off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ seven

For tourists, the streets of Seoul were a sight to admire at a leisurely pace, stopping at every shop and park to take in the sceneries. Audrey, though, had roamed these streets day after day during her morning jogs, ever since she’d arrived here. She'd looked at everything there was to look at, so by now, she didn't pay attention to her surroundings. She instead focused on the rhythm of her heartbeat, the regularity of her breathing, and the strain of her muscles. Physical activities were the best way to relieve stress before a long day, and she loved the feeling it gave her of being in her own world, though she was surrounded by dozens of people.

But maybe she should have paid a little more attention to her surroundings this time. A man walked out of a shop at the same time she was running past it, and they inevitably bumped into each other. If she'd been walking, they would have simply stumbled back a few steps, but she'd been running so fast, the impact sent her back to fall right on her behind. And along with that, came the sound of something fragile breaking. All around her, were fragments of a pot, and spilled dirt.

She raised her head hesitantly, afraid she would get scolded, but she came nose to nose with a very familiar face. Taerae was right in front of her, also on the ground, his glasses sitting crooked on his nose.

"Oh god, Taerae, I'm so sorry," she huffed out, heat rushing to her cheeks. Did she really have to embarrass herself in front of him?

Taerae stood, rubbing the dirt off his pants. "Are you okay?" he said, before giving her his hand to help her up.

He pulled her up to her feet, and she also cleaned her tracksuit. "I'm okay, don't worry. How about you? I'm really sorry, I should have looked where I was going."

"I'm fine, but the plant..."

Audrey followed his eyes to the broken pot laying on the sidewalk. The white flowers had been torn from their stems, their petals scattered all over the ground. She'd really done it this time...With how much Taerae loved flowers, did he consider this murder? She was such a walking catastrophe.

"Oh no, I...I'll buy one again for you!" she exclaimed, feeling stress rise to her throat.

Taerae sighed, an embarrassed smile on his face. "Actually, that won’t be possible. My father had this Sampaguita exported from the Philippines for the new decoration of the Zhang mansion's living room. We'd have to order another one, and it'd take weeks to come."

So it was even worse than she'd initially thought. "I can't believe I did this...I'm so, so sorry."

"Hey, don't worry, it's fine," he whispered, gently placing his hand on her arm. "Will you help me clean this up?"

She nodded. Of course she would at least help with that, that was the least she could do. Taerae went back into the flower shop to borrow a broom, and the both of them worked together to gather all the broken pot pieces and dirt, putting the symbol of Audrey's mistakes in the trash. To think she'd ruined such a beautiful flower...She really had to make it up to him. Once they were done cleaning, Audrey turned to Taerae, a determined look on her face.

"Taerae, is there anything I can do for you? Please, I really want to make it better."

He seemed to think for a few seconds, as he looked down at his feet, pinching his lips together. Then he looked back at her with a hesitant smile. "How about getting coffee with me?"

Audrey couldn’t control her reaction. Her jaw dropped as she heard his words, and she felt warmth course through her cheeks. Was he...Was he asking her out? No, he couldn’t be. Right?

"Ah, um, are...Are you..."

Taerae seemed to get the way she'd understood it, just from her reaction. He chuckled nervously, before shaking his hands in front of himself. "Ah, no, I didn’t mean it that way! It's just that, since the Sampaguita is out of the picture, I need to find a replacement for it. And um, I thought I could use your opinion."