Chapter Eleven - Too Much In Love

GD POV

I'm finally back in Korea. God, it feels good to be home again, but more than anything, I miss her. I’ve been counting the hours until I can see Mi Yu.

I roll my suitcase into the apartment building and head to the elevator. As the doors begin to close, someone rushes toward it.

“Annyeonghaseyoo,” Claire says, slightly out of breath.

“Ah, annyeong,” I nod and bow politely as she steps in.

Silence.

Just the soft hum of the elevator as it ascends.

Then, out of nowhere, Claire speaks, calm, but sincere. “Thank you... for making her smile these days.”

I blink, turning to her.

“She’s had a hard life since she was a child,” Claire continues. “Honestly, I thought she’d never date anyone again.”

I freeze. “Wait, she’s never dated before?” I ask, shocked.

Claire sighs gently. “She did. Once. But the guy...” Her lips press into a thin line before she continues. “He made a bet with his friends. Said he’d sleep with her. And he did. Then ghosted her.”

I feel my stomach twist.

Claire looks ahead, voice even. “That night, she cried like I’d never seen before. Like every part of her broke. Drank herself half to death on soju. After that, she shut down. She built that elegant, calm mask. The Mi Yu you see now.”

I don’t know what to say. My fists tighten at my side. The thought of someone treating her like that... it makes my blood boil.

I finally whisper, “What about her childhood?”

Claire pauses.

Then offers me a soft, polite smile, like she’s guarding something too deep, too painful. “Maybe another time. If you behave.”

The elevator dings. Her floor.

She steps out, leaving me standing there with a hundred questions and a heavy heart.

The doors close again.

I'm on my floor now.

It feels so good to be home. The hot shower melts away the airport stiffness, and the familiar scent of my place grounds me again. I throw on something simple, black slacks, a soft tee, and a jacket, grab my phone and wallet, and without thinking too much…

I drive straight to her office.

Damn, I miss her already.

As I pull into the Venti building’s parking lot, I can already feel the excitement buzzing in the air. The moment I enter through the glass doors, the reaction is instant. Some gasp, some whisper, some giggle. I give a polite bow, trying not to laugh.

I guess the King of K-pop visiting Venti isn’t something that happens every day.

I press the elevator button and ride it in silence, straight to her floor. I know she’s been working late, too late, too often lately.

When I step into her office, I make sure to stay quiet. The door makes the softest click behind me, but she doesn’t hear it. She’s deep in concentration, her head bent over the desk, spinning a pen between her fingers, brows furrowed.

Her office outfit is sleek and clean, elegant, tailored, sharp.

But all I can think is how that elegance melts when she’s with me. How that icy calm becomes warmth. How that perfect posture crumbles when I kiss her. How that smirk breaks into giggles when I tease her.

I sit quietly on the couch in the corner, just watching her.God, she’s so focused. So serious.I lean back, smile to myself.She has no idea I’m here yet.But I’m not going to interrupt her, not yet. I just want to enjoy this moment a little longer. Watching her in her element, in her world.

And soon… I’ll make her look up.

Her phone rings. She doesn’t even look up, just taps speaker.

“Nee?” she answers with that tired, slightly annoyed tone. She’s exhausted, I can hear it.“What time did you plan to go home?” Claire’s voice chirps through the speaker.

“Maybe three hours more, there’s a ton of work here,” she sighs heavily, rubbing her temple with one hand.My heart aches a little seeing her like that. She works too hard.

“I have a guest. I’ll make sure he goes home before you do,” Claire replies.Mi Yu leans back in her chair, eyes closed like she’s trying to summon the strength to respond. “Is that a guy?” she asks, voice slightly sharper.

There’s a pause on Claire’s end. “Umm… yeah,” she says, obviously trying to be casual.I raise an eyebrow. Oh? Is she getting a bit… possessive?

“Just the two of you?” Mi Yu’s voice drops a degree in warmth. That elegant, serious tone slides in, like she just put on an invisible blazer of authority.

Claire hesitates. “Uh oh…” she says, trying to defuse.And then Mi Yu says it, firm, protective, so unwavering it gives me chills“Okay. Call me if anything happens. Remember, you’re too precious to me.”

She’s not smiling.She means it.I sit there on the couch, half stunned.This woman… she can flirt like fire, tease like silk, turn my whole body inside out, but when she says something like that?Powerful.Fierce.God, I’m in love.And she still hasn’t noticed I’m here.

She swivels her chair, slowly turning around to face the ceiling. Her eyes are shut tight, lips pressed in frustration. She lets out a soft sigh, like she’s trying to melt all the stress away just by breathing it out.

I walk toward her, slowly, quietly  and then lean down to press a gentle kiss on her forehead.She jolts up like I’m a thief caught mid-crime, her eyes wide in panic… but then, the second she sees me, all the tension melts from her face.

Her eyes soften, her shoulders drop.She smiles. That smile. The one that only ever blooms when she looks at me.

“Hey,” she says, voice like honey.“When did you get here?” she asks, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

“Just now,” I reply. “C’mon, let’s eat.”“Neeeee~” she pouts playfully in a baby tone, dragging the sound out like a spoiled little kitten.

Damn.That voice, how she switches from ‘Team Leader of Elegance’ to ‘my personal aegyo disaster’ just for me, I swear, this woman’s killing me softly.And I don’t want her to stop.

"What do you want to eat?"

"Ummm... Anything?"

"Anything?" I raise an eyebrow, pretending to think hard. "Even convenience store ramen?"

She giggles, covering her mouth with the back of her hand, trying not to fully let it out. Damn, she’s so cute. “Except that.”

We end up at a fine dining restaurant tucked in a quiet alley of Hannam, dim lights, jazz in the background, privacy guaranteed. She looks stunning even under the low golden glow, and I swear I’m not even trying to flirt yet.

I cut the steak into perfect pieces for her. She tries to hide the way her lips curl into a smile when I slide the plate toward her, like she’s melting a little inside but still clinging to that graceful, elegant image.

Then I pour her a glass of wine, watching how the reflection dances in her eyes. She sips delicately, then hums. I know she’s enjoying herself, even if she’s trying to act like she isn’t.

“Is it delicious?” I ask, already knowing the answer.She nods, cheeks faintly tinted, lips still curved into that soft, helpless smile she only gives me.

“What about yours?” she asks, eyes darting to my plate.“Hmm, pasta. Try it,” I say, already lifting my fork toward her.

She doesn’t hesitate, she opens her mouth and lets me feed her, eyes widening a little as she chews. I can tell she likes it more than the steak.I don’t even say anything. I just casually switch our plates, sliding the pasta in front of her.

That’s when she looks at me, caught. Her eyes say, you noticed, huh? And that small, honest smile breaks through again.Oh baby. I haven’t even turned on the charm yet.But I swear, by the end of this date,you’ll be the one trapping yourself.Hard.

We go home after dinner.

The night air is crisp, carrying the soft scent of spring blossoms as we step into the building. My hand is holding hers tightly, and she doesn’t let go, not even for a second. The elevator doors slide open with a quiet chime. She steps in first, and I follow, keeping her hand in mine.

Then, slowly, her head leans onto my shoulder, her body inching closer like instinct. I glance down, amused. She’s trying to act normal, but her cheeks are slightly pink.

I chuckle and stroke her hair gently. "Comfortable?" I tease.

She hums softly in response, her eyes fluttering shut for a second. The elevator ride feels unusually calm, quiet, like we’re in our own little universe away from everything else.

When we arrive at her floor, she punches in her passcode like a cat burglar, slowly, cautiously, as if the door might explode from noise. Then she peeks inside like a spy.

Claire’s still there, talking with someone, probably the “guest” from earlier.

She turns to me, sighs in silent defeat, and tiptoes inside. I wait by the door.

A moment later, she returns with a shoebox. She hands it to me without a word, her lips pressed in a line, trying to hide a shy grin. I open the lid, it’s the sneakers. My sneakers. The ones I lent her that night when she was soaked and barefoot.

They’re clean. Smell like lavender. Carefully folded tissue paper around them.

She even returned the shoelaces exactly how I tie them.

I glance at her. “You’re returning them like it’s a loan from a museum.”

She rolls her eyes. “You said you have tons. I figured you’d miss this one.”

“I missed the girl who wore them,” I say.

I laugh quietly and grab her hand again.We tiptoe like two high schoolers sneaking past curfew, her door closing gently behind us.

Back in the elevator, I press my floor. She doesn’t say anything, but she doesn’t let go either. We don’t need to talk.

When we reach my place, I unlock the door, open it, and gesture her in.

She steps inside without hesitation.

Like she’s been here a hundred times.

Like she belongs.And yeah,She does.

--

Mi Yu POV

I placed the shoes carefully into the drawer, the pair he'd lent me, Kwondo. They were clean now, polished and still carrying a faint scent of fresh detergent and flowers.

When I turned around, Jiyong was watching me with that unreadable smile of his, the kind that made it hard to tell what he was planning.

“Sit here,” he said, patting the cushioned bench in front of his wardrobe.

I sat down without question. He moved to the side of the room and returned with a large white box tied with a black Chanel ribbon.

“A gift?” I asked suspiciously.

He simply nodded, then knelt in front of me and opened the box. Inside was a pair of nude rose heels with delicate gold chain detailing, elegant, expensive, and perfectly my style.

“Try them on,” he said gently.

I slipped my foot into one of them. It fit perfectly.

“Do you like it?” he asked, already knowing the answer by the way I was biting my lip to hide my smile.

I nodded, cheeks warming. “Thank you,” I said, in a soft baby tone I didn’t even realize I used.

He chuckled. “There’s more,” he whispered near my ear, his fingers brushing through my hair.

“You don’t have to,” I said, heart racing a little.

“I want to,” he replied.

He picked up another box, smaller but heavier. I opened it slowly. Inside was a black Chanel handbag, unmistakably custom. It had unique detailing, nothing like what you'd find in stores.

“I had it made for you,” he said softly.

I looked inside the bag and pulled out a sleek black card. My eyes snapped to his, confused.

“For you. Just use it,” he said, leaning in to kiss me gently.

“I have money. A lot,” I replied, trying to push away the wave of emotion rising in my chest.

“I know. But now you have mine too. Don’t argue,” he whispered, fingers tangled in my hair as he pulled me into a deeper kiss, his lips firm, his mouth claiming mine.

I leaned into him, melting completely.

God, I was in so much trouble.

--

GD POV

"Just don’t argue with me about anything from now on," I said, my tone firm but teasing.

She opened her mouth like she wanted to protest, then closed it again, her lips pressing into a soft pout. Good girl. I smirked to myself. I’ll tame you, bit by bit. I already am.

I leaned back onto the long cushioned bench in front of my wardrobe and gently pulled her onto my lap. She froze for a second, stiff like she wasn’t sure what to do, but then her body relaxed against me. I tucked her hair behind her ear, slow and careful. Her skin was warm.

She didn’t say anything. Just kept looking down at the heels I gave her, as if they were too precious to even wear. She ran her fingertips along the soft leather like she couldn’t believe they were hers.

I watched her silently.

This woman, who acts so composed and untouchable to the world, now sitting quietly in my lap, flushed cheeks, stealing glances at me from the corner of her eyes like a shy teenager.

Maybe she doesn’t get gifts often. Or maybe… I’m just too far gone for her.

She leaned her head a little against my shoulder, her fingers still grazing the shoes like a secret. I could feel it, how carefully she held this moment. How much she was trying not to fall too hard.

But I already did.

I wrapped my arms tighter around her waist and whispered near her ear, “You look good with luxury, you know? Like you were born for it. Born to sit in my lap, in my clothes, in my life.”

She exhaled softly, not answering, but her body leaned just a bit closer. That was enough.

"Mine," I murmured to myself, pressing a kiss into her temple.

She didn’t pull away. She just smiled, small and quiet.

Yeah. I was definitely too much in love.