TOUGH ROMANCE || scoups || BOOK ONE

20

Seungcheol

"Wine and catch a game? Wine and shoot the shit on the deck?"

I asked Mingyu as he and Kkuma followed me up the steps to my house. Once every two weeks or so, I'd take an early night and we'd get together outside of work.

"I wanna find out what's got your eyes so droopy. You were fine a couple of days ago. Your usual grumpy self. Now you're pouting."

"I don't pout. I ponder. In a manly way."

Mingyu snickered behind me.

I unlocked the door and, despite my best efforts, glanced in the direction of the cottage.

There were cars parked in front of the cottage, music playing. Great. The woman was a socialiser.  Another reason to stay far the hell away from her.

Not that I had to, seeing as how she'd been avoiding me like I was the problem. The past week had been a struggle. An annoying one. Hani Lee, I'd discovered, was a warm, friendly person. And when she wasn't feeling warm and friendly toward you, you definitely felt the cold. She refused to make eye contact with me. Her smiles and "Sure thing, boss" responses were perfunctory. Even when I drove her home and we were alone in the Sedan, the frostiness didn't thaw a degree.

Every time I thought I'd gotten a handle on it, she popped up. Either in her backyard or at my mother's. In my own restaurant. Hell, a few days ago, she'd floated up to the window at Diamond Clipper like a fucking vision.

She was driving me insane.

"See? That right there," Mingyu said, pointing a finger in my face. "Pouting. What's going on with you, man?"

"Nothing." I noticed my brother's department vehicle parked at the cottage. "Fuck."

"There a reason you don't like seeing your brother's car parked at Not Chae's."

"Is it the cheesy part of you that wants to talk about fucking feelings all the time?" I asked. "Or is it the nosy personality of yours that I can blame?"

"Why not both?" He said with a quick grin.

A particularly loud burst of laughter caught our attention, as did the scent of grilled meat.

Kkuma's nose twitched. The white tip of his tail froze in the air.

"No." I said sternly.

I might as well have said: Sure bud. Go get yourself a hotdog.

Because my dog took off like a streak.

"Looks like we're joining the party." Mingyu observed.

"Fuck. I'm getting a wine shot first."

A minute later, wine glasses in hand, we wandered around the back of the cottage to find half of Riperia on Hani's porch.

Seoyeon, the pretty librarian, was there with her niece Tara, who was wading knee deep in the river creek with Mimi and my mother's dogs. Jennie was sitting next to Arin while Joshua manned the grill and my pain in the ass brother flirted with Hani.

She looked like summer.

Considering I'd had two sips of wine, I couldn't blame alcohol on my mental prose.  My mouth went dry as my gaze started at her bare feet, then moved up the long, glossy legs to where they disappeared under the flirty, lemon yellow sundress.

"So that's what's the problem." Mingyu said smugly. He was looking right at Hani, and I didn't much care for it.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I said.