They had eventually settled on a bottle of Gewürztraminer. Kyungsoo had sampled the sweetish, lychee-accented white wine at a seafood restaurant months before whereas Jongin had never tried it. The bottle currently lay chilling in the refrigerator as the two men worked side by side to unpack the contents of two large paper bags - laying all manner of fresh produce more or less neatly atop the black granite counter. Both men had decided it was a good idea to shower before starting on the cooking since paintball had been such a messy affair.

"You go first, hyung. I wanna get started on the jjigae." Jongin grabbed a clean, fluffy blue towel from the closet beside his bed and handed it to Kyungsoo, who was waiting by the door to the en suite bathroom. It suddenly seemed like a kind of awkwardly intimate situation to be in and Jongin fled to the kitchen once he'd told Kyungsoo to help himself to anything and mumbled an apology about the mess that was his bedroom. Kyungsoo laughed, envisioning a cloud of smoke in Jongin's wake - he'd beat such a hasty retreat. He took in his surroundings curiously, admitting to himself that he was eager to uncover more layers of Jongin's personality. 

His bedroom looked cosy and lived in. The sheets on the queen-sized bed were a pale gray color and while the bedding was mostly neat, the quilt lay in a slight tangle and from the humps on the pillow, it looked like Jongin had slept with an arm tucked under it, and the other arm hugging it. It seemed to have been left in the exact position it had been in when Jongin woke up. Things not being tidily tucked away was something that usually bothered Kyungsoo, but the only thing that went through his head as he stared at the misshapen pillow was that he wanted to watch Jongin sleep with his arm tucked under that pillow. He suddenly felt a warm achy sensation in his chest as he tried to picture a sleeping Jongin. What was wrong with him? 

He shook off the unwanted mental images and wandered over to the small section of wall near the window, passing a much-read and rather battered copy of David Eddings' The Magician's Gambit along the way. It had been left haphazardly on the far corner of Jongin's mahogany bedside table. 

The pale green of the curtains was soothing and Kyungsoo ran his fingers over the sturdy cotton fabric. Then he turned his attention to the object which had drawn him to the area in the first place. It was a collage on the wall - filled with pictures of Jongin at play and work with his family and friends. It looked as if the pictures has been added over the years as Jongin's face charted subtle differences from one photo to the next.

There were various pictures of Jongin and Luhan and Sehun and some other friends clowning around on the lawn, with what looked like a school building in the somewhat distant background. There were also photos of them grinning like idiots in some cafe, on a paintball field, at some theme park. The joie de vivre that radiated through the photos was almost tangible and it made Kyungsoo smile to see Jongin so happy when he was in his element, in the company of friends who seemed more like family.

Next, he came across a picture of Jongin and Chanyeol sitting behind a huge wooden work table. There were flowers everywhere - Kyungsoo had no names for any of them really although he thought he might have recognized some carnations. The two men were deep in thought as they worked on their individual floral arrangements. He knew Chanyeol was a floral designer but Jongin? He'd assumed from the start that Jongin was a delivery guy and Jongin had never contradicted him. But the way he'd manipulated the red peonies so professionally ... and his guilty expression when he'd told Kyungsoo he'd picked up a thing or two working in a flower shop ... Was Jongin hiding something from him?

There were pictures too of Jongin eating ice-cream with his niece and nephew - he had told Kyungsoo their names were Jinki and Jinri. The little girl Jinri was sitting on her uncle's lap and she was giggling at something he'd said. Jinki, on the other hand, had wrinkled his nose in exaggerated distaste. Kyungsoo figured Jongin must have said something that would've appealed to girls but would've simultaneously repelled boys. Right next to this photo was one of Jongin sitting at a picnic table with his mom, his brother and his sister-in-law. His father was glaringly absent from all the photos. Perhaps he had been the one holding the camera? But Kyungsoo somehow doubted it.

Next, he saw a photograph of Jongin and his mom squatting, spades in hand as they planted what might have been tulip bulbs. Further to the right was a photo of Jongin and his mom sitting on the ground with triumphant cheesy smiles and victory signs, as they proudly displayed a bed of lush purple tulips. Jongin wore the same gray t-shirt and faded-to-almost-white denims he'd worn in the photo he'd seen in the living room earlier that day. It must have been taken on the same day - when the purple tulips had flowered for the first time. 

A frown marred Kyungsoo's features as he thought of his own bedroom. About all he could say about it was that everything was in its rightful place. It was meticulously ordered and pristine - but soulless. It wasn't pieces of him like Jongin's room was pieces of him. It lacked soul, lacked any real traces of him. When had he become so scared of expressing himself? When had his life become so compartmentalized? He wasn't one for introspection but maybe it was time he changed things a little - starting with his apartment. It really needed some color. A lot more color. And some of that mess Baekhyun had prescribed.

Feeling like he'd intruded enough, Kyungsoo made his way into the bathroom. A Gillette shaver and a green toothbrush stood upright in a  red cup and a tube of hair gel and a hairbrush were fairly neatly arrayed on the clean surface of the sink top. The bathroom, shower and toilet looked pretty much spotless, Kyungsoo noted approvingly. And how sad was he that he was assessing the hygiene standards of Jongin's bathroom? Nonetheless, the fact that Jongin had a clean and cosy apartment made Kyungsoo like him even more - as weird as that would sound to most normal people.

Stripping off his soiled clothing, and turning on the water, Kyungsoo stepped into the shower and helped himself to a bar of soap which smelt of vanilla. Jongin always had a slight scent of vanilla on him, and mint and a subtle touch of something else which he could never put his finger on. That was when Kyungsoo spotted the fat, deep green bottle labeled Paul Mitchell Lavender Mint Moisturizing Shampoo. Popping the cap, he took a sniff and his mind was immediately filled with images of Jongin. It had been lavender after all - the elusive note had been lavender. 

As Kyungsoo lathered some of the minty shampoo into his wet hair, he mulled over all that he'd learnt about Jongin in the past six minutes and felt himself drown just that little much more in the whirlpool of messy emotions which had overtaken his life since he'd met the shy, awkward and most endearing Kim Jongin ... He felt himself drown, yes, but Kyungsoo had no regrets. None at all.

 

 

 

-----

 

Jongin emerged from his bedroom, water beading on the ends of his damp hair. And Kyungsoo watched as he moved across the room in easy, graceful strides. Perhaps he was only clumsy on the paintball field?, Kyungsoo thought to himself and couldn't resist grabbing him in a gentle hug when Jongin stopped in front of him.

 

"Hyung, are you okay?" Jongin looked amused ... but pleased. And he couldn't help laughing when Kyungsoo buried his nose in his neck and took a long sniff of his shower-scented skin.

 

"You are the most delicious smelling person I know." Kyungsoo announced, "Vanilla, mint, lavender and Kim Jongin are the best combination."

 

"Okay that is so cheesy it might actually hurt." Jongin grinned before putting the tip of his nose to the expanse of skin between Kyungsoo's neck and shoulder, observing regretfully, "You smell a lot like me now. I kinda miss your citrusy scent."

 

"Wait, you noticed my scent?" 

 

"I'd better get started on the gyeranmari*." Jongin said quickly, studiously avoiding eye contact as he disentangled himself from Kyungsoo's arms and walked towards the kitchen - which was already fragrant with the aroma of simmering sundubu jjigae**. 

 

As he watched Jongin walk away in his navy blue, knee-length flat shorts and green v-necked tee, three facts impinged on Kyungsoo's consciousness:

 

1. Kim Jongin was endearingly shy; 

 

2. Kim Jongin had a nice ; and 

 

3. Kim Jongin had a very, very nice .

 

Kyungsoo sighed. He'd have to work really hard to keep his hands off it.

 

* * *

 

After Jongin had poured the egg mixture into the oblong pan in an even layer, he turned towards Kyungsoo and asked, "Hyung, could you get me some kim*** from the fridge? I need one sheet. It should be on the top shelf."

 

"I don't see any." Kyungsoo said after he'd searched all the shelves, "You do have some Wildberry Mango Surprise yogurt which expired two days ago though. Can I throw it out? Before it mutates or something. I mean it hasn't been opened but just in case."

 

Jongin laughed, muttering something about accountants being the most paranoid people ever. "I really need the kim now though hyung, before the egg gets overdone - so your OCD will just have to wait. Can you get a packet from that cupboard up there?" Jongin pointed at the overhead cupboard that hung suspended a few feet above Kyungsoo. It was pretty high up and Kyungsoo had to tiptoe more than a little to reach the packet of seaweed. As he stretched upwards, the hem of his sky blue shirt lifted away from the waistband of his khaki shorts and Jongin glimpsed a sliver of milky skin and what looked like ... a very familiar dragon etched in black ink on Kyungsoo's lower back. 

 

"Got it!" Kyungsoo declared proudly and carefully tore open the packet, extracting one sheet of seaweed and handing it to Jongin, who was still staring, mouth slightly agape. 

 

"Jongin? Did I give you the wrong kim?"

 

"No, it's the right kim. But I think I just saw Krong. On your back." Jongin had a dazed look on his face as he said it.

 

"Yeah, about that," the tips of Kyungsoo's ears had gone pink, "I'll tell you about Krong over dinner, ok? Because the maeran gari looks good and I really don't want you to burn it. It's a long story and I don't want you to get distracted,"

 

"You're going to make me wait till dinner?!" Jongin protested incredulously.

 

"Yes. Now concentrate. I haven't had homecooked gyeranmari in months. It's beyond my skills so you're going to have to teach me how to make it one day. Maybe you'll succeed where my umma failed. She declared me unteachable." Kyungsoo chuckled as he turned Jongin so he was facing the stove again. 

 

"But it's a tattoo, hyung. How can you make me wait till dinner?" Jongin persisted even as he deftly separated the edges of the hardening egg mixture from the sides of the pan with a red spatula. Kyungsoo watched Jongin work and found himself wondering how someone this adept with his hands could be the same person who had tripped and fallen all over the field earlier that day. "Tell me about the tattoo. Please?"

 

"Shhh. Concentrate." Kyungsoo hugged Jongin from behind, peering over his shoulder. Shaking his head in resignation, Jongin carefully placed the seaweed sheet on top of the omelette and expertly wound it into a tight roll with the spatula.

 

"See that? That's the part that kills me every time. I just can't roll it right. How did you even do that? That looks just like the gyeranmari my umma makes! I think I hate you." 

 

"I'll teach you to make it one day. Promise." Jongin smiled then asked thoughtfully, "Do you see your umma often?"

 

"I try to see her about once a month but my hometown is about two hours' bus ride from here so sometimes the visits are further apart. She lives with my older sister though, so she has three grandkids to keep her busy. And I call her all the time so I don't think she has any chance to miss me really. Yixing and I moved out here after college. In fact we used to share an apartment till he got that job across town - it was just too far for him to commute so we rented smaller apartments on our own after a while. And you should be about snoring now - sorry I got a little carried away with the reminiscing."

 

"Not bored at all. I wanted to know, hyung." Jongin gave Kyungsoo's a light shove as if to say, "Don't be silly." Then he asked him to set the table, and to take out the side dishes and the egg rolls. Meanwhile, Jongin himself pulled on scarlet oven mitts and lifted the scorching hot clay pot from the stove - taking slow, careful steps as he conveyed it to the dining table. Kyungsoo found himself holding his breath as he had flashbacks of Jongin tripping and falling on the paintball field. But Jongin was sure footed in the kitchen apparently as there were no accidents en route to the table. 

 

The soft tofu stew was bubbling enthusiastically - releasing deliciously garlicky, spicy aromas  which flavored the air in the apartment with the comforting scent of homecooked food. And so Kyungsoo watched impatiently as Jongin gingerly placed the pot on a cork placemat, next to the banchan dishes and the omelette which the younger man had already arranged artistically on a celadon serving dish. Finally, Jongin scooped out fluffy white rice for them to eat with the rest of the food. The rice puffed out soft lacy clouds of steam in contrast to the stew, which produced strong streams of it. Everything smelled heavenly to Kyungsoo who was, by now, dying of both hunger and anticipation.

 

"I guess dinner's ready." Jongin announced a little self-consciously as they sat down. The last time they'd sat across from each other for dinner, it had been as almost-strangers over a pot of steaming gamjatang in a crowded restaurant. It was almost impossible to believe that only three nights had passed since their slightly-awkward-slightly-shy first date. They were anything but strangers now as they sat across from each other over a pot of steaming sundubu jjigae in Jongin's quiet, cosy apartment.

 

"Can I?" Kyungsoo's hand hovered over the steel ladle and Jongin nodded, embarrassed. Kyungsoo spooned some of the jigae onto his rice and onto Jongin's too. Then he carefully poured some of the flame-colored liquid into his long handled steel spoon and sipped it carefully while Jongin observed him nervously.

 

"Oh that's good." Kyungsoo closed his eyes and made exaggerated noises of ecstasy. 

 

"Stop it hyung, you're being cheesy again. It's not thaaat good."

 

"No, Jongin it really is that good. This is just ohhhhhhh. Now you've gone and done it. A romantic and a really good cook too. You're never getting rid of me now. "

 

"Who says I want to?" Jongin said softly, staring at his own hands. Then he picked up the ladle and dished out more of the stew for Kyungsoo, making sure to give him few misshapen squares of soft tofu, a couple of prawns and some cuttlefish.

 

"Well, even if you wanted to get rid of me, I wouldn't go." Kyungsoo's tone was joking but his eyes burnt with sincerity as they looked straight into Jongin's.

 

"I would never do that." Jongin said quietly and Kyungsoo reached across the table to take Jongin's hand. Feelings unsaid hung in the air between them and while Kyungsoo knew they needed to talk about things eventually, he decided there would be more than time enough for that later. For now, they'd enjoy the food Jongin had put together and some light conversation. 

 

"Okay, let's see if this tastes as good as it looks," Kyungsoo picked up a piece of gyeranmari with his skinny steel chopsticks. 

 

"Hyung, you promised you'd tell me about Krong." 

 

"Ohhhh, this could possibly be better than my umma's gyeranmari. She'll be mad as hell if I tell her I've tried better gyeranmari than hers. And she'll be even more upset when I tell her it was made by a twenty-five year old dude. Her womanly pride wouldn't be able to take it." 

 

Jongin rolled his eyes at him before saying firmly, "Stop trying to distract me with flattery. I want to know about Krong. Now. You keep saying you're a math geek and a boring accountant but you're hiding a tattoo under your conservative business shirt? I don't understand."

 

"Do you hate it? That I have a tattoo?" 

 

"No! I ... like it. A lot. It's just ... I'm curious because I didn't expect you to have a tattoo. You tell me your friends say you're too serious and you insist you're boring. So how come you have a tattoo? Just ... how? And why Krong? Can I see it?"

 

Kyungsoo grimaced and said, "Later. After dinner. I'm savoring all this delicious food."

 

"Okay, I'll wait till after dinner to see it but I am not waiting any longer for the story about the tattoo."

 

"It's long and boring - like all my stories."

 

"Hyunggggg," Jongin actually glared at him. Threateningly.

 

"So fierce! Okay, remember I told you about my next door neighbor Ethan Jameson? The one who's responsible for my grunge addiction? My umma says Ethan is a Bad Influence with a capital B and capital I and she blames every bad thing I've ever done on poor Ethan. She's right though, at least 70% of the time anyway," Kyungsoo chuckled. 

 

"Hyung, the tattoo. Focus." 

 

"Well, when I turned 21, Ethan took me out to celebrate. He was muttering something dramatic about me having to get a tattoo as 'a rite of passage to mark my becoming a man'. By that time, I'd had four cans of Bud and was in possession of very little common sense. So that's how we ended up in the tattoo studio on Jefferson Street. So there he was, trying to choose one of those really cool designs like something Celtic, something with flames or a black rose or something grunge-related. But I insisted on Krong. Ethan and the tattoo guy were going who? What?" Fueled by Jongin's sundubu jjigae and gyeranmari and his earnest curiosity, Kyungsoo was animated as he recounted the origins of the tattoo on his back.

 

"I had to Google Krong for them because of course they had no idea what Pororo or his friends looked like. When they saw Krong, they laughed their asses off. For two whole minutes. If I hadn't been so drunk I would've been deathly insulted. Ethan was going, 'Nooooooooo. Dude, don't do it.' And the tattoo guy just couldn't stop laughing. But I was drunk and adamant. Ethan was pretty disgusted with me for picking such an 'unmanly' tattoo - like couldn't I at least have picked a cool looking dragon surrounded by flames or something? But I wouldn't budge. So he eventually agreed to it. And the tattoo artist only did it after I swore I'd never tell anyone I got that tattoo at his studio. Looking back, it was pretty hilarious. I asked him to ink it on my lower back so I could hide it from my mom and everyone else."

 

"So she's never seen it?"

 

"I wish." Kyungsoo sighed, "She found out six months later and she wanted to beat the out of Ethan! She would probably have grounded me for life too except I was already living in the city with Yixing. For months and months, she made sarcastic remarks about me trying to give her a with that tattoo. She's forgiven me now but she still gives Ethan the evil eye when she remembers. Ethan reckons if he drops dead on the street one day, it'll be due to all the evil stares Umma has given him since we became friends." Kyungsoo laughed and Jongin laughed in unison.

 

"I really like the sound of this Ethan. Thanks to him, you have a tattoo on your back and the best taste in music." Jongin chuckled, then continued in a more serious tone, "Thanks for sharing that with me. You're really full of surprises, hyung. I wonder what you'll surprise me with next. And don't forget you promised to let me see Krong properly." Jongin nudged his ankle under the table.

 

"I'll let you see it, Jongin, don't worry. Now let's eat." Kyungsoo grinned, nudging his ankle back. 

 

* * *

 

They'd done the dishes together, side-by-side ... bumping elbows and shoulders. Kyungsoo had offered to do them on his own since Jongin had cooked dinner, but then Jongin said he'd helped with washing, slicing and chopping the ingredients so he had cooked too.

 

When the last dish had been dried and put away and the counter tops wiped down and their hands washed, Jongin pulled Kyungsoo to the sitting room and said very firmly, "I want to see it now."

 

* * *

 

*gyeranmari = Korean rolled egg omelette 

**sundubu jjigae = soft tofu stew

***kim = dried seaweed

 

 

A/N: Ok first of, I am soooo sorry for the practically zero Kaisoo interaction at the start of this chapter. This section was actually supposed to be only a few paragraphs long but Jongin kinda hijacked the chapter because I couldn't stop myself from sharing more details about him. Also I wanted to show Kyungsoo's process of discovery because really, they'd only met 8 days beforehand and there's still a lot he doesn't know about Jongin. Also the contrast between their bedrooms is crucial. I tried to describe Jongin's impressions of Kyungsoo's bedroom in an earlier chapter, but Kyungsoo is a far more meticulous person than Jongin so his descriptions are more detailed. Also, there's just more of Jongin invested in his room. And also, he's just so presh, how can anyone stop talking about him?! I definitely can't! Argh just kill me now!

 

Omg longest A/N ever! Imma stop now before I lose half my subscribers lol ...