That morning he’d woken up an hour early. Decisively went through his closet for so long he was nearly late picking up the day’s flowers.

“Why, I wasn’t sure you were coming,” the elder lady who ran the florist shop smiled when he walked through the door.

“Just running a little late,” Sehun walked up to the counter. Whisking out his wallet he handed his card over.

“Your girlfriend must love the flowers,” the shop owner commented.

“She hasn’t said she doesn’t like them yet.” he couldn’t help grinning harder.

Handing back his card she said, “Get married soon, young man. If your girlfriend doesn’t know she’s the luckiest girl alive, let her know I said it.”

“I will.” He promised. “I’ll come back for the other vase.”

Somehow, he always managed to carry all three vases into the building. Balancing the tinier vase meant for the window sill between the two bigger ones.

Namjoo’s office was always neat and tidy. He had planned to update the beat desk and computer, but the room had so long come equipped with them he had decided it for another day.

Right now, he enabled himself to live in the moment. Dwell in the wonder stretching across Namjoo’s expression. It was enough to light his day. Sehun stayed long enough to watch Namjoo join the crowd in the elevator before returning to his office.

He regrettably did not eat lunch with her or ask her to come sit with him at the end of the day. Called away to a meeting he made it back home before the of midnight. Then he was up again and preparing for the event that weekend. Namjoo would have seen the promotional poster posted near the front doors Friday. Date and time were printed in big yellow cursive at the bottom. Sehun could only be certain of it.

He was wearing a formal black today with his hair slicked off his forehead. The event was in procession when he arrived. Shaking hands of numerous directors. Catching up on economic news. Putting on his best smile while discreetly searching the room for Namjoo, eyeing the entrance every so often whenever during a conversation.

When a sponsor took the podium to start the afternoon speech and the waiters constantly walking back and forth finally stopped, Sehun finally saw her. Standing at the back of the room between elderly men. Immediately the sponsor’s voice faded. The faces surrounding him blurred until all he saw was Namjoo.

He couldn’t help breathing a quiet laugh. The sight of her flooded joy through him. He knew she would have taken his word. He knew she would come. Ignoring the curious stare of the man sitting beside him, he glanced down at the table then back to her. For assurance that he hadn’t imagined an illusion. Blindly copying others clapping when the speech ended and someone else stepped up.

Look at me he wanted to say, I’m sitting over here. He didn’t, so all he did was watch her longingly from where he sat.

⸔⸕⸔⸕⸔⸕⸔⸕⸔⸕

Namjoo wasn’t new to functions. She had a basic idea of how they ran. The only thing was that these people were so professional with years of experience on their tails it was intimidating. Among the salt and pepper, artificially colored hairs Namjoo could feel the instant generation gap.

She shouldn’t have come was the first thing on her mind when she walked into the show room. An orange carpeted room decked with round tables. There wasn’t a refreshment table. Sadly leaving Namjoo standing lost, like she was some loser.

Finding Sehun was like looking for a needle in a haystack. There were just too many men around her. Very few women and those few didn’t even look at her. At least, she thought, she had dressed properly. Plain navy dress. Black heels. Her feet already hurt the longer the hour.

Namjoo planned to escape, but the speeches began and suddenly it’d be impolite to. Trapped in the back she plastered herself to the wall. No more seats were available. Her luck had run out. She would wait it out, leave after the welcoming speech, but then another one started.

For an hour she shifted from foot to foot, which only seemed to worsen the bullet of pain shooting up her heels. Just when she was about to reach her limit and decide to crouch down and quietly leave, a man approached her. Faintly recognizing him as someone she saw daily in the elevator.

Holding out a paper bag he gestured for her to accept. Namjoo frowned, but did anyway. One peek inside and Namjoo spotted a pair of flats. Curiosity fluctuated through her. The notion that she was receiving something spun like a violent tornado inside her.

Sehun.

Quickly looking up she caught the giver’s back receding through the tables. Her gaze strictly followed him. And then she saw him.

She should have known. All the way across the room Sehun had been hidden behind several heads, but leaning toward the side so she could see him. Even though separated from a distance, she caught the smile on his face. The smile tickling her lips made part when the man returned to his seat blocking Sehun from her.

Doing a quick sweep to see everyone focused on the speaker, Namjoo discreetly slid out of her heels and into the flats. Relief hit her feet like no tomorrow. Happy now Namjoo eased herself against the wall before she found her eyes searching over the mountain of heads for a glimpse of Sehun.

It was impossible to see him.

Another hour later, Namjoo finally snuck out but she stuck around in the general hallway. Plopping into one of the benches by the restrooms. Rest for maybe five minutes she told herself, but really, she was curious if Sehun might come find her.

Five minutes later and Namjoo found herself staring down the empty hallway. Chiding herself. Why wait? Sehun was the CEO. Many business acquaintances would want to hold meetings with him after the function ended. Why be a nuisance? She was just an unimportant girl.

Yesterday came to mind. About staring at the clock and wondering if Sehun might ask her to sit with him for several minutes. Ask to walk her to her car. But he never called and no manager appeared in her doorway saying the CEO wanted to see her.

Of course, she still couldn’t quite grasp that the CEO was interested in her the way a man found a woman attractive. Surely it was hard to wrap something like that around her head, but she had wondered about him yesterday and it aggravated her a bit. She was letting him get to her by thinking about him.

It wasn’t plausible to expect someone at the top to have time for her.

“So you were here?” A voice made her perk up. Namjoo looked up in time to see a flash of black taking a seat beside her. “I thought you might have left.”

“My feet hurt, so I figured I should sit for a bit.” Namjoo lied. Her heart sped up. She could feel the heat of his body close by again.

His eyes dove toward the flats she was still wearing. “Do they fit?”

Namjoo subconsciously touched her legs, “They’re a little big.”

“At least that means you don’t have big feet.” He joked.

Namjoo couldn’t help but smile. Her eyes cut away then back to him. “You don’t have to stay with me. You’re probably busy.”

“I’d still make time regardless,” Sehun said. Heat rose in her cheeks. “The speeches probably weren’t the best experience today.”

“Well,” Namjoo started, “they weren’t that interesting.” He grinned bemused with her honesty and Namjoo found him unbelievably handsome. Immediately feeling swept off her feet. She was such a er. “I’m sure a lot of functions are like that though.”

“You’ll never get used to it,” he said with another grin. Namjoo giggled humored and through it stole a peek of him. Sinking in her luck that a good-looking man would like her.

“There he is,” a man in a rather fancy business suit stood at the end of the hallway.

She glanced at Sehun. Aware he was being called away. Also realizing he was much needed elsewhere and probably had more important duties to fulfill than sit and simply chat with her.

“I should get going.” Sehun said. Namjoo nodded. Gushing when he warmly said, “Get home safe. I’ll see you Monday.”

Joy flurried through her all evening. Replaying every moment from when she met his eyes from across the room to him sitting with her. Every second of it her heart combusted into stampeding heartbeats despite reminding herself to be cool and rational. She was no young high school girl getting crushed on by the most popular male student. Yet that was exactly how she felt.

Namjoo giggled, squealing into her blanket until she woke up groggy and irritated when her phone buzzed early Sunday morning. Mom or dad she assumed. Calling to nag why she wasn’t going over to eat with them. Visit at least, don’t you miss us?

Instead it was her second brother checking in on her. Kiwan. “Hey!” he ecstatically greeting from the doorway. Throwing his arms out to hug her.

“What are you doing here?” She listened to a bag rustle as he released her and invited himself inside. Closing the door, she saw him pouring the bag of junk food onto her kitchen table. “Where’s Minjoon?”

“He’s visiting some friend down south.” He irritably mumbled, which obviously meant he was unhappy about it.

Both her brothers were married. Kitaek, her older brother, had a beautiful and intelligent wife who graduated from Seoul University at top of her class, Jiae. She was currently pregnant with their first daughter. Her brother was a surgeon at Hankook Hospital. Bright, smart, easygoing, the referee of all things that caused issues in their family. He was the child that could do no wrong and her parents always yielded to him.

On the other hand, her second brother was more out there in his own space.

He was gay.

The news had hit hard. Her parents were still in denial. Often mentioning some girl Kiwan should meet. Kiwan never had a wedding. Instead, he’d been forced to register his marriage paper at the courthouse and done was done.

“That’s why you’re here,” Namjoo muttered joining him.

“I don’t want to talk about him,” her brother coldly waved the topic away. Sitting down he popped a bag of chips open. “How’s work?”

Taking a bag for herself, Namjoo gnawed on shrimp chips. “Well, it’s something.”

Kiwan leaned back into the plastic chair, “What’s something? Different day, same ? Or something as in, there’s news to share?”

Namjoo darted her eyes away and that fast her brother swung up straight slamming a hand onto the tabletop. “No way!” he screeched. “Did you meet someone?”

The thing about her second brother was, his intuitions were like antennas. Sensing the wind changing its course like the snap of a finger. Unlike her older brother who was dense in a lot of female areas.

“Come on, tell me.” Kiwan urged.

“Ok,” Namjoo easily gave in because it had been killing her. She needed to talk about Sehun. Maybe her brother would help put her head straight, because jumping into ship with her CEO sounded very unlikely. “My CEO, well you know, I met him,” she nervously mumbled, “and uh…well, you know, so, every day someone’s always leaving flowers in my office.”

Kiwan flatly eyed her uninterested. “So?”

in a deep breath Namjoo spat, “I think he likes me.”

Her brother inaudibly gasped. “No way. What does he see in you?”    

“You .” Namjoo scowled.

Her brother chuckled. A chip cracked inside his mouth. “Is he old and shriveled?”

“Ew…no.” Namjoo made a face. “He’s quite young actually.”

“Ok,” smugly pressing his lips together he nodded. “If he’s rich you’re set for life, girl! Easy life, easy love!”

Namjoo opened to retort, but truly didn’t know what to say.

“Well,” her brother scratched his nose, “as long as he’s nothing like the bastard Ho, go for it, but be careful. And let him know you have two brothers who have black belts in taekwondo.”

⸔⸕⸔⸕⸔⸕⸔⸕⸔⸕

Monday he couldn’t wait around for Namjoo. His schedule was booked with meetings with the designers, overviewing copyrights, and calling manufacturing companies about deadlines. Midafternoon he was stoked. He wanted to destress. Have some five minutes of fresh air, so he left his office to walk around.

The workers were milling about the lobby. Heading out for lunch. Sitting in groups at the coffee bar to chat during their break.

He was waiting for a return call from the company that would be bringing the upcoming debut line to life. Time outside his office was limited, but he left anyway. Venturing toward the cafeteria. Already the room was b with energy. Many in line for their food. Forks and spoons were already clattering at the tables. Several nodded toward him as they left after dropping their trays off at the counter.

He spotted Namjoo at a long table a gap away from some men in black and white uniform. Instantly feeling refreshed, he glanced at his clock. Debated and decided the call could wait several minutes.

“You’re sitting alone?” he asked slipping into the seat next to her.

Namjoo quickly looked up with a jolt of surprise. A glance at him and she returned to her food. Poking at the fried noodles. “I’m just having a quick meal.”

He observed her. “Busy day?”

Namjoo managed a tiny smile. “It’s ok.”

“Then I shouldn’t bother you.”

“No, stay,” Namjoo hurriedly said when he began rising.

Hearing this from her was pleasing. “How was your weekend?”

“I relaxed,” Namjoo answered. “You?”

“Me, too.” He ran his eyes over her. Completely enamored by her beauty.

“What?” Namjoo touched her cheek.

Breathing a happy smile, he turned away. “Nothing.” He glanced at his watch. Five minutes had already passed. He needed to return to his office.

“Sehun,” the sound of her voice wheeled away the most important of his priorities. His attention returned to her. Watching. Waiting. Catching the particular way, she bit her lower lip so shyly. Finally looking at him, “I didn’t drive my car today.”

All the particles in the air came to a standstill. The sound of voices muted around them. Sehun only saw the round of her eyes, the curve of her almost pouty lips. Himself in her brown irises, where it looked like his entire universe spun on its axis.

His smile stretched so wide he feared he would never be able to stop it from growing. He, too, bit his lower lip to gain some form of self-control.

Namjoo was giving him an opening.

“Then,” he said, “I’ll come find you later.”

The smile stayed plastered on his face as he left regrettably. Holed up in his office the entire afternoon he rearranged his frustrating schedule. Watching the numbers on the clock in the lower corner of his computer every hour. When it finally hit three, he sped out of his office.

Namjoo was just turning off her computer when he reached her door. She glanced at him timidly while gathering her bag and jacket. The shift in the mood flooded him like electric sparks when they walked out together. He felt high on water. Cautious and nervous, anxious even though he had imagined this more than he would like to admit.

The entirety of the walk out to his car was heart pounding. It was hard to believe Namjoo was letting him take her home.

“It’s here.” They finally arrived at his white SUV, the latest model with automatic drive. If they had been grappled by the changing atmosphere earlier, the tension became more charged now that they were sharing limited space. In his car. Different from a public elevator.

“I live on the east side,” Namjoo explained, “so you’ll have to take the roundabout way.”

Listening to her instructions he drove out onto the freeway, circling the building and needlepoint skyscrapers.

“Do you live with your family?” he wondered.

“I moved out.” Namjoo replied. She shot him a glance, gripped her seatbelt, then stared out the front window. “What about you?”

“I’m by myself, too.” He said. A moment of silence stretched between them. “How big is your family?”

“Oh, I have two older brothers,” Namjoo explained then hurriedly added as if it wasn’t obvious, “my parents, too, yea.”

He smiled detecting the nervousness in her voice. She was just like him. Drenched in worry about whether this might end up super awkwardly or positively.

“I have brothers, too,” he said. He looked to see Namjoo smiling at him, as if happy there was something they had in common.

She directed him off the ramp into the other half of the city. Within several minutes he pulled up into the parking lot of a high-rise apartment building. The sun was still strong. Glowing brightly at their backs. Killing the engine, he stepped out onto the pavement rounding the car in three strides, advantage of his long legs. Namjoo stopped at the hood of his vehicle when he reached her.

She stood at a perfect height. Enough for him to envelope his arms around her, tuck her head against his shoulder.

His heart thrummed. Standing in front of her and picturing future scenarios with her. Namjoo peered up at him. The sun shone at her back, its rays striking around her in sharp points like they were her wings.

“Namjoo,” he said before she might ask what he wanted, bid him farewell, and disappear, “can I kiss you?”

She blinked. Surprised. The oncoming silence prolonged between them. The wind continued whistling.

This might be too abrupt, but he couldn’t detain himself. Her eyes swept around then cut back up to him.

“Ok.”

That was all he could ever ask for. Taking a half step forward he touched her waist and leaned closer. Parting his lips and hesitated before kissing her. Warmth burst through his empty heart. Sehun imagined love and angels singing down on him. The spotlight landing on him finally when Namjoo locked her lips around his mouth.

Withdrawing but not moving too far away, his hair brushed her forehead as he stared down into her eyes. “I’ll be on a trip, so I won’t see you the rest of the week, but when I come back this weekend go on a date with me.”

***ok, but remember in the previous chapter when he was in bed and thinking about his stuffed dragon when he was a kid and imagined it flying him off to a happy family or someplace where a big brother might find him? now he just said he has brothers too ...

***the story is just beginning