Loveboat in 서울

𝟚𝟡

I have to hold back from flinging myself at him. "I wasn't sure you were coming back."

"I just got in." His eyes travel over my team. "What are you doing?"

My face aches from smiling. My heart thumps with a million questions. "A dance. For the talent show."

"Suzy choreographed it," Krystal says.

"No kidding?"

"It was your idea," I say.

"I'm going to drop off my stuff." He hitches his backpack higher. Runs a hand through his hair, uncharacteristically nervous. "Will you—come by when you're done?"

The girls exchange glances and I pick up a fan off the ground, wanting to hide my face before I give way how nervous he's made me.

I fight to keep my voice casual. "We're still rehearsing. I'll be by in fifteen minutes."

ʕु-̫͡-ʔुྉ*ᴸᵒᵛᵉᵇᵒᵃᵗ✲ﾟⁱⁿ*。⋆ 서울。⋆ *

Seven minutes later, I knock on Joohyuk's door. The door opens with a waft of steam. Joohyuk in blue paid boxers peers out, a white towel over his bare shoulder, hair damp and slick from his shower. My eyes slide down his tanned chest to his muscled midriff—oh my—and shoot back to his brown eyes.

"Sorry," I blurt, flustered. "I couldn't focus. Came earlier."

He's as embarrassed as I am. "No problem. Let me change."

I catch his freshly showered scent as his door closes behind me. I turn my back and face the wood of his door, braid my fingers together. He's back. Of course he's back. He said he'd be. He said he'd talk to me then.

"Why did you go to Busan?" I blurt at his wall. "Why were you gone so long? Was something wrong?"

"Yes and no. All set." His striped T-shirt eases my ability to look at him.

"Was Rosie with you?"

He blinks, surprised. "You heard about that?"

"Kang told me."

Joohyuk frowns. "He must have heard me on the phone with her. Here." He slips a stack of photos into my hand, modestly facedown. "I cleared out the guys' lounge but then everything happened and I didn't get the chance to get these to you. I'm sorry. I should have called to let you know."

"Oh—" My face flames. The edges cut into my palm as I thumb through them—four—then shove them out of sight into my pocket. I'm not sure which is worse—that he's seen all of me, shoulders to toes, or that he's seen all of me and is as indifferent as if I were the Statue of Liberty. My eyes fasten to his knees. "I never meant for them to get out."

"I figured. You okay? Dohyun told you, right?"

"Oh, Dohyun." A laugh bursts from my lips. "He told me just enough to make me paranoid." I clamp my mouth shut—I hadn't meant to admit that. I still can't look at him.