Chapter 3

When Ryu enters her apartment, she's weak in her fucking knees.

The door swings open to Irang already jumping on her, asking so many questions at once that it loses its coherence.

"Let me fucking breathe!" Ryu says, taking off her boots and walking inside the apartment, she once again plops herself on the plush couch and is hit by a wave of Deja vu. She still can't believe the events that had taken place in the last few hours. Still can't believe she had seen Park Minjun in all his glory, talked with him for hours and...

"Tell me everything. Every. Little. Detail."

The girl demands and Ryu is happy to oblige. She bites her lip and smiles.

"It was... a date."

Screams as feral as a creature of hell erupt throughout the whole apartment and Ryu has to close Irang's mouth with her hand in order to shush her so that they don't piss the neighbours off.

"I told you! I told you!" She says. "Park Minjun likes you."

Ryu's heart skips a beat, something akin to fear settling in her chest. "I- No, I wouldn't say that. Let's not assume anything, okay? Maybe it was just for fun for all I know."

"Nonsense!" Irang rolls her eyes. "He's into you."

You owe me another one. A date where you know my intentions.

The girl gulps. Maybe Irang is right, maybe she's not. But- this all already feels too surreal to Ryu so the last thing she wants is to get her hopes up only to be crushed. Especially when it's Park Minjun. It would be so embarrassing and absurd if she entertained the possibility that she could get something so out of her reach.

"It was only one date. He probably does that all the time. One stupid date, Irang. I don't wanna get my hopes up." She explains, shaking her head. Yet, sadness curls around her ribs when she imagines all this slipping out of her hands. It's only been a few hours that she's spent with the man and she's already-

She shouldn't get too attached. He's not someone of her strata. But- how can she possibly deny a chance with Minjun?

"Okay, I understand." Her roommate finally says. "But still, it's not every day that you have lunch with Park Minjun. By the way, it's already nighttime, what kind of a lunch lasts that long?"

Ryu drops her head to the side and rests it on the couch, humming pleasantly as the memories fill her mind. "It's because we talked so much."

"You found a common interest to talk about?! What is it?!"

"Music..." She mutters. "He said he has great respect for people who study music. That's so... he's so..."

Ryu sighs dreamily. "He looked so beautiful. He was wearing this off-white suit and God, the way sunset melted on his face. I didn't even drink, because I thought that it would make me more anxious than relaxed."

"And then he mentioned that he was nervous at first but this turned out great so I asked him why he was nervous because- Park Minjun? Nervous? To meet me? So he said that-" Ryu feels her heart flutter wildly in her chest. "He said that-"

Irang takes the pillow and smacks her thigh. "Tell me already!"

"Ah, he said..." But then she stops she doesn't feel like she wants to tell how Minjun said she was beautiful. He said it twice, she still can't comprehend the compliment. But it feels something very raw and she feels like she wants to keep it to herself. "He said that it had been a while since he had taken someone on a date. A date. I choked in front of him and all but he was very kind. And then he asked me if I'd go on a date with him again! You know, a date where I know it's a date."

"Oh, my God." Irang breathes out, falling back on the couch dramatically. "This feels like a dream."

"I know right?" She says through her face-splitting smile. "He had also booked the whole restaurant, Irang. The whole restaurant we can't even book a table in."

"He's romantic in the best way possible."

Ryu gulps and then gets up from the couch. "I wanna write a song. I feel my artist coming out."

"Oh, she's already writing songs about him." Irang teases.

"Fuck off."

"Oh, she's got an attitude after going on one date with Park Minjun."

"Shut up." Ryu chuckles and heads towards her room. That night, she doesn't sleep. Maybe because she has too much arousal to fall asleep, too many thoughts in her mind. She sits at her study table the whole night, her vape remaining untouched on the desk.

She thinks about how they fell into a conversation when all Ryu could think about was how would she ever talk to Minjun. How he was so listening to her with so much interest, almost as if he was fascinated. He also laughed when she joked.

She doesn't succeed to write a song, though. For there are too many thoughts to compress and too many feelings to describe. And there aren't enough words in this world, not strong enough to show how she feels, how he looked, how this was the best day of her entire life.

*

Minjun had his head spiralling.

It had been three days already since he took Ryu on the date and he still hadn't figured out where he should take her next. This morning he woke up panicking that it was the third day already- what if she lost interest in him if he made her wait for too long?

So he had found himself helplessly knocking on his best friend's house the following afternoon.

As soon as the door opens, Minjun doesn't even wait to enter the house before he asks,

"Where do you take a girl on a second date?"

Taehyung gapes at him, moving aside and letting Minjun enter the mansion. He goes towards the kitchen to get himself a cup of coffee.

"I assume the first one went well."

"It was amazing, Taehyung. She's amazing. And gorgeous. I already told you she is pretty and has a voice of an angel but Tae, you don't understand- she's perfect in every sense. She's so captivating, when she speaks her words are so genuine and I bet she's smart. She speaks as if she's introspected every corner of herself-"

"Shh..." Taehyung shushes him and walks towards him. He lifts Minjun's chin with his long finger to level their gazes. "Did you finally do the deed?"

Minjun flushes all the way up to his ears and slaps his best friend's hand away.

"Taehyung, it was a first date." He snaps.

"And?"

"I don't try to bone people on the first day we meet!"

"No, you never try to bone people, that's your problem. That's why you're still a virgin."

"I can't with you." Minjun shakes his head. "I'm a gentleman, not a hoe like you. I won't act like a desperate little shit who only wants to get his dick wet."

"You call yourself my friend." Taehyung shakes his head in dramatic disappointment. "I don't consider this a date. Come to me after you've laid."

The man starts walking out of the kitchen and Minjun's left bewildered on the spot. He blinks and then makes it to follow his best friend on a beeline. "Listen to me! I need to take her on a second date. Where do I take her?"

Taehyung looks at him from behind his shoulder and shrugs. "You have money, use your money."

"But where?"

"You really have nothing in mind?" Taehyung asks with a bored face. Minjun thinks he woke him up too early for his liking for all the attitude he's giving him.

"I thought about something but I think it's too much for a second date."

Taehyung shakes his head. "Nothing is too much for the right person."

Now, he has a point.

Minjun hurriedly takes out his phone from his pocket and opens his messages.

Minjun:

Are you still up for that date?

Ryu:

Why ofcourse~

Minjun feels jitters running through his body as his heart feels giddy all of a sudden.

Minjun:

When are you free?

Ryu:

Weekend

Of course, she must have classes on weekdays. Minjun will have to call his manager and beg her to clear his stack-up till the hilt of a schedule.

Minjun:

Weekend it is, then?

Ryu:

Where are we going?

Minjun:

It's a surprise!

Ryu:

Okayy

*

"What the fuck am I supposed to wear?!"

Ryu yells for the nth time that following day. Minjun said it was a surprise where they were going so how is she supposed to dress herself?

"Just ask him what kind of an outfit would be suitable for where he's taking you," Irang suggests, frustrated.

"No, I...I can't bother him like that."

"A text," Irang states. "A stupid text and you think you'll be bothering him? No man on this planet is as busy as not answering a fucking text and if they act like that-"

"He doesn't act like that." Ryu shakes her head. "And why are you acting as if he's my boyfriend or something? We went on one date. That's all."

Ryu already feels like this is all some pity act. Because why is Minjun doing all of this? Why is he taking her out of everyone on dates? Ryu hasn't had much of luck in her life to count on it so why is the man of everyone's dreams taking her out?

After overflowing thoughts due to overthinking, she came to one conclusion. Minjun is a celebrity used to the high life, used to spending money like it's nothing. This is something very casual for him, to take people out and call them dates. Ryu goes out with her girlfriends and calls them dates- partly because they are lonely but who's asking?

She's just not used to this. Who would be? She doesn't know the purpose behind Minjun's actions and this is a big deal for her. Even if it might not be for the other. Because she's a normal person who's barely making ends meet so the thought of Park Minjun showing interest in her is not something that she would want to consider as possible.

She notices a look of disappointment settling on Irang's face, the corner of her lips pinched together. Ryu furrows her eyes in question. "What is it?"

Irang shakes her head. "No man, Ryu. No man is worth you questioning your self-worth."

Confusion spreads in Ryu's brain. She's not exactly... questioning her worth. If Minjun is attracted to her, she gets why, she has the looks for it, the body for it. If this was about pure seduction, there wouldn't have been a doubt. But Minjun has not been like that with her, he's been so respectful it's dizzying. So what does he want? And if he wants nothing then why is he spending his precious time with her?

She has nothing to offer apart from her gratefulness for him.

But still...

Still, she wants to do this. Because Park Minjun doesn't enter your life on a daily basis and takes you out for lunch so how can she let go of it? Even if it shreds her.

*

The weekend comes quickly as Ryu was dreading it and the girl finds herself at one of her friend's place when she should be getting ready for the date. They had to meet up urgently for a group project and now Ryu was starting to panic.

Minjun had messaged a couple of days ago that they'll be going at night and he'll send the driver to her place. Even apologized because he couldn't come by himself to pick her up. Ryu needed the whole day to herself so she could get through her mental breakdowns and get ready in peace. But at 6 in the evening, she was finding herself drowning amidst presentations and papers spread out across her friend's bed.

At 6:30, her anxiety takes the best of her and she gives up. She has to reach by eight.

"This is it. Fuck the marks. I have a date and only one and a half hours to get ready."

She jumps out of the bed and runs toward the bathroom. She had brought her makeup and clothes here just in case and thank God she did because that project would never end.

"You still haven't told us who's the lucky guy." One of her friends yells from the room. Ryu rolls her eyes and takes out her phone from her pocket. She is the lucky one here. The moment she had mentioned going on a date, there had been a bombardment of questions from her assignment group because Ryu didn't date. She tried it once and it was a shit show so everyone was quite surprised that she's giving this shit a second try. Truth be told if it was for Park Minjun, anyone would. Sadly, she couldn't entertain their questions because she doesn't know if she can reveal Minjun's identity or not in this situation. Even if she can, she doesn't want to attract any attention.

Hurriedly, Ryu texts a message to Minjun.

Ryu:

Hii

I'm not at home right now

Something urgent came up and I had to come to my friend's place and I'll be coming directly from here so don't send your driver just tell me where to meet, I'll come by myself

Ryu changes into her clothes for tonight. Which were satin pants and a black blouse with golden metallic plated chains for sleeves. She tops it off with golden earrings. Her phone chimes with the notification sound again and she opens it hurriedly.

Park Minjun??:

It would ruin the surprise:(

Ryu:

Tell me a place near to your destination?

Park Minjun??:

Have you heard of Eclipse?

Ryu's heart skips a beat. Is he taking her to fucking Eclipse?! It's the hottest club in Seoul, usually reserved by celebrities like Minjun for private parties and well- sex parties and whatnot. Park Minjun has the money for it, she's not gonna lie. And the idea of going to Eclipse with this man is so fucking arousing in her mind.

Ryu:

I've heard of it.

Park Minjun??:

Meet me there? You can park your car in front of it, they have common parking.

Ryu:

Okay.

She puts the phone down on the counter and looks at herself in the mirror. If they are likely to go to that club, should she dress sluttier? Ryu shakes the thought out of her mind as it threatens to fill with unholy scenarios of Minjun in that club. If the man takes her there, then she would know his intentions very well and everything would be so much easier.

Downstairs in the parking lot, as she begins to start her car's engine, the vehicle decides to not come to life. She tries again and again but it just won't start, the engine struggling to roar in a pathetic attempt before it dies down again and again. The crippling anxiety that curls around her chest has her breathing hard. What if she misses this chance? What if she gets late?

She's on the verge of crying when she calls her friend and asks to borrow her car instead as hers broke down. Sceptically and after several playful warnings, the girl, So-young, lends Ryu her car.

At eight in the night, she finds herself in front of the club. She contemplates calling Minjun but decides against it because she doesn't know if she can and settles for a text.

Ryu:

I've reached here

The girl waits for a few minutes for Minjun's response, nervously tapping her toe on the road as she waits for Minjun. She's gonna see him again. Again.

"God help me." She mutters under her breath, crossing her hands across her chest to prevent the anxious tremors from running through her veins and making her shiver.

After a few minutes of waiting, a black Porsche halts right in front of her, it's a fucking 911 Carrera. She hears the door opening before he gets out from the driver's seat, walking around the car before standing in front of her. If last time Ryu said that Minjun looked breathtaking, tonight he looks absolutely magnificent.

In the night, his face looks even more alluring. He has silver eyeshadow beneath his water line, and he's wearing grey eye lenses which makes him look unreal. Ryu gulps as her eyes rake down to see the black leather he's wearing, a white tank underneath that sticks to his body way too deliciously for Ryu's thoughts to remain focused. The black shimmery jacket he's wearing glimmers under the street lights.

Her chest clenches at how beautiful he looks, blond hair slicked back once again, a few strands falling onto his forehead.

"You're..." Ryu licks her dry lips. "You're really pretty."

He probably already knows, he doesn't need this stupid compliment. His fans tell it to him all the time and honestly, it's too mild for Ryu too. She wants to write songs about his beauty, slap poetics about his face right in front of him but she thinks...they're not close enough. He would get uncomfortable if she did that all of a sudden. He'll think she's some desperate little-

Ryu inhales sharply and looks up at him.

Minjun's smile is always kind.

"You look gorgeous as well." He says and Ryu realizes that he's holding out something between them. She looks down and her heart stutters at what he's holding. It's a bouquet of the prettiest flowers she's ever laid eyes upon. She doesn't know much about flowers but she can spot lavenders and daisies in the bunch. "As gorgeous as them. If only not more."

"O-Oh my God..." Ryu breathes out, not knowing what to do. Does she have to reach out and take them? She doesn't know, no one's ever...

She looks up with a heart that's forgotten its speed limit, running wild in her chest, threatening to take a step off the cliff and fall so hard that she dies. Minjun's smiling so sweetly it hurts, hurts to know the fact that people as pure as him exist. He raises his eyebrows expectantly, waiting for her to take the bouquet.

"Thank you." She whispers and finally takes the bunch of flowers from his hands. "They're beautiful."

Minjun breaks into a few hearty giggles.

"Let's go." He urges and opens the gate of her car to slide in. Maybe it's because she is so warmed by Minjun's gesture that she forgets to notice the fact that they're in the same car together, she's mesmerized by the soft petals that had been bought with her in mind. The palette choice. She doesn't know why he chose purple but it's really pretty. Truth be told, if it was from Minjun, she'd accept thorns too.

They halt in front of a building and they get out. A valet comes to collect the car keys from Minjun and Ryu almost imagines the singer throwing keys at the worker and saying something similar to 'Get a scratch on the car and you're as good as fired'. In her defence- that would be hot as fuck but it never comes. Instead, Minjun smiles and nods kindly when the valet says,

"Have a good evening, sir."

They start walking inside the building and normally, Ryu would be mesmerized by the fancy interior if it wasn't for Minjun placing his hand on the small of her back. he keeps it there the whole time they walk, Ryu is hyper-aware of his hand, guiding her, spreading simmers and tingles across her spine. He only lets go when they're inside the elevator and the girl realises that having Park Minjun's hand on her back is the second most intimidating, toe-curling, hot experience of her lifetime.

The first one has to be being in an elevator alone with him.

He clicks on the 20th floor, the highest one in this building. Every second feels like a fucking hour with her chest brewing up with heat and she doesn't know whether it's only her- which most probably is and she should stop feeling this way because it would make Minjun uncomfortable and the last thing she wants is to come off as a pervert. She doesn't know whether it's only her but there's an electric current spreading in the entire lift as she grounds herself to look only ahead.

Minjun suddenly inhales loudly and from the edge of her vision, she sees him leaning sideways, facing her.

Fucking turn around, it's rude to not make eye contact.

Slowly, she turns to face him too, breathing cautiously as their eyes meet. Again, it could be a mere fragment of Ryu's imagination with how delusional she is but Minjun's eyes look way sharper and darker than they usually do. The lift is big enough, but they're still standing close and now Ryu can't move back because that would be rude as well.

She doesn't know whether it's her desperation to make a noise and break this tension but suddenly she's saying,

"I thought you were taking me to Eclipse."

Heat spreads across Ryu's face like a wildfire and she wishes to jump off this very building. Did she just mention the idea of Park Minjun taking her to a sex club right in front of him? Before she can apologise and take it back, she sees the man smirk, eyelids dropping so that his hazel orbs look even more alluring than they already are, staring at her through a canopy of long, dark lashes.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?"

Ryu sucks in a sharp breath, the heat clouds her senses in ways she had never fathomed before.

Did he just-

Did he just flirt with her?

Her lips part open.

For the first time on the face of this Earth, Kim Ryu does not know how to flirt back.

"Perhaps," she mutters, mustering all her willpower to just not break the eye contact.

"I'll take you there someday." he says and then with an octave lower, he continues, "If you'll let me."

Oh, she'll let him do things that are absolutely deranged and sick to think of and thank him later for doing them.

The elevator finally halts on the highest floor and the doors slide open. They step out once again and are met with double glass doors belonging to a restaurant. God, this guy chooses the prettiest of places. They make their way inside the restaurant, a waiter seemingly recognises Minjun, leading them to their table which is on the very edge so that the entire city could be seen.

"You seem to have a liking for city views." Ryu muses as they sit down opposite each other, the waiter hands them the menu and pours a glass of complimentary champagne before bowing and leaving

Minjun lets out a small chuckle as he looks through the menu.

"I didn't know where you would like to go and you seemed to enjoy the view last time so I booked it," Minjun explains.

Did he book this...for me?

"I'm sorry if it's repetitive." He says and she quickly shakes her head. Repetition is the last thing she cares about when it's with Minjun. In fact, she wouldn't mind this becoming a routine.

"Absolutely not. I could never get enough of this view."

"Just to be clear," Minjun leans forward in his seat and the girl's heartbeat speeds up, propping his elbows on the table, a cheeky smile adorning his face. "This is not the ultimate surprise I was talking about."

Ryu raises her eyebrows in surprise. "There's more?"

Minjun chuckles with the widest smile she has seen on him and falls back in his chair, placing a hand on his chest with a whine. Ryu doesn't think she's ever been so endeared by someone.

"I'm hoping it goes correctly and it's making me really nervous." He admits and it makes Ryu wonder what surprise he's talking about. It makes her heart thud in her chest as she skims across the possibilities and she finds none. Whatever it is, it means a lot to her because she's never really had surprises in her life, at least not good ones or one's given to make someone feel special.

"Even if it doesn't, it's fine. It's the thought that matters." She pauses and looks at him, gulping. "It matters a lot."

Minjun smiles softly and nods before looking down, skimming through the menu. They place their orders- well, she lets Minjun do it for her again saying she'll have something light.

Once the waiter is gone, Minjun sighs and takes his drink, reaching forward to click it with hers but then halts on his actions. "Oh, you won't be having alcohol, right?"

Actually, Ryu thinks she can do this tonight.

"I will." She smiles and picks up her own glass, clicking it with his before they take a sip. Ryu feels the familiar burn in her chest as the liquid travels down her throat. She keeps herself from grimacing.

Minjun places the glass back on the table before looking at her. "Can I ask you something?"

Ryu nods at him in encouragement.

"Why were you trying to cut out on alcohol?"

Oh.

"Uh...well..."

She could simply lie, honestly. Just like she's been lying to everyone else. That she's doing it for exams. Only Irang and Mrs Song know the real reason. She could lie to Minjun as well.

"I'm sorry, I was being intrusive. You don't have to answer."

Ryu sighs at the man and shakes her head. Likes are she could very much never see Park Minjun if he doesn't ask her to meet again because she would never be able to gather enough courage and approach him first even after having his phone number. Whatever this is, Ryu feels like she's walking on the edge of a cliff so she feels daring, and wants to risk something in order to know how far is Minjun actually willing to go.

He probably wants it easy, someone that comes with no conflicts. Ryu is afraid she can't give him that, she is not easy. She has layers and not every one of them is attractive like Minjun's. She's afraid one day Minjun will stop asking if she wants to go on dates and then this all will silently end with questions haunting her mind and it's only been two dates. She's afraid that Minjun will lose interest in her once he sees something behind her music and her face because she can't seem to believe that she's worthy of someone's interest- someone as influential as Park Minjun.

So she throws it so that if there's an end to this, it better be earlier than later so it could be easier to pick herself up again.

"The thing is, I don't think I share a good relationship with alcohol." She admits. "I despise it. I hate its smell, hate the way it tastes. But I can't stop taking it, if I don't, it keeps on lingering in my head. It's not substance dependency yet, but I'm trying to control it before it turns into an addiction. So I don't take it during exams to relieve pressure, because I don't want to be dependent on it."

Minjun remains silent for a while before asking, "Have you consulted someone regarding this?"

Ryu nods slowly, surprised by his question. "It's partly because of my hereditary addiction gene. My therapist said it's conflicting because the smell and the presence of alcohol invoke bad memories but at the same time, because of the gene I can't stop taking it. So It's a constant battle between my biological and psychological self. He suggested I try to extinguish my substance-taking with healthy behaviours whenever my mind lingers, anything strong enough to eradicate those thoughts, so I write songs. Although, after I came to Seoul, my mindset on alcohol is slowly changing. Slowly. With my friends, they party a lot so I realised this can be a source of celebration."

When she finishes talking, she realises how much she's actually revealed about herself that's tainted. It's because Minjun was nodding along and listening so intently that she-

But then, Minjun reaches out from across the table and places his hand on top of hers, squeezing it gently. Ryu stills at the action. Minjun's eyes are so soft and warm, the embodiment of comfort. She doesn't understand how he manages to radiate all this just from his eyes.

"It must be hard." He says. "What you're going through or have been through, I can understand how hard it is. I've been through something similar and I'm so glad you decided to take therapy before it slipped out of your hand. Wish I had the sense to go to therapy back then. I do now, though."

"Thank you." She mutters, grabbing her glass and taking another sip.

"You know...when you're healing, related things are likely to trigger you and make you relapse. But don't give up, relapsing is in the process of healing." He smiles. "You can call me if you want. I'll try to be a good influence, I promise."

Heat creeps up the girl's cheeks. "I'm doing better these days."

"I'm glad you are."

It's because of him that she's doing better. It's because Minjun's thoughts had kept her so preoccupied these past weeks that she had forgotten about drinking. In fact, she hasn't even touched her vape pen when it is so much easier, tastier, and portable. She didn't even bring it to college with her.

Minjun could easily become a drug. A healthy one or not, she doesn't know.

Are drugs ever healthy?

Their food arrives and she immediately digs in with how hungry she is. She had skipped breakfast and lunch and had not even had a snack to munch on. They silently eat for a while, looking at the city lights and the vehicles that look so small from above, like ants crawling in the same direction. Closer to the building, she notices a stadium, lit in yellow and purple hues. Perhaps someone is performing there, she can hear faint noises of a song as well.

"It's a music festival," Minjun says and she looks back at him. "I wanted to take you there but...I think it would be risky....it could have drawn attention if people recognised me there."

"I get it." Ryu tries to soothe, even though in the back of her head there's a voice asking why exactly he doesn't want to be seen in public with her. The answer is quite simple, and honestly why every other celebrity wants to keep their relationship private but...is there even a relationship? Ryu doesn't know what they are so she can't help but think that Minjun doesn't want people to think that something is going on when there's not. "It's fine."

The thing about Ryu is, she'd settle for the shittiest relationships when the deal is clear. Fuck buddies? Consider it done. No strings attached? Open relationships? Poly relationships? Everything is easy because it has a name or at least some guidelines. But this thing with Minjun, she knows it has barely begun but it's already hanging off a cliff, with Minjun having all the power to cut it off while all Ryu has is a wish to make this last.

Minjun takes a sip of his drink before licking his lips.

"Who's your music inspiration?" he asks. "Like, someone who'll immediately get you out of a creative bloc."

Her cheeks flush. Who's gonna tell Minjun now that it's him? They had spent a couple of hours together and she wanted to write so many songs that she wrote none. Should she tell him? She decides against it, Park Minjun doesn't need to know he's on the top of his Spotify recently played. The very reason she was so nervous to work with the man, he's been such a driving force in her life, even before they met. Perhaps this is why she feels this way. Apart from being starstruck, she's letting him on in her life problems because somehow he's always been there. Even if he doesn't know, and to be honest, it's sad to be so distant from the person whose songs you'd listen to until five in the morning.

"Taylor Swift." She says. "I know it's a given but I think the way I express myself in lyrics is inspired by her a lot. She fits the genre of my liking somewhat, homoerotic angst, that is. Removing the homo, of course."

Minjun chokes on his drink as he burst into laughter. He keeps on laughing for a while and although Ryu doesn't understand why, she's not complaining, because that laugh adds years to her life. "Homo- homoerotic angst?" He asks between wheezes.

"Yes." Ryu shrugs. "It's the best genre. Whether to listen to a song or to read a story or experience in real life."

The last sentence makes Minjun burst into another fit of laughter, falling sideways on his chair and throwing his head back. "You'll have me dying someday." He says as he wipes tears from the corners of his eyes. "And you say things like these with such a straight face..."

It makes Ryu grin. "I don't get why you're laughing so much. Especially when your songs are the definition of homoerotic angst."

"They are?" He asks, leaning forward on the table in surprise as she nods in response.

He throws himself back on the chair. "This is the best compliment I've ever received. I didn't even realise...I can't help it, I think. Maybe because I'm bisexual."

She cocks her head sideways in surprise. Now, this is something she's never heard before.

"You haven't publicly come out yet, have you?"

Minjun shakes his head as he takes another bite of his food. "I don't plan to. I don't owe anyone a grand announcement. I'm pretty satisfied with this. The few people who I consider need to know, know."

Ryu's heart flutters at the thought of him telling her about his sexuality right before saying only a few people are important enough to know about this. Suddenly she feels very proud of him, even if it's not her place to, but she's just very proud of how assertive he's being when it comes to his sexuality.

"I like it when fans give different meanings to my songs. It's how they relate to my words in their own way, how they resonate it with their own lives. It's what makes my songs art."

"Art is always for the viewers' interpretation." She says and she doesn't know why this comes out of her mouth but it does before she can stop herself. "I consider you as art as well."

Minjun completely stills as he looks at her.

Before she can get nervous, she continues.

"Someone to appreciate. To get inspired from. The thing about art, though, it can remain an enigma. Take the Mona Lisa, for example. That's how your songs make me feel. Like you're saying a lot, but you're saying it vaguely. Like you're-"

"Leaving it open for the viewer's interpretation." Minjun nods, gulping through his smile. He opens his mouth to say something but then stops and smiles. "Ah, the surprise."

Ryu frowns.

He grins. "Look to your side."

She averts her gaze to the side to find nothing.

"The other side."

Her heartbeat speeds up as she slowly turns her head towards the city. A soft gasp escapes her lips as she finds floating lanterns all across the sky. She looks down to see where they're coming from and realises it's from the music festival, they're lighting floating lanterns as an ending perhaps. Hundreds of golden lanterns float higher and higher, an arm's distance away from her.

She looks back at Minjun and finds him looking at her with a smile so dreamy it makes her heart melt. She feels her eyes stinging and her chest clenching badly.

"I..." She looks back at the candles, gleaming warm hues of orange and yellow. There have to be at least a hundred of them. "Minjun..."

She doesn't even know what to say, absolutely mesmerized by the bundle of lights gleaming, not being able to wrap her head around the fact that someone could do this for her. Could think enough to take her here.

An enigma.

Ryu will fall for the enigma that is Park Minjun

*

As they make out of the building, Minjun's car is already parked in the front by a valet who bows and hands the keys back to him.

"Come on, I'll drive you back."

Ryu wants to say it's alright but Minjun's already moving and opening the door of the passenger's seat for her. She exhales a shaky breath and shuffles towards the car, getting inside and looking around at the high-tech features of the Porsche before her eyes catch the bouquet again, placed right beside her. As Minjun walks around the vehicle and gets in the driver's seat, she crosses her legs together and looks outside the window.

Then she remembers that Minjun might look like a fucking sight right now. With his hands on the wheel, his side profile on full display and all. She bites her lip and resists the urge to just blatantly stare at him as he starts the engine and drives.

God, what if she's missing the chance of seeing the best thing she's ever seen in her entire fucking life?

No, fuck, staring is rude. Cut it out.

She tries to breathe as calmly as possible, her nerves wracking once again at the closed space around them, forced proximity and no fucking fresh air for the tension to pass. Again, she doesn't know whether it's just her or Minjun can feel it too. The man drives towards the open parking lot beside Eclipse.

"Thanks for today." She breathes out and finally looks at him, gulping at the sight she's met with. His arm muscles are flexed as he grips the steering, head tilted to look towards her. "I had a really great time. Especially the lanterns, they were...something else."

His lips curl up into a smile and it's one of those silly smiles which makes him look stupidly happy, eyes disappearing and Ryu feels like she's attained some sort of outer bodily liberation just by witnessing something so genuine.

"Does this mean I can take you out again?"

Oh.

Oh.

Ignoring how her heart speeds up, she smiles and nods as she lets the realisation settle in. She went on a date with Park Minjun, an actual date with grand gestures, flowers and candles. She's sure now, even though when she looks at Minjun she feels so many things that she feels like she's going to throw up, at least she's sure this is a date. Because surely even Park Minjun wouldn't go out of his way to prepare to gaze at floating candles by booking a whole restaurant for a night for a stranger, right?

Minjun giggles softly and turns on the engine again, driving inside the parking.

"Tell me where's your car? I'll drop you there."

Ryu tries to remember where exactly she had parked her car but then feels something sinking in her stomach when she fails to remember where she parked it. She tries to recall but only remembers coming here with a panic-stricken mind because she was late and her car had broken down.

She breathes in slowly and tries to calm herself down. She'll spot the car, it's not a big deal.

"Where's it?" Minjun's voice cuts through her thoughts. "Where did you park it?"

"I..." She sighs, a flush rising high in her cheeks. "I don't remember. I think I'll have to spot it."

"Okay, we can do that."

As Minjun drives past the four-wheelers, she tries to spot a black car but her anxiety grows the further Minjun drives in. It's dark here and every second car is black, she can barely remember what her friend's car looked like, she just remembers jumping inside it the moment she had gotten the keys.

Where the fuck is the car?

Her heart drops when Minjun reaches the end of the parking.

"You didn't spot it."

God, this is so embarrassing.

She turns to Minjun. "I think I lost it amongst the black cars."

"You wanna get out and search for it? Unlock it with the key, the sensor will beep."

Oh.

Oh yes, she's so fucking stupid.

"Yes. I'll do that."

Minjun takes off his seat belt. "Okay, let's go."

Ryu's eyes widen. "You don't have to, I-I can search for it by myself. I'll be wasting your time, it's past midnight already. You should leave."

Minjun's eyebrows furrow in confusion. "You think I'll leave you in the middle of nowhere with no trace of your vehicle at this hour? Or at any hour? Don't be silly, get out."

The girl shudders and parts her lips to say something but Minjun is already opening the door and stepping out of his car. God, it's not even hers. What if she's positively lost the car? What is she gonna do then?

She gets out and fumbles in her purse for the keys until she finds it. They start walking and Ryu repeatedly clicks the unlock button but no black car's headlights light up.

She's fucked.

She's never been so embarrassed in her entire life as now. This is borderline middle-class shit. Your keys for a cheap ass car breaking at the last fucking moment.

God, what would Minjun think?

"Which model was it? The number plate?"

Ryu stops dead in her tracks and tries to remember it. She really does. She knows she didn't pay attention to the number plate in her hurry, it was a black car with no trunk is all she remembers, perhaps it was a Hyundai. Whatever she tries to remember, it gets blocked away with the thoughts of how embarrassing she's being in front of Park Minjun and she wants to die right here, she wants the Earth to consume her whole. How she's wasting his precious time, the time he took out of his busy schedule to take her out and treat her so nicely, over something so stupid.

What would he think? How careless can one be to lose an entire goddamn four-wheeler? He'd never want to see her again, she's acting like a fucking burden and this is only the third time they've ever met.

Minjun's presence is too loud beside her and it's not his fault. God, it's not his fault, it's hers. He's caring, he's acting like a gentleman helping her find her car but Ryu feels so pathetic that it makes her sick in the stomach.

What if she's actually lost the car? What if it's stolen? What will she do then? She doesn't earn enough to pay for a lost car. Why couldn't she have brought her own car? Why? Why today of all days it had to break down?

"I can't remember." She whispers and realises how ragged and frail her breathing is. No, this isn't happening. She's not having a panic attack in front of Park Minjun over something so stupid. She's creating a scene. She's acting like an attention seeker.

Ryu doesn't talk to herself like that.

Ryu regulates her feelings and doesn't invalidate them when she can't. This isn't Ryu. She would never blame herself and call her names she just did.

Her eyes sting and brew up with unwanted tears.

"I c-can't remember." She looks up at him but realises her eyes are blurry now. "It's not mine, It's my friend's. I borrowed it from her. And I– I can't remember."

If she tries hard enough, she'll remember. She's sure of it.

It's just that–

Minjun's presence is too loud for her and this entire situation is borderline humiliating and she was in such a hurry and panic when she came here that–

"I'm sorry." She whispers, sniffling. Crying is the last thing she wants to do in front of Minjun. "I'm sorry, this is– this is wasting so much of your time."

"Hey, hey..." He grabs her shoulders, she blinks in order to look at him and tears escape her eyes, trailing down her cheeks. Her throat stings with how overwhelmed she feels by it all, her chest clenching badly.

"Oh, no..." Minjun lets out, and his voice is still soft so Ryu doesn't know whether he's pissed and faking it in front of her. But then his palms are cupping her cheeks, thumbs wiping the tears. "Don't worry, sweetheart. We'll find it, trust me."

But this isn't about the car.

This is about the fact that her mind was so preoccupied with the thoughts of him and the anxiety of meeting him that she forgot what an entire fucking car looks like. This isn't fucking normal.

"I'm sorry..."

"Don't apologise," Minjun whispers and before she knows it, she's being pulled into his chest.

Her entire world stops spinning as she feels her face being pressed against the warmth of his chest. His one hand is cupping the back of her head and the other is wrapped around her waist. She can hear his heartbeat, feel his chest throb against her face.

What...is happening?

"None of this is your fault, okay?"

She's too stunned to answer to him, paralysed on her spot and her knees feel like they're going to melt. She clenches and unclenches her fists, her heart speeding up even more than before. What should she do? Should she...hug him back?

Take the chance. Take the fucking chance.

But Ryu is a coward on the verge of passing out so she stays still, fingers curled tightly into fists beside her as she feels the warmth of his chest seep into her cheeks.

Minjun doesn't let go of her, just draws them apart enough to look down at her. At this point, she doesn't even care how much she's blushing. Their bodies are still touching as she looks up at him and his eyes are so warm and kind that her heart wrenches.

"I need you to calm down. Can you do that for me?"

Dumbly, she nods. He smiles gently in response.

"Good. Now, you said it's your friend's car, right? Why don't you call her and ask what the was number of the car? And the model too."

She sniffs and nods. Minjun takes a step back and she takes out her phone from her purse. She opens it and feels a stray tear drop on her phone screen. Her fingers are trembling to the point that she can't type and she can feel Minjun's eyes following until they land on her fingers.

She opens her messages and clicks the chats with her friend. God, her friend is gonna kill her. She attempts to type down the message but fails and that's when Minjun grabs her wrist to get her attention.

"Let me type." He says and gently pries the phone out of her hand.

She can't do anything as he types down the text for her. It's not two seconds later that the reply notification sound comes, perhaps her friend was on the phone waiting for her to text. They look out for Ryu a lot. Minjun reads the text and types down another reply.

Something about the last text that her friend, So-young, sends makes Minjun smirk as he locks the phone and gives it back to her. Now what the fuck did she type? Ryu can only imagine because she has complete faith in her friends to say the most absurd and manic shit on texts in the middle of the night.

"We got it, let's go."

Ryu silently follows the man around the lane and it's not a few cars later that they find the godforsaken wretched of a vehicle. It's right there, the sensor of the key still not working so she goes towards it to unlock it, she gets inside and starts the engine, getting it the fuck out of the parking spot before she gets out of the car again.

She spots Minjun and before she can rethink it, she wraps her hands around his neck in a tight hug, so tightly that it makes him stumble a few steps back as his hands come to wrap around her waist. She would get shy to hug him if she knew other ways to show her gratitude towards him, but right now, the wave of relief that washes over her is like a breath of fresh air after drowning, it makes Ryu's chest swell with emotions.

She doesn't think she's gonna see him ever again. He probably wouldn't want to meet after the trouble she has caused so she might as well say fuck it and take the chance to show him how grateful she is.

"Thank you...so much." She breathes out.

Maybe she's crushing his lungs, for he groans playfully before laughing. She draws away from him, taking a step back as heat settles in her cheeks for the nth time that night. He grazes his knuckles on her cheek, tracing the dried streaks of tears and wiping the wet ones.

"You'll go on your own, right?" He asks. "Or I could drop you home. We can pick this up tomorrow."

She shakes her head, she'll die if she proves any more burden to him. It's enough for tonight and most probably the last time. She doesn't look up at him, staring at his chest silently. She would apologise if it meant anything.

"I ruined your shirt.'' She says, grabbing the fabric between her fingers and slightly rubbing it under the pad of her thumb. It's stained with salty tears and wrinkled now, probably costs her life's worth.

"It doesn't matter." He shakes his head, smiling softly. "Go safely, okay? Text me when you reach home."

She nods. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Ryu has the mind to wait in her car as Minjun brings his, only parting ways with him once they're out of the lane and on the main road.