Chapter 11

Gut Feeling

The remainder of the meeting seemed to go over well. The girls all seemed to have mellowed out and even Mina did her best to be nice to Yuna, who in turn did her best to be nice too. Heejun half did his job as a host, but his being distracted by your very existence was enough to endear him to your friends. Probably more endearing than his flirtatious persona would have been. Inseong’s pumpkin pie was delicious, and you thanked him for the opportunity to taste test it.

“Do you really have to leave already?” Heejun pouted. His arms were draped seemingly loosely around your waist as your group was getting ready to leave, but in reality he was holding you tighter than that. “Can’t you stay a little bit longer?”

“We have a project due on Friday, and you have a job. I don’t want to distract you.” You patted his shoulder. Heejun continued to pout.

“Can’t you work here? I promise I won’t distract you!” It broke your heart how cute he was. Heejun slumped over slightly, resting his head on your shoulder. “Don’t leave me. Life has no meaning without you.”

“I’m still alive, and I’m still your girlfriend even if I’m not in your line of sight.” You tried to soothe him, patting his back softly. Heejun sighed deeply.

“But I miss you already. How am I going to survive the rest of the day and night without you?” His whining made place for sincerity, and you felt his heart beating softly as you leaned against him. You almost felt sorry for him. If not for the date planned less than 24 hours from now.

“By thinking about all the fun we’ll have tomorrow. You’ll be okay.” You muttered, letting your hand rest on his shoulder. “I’ll miss you too. But it’s just temporary. We’ll see each other again soon.”

“You two are equally gross. I’ve decided you’re a perfect fit, congratulations.” Mina said sarcastically behind you. Though you couldn’t see her face, the scrounged up expression she likely wore on her face was etched permanently into your memory. You smiled and tried to turn to look at her, but Heejun held you tighter. Don’t go, not yet.

“It’s your fault for introducing us in the first place.” Heejun teased, holding you tight for another few seconds before finally releasing you. “Alright, get home safe. And message me when you do.” He tapped your nose and grinned as you swatted at his hand.

“She’ll be safe with me.” Mina groaned, pulling you through the door. You waved at Heejun, then turned to follow Mina so you wouldn’t trip over anything. Yonghee hooked her arm through yours on your other side. You couldn’t see either Yongsun or Yuna, so you had to assume they were behind you.

“That was fun, wasn’t it?” Yonghee smiled. You nodded and turned to look at Mina. She nodded, though her lips were pressed together thinly. Surprisingly, she wasn’t the one to bring the issue up first as you heard Yuna call your name from behind you. You stopped walking to listen to her.

She looked a little pale, and it almost looked as if Yongsun had to hold her up. She was working herself up to say something, and you felt sympathetic simply because of how hard it had to be to say something. Then again, Yuna had put herself in this position. She repeated your name a second time before looking up to face you.

“I’m sorry for how I acted. It wasn’t very nice of me and I’m really sorry. There’s just something about that guy that really rubs me the wrong way.”

“Oh that’s bull! You’ve been there with me so many times, but now that she’s dating Heejun he suddenly gives you a bad feeling?!” Mina interjected. Yuna’s face contorted and she looked down.

“I know! I’ve been there so often and it always… I don’t know. It’s just in the context of him dating you… You agree with me Mina! It feels weird how he’s acting around her!” Yuna suddenly exclaimed. You flinched.

“Is it really so unbelievable that he likes me?” You asked before Mina could fire back. Yuna let her shoulders droop and shook her head, sighing in frustration.

“No! That’s the thing… I completely believe that he likes you. It just doesn’t make sense. He’s always been really flirty but really superficial, and all of a sudden he’s just 120% into someone he just met. It’s not you, it’s him. He’s weird and it freaks me out.” Then why did it feel so directed at you? You didn’t voice that thought, but Yongsun did it for you.

“She’s a really sweet girl. Just because Heejun wasn’t interested in you or Mina doesn’t mean he can’t be interested in her. Maybe he just has a type, maybe he fell in love at first sight. Those things happen. As long as they’re both happy, I don’t think we should be judging them.”

“Yeah, Heejun just really likes her. It’s fast, and it’s a bit much, but he’s honest about it. I’ve accepted that now and I think you should, too.” Mina nodded, patting your arm in support. You gave her a small smile, then turned to face Yuna.

“I’m grateful that you’re concerned, but it really didn’t come across that way. I know things are moving fast, but I hope you can trust me to make these decisions for myself. I’m happy with my life right now.” She nodded at your words, but you weren’t sure it really hit home. “Let’s put it all behind us for now, okay?”

“Okay.” Yuna nodded again. It didn’t feel like this was the end of this conversation, but you didn’t want to continue having the conversation. Mina gave Yuna a pointed look but didn’t say anything, taking your arm again, pulling you in the direction of the subway.

 

“My internship is starting tomorrow.” You sighed, swinging the hand Heejun was holding. It’d been coming for a while, but now it was unavoidable. Heejun stopped your hand mid-motion, slowing his pace.

“I’ve been thinking about that, too.” He said, stepping aside and pulling you with him to let another couple pass. Your shoulder bumped into his, something Heejun seemed oblivious to. You dropped your head on his shoulder and sighed.

“I won’t have as much time to hang out anymore.” So probably no more weekly dates at least for a while. Heejun sighed, slipping his arms around your waist and pulling you against him, nestling his face against your neck.

“No.” He mumbled. You weren’t sure whether or not he was acknowledging what you’d said or protesting it. “I have an idea. Please hear me out and tell me honestly what you think.” He added, slowly adding more of his weight onto you. You nodded, leaning back against him and waited.

“I have an apartment. It’s closer to the lawyer’s office than your dorm. How about you sleep over? Your internship is usually in the afternoon or evening, it’d save you the trip back to the dorm, and we get to spend some time together.”

“That sounds nice but…” You tried, failing to find the words.

“But?”

“I’d be coming over really late some days. I don’t want to keep you from sleeping in time.” Yes, among other things.

“You won’t. I’m a night owl, remember?”

“And I haven’t been to your apartment before, either.” Also among other things.

“We can fix that. We can go there right now.”

“I’ve never slept over at a guy’s place before.” You finally said it. Heejun didn’t reply immediately, but you felt his chest reverberating behind you. When you looked up at him, you saw him laughing silently.

“Ah, so that’s what you’re worried about.” He mused, his hands finding yours. “You think I have less than noble intentions by inviting you over.”

“I wouldn’t say that…”

“But that’s what worries you. That I might push you for more than you’re comfortable with.” It sounded wrong when he phrased it like that. Not because it wasn’t true, but because it wasn’t necessarily him you were worried about. Rather, the concept of sleeping over at a guy’s place just had certain implications.

“It’s not that I’m worried about you, just about… We haven’t even kissed yet.” And he had never pushed you for that, either. Sure, he touched you whenever he could, just like he currently was, but Heejun wasn’t pushy. And that was a great thing, but it also meant that you didn’t quite know what to expect of him.

“Do you want to?” His velvet soft voice was quiet, and somehow closer to you than ever before. You shivered just from the sound and tried to find the right answer to that. Yes? Yes! Just thinking about you made your heart beat faster, it was just difficult to put that feeling into words.

“Yes.”

“That’s good to hear.” His lips pressed briefly to your ear. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot lately, what it would be like to kiss you.”

Your knees felt weak, as they often did when he whispered to you. People passed you by almost without noticing you, as if the two of you might slip away into a world of your own. Except for the security camera that was currently angled at you. You noticed it from the corner of your eyes.

“Not here. We’re being watched.”

“Let’s go home. I know you want to, I have a talent for knowing those things.” Even when he was being playful, his lips grazed your ear again. You nudged him, but he barely moved and squeezed your shoulders as he led you with him.

It wasn’t that far to his apartment, though the way there felt both agonizingly long and far too quick. All too soon you found yourself standing in front of an apartment building. It was at least ten stories tall, though you couldn’t count all the way to the top as it was already starting to get dark. What would the rent be for an apartment in these kinds of buildings? It wasn’t a bad neighbourhood, how could Heejun afford that? Was their music that popular? Did he live here with his parents? Were you about to meet his family? He’d have said so if you were, right?

“I know, it’s pretty great.” Heejun grinned as he turned the key, letting you into the hallway.

“Which floor are you on?” You tried to distract yourself as Heejun pressed the elevator button. It was on the third floor currently.

“Seventh floor. Lucky seven.” His nails tapped impatiently on the metal door.

“How long have you..-” The doors opened. A lady and her young son stepped out, greeting Heejun politely. He smiled and waved at her as he pulled you into the elevator, adding a little extra energy as the child waved back just before the doors closed. How cute. You looked up at Heejun’s bright smiling face, and found him turning to face you.

“We’re alone now.” He said, placing his hands on the metal bar on either side of you. The sweet smile was now looking rather devious.

“Button.” You half attempted a protest. Heejun glanced at the panel. When you followed his gaze, you noticed number seven had already been pushed. When did he do that? Before you could ask, you felt something soft connecting with your cheek. Heejun grinned at you as he stepped back, leaning against the wall across from you.

“You’re sneaky.”

“I’m lovely.”

“You’re both.”

“Aww, you like me.” He smiled, dropping his head. He looked strangely cat-like. Specifically, he looked like Mort when he’d settled in for a good cuddling session, and was waiting for you to pet him. Complete with the slow blink of affection. This time it didn’t even feel intentional how drawn you were to him, it just felt right to be close to him. Before you knew it, your feet had brought you right in front of him. He smiled lazily and leaned on the bar, eyeing you.

“I do like you.” You decided, reaching up to brush his hair. It was a little rougher than it looked, probably because he’d bleached it recently, but it wasn’t brittle.

“Good.” He hummed, and you felt his hands come to rest on your sides. No pressure, no pulling, only gentle contact. “Because I like you, a lot. I’d be heartbroken if you didn’t like me.”

“I like you a lot, too.” You leaned into him.

“How much?” He leaned back, lifting you up slightly.

“To the moon and back?” You s your arms up, half wrapping them around his neck.

“That is a lot… I like it.” He kissed you.

To Heejun’s great annoyance, the elevator doors opened with a ping. You made a motion to leave, but his arms once again tightened around you. You could swear you hear a faint curse fall from his lips before you looked back up at him, but by the time you did there was a guiding hand on the small of your back. Apparently you weren’t moving fast enough for him, because as soon as you left the crammed metal box a second arm swooped you off your feet. You yelped in surprise.

“Heejun!” He was already walking quickly. You ducked your head against his shoulder, equally impressed and embarrassed. He didn’t look that physically strong, but his arms were muscular. They felt especially muscular as they enveloped your entire body.

“To the moon and back.” Heejun teased, slowing his pace as he turned to face a door. You patted his shoulder.

“Alright, you can let me down now.”

“That’s what you think. But, unbeknownst to you…” Heejun raised the arm under your knees up and shook his hand. It made a jingling noise and you realized he was already holding his keys in them. “I’m not letting you go unless I absolutely have to. And even then…” His voice dipped low again.

The keys turned in the lock, and unsurprisingly Heejun continued to carry you inside, kicking the door shut behind him. It was dark inside. The curtains across from the entrance were drawn, and they looked like back out curtains. Behind you, on Heejun’s left, there was a small kitchen area. In front of you, and to his right, stood a dark, leather couch in front of a television on a coffee table. Further back in the living room, there were two doors on either sides of the wall. As you wondered what was inside the rooms, Heejun lowered you to the floor and you found yourself backed against his door, shrouded by coats and him, towering over you.

“Your lips have placed a terrible curse on me.”

Of course you knew he was tall. You could see it, but you only rarely seemed to experience it. His shoulders were almost taller than you, and in the dark apartment, the only thing resembling light was the twilight that peeked through the curtains.

“I’m sorry?” You asked, confused as to what he meant. Though you couldn’t see his face, you felt his eyes burning you.

“Your lips. They have placed a most foul curse on me. Never again will anything taste sweet.” His fingers cupped your face. They felt cold against your skin. As your eyes got used to the darkness, you could discern Heejun’s face in the shadows. His eyes were locked on yours, and you almost wished you could go back to seeing nothing.

“I’m sure it’s not that..-” A kiss interrupted you. Your lips tingled, your heart about exploded. It wasn’t the first time you’d been kissed, not even the first time you were kissed by someone you liked, but it’d never quite felt like this before. So pillow-y soft, and warm.

It was almost distracting enough for you not to notice him picking you up. You gripped at his shoulders, but any noise of surprise was muffled by his lips as he carried you. Moments later you heard the familiar sound of the leather, and the cool feeling of leather on your back. You were trapped again, pinned between him and the couch. There was a fleeting sense of panic as you considered how easy it was for Heejun to overpower you, but his hands only sought yours as he sat up.

“Yes it is, it’s very serious. I’ve tasted a forbidden fruit. Now that I know the feeling, I can never forget or live without it.” He smiled, leaning in to give you a brief peck. Or that’s what you assumed, because he easily melted against you.

“Are you always poetic when you’re… Kissing someone?”

“I don’t know, haven’t had a reason to kiss anyone until I met you.” He smiled, and you almost believed him. If he hadn’t been so handsome and flirtatious.

“I wasn’t trying to trick you, dork.” But it was sweet of him, too. Heejun sighed and pulled you closer, pressing slow, small kisses along your crown.

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