THIRTY TWO

The way her soft curves was silhouetted by the faint light coming from the bathroom made him stop for a moment to just watch her there. Yonghwa could still feel her in his body, could still taste her on his lips and could still smell them in the room. After that heated yet gentle lovemaking, they have both nestled in the covers but sleep was still far from their mind despite the time. It was way past midnight and Yonghwa just took another trip from the restroom and looking at her now, taking her again would be a bad idea since he didn’t really want to wear her out.

Hence, he perched himself on the corner chair and continued to watch her motionless form until she shifted and eventually raised her body slightly when she noticed his absence from the bed. The way she looked as she searched for him make his heart swell—so his absence could really rattle her. Yonghwa smiled when her eyes drifted to where he was. “Hi…” his voice came out barely a whisper, “I thought you were sleeping already.”

 “What are you doing there?” The sound of the sheets rustled as she wrapped her body on them securing the rest of her ness away from his eyes.

“Experimenting…” he winked and she laughed.

“What kind of experiment?”

“How long I’d be able to sit here and watch you… knowing you’re and I could make love to you again…”

Seohyun rolled her eyes, “Come here and stop trying to be funny.”

“I’m not trying to be funny,” he replied then continued with a cocky grin, “It’s a natural talent.”

“Whatever… come here,” Seohyun folded her legs closer to her body and raked her fingers through her hair.

“Wait a bit, I’m not yet done observing you.” An evil smirk twitched on his lips when she sighed again, “You know, I tried to ask them to get you on our next music video.”

“Hmmm… really?” Seohyun drew in a breath as if giving up on asking him to be serious, “How did it go?”

Seohyun’s amused expression colored her face so he continued, “Apparently, if we feature you we would need to cut back on the budget. I tried telling them we could exclude the boys and we’d just need a white wall and us, you know?”

“That’s if we’re shooting a ,” Seohyun rolled her eyes as he fell back laughing.

“That is so ! I never thought you have it in you, tiger…”

“Okay, funny man, I got it… you’re really funny my stomach hurts from laughing,” she announced deadpanned then tapped the space beside her and motioned for him, “I need to tell you something.”

“Tell me if I need to worry first.”

“Fine, you need to worry…” Her lips pressed into a slight frown then she retorted impatiently, “There,  come here now, hurry, Oppa!”

“If you’re too eager to have me, why don’t you come to me instead? We haven’t tried a chair yet.”

She groaned and slid her body back down and grumbled, “Fine, I’m sleeping… do whatever…”

Laughing, Yonghwa returned to bed and pulled her close. He guided her body to turn to face him and traced his fingers on the contours of her face, “You look extraordinarily lovely when you’re annoyed, tiger.”

Seohyun frowned but he was sure that there was a hint of mirth on her lips despite her attempt to be indifferent, “One more, Oppa. I’m throwing you out, I mean it. And don’t even think of laughing.”

With that, he chuckled and soothed the tips of his fingers along the length of her arm as if to pacify her. Yonghwa leaned closer then brushed his lips along the junction of her shoulder and neck as he whispered, “I’m sorry… what is it you need to tell me?”

“I have a bad news for you,” Seohyun started, propping one elbow and meeting his gaze.

“Hmmm… that’s why I got pampered first?”

She giggled finally as she pushed herself up. Putting on her robe that got carelessly tossed on the nightstand, Seohyun stood and poured water in the glass and took a quick drink.  “You can put it that way,” her lips twitched when his brows pulled in skeptically. Sitting back on the bed, she patted his arm, “I know you won’t really like it…”

“Tell me already.”

The hesitation was obvious on her face as Seohyun took a moment before mumbling, “I need to work with Minho Oppa for an ad campaign.”

He frowned right away but shut his eyes in almost a blink. That was really something inevitable and he didn’t really want to be that imposing. Her job was something Yonghwa doesn’t really have the right to demand on it and even if he was reluctant, there was just no other way. 

“I just learned about it, Oppa.” She moved closer and pouted, “Don’t be mad, please?”

“Come here, I’m not mad…” he sighed and lifted her chin pulling her lips to his and kissing her hard. Pulling away, he tilted his head back and dropped a soft peck on her shoulder, “It can’t be helped. I love you, just remember.”

Her lips finally spread in a small smile, “And you trust me, yeah?”

“I do.” Yonghwa nodded then shifted to accommodate her better on the bed. “Where is this going to be held?”

“I don’t know yet. And I’m scheduled for two weeks in LA and New York.”

“We will be in Japan for the promotions by then,” he said thoughtfully, “You will be staying there that long?”

Seohyun nodded, “Then I will fly to France some time during that. I have to visit mother.”

“Okay…” he took a big gulp of air when the thought of separation drifted in the air, “How long will you be gone?”

“For sure, the shoot with Minho Oppa will happen by then.” Seohyun pouted sadly then admitted “I think I won’t be able to come back here in Korea for, like, a month?”

“Wow…” he said flatly staring into nothing as if waiting for reality to sink in, “Okay…”

“You will be busy too, right?”

“Yeah, it will be the longest we will spend apart.”

Seohyun dropped her head on his shoulder then closed her eyes when he brushed his lips on her temple, “I know… two months and probably more…”

“A month after that will be starting our world tour,” Yonghwa lifted her leg and twining it against his then rubbed her inner thigh almost absentmindedly.

Seohyun glanced back at him with melancholy clouding her eyes and she sighed heavily, “You will be busier. I will try to steal a day or two to be here, Oppa. Then I’ll fly back to wherever work would be.”

“You’d do that?” The idea was like a burst of sunshine on a gray day but he