It was a five-minute walk from the abandoned amusement park to Seungwoo's car. I hurriedly opened the passenger's seat door when Seungwoo unlocked his vehicle using his car keys. He did the same to the driver's seat door handle and closed it simultaneously. I stared at him, his hair partially wet, and so is his outfit. He took his black suit off, loosened his tie, and unbuttoned his shirt. When he finished unbuttoning two buttons, he looked at me as if I was bothering him with my stares. I was probably gawking over his broad shoulders.
"Why are you staring at me like that?" He asked as he threw his suit at me. Combined with Seungwoo's smell and trademark perfume, I inhaled it quickly as if I am a pervert. "Dry yourself using that,"
"Wait! What?!" I pulled his shirt away from my face and furrowed my brows, "This suit is probably expensive. Why would I use it as a towel?"
"So, are you going to let yourself die from hypothermia?"
"That's exaggerating," I mused, "You're exaggerating, Mister Kim."
"Whatever. Just do as I say, Li Suji."
"Okay," I pouted as I followed what he instructed. "But weren't you fully recovered from your cold yesterday?"
All I could hear was the sound of the heavy rain outside. Seungwoo coughed, and that was when I realized that he was still sick, or at least, he was not feeling well all along. The warmth coming from his hands felt great, but I didn't know that he was still doing his best for the project exhibit. As the realization came late, I tried to reach out to him and put my palm on his forehead. He was burning hot. I can feel the heat when I went in contact with him.
And yet, he was still worried about me.
"You're burning hot, Seungwoo." I told him, "We should exchange places, and I should drive."
He stared at me as if I was speaking to him in an alien language.
"Let me drive," I insisted. "Do you want to see my driving license?"
Annoyed by his silence, I grabbed my purse and tried to find my wallet. I got my driver's license ID and showed it to him. "See?"
He took my driver's license ID and looked at it as if he was trying to prove its unauthenticity. Cracking a smile, he said to me. "You look ugly,"
"Why do you always tell me I am ugly? Excuse me, Mr. Kim! I am certainly---"
"I was just kidding, and you are pretty." He gave a small laugh. and he showed his cute dimples that made me swoon all over. "You look like you were not wearing your usual makeup here, though."
"It's what you call no-makeup makeup." I shot back, even though I felt happy from his unexpected jab or a compliment. "Guys, don't know about these things."
He just gave a small laugh and closed his eyes. "Let's rest for a bit, and when the rain stops, I'll let you drive."
I just gave him a tsk and leaned on the car seat to take a rest. I closed my eyes and exhaled breathily. Do I have a chance to make him fall for me? I think he's the one who's making me fall for him instead. His caring gestures towards me make me feel like I am special. Should I be more proactive in this instead?
+++
The rain stopped, and we finally exchanged seats and role. This time, I am the driver, and Seungwoo was sitting on the passenger seat. He seemed to be doing okay and a little bit energetic, but he was still probably tired and fatigued the whole day.
We decided to stop over at the convenience store while we were on the way to our neighborhood. Seungwoo told me to take a seat outside and wait for him to buy some food. I thought it was a good idea since there might be people going to eat.
I took a seat at the same table that we ate ramen together. I laughed at the thought. I realized that this is our second meal together here. After a few minutes, Seungwoo came out to the convenience store, brought a big plastic bag, and was slowly getting food out of the plastic bag. He bought three bento boxes, a pack of kimchi, pickled radish, two banana milk, and a soju bottle.
I observed him as he was taking a seat on the opposite side of me, "How much was it?"
"Why?"
"I'd like to pay you half of it,"
"It's okay. It's on me." He said as I was staring at him, puppy-eyed. "Don't give me that look, okay? It's is just a small thank-you for visiting me yesterday with your homemade food."
That made me smile. "I'm a great cook, aren't I? Don't you agree with it? My kimbap is a killer,"
"Yes, yes," He replied as he opened a bento box and gave it to me. Then, he grabbed the other bento box and opened one for himself. He separated two chopsticks, gave it to me, then split another pair of chopsticks, and proceeded to use it for himself.
My eyes darted on the bottle of soju. "Are we planning to have a drink tonight?"
"Well, that depends on you." He replied as he looked at the bottle of soju too, "I want to have a drink tonight."
"Then why do you have two packets of banana milk?" I asked curiously, "Do you plan to mix banana milk and soju? Just the thought of it makes me feel weird."
"One's mine, I would store it in my fridge. And you like banana milk."
"How do you know?" I asked as I chewed on rice and kimchi. "How did you know that I like banana milk?"
"You always have them on your desk at work,"
He's surprisingly attentive. Why does he always make me touch by remembering such details? He's such a caring and gentlemanly guy too. Whenever we eat together, he would always prepare mine first. The multi-billion-dollar question is if he acts the same to other women? I stared at him while he was eating. Is he acting like this because he's interested in me? Is he aware of his actions towards me?
Just like what destiny did to me in my past life, is he just going to make me fall in love with him and only make me miserable? I suddenly became silent. These thoughts make me anxious about my future, yet even though I am starting to fall in love with him, I am still unsure about him being the reincarnated prince.
I realized that I should be determined about this and that I have to change my fate this time.
"It would be lonely for you to drink alone," I said as I stood up and went inside the convenience store to get two empty plastic cups. After that, I went back to my seat to declare war, "Let's drink this bottle of soju, though I'm a bit worried about you feeling sick."
"It's okay. I tend to drink when I am sick." He gave me an approving look, "Just this one bottle, okay?"