There were only a few kids left at the daycare and Taeyeon had to nearly beg for Yejin – or well Jongsim – to leave. Caving the woman left the daycare, Chiwon crying and nearly breaking her heart as she went. She was pouting as she rounded the front desk that was currently unmanned and made her way to the elevators that lead up to the apartments. Too distracted by Chiwon's sad chubby face in her mind Yejin forgot that she was suppose to be angry when she returned to the condo. The memory only coming back when she was standing in the small foyer removing her boots and smelt fresh cooked food.

Tossing her keys in the bowl as she moved further into the apartment she sniffed at the air trying to identify what the scent belonged to. As she stepped into the kitchen her gaze narrowed at the line of to-go boxes on the counter. Had Xiumin assumed she wasn't going to cook him dinner and took the liberty of ordering out? Smart, because she wasn't going to cook for him, not after that morning. He should count his blessings that she stopped at the coffee because Yejin had wanted to do worse things to him.

Her leer faltered for a moment as she recognized the label on the takeout boxes and why the scent was so familiar. Everything was from her favorite restaurant that had the best seaweed soup and her utmost favorite pork buns. immediately started watering when she spotted a container of said soup next to the sink. She was barely three steps into the room to snag the food when Xiumin appeared behind her with a grunt that startled her so badly she stumbled an extra few steps catching herself on the edge of the sink. Whipping around her leer was back in place, but Xiumin didn't seem as worked up as that morning. Yejin dared to say he may have looked troubled, but not angry like her.

“What's with all the food?” she inquired breaking the silence.

“You don't want it?” he countered.

“I didn't say that. I want to know why it's here,” she said.

Pulling his hands out of his pockets Xiumin stepped across the kitchen and entered the dining room, Yejin curiously following on his heels. The table was set, food neatly arranged, even a white wine poured in two long stemmed wine glasses. It was a strangely perfect date spread Yejin had dreamed about on her more lonely nights.

“What's with this?” she questioned. Her voice cracking ever so slightly at the thought of that ideal date.

“Sit and eat. We'll talk,” was all he said.

“No. I'll hear what you have to say first,” she said firmly.

Xiumin peered sideways at her and she met his gaze. The tension growing between them again.

“You're stubborn,” he stated.

“You didn't know that already?” she challenged.

He clicked his tongue as he shook his head, not as an answer but more of an alternative to swearing. Yejin narrowed her gaze further at him as she waited for his real answer.

“I'm trying to apologize for this morning, I crossed a line, but in my line of work I've seen just about everything. And knowing who you really are and who you personally know will make my end of this deal a hell of a lot easier,” he said. But his words sounded more like lines from a play than an honest apology.

“So blatantly asking if I've slept around is how you decided to get to know me?” she hissed.

“Would you have told me otherwise?” he retorted.

“I would,” she nodded.

“Sit down. Food's getting cold,” he murmured, a minute edge to his voice.

“I'm not sitting down to my ideal date with a man who thinks I'm an ignorant fool. You can eat by yourself, but I will be taking these with me.” As she spoke she grabbed the bowl with the meat buns off the table and turned to march right out of the dining room.

“Ignorant?” Xiumin grumbled.

Pausing in the archway separating the dining room and the lounge Yejin added one last comment before retreating to her room to dive into the meat buns – they smelled like her favorite ones too. “By the way the best way to start an apology is to say I'm sorry.”

Once in her room Yejin locked the door and curled up in the center of her bed with the buns humming happily at the heavenly flavor. Pulling out her phone she distracted herself from the idiot in the condo with dumb pop culture news and funny viral videos until the pork buns were gone and she was in need of more along with a drink. She tossed her phone aside and took hold of the bowl as she clambered out of bed and made her way to the door. On the other side she had to stop herself from tripping and kicking over a to-go container and a bottle of water that were sitting on the floor of the hall.

Yejin stuck her head out into the corridor looking up and down it for any other sign of Xiumin, but he wasn't there. Crouching down she poked the water bottle before turning her attention to the folded piece of paper sitting on top of the food container. She slowly picked it up, not really wanting to read it but the need to know what it said was too strong. Unfolding it she carefully read over the surprisingly elegant script.

'You were right. I should have said “I'm sorry,” right away. There are some things that fade with this job and apparently one of them is the ability to own up to when you actually do something wrong. I am sorry.'

Yejin flicked the bottom corner of the note with a heavy sigh. Why was her heart racing so quickly? She found her own reaction frustrating as she gathered the container and bottle into her arms along with the bowl she was still holding. Muttering how stupid she was being at a simple note the girl made her way back into her room again.

After her first and last boyfriend Yejin thought she had better control over her more sensitive emotion