Soohyun’s stomach was doing flip flops as he rode in his manager’s car on their way to Jayne’s apartment. He never went into detail about what was in store for tonight, and he was scared that once Jayne saw his manager’s car instead of his, she may have second thoughts about joining them. He let out a sigh, not realizing it was loud enough for his manager to hear.

                “Everything okay, Soohyun?” His manager asked from the driver’s seat, looking at him in the rear view mirror.

                “Huh? Oh…just thinking.” Soohyun said as he stared out the passenger window.

                “I’m sure you have a lot on your mind. I’m not going to sugar-coat anything and say that the news Jayne will receive tonight will go over smoothly. I hate to say this, but when you go to her door, you can’t have that look on your face. She will be on alert and we can’t have her feeling that way before receiving the news at the restaurant.” His manager said. Soohyun nodded and glanced over his attire. He was dressed in black dress pants and a blue silk shirt with a thin black tie. The remainder of the car ride was in utter silence. The car pulled up in the parking lot of Jayne’s apartment complex. Soohyun took a deep breath and grabbed the beautiful flower arrangement next to him. He was about to open the car door when his manager turned around and gently touched his arm. “You feeling alright?” Soohyun looked up and nodded. He made his way out of the car and walked up the flight of stairs up to her apartment door. Knocking on the door, he balanced the flowers in his free hand. Jayne opened the door three minutes later, immediately floored by Soohyun’s gift for her.

                “Oh, Soohyun…they are beautiful!” Jayne said, covering as he walked in. She motioned for him to follow her and they went into the kitchen. “I don’t know if I have a vase for them, though.” She said, searching around in her cupboards.

                “No, don’t worry about it, Jayne. I figured you probably wouldn’t. It includes a vase, see?” Soohyun said as he set the flowers down on the kitchen counter. A box was hiding the glass vase and he gingerly lifted it up for her to see.

                “Wow, you thought of everything. Thank you so much!” Jayne said as she took the vase and set it on her dining room table.

                “You look amazing. You’ve got me so tongue-tied right now.” Soohyun said softly up against her ear, wrapping her back up to his chest in his arms. Jayne placed her hands on top of his arms and leaned her head back. He gently turned her around and instantly his lips were on hers. Jayne moaned into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck. The nervousness and negative thoughts that were clouding Soohyun’s thinking instantly vanished when his lips connected with hers. His hand caressed her jaw line and travelled further where it played in her hair. Soohyun didn’t want the kiss to end. Everything stopped when they kissed. Nothing seemed to matter when he was in that moment with her. Soohyun softly broke apart from the kiss. “I’m sorry…we need to get going.” He said sadly as Jayne nodded. She gave him one tiny peck on the lips and then went to grab her purse. His gaze followed her body. After she picked up her purse, Jayne grabbed her lip balm and applied a thin layer on her lips. Soohyun stood with his mouth wide open. She was turning him on so much. He loved nothing more than watching a woman put on Chap Stick; there was just something so feminine about it. Jayne dropped the lip balm back in her purse and walked over to him. “I can’t help myself. I have to have a taste.” Soohyun said trying not to lose every bit of control he had left. His lips caressed hers and he groaned at the berry flavor that was invading his mouth. He nibbled softly and let his senses take over. He was spiraling out of control, but didn’t care. After a few minutes he slowed the kiss down and drew apart once again. “Okay, we really need to get going.” Soohyun said as Jayne grabbed a dress coat. They both walked out and she locked the door behind them.

                “So, are we taking your car?” Jayne asked as she laced her arm around his as they started walking down the staircase.

                “Yeah, but there’s someone you’re going to meet.” Soohyun said as Jayne raised her eyebrow. They arrived in the parking lot a minute later and he opened the car door for her. Jayne got in and Soohyun walked around and entered the opposite side. “Jayne, this is my manager. Manager, this is Jayne.” The both of them bowed slightly towards each other.

                “Mannaseo pan gap seumnida (Nice to meet you).” Jayne said as the manager smiled.

                 “The pleasure is mine.” The manager said as Soohyun closed his door and scooted over in the seat next to Jayne. They buckled up and soon were on their way to the restaurant. With the darkness in the car and the manager’s attention on the road, Soohyun took the opportunity to hold Jayne’s hand. His fingers intertwined with hers and they whispered to each other back and forth until they arrived. The three of them walked inside and were immediately escorted to a table in the back of the restaurant away from the main crowd. After taking their seats in a booth and being handed menus, the waiter left to give them time to browse over it before ordering.

                “Feel free to order whatever you want, Jayne. I’m paying for dinner tonight.” The manager said as Jayne glanced up from eyeing the menu.

                “Kamsamnida (Thank you).” Jayne said as Soohyun was pointing to certain items on the menu and explaining what they tasted like and the ingredients involved.

                “So, what is your job here in Korea?” The manager asked as he set his menu down.

                “I work at a hagwon in Seoul. I love it.” Jayne said as the manager smiled.

                “That’s great. How long have you been working there?” He asked as he took a sip of the water in front of him.

                “I’ve been here for about eight months now. I started working there about two weeks after arriving.” Jayne said as she decided to take a sip of her water as well.

                “So, how long have you known Soohyun?” He asked as Jayne glanced at Soohyun and smiled.

                “Um…about two months now. We literally bumped into each other at a coffee shop. I spilled my coffee all over him. I still will never be able to live that down.” Jayne giggled as Soohyun chuckled.

                “Well, Soohyun doesn’t seem to have minded.” The manager said as Soohyun shook his head, a big grin on his face. “Jayne, I have to ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest.” The manager said as he got a serious look on his face. Just at that moment, the waiter came back to take their drink order. The three of them listed off what they wanted and the waiter scribbled away their responses. He left to go fill the order and the manager turned his attention back to what he was going to say before the interruption. “Jayne, Soohyun told me that you recently found out about him being a member of U-Kiss.”

                “That’s true. I found out that information Sunday night. But, I spoke with Eli and he explained everything.” Jayne said as the manager nodded.

                “Do you have any idea of the depth of what a possible relationship might entail? Did Eli mention outside factors that could potentially come between the two of you?” The manager asked as Jayne started to wonder where the conversation was going. She glanced at Soohyun and back again at the manager.

                “Yes. Absolutely. I’m sure there will be a lot that can happen.” Jayne said as she started to shift in her seat.

                “Jayne. I can’t sugar coat this. Unfortunately, this was brought to my attention yesterday.” The manager said as he handed her a manila envelope. Jayne gently took it out of his hand and opened the metal tabs that were sealing it shut. Peering inside, she took out the contents and immediately gasped. The envelope dropped as well as the photos inside.

                “N-no. Is this…how could…Soohyun???” Jayne stuttered as she looked over at him, the color draining out of her face.

                “I’m so sorry, Jayne. Paparazzi took it Monday night. I don’t know why I didn’t think of the location we were in. That street is where at least three entertainment companies are for KPop music. I took you to the restaurant because it specialized in American food. I was so nervous about explaining everything to you that it didn’t register to me with the possibility of them being there.” Soohyun said softly.

                “So what happens now? Is that picture going to be distributed for everyone to see?” Jayne asked in shock.

                “Not if I can make it stop. The paparazzi are greedy bastards. They want an exorbitant amount of money to not publish it. It’s all about selling it to the highest bidder. As much as I don’t want to give in to them, I will do whatever it takes to make sure no one besides us knows of this. You have my word.” The manager said as Jayne nodded.

                “Do you think anyone will suspect if they go ahead and publish it anyway?” Jayne asked as she glanced again at the photos.

                “Do you want my honest opinion?” The manager asked as Jayne nodded. “Do you know how often photos like this are printed? Unfortunately it can and does happen. Being a celebrity has its ups and downs. Obviously, this is not a good thing that happens. However, no matter what you do in life, you can’t please everyone. Some fans will support U-Kiss being in relationships while others will not. How you react to it depends on how it affects you. You can let it slide off your back or let it be a roadblock in your everyday life. The decision is up to you.”

                “That is very true.” Jayne said and took another sip of water. The waiter returned with their drinks. Once they placed their order, he left and the table grew silent. Soohyun reached under the table and gently placed his hand on Jayne’s knee, trying to soothe her worries.

                “Jayne, if there’s something I may add…” The manager said as Jayne looked up and nodded. “I don’t know if you were aware of this or not, but U-Kiss actually had a dating ban in place until last year. This is one of the reasons why this restriction was imposed. We don’t do it to be mean, most of all we’re looking out for their safety and the safety of the girls involved. Now, I don’t know you very well, but I have known Soohyun since they became a group four years ago. I can see that he cares about you, Jayne. Very deeply. I would hope that your feelings would equal that, if not more.”

                “I do. Very much so. Soohyun is the best thing that has happened to me since I’ve been here. It has been such a wonderful experience getting to know him the way I have.” Jayne said as she looked at Soohyun, her hand resting over his under the table and gently squeezing it.

                “I’m glad to hear that. I can tell you two have feelings for each other.” The manager said as the both of them nodded. “Well then, how about we get rid of all this moping and put it behind us. Let’s enjoy tonight.” The manager said as he raised his drink up for a toast. According to Korean tradition, Jayne’s and Soohyun’s glasses were lower than the manager’s in respect to age. When they went to drink, Soohyun turned away from Jayne because she was older than him. “Woah…did I just see what I thought I did. Jayne, are you older than Soohyun?” The manager asked chuckling.

                “Um…yeah…” Jayne said blushing.

                “Soohyun, I never thought you had it in you. Dating a noona. Hahahaha.” The manager laughed as Soohyun looked at Jayne.

                “You know he’s never going to let me live this down, right?” Soohyun said as Jayne started to blush.

                “I’m sorry, Soohyun…” Jayne said meekly. Soohyun just laughed and wrapped his right arm around her upper torso. He gently kissed her cheek as he squeezed her body closer to his. Ten minutes later their Bulgogi arrived and they made small talk amongst each other as they ate their dinner.