“Sorry, I don’t understand,” she replies, indirectly telling him to repeat because there is no way she was hallucinating when she is completely sober. She drank coffee, not some kind of alcohol. Her eyes fixed on his serious expression.

“You heard me,” he says, making Minseo’s heart beats so damn fast and hard. Her pupils dilated and she can feel there is a big chunk in that keeps her silent. No way. Her inner self whispers and it makes like everything around her is fading, leaving her and Taehyung, alone. She almost drops the cup on the ground before she gets her sense back. Minseo breaks the eye contact when she feels the unknown pain from her chest due to its beating too fast.

“It doesn’t make sense. Why would you ask me things like that? You know it’s not some kind of topic you can pull without any reason,” she says, not even looking at him who has his gaze on her clueless yet nervous face. Who wouldn’t be clueless when you thought you would be having coffee in some chilly night but suddenly were asked to get married? It doesn’t make sense and it never will.

“I have my reasons to this, Minseo. I really do,” Taehyung says before sweeping his thick hair to the back and sighs. He sounds desperate enough to Minseo. She looks at him in confusion. He looked fine before but now, he is asking her to marry him when everything doesn’t feel right for both of them.

“Why? Why me?”, she asks boldly. The only question she wants him to answer, with honesty. Why her? With his beautiful face and social connections, she believes he has so many better options to choose yet he came here and choose Minseo, who is nothing and probably only piece of dust.

“Because it has to be you,”. Taehyung’s answer unconvinced her to the point she feels like she is getting played. You really think this is a drama? Her inner laughs. Her face changes before shaking her head. This is a joke and she won’t fall for it.

“This isn’t a joke,” she says. Taehyung says nothing.

“Go home, Taehyung. You’re tired and let’s talk when you’re sober in mind,” she holds the anger fumes in herself before standing up, making Taehyung looks up at her, anxious. This is ridiculous and immature. He keeps giving her the unconvincing answers which make Minseo fed up. She wants answers but he couldn’t give it so she chose to end the night.

She grabs her things from the bench and starts to walk away before Taehyung holds her wrist, gently. She looks back at his eyes.

“Wait, listen to me. I know this is too sudden and it confuses you but you need to listen to me, please. Uhm, I’m- gosh,” he stops when he couldn’t put anything into words. Just as much he is confusing her, he is confusing himself too.

“In exchange, I can provide give you anything you want. Just tell me anything, I can give you but listen to me, to my reason before you leave,” Taehyung adds. Minseo looks at him, disbelief.

“Like money? Cut this crap, Taehyung. I’m probably not as rich as you, live in that mansion and get everything just like that without working to death but I’m not cheap. I have pride. I don’t do this for money and I’m never going to do this so please just keep that idea to yourself. Ask somebody else and not me,” her eyes are burning with fire that she didn’t expect it was caused by Taehyung. She always looks at him in adoration but tonight, it’s different. Her pride was hurted by his words.

“Minseo, wait no! I didn’t mean it like that. What I meant was-,” he was cut by Minseo, leaving him behind. She is angry, very angry. It disappoints her to think that Taehyung sees her from that kind of perspective. For some reason, she feels small and heavy. The expectations she put on Taehyung was higher than anyone she met before, thinking he was different but the expectation kills her now. She scoffs. Very stupid of her.

“Minseo!!”, he calls her name in the midst of quiet night but she isn’t bothered.

**

The next morning, she wakes up with a heavy head. Just as much she didn’t want to remember about last night, her mind immediately tells her the otherwise. Despite the fight they had, Taehyung insisted to bring her home even the whole minutes they were in the car were filled with tension and silences. It kills her to be in this situation.

“Thanks for the ride. Goodnight,” she said before stepping out from the tension, without looking at Taehyung.

“Let’s talk again when we….are ready,” Taehyung looked at her from the car as she stood motionless, in front of passenger door. There was an apologetic expression across his face but Minseo said nothing. She bowed and walked into her house before she heard Taehyung said ‘Goodnight’.

Minseo shakes her head, erasing the thoughts from her head. Maybe he was tired, she convinces herself. It’s 7 am. She quickly gets up from bed and immediately goes straight to the bathroom.

After had her very quick breakfast, she comes to the hotel, earlier than she had to. For the first time, she feels suffocated being at home with all the messy thoughts all over her head. At least she just has to deal with harmless problems that never linger in her mind, unlike what Taehyung did to her.

She comes to the receptionist desk, like usual. She sees Wendy is busy, talking with another worker so she just stands there, waiting for any customers to come and make her busy but there is none.

“See, see. Minseo is here,” Wendy says, approaching her who remains expressionless. Minseo smiles, insincere one.

The shorter girl raises an eyebrow.

“What’s up with the look? Did your cat died?” the most random question that ever comes out from . She knows Minseo didn’t own any pets. Minseo glares at her.

“Nothing. Just tired,” she answers, busy looking at the log book.

“Tell me what happened yesterday. Something spicy happened?” Wendy bends her upper body on the desk and look at Minseo, beside her.

“Nothing spicy happened. Full stop,”. Wendy pouts.

“Come on!! Since when you become this secretive with me? Tell me,” she sounds like a small girl who is all excited for bed time stories. Minseo sighs before glancing at her.

“Well, they welcomed me, we ate, we talk about weather and changes then I came home. Spicy right?” Minseo says in a very calm voice even Wendy seems unsatisfied with her explainations. It wasn’t what she wanted to know so she digs more.

“Is that it? Last night, you say you were coming home with someone. Did that guy send you back home?”

Minseo nods. Expressionless. Wendy squeals in excitement. The exactly same reaction she had before they came to the park.

“Then what happened?” Wendy digs. Minseo stays silent before her eyes caught something from the lobby.

“Hey, look,” she budges Wendy’s shoulder, telling her to look at the direction she was pointing at. The main reason is to end the conversation about last night. Wendy turns her head before looks at Minseo back. She doesn’t look surprised, different from what Minseo expected her to be.

There is Irene and some unfamiliar guy beside her, holding hands to hands. The smile plasters all over her face when she knows everyone is looking at her and her probably new boyfriend. He is tall and slim with quite good looking face. He is giving model vibes by the way he dressed himself. Irene looks proud, more like cocky.

“Irene’s new boyfriend?” she asks and Minseo shrugs.

“Since when?” Minseo asks back. Wendy chews on her lower lip.

“I don’t know. They have been together since few days ago. Good for her, no more weird screams whenever men walk past her. Jennie probably needs one too” Wendy says, sarcastically. Minseo chuckles a little at the accuracy.

“She has taste. I’m impressed,”.

“Yeah but you don’t know she is actually dating a playboy,”. Minseo raises her eyebrows.

“Woah, you’re indeed a reporter,” Minseo giggles, making Wendy looks at her with a very proud face.

Before she could even react, both of them witnessed something that makes them both wanna gag so much. They are making out, in public, passionately. Irene sure didn’t give any to those who are passing by the lobby because she is kissing him, as if they are on bed or something. Minseo scrunches her nose at the sight while Wendy gives them a very judgemental look. The guy leaves the hotel after breaking the breathless kiss. Both of them look breathless and to think that Irene is still in her uniform, imagine the hotel’s image.

Irene glares at them and adjusting her messy hair before walking to the back.

“I guess this is why hotel should exist,” Minseo suddenly speaks out. Wendy laughs before smacking her arm, softly.

“You still owe me your explanation from yesterday. I will ask again later,” Wendy glares at her, jokingly before leaving her alone. Minseo sighs.

After that, they work like usual until lunch hour comes. Minseo barely goes out during lunch hour. She would just stay in pantry and eat whatever she brought from home. Lunch hour can be the busiest time, especially at restaurant. She left the recipient desk to go enjoy the lunch hour even it’s inside the pantry. But today, she didn’t prepared any lunch from home because she didn’t feel like to.

“Hi, Minseo,” somebody calls her and it’s quite familiar. It’s Tzuyu.

“Oh hey,” she says, excitedly when she still wonderstruck by her beauty, again.

“Are you going to have lunch?” Tzuyu asks while glancing at her wrist watch. Minseo nods.

“I am. Why? Is there anything I can help you?” she asks. Tzuyu shakes her head and smiles.

“No, I’m planning to ask you to eat lunch with me. It’s boring to eat alone”.

Minseo’s lips part.

“Oh….that sounds good, wait a second, I’m getting my bag,” Minseo says and Tzuyu seems delighted.

**

“I didn’t know there is good pizza place here. Is this place new?” Minseo chews on her mozzarella pizza that just came out from oven with so much focus. Tzuyu frowns at her.

They were planning to eat ramen at the nearest shop but as usual, it’s packed with hungry crowd so Tzuyu brought her to an unfamiliar pizza restaurant. It’s located quite far from the hotel which is the reason why it seems unfamiliar to Minseo. The restaurant is different than those busy stalls, it’s very quiet and probably very famous among those who loves privacy.

“You really don’t go outside from hotel, do you?” Tzuyu says with a smile smile before taking a bite on her favourite roasted chicken pizza. Her face lighten in pleasure when the taste of chicken touch her taste buds.

Minseo grins. Tzuyu was rig