“You should’ve seen the things she bought there! My arms really felt like falling off, having to carry all those bags for her!”

Jiyoon smacked her boyfriend lightly on the arm.

“I did not buy that much. Half the things were yours too.”

Sitting in front of them, Eun Jung couldn’t help but to laugh at the couple’s small bickering. She nudged Doo Joon lightly by the side.

“Cute, aren’t they? When are you going to bring me to Paris? It’s the City of Love.”

Doo Joon let out a small snort.

“Which is why, we’re never going there. I’d probably bring you to Africa or something.”

Eun Jung shot him a look of disbelief.

“Way to be a romantic boyfriend. Cheol Yong’s younger than you but at least he knows how to please a lady.”

Doo Joon ignored her and leaned forward to say something to the other male.

“If you keep pampering her too much, there’s a chance she’ll walk over you or walk out on you soon. Take the lesson from me kid.”

“Wow Doo Joon, thanks for the invaluable lesson.” Jiyoon rolled her eyes. “But please, do not corrupt his innocent, sweet mind. That reminds me, we bought something for you guys too.”

She took out a huge paper bag from underneath the table and handed it over to him.

“Just some souvenirs we got you. Nothing much, but we hope you like them. There’s enough for everyone, including all the guys.”

Doo Joon knew she was referring to the other Beast members.

“Tell Dong Woon that I definitely didn’t forget to get him something,” Cheol Yong added in. “He was practically begging for a gift before we left last time.”

Before Eun Jung could utter a word of thanks, they were suddenly interrupted by a shadow hovering over their table. All four of them looked up instantly.

“Oh, Sung Gyu...” Jiyoon said with a hint of surprise.

“Hello Jiyoon, Eun Jung.” He gave both of his colleagues a friendly smile. “I was just about to leave when I saw that you were having dinner here too.”

“Well yeah, we were just...hanging out,” Jiyoon said uncomfortably. She didn’t know why but the way he was looking at her was making her feel uneasy.

Apparently, she was not the only one who feels that way. Cheol Yong noticed how the other guy was staring at his girlfriend and he didn’t like it one bit.

He cleared his throat, a little bit too loudly.

“So you must be the new guy Jiyoon told me about. The one who has just joined the team?” He decided to play it cool yet make his presence noticed.

He was right. It seemed like Sung Gyu had just noticed that there were actually other people sitting at the same table.

“Oh. Oh yes, that would be me. I didn’t realise...Jiyoon had to let my addition known to everyone.”

He still has a smile on his face, but it was obvious that he was clearly forcing it out.

“We share everything together,” Cheol Yong replied with a smirk. “So yeah, I would know. Did you just move around here too?”

Sung Gyu was starting to feel the heat. He didn’t need anyone to tell him that his presence was clearly not welcomed.

“I...yeah I just did. Well, I guess I’d better get going now. It was nice bumping into you, Jiyoon. And you too, Eun Jung.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. “I’ll see you guys tomorrow?”

Jiyoon offered him a smile.

“Yeah sure. See you.”

They waited until Sung Gyu had really walked away, out the door, before Jiyoon turned towards Cheol Yong, who was pretending to be interested in his coffee all of a sudden.

“Okay, what was that all about?”

He just gave her an innocent, ‘I-don’t-know-what-you-are-talking-about’ look.

“What? I was just being friendly to your new colleague.”

“You were like interrogating him!”

“Well, he was practically hitting on you! Didn’t you see the look he was giving you?”

Jiyoon couldn’t believe what she was hearing from him.

“What-? Okay, listen here...”

“Okay guys, time out.” Eun Jung stretched out her right arm in the middle of them and silenced them with a stern look. “You guys are arguing for nothing. Cheol Yong, you’re probably just reading too much into things. And Jiyoon, you should probably be more aware of your surroundings.”

Jiyoon gaped at her.

“What are you saying? Eun Jung...”

“Okay that’s it. What about some drinks now guys?” This time, it was Doo Joon who stepped in. He doesn’t want to take any sides but he too saw the way Sung Gyu had been staring at Jiyoon. Call it a man’s instinct. That guy was definitely interested in his team leader.

But he was not about to say something that could ruin the night further.

He watched them from across the street; the way she gazed into his eyes as she said something to him. From the looks of it, it seemed like they were arguing about something. Probably about him.

His lips curled up into a smirk. Everything was going according to plan.

 He also noticed how unconsciously she was scanning the area; those pair of suspicious eyes never giving her a rest even when she was supposed to be free from work.

Perhaps it was just a nature of a police officer. He should know. He was supposed to be one too.

The sudden vibration coming from his jacket’s side pocket interrupted his stance and brought him back to reality. Fishing it out hastily, he took on look at the caller’s ID and a small smirk appeared on his face.

“Yeah?”

The person at the other end sounded disgruntled and rushed, something which wasn’t completely a surprise. He needs to learn to keep himself calm.

“Where are you? You were supposed to be here 15 minutes ago!”

He cast another look towards the restaurant, where she was sitting. Nothing has changed. Except for the fact she was now resting her head on his shoulder, listening intently to what her friend was talking about. The four of them were completely oblivious to the fact that someone was watching them from afar.

These guys make it seem too easy some times.

“I ran into someone interesting,” he said coyly into the phone. “But I’ll be there soon.”

“Well you better! We are all waiting for you!” And with that, he ended the call with a click sound.

He placed the phone back carefully into his pocket and glanced over his shoulder for the last time. They were all now getting ready to leave.

He continued to watch them as the guy with blonde cropped hair helped her get into her coat and planted a small peck on her cheek after he did so. She smiled in pleasure and wrapped one arm around his waist as she snuggled close to him.

It was kind of hard to watch, but he didn’t know why. They had just merely met and he doesn’t know her that well yet. Well maybe he does, but not in the way he wanted to.

Why does she have to be involved with him? It makes everything even harder than it already is.

He tried to get his head back in the game. The important thing now is to get rid of the competition.

He’ll worry about her later.

A lone figure stood by herself in the middle of the room, with both arms stretched out and her right toe pointed out straight in a perfect angle. She shut her eyes closed and let her mind drift away towards the deepest imagination she could think of.

She started to spin, slowly at first before she begins to gain speed bit by bit.

She was lost, lost in her own world; with nothing and no one there to ruin it for her.

Almost.

Suddenly, she felt two strong arms snaking around her waist, making her stop simultaneously. Before she could open her eyes, she heard his deep low voice whispering into her ear.

“You work too hard, do you know that?”

A soft giggle escaped her lips as she placed her hands on top of his forearms.

“I can’t afford to slack. Competition’s right around the corner. I don’t want to slip on the day itself.”

“Jihyun-ah, you’re a great dancer. You have nothing to worry about. Please don’t over work yourself.”

She released his grip easily and turned around to face him. Resting both arms on his shoulders, she leaned in close to him until the tips of their noses were touching.

“Yang Seung Ho, stop worrying. I’m fine, really I am. Look, after all of this is over, why don’t you and I go somewhere to relax our minds? Just the two of us.”

Seung Ho couldn’t help but to smile at the idea of spending some quiet time alone with her, just the two of them. It’s been quite some time since they had any kind of interactions. A short holiday trip seems like a good idea.

“Just you and I, okay? Promise?”

Jihyun gave him a warm smile.

“Promise.”