Amber dropped her mops as if they were hot coal. She winced at the clatter. The sound vibrating and echoing across the walls of the storeroom
Oh shit, she might get fired on day one.
"Ah, sorry! I'm—um—I'm leaving soon!" She stammered out unable to meet his eye as she knelt into a squat. She propped the mops up as fast as she could, her heart hammering loudly against her ribcage.
"You work here?"
Amber stood quickly, her eyes suddenly blocked by a wide expanse of exposed skin. Her gaze meandered over his collarbone, moving up a smooth neck to outline a chiselled jaw. Her heart jumped into her throat as she glanced up into the eyes of Kim Sieon. His eyes bored down onto hers as he sandwiched her to the wall.
His body was close, too close to her. So close that she could smell his natural scent and feel the warmth radiating from his skin. Chills ran up her spine. He'd simmered into a sultry expression with a look in his eyes that made Amber's heart pound harder, echoing between her legs. She would cream herself if he stared at her any longer.
She inhaled, chewing on her lips as she met his gaze. If he didn't recognise her then, he should now. His lips twitched and she watched as he tilted his head slightly to give her a soft smile. It was pretty. A twitch of lips that revealed the tips of pearly white teeth.
"It's you!" He smiled, lips parting into a soft grin. He caught her wrist in his fingers as he said those words, gently pulling her close as if they were close friends that had not met in years. Amber inhaled sharply, the familiar electricity sparked at his touch. It was duller now, the feeling masked by the soul suppressants, but it was still there. Warm and comforting.
The feeling made her chest ache and she had to mentally restrain herself from sinking into his arms and pressing herself to his body like a crazy fan. God.
Amber wanted to. She wanted to melt into his embrace. Bask in that warmth and comfort that would heal her soul and dry the tears that still flowed every night when she thought about her life and her future.
But Amber knew that she couldn't do that.
Sieon was less compelled to not touch her because she swore he was doing the exact opposite. He did not withdraw his hand. Instead, he encroached further, his thumbs ghosting up her wrist. He tugged at her arm, his lips stretched wider. Eyes warm as he grinned widely. Was he pulling her closer?
"Oh my God." His tongue curled over the English words with a cute Korean accent. "I forgot to thank you, but you left so quickly."
He was prattling as he held her wrist, carefully preventing her escape. He was locking her in place, his body as a barrier to her only exit route. Her only option would be to shimmy past his broad shoulders but that would mean brushing her chest against his arms.
Her concealed nipples, clothed or not, would be unable to withstand the assault of his electricity.
"I used the toilet in the lobby because my bros took a shit in all of our hotel rooms. I had to take a shit in better smelling pastures you know what I'm saying?"
He continued to speak, appearing oblivious to her inner dilemmas. Was he...stepping closer?
"Was I that scary?" He asked. "Did I have bad breath or did my shit stink?" Honest. He was opening up to her and she couldn't help but offer him some form of response. Not responding at all would be awkward for him and her.
"No." Amber shook her head. He didn't stink, in fact, he— she clamped her mouth shut quickly. She would not admit her love for his natural scent. The one that was wafting from him now, covered in the smell of expensive cologne. "I-I...I panicked."
"Clearly," He grinned, amused. She was now pressed, inches away from his muscular chest. So close that if he just bent a little, his lips would be on hers. "Why are you here? Were you always a staff member? Why didn't I see you around?"
He shot off a whole bunch of questions. Amber didn't know if it was his way of distracting her from his fingers that were gently sliding down her arm to encompass her knuckle. He was moving closer to her as he spoke. His eyes remained on hers, large and bewitching. Was this how he treated every girl?
"I'm just temporarily helping out my friend as an intern? Deok-Su?" Amber told him. She was confused by his actions, and she felt like a deer caught in headlights.
Only the deer wasn't stunned in a stupor by the imminent possibilities of death. Rather, it stood stiff and wide-eyed, basking in the light of the headlamps because of how beautiful those frontal car lights were. Each shard of light was cutting through the cold crisp air to reveal tiny dust motes that swirled and danced, creating intricate ethereal pictures.
Shimmering, shining, splendid.
Anyway, she really did not understand why he was acting like this.
"Ohhhh, RibidK?" His expression dropped and the familiar smouldering look embedded onto his features. There was a crinkle in his brow as he watched her carefully. He looked perplexed and even...Envious? She glanced at him, startled by his reaction. What?
There was a tic in his jaw as he clenched his teeth together causing the muscle to jut out lightly. He pressed his lips together in a thin line, fingers squeezing her hand tightly. What was wrong with Kim Sieon? Amber stared at him, desperately trying to read him. Then his eyes darted to the corner and he let out a small yelp.
"Cockroach!"
Before she knew it he was pressed against her. His arms were wrapped around her smaller frame, pulling her body close to his chest. His cheeks were resting on her hair and he was so close to her, she could feel his heartbeat under a thick muscular chest and—
—God, that smell. She inhaled, momentarily snuggling into him and just enjoying the hug. She could feel her soul going into overdrive, transforming into a gooey mess of happiness.
"Protect me," he whimpered and she could feel the sound rumble over her skin.
"W-where?" She stammered. She turned her head to the direction he was looking at, trying to escape his grasp...trying not to appear as if she wanted his hug as much as he did, as much as he seemed to want it.
Amber didn't know if her mind was playing tricks on her but her soulmate was snuggling into her, burrowing his nose into her hair. He was hugging her like a koala bear, cuddling into her body as if they were more than just friends.
Kim Sieon had always been a cuddler. He was the reason for the constantly trending hashtags that shipped him and another member simply because he got too close or too touchy.
He was somehow always groping another member's ass, cuddling them in bed like they were lovers. Or even pressing kisses to the necks of his best friends.
So maybe in Sieon's book, cuddling was never something that signalled romantic feelings. And maybe that was why he was so receptive to the touch of a female stranger. Amber decided to lump this interaction into the norm of one Kim Sieon.
Not that she didn't appreciate it.
Thank you God, for creating such a touchy soulmate.
"There! Don't you see it?" He pointed to a random corner and his body moulded to hers. His large hard chest was pressing against her back and swallowing her into a warm embrace that felt toasty against her skin.
Was he doing this on purpose?
"I don't see it?" Amber squinted in confusion at the dark spot that he was gesturing to.
The shadows draped over the area, so dark that it was impossible to spot anything in that crack. She was pretty sure at this point that his random scream was just an excuse for him to hug her. She turned to give him a look and just as if he knew what she wanted to say, he opened his mouth to speak.