tension // lee minho

chapter thirty-three

it's almost too perfect

choi soomin

"oh my god! where did you find this place?" i ask, eyes wide as seungmin holds the door for me. it was an adorable cafe, the walls painted a pale pink, the tables a pretty wooden brown. there were colorful paintings all over the walls, and the place smelled heavenly.

"i like going to a lot of places that aren't well-known. the atmosphere is usually the best." he replies with a laugh, shoving his hands in his pockets as he leads us to a table. "i usually sit here." he says, pulling out one of the chairs for me. i smile at him as i sit down in it. the table was right next to a window that showcased a beautiful garden, growing flowers among various fruits and vegetables.

"that's so pretty!" i gush, pointing at the way the flowers seemed to be growing in a rainbow pattern.

"we can go out there after we eat, if you want." he suggests.

"we can?" i ask happily.

"yeah! i go usually go out there each time to take pictures and stuff. it's just so pretty out there."

"i would love to do the same!"

"consider it done." he winks, causing a blush to rise to my cheeks.

"seungmin! it's been a minute, how are you?" an older man walks up to the table, placing his hand fondly on seungmin's shoulder.

"hey, mr. kim! i've been good, super busy with school, you know how it is. and this is soomin." he introduces me. the man glances at me with a smile.

"hi soomin, i'm mr. kim. it's nice to see someone accompanying seungmin here." he says.

"okay, don't make me seem like a loner." seungmin chuckles.

"you said it, not me." mr. kim teases, pulling a laugh from me. "what can i get for you guys?"

"oh, i haven't even looked-"

"can we get two servings of your jjambbong?" seungmin orders for me.

"oh— i'm not good with spicy things." i shake my head politely.

"oh don't worry, you'll be able to eat it the way i make it." mr. kim assured. seungmin nods in agreement.

"trust me, i'm not good with spicy food either." he encourages.

"okay, i'm trusting you." i jokingly squint at him.

"coming right up!" mr. kim excuses himself.

"you won't regret it, i promise." he smiles at me. his smile was so charming it was hard to not smile back at him.

"so do you like taking pictures?" i ask, referring what he said earlier about taking pictures of the garden.

"oh, yeah! it's a little hobby of mine, i'm not like a professional or anything. i just like capturing memorable moments."

"so poetic." i tease. "do you have any pictures to show me?"

"if you want to see them, i don't want to bore you." he says bashfully.

"please, you won't bore me! i'd love to see them." i assure him. he smiles before pulling his phone from his pocket.

"i'll show you the ones i took on campus today." he flips his phone around, revealing a picture of the sunrise over one of the campus's largest buildings. it was actually a pretty good picture.

"wow!" i swipe over to the next one, the picture being taken of a puddle on the sidewalk, but the focus was the reflection in the puddle, that almost perfectly showcased a large tree, i could almost make out a bird perching on the branch. "these are so good!" i compliment.

"this is my favorite one." he starts, briefly turning the phone back towards himself, swiping to said picture before turning it back around. it was taken outside of the library, i recognized the bench that was in front of it. there was a pile of leaves that were in the middle of being blown by one of the campus landscapers. the leaves somehow made a perfect arch over the bench that had a perfectly placed book on it, a leaf sitting between the pages.

"how did you get a picture like this?" i took the phone from his head, studying the picture in amusement.

"there's a lot of cool things to capture if you're looking in the right places." he shrugs, gently taking the phone back from me.

"maybe you should consider becoming a professional." i tell him honestly.

"i probably would if i didn't love singing as much as i do." he shrugs.

"you sing?" my jaw drops.

"i do. that's what i go to school for." he nods.

"you're much more creative than i am." i laugh.

"i'm sure you're creative in your own way." i couldn't help but admire the way he tilted his head slightly as he spoke.

"careful! the bowls are a little hot." mr. kim suddenly reappears. placing two bowls of soup in front of us. "i hope you'll like it." he bows politely to me.

"i'm sure it'll be lovely." i smile warmly, picking up my spoon, gathering some of the soup to taste. it didnt taste like traditional jjambbong, but it was somehow better. the spice was there, but not overwhelming. it was really good. "wow! this is fantastic." i cover my mouth as i speak.

"perfect! you two enjoy." he bows once more before leaving us alone.

"i told you." seungmin smirks, taking a bite of his own. "i might have to try to get his recipe from him one day. it's too good." he states, dramatically patting his belly. i giggle at him, nodding in agreement.

"you'll have to share that recipe with me."

"or i could just make it for you." he flirts slightly. i bite my lip, unable to stop the blush that once again crept onto my cheeks.

"that too..." i smile, looking away from his gaze.

-

"i'm so stuffed, i think ill have to skip dinner tonight." i sigh as we walk down the sidewalk together.

"i'm right there with you." seungmin agrees.

"thanks for that, by the way. i could have paid for myself."

"i know. but i asked you, it's only fair i pay too." he shoves his hands in his pockets.

"well maybe next time i'll pay." did i just infer that there would be a next time?

"hm. we'll see about that." he laughs. "speaking of, are you free tomorrow?" he asks. i was definitely loving his initiative, trying to spend as much time with me as possible.

"i'm helping my friend chan study tomorrow. he tends to fall behind, and we have a test coming up." i shake my head. "i should be free by the weekend though."

"okay, ill text you on friday, then."

"sounds good to me." i smile.