charmer | minsung

10

"Miss Lina?" Jisung called again, his hand still holding onto Lina's, gently rubbing circles on the laced fabric.

'Okay, tell him you're germophobic and you don't appreciate being kissed on the hand, okay? Okay,' Minho tried to coach himself, gearing up to voice his concern when someone intervened.

"Excuse me, ma'am, sir, your order," the waiter interrupted, arriving with their dishes on a serving tray.

Jisung promptly withdrew his hand from the table to make room for the waiter, while Minho, still a bit dazed, followed suit slightly delayed. The waiter efficiently placed their ordered dishes in front of them before offering a quick, "Enjoy your dinner," and quietly departing, leaving the two to resume their date.

'This is it,' Minho thought as he eagerly grabbed his utensils to tackle the lobster. His excitement was palpable, tongue sticking out in focus as he sliced into his food.

Jisung observed as Lina voraciously cut and devoured her food, audible sighs of contentment escaping her as she savored each bite.

With one eye slightly open, Minho peeked at his date, hoping to elicit a sense of disgust with his unrefined behavior. He silently pleaded, 'Please be disgusted, please be disgusted.'

'Hopefully, this won't tarnish Ryujin's reputation too much,' he lamented, continuing with those disrespectful gestures to discourage his date's interest.

However, his expression immediately fell when he saw 'Hyunjin' smiling fondly. "You seem to really enjoy your food, noona," he remarked before delving into his own dish.

Minho choked a bit at the remark, prompting 'Hyunjin' to offer him a glass of water. "Be careful, sweetheart," he said, an action that made Minho feel like throwing up.

Throughout their dinner, Minho made a point to chew a bit louder, occasionally burp, and even talk with his mouth full, hoping to repel his date's interest.

Despite Minho's efforts, Jisung found Lina's gestures more amusing than off-putting, which only heightened his interest in her.

After finishing their meal, Minho wiped his face with a napkin, albeit a bit aggressively and not quite in line with 'ladylike' behavior. At this point, all the etiquette lessons from Ryujin and Chaeryeong were forgotten as Minho was determined to dissuade his date's interest.

Jisung delicately dabbed his mouth with a napkin before raising a champagne glass, taking a light sip. "Noona, is there anything you'd like to know about me?" he asked, his gaze focused on Lina as he took another sip.

Minho pondered for a moment, releasing thoughtful hums before deciding on a question. 'This is the type of question you don't bring up on a date,' he thought, feeling proud of his choice.

"Have you ever been in love?" Minho asked, thinking it might be an uncomfortable or personal question.

Jisung set his glass down, a small 'ding' echoing through the air. "In love? Strangely, I haven't," he replied, leaning back in his seat. "And you?" he asked, his eyes shimmering with curiosity.

"I have," Minho replied with a cheeky smile, lifting his 'cleavage' slightly for added effect.

"Oh?" Jisung responded, intrigued by the topic, doing his best to maintain eye contact rather than being distracted by the gestures.

"Just now, I fell in love with you," Minho boldly declared, hoping to make his date cringe with the statement, although he couldn't help but cringe at his own words.

Jisung was momentarily taken aback by Lina's words, watching her wink and playfully adjust her hair, one hand grazing her chest area in a teasing manner.

Minho felt a rush of embarrassment and an overwhelming desire to sprint out of the restaurant at that moment, realizing how awkward and cringy his flirty gestures were. 'It's official, my dignity is non-existent,' he sighed inwardly, watching 'Hyunjin' compose himself and reach for the champagne glass once more.

"You're a natural-born charmer, Lina," Hyunjin chuckled lightly, taking a sip of his drink.

Lina, or rather Minho, unintentionally scrunched his face in utter disgust before realizing his surroundings. He then mustered his best smile towards the son of the CEO of #Lovestay Corp. across from him, though it seemed slightly strained, his eyes twitching, silently wishing to bury his cousin and this Hyunjin in the depths of the earth.

"My, you're such a tease, Hyunjin-ssi," Minho attempted to giggle in a high-pitched tone. At the moment, he wished nothing more than for the ground to swallow him whole, but more importantly, 'Doesn't he realize that I'm a guy?'

Minho was genuinely surprised that his date still hadn't suspected that he wasn't a woman.

"You were the one teasing me, noona," Jisung playfully reminded, slightly tilting his glass towards Lina.

Minho forced out a strained laugh, his eyes twitching as none of his attempts seemed to be working. "Am I teasing you, though?" he retorted, trying to match Hyunjin's energy.

"If that's the case, then I'll gladly catch you, sweetheart," Jisung replied, his voice dropping as he reached under the table to grab Lina's hand, a smirk playing on his lips as he caressed it. The real Hyunjin's advice about not showing interest was completely forgotten.

Goosebumps appeared on Minho's skin at the familiar touch, his expression faltering as mixed emotions welled within him. He couldn't deny the rapid beating of his heart, yet simultaneously, a sense of disgust twisted in his gut.

'Oh, fuck,' he thought, realizing that his attempts to make his date lose interest had completely backfired.

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ji's notes!
switching between jisung and hyunjin, and minho and lina is so confusing 😵‍💫😵‍💫
anw, it was a little difficult to insert the prompt in this chapter so i hope it looks natural, at least.