Baek Ha Rim

i looked around the paintings hung inside the restaurant as ceo yoo had excused himself for a while to take a call. we had just finished our dinner so the employees were in the kitchen, cleaning up or taking a break before they closed the restaurant for tonight.

i was all alone, enjoying serenity and taking my time to appreciate art.

"i'm back." i heard ceo yoo's voice as he entered the restaurant and walked towards my direction.

i turned to look at him standing right beside me, giving him a welcoming smile.

"did you enjoy our dinner?" he asked.

"i had fun, kihyun-ssi. it was nice getting to know you and just sharing a hearty meal together." i affirmed him.

"how about breakfast and lunch in the dining area?"

"the food was amazing. i ate very well." i answered again.

"of course. i saw you finishing your breakfast very well. it made me happy to see." he flashed a smile of satisfaction.

"are you blatantly admitting that you've been watching me eat, kihyun-ssi?"

"well, this morning, i also saw you being escorted by a man to the dining area. who was he? do you perhaps have a boyfriend, ha rim-ssi?" he started to ask me again.

now he was interested in changkyun.

"ah, no.. that was just my childhood friend. he apparently wanted to experience a stay in this hotel too, so he accompanied me here. i'm not taken at all, kihyun-ssi." i explained calmly.

i observed the way kihyun's face changed and i noticed a sense of relief. he seemed uplifted the moment i was able to clear out the relationship i had with changkyun.

"have you been watching me a lot, kihyun-ssi?" i tried to get him to admit again.

"and you? it all started from your eyes looking at me, ha rim-ssi. i was interested the moment i saw how you gazed at me during the party from a distance. what were you thinking of during that time?"

i started to recall the night of the anniversary celebration which made my lips curve up into a smirk.

"i didn't mean to gaze at you. but i guess.. i was just amazed at the sight of two cousins who were successful ceos standing beside each other. you particularly looked dashing in your white tuxedo and you just happened to catch me looking at you in the perfect moment."

"you looked elegant in your black dress that night, too. if i wasn't attracted the moment i laid my eyes on you, i wouldn't have approached. although it was a pity that you weren't in your best condition that night, carrying you in my arms and watching you sleep made my heart flutter."

ceo yoo and i looked into each other's eyes and exchanged a smile. i was secretly amused of how easy he was. i didn't know if he was a hopeless romantic inside, but what i knew for sure was that love that burned too fast doesn't usually last.

that's exactly why he's seen as a casanova. he catches and loses interest too quickly, so i needed to make the most of my time while i'm still valuable to him.

"anyway, were you looking at this painting?" he asked, referring to the painting right in front of us.

"yes, i find it beautiful. i guess i'm intrigued and fascinated by the paintings here. i do not know much about art, but i do enjoy appreciating them and trying to decipher what the artist was trying to convey, and what thoughts or emotions the artworks evoke in me."

"hmm, compared to these paintings, you're the most beautiful work of art tonight for me though."

"you always know the perfect words to say, kihyun-ssi."

"why does it sound like you're not convinced by my sincerity?"

"are you hitting on me?" i asked him straightforwardly.

"maybe i am.. and what's so wrong with that?" he lifted his brows slightly, starting to feel bold and confident around me.

"i just wonder how many girls you've already spoken those words to, kihyun-ssi. you're a smooth talker, and it's not that i mind, but i'd definitely not want to be someone you'd lose interest in too quickly." i confronted him.

he let out a laugh of amusement. i could feel him getting more and more intrigued.

"i feel like you're my match, ha rim-ssi."

"it's too early to determine that, don't you think?" i put my hands on his shoulders as i gave him that reminder.

ceo yoo started to be silent as i caught his eyes slowly drifting down to catch a glimpse of my lips. at that moment, i immediately tried to move away as naturally as i could by removing my hands from his shoulders, but he quickly held the back of my waist and pulled me closer to him. 

my eyes widened in surprise but we maintained the contact by looking at each other. his eyes were changing, and i felt like he wanted permission to go in for something. i could feel the growing tension between us and my mind was starting to get flooded with numerous thoughts. 

what if something was about to happen between the two of us tonight? would it be best for me to give in? but what if i didn't want to do so?

i forced my mind to quickly come up with a decision. i needed something that would lure yoo kihyun in, but i also needed to save myself from this situation. he was moving too fast with everything and it was surely catching me off guard. 

his face started getting closer; the gap between us was getting smaller. slowly tilting his head to the left, i felt his other hand gently cupping the side of my face.

indeed, the man was going in for a kiss. 

from looking into my eyes, he slowly looked down, aiming for my lips. i stood still, deciding to let it play for a moment. i could already feel his warm breath on my face, and somehow, it was intoxicating. i would be lying if i said it didn't make me want to give in, but i had to resist. i didn't want to be a girl disposable to him for just one night.

finally, i felt his lips lightly brush on mine. with that very small contact made before our lips were about to press, i immediately moved my head to the side which caused the moment to be abruptly cut short.

yoo kihyun was surprised. i could already imagine how much he thought of me as a cruel woman by not giving him what he wanted. i slowly turned to look into his eyes as i placed a finger on his lips.

"don't be so impatient, ceo yoo. you'll get it from me next time." i smirked, trying to keep my composure.

"first, please do win me over. i'm a woman after all." i spoke to him.

he was left speechless. i was able to see how he looked at me with much disappointment that we weren't able to go into something deeper, but then i needed to keep him on his toes. it was very essential so that i could keep seeing him.

"i have to say, you're the first one who has ever done that. are you sure, you won't regret it?" he asked, trying to keep a confident facade.

"do i look like i'm regretting something? i'd genuinely want you to earn me first. i don't just go kissing any man, kihyun-ssi. now, if you'll excuse me, i had a very lovely night. thank you." i lightly bowed to him goodbye and walked out of the restaurant, leaving him behind.

i quickly hid behind a wall the moment i was out from yoo kihyun's sight. taking a little peek, i watched him come out of the restaurant until he eventually exited the floor. seeing him gone, i released a deep sigh and walked out of the spot.

"that was close..." i placed a hand on my heart and lightly touched the part of my lips that brushed kihyun's.

apart from changkyun's sly move that one day in the past, i've never kissed anyone. if kihyun and i kissed, he would be my first real romantic kiss.

i took a light walk around the perimeters of the pool area, enjoying the cold air and the serene night view. it was very calming now that there weren't any people other than the hotel staff cleaning up. i did a quick time check using my phone and saw that it was already 10 in the evening.

kihyun and i really did spend a lot of time together. our dinner was complete with an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert. it was nice getting to talk to him but i noticed how he talked about himself a lot more than i got the chance to speak about myself.

well, there should be nothing upsetting about that anyway. i can't reveal too much information about myself.

i stopped walking the moment i reached the round jaccuzi at the corner. sitting down on its pool coping, i took the chance to dip my hand in to feel the warmth of the moving water. i smiled to myself, noticing how i was doing my best to resist the temptation of just jumping right into the pool waters.

"what are you doing?" i suddenly heard a man's voice ask.

i immediately flinched in surprise, quickly turning my head to look behind and see who the owner of that voice was.

beyond my expectations, it was no other than chae hyungwon who was standing right behind me. my eyes widened and my lips slightly parted as my heart started to race a little bit quicker as i caught sight of him.

"s-sir! good evening-"

"just stay seated. it's just the two of us here anyway." he kept me from standing up and greeting him properly.

taking off his bathrobe, he went into the jacuzzi exposing his bare upper body. i sat down in silence, confused if i was supposed to leave on my own or to wait until he'd let me go.

"the water's nice and warm." he exhaled deeply, starting to relax as he closed his eyes.

i looked at him and turned my body away, trying to stare at the moon in the night sky instead. it seemed to me as if he was going to take his time.

"i should probably go now, sir." i turned back to him again and spoke, realizing how awkward it was to stay seated in the jacuzzi while he was there.

he slowly opened his eyes to look at me. resting his arms on the pool's coping, he tilted his head a little bit to the side.

"you can stay and join me here." he offered.

"uhm, no thank you, sir. i don't have extra clothes with me." i refused.

"mhm.. i see. did you enjoy though?" he scanned me with his eyes and asked.

"the vacation was well spent, sir. as a new employee, it surely impressed me that you put much effort to bring the entire company here." i quickly answered.

he looked at me, seeming to be at a crossroads with choosing his next words. it seemed to me as if i had just failed to answer his question with the way he was looking at me quite off. i was pretty sure there was nothing wrong with the words i had just spoken, although it surely made think twice, wondering if i got him displeased.

"you keep giving me textbook answers... and i wasn't talking about that." he finally spoke after quite an awkward moment of silence.

"your dinner with yoo kihyun. did you enjoy it?" he looked at me with stern yet anticipating eyes.

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finally got to update! i've prepared this since last week but wasn't able to edit and upload because of my unstable internet from the rainy weather.

if you enjoyed this chapter please do vote or comment! shownu is enlisting soon :( i hope time passes by well and we'll get to enjoy monsta x as one complete group again very soon after their finish their upcoming military duties! 💖