JUMIN HAD NEVER had so much fun in his life before ; never did the corporate heir think a simple movie and café ( date , he wished to add , but wasn't quite sure if he was qualified to yet ) could be so entertaining . ophelia was a good listener and asked a lot of questions , she asked for his opinion on her favourite parts of the movie and was so interested in hearing what he had to say , without actually having any selfish gains from doing so . it made him oddly happy ( and extremely chatty , something he felt a little embarrassed about later . )
jumin could easily say he had the time of his life and did not regret taking a day off even a little . he was welcomed by silence when he entered the penthouse , broken by soft purring of elizabeth the third who came to rub against his leg as if saying hello . jumin kneels down to pet elizabeth , but even her soft meowing couldn't dull the overwhelming emptiness of the penthouse .
he felt guilty when he checked the numerous emails and documents attached with them regarding the work he had so promptly ignored today , flooding his phone among the notifications from the friends groupchat which were mainly assistant kang being perplexed over his behaviour . then there was zen who was criticizing such behaviour , stating how spoiled he was to leave his work on others and skip the day . nothing out of the blue considering jake's dislike for him , but it was assistant kang's reaction that made him think .
he wasn't acting so odd .. was he ? a day's leave wasn't something that was so uncharacteristic of him ?? or was he perceived so boring and dull ?? was that how ophelia thought of him too ? – for some reason , the thought bothered him .
while he was thinking so , he received a text from the woman in question , emojis and all : hihi ! I just got home , and I don't know why I felt like I should tell you this . after all , you were so insistent on dropping me off :P
and just like that , all the doubt ( and the concern for the work he'd missed out on ) went out of the window as jumin's hand automatically reached out to call the girl—a bad move , his head reprimanded at the sound of her dial tone—but it was too late to back off now .
" . . . hi , " his voice was oddly small to his own ears . there was a melodious laughter on the other side of the phone , and unbeknownst to him , jumin found himself smiling .
" hello jumin , " she replied , the sound of his name in her voice making his stomach do a very unfamiliar , very uncomfortable ( in a peculiarly pleasant way ) ballerina flip .
" hi ophelia , " he found himself repeating with a sigh , clearing his throat immediately at the lame response . " ahem , I called because – I wanted to hear your voice , " he admitted honestly .
ophelia stayed silent for a moment , making jumin panic – he didn't say anything weird , did he ? – but her pause didn't last long , much to his relief .
" my oh my , you're quite the romantic aren't you ? " there was a smile painstakingly obvious in the tone of her voice . languid strides moved across the room , and he fell carelessly on the bed .
" I just like the sound ; you have a nice , expressive voice . its like your voice smiles , you can decipher the expression you must have while speaking by the tone , " he continued , staring at the ceiling .
" I like hearing it . " he decided aloud , the grin on his face growing a tad at the sound of her giggle form the other side .
" my gosh ! you're extremely eloquent with the flattery , you know that ? " she sounded shy , a fact that eased the constant humming of nerves in his head a little . at least he wasn't the only one .
" I'm not flattering you , " he stated , sincerely as he could ( although he just sounded monotonous . ) " what I'm saying are all truthful observations . I don't believe in flattery . it's a waste of time and not to mention , stupid . "
" you're an interesting person to converse with , jumin . " she replied , " I like how honest and unveiled you are about your thoughts , it's fun . "
wait , what ? fun ?? " you mean you don't find me dull ? " he asked , faintly startled .
" not one bit . " her reply simply added to his surprise .
" most people do . not that I care , their opinion of me doesn't really matter since they aren't exactly able to affect me , but you get my point . they all think I'm emotional and robotic , and that I have no other personality traits than being 'born with a silver spoon' and liking cats . I do like cats , that much is true , but it isn't the only thing I like , you see ? "
she was quiet the whole time , making jumin realise that the conversation seemed more one sided than how he planned . immediately , he stopped , " ah — my apologies , I didn't let you speak . "
opehlia didn't seem to mind , though , because when she replied her voice was very genuine . " it's alright , I like listening to you . "
for some odd reason , he felt a flutter at the words . it was such a simple thing to say , and yet , here he was .
" and I don't think so , I think you're quite fun to be around ; you're observant with a keen eye for detail , and you may have been born with a silver spoon but you're very hard working , that much I can tell . or you wouldn't have been able to manage your position well . "
at her response , jumin sat up immediately , " right ? I do admit I am privileged , but I've made the efforts to make sure I am worthy of it . there has to be a reason why the department I manage shows better progress results than others . "
" yes , exactly . privilege isn't wrong as long as you don't abuse it , " she said , causing this foreign warm sensation to bubble up in his chest .
" you're very understanding , ophelia . " he sighed , staring at his reflection in the fish tank in front of him , which looked extremely flustered – thank heavens she cannot see him like this – much to his embarrassment .
" what can I say ? I'm a smart woman . " her cheeky quip made him laugh , but the words that followed .. " anyway , I have to sort the work I've got pending for tomorrow . you should go get rest too . "
he certainly did not want her to hang up , but seeing he had no choice , he replied half - heartedly , " good night , ophelia . "
" sweet dreams , jumin . " she giggled once again , before hanging up . jumin fell back again on the bed , holding the phone up in front of his face . silence filled the room once again , the ticking of the clock , faint purring of elizabeth sleeping beside him becoming far too clear .
and yet , the apartment that had felt so overwhelming a while ago , didn't seem as empty anymore . jumin skimmed through the mails for half an hour , finishing off quickly to prepare for bed .
he did have sweet dreams , as she'd wished him . in his dreams he heard a faint giggle echoing from far away , and gentle , warm lighting .
there was a soft smile in his vision , and an even softer voice whispering his name .