Let Me Love You

Say What?

"We should date."

The straw fell from Park Rowoon's mouth as she blinked stupidly a couple of times. Sitting back she stared at the man across from her as she played with her bottom lip.

After a few moments, she looked over at the man scribbling in a beat up journal. He was paying them no mind, almost as if he knew this was coming. And knowing her two friends, they had discussed it at length.

"Jiho?" she tried. It sounded more like an accusation than a question.

He never lifted his head as he answered. "I'm not in this. As long as it doesn't affect the company, I don't care what you do."

"You're no help."

Jiho looked at her finally. "Hyuk is strange. We all know that. His habits are different from all of ours, but you understand them. You can adapt to him better than most, even our staff. Not to mention the last date he went on ended in disaster."

"You're the only one he allows in his studio without invitation," Dongwook added.

Rowoon looked between her three friends. Dean, Zico, and Penomeco - or Hyuk, Jiho, and Dongwook as she called them - sat with her, waiting on her answer. She worked with three of the most popular artists in rap and R&B. She had been childhood friends with Dongwook, even going to Japan to study together where they'd met Jiho. They had even briefly dated in college, something that hadn't lasted but made their relationship all the stronger. Now they were friends and coworkers, meeting frequently in KOZ Entertainment.

The three of them had hired her as event coordinator when Dongwook had dragged Hyuk and Jiho to an event she had put on at the university where she worked. Somehow, she had gotten EXO to appear, and the turnout had been massive. Three days later, Jiho had called her with the position. Since the, she'd helped them with all of their scheduling and performances.

Since being with the company, she had been super busy. Jiho had dropped new music, Dongwook had tried to work out things with his writing, and Hyuk had drifted in and out of his studio. If she needed to discuss things with him, email was the easiest option since she never knew where he was going to be.

"You know he's right," Jiho added. Rowoon leaned on her fist and looked at him. "Usually he's stingy and doesn't let people into his space. Except you. We have no idea why, except maybe he likes you."

"Why are their studios in you company anyway?" she asked. "Hyuk is under Joombas and Dongwook is under Million Market."

"He likes having us around recently," Dongwook laughed. "That's why your contract had a clause in it for all three companies."

Rowoon rolled her eyes. "Why?"

Hyuk crossed his arms over his chest. "Why not? We've known each other for years and you can handle Dongwook's shyness. You can handle my weirdness."

She scowled. "That's not an answer." Her phone rang and she slid from the booth. "Excuse me."

The guys waited until she was out of earshot before they leaned across the table to talk. Hyuk rubbed his head vigorously as he sighed.

"You could have asked it differently," Jiho muttered. He looked across the table. "How'd you ask her?"

Dongwook shook his head. "She asked me. I was too shy."

Hyuk grunted, and the middle man shifted his gaze. "It's not like I'm holding you back. Just ask her. She won't bit too hard."

He shook his head as the blond laughed. "You're not helping."

"She's very simple," Dongwook continued. "Coffee, chocolate, and pizza; three things she has in common with you."

"She will get mad at you for smoking," Jiho added. "She gets on to him all the time." Dongwook nodded while scrunching up his nose.

"Jiho." He looked up at Rowoon as she returned to their table. "That was the venue. They've double booked you and Stray Kids. The next opening is a week later. What do you want me to do?"

"Did you call my manager?" he asked. The face she made said she had. "What did he say?"

"To ask you." She was very sassy as she said the three simple words, but the guys chuckled. It was a known fact that the manager and Rowoon sometimes didn't see eye to eye, especially when it came to scheduling.

"Who else is trying for that date?" She rambled off a fewe rookie groups plus Shinhwa and Sechskies. "What about the week after?"

"You're in Japan then Singapore. That night was the only night you had in your schedule to fit it in."

Her phone rang again. She once again stepped away from the table. The men watched silently as she scribbled something down. Once she even knocked her head against the wall a few times. Jiho laughed at the cute manuever that she used when she was at her wit's end.

When she returned, she slid into the booth dejectedly. "JYP triple paid for the slot."

"It's all right. We'll reschedule," Jiho laughed.

"I just don't like failing."

Dongwook rubbed her arm soothingly "We know you don't, but we all do sometimes."

Hyuk looked at the arm that was slung over her shoulder and the hand that rubbed it soothingly. Even though he knew he shouldn't be, irritation and jealousy ripped through him. They were close friends and ex-lovers; he knew nothing was going on between them, that they were comfortable with each other. Nothing about their relationship should make him feel out of sorts.

But here he was, jealous as hell of a friend who was only doing something natural and second nature to him. So was Hyuk a bad friend for being jealous?