Chapter Text
Jumin smiled once he heard Y/N's answer, the success of his dinner making his heart soar with joy as he elegantly finished his glass of wine. Y/N followed suit, finishing her glass of wine with ease as she pushed away from the table and stood. Jumin furrowed his brows in confusion, patting his mouth dry with his napkin before standing as well.
"Where are you going?" He found himself wanting her to stay, the gears in his mind turning rapidly as he tried to think of something to keep her in the apartment. Being with Y/N brought a large wave of feelings that he was not used to; frustration, anxiety, excitement. It was all so new, and he wasn't ready to feel those emotions slip away as he followed her towards the front door. She was puzzled, furrowing her brows with a slight laugh as she gestured towards the door.
“Back to the apartment with Jaehee? We’ve reached our agreement so I figured you’d like to get back to whatever you were working on prior. You’re a busy man.” With another small smile she turned to leave but jumped as he placed a hand on the frame of the door before she’d opened it.
“Y/N…” She kept her back facing him but turned her head slightly to look backwards and up towards him. Her expression was littered with patience as he struggled to figure out what to say, his brows furrowing in frustration at himself. Never, in his short life had he struggled to continue a conversation, to prolong any meeting or discussion. Yet, that was all business, and while Y/N’s involvement with the RFA was a part of the business to a degree, she as a person was not. All the while Y/N was trying hard to understand the expression in his dark eyes, not knowing him well enough yet just to have a grasp on what he was thinking.
Her eyes traveled to the grand piano that was slightly peeking itself around the corner of the long hallway leading to his study. Curiosity flared inside her eyes as she gestured her head from Jumin to the piano. He furrowed his brows once more before following her gaze, removing his arm while she wordlessly walked down the hall towards the piano.
“Do you play?” He frowned as he watched her slide onto the bench with ease, her hands running across the wooden keys as she glanced up at him with a single raised brow, as if to ask him again.
“Of course I do. Why else would I have it in my home?”
“I know a lot of rich people that own a piano, and don’t know how to play.” She huffed in defiance, Jumin guffawing in shock at her quick snap back at him. She smirked in satisfaction before continuing, keeping her gaze on the keys as she placed her fingers accordingly.
“My mom wanted me to learn, thought I was rather musically inclined. I am, I guess, but it’s not what I love.” She pressed down on the keys with a skillfull ease, a strong note ringing clear across the room. The vibrant noise made her look around, realizing how different his study was to the rest of the house that she’d seen so far. His large desk, made of rich, chestnut mahgony stood proud in the center on top of a black fur rug. There was a black leather couch with a gray soft throw blanket draped over the back, white cat fur lingering on the sofa with some work files.
To her surprise, a record player sat neatly on a small coffee table, a large glass case holding a variety of music. He had bookshelves lining the back walls behind the desk, filled to the brim with economic studies, tax information, and other assorted themes in topics that she didn’t expect. Cat health, cat behavioral books, though one title made a slight gasp leave her lips as she flipped her legs over the bench and rushed to the bookshelf.
Jumin calmly followed her with a blank expression, yet curiosity and fascination flooded his chest as he watched Y/N. She flipped her hair behind her back to keep it out of her way as she knelt on the floor, eyes focused on the spine of the book she wanted as she gently coaxed it out of the shelf. Once his eyes fell on the title of the book, Jumin’s cheeks flared a bright red, his expression stuffy as he quickly knelt down on one knee and snatched the book from her.
“Hey!” She yelped in protest as she felt the hardcover slip against her fingertips, the book disappearing behind his back as she quickly rose to her feet. She stared up at him with a large pout, eyes searching for an explanation until her gaze slightly softened. This was the most flustered she had ever seen anyone, let alone the Jumin Han. He wasn’t saying anything, but he was desparately keeping the book out of her reach as he had migrated across the study.
“I think you’ve stayed long enough.” The flatness in his voice made her a touch nervous, but she was just as stubborn as she slowly made her way towards him.
“Now, I don’t think that’s fair. First you wanted me to stay, now that I’ve found something peculiar about you, I’m demanded to leave? I don’t operate that way.” Y/N felt her heart beat faster at the course of action she was taking, trying to figure out or understand why she was doing this. The click of her heels was softened occasionally by the multiple rugs layered throughout his study, warm air softly blowing the ribbon she’d placed in her hair loose. She hadn’t noticed; her eyes had switched from the book to him. He was backing away from her, not paying attention until the back of his knees gave way to his large desk chair.
Y/N stopped just a couple of inches away from his seated figure, hands behind her back as she leaned forward. She didn’t miss the way his breath slightly sped up, the way his eyes kept flickering from her eyes to her parted lips. She wanted the book, wanted to ask him why he reacted so strongly to her finding it. She wanted something else, too.
Her ribbon had slid down so it was now to the side of her head, Jumin taking his chance to turn the dynamic as he reached a large hand up towards the ribbon. It was her turn to have a hiccup in breath, her eyes flickering to the left to watch his hand. He moved slowly, deliberately as he gently untied the ribbon. It now softly slid across her hair and cheek, the silk fresh with her perfume and hair product as it plopped into the palm of his hand.
“You need to tie this tighter.” She watched as he placed the book into a filing cabinet next to the desk, and before she could have a chance to protest, it was shut tight. Instead her attention stayed on the ribbon, the way he wrapped it around his fingers then brought it to his face. It was her turn to blush a deep hue of red as she watched his chest rise with a deep inhale, his eyes fluttering shut as the smell of vanilla, honey, and cinnamon seduced his senses. He looked like he was in esctacy from her smell alone, and it made her fidget in ways she didn’t know how to describe.
“I think I should be going Mr. Han.” Her voice, usually strong and unwavering, came out soft and almost seductive, her tone surprising her as she bowed quickly and fixed her gaze to the floor. She made a slight face at the rug beneath her; what the hell was that? What is this? What were they doing? Why? Didn’t she hate him?
That thought made her flare up like a rooster, and just as she was about to rise and blow him off with a smart comment, she felt the soft touch of his finger on her chin. The soft pressure forced her to tilt her head so that her gaze now rested on him, not the floor. He was leaning forward in the chair, one hand resting lazily in his lap while the other was holding her gaze to his. His gray eyes reminded her of a dark ocean, the waves angry and surging as they slammed any boat into the rocks of consciousness. She hoped hers would be spared.
“I believe that is a wise; extremely wise decision. Thank you for joining me for dinner. We’ll discuss my father—” Before he could finish she had stepped forward and taken the ribbon back from his loose hands, the soft silk reassuring her actions as she leaned in close. They were so close their noses could touch, her soft breath slightly stammering as she spoke.
“Thank you for dinner.” With that she abruptly stood up and quickly turned back towards the hallway, her hair fanning out behind her from the sudden movement. She didn’t wait for him to say anything, nervously speedwalking to the front door. When she’d reached the knob she turned back around to see if he had followed her, and he had; he was staring from across the now empty and cleaned dining table.
“Thank you for coming.” His deep voice was soft as he stared deeply at her, his gaze making her shiver as she gave a curt nod and turned back towards the door. Her shaking hands fumbled for just a moment before they steadied and she’d opened the door, quickly stepping out and shutting the large door behind her with a quick exhale. She was holding her breath that entire time, she’d just realized, bracing her weight on the door as she bent over and held her knees.
“Wow.”