It was a few days after the date before you heard from Him. Granted, you had seen him on variety shows, but it was different. He had called a few times when he was traveling from one schedule to another. The two of you used the time to talk about your days and ask questions, still trying to get to know each other better. Texts were more frequent, usually him saying that he missed you or wanted to see you.

It went on like this for two weeks. Phone calls when he could, text messages when he had a spare minute. It made you feel special that he tried his best to talk to you everyday in some way, even if he was really busy. On the third week after your date, he hadn’t contacted you.

When he finally texted you, it was near the end of the week. You hesitated to open the text when you saw it. You had spent a lot of time thinking about what Seojin and Taewoo had said. In the end, you decided to rely on Taewoo.

“Are you busy?” That was all it said. You stared at it for a few minutes before replying. It had been awhile since you two had talked, maybe he was sick of you already. Maybe he didn’t want to talk to you anymore.

“No, what’s up?”

“Can we meet?” You sighed, but texted back asking where to meet him. He said to come outside your complex. Confused, you quickly put on your shoes and went down. You were surprised to find him leaning against stair railing outside. He had on a light hoodie since it was a bit cold tonight. As it was dark, you could be outside and it was unlikely that anyone would notice him. He smiled at you when he saw you and that helped calm you down. He reached out for you and pulled you into a hug, his arms tight around you and his face tucked down against your hair.

“I’m sorry I haven’t had time to talk to you. We’ve been so busy with promotions. When we finally had some time, I rushed over here to see you. I’ve missed you so much.” His confession made you breathe easier. You snuggled into his embrace and put your arms around his waist.

“I missed you too. After talking to Seojin, I’ve been in my own head too much.” He pulled back a little to look at your face.

“Is everything okay?”

“I… I just… Why do you like me?” His face contorted into shock. He clearly hadn’t been expecting that. “You’re an idol. You are around stunning, talented girls all the time. What could I possibly give you that they can’t?” You couldn’t meet his eyes as you spoke. He cupped your face, making you look at him, and smiled.

“I like you because you aren’t like those girls. You’re real. You make me feel real. I don’t feel like an idol when I’m with you. You’re like a sanctuary from the crazy idol lifestyle. But mostly, I like you because you’re you. I feel drawn to you in a way I’ve never experienced before. And I know it sounds insane because we haven’t known each other long and we’ve barely spent time together; but, I can already tell that I’m going to fall so deeply in love with you.” His words made your breath hitch. As you stared into his eyes, you could see the sincerity in them. After a minute or so, he smiled at you.

“How about we go get some ice cream and lighten the mood a bit?” You smiled and nodded. He took your hand in his and led you down the street to a little ice cream stand that was still open. You each picked out a flavor, and continued walking aimlessly as you ate.

He asked about your week. You told him about one of the boys in your class that had tried flirting with a girl in English, but failed miserably. He then told you about the schedules they had been doing as part of the promotions for their album. His life sounded so busy and stressful that you felt bad for taking up any of his time. He hardly slept, and spending time with you was eating into the few hours he had. But when you vocalized your concerns to him, he quickly shushed you saying he would rather be here than asleep.

The two of you continued to walk around for a while until you ended up back in front of your apartment complex.

“Your dark circles will get worse if we stay out too late Oppa. You should go home and get some rest.” You lightly ran your thumb under one of his eyes, concerned, but tried to laugh it off a bit. He smiled at your joke.

“As long as you think they are cute, I’ll be okay. Every idol has them anyway. Makeup is blessing.” You smiled and removed your hand from his face. He caught it as you pulled it way and used it to tug you against his body.

His hands moved to cup your face again, bringing it up to his. His kiss took your breath away. He kissed you more fully than he had before, like he had nothing to hold back now. When you returned his kiss, he deepened it. He kissed your bottom lip, on it slightly. His lips were soft. You couldn’t figure out what he tasted like, but you liked it. You could feel he wanted more, but he pulled away. He leaned his forehead against yours, his eyes still closed, breathing quickly.

“You’re going to test my self control if you don’t go back inside now.” He whispered. You moved your lips up to his again, kissing him softly. When you pulled back, he groaned a little.

“Goodnight Oppa.” As you walked towards the door, he held onto you hand as long as he could without moving.

“Goodnight.” He watched you go inside and head up the stairs toward your apartment. He saw a light switch on up on the second floor a minute later and smiled to himself. As he stared up at it, he touch his lips lightly and then turned to head to his dorm.