I sat down at the table with my bowl of dumplings and began eating. Though I could tell that the chef was cooking more than one portion, I could tell that Jun wasn't going to be eating any. He rushed around the house, getting ready to go somewhere. I felt like we were stuck being awkward with each other, so I didn't bother asking him what he was getting ready for. I could feel a slight tightness in my chest, each time he walked past me. After a short 10 minutes, I could hear him approaching. I had nearly finished my dumplings but pretended not to have noticed him coming over.
"I'm going to go down and check if there's anything left of the building. If I'm not back by dinner, just eat without me." He fixed his shirt as he spoke, avoiding eye contact.
"I'll come with you." I got up from my seat, with the bowl in my hands.
"No." He quickly replied. I looked up at him surprised. "It will only make you even more upset and there's no need for that. If there's anything left, I will bring it back and I will sort out the insurance for both apartments. I will be back as soon as I can, if you need me, there's a house phone by the TV." I couldn't say much. He was right, I wasn't ready to go back and see my life in ashes. I looked down as he turned around and walked to the elevator. I carried my bowl into the kitchen and placed it in the sink. I opened the tap to wash it, when I realised, I'd have to undo my bandages to be able to wash up. I pondered for a second, when a large, dark shadow casted over me.
"I'll do that." A deep, familiar voice said as the man in white was standing behind me.
"Thank you. It was delicious." I smiled shyly as I bowed and made my way out of the kitchen. I had never had anyone cook for me or clean for me. I felt guilty, making anybody clean after me or do favours for me. I returned to my room, before realising I had absolutely nothing to do. I decided to pace around the penthouse and hopefully find something to do. It didn't take long for me to simply settle for the TV. I sat down on the couch and turned on the TV, watching anything and everything that was on. The time seemed to fly by. I watched the sky slowly darken with each hour. I was invested in a romantic drama when I heard the bell of the elevator ring.
"I'm here and I am baring gifts." I heard a somebody say as they walked out of the elevator. I lifted my head and looked around to see who it was, because it didn't sound like Jun. "Hello?" He said as I watched Yan walk into the living room. "Oh." He stopped noticing me. His face paled as he stood frozen staring right at me. He wore a dark blue suit and had a bottle of alcohol in his hands.
"Hi." I said not knowing what else to say. I hadn't seen or spoken to Chan since we went on our awful, set up, fake date. I was still a little annoyed about it, but I was trying to be the bigger person and let it go.
"Hi." He replied awkwardly. "I didn't realise…" He began, coming closer. "I mean, I was just looking for Jun. Is he around?" He asked stuttering. He plastered a fake smile on his face as he came to stand by the couch.
"No, he went to check on the apartment." I replied, looking back over to the television. My drama was escalating, and I didn't want to miss all of it.
"Oh, I heard. I'm so sorry about…" He began, but I held out my hand by his face, listening in for my drama. "Is that Bodyguard?" He asked, coming even closer and sitting down beside me. We both intently stared at the screen as the chemistry between the two characters began to explode, making us both feel like marshmallow's inside. "Ah, I love this. Have you seen the other seasons?" Chan asked as we both intently stared at the television.
"No, I don't usually watch television." I replied, finally relaxing as an advert cut through the screen. I looked up at Chan, who was sitting beside me, with his bottle of alcohol in his hands.
"I got this for Jun. I didn't realise you'd be here. I'm sorry about your apartment." Chan smiled uncomfortably.
"Jun saved me. I collapsed in my apartment from all the smoke and he saved me." I smiled, thinking back to the awful night. "He said I could stay with him, until I got back on my feet." I looked up at Chan's surprised face.
"That's very nice of him." He smiled, placing the bottle on the table. "I better take off." He got to his feet, brushing through his clean blazer. I didn't know what to say, but I felt something come over me all of a sudden. I didn't know if it was loneliness or guilt that Chan and I had got off on the wrong foot, but I decided to convince him to stay for a little bit longer.
"There's still 20 more minutes left of Bodyguard, if you want to stay and watch it with me." I smiled, offering. His face lit up like a child, but he seemed uncomfortable. He began rubbing his neck with a smile, like Jun had done previously.
"I wouldn't want to be a bother; besides, I've seen it before." He smiled, bowing to me as a thank you.
"You're not a bother." I smiled looking back down to the television. I could see him stall from the corner of my eye, trying to decide, before sitting back down. He removed his blazer and rolled up his sleeves. I smiled to myself as I turned up the volume on the television. Just before the drama was about to start again, he got up and walked himself over to the kitchen. He returned to the living room with two glasses and opened the bottle of alcohol he had got for Jun, pouring it in.
"I'm sure you could use a drink." He smiled as he handed me the drink. I smiled, accepting it, and holding it in my hand as he downed the whole glass all at once. I wasn't one to result to drinking, due to an inconvenience, but I had nothing left to lose. It looked like water and I put it to my lips, following after Chan and drinking the whole thing at once. I felt my whole mouth dry instantly as Chan stared at me impressed. I shook my head, trying to stop myself from throwing it back up. The drama started and Chan poured us both another glass. I pretended to concentrate on the drama and ignore the awful taste in my mouth. The thought of having to drink it again, was enough to make me sick. I felt trapped. I didn't want him to think less of me, so I picked up the glass and quickly drank it all at once again. The burning sensation in my throat, was difficult to get past, nearly stopping me from swallowing. I had had a glass of champagne before, but I had never been drunk or drank anything so hard and gross. I had managed another glass by the time the drama had finished, and I had seemed to have found a technique to help. I held my breath as I quickly swallowed the drink and it seemed to lessen my disgust.
"So, what happens now? Do they start dating?" I asked Chan. He turned to me, telling me the entire plot of the drama, and spoiling nearly a whole season. I hadn't noticed how long we had been talking, until the chef placed two plates of rolls with duck and some steamed vegetables on the living room table.
"Thanks, Mingyu, I'm starving." Chan dug right into the food as I sat back. The warm feeling in my stomach, made me feel full and food was the last thing on my mind. "Do you like my brother?" Chan said, looking over at me with his mouth full. I felt like the wind had been knocked out of me. The words I had so quickly rushed to spit out got stuck in my throat and all I could do was let out a small chuckle.
"He's my boss." I managed finally. Chan's wavy black hair fell over his eyes as he chuckled at my response.
"So what? He's still a person." His intense stare was making me nervous. My hands began to tremble, and I picked up the glass and downed the alcohol, giving myself time to make up a response. Talking about it was making my heartbeat louder and faster.
"I haven't thought about him like that." I replied as I cleared my burning throat. I was lying and I felt like he could see right through me. I hadn't had time to acknowledge whether I did or didn't have feelings for Jun, so I wasn't a 100% sure. The only thing I could think about was the butterflies in my stomach, every time Jun looked at me.
"I've never known him to be so kind to a stranger." Chan added on. "Don't get me wrong, he's very kind, but I have never seen him like this." Chan explained and I felt slightly warmer butterflies swarm around my stomach.
"Oh." I bit down on my lip, not knowing what to say. I didn't want to say anything that would suggest either Jun or me having feelings for each other. Chan seemed to have sensed my anxiety and poured us both another drink. The bottle was almost empty already and I was glad that I didn't have to suffer for much longer. Chan held his glass out to mine and I cheered him, downing the drink in sync. He finished his plate of food and leaned back on the couch. He picked up the remote and looked through several programs before coming among another episode of Bodyguard and putting it on. We both watched it intensely. I could feel the warm feeling traveling through my body as the heat in the room seemed to heighten.
"It's so warm." I said blowing some air into my shirt. "I'll go change." I said, quickly getting up off the couch. As I stepped forward, I felt my head spinning. I could tell that I had hardly any control over my balance and felt like falling.
"Wow, are you okay?" Chan chuckled as he got up, helping me balance myself. I felt his long arm wrap around my waist as he held me close. Suddenly butterflies began to rush through my body, making me move away from his touch.
"I'm okay. I'm fine." I laughed, swaying, but still making my way into my bedroom. I picked up some shorts and a long shirt Fei had given me and carried it into my bathroom. Looking into my mirror, I could tell that the alcohol had definitely impacted my vision and body. My thoughts felt scrambled and I felt dizzy, but I was happy. I changed and quickly departed back into the living room. As I walked over, I noticed somebody looking through the kitchen cupboards. I could tell by the dark blue trousers that it was Chan.
"What are you doing?" I asked him as he peeked his head from around the cupboard door.
"Looking for alcohol." He laughed, shutting the door. It seemed alcohol had convinced me to search with him and within minutes, we had found the jackpot. A whole cupboard full of alcohol. Chan picked up a bottle and opened it up, smelling it. "This will do." He smiled, shutting the door, and carrying it to the living room. We returned to our drama as Chan continued to pour the alcohol. The sky had turned completely black and Chan flicked on the lights. We finished our drama but had somehow ended up in the depths of Chan's embarrassing memories. I hadn't laughed so much in years and I was having a perfectly good time. With more time my speech began to slur, and I was definitely drunk.
"Are you dating anyone?" I asked as we descended into the depths of my previous relationships and his.
"Other than you, no." We both laughed. "I'm sorry about that. I don't know what I was doing." Chan placed his warm palm on my hand as he leaned in. I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and he was definitely drunk. "I shouldn't have asked you to go on a date." He added on. "No, no. That came out wrong." He quickly back tracked, leaning in even further. "I mean you are a beautiful and intelligent woman; I just shouldn't have asked you on a date to mess with Jun." He explained and I nodded along, agreeing.
"It's okay." I smiled, forgiving him.
"No. It's not. You are so beautiful and so nice. You didn't deserve that. You… you deserve so much more…" I could feel the air around us thicken as he had leaned close enough for our noses to touch. His eyes travelled to mine and the room seemed to stand still. His eyes quickly glanced down to my lips and I could feel him leaning in even closer. I wasn't sure how I felt. I didn't know how I was supposed to feel. I felt frozen. I didn't know if to move or stay.