"I'm sure he didn't mean it like that," Seokmin tries to assure you as he walks down the stairs from your loft. "And I am certain he did," you retort, waiting for him. "Remember how I disappeared for a week when we had that argument?" He reminds you, and you frown. "That's different."

"I don't think it is," he shakes his head. "You can't just stop talking to him because he forgot he planned a trip with his friends." — "It's not about the trip," you argue. "We kissed the night before," you admit, making Seokmin's eyes widen. "You what?!" He yells, following you to the door. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I wanted to let it sit for a bit, figure out if it's what I want," you answer, sighing as you put on your shoes. "I thought I did, but now I'm hesitating again." Seokmin leans against the wall as he puts his boots on, trying to find the right words. "Do you like being with him?" — "Yeah," you nod, sighing when you meet your best friend's eyes. "And do you want to be with him?" That question is when you hesitate. "I don't know," you admit. "I like him and spending time with him, but I'm not sure if what I felt when we kissed was right."

You thought kissing him was right, that you were meant to be, but the more you think about the night, the more unsure you feel. In the heat of the moment, you didn't notice it, but you doubt you felt anything at all. You missed the touch of another human being, and you loved the kiss, but you couldn't say it would make any difference if it was someone else that night.

"There's something good that comes from this trip of his, though," you say as you walk out of your apartment, Seokmin following you immediately. "I have two weeks now to figure out what I feel. We'll see if I miss him." You want to miss him. You want to feel something for him, but a part of you knows you won't. He had lost you the moment he thought a simple text was all he needed.

"Can we stop talking about him now? I just want to get breakfast with my best friend and then get to work. Maybe I'll feel better when Chan yells at me," You laugh, but Seokmin doesn't find it funny at all. "Let's get something good," he smiles anyway, hoping to make you feel better. "It's on me today."

You and your best friend end up in the same café you've been going to for the past month. When the barista asks you if you want your usual, it makes you wonder if you've been spending too much on coffee lately. "Can we also get two of those sandwiches, please?" The lady opposite you nods, clicking on a few things on the digital cash register before her before she moves to grab those for you.

"The handsome guy isn't with you today?" She wonders as she hands you the two sandwiches along with the two cups of coffee you ordered. Before you can answer her, Seokmin is nudging you out of the way so he can talk instead. "I don't think he is all that. Honestly, I'm way prettier." The barista chuckles, nodding. "Of course you are," she encourages him before telling him the total so he could pay. "Oh god," you shake your head at him, laughing as you leave the counter and try to find a table.

"I hope she didn't think I'm your new date," Seokmin frowns, sitting at the table in the furthest corner of the café. "Oh, that would be terrible," you nod, but it's obvious you're making fun of him. He rolls his eyes at you, taking his coffee and sandwich from you. "Yeah, it would! You would block my chance of getting any girl, ever."

"You're being dramatic," you scoff. "And don't tell me you couldn't get any girl you want." — "You'd be surprised," he mumbles, and all of a sudden, you feel bad for him. "Are we starting an operation 'get Seokmin a date'?" You suggest, making him laugh as he shakes his head. "Don't worry about me. I'll shoot my shot once I find someone I like," he assures you. "You should worry about yourself now. You were so close to finally getting laid, and now–" You glare at him before he can finish his sentence, making him close his mouth. The teasing look he gives you makes it impossible for you to keep a straight face though, so you end up laughing again.

"I love you, Min," you smile. "Sorry—I don't feel the same way," he apologizes, with the fakest sad face possible to prove his point, and you know you will never find a better best friend than him. "I love you too, kiddo," he teases you again, making it sound as if he was years older than you. You shake your head, sipping on your coffee.

When you get into your office, and Chan isn't already waiting for you, you feel something is off. For a minute, you wonder if Seokmin didn't call your assistant and say something to him, but he proves you wrong when your phone rings, flashing you with your assistant's ID.

"Yeah?" You ask when you pick up the phone. "Good morning," he greets you first, glancing at the male in front of him. "I know you have a lot on your plate right now, but do you think you could take on another project?" Another one? At this point, you might go crazy. You already feel behind on everything. You shouldn't take on anything else. "What kind of project?" You ask anyway, relaxing in your chair as you open your laptop to see all the deadlines you have for now. Chan covers the phone's microphone for a second, but you can still hear muffled voices as he repeats your question to the new (possible) client.

"Apparently, he wants you to design the interior for his parents' living room and kitchen. As a present," Chan answers, already knowing you won't refuse that. "Alright," you sigh. "Send him up, and I'll see what I can do."

"You're kidding me," you mumble when you see no one else but Kim Mingyu himself walk through your office door, your assistant right behind him. "Good morning to you, too," he grins. "I can sit down here, right?" He points at the chair opposite you, not waiting for your reply as he pulls it away from the table to take a seat. Chan's eyes flicker between the two of you, trying his hardest to figure out what's going on. "You two...know each other?" He guesses, raising his eyebrows in confusion when you send him a glare. He quickly raises his hands into the air, unsure of what the tension in the room is supposed to mean. He wasn't one of your exes or something, was he?

"You could say we do," Mingyu nods, glancing at your assistant and sending him a smile. "I'm just gonna...yeah," Chan runs away before he can get himself into any trouble, leaving you alone. You sigh, taking a deep breath before you smile at the black-haired male opposite you. "I heard you want me to design two rooms for your parents?"

"Well, of course!" He chuckles. "Could I get a paper?" You frown in confusion, reaching for a blank paper on your table and passing it to him. "And a pen," he adds when you hand him a paper alone. "Thought that was obvious." — You roll your eyes at him, grabbing your pen and giving it to him. "Look, if you are just here to make me waste my time, you can leave now," you sigh, watching him doodle something on the paper. "I'm not here to waste your time. I really want you to do this," he proclaims, sparing you a mare glance before he stares down at the paper again, continuing his drawing.

You sit in silence for a few minutes, shaking your head at how unbelievable he is while he continues drawing something without saying anything. You consider working on one of your projects while he sits there, but push the thought aside when your eyes land on him again. You just can't comprehend what he's doing. Why would he come into your office, saying he has work for you, and then just sit there and do nothing?

"Okay, I'm done," Mingyu proclaims, making you look up. "What?" You ask confusedly, blinking a few times to comprehend what he is trying to show you. "The house plans," he explains, placing the piece of paper in front of you. "I don't have the original house plans on me since this is supposed to be a surprise. So, I drew it."

You think your mind might have frozen for a second. Your eyes widen when you glance down and see what he drew. It looked just like any other house plan. And the fact he just whipped that out as if it was nothing? "Are you an architect? No one is this good without a ruler or anything but paper and pen," you really try to understand how he did it, but it's impossible. You are certain none of the architects you know could do this. "I'm not," he shrugs. "Just an ordinary cook, m'lady," he smirks, excited that he could impress you.

"You are not an ordinary cook, I can tell you that." Mingyu laughs, shaking his head at you. "I did have an interest in engineering before, though." — "Ah," you breathe out, nodding. "That's why you're insane," you proclaim, excusing his behavior as if it explained everything. "I'm not insane," he frowns. You glance at him again, raising your eyebrows to show him you disagree with his statement. "Do you want me to be insane, though? I could." You sigh when he ruins the moment, just like he always does when he talks to you. "Shut up, and rather tell me what you want me to do." Mingyu chuckles, his head falling down as he shakes his head. "You're no fun, sweetheart."

You don't say anything to that, refusing to play this game with him. You know what he wants to hear, but you won't give it to him. "Alright, alright," he starts, trying to get serious again, but the smile on his face makes you doubt if he can. "I'm thinking of something cozy. Right now, I feel like my mom is going to bump into something every time she turns around in the kitchen, so something more open would be great," he gets into a zone as he starts explaining to you how his parents' house looks, pulling out his phone to show you some pictures. You're not sure if he didn't want to just flex though when you see the pictures of him in nothing but grey sweatpants and an apron.

He tells you everything about what he has in mind, giving you a perfect idea of how the finished project should look by the time he finishes. "Okay, I can do that," you nod, officially accepting his deal. "With this much information, it shouldn't take long." — "Take your time," he shakes his head. "How much do you charge for consultation and the project itself?"

"It varies. I can't tell you the exact price yet," you answer, writing down a few notes under Mingyu's drawing of the house, making sure you remember everything the two of you talked about. "Alright, in that case, once you know the final price, just double it and send me the check, okay?" You frown, looking up at him. "What are you talking about?"

"I guess you could say I'm giving you a hundred percent tip," he shrugs as if it wasn't a big deal. "But if you want a different tip, don't hesitate to ask," he smirks. You decide to ignore his comment. "I don't need your money," you remind him, but that doesn't seem to budge with him even a bit. "You do," he argues. "I'm giving you an advantage."

"A what?" You raise your eyebrow confusedly. What was up with Kim Mingyu and his skill of confusing you? "So that the next time we go against each other in an auction, you have enough money to play a little longer," he smirks, making you scoff. "Thanks, but no thanks," you retort, annoyed. He shakes his head at you with a smile, standing up. You feel small all of a sudden when he does. It's not only his height but also the way he stares at you—he makes you feel small.

You stand up too but it doesn't help much. Screw you, Kim Mingyu, and your tall ass. "Before I leave, can I get your number?" He asks, chuckling when he notices the look you give him. Honestly, you are cute when you try to stare him down as if he wasn't towering over you. "I need a way to contact you about the project, you know," he explains the reasoning behind his question, and you can't say anything to that. "Don't you have it already? I wouldn't be surprised since you tracked down my office so well."

"I was just lucky," he shrugs. "It's not my fault my friend keeps going on and on about how great you did when designing his house." A friend of his? "Minghao really likes what you did for his studio," he praises you, and you finally connect the dots. Mr. Xu. "I–I see," you stutter, feeling embarrassed immediately. Why on Earth would you stutter in front of him of all people? "You can tell him that I also enjoyed working with him." Mingyu nods. "I will. Hopefully, you'll say the same about me when we're done," he teases you with a playful wink. "I don't think I will," you grin, making him laugh.

"Alright, my number is on the card," you proclaim, handing him your business card. "But don't use it for your personal enjoyment," you warn him, but it's as if you didn't say anything when you wake up to five new messages the following morning from no one else but your new client Mingyu.

"He's kidding me," you whine, rolling to the other side of your bed. You stare at your phone, debating if it's better to answer or ignore him. Eventually, you decide on the latter.

"You look..." Chan starts, trying to find the right words so he wouldn't make you even angrier than you already were. "Annoyed?" He settled for the least offensive adjective that came to his mind, placing your coffee in front of you as you gazed into your laptop, too occupied with work to even look at him. You shake your head, blinking a few times when you sense his presence, questioning what he was doing. "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

"Are you okay?" He asks simply, making you sigh. "Do you want to talk about it?" You think for a second, eventually moving your laptop aside and pulling the cup of coffee he brought you closer. "Okay, yeah, I'll take my break now if you actually want to hear about it." — "Of course I want to," he assures you. "I'm not only your assistant but also your friend."

You love your friends a tiny bit more every time you speak to them. A part of you always thinks you don't deserve them when they are this nice to you.

"I didn't tell you about Wonwoo, did I?" You make sure you start with the right thing, figuring out the answer is no when he gives you a confused look. "Well, you know we've been going out, right? A few days ago, we kissed for the first time," you explain, and his eyes widen in surprise as he leans back onto the couch. "And I thought it was great! We were good and all, but then he texted me while I was asleep," you sigh, getting irritated again just thinking of the message. "All he said was that he is sorry, but he won't see me for the next two weeks. No explanation, no nothing. He couldn't even bother with calling me or something! Instead, I woke up to that."

"That sucks," Chan says, his tone understanding. "I get why you'd be upset. He could've told you earlier. And if he really forgot about it, he still could have at least called or stopped by when he was leaving."

"Exactly!" You exclaim, feeling relieved that he gets it. "Thank you."

"So, I called him," you continue, "just to ask what the hell was going on." Chan nods, following along. "And he couldn't even explain himself. I asked him straight up if he even wanted to be with me, and he couldn't answer. So, I hung up, and we haven't spoken since," you shake your head with a sigh. "He texted me a few times after that, but it was just him repeating how sorry he was, so I ignored it. Seokmin thinks I should call him, and see what he's up to, but honestly, I feel like that would just make me look pathetic."

"You wouldn't be pathetic," he assures you. "But I get what you mean. I think you shouldn't be the one putting in the effort again when he doesn't give you the same in return. Leave it up to him and see if he reaches out."

"What if we never talk again then, though?" You bit the inside of your cheek, your voice merely above whisper, almost as if you didn't want him to hear. "Then it wasn't meant to be," Chan answers honestly, and even though you know he is right, it feels like someone stabbed you in the back.

"When did this happen?" He carefully asks when you don't say anything after. "He left two days ago," you answer, sighing. You're tired of it all, honestly. "I thought I could work to make my mind get off things, but it's not working like I would want it to. I feel so much pressure, and it puts a block in my head or something."

"How about you relax tonight?" Chan suggests. "Should I take you out? Call everyone and see if they can hang out?" You think about it, eventually agreeing with him. When you are about to open your mouth again and thank him, your phone buzzes, and you grit your teeth as you take a deep breath when you notice who it is from. "And as if all of this wasn't enough, I have this guy on my back all the time," you whine, turning your phone around so you wouldn't have to look at it.

"Who is that?" He wonders, trying to think of a way to make you feel better. "Mingyu," you state, watching your assistant as he tries to keep track of all the names in his head. It's obvious what he is thinking about when you look at him, and you admire him for his ability to have most of your clients' names remembered. It was partly why you hired him in the first place. He has a good memory for names and can almost immediately connect people to projects when you talk about it.

"He also attends auctions, so we met a few times," you explain. "And then, apparently, since Mr. Xu talked about me so much, he thought it would be nice to ask me to design his parents' house for him, too." — "I'm not sure what his deal is, though," you add, making Chan raise his brows in anticipation. "I don't know, he just keeps trying to be around me, you know. It's as if he is trying to get closer to me for some reason. He's taking every chance he gets to talk to me. He is like a puppy."

"Before you say anything," you warn him, making him laugh as he shuts his mouth again. "I know I usually find that attractive, but that's when I'm interested. I can't say that about him. Plus, in his case, I doubt he even means it in that way," you explain, making sure he doesn't get the wrong idea. "I mean, sure," you start again, and Chan scoffs, knowing you are about to refute exactly what you just said. "He does call me by nicknames, but that doesn't mean he wants me. He just wants to annoy me." — "Mhm," Chan hums, laughing. "I'm serious!" You complain. "Let's just stop talking about it," you stop him before he can say anything. "About tonight, should I call the guys?"

"So we are in for it?" He asks, and you nod, smiling at him. "Yeah, it'll be fun."