“Silly Jooyeon. You always get hurt,” His right hand found it’s way to the side of your head, as Daniel softly the corner of your forehead where the can of tuna fell with his thumb. You grimaced at the slight soreness which soon went away when he gently blew air at the small bump, succeeding in reducing the pain. “How am I not worried about you babe?” His fingers caressed your hair for a bit before it falls back to his side.

That term of affection naturally and effortlessly slipped through his lips, his deep and rich voice making the effect ten times better. You figured that Daniel hadn’t notice of his slip up, or maybe he really did it on purpose, showing his flirty and smooth moves again. Cue more butterflies, this time with larger wings as they fluttered freely in your tummy while finding their way into your heart. Damn, you might as well open up a butterfly park by now.

Fully aware that you were slowly turning into a human tomato, you gave him a small nod and a smile before turning your heels, ready to slip away. Daniel gently grabbed hold of your wrist before you could escape. “Jooyeon, wait a minute,” he spoke, his voice soft and enchanting as you found yourself frozen in place, “I have something to ask you.”

“Y-yes?”

“Well…” he paused as if having second thoughts, “You see…” Daniel’s voice faded for a few seconds as he studied your face, his hand still gently grasping your wrist. You were genuinely curious now since a sight of Kang Daniel struggling to form words in front of you was very rare. “I heard you like gentle guys. Am I right?” he finally raised the question.

That was definitely not what you expected. You might be delusional, but you actually thought that Daniel was finally going to ask you out. Both of you were having ‘the’ moment, or was it all one-sided? Slightly crestfallen, you stuttered a response, “W-who told you that?”

“Daehwi did,” he simply replied.

Daniel took your silence as you agreeing to his statement earlier and he continued, not bothering to wait for your reply, “Then, from now on…” he lightly rubbed his chin, pondering over something before he spoke, “Should I try to be gentle?”

“H-huh?” Did you hear him right? Did Kang Daniel just offered to become your ideal type?

‘What are you even talking about? You’re all definitions of gentle. You’re kind, soft, affectionate, sensitive, warm, sweet, sentimental…’ you replied in your head as you’ve pretty much used up all the synonyms for the word ‘gentle’ in your mental vocabulary. There was no exaggeration when you say that Daniel has all the qualities and characteristics that never fail to charm you every time you interact with him.

Daniel continued talking as you were rendered speechless, “So… from now on,” he took a careful step closer to you, eyes gazing deep enough into your eyes it reached your soul, “Stay close to me,” he declared, smiling widely as he gently pat you on the head.

You felt your heart pounding in your chest, dumbstruck at his words as you completely lost the ability to move or form any words. When you’re finally back to your senses, you found yourself walking next to Daehwi, finishing off your grocery shopping and having no clue of what just took place.

********************

“You okay noona?” Daehwi asked, lightly pushing the trolley –now half filled with groceries– as you both head towards the cashier. After finishing off the last item on the shopping list, the young boy noticed the visible shade of pink colouring your cheeks. He didn’t bother to ask when he first saw it, but your lack of sarcastic remarks and nags made him wonder what happened to you a few minutes earlier.

You didn’t hear him repeating the same question a few more times as you were busy fanning your face with your hands, trying to cool down your burning cheeks. He got your attention when he smacked a pack of frozen peas on your left cheek, making you flinch in surprise as the cool sensation hits. If your mind wasn’t currently occupied by a certain someone, you would gladly return the favour, but your mouth was only able to let out a dazed response, “W-what’s that?”

Daehwi raised one eyebrow and sighed. He stopped pushing the trolley and turned to face you, “You’re in a daze, there’s a small bump on your forehead and your cheeks are pink. Not to mention, you only got the tuna and forgot the dried seaweed. Are you okay noona?” he asked, grabbing the frozen peas from your hands and tossing it back into the trolley before you could massage both cheeks with it, –it did the trick of lowering the temperature of your cheeks by a degree.

You chuckled awkwardly, wiping off the traces of water drops on your cheeks from the melted ice, “I’m ok. Let’s just hurry up and go home,” you helped push the trolley with one hand.

“Is it just me or Daniel hyung has been trailing us from behind?” The boy leaned near your ear and whispered. “He barely has anything in his trolley too,” Daehwi added, scanning the contents of the said male’s shopping trolley. You confirmed his words when you saw the silhouette a few meters behind you from the corner of your eyes.

“Hyung? Since when is he a ‘hyung’ to you?” you asked, noticing the informality and friendliness in his choice of words.

“Since a few minutes ago,” Daehwi casually replied, swerving the trolley to the right, “I bumped into him at the beverages section. He told me to call him ‘hyung’,” he turned briefly to look at you and grinned widely, “I thought why not since he’s technically older and you guys are going out anyways.”

“We’re not dating!” was your instinctive reply as you shrieked, a little too loudly. You quickly tried to do some damage control by covering your mouth, but your voice had already reached the ears of the surrounding people, including Daniel himself. You might be wrong, but you could see a hint of disappointment mixed with guilt in his facial expression. “I told you we’re just… just…” you stuttered as your voice fades away.

“Course mates?”

“No,”

“Friends?

“Maybe...? I don't know,”

“You guys are definitely not strangers,”

“Of course not,”

“Acquaintances?”

“No!”

What is exactly your relationship with Daniel? You only started to get closer and more comfortable with him after the arcade date, when he admitted that he was serious about going on more dates and getting to know you better. Still, you are not the type to make conclusions about your possible romantic relationships. Since Daniel haven’t contacted you, let alone send any texts or a even simple emojis for a week, you didn’t want to make any false assumptions. On top of that, you were still trying to figure out what Daniel meant by his vague declaration earlier. If Doyeon was here, she’d already be knocking you on the head and calling you slow for not being able to comprehend something as simple as this. In your defense, Daniel made it hard to understand him when he’s just beating around the bush. On the bright side, you were thankful that Daniel wasn’t being straightforward because you’d totally faint from being unprepared.

“We just attend the same university,” you finally replied after some thought.

As if expecting that answer, Daehwi sighed again, “I hope you didn’t friendzone him again like how you did with Hwang Minhyun back in highschool.” You automatically blush at the mention of that familiar name again after a few years.

“You told Daniel about my ideal type?” you quickly changed the subject, suspicious of your brother’s sudden interest in your non-existent love life, “Did Daniel bribe you?” your eyebrows frowned in his direction. If Kang Daniel was capable of blackmailing you previously, there is no surprise if he could bribe your brother this time. Who knows what other tricks he has up his sleeves.

Daehwi just shrugged his shoulder, stopping the trolley as you arrived at the cashier. You glanced behind you, confirming that Daniel was still at a safe hearing distance before asking, “Wait, did he tell you that we’re dating?” your voice was barely a whisper as you were extra cautious.

“It’s a secret~” he replied teasingly, in a sing-song tone. You gasped, staring back and forth between your younger brother and Daniel as you crossed your fingers, wishing that he didn’t pull off his signature ‘boyfriend’ act again. Because if he did, there was a high possibility of Daehwi telling your easily overexcited mother about this ‘wonderful’ news, and you are 100% sure she’s going to overreact. Although, you had to admit slightly anticipating a positive answer from him.

Both of your hands were already reaching out to choke your brother’s throat, but you quickly pulled away when he waved animatedly to someone behind you. You glanced over your shoulder and your breath instantly caught in your throat to see Daniel at the counter on your right. How did he get here so fast? Is he a track and fields athlete too? Daniel replied Daehwi with a smile and sent you a meaningful wink.

After paying, you lifted the last bag of groceries into your hands as Daniel approached quietly with his small bag of assorted gummy treats. “Are you going straight home?” he asked.

“Y-yeah,” was what managed to come out of your mouth as your mind was flooded with the flashbacks of what happened earlier. Unconsciously, your hand reached up to touch the small bump on your forehead and your cheeks slowly turned pink once more.

“Oh,” Daniel breathed. “I was just gonna ask if you want to get something to eat first. My treat,” he offered.

You quickly refused, “Sorry Daniel. I have to head back home, besides I can’t let my brother go back all by himself.” Under normal circumstances, you would say yes to his offer, but you were still in the ‘avoiding’ mood and you can’t possibly allow Daehwi to go home alone. Just because he’s a tattle tale and would gladly notify your mother as soon as he steps into the house.

Daniel seemed to notice that you were avoiding him again as he added, “You brother can come along.” He was staring at you with puppy eyes, hoping that you would agree. “Then I’ll send you guys back home,” he finally proposed.

Your younger brother already had a wide smile on his face at the mention of free food. Daehwi skipped next to the taller boy excitedly, “Oh! Oh! Can I have dessert too?”

***************************

“How’s the food?” Daniel asked. The three of you were seated at a table in the corner of a pizza place that you never knew existed inside the mall. The restaurant was very homey, despite it’s location inside the busiest mall in the area. The silence did not make the atmosphere awkward, but rather it gave off a sense of peacefulness and privacy suitable for dining alone or with a date. Daniel specifically chose this place –after asking you if you like pizza of course–, stating that it’s one of his favourite restaurants in town. Since he was always the centre of attention at the campus, it was no surprise that he preferred somewhere peaceful and quiet to dine at.

“This place is nice. The food’s good too,” you nodded, taking a bite of your pizza. Who would’ve figured that your initial refusal to let Kang Daniel treat you for a meal would evolve into something quite the opposite, where you were currently ‘hanging out’ at his favourite place with your brother tagging along? Daehwi only let out incoherent muffled sounds, agreeing with your statement as he stuffed more pizza in his mouth. You lightly pinched your brother under the table and gave him a look to remind him not to embarrass you, earning you a whine as Daniel chuckled at the cute siblings interaction.

“So how’s the magazine coming along?” Daniel tried to get the conversation going by asking another question.

You wanted to dodge the question again by stuffing your mouth with more pizza, but you didn’t want to seem rude. After all, he is the one paying for the food. “We’re almost done,” you answered and took a sip of your drink to help swallow the food. “The physical copies are being printed and the exclusive interview is already up on our website.” You stated further.

Suddenly, Daniel's hand reached over to your face as he wiped some crumbs from the corner of your lips with a napkin, "You've got something there," he said and chuckled, "Cute."

You could only blink in surprise with your mouth slightly agape. That term of affection was clearly meant for you. Was this what he meant by trying to be gentle with you? Loud coughing sounds stopped you from drowning into Daniel’s dreamy gaze, and you quickly handed Daehwi a drink when you saw him choking on his food, bits of pizza flying out of his mouth. For a while there, you forgot all about the presence of your baby brother in the room, who was probably listening to the whole conversation. Thankfully the seat opposite him was empty as Daniel was sitting in front of you. The younger boy took big gulps of cola as you softly patted his back to help stop the coughing.

He calmed down a minute later, shifting his gaze from Daniel to you and whispered, “He’s definitely dangerous noona.”

“Are you ok Daehwi?” Daniel asked, handing him a napkin. The said boy nodded in response before going back to his food.

Daniel turned his attention back to you, “I had a feeling you’d be busy all week, so I didn’t text or call you because I didn’t want to disturb you,” he explained. You could visibly see the sense of relief washing over him, happy that he could continue keeping in contact with you. You paused at the surprising and silly revelation of why Daniel didn’t bother to contact you for the past week. It was all because he thought that he’d be a distraction for you to finish next month’s magazine issue. You felt embarrassed and wondered if you should apologise for speculating that he was busy with the new girl for a whole week. “I can’t wait to read it soon,” he added excitedly.

“If you want, I can give you a copy as soon as it’s done printing,” you offered.

“I’d love that,” Daniel smiled in reply, showing off his signature eye-smile that you were deprived of after ignoring him for seven days.

“So, you like pizza?” It was your turn to ask questions.

“It’s one of my favourite,” he nodded, sipping on his drink before adding, “The pasta here are delicious too.”

Your eyes lit up at the mention of your favourite dish, “Really? I love pasta.”

Daniel replied, his tone very casual, “Well, we can always come here again next time,” he was softly poking his pizza with a fork as he continued, “I don’t mind coming here with you forever.” You felt as if you just dived into a pool of sugary treats, overdosed in sweetness. If Daniel’s words accompanied by his honeyed gentle baritone were actual food, you’d already be suffering with diabetes.

***********************

After your chance meeting and unplanned hang out with Daniel over the weekends, his sugary-filled words and action were etched into your memory and you were forced to replay the scenes over and over again in your head. It was easy to read his intention, but you couldn’t help but to be bothered by the image of that girl he was being too friendly with. In a way, you were at fault for not asking him about her when you had the chance. Reading you like an open book, your best friend knew something was bothering you when you couldn’t concentrate on your work. “Ok, spill it now!” Doyeon demanded, smacking the newly printed magazine in front of you to get your attention.

You told her everything that happened, from seeing Daniel interact affectionately with a girl, you avoiding him for a week and him purposely doing the same, to your chance encounter with him over the weekends. “I think… Daniel might already have a girlfriend,” you finally concluded.

“Oh My God! Are you guys official now?” your best friend squealed, obviously only registering the word ‘Daniel’ and ‘girlfriend’.

You frowned at Doyeon’s ridiculous response. Was she not listening to what you just explained? “No, I mean with someone else!” you snapped.

“Maybe she’s his sister or cousin. Who knows?” Doyeon suggested.

“Or maybe she’s not?”

“Then, you have to get back your man!”

“My man?” You scoffed, “Don’t be ridiculous, he was never mine to begin with. How many times do I have to tell you that we’re not dating?!” you got worked up, feeling frustrated.

“Dating who?” A voice joined your conversation, as a familiar tall and handsome figure waltzed into the room.

“Ong sunbae! Thank god you’re here,” Doyeon exclaimed with her hands up in the air, feeling defeated. “Please tell this girl that she needs to date Daniel because they’re soulmates.” She prompted.

Seongwu repeated her sentence monotonously, sounding like a robot, “You need to date Daniel because you’re soulmates.”

“Now you’re teaming up against me?” you sighed in exasperation, leaning back in your chair as Doyeon and Seongwu shared a fist bump.

“I’m serious, that dude really has a thing for you,” Seongwu added, grabbing a magazine and quickly flipping through it.

“But how do you explain the girl I saw him with?” you timidly asked, staring blankly at Daniel’s smiling picture on the front cover of next month’s magazine.

“Could be his fan,” he simply replied, not an ounce of surprise in his tone of voice.

“I’ve seen him interact with his fans before. It’s different, he looked too friendly with her…” You reasoned. The girl also didn’t seem like one of his admirers because she was rather calm when facing him.

“You can always ask him,” Seongwu suggested, “And Daniel’s really attracted to you. He won’t lie, trust me.”

****************************

Feeling determined, you braved yourself to finally ask Daniel about the girl as you walked into the boxing gym with three sets of the new magazine issue in your arms. You texted him, notifying that you’d stop by the gym to see him and that you have something for him.

Clutching tightly onto the magazine, you took a deep breath before walking in, “Daniel, I have something for you-” The confidence you had earlier faltered the moment you saw him with the girl yet again. “S-sorry, I didn’t know you’re busy. I’ll just leave then,” you felt your heart slowly sinking to the pit of your stomach.

“Jooyeon!” Daniel ran up to you and caught your hand before you could leave. “Hey, wait up.” He gently turned you around to face him. You saw the girl staring at both of you from over his shoulder.

“I’m sorry Daniel. I should’ve knocked first before coming. It was wrong for me to just barge in like that,” you spoke quickly, trying to excuse yourself.

“It’s fine really. Why are you here?” he asked, not letting go of your hand.

You gulped, choking back on tears as you felt your eyes glistening, “I thought you’d want to see next month’s issue first before we release it officially. So, I brought you and the guys a copy each.” You showed him the magazines with a smile, trying to sound cheerful while hiding your true feelings.

“Wow, you’ve really outdone yourself. I knew you’d do great!” Daniel complimented, skimming briefly through the cover and pages. He exclaimed in satisfaction whenever he saw pictures of himself or his friends. You were tapping on your foot, feeling jittery as you waited for the suitable time to leave. Daniel peeled his eyes away from the magazine and spoke, “Could you stay for a few minutes? I need to introduce you to my-,” he gestured to the girl behind him.

You cut him off before he could finish, failing to hold your tears as it started pooling in your eyes, “I’m in a rush, m-maybe next time,” you said before bowing and hurrying out the gym. You heard you named being called, but you couldn’t turn around as a tear had rolled down your cheek.

“She left?” Ailee asked, standing next to her brother.

“Yeah, she seems to be in a hurry. I wanted to introduce you to her,” Daniel sighed, his mouth slightly pouting.

“So, that’s the girl that managed to make my little brother smile like crazy?” The elder of the two siblings guessed, nudging the younger male with her elbow. Daniel blushed as he rubbed the back of his ears sheepishly. “That’s actually the first girl I see that doesn’t turn into a puddle in front of you,” she commented.

“I know noona, that’s why she’s so special,” Daniel nodded as Ailee chuckled at his reaction. She has never seen him so smitten with someone before.

“Does she know you like her?” she grabbed one magazine in his hands and took a seat on a bench nearest to them. Ailee smiled widely to see her brother on the front cover as she read the front-page headline, feeling proud of his achievements. She made a mental note to show the article to their mother when they get home later.

“Yes? I mean maybe? Actually I don’t know noona,” Daniel paused after each answer as he took a seat next to her. He glanced over to see her reading about the exclusive interview you did with him a few weeks ago as he reminisced that day. That was the first time his heart beat rapidly when he held your hand and he instantly liked how your small hand fit perfectly into his. He also recalled the time when he taught you a proper punch for the first time and chuckled to himself when he remembered your cute reaction, when you managed to make the punching bag move slightly on your second try.

Ailee waved the magazine in his face, waking him up from trance, “How long are you gonna wait? Until someone else sweep her away from you?” she slapped him lightly. “Poor girl. I bet she’s so confused right now. She might’ve misunderstood who I am and got heartbroken,” she suspected after seeing your reaction when you laid eyes on her.

“Nah, she won’t. She’s not like that noona,” Daniel quickly denied, brushing off her claim.

He earned another slap from his older sister, “Daniel, she’s still a girl. It’s obvious that she left hurriedly because she saw us just now.” She brought the truth to light as the said boy frowned in response.

****************************

“Sweetie, you’re back! You have a visitor,” your mother chirped loudly once you stepped into the house. You walked to the kitchen, following her voice and the aroma of relaxing green tea –signaling that you have guests over. When you set foot in the room, you were welcomed with a sight that managed to take your breath away. Sitting at the dining table of your kitchen, was Kang Daniel himself, leisurely sipping on your mother’s favourite green tea. When did he get here? How did he know the number of your apartment?

“Daniel?” you stood stationary at the entrance of the kitchen, acknowledging his presence, “What are you doing here?”

Your mother gladly replied to you question on his behalf, “He said he wanted to see you and was waiting for you downstairs. I invited him inside since it looked like it was gonna rain.”

“It didn’t mom. The sky’s sunny all day long today,” you made a sarcastic remark, knowing too well that your mother was making an excuse.

“Hush now, he helped me with the groceries. It’ll be rude not to invite him for a cup of tea,” your mother retorted, pulling you to a seat at the table.

“Your mom’s tea is very delicious,” Daniel commented, smiling as he sipped on more tea. At that moment, you knew that there was no escape from what’s going to come later as Daniel has you trapped, inside your own house.

Another long update to make up for the long wait! Based on the votes on the previous chapter, most of you chose B: the female OC to have a name, but the still written in 'you' format. So I have decided for the name Lee Jooyeon, as suggested by EmptyTinkerbell. I personally like the name and think it suited her character quite well.

The first scene (in italics) in this chapter was inspired by the ghana chocolate CF Wanna One did. I've attached a video but couldn'f find a subbed one, but most of what Daniel said in the video is similar to what I wrote in the story. Our main leads are not quite a couple yet, I have all the scenes planned out for next update so I hope you guys can be patient for that.

In the meantime, tell me what you think of this chapter! Do you like her name? Please leave a comment~ <3