Charity’s body jerks again, and it’s a long moment before she answers. “I’m sorry, what did you say?” Her voice is controlled and even.

“I said,” Jong Kook repeats patiently, “that I like you. And that you like me.”

Charity laughs lightly. “I don’t think either of those two things are true, Kim Jong Kook-ssi.”

“And I think - no, I know - they both are.” He’s bluffing a bit here, but he’s still half convinced that if he feels so strongly for her, she must feel something back. And he’s spent their day together enjoying her company, yes, but also gathering evidence to back him up. The way she leaned in close to him as they walked through the park and clung to him on the faster rides. How they laughed together over messy snacks, and how she consoled him when he failed to win her a giant bear. Trying on matching ear headbands and putting them back quickly. Kissing her in the photobooth.

Charity sets the throw pillows back where they were.

“Anyway,” she says, making an exaggerated roll of her eyes, “is there anything else you’d like to do today? If not, I --”

Before she can finish, he’s stalking across the room. He stops in front of her and wraps his hands around her bare upper arms, leaning her back just a bit so that she’s off balance and needs to look up at him.

“I like you,” he says again, not dressing it up with any fancy words or explanations.

“No, you don’t,” she says back just as plainly.

“I do,” he shoots back.

“Stop saying that!,” she finally snaps.

“What’s the problem, Charity? What’s wrong if I like you and you like me?”

“First of all, of course I like you. I like spending time with you, I like your company. We’re friends.” She emphasizes the word. “Second of all, you’re just confused because you have that whole thing coming up tomorrow, and --”

“Don’t tell me I’m confused,” he says, irritated. “The last little while has been a mess of not knowing how I feel about anything, but I definitely know how I feel right now. I like you.”

“Stop saying that!” She’s louder now, sounding exasperated.

“Why?,” he asks, unperturbed. “It’s true.”

“It’s not true.”

“Charity, I know how I feel about you.”

She sighs and shakes herself loose from his grasp, but doesn’t move away. He remains close, in her space.

“I think…,” she says slowly, not looking at him. “I think that you’re overwhelmed right now, and that’s totally understandable.”

“I am,” he agrees, “but not so much that I don’t know what I’m talking about.”

She turns away and walks into the kitchen, starting to put away the dishes Kwang Soo had washed earlier.

He takes two steps to position himself behind her, his chest to her back. He places his hands down on the edge of the sink on either side of her. She twists in the cage of his arms so they’re face to face. He sees the familiar flashings of anger in her dark brown eyes.

“Say you are telling the truth,” she says tightly. “Say you’re not confused. What does it matter? Tomorrow is happening.”

“No,” he says back. “It’s not happening.”

Her face pales, ever so slightly. “Yes, it is,” she insists.

“I’m not doing it, Charity.”

“Kim Jong Kook-ssi, you have to.” Her voice wavers on just one beat, so subtle he barely catches it.

“I don’t have to. I’m not going to. I don’t want to.”

“But if you don’t --”

“If I don’t, then I don’t end up with my soulmate, yeah, I know.” He blows out a breath and takes another slow deep one. “But I could be with you.”

“That’s not an option!”

“Why not!,” he suddenly yells, control slipping. Another deep breath. “Why not?,” he says more quietly. “I like you, and you like me.”

“I don’t,” she insists, looking straight into his chest. “And beside that important point, it’s not an option because are you insane? You’ve said it yourself - if it’s not her, it’s no one.”

“It’s not no one,” he replies. “The fortune teller said herself, if I hadn’t done what I did, then I’d still have had great experiences that I wouldn’t trade away once I had them, not even for a life with a soulmate. That’s you.”

“No,” she says flatly. “No, it’s not. Kim Jong Kook-ssi, there is no other option here aside from meeting her tomorrow and telling her.”

“There is. You and I could be together.”

“I don’t want to be with you!” She sounds almost shrill now, and, Jong Kook thinks, maybe even a little panicked.

“Yes, you do.”

“I don’t!” This argument is beginning to sound childish and Jong Kook knows he needs to attempt another tactic.

“You said the other night, when I was talking about her, that I’m smart, talented, kind and caring, that I have a stable job, and I’m good-looking, so why wouldn’t someone like me?”

opens and closes but no sound comes out.

“I’m all those things,” he says almost arrogantly. “Of course you like me.”

She finally gets her mental feet under her to respond. “I was being encouraging.”

“Are you saying those things aren’t true?”

“You know they’re true,” she says, rolling her eyes at him.

“Right,” he agrees. “So why wouldn’t you like me?”

She just sighs, shaking her head. She moves to step to the side but he doesn’t budge, his arms like steel bands on either side of her. She looks up at him impatiently.

“Why did you have with me that night?”

“You were there.”

That one hurts, and he flinches, but presses on. “I don’t believe you. You could have gone out, or you could have taken one of those calls you kept getting, but you wanted to be with me that night instead.”

“Convenience,” she says firmly.

He tries again. “Same thing the next night. You w