Miracles on Miracles

Chapter 2

"Where should I stand?" Yunho asked awkwardly.

"You're fine where you are," Carmen replied. "So, I'm going to say, 'Hola. Me llamo Carmen. Mucho gusto.' and you are going to say it for yourself, and then we'll lean in and kiss each other on the right cheek. Okay?"

"I'm ready," Yunho said with a slight smile which made Carmen's stomach do a little flip. So, they said their lines, and as Carmen leaned in for the kiss, she could smell Yunho's cologne. She wasn't sure what brand it was, but it smelled of pine sap and wintergreen. It was an utterly intoxicating scent. Yunho placed his hands on her forearms and leaned in slowly, letting his breath touch her cheek first. Then Carmen felt his soft lips land on her skin. She hadn't been prepared for the weakness in her knees that almost took her down. She stumbled back slightly, but Yunho held her steady with his hands. He pulled his face back extremely slowly, staying as close as he could for as long as he could.

"Alright. Unhand her now," Hongjoong said. "She doesn't need you drooling on her," he quipped.

"Hey, I was just trying to keep her upright. It felt like she was about to fall," Yunho defended. He leaned in and whispered, "What's wrong? Did my kiss leave you dizzy?"

Carmen knew it would be unwise to let him know how much the brief touch of his lips had affected her. So, she feigned composure. "I think I'll live," she said sardonically. "Now, let's learn another phrase," she said, giving Yunho a little push toward his seat. "When you guys are all together, you may want to introduce yourselves as a group. So, you would say, "Hola. Somos Ateez'," she told them as she wrote it on the whiteboard.

"If you could stand up, we'll all try it together," Carmen urged. "And I think most groups take a bow as they say their band name, right?" she questioned.

"That's how Monsta X does it," Jongho replied.

"You and your Monsta X," Wooyoung teased. "You would think you belonged to Monsta X with the way you talk about them."

"I'm a Monbebe for life," he shot back.

"Guys, let's practice it, okay?" Hongjoong redirected the group. So, the guys stood in a row and bowed as they all said, "Hola. Somos Ateez." When Yunho stood up straight after the bow, he blew a kiss at Carmen, which didn't escape the notice of Hongjoong.

"Let's stay on script," he cautioned. "Don't go rogue on me, Yunho."

"I can't help it," Yunho protested. "I was inspired," he added with a wink meant only for Carmen.

"Alright, I think that's enough for today," Hongjoong concluded. "Ms. Carmen, we will see you tomorrow." Hongjoong ushered all of the members out the door, even Yunho who gripped the door frame so hard it took both Hongjoong and Yeosang to pull him off.

"What was that for?" Yunho protested. "I wanted to ask Carmen to have a coffee with me," he complained.

"Exactly," Hongjoong replied. "That's precisely the kind of thing I'm trying to avoid here," he told Yunho pointedly. "We can't have you calling dibs on Carmen. In fact, none of us should show any romantic interest in her. She is an employee of KQ Entertainment, and as such, she should be treated with the utmost respect," he insisted.

"I'll treat her with respect," Yunho argued. "And love. A whole lot of love," he added suggestively.

"See, that's exactly what I'm talking about," Hongjoong persisted. "I hate to pull rank, but I am the leader of this group. And as such, I am instructing all of you to keep the proper distance from Carmen," he said definitively.

"Oh, wise leader," Yunho scoffed. "We underlings should bow to your superior judgment," he said with a mock bow. "Listen, I like her. I'm not going to mince words about it. And you don't have the authority to stop me," he added as he turned back toward the conference room. "I'm asking her to coffee. I won't be home for dinner. Don't wait up for me," he said as he walked back the other way.

Hongjoong shrugged in defeat. "Don't say I didn't tell you so," he called down the hall toward Yunho. "Mark my words. You are making a mistake," he added before turning away and walking with the rest of the members out of the building and into the large black van that would take them to their apartments.

Meanwhile, Yunho reached the conference room and found Carmen gathering her papers. "Hey," he said as he peeked out from behind the door frame.

"Hey to you," Carmen replied in kind. "Did you forget something?" she asked absently.

"No," he replied simply. "I just wanted to see if you were free to have some coffee with me," he offered.

"Right now?" Carmen asked, feeling a bit puzzled by the invitation.

Yunho nodded. "There's no time like the present," he replied brightly.

Carmen gathered her things and they walked to a small coffee shop just a few blocks away. As they sat down with their drinks, Yunho stared and Carmen in silent contemplation. He smiled slowly, noting that she was blushing slightly.

"So, tell me more about yourself," Carmen prompted to end the silence.

"What do you want to know?" Yunho asked as he studied Carmen's hazel eyes.

"I don't know. Like, what's your favorite color, for example?" she asked.

Yunho shook his head. "I love all colors equally," he replied as if the colors were his children and he refused to pick a favorite.

"Okay," Carmen replied. "So, what's your favorite movie?"

"Spiderman: No Way Home," he answered quickly as if he had answered the question a million times before. "Look, if you want to know about my preferences, just look me up online. But if you want to know something real about me as a person, I'll tell you," he continued. "Real talk --- I'm lonely as hell. I'm tired of trying to maintain this image of someone who is both sexy and sexless. It's unnatural," he argued. "Somehow we are tasked with the unenviable job of sexually arousing our fans while pretending to not be sexual beings ourselves."

"Mm, that's pretty messed up," Carmen agreed. "But you're a Catholic, right?" she asked.

"Yeah," he confirmed. "And my faith is important to me. It really is, but even the Pope recently came out and said that sexual pleasure is a gift from God," he replied. "I kinda wish he could have said that a few years ago when I was struggling with a lot of shame surrounding my sexuality."

"Yeah, but I guess, I didn't need to wait for the Pope to say it. I had come to my own conclusions by myself," Carmen replied. "I mean, I grew up in a Christian home as well, but I have become comfortable in my own skin --- comfortable to embody my sexuality," she explained.

Yunho let out a low whistle. "I don't know why, but when you say it, it sounds super-hot," he teased. "Listen," he said, leaning in closer across the table. "I'm going to be honest. I'm really attracted to you," he admitted. "And I don't want to play games. I just want to get that out there from the beginning," he added.

Carmen was silent but pinched her own arm.

"What are you doing?" he asked, watching her with curiosity.

"I'm pinching myself because this doesn't feel real," Carmen replied. "And I'm a little concerned because my life is going a little too good, if you know what I mean," she added. "I'm worried that this string of good luck can't continue."

"Nah," Yunho said. "Let's ride this wave of good fortune as far as it will take us," he countered.