08

"When is your last day of work?" Your older sister's voice resounds from the speaker of your device as you press it between your ear and shoulder, fishing out the keys from your purse. "It's almost been a week, what's the hold-up?"

You grumble when you can't seem to figure out where you've put the goddamn keys to your complex. "I don't know Sooya. It's not up to me to decide. I can't exactly force him to speed up the process."

"Noona, is he making things hard for you at work? Just tell me and I'll talk to him," your brother, who you've decided to add to the group call chimes in, making you almost snort at his words.

"Then what, Sunho?" There is a hint of playfulness in your tone as you finally pull the item, inserting it into the lock. "You can't exactly do anything with your state." You can't help but add the last part to your banter. You hear Sooya erupt in laughter and an offended gasp from your brother.

"Right, you've seen Y/N's boss on television, what makes you think you have any chance of going against him?" Sooya adds on to your joke.

"Hey! Don't underestimate me," he argues and you kick off your stilettos, seeing the bruises on your heels and ankles. You grimace at the nasty sight before putting on your soft slippers and trudging toward the living room. "I've been going to the gym lately." Your brother confesses something that takes you and Sooya by surprise. He's becoming a grownup and you're not even there to witness with your own eyes.

Shaking off the solemn feeling, you toss your bag onto the couch, leaving a few buttons on your blouse undone before finally freeing your hair from the tight ponytail you've been wearing all day, and your wavy locks bounce on your shoulders.

"Wah, our little brother going to the gym? That sounds a bit unbelievable," Sooya pushes his buttons until Sunho is practically whining.

"Hey, leave him alone," You roll your eyes at the two before settling on the sofa, until your stomach grumbles. "There's nothing wrong with wanting to stay fit," you comment, suddenly remembering Namjoon on the subject of exercise. But you leave that part out.

"Whatever, he's probably just trying to impress a girl. You know how kids are these days. It's all about the looks."

"I am not!" Sunho exclaims to try and prove a point. "Can't a guy care about his health?"

"If you truly care about your health, stop eating fast food, you idiot."

"Noona, did you just call me an idiot—"

You don't pay attention to the conversation, grabbing the remote to play the first movie you see on Netflix. "My head is hurting just by listening to you guys argue over the phone," You debate if you should end the call to order some food, or walk to the kitchen to cook a meal for yourself to satisfy your hunger.

"Noona, you're so grumpy these days," you can practically hear the annoyance in Sunho's voice. "I already hate that boss of yours. He's making you grumpy."

You can't help but scoff at his opinion about Namjoon. "Hate is a strong word, Sunho. You don't know him," and surely, you don't know why you suddenly felt the need to defend your boss when he's nowhere in sight to order you around.

"Why does it sound like you're defending him, Sis?" Sooya causes you to nervously run your tongue over your bottom lip. You're not sure what she's implying when she was just drooling over how perfect your boss was a few days ago.

"I'm not," you say firmly, and it sounds like you're the one trying to convince yourself. "I was simply pointing out that you don't know enough about him to make such claims."

"But are we wrong though?"

"Sunho," you warn and the line goes silent immediately, neither of your siblings saying anything. "I don't want to hear about it, alright?"

"Y/N, it's not our intention to disrespect him—"

"Well, you just did."

"Noona," Sunho sounds dejected at your harshness, and you gulp finally realizing how rude you must've come off.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what came over me," you sigh as you put a hand on your head to bid off the ache there. "I'm just really tired."

"Hey, Y/N. . . maybe we should end the call here, alright?" Sooya suggests with a soft tone. "It's getting late, I think we all need to rest." You let your eyes fall to your wristwatch to realize it was indeed 11 past midnight. You got off work two hours ago and got stuck in traffic for almost an hour due to an accident that happened in the city.

"Yeah, I'll call you guys later," you agree. "Call me if you guys need anything," You don't forget to remind them. A small smile curves your lips when they both hum in agreement.

"Bye, Noona. Don't hesitate to tell me if anything goes wrong." Sunho repeats his words, making you feel happy that your little brother still feels the need to protect you all the time.

"I know, Sunho. Stop worrying about me and focus on getting better."

"Fine, I will." He grumbles on the other and before you could scold him about his tone, he's already dropped the call, leaving you with Sooya.

"Y/N, about your boss," she starts a conversation she didn't want Sunho to be a part of. Feeling anxious about where this is headed, you stand up from your comfortable position and walk to the kitchen, grabbing a pot from one of the cupboards to boil water for some pasta.

"Sooya, if you're going to insult him, forget it." You tell her, pacing back and forth in the small space of your home. "I don't want to hear it right now. As I said, the rumors aren't true—"

"I know, but that's not what I was going to say." She says with a groan. "Just let me talk for a bit before you say something."

You sigh, placing your arms on the island counter. "Go on, I'm listening."

"Why do you think he's being a little hesitant to sign your resignation letter?" she starts. "I mean, it is that hard to sign a freaking piece of paper? If anything, your boss could fire and hire anyone to replace you—"

You raise your brows at her last sentence. "Sooya, what are you even saying? It seems like you're insulting my capabilities."

"Of course not! I was just saying how strange it is that he doesn't want you to quit and leave the company."

"What's strange about that?" You inquire. "I've worked with him for almost ten years, and I'm a good employee- - anyone wouldn't want to let go of someone like that." You say proudly.

"Not to scare you or anything, but I think your boss has a thing for you," she says so calmly that it causes you to choke on air and widen your eyes. When you've finally processed her words, you erupt in laughter, throwing your head back in disbelief.

"Oh my god, Sooya, you've definitely gone insane this time." You say with a chuckle, and she almost curses on the other side of the phone.

"Laugh all you want, but I'm sticking to my words. It's obvious, the guy doesn't want to let go of you because he has feelings for you." Her words make you cringe at the thought of being more than a loyal employee to your boss. It's bizarre how your dear sister has all the time to think of things like this when it never even crossed your mind.

"Yeah, Sooya, that just seems so realistic," your sarcasm doesn't go unnoticed by her.

"Y/N- - " Sooya is about to say something when you hear shuffling and wails on her side of the call. "Shit, I've gotta go. The twins are hungry and they won't stop crying."

Even with the feeling of annoyance still in your system, the mention of your nieces have you grinning. "Touché, I guess we'll talk soon. Say hi to them for me." Hearing your cheery voice, Sooya puts you on speaker so the twins can hear.

"Yaya, we miss you!" you chuckle when you hear both of them whine about their mother, your heart warming with the nickname they've made for you. "Please come visit us soon! Mommy won't play house with us. She's always busy."

"Hi girls, I miss you more," you greet them happily, despite the strain in your eyes from the bright lights in the kitchen and the throb on the back of your head that doesn't seem to go away. "Don't worry, Yaya will try to visit soon. But for now, you've gotta behave and help mommy around the house like the good girls you both are, okay?" Your tone is soft compared to earlier, and you shut your eyes for a moment before you open the tiny window above the sink to let the wind slowly ebb at the temporary ache.

"Okay! We'll ask mommy to let you stay over."

"OK, you do that and Yaya will bring gifts for the two of you."

"Really?!" You hear their excitement over the phone. You hum in response. "Thanks, Yaya! You're the best aunty in the world!"

"But I'm your only aunty. . ." you playfully whine, causing them to pout. "But you're the prettiest Yaya!"

"Prettier than mommy?" You coo and they don't hesitate to answer with a 'yes'.

"Alright, that's enough." Sooya finally interrupts your interaction with her daughters. "I'm ending the call," she says with a bitter tone. You stifle a laugh and before you can respond, the line goes silent and all you can hear is the beeping sound from the timer on your stove, indicating that your food was ready. As you were about to shut it off, you hear a knock coming from the door.

You snap your head towards the dark hallway leading to the main entrance, and you don't recall ordering anything. Thinking that it could just be a mistake from the neighbors, you ignore it until the sounds become constant. Feeling a bit frustrated, you don't bother to plate your dish and instead set the pan on the counter, taking bites as if it were your first and last meal before you rush towards the door angrily.

"How can I help you- -" your breath hitches at the sight of, "Namjoon?" You let out a squeak, his name rolling off your tongue with no hesitation as soon as you see the man dressed in a pair of casual clothes- - the most casual you've ever seen him outside of work- - you were used to seeing him in a dress shirt and black slacks even when you spent your time working at his place.

Nonetheless, he looks good in anything and everything. The man was the very definition of perfection, and seeing him like this makes him seem more human to you.

"Namjoon?" He sounds just as surprised as you when he removes the hood of his Supreme hoodie to look you up and down with heavy eyes, and a small smirk curving his perfect lips- -

No, no!

What are you thinking?!

You flush at his dark stare, instinctively draping your arms across your chest to hide the visibility of your lace bra, which you notice him successfully avoiding. You run your fingers through your tangled hair that hasn't been brushed since you got home. It was pointless to do it if you were only going to shower before bed. Plus, it's not like you expected to see your boss in the middle of the night.

"S-sir," you correct yourself, feeling embarrassed that he has to see you like this. "What brings you here?"

"I came to give you the rest of the meal my mom prepped." He said as he held out a nicely wrapped Bojagi with a red ribbon tied around it. But your gaze is drawn to the prominent veins on his hands, and the way they clench and wrap around the silk material. Shit, you don't know why your thighs clench together at such a simple action. "You left it on your desk and I saw it on my way out."

"Oh," is all you can say right now as he waits for you to accept it and maybe even invite him in, offer him a drink, or ask if his trip to your place took up the majority of his time, which it did. He lived on the other side of the city, in the most expensive part of Seoul, while you settled in a much more affordable neighborhood, filled with unnecessary noise that you eventually grew accustomed to. "Is that all you came here for?" You can't help but wonder.

"Aren't you going to let me in first?"

"O-oh, yeah. Sorry about that," You take the item from his grasp as he waits for you to go in first. You hurriedly move aside, bowing your head in embarrassment.

"Are you really letting me into your house?" He asks, scanning your face for any signs of discomfort. He didn't expect you to agree right away, although you've known each other for a decade, he's never been to your place.

Another line was about to be crossed, and you both knew it.

"You know you don't have to if you're uncomfortable, Y/N. I wasn't being serious."

"No, of course not, Sir. I'm not worried about that. It's just that my place is a little stuffy compared to yours. You may find it uncomfortable- -"

"Uncomfortable?" He stops you. "No, I like it." He says with a grin, looking around your tiny place as you help him place his shoes beside yours on the doormat. "It's cute and homey. Like you."

Like me?

His last words cause you to freeze on your spot, feeling all warm inside as you watch him step further into the house. He's hit with a pleasant waft of what could be a delicious meal being served. And for some reason, it makes him feel giddy and excited because he knows he won't be able to control himself.

Taking a few steps into the kitchen, he peers over the counter to see what you've prepared, and you find him leaning over the counter with his sleeves rolled up. Simply seeing him makes your heart forget how to do its job for a split second. "What is that?" He asks.

"Pasta."

Namjoon turns and smiles with another question on his mind. "You know how to cook?"

"Yes, I do," you admit shyly, giving a small nod as you toy with your fingers. You walk over to check on the dish, and your mouth falters when you realize there's barely anything left for two. You can't believe you ate that much.

"I didn't know you could cook." He says, and by the time you bring your eyes back to Namjoon, he's already biting his lip, not hiding how he checks you out from head to toe. You, on the other hand, are more concerned with forming a proper sentence than trying to look presentable in front of him.

"It's just a simple recipe I learned from my dad," You're not sure why you're suddenly telling him all this. "Can't really go wrong with pasta and some pre-made sauce," you laugh awkwardly, putting a hand on the back of your neck. It's not like you can take all the credit for the dish.

"You never cease to astound me, Miss Park." He stares at you with nothing but amusement in his eyes, and you can never get used to his compliments no matter how much they boosted your ego. "What can't you do, hm?" His voice is barely above a whisper, and after a few moments, your breathing shallows as he studies your features with utmost care as if he was trying to bury your picture in his mind.

You notice his eyes on your mouth, lingering between your cupid's bow and the corner of your lips. He does not attempt to be subtle, as if he wants you to catch him in the act.

"I want to taste it."

Hi, I'm late with updates again, sorry!This was supposed to be published last night but didn't finish it so here we are with a much longer chapter ;)