On their way to his car, Suzy stretched out her arms above her head. "I can't believe we just barely made it!" She turned to him. "Thanks. I would have gotten into so much trouble had I not finished that."

"Why were you spacing out so much all day anyway?" He opened the car door on the driver's side.

At the question, she felt her face heat up. She cleared . "Just a lot of things in my mind, that's all. So where should we eat? I'm starving. It's…6:15 already," she said as she looked down at her watch. "I like eating any kind of food, so you can choose."

"There's a Italian restaurant twenty minutes away. It's pretty good. Up for it?"

She nodded in agreement. "That's fine."

As they drove out, the silence settled comfortably. Suzy looked out the window and absently enjoyed the scenery. Her thoughts were still so focused on him. To have lent help that way, it tugged on her heart strings. She was a er for kindness, especially for something trivial as finishing a deadline that wasn't even his to stress out about. She wondered if he knew what kind of effect he had on women. This was probably why so many women at work found Seungri likable and charming, she mused. Funny that she could only see it clearly now when he'd been taking care of her all this time in that oddly subtle way of his.

Bora's words resonated in her mind. Get to know that other side of his that you always talk about…before you decide to start burying those feelings. She turned to face him. Thinking more and more about Seungri made her even more curious as to what kind of her person he really was, especially outside of work.

"Hey Seungri? What was your childhood like?"

He slowed down at the yellow light. Seungri rested his arm against the windowsill. "I was quiet. I didn't get along with people that well. In school, I barely had any friends."

Astonished, she glanced up at his profile. "Really?"

He nodded. Deciding there was no point in hiding how tough his life had been, he continued. "My parents ditched me when I was four. I first got adopted when I was seven, but it didn't work out. The relatives weren't thrilled that the family adopted a seven-year-old, unruly kid. So I got transferred to another family when I was eight. I kept getting into a lot of trouble at school and they couldn't handle it. They made me go back to Social Services when I was around thirteen. This old man took me in a year later. He was a damn good cook. I kind of learned everything from him. He was an old grandpa and all his kids were all married, so he was lonely," Seungri supplied. He glanced over his shoulder and changed lanes. "When I graduated high school, I told him I wanted to live on my own. I didn't want to be dependent on him anymore. He was a really good man," he said as an after-thought. "So he let me go. I got a part-time job while going to university, supported myself."

She never knew. Had she not asked, she never would have known anything about it at all. And he downplayed it as though it was no big deal. For someone to have gone through what he had and become as successful and independent as he was now…it was something to admire.

"That was a little depressing, huh?" Seungri asked, flashing her a quick grin.

"Actually…I'm just amazed with what you've done with your life, even after everything. I think a lot of people who have gone through something similar would have turned to drugs or alcohol or would have simply given up. The fact that you still wanted to fight for yourself is admirable, Seungri." She said with sincerity.

"That's a lot of praise. Thanks," he said, trying to sound nonchalant, though her words hit him hard. "Well, what about you? You must have been a happy kid."

She smiled at that. "No, but…my life story isn't nearly as complex as yours."

"I told you mine. Spill it."

"My mom and dad were wonderful parents. My older brother and I had a really good childhood. I have a lot of fun memories of that time in my life. But when I was ten, my mom died in a plane crash. My brother was fifteen at the time, so he took care of me when my dad started having it rough. Sometimes I miss her," Suzy murmured, studying her fingers. "But it's been so long that there are times when I wonder if I've forgotten some memories already." She shrugged uneasily. "I don't know, my dad hasn't really been the same since my mom passed away, but…he's still trying, I guess."

Once they'd reached the restaurant, Seungri parked the car. But just as Suzy took off her seatbelt, he took her arm. Suzy looked back up at him in slight surprise.

"Those memories of your mom, I'm pretty sure you haven't forgotten. You won't forget, because they're important to you. Sorry to hear about her passing away."

Grateful for the kind words, Suzy smiled genuinely. "Thank you."

The interior of the restaurant had a nice ambience to it, with subtle warm light bathing the room and small chandeliers hanging above the tables. As it was only a Monday night, it wasn't quite busy and both were seated right away at a table for two.

Now sitting in a restaurant, sharing this intimate space together, Suzy became aware immediately of Seungri as a man. Her heart slowly turned over in her chest as their gazes met. He had really long lashes. And his eyes were a unique shade of brown. She never been this close to even notice them before.

"So…this is a little awkward, huh?" She asked with a nervous chuckle. She took the glass of water the waitress offered and took a big gulp. "We've…never gone out for dinner together before," she pointed out.

She really was innocent to have to say it all out. He was already feeling distressed, despite the fact that the car ride had been perfectly fine. Sitting here now in front of her, seeing how big her eyes were and how pink and soft those lips looked, it was almost frightening. All these thoughts rushing in his mind, Seungri looked down and opened the menu book.

"I'm hungry. Let's order."

In relief, she grabbed her own menu. "I agree."