funny, like hell it is. I guess we are just going to have to get started than, can’t have you up too late.”

……………………..

Minseok’s POV

Here we are again. Though I much prefer tonight compared to the one before. Her little body is curled against me, her arms wrapped around me, afraid I might leave or something but this little angel must think I’m insane. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else in the world right now. She is the one that will have to leave in five minutes, again. I groan and for the millionth time consider just turning her alarm off and locking the doors so she can’t go, but I think it’s far too soon for that. Maybe I won’t be that crazy, but I make no promises, I can’t have her working hours like that everyday. How is she not worn to pieces? My poor little goddess. I kiss the top of her head and enjoy the next few minutes with her by my side.

I briefly wonder how crazy she will think I am for having another work shirt for her already? I knew without a doubt she would be coming home with me tonight after she ran back to my car this morning for that kiss. But I didn’t think she would agree to stay after I warned her about not letting her go. She is the wandering type, but maybe she is more deprived of affection than I thought, so much so that she would be willing to give up her freedom for a possessive lover. Maybe I should have warned her properly, mentioned the fact that I’m a little beyond possessive, I’m kind of insane, and the leader of the mafia, but I couldn’t get myself to. I can’t let her run away from me. I was pissed at myself for even offering her a chance to leave, I can’t imagine when I’ll actually confess the rest to her. Until then I’m just going to enjoy her.

Beep, beep, beep, beep, beep.

Or until that ing alarm goes off apparently.