#050
The door closed and there was no more noise. Only the sound of my breathing and Woo Dohwan’s breathing, along with the steady rhythm and strength of his hand patting my back, came together to bring a sense of stability. Thump thump thump, my heart that had been beating as if it would burst out gradually calmed down.
“Um…”
As I squirmed to escape from the embrace I was buried in, Woo Dohwan released the arms that had been wrapped around my back.
“Are you okay now?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“What’s with that bastard acting so creepy? Wasn’t he here to apply for a part-time job?”
A neat hand reached out and grabbed the collar of the coat draped over my shoulders. With appropriate force, he pulled the gap closed, wrapping it snugly around my body as he asked. I nodded roughly with a face that hadn’t completely relaxed.
“I guess something during the interview upset him.”
“What could possibly happen during a part-time job interview to make someone upset. How annoying.”
Woo Dohwan’s gaze turned toward the door Chu Gangmin had exited through. With his incredibly pretty lips, he continuously spat out crude words without pause. It seemed like he was cursing on my behalf, but it went on for too long. Worry and affection settled in his gaze as he held my arms and looked me over.
After quietly meeting his eyes, I raised my hand as if to say I was fine now, lightly tapping the back of Woo Dohwan’s hand, and voiced the question I’d been curious about.
“But why did you come here again?”
“Huh? Ah. I was so fucking flustered I forgot about this.”
“What?”
Woo Dohwan held something forward.
“Chocolate.”
So that’s what was rustling behind my back earlier. He held out several visibly heavy shopping bags. The brand written in chocolate-colored letters on beige paper was one that anyone who liked handmade chocolate would have heard of or tried at least once.
“I couldn’t make it myself, so I bought something handmade.”
“I heard this place is delicious.”
“Want to try some?”
Woo Dohwan picked one of the shopping bags lined up on the table and unhesitatingly took out its contents. The black box was rimmed with gold trim and had a logo written in the same color. Whether gold was this package’s signature color, even the ribbon crossing the center was the same hue. When I lightly pulled the end of the neatly tied ribbon, the knot smoothly came undone.
When the lid opened, chocolate that looked sweet just from appearance was revealed. In the very first compartment was chocolate with the brand name decoratively placed on top, and beside it, below it, square chocolates of completely different shapes filled all the spaces. Woo Dohwan pushed the box forward as if telling me to try some.
“It looks delicious.”
I reached out my still slightly trembling hand and picked up a chocolate from the end of the second row. As I put it in my mouth, the soft melting sweetness of the chocolate naturally brought a smile to my face. Woo Dohwan took out a small catalog that came with the chocolate box, opened it, and told me what I had eaten.
“Vanilla.”
“Mm, it’s delicious. Very sweet.”
“Try the others too. I thought this one was pretty good too.”
After confirming that my Adam’s apple moved, Woo Dohwan picked up a chocolate from a diagonal row and immediately held it in front of my lips. Thinking he wanted me to take it, I opened my mouth, but his hand stopped near my chin and trembled slightly. When I raised my eyes from looking at the chocolate to meet Woo Dohwan’s gaze, only then did his stopped hand move to push the chocolate into my mouth.
His fingertip, which lightly touched the edge of my lips before pulling away, trembled just a little. What’s there to tremble about over this? I too became embarrassed, lowering my eyes before raising them again. I saw Woo Dohwan with his ear tips flushed red. With hazy eyes, he looked at me, then with gradually sharpening pupils, he followed the movement of my lips.
“Mm.”
“…The filling is unique.”
“What is this?”
“Fig.”
I thought it was something like strawberry, but I was completely wrong. I was glad I didn’t ask if it was strawberry, thinking this as I slowly chewed and swallowed.
“It’s really delicious.”
“What about your dinner? What kind of flower is that, all wrapped and arranged in a vase? A reservation?”
Woo Dohwan picked up another chocolate and naturally put it into my mouth, then turned his gaze. His eyes sparkled brightly as he focused on the bouquet stuck in one side of the table.
“Ah, um…”
Lemon…? The subtle herb scent and fresh lemon flavor harmonized with the sweet-bitter chocolate. It really is delicious.
“I have dinner plans.”
“With who?”
“Um… a friend’s friend?”
“What’s with that ambiguous relationship?”
Woo Dohwan made a pouty expression and turned his body to approach the vase. He reached out to gently rub the petal part of the aurora rose, then lowered his head to smell its fragrance.
“This is what you bought earlier.”
“That’s right. Aurora roses.”
“Looking at how you arranged it, it’s pretty. Just looking at the flowers, I wondered if they’d go well with the others.”
“If they don’t go well with other flowers, you can use them alone. Roses are that kind of flower.”
Like a mother bird feeding a baby bird, Woo Dohwan’s hands moved continuously to put chocolate in my mouth. I accepted the sweet chocolate without a single refusal. Chewing the chocolate that melted away in my mouth, I opened the showcase and took out one aurora rose. After removing the leaves and trimming the stem, I tied a sky-blue ribbon without wrapping and handed it to Woo Dohwan.
“A gift.”
“Wow. How much did that chocolate cost for you to settle it with just one stem, babe.”
Though he said that, his face receiving it was full of smiles. I untied my apron and checked the table one more time, though there wasn’t much left to organize. It’s clean. I also properly covered the opened chocolate box and put it in the shopping bag.
“Have you calmed down a bit?”
“What?”
So this was the reason he kept feeding me chocolate. I had completely forgotten about Chu Gangmin in the sweetness. My heart, which had been pounding like a seesaw, quietly settled down before starting to beat toward Woo Dohwan again. My violently beating heart seemed to send all the blood to my face, making it flush hot in an instant.
“Why is your face suddenly turning red? What were you thinking about?”
“N-no, I wasn’t thinking about anything at all. A-are you really giving me all of this?”
Without any sense, even my tongue got twisted as I stammered. Woo Dohwan waved the rose in his hand and bent his waist to stare intently at my face from very close distance.
“You know I like you.”
“……”
“From what I can see, it seems like you like me too.”
There was a sound of lips touching the rose petals that blocked the space between Woo Dohwan and my lips. In the time it took to blink at the unusually loud sound, the flower blocking between us disappeared and Woo Dohwan’s lips lightly touched mine before pulling away.
Soft, and moist. Soft, and moist, and tender… Crazy, what is this? Without realizing it, I raised my hand to cover my mouth, and a light laugh rang out. He kissed the back of my hand once more. After the moist sound of “smack,” Woo Dohwan straightened his bent waist and spoke in a feminine voice. It was a calm voice as if nothing had happened.
“I should put this inside.”
“…Just now, what…”
“Are you asking what I did?”
Long, straight fingers tapped the back of my hand that was still covering my mouth.
“A kiss.”
“……”
“Your face is going to explode, my babe.”
The fingertip that had been gently rubbing the back of my hand pointed toward the showcase.
“Keep some at home, leave some here and eat them when you’re hungry. Don’t just settle for cheap coffee and stuff like that.”
My head was dizzy. Why did he kiss me? Is he hitting on me? Because I have a lot of money? No, but Woo Dohwan has a lot of money too. Then does he really like me? No, but I still don’t really, don’t, don’t think I like him. Or do I? Actually, I’m not sure. Do I like him? Wait, but I’m a man.
“I’m a m-man,”
“Yeah, I know. You’re a man, and it’s the 21st century now. Whether I like you, like flowers, or like whatever, it doesn’t matter in this world. You’re not from the Joseon Dynasty, right?”
“Of course not!”
Of course it’s normal for Seo Ranho to love men, but the problem was that it might not be normal for Woo Dohwan.
“Have you ever dated men before?”
“No.”
“Aren’t you mistaking curiosity for interest?”
“Curiosity is interest and interest is curiosity. I’ve never dated a man, but I’ll study.”
He answered with quite a serious expression. No, why would you need to study to date a man? And I, I am…
“I, I’ve never…”
“Think about it. Don’t just say no. You find me pretty, don’t you? For a grown man to find someone pretty, that’s difficult without considerable affection.”
“It’s not like that… it’s just because your face is pretty…”
Why is he so good with words again? Isn’t that too prepared? Is it because he’s a player? Because he’s met many people? The moment I met eyes with Woo Dohwan, who was looking at me with his characteristic languid gaze while leaning on the table, his eyes curved as if he’d been waiting. He showed a pretty smile as if determined to enchant me, wrinkling his nose bridge as he laughed.
After staring spellbound, I came to my senses and cleared my throat with a “ahem.” Anyway, being grateful for today is still being grateful.
“Anyway… today, today I’m thankful.”
“Should I escort you?”
“That’s not necessary.”
“Let me know if you need it.”
I muttered formulaic words of gratitude and checked the time. Ban Hajoon should be coming soon too… he’s a bit late. But is he going to keep staying instead of leaving? I glanced at Woo Dohwan as if reading the situation.
“Aren’t you going?”
“Should I go?”
Woo Dohwan had a look in his eyes as if he wanted something. If I asked him to have dinner together, would all three of us get indigestion?
“Well…”
“Hmm?”
“If you haven’t had dinner yet, would you like to eat together?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
