All the stars of Seoul, in your eyes

The steps of the choreography are intricate and demanding, making the practice never ending. The dance instructor has showed them the routine and now the group spends hours in front of a mirror trying to synchronise and perfect it. 

In the spacious studio, the dancers are honing their craft. Logan and the other member are sweating through their workout clothes, attempting to make the dance their own. Every move has to be precise, every landing has to stick. 

"Let's go from the half point". Dong Pil, the group's unofficial lead dancer orders and the others take their places. 

Music starts again, the same melody playing an infinite number of times that Logan doesn't recognize his own song anymore. Again and again, he twists his nimble body to fit the rhythm, his hair falling in his eyes at every turn. He watches his reflection from all the mirrors, losing himself to the illusion that he's everywhere. He's getting dizzy, his mind and body exhausted.

Of course, he doesn't complain, but keeps at it, watching the mirrors and his group mates. As he brings his eyes to his shoulder, his reflection is not alone. Suddenly, there's a person watching him from behind.

His heart makes a somersault and he's so surprised to catch her eyes that he loses his balance when turning for the move and falls on his face.

"Take a break now, all of you." Oh Yoon Hee says, standing beside Su Ryeon in the back of room. "We have an announcement". 

Everyone turns to them, trying to catch their breath. Their attention focuses on Su Ryeon, who speaks next.

"Our company has had the honour of signing Dong Man. We believe his and your talents combined will make a success. So, you're working together for your new song starting next week." The man is a renowned musician, she clearly put much effort into bringing him in. She's beaming with professional pride. "And tomorrow, we're having a party to celebrate his contract. Please attend, people from the music industry will be there".

They nod their agreement and she looks pleased. That's all great, but he had the secret hope that she came here for him. After their close encounter at the storage room, he hoped she wouldn't be able to get it out of her mind. Because he certainly hadn't.

She said it was dangerous for both of them, but her kiss couldn't hide the fiery attraction burning between them. He took a risk with her, closing his eyes and giving her all the power. He feared she'd leave him there alone and throw his confession to the trash. But as soon as he felt the warm pressure of her lips, he was a goner. He couldn't get enough of her, touching every inch of skin he could find, relishing the sounds she made. And when he tasted her, feeling her body tense and spasm under him, he was marked for life.

He knows where these thoughts lead to, and he reigns them in. But not completely.

Taking advantage of the break time, he heads towards his things, conveniently close to where she is.

"Nice to see you down here, boss." He makes light chat, aware of Oh Yoon Hee standing a few feet away and everyone in the room who can see them. 

She smiles politely, but he can see the faintest blushing on her cheeks. 

"What did you think of our choreography?"

"I liked it", she answers moving a little further from her co-worker. "Especially the part where you fall. You should keep that in". 

Her humour could be considered innocent by the others. But he sees her moving her weight from one leg to another in what hopes to be anticipation. 

"If our CEO wants that..." He approaches her, moving to take his towel from the bench next to her. She stays still, as he brings his body closer to hers, extending his arm to grab it, her eyes fall on his body languidly. He's in his black sleeveless top, the sweat making it cling to his body. His hair is in disarray, sticking to his forehead no matter what he does. He wonders what she sees when she's looking at him like that. "Do you?", He whispers. "Want it".

"What if I do?", She gets the meaning, playing along like they've been doing that their whole lives. 

She takes the towel, handing it to him.

"Then I'll do as you say", he takes the towel and as he does, he puts his hand on top of hers. He slides his fingers to hers, making her almost drop it, but it's worth it for the hint of a smile her face hides. No one can see their hands, hopefully, and he takes this moment to tease and caress her. Every little illicit touch has him craving for more.

"Good", she says relinquishing the towel and turns around to leave. He watches her go with a goofy grin.

A shirt hits his head forcefully, bringing him out of his reverie. He turns around and is met with the warning stare of his mate. With a shrug, he ignores the knowing looks and goes back to his position. 

Nothing can make him lose his good mood.

----

Of course, something does. 

The party starts well enough, in a luxury bar with music decor. Vinyls are hanging from the walls and vintage microphones give the place a old Hollywood, 20's vibe. It continues well enough, with meeting Dong Man and having a few drinks. Until the man commits a grave error.

He flirts with Su Ryeon.

Noted, it's not clear he's actually flirting. Or doing it on purpose no less. Dong Man is perfectly polite, thanking Su Ryeon continuously, talking to her all the time and smiling with his frustratingly white teeth. 

"And I said to Ms CEO here, if you sign me, I could do this all day", Dong Man finishes the story and the whole group laughs. Logan doesn't. 

He praises Su Ryeon, which is fair enough, but he does it with an air of admiration Logan is uncomfortable with. She's an amazing woman, that's for sure, but to hear it from another man is making his teeth grind.

"And I expect you to do this work all day", she adds earning everyone's animated applause. 

Su Ryeon raises her glass amicably and Dong Man joins her, lookin at her like she's the best woman in the world. Maybe she is, Logan thinks, but damn him if he's going to take this. 

He sneaks glances at her, but she meets them with the polite smile of neutrality.

The song changes into a slow tune and before he has the chance to think about it, Dong Man extends a hand to Su Ryeon, inviting her to dance. She accepts wordlessly, joining the couples on the dancefloor.

Ironically, it plays Etta James' 'At Last', a timeless melody idealising true love. He can't think of a more romantic soundtrack as the woman he likes dances with another man. 

He downs his drink, earning questioning glances from his group, or more precisely the members that aren't currently on the dancefloor, wooing young ladies. 

He wonders if he'd want that. Find a young, starry eyed girl who'd scream when she hears his name. Take her out, impress her easily. Meet for coffee. Seems simple enough, even with his fame. He can see the future he can have in front of his eyes.

Which is why he finds himself tapping on Dong Man's shoulder, him and Su Ryeon pausing their dance.

"May I cut in?"

Dong Man agrees reluctantly and Logan doesn't waste time in taking Su Ryeon between his arms. 

When they're finally alone, he can breathe easily for once. 

"What do you think you're doing, Logan?" She says behind her teeth.

He looks down to her beautiful face, her makeup having a sparkling eye shadow, making her look like a mermaid, leading him to the depths of the sea to meet his death. 

"Just dancing with my boss. Nothing more", he punctuates the last sentence by putting his hand on the small of her waist and letting his fingers trace her spine.

"So are you going to dance with the rest of the board too?" she smirks, gesturing at the old men at the bar.

"Why, will you get jealous?"

"I'm not the jealous one".

So, she does know. Of course, she's perceptive and smart, she can sense a man's flirtations and another man's anger. 

He chuckles. He brings her body closer to his. Their slow dance is now buzzing with electricity. 

She looks at him defiantly and there are a hundred things he can say. 

"I know it's your job." He gestures at where Dong Man is. "It's just torture to be that close to you and not being able to do this". He touches the skin her backless dress exposes. "And this", he laces his fingers with hers.

Her eyes widen imperceptibly and she looks around. Everyone dances.

"But I guess it's my problem to deal with".

"I don't know, tortured artist looks good on you".

"Are you saying I look good?" He grins.

"You hear what you want to hear".

"Darling, you have no idea the things I want to hear from you", his meaningful look makes her blush. "They don't even have to be words".

She bites her lower lip and there's nothing he wants more than close his arms around her and hear those delicious sounds again.

Torture indeed.

A microphone whistles and a man suddenly appears on the stage area. 

Ju Dan Tae.

Murmurs spread around, everyone knows him the previous co-owner of the agency. He had the company along with Su Ryeon and lost it in their bloody divorce. Coming to the party uninvited, it can only mean trouble.

He taps the microphone, enjoying all the eyes on him. Everyone stops dancing.

"What a lovely party my ex wife has thrown. Remember our parties, honey?" Su Ryeon is frozen on place. "I wanted to raise a glass to my friend Dong Man, for signing with this agency. I hope you make better career choices than this one".

From where he's standing he nods at Su Ryeon and cheers.

Su Ryeon escapes her trance and walks elegantly towards the stage. She grabs his microphone and addresses the crowd.

"Bad Choices is the name of Dong Man's next project. Thank you for supporting us, Ju Dan Tae". Nice save, he thinks. "I know you didn't come just for the open bar". There are laughs from the audience, and he's overjoyed by Dan Tae's sour expression. He winces and storms off the stage. 

The music starts again but Logan doesn't hear the notes. He passes through the crowd searching Su Ryeon and sees her backstage. Logan's not the only one who's followed her.

"You tried to mess with me." Dan Tae spits to her in the corridor. They're far from him, but he can hear with the man almost screaming. "I'll take this. Someday this all will be mine". 

Su Ryeon pushes him away forcefully.

"You can't fathom that I'm better without you. The agency is more successful now. And we do it without abusing the kids like you did. So I'm not gonna stand there and let you run your mouth. I'm warning you", she pushes him to a wall, the thud music to Logan's ears. "If you don't stop," she warns, "I'll destroy you and your new life".

She storms off.

----

Ju Dan Tae wants to remove her from the company. That's why she's so careful with what she does, Logan muses as he wonders around. That's why she's so image conscious, every step she takes may give him a chance to undermining her. 

Dan Tae doesn't work here anymore, but he must have a way of knowing.

Either way, the idea of Su Ryeon upset makes his chest fall. She diffused the situation in public, only for this madman to threaten her backstage. 

All these years, he's been protected from this ugly world, allowing him to focus on his music and the group's plans. He never had someone to care about, and without realising when, this changed.

He almost runs to the top of the stairs.

---

He finds her lithe figure overlooking the night sky at the venue's terrace. 

When she sees him approaching, she hides her teary eyes. 

"How did you know I was here?" She sniffs.

"The painting you sent me was of the night sky. I figured it brings you peace".

She smiles among her tears. If she's touched about that, he can't imagine if he told her about him almost jumping on his bed when receiving her message. It's the encouragement he needed to keep pursuing her. And not just for stolen moments, but for something more. 

He takes off his jacket and covers her shuddering shoulders, lingering with his touch. 

"What is happening with your ex husband? Why was he here?" He asks, trying to hide the disgust from his voice.

Her face contorts in pain.

"He knows something, Logan. He must have an ally in here. He's going to mess with all of you to get to me".

"No one's getting to you".

He brings her shoulders to him and lets her head rest on his chest. There are tears on her eyes still. Unable to take it, he hugs her tight.

"I don't know how much power I have here, but I won't let anything happen to you", he consoles her rubbing his palm on her back. 

She looks at him through glassy eyes.

"You've worked so hard to build this company, and you're the reason for its success. I won't let anyone take it from you". 

He tightens his embrace as her sobs slow down, his hands soothing her backside and her tears fall freely on his shirt. 

"You can't be involved." She looks up to his worried eyes. "Your career will suffer".

"Better than you suffering".

She stifles her cries on his chest. 

"Thank you", she brings her hand to his cheek. It's cold against his warm face. He covers her hand and brings it to his lips. He tightens the jacket around her and invites her to lean on him. She does, hugging his waist. He places a soft kiss on her hair, marveling at how perfectly she fits in his arms.

He's felt the hot waves of attraction before, many times. But as he runs his fingers through her hair, he can't deny that it's so much more this time. 

Yet, he wasn't always acting that way with her. He'd been stubborn and uncooperative. Such thoughts buzz on his mind and he asks.

"Did I used to make you worry like that? When I was fighting you for the campaigns and the paparazzi thing." He brings their arguments to his mind, now seeing them with a new light. 

"No. That was nothing I couldn't handle. Part of the job", she says confidently, assuaging his worries. "And besides," she throws him a smirk "I know I can get you to do as I say."

He wants to kiss that smirk off her lips.

"Oh, can you now..." He says and does just that.

He tastes her laughter and champagne, a heavenly combination. Her lips move against his, creating zips of electricity with every turn. He brings her closer, touching his favourite spot of skin at the waist through his jacket she's wearing. Her dress reveals a tantalising amount of porcelain skin, while remaining elegant. His fingers toy with the velour details at the back of the garment and fill the dimples of her spine. 

She closes her eyes again, enjoying his attention. He takes her lower lip between his teeth and . He releases it with a flop, earning him a muffled groan. She fumbles with his shirt, then finds his tie, circles it around her palm to have more control and pulls it forcefully. His lips clash with her, opening their mouths to deepen the kiss.

He knows they can't take it further, enjoying this beautiful torture of touching and burning. That doesn't stop their frantic moves. He watches her neck move and moves his mouth on it, kissing every inch he can find. He bites her collarbone, and her rapid breathings makes her ruby necklace move up and down her chest. She fists her hands on his hair, as their bodies as glued to each other. Moving hair hair behind, he closes his mouth around the thin strap of her dress. He slides of off and she moans. Her skin is sweet below his mouth, begging him to cherish it.

A door opens and a glass is shattered on the ground. They turn their heads to the source of the sound, shocked.

The person widens their eyes at the sight of them. 

They are busted.

____