Inception (Ateez Ot8 x Reader)

Chapter 19

Wooyoung was, surprisingly, an excellent cook. Not only was he confident in his skills, but the seriousness in which he cooked with showed he didn't take the responsibility lightly. And yet, he still made sure to involve me.

"Peel and cut these for me if you would kitten." He smiled, sliding a bowl of potatoes towards me.

I took it gladly, feeling better about giving my hands something to do instead of sitting here idly. The kitchen was flooded with the aroma of his craft. My stomach gurgling loudly, much to my embarrassment. Seonghwa's dessert last night had curbed my appetite for the evening, but I was still feeling the hollowness from not eating properly for the last few days. The sound only made Wooyoung's grin widen, a wooden spoon being pointed in my direction.

"I like the sound of that. It means you won't just push my hard work around on your plate like you did with last night's meal."

"I would never do you the dishonor." I giggled, making my way through the bowl of vegetables. "How could I possibly turn down a meal a king had made personally?"

I could see him looking at me out of the corner of my eye. He slowly put down the spoon he had, feet shuffling closer to me until I was brave enough to look at him. He was much closer than before, his shoulder touching mine as he leaned into me. My heart skipped a few beats, cheeks bursting into flame the closer his face came. It was impossible to escape just how otherworldly handsome he was, especially with the smirk that played at the edges of his lips.

"I like the way that sounds coming from you kitten." He purred.

A nervous laugh bubbled out of me, my feet taking a step back hoping to put some distance between us.

"You flirt too much."

He tilted his head, the brown of his irises appearing more like a golden caramel under the light of the room. Strands of his dirty blonde hair, falling into his face as he looked down at me. The mole under his left eye even more endearing this close and the thought of leaning forward just enough to kiss it flashed through my mind. I blinked, slowly, several times. Where the hell did that come from?

"Do you dislike it?"

"Huh?" I asked loudly, my thoughts still hung up on my kissing him.

"Me flirting." He chuckled, taking the step forward I had already taken backwards. "Although I wouldn't consider it flirting so much as me expressing my feelings for you. Flirting implies that I do it without much thought, and I promise you kitten..." He trailed off.

He pressed closer, my feet carrying me back unless I wanted his chest flush with mine. My fingers loosening to let the potato I still had in hand slip through. It thunked the ground softly, neither of us paying it any mind as my back met the other set of counters behind us. His arms came around either side of me, hands gripping the edge of the counter to trap me between them.

"I put a lot of thought into the words I say to you." He murmured, eyes flickering down to my lips.

My heart was beating a mile a minute. Words lodged in my throat, but I wasn't even sure what I wanted to say to begin with. My entire body warmed at his proximity, every fiber of me begging for him to touch me. It was almost as if he could read my mind, my silent prayers being answered as his hand lifted towards me. My breath caught in my throat as I waited, only to once again feel my cheeks flare with red heat as his arm reached past me into the cabinet above our heads.

I looked away quickly, hoping to hide my disappointment. Although he looked amused, chuckle escaping him to brush over my hot cheek, his eyes were tender. Betraying the fact that even though it wasn't a spoken desire, he still knew. Perhaps that was another part of the bond. Understanding each other without having to voice our wants and needs. If that's the case, I'd have to be more careful from now on.

Wooyoung pulled several platters from above my head. Handing me a couple before returning to his food over the stove. He stared down at the potato I had dropped on the floor, another teasing smirk playing at his mouth before looking at me over his shoulder.

"Poor San. It's going to be funny explaining to him why he didn't get his portion of potatoes at breakfast."

The playful words were enough to shake off the last of the lingering moments we had just shared. My awareness returning as I looked down at the lone potato left abandoned on the floor.

"No, no. He can just have mine." I laughed breathily, going back to the task he had assigned me.

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Breakfast was a little less tense between everyone. I was actually able to eat. My hunger winning out over my nerves about being in such close quarters with all eight of them. My mother's presence a bit of reprieve. At least I wasn't by myself. Not that I could focus too terribly much on everyone else with the way Wooyoung monopolized my attention. He had immediately taken the seat on my other side, making sure he claimed it before anyone else showed up. To my surprised, everyone arrived together, minus my mom who had meandered in a few minutes before the others.

It wasn't until Wooyoung had tried, unsuccessfully, to sneakily pass me half of his portion of the potatoes I had cut, bringing a finger to the wide grin on his face in a gesture for me to keep quiet before winking at me. I laughed, bringing one to my mouth before mouthing a thank you. A throat clearing had both of us straightening, turning our attention to Yeosang who would have looked annoyed if the twitching of his mouth hadn't given himself away.

"Y/N, if you would forgive my prying, but would you mind telling us why you believe hunters to be after you and your mother?"

I didn't notice the way my mother stiffened in her seat next to me, but the way Seonghwa and Hongjoong's eyes flickered over to her meant it didn't escape their attention. I was too preoccupied by Yeosang's phrasing of the question.

"Hunters? We've never had hunters after us."

"Those men that were chasing you were hunters." Jongho said flatly.

I shook my head, gaze moving back to Yeosang in confusion.

"No. They were traffickers. The same group of people my father had been trying to bring down before he was killed."

Yeosang sighed, setting his utensils down before propping his elbows up on the edge of the table to clasp his hands together.

"I understand that may be what you believe because it's what you've been told. Guards for the royal households are generally told to keep their missions a secret, but I can assure you that the group of men after you weren't wanted for trafficking. They were hunters. Identified by the crests they wore under the organization they served."

I opened my mouth, ready to dispute his claim. To tell him that my father wouldn't have lied to me, to us. A soft grip over my closed fist stopped me. My angry gaze meeting my mother's as she shook her head.

"He's telling the truth."

All fight deflated out of me. My confusion returning, unable to comprehend being told that the last several months I'd been lied to about who was after us. My mother's sad eyes looked away from me to meet Yeosang's gaze head on.

"It would be better for me to answer your questions. I promise you she's just as much in the dark as you all are."

The room was eerily silent at her words. All eyes on her now. The loud scraping of Hongjoong's chair across the floor made me wince as he stood.

"Let's take this somewhere more private before we get too far into this conversation."