Mina barely noticed you leaving the room, and accepted ‘I’m just going to get some air’ as an excuse. Your palms itched as you rubbed them over your thighs, trying to get rid of any sweat. It’d been a day since you’d seen him, and yet you felt nervous. Why were you nervous? The trip down the stairs felt shorter than it usually was. As soon as you’d made your way to the lobby, you saw him standing there through the glass doors of the dorm. Too late to turn back now, a tiny voice in your head squeaked. Heejun gave you a wave through the glass and smiled. Your legs moved as if on their own, and you smiled back at him.

“How was your day? I hope it’s not too late.” He smiled, stepping closer to you after you’d stopped walking. Your heart did something funny, and you wondered if he could hear it.

“It was fine, how was yours? Aren’t you tired? You were working all day.” You deflected, highly aware that Heejun had taken your hand in his. He shrugged, and his thumb brushed over yours.

“I’ve always been a night owl. Will you join me on a walk?” You were already walking before you could answer affirmatively. The area around the dorm was dark. The dorm, though not far from the university, was tucked in the more residential area of the neighbourhood. There was a coffee shop in the distance where the lights were still on, though.

“So what did you want? I mean… It’s good to see you, but…” You stumbled over your words and glanced away, trying to collect yourself. His hand squeezed yours.

“I wanted to see you. Is that weird? I feel like… I know it’s not been that long, but I missed you.” Missed you? Your heart fluttered at the words before you could even consider whether or not that was weird. Your cheeks felt warm, and you hoped the nearby lantern was far enough away for him not to see you blushing.

“I missed you too, I think. I know. Is it weird if we both feel that way?” You resented how your brain was betraying you. Next to you, Heejun chuckled and squeezed your hand again. You squeezed back.

“It’s not that weird if we feel the same. I’d say we’re pretty even then.” His fingers slipped between yours as you passed the coffee shop. You managed to make yourself look at him again, although you almost had to look away again. Every time you saw him, he looked more handsome. It was almost painful to look at him. Especially when he caught you looking, and smirked.

“Tell me about yourself. There is too much about you that I don’t know, and I need to justify the obsession I have with you.” His tone became joking as he spoke, but in the darkness his eyes looked a little strange. Then under the passing lanterns, they sparkled mischievously again. Why were you imagining weird things?

“There’s not that much to know about me.” You shrugged, “I like cats? I have one at home.”

“Hence Youjin’s cat café.” Heejun nodded, “what’s your cat like? How long have you had him?”

“He’s… Well Mort’s getting a little bit older. He drools a lot more, but he’s very affectionate.” You smiled. He was getting fat, too, but in his old age you felt that he deserved to enjoy a few extra treats. Even if your mother disagreed.

“Your cat’s name is Mort? Like death?” Heejun asked, half laughing. You flushed.

“It’s short for Mortimer!”

“It’s the French word for death.” He squeezed your hand and winked. “Is he a black cat, too?”

“Not entirely. He’s a good boy.” You defended, making a face. Heejun laughed again and pulled you close, resting his arm around your shoulders in favour of holding your hand. You could feel the warmth of his skin seeping in through your light blouse.

“I’m just teasing you. It’s a very smart name and I’m sure he’s perfectly lovely.”

“You’re weird sometimes.” It came out before you could correct yourself. Heejun didn’t seem very affected by what might be considered an insult.

“There are very few like me in the world.” He hummed calmly, closing his eyes for a few seconds. His arm edged you into a turn before he opened them again. You were heading into the park. There were several street lights placed throughout the park, and in the distance you could hear old men chatting away over their games of chess.

“What’s so special about you, then?” You asked, half joking. Heejun grinned at you and squeezed your shoulder, but didn’t answer your question.

“Are the mosquitoes bothering you? There’s quite a few of them this year.” He commented as he snatched one out of the air. There was a pond in the park, so there would be more of them in the area. And all of them came after you whenever you left the dorm. You ran your hand over your arm, stopping at a particular bite that had been itching earlier that day.

“Not more than usual. I think they’ve always liked my blood.” You regretted phrasing it that way as soon as you had. “I mean… They just bite me a lot. Always have. It drives mum crazy.”

Heejun stopped in his tracks, turning to you. His free hand cupped your chin, making your skin tingle as his fingers over it. A grin played on his lips, and you felt nervous. Was he about to kiss you or something? It all felt tense. Your shoulders were stiffening up.

“I don’t blame them for biting you. I would.” He mused, his thumb pressing softly on your cheekbone. Then he smiled sweetly and you felt the tension melt away. “But I don’t do well around blood. The sight of it makes me really uncomfortable, actually.”

He pouted and eyed you as if he were expecting you to laugh. Relieved that the weird tension had passed, you reached up and ruffled his hair. He seemed to relish in it, leaning down a little and making playful cat noises.

“I think it’s pretty cool that you’re comfortable admitting to that. I don’t really like guys who act tough and strong.” You pulled your hand back. Heejun caught it on the way down, smiling calmly at you for a few moments before he started walking again. You followed, though you weren’t sure where he was headed exactly.

“We’re recording a new album. Want to hear a little preview?” He smiled as he stepped into a gazebo, directing you to take a seat. You raised an eyebrow at him, trying not to be swayed by the offer of having that honey-sweet voice serenade you again.

“Is that why you wanted to see me? A test audience?” You joked. Heejun shrugged.

“Maybe. Maybe you inspire me.” He brushed a strand of your hair behind your ear. Goosebumps formed on your neck. You sat up and nodded, looking at him.

He straightened up again, relaxing his shoulders and face. His eyes closed and his lips ran through the words quicker than you could pick them up before he opened his eyes again. His gaze directed at you. Then he began to sing.

“Think about you girl, I keep wanting to see you. I want to hold you tight, and I want to be closer to you now.” His voice cut clear through the night, and he took a step closer to you. “I want to close the distance between us. You’re so pretty I can’t look away from you.” He gave you a wink. Your heart picked up its pace.

“You, you… I’ve never been this way before. You, you.. I don’t know if you’ll believe me, but all day I think about you. I can’t even work properly.” His face took an almost pained expression as he placed his hand on his chest. Then he stopped singing, taking a small bow. Unsure of what to do, you clapped for him. He took a second bow, then sat down beside you.

“What do you think?” He asked. How close he was, suddenly. His shoulder was resting against yours and his face was just inches from yours. Everything else, the buzzing of mosquitoes, the chatting of chess players, the sounds of ducks moving about in the pond, it all faded somewhat. You could hear your heart beating.

“I like it. It feels a little targeted, though.” You smiled, trying to joke. Heejun didn’t answer your smile, simply reaching up to your hair.

“Inspiration, that’s what we call it.” He spoke calmly, dragging his fingers down over your face. “I got scolded at work because the thought of you distracts me. They say that music is better when the artist is unhappy in love, but I think it makes the music better now that I have you. In my life. I don’t physically have you.” He sat up, chuckling as he tried to correct himself. He’d snapped out of his serious mood again.

“So you are targeting me.” You teased. His hand found yours as it rested on the bench beneath you.

“I guess I am. I just have a feeling we’ll be really good together. Don’t you agree?” This time you couldn’t tell whether it was a smile or a smirk playing with his lips, and his eyes were of no help. Dark, but warm. You couldn’t read what was behind him, and felt yourself nodding at his question. There was that sparkle again. It made your heart jump every time.

“So how about it? Let’s stop trying, and just date.” Was it that easy for him? To just decide it made sense?

“Are you serious?” You had to ask.

“100%. Date me.” Came the quick answer. Yes, you thought. You wanted to date him, too. Everything seemed to point in that direction, and yet you had to make a conscious effort to nod. A strange feeling came over your briefly as Heejun wrapped his arms around you, as if you’d just lost something. Then it slipped away when he whispered the word ‘perfect’ in your ear. Perfect. It was all perfect, now.