*****

They first stopped by the movie theater as planned and found their seats almost immediately. Sehun hesitated and felt nervous about asking whether Namjoo wanted something to eat, but she just walked past the food stand. In the end neither of them got any drinks or popcorn.

Their seats were near the middle which gave him a perfect view of the surrounding audience made of couples varying from young to old. Sehun cleared his throat a few times and fidgeted nervously in his seat. He was partially afraid that Namjoo would be uncomfortable, but she chose not to speak. She was a lot calmer than he’d worried and maybe that caused him to worry even more.

Sehun pondered over thoughts like, was he doing things right? Before the movie started he caught sight of her glancing around at the growing crowd and they turned to each other forcing nervous smiles onto their lips before turning away. Perhaps, he realized, they were on the same level of tense.

To his luck, the movie wasn’t so bad. There were a lot of laughs, a few kisses here and there, but who couldn’t take those? While the movie progressed on he stole a glance to look at Namjoo who seemed absorbed. It was a good sight to see her interested in something.

“Honestly,” Namjoo spoke up as they walked out, “I was a little nervous about how the movie would turn out, but I’m glad I came to watch it.”

And even though he kind of knew she had felt that way, he was surprised. Actually, it made him feel really relieved.

“Ah…me too,” he admitted with a smile. Then he turned to look at her, “I was planning to stay out instead of going back right away. Do you want to come with me?”

“To where?”

“I was planning to go play at a dog café,” Sehun told almost shyly.

“That sounds fun!” Namjoo agreed. “Ok.”

The dogs started barking like crazy when they stepped into the café. They cuddled and played with the dogs till they tired.

“I always wanted a dog,” Sehun told, “but my grandma was allergic to their fur.”

“You can get one now that you’re on your own,” Namjoo pointed out while taking a bite of her cookie before secretly tossing it to the German Shepherd whining at her feet.    

Sehun watched the dog greedily swallow it down without chewing and wagged his tail for more, but Namjoo had no more snacks to spare.

“I was thinking of getting one in the future when I have my own family,” Sehun said quietly, shy, and embarrassed.

Namjoo made a face to then laughed a little and he thought she’d be really beautiful if she smiled and laughed more.  

“What do you usually do on the weekends?” he wondered.

“I go in for work,” Namjoo almost quietly replied looking down at the table. Then looked up with a half-smile, “It’s my first weekend off in six months.” She quieted and rubbed her palms together before continuing, “I thought I could put a stop to that.”

“Yay,” Sehun sounded before laughing. Namjoo shot him an absurd stare. “How does working seven days a week benefit you anyway?”

She shrugged. “More money?”

Sehun slightly snorted, “I doubt you use that money for anything other than drinking and food.”

The edge of her lips curved up into a smirk as if she’d been caught red-handed and Sehun suddenly burst out laughing.

Namjoo stared at him with a flat and straight expression before she crossed her arms and looked away with a snort. She asked with a baffled laugh, “Yah, does that make you any better than me?”  

He shook his head, but still laughed anyway.

And he was glad they came out together. Suddenly he thought the wall between them finally crumbled down, and he wasn’t just close to her on an emotional level, but personally as well. Sehun was sure he knew some things about her that those currently around her had no clue about. Perhaps those things made him feel a little greedy for her company.

During the next few weeks he and Namjoo practically became something like work and dorm buddies. They left for work together, ate lunch together, came home together, and had dinner together in which the loser of rock-paper-scissors would have to prepare the meal. His life suddenly felt as revived as when he still had Yoora and Hyun Ae. But this was yet a different case.

It was pure happiness with Namjoo, not a relationship built off the rocks of hindering emotions. They really played for fun, not for the emotions that came after. When he was with Namjoo nothing else seemed to matter. There was no other person to intrude since they already went through the worst of their ups and downs side by side. Sehun couldn’t see anything else when he was with her. If people made comments or remarks about them, he couldn’t hear them. There was no worry, no worry at all. This was such a different case than Hyun Ae and perhaps that itself made him happier.

“I got the fried chicken you wanted!” Sehun shouted walking through the door, but stopped when he spotted a suitcase sitting in the den.

He browsed around the apartment and was a little relieved that it didn’t seem like she was packing up to leave. A few seconds later Namjoo’s head popped out of her bedroom.

“Oh, you’re here?” she asked before walking out. “They’re still warm, right? They better be.”

“What are you doing?” he questioned when she took the bag from him.

“Ah…going on vacation,” Namjoo dug into the bag and pulled out a drumstick.

“Vacation?” Sehun repeated.

She nodded, “A three week vacation.”

Sehun shifted around to face her curious, “Where are you going?”

She turned to look at him with the drumstick between before she tore a piece of meat off and chewed. “I was thinking Macau.”

“M…Macau?” he almost stuttered.

She was going far…and all by herself. Did she want to get away that bad? Then he pondered over the thought about why she didn’t just want to stay and relax in Seoul.

“You want to come with? Tickets are cheaper if I buy double,” Namjoo turned to look at him.

A smile immediately erupted onto his face at her suggestion. “Really?”

She looked blank even when she nodded. Whether she was excited or not didn’t really hurt him.

“Should I?” he asked as if get her to prod him along, but Namjoo just kept eating away at the drumstick. “Hey, are you listening?”

Namjoo turned to him still busy with her drumstick. “Yea, go.” Then she turned away again.

Sehun went to sleep that night excited over the possible things they could do in Macau.

*****

“But I wasn’t planning to go,” Namjoo said.

“But this is a company event, how can you not go?” her manager questioned leaning against her desk.

“I don’t like those functions,” Namjoo shook her head.

“Oh come on! Why is it so difficult to get you cooperate,” her manager whined. “And I’m giving you a long vacation when most of us would only have one week.”

A slight guilty frown crossed her face before she looked at him.

“Aish!” she moaned. “Fine. Whatever. When is it?”

“This weekend, formal wear.”

Namjoo rolled her head across her shoulders. “You know I hate formal functions!”

“It’s not a function, be there, our team will be waiting,” her manager pointed a finger at her before walking away.

Namjoo grumbled underneath her breath as she watched him go.

“It’s not that bad,” Sehun chided her after work. “A lot of food, boring presentations, but a lot of food.”

Namjoo stared at him with a cross expression between despair and sarcasm. Sehun turned to her and shrugged.

“Do you want to go together?” he asked.

“Forget it, I’ll just meet you there,” Namjoo mumbled, and so she spent the next day searching for something appropriate to wear with a female co-worker.

*****

Because of the good weather the celebration of the company’s 70^th anniversary was held outdoors on a delicate courtyard by one of the large hotels. A platform had been set up all the way to the left and in front of it were numerous circular tables draped in expensive white lining. Candles locked away in mini vases floated upon the abundant water that filled it sat in the center of each table with six chairs tucked in at each possible side.

The sun was hanging low in the sky and stars were starting to sparkle when Sehun was led out into the yard by one of the hotel employees. A fair amount of employees from the company were standing around in various groups with a champagne glass in hand. He could hear laughter and conversations floating around him before Jong Kyu glided toward him.

“Woohoo! Look who finally made it!” Jong Kyu nudged him before looking up and down at him. “Looking good.” Then he leaned closer to Sehun’s ear to whisper, “So where’s your girl?”

Sehun turned to him abruptly before shoving him away. “Stop spreading rumors, will you?”

“Oh, they haven’t started yet,” Jong Kyu shook his head teasingly. “But aren’t you anticipating her tonight? I’ve never seen her in a dress before. Ah…don’t you think she’ll be so pretty you can’t take your eyes off her?”

Sehun turned with a small frown to look at Jong Kyu before he turned to look around. He hadn’t thought about Namjoo dolled up in a dress before. He liked Namjoo the way she was no matter the way she dressed, but now that dumb Jong Kyu brought it up Sehun realized he was actually anticipating it. Even while he thought of it he could feel his heart slowly racing inside his chest.

Jong Kyu nudged him again, “She’s here.”

Turning right away he spotted someone in a long white evening gown walking down the stairs with another person at her side. After a moment he finally recognized her as Namjoo. He’d never seen her hair done and pulled up neatly before. It was really a sight to behold and Sehun suddenly felt proud and impressed. His eyes glued themselves to her as she made her way over to her co-workers. He felt kind of jealous over the reason that she’d gone to greet them before looking for him.

“Can’t stop staring, can you?” Jong Kyu laughed beside him.

Finally blinking his eyes he quickly turned away. “What are you talking about?”

Jong Kyu laughed again before linking an arm around his neck and pulled him close, “Why don’t you go greet her?”

“Yah, what are you…” Sehun started before Jong Kyu cut him off.

“Oh look, she’s looking around,” Jong Kyu shoved him in Namjoo’s direction.

His legs uncontrollably hurled him forward before he finally stopped. Sehun’s heart was pounding real hard that he suddenly could no longer hear all that laughter around him. When he shot his eyes forward he first spotted Namjoo turning to look around before their eyes suddenly met. Sehun was too tense to smile or wave, but he saw that smile of relief in her eyes before she started toward him.

His useless feet glued themselves on spot and refused to allow him to move forward.

“Thank goodness…” she first started off before her voice suddenly drowned out into his loud thumping heart.

Sehun felt his eyes lock onto her hair, her face, before the inappropriately moved to her bare shoulder.

“Are you listening!?” Namjoo suddenly shouted.

“W…what?” he stuttered after snapping out of his trance.

“Aish…” Namjoo groaned impatiently before she moved her hands forward to his jacket.

He felt his heart jump at the touch of her fingers and shrank back. “W…what are you doing?”

“I said give me your jacket!” Namjoo shot the words out before she forced his jacket off him and slid into it.

He snorted and laughed after she slipped into it, “You’re embarrassed?”

“Shut up!” Namjoo shot the words at him before crossing her arms and glanced around. “I’m hungry. Lets go get something to eat.”

A smile of relief slipped onto his lips as he followed her toward the tables with the food that had been carefully laid out. Picking up a bottle of water he slightly turned to sneak a glance at her. Even as she babbled away he thought he couldn’t fully focus on her. Namjoo was even more eye catching now.

“Oh! This is really good!” Namjoo repeatedly nudged his shoulder with her hand before handing him piece of celery dipped into some kind of sauce.

And Sehun thought he was really happy they got to know each other.

“Ugh! That was so boring! I’m never going again!” Namjoo complained in the taxi. “Why do you even go in the first place!? What was waste of time!”

“The food was good,” Sehun pointed out.

Namjoo shot in a tiny glare before she opened the door and stepped out when they reached the apartment. “You pay.”

He did so without a complaint and hurried in after her. They stood quietly in the elevator and he thought that if Namjoo handed him his jacket now their night would be considered over. He would be disappointed with just the thought of walking away after a farewell.

Sehun wasn’t sure about Namjoo since she seemed blatant the entire night, but he was sure he was feeling somewhat different – in a good way. Tonight’s Namjoo wasn’t particularly different from the person he met in the morning and ate with. Perhaps it had to do with her visual. The effort she put into looking well for the company’s celebration made him feel captivated in a kind of silly way.

“Oh yea, about the Macau trip,” Namjoo spoke as they walked down the hallway, “I bought the tickets already. You asked off, right?”

“Yea, yea I did,” he answered behind her.

Namjoo paused and turned to look at him, “You’re awfully quiet today. Cat got your tongue?”

No, he thought, it wasn’t the cat.

Sehun watched Namjoo unlock her door before stepping in. She slightly yawned before stepping in and turned around.

“God, that was so boring I’m tired now,” she told. “I’ll call you up tomorrow or something.”

“Um…” he quietly tried to drag for more time. “My…jacket.”

Namjoo burst out into an embarrassed laugh, “I was thinking I was beginning to feel kind of warm.”

He watched her the jacket before taking it off. Handing it to him she said, “Thanks. I was kind of uncomfortable without sleeves.” Then she laughed off her embarrassment again.

“Namjoo,” Sehun nervously started. The thudding of his heart was much harsher now. “You’re really pretty tonight.”

The embarrassment faded from her face right away and she stared at him without expression. The atmosphere slightly tensed, but Sehun felt really calm for some reason. As if dazed, he slowly inclined toward her and closed his eyes before he felt their lips touch.