•• Hyorin ••
I watched U-Kwon, Jaehyo, and P.O walk away with a sigh before turning to Taeil and bowing quickly. "Thank you for coming to pick me up!"
"No problem! Are you ready to go?" I spotted Angel Taeil floating above Taeil and swallowed hard as he winked and blew me a kiss. Taeil stared at me curiously and I shook my head with a chuckle. "You're not ready to go?"
"No, I'm ready to go! Sorry about that, I was just distracted." He waved it off with a chuckle and then gasped and grabbed my hands.
"Hyorin, you're freezing cold! Quick, come to the car before your hands freeze and break off!" I chuckled at his worry and then nodded before following him to the car. "So, U-Kwon tells me you're doing work with VIXX?"
I nodded in agreement with a smile. "They're all really nice! I'm glad that I get to design for their next album. I'm starting designs today because I need to get a general layout of the outfits before the Jesa ceremony. It's too much to have on my mind."
"Understandable," Taeil agreed with a slow nod. "So, where did you want to go for shopping?"
"Ah, I need to stop by a supermarket for food. I need food for home as well as for the ceremony," I told him with an embarrassed chuckle, scratching the back of my head awkwardly.
"No problem!" Taeil gave me a thumbs up with smile and I attempted to hide my small smile. He chuckled and then ruffled my hair. "There's that pretty smile that Park Kyung has told us so much about!" I blushed and then stared out of my window while I bit my bottom lip.
"Who am I being forced to hang out with tomorrow?" I asked him quietly with a chuckle.
"I believe Jihoon. He's really excited to spend to time with you." I was silent and then sighed with a smile. "Hyorin?"
I shook out my mind and then laughed awkwardly before turning to Taeil. He stared at me with a worried expression and I cocked my head to one side. "Is something wrong?"
"I was about to ask you the same thing," he chuckled with a shake of his head and a small smile. "Anyway, how are your designs coming along out of curiosity?"
"My designs? Well, I haven't exactly drawn anything yet, but I have the general sense of how I want them to look. I haven't seen their actual styles for the song, but I have a pretty good feeling that they'll look really good!" I said with a grin, giving Taeil a thumbs up. He smiled encouragingly and then sighed as he pulled up in front of a supermarket.
"Alright, let's go!" he cheered with a grin. I smiled and nodded in agreement, getting out of the car and walking towards the entrance. There was a force that hit the side of my face and I stood stock still as slushy, cold snow leaked down my face. Taeil burst into hysterical laughter and I stared at him in shock before smirking and forming a snowball.
He continued laughing until I nailed him in the face with a snowball. "Taeil, you don't challenge country kids in a snowball fight unless you have a death wish!" I shouted challengingly.
"Come at me Miss Twin Braids!" he retorted with a smirk, aiming a throw at me. I quickly dodged and scooped up a handful of snow before hurling an ice ball at him. "I'll crush you in this fight!"
"You wish!" Taeil and I sprinted around the parking lot, laughing and throwing snowballs at each other over all of the cars. I hit him several times and he hit me just as many, if not more time. I eventually surrendered and he held his arms open with a laugh before hugging me. I chuckled, panting hard in the dimming light. My breath formed little clouds in the air and I felt myself falling asleep.
"Hyorin, I think we should go shop," he whispered with a chuckle. I nodded in agreement, too tired to say anything. Taeil half dragged half led me into the supermarket and grabbed a shopping cart before staring at me expectantly.
"What?"
"What do you need to buy, silly?" I stared at him in surprise before breaking into a grin and leading Taeil around the supermarket with me. He helped me get things from the shelves that I was normally unable to reach and pushed around the heavy cart without complaint.
"Taeil, you're so tall!" I exclaimed with wide eyes as we walked up to the checkout counter and joined a line.
"Nah, I'm actually the shortest member of Block B. I'm also one of the shortest males in the industry," he chuckled bashfully, his cheeks tinged red. I giggled softly as we proceeded through the line and finally reached the counter.
"Wow, what a good-looking couple!" the Harabogee at the counter exclaimed, looking at Taeil and I. We were the last customers in the supermarket, so it wasn't as awkward as it could have been. "You're such a pretty young girl, you remind me of my daughter."
"Thank you so much," I said with a smile, bowing to him with a blush.
"If my wife was here, she would have praised you both! You take good care of her boy. She's a sweet girl and you're a lucky boy," he chuckled lightly as he scanned all of our food.
"Uh, well she's not really my girlfriend," Taeil stated awkwardly. "We're just friends."
He leaned in to him and teasingly whispered, "Then you'd better catch her for yourself before someone else takes her!" Taeil stared at him in surprise and then smiled slightly before thanking the Harabogee and stepping up to pay for the food.
"Ah, Taeil-ah, you don't need to pay for the groceries. It's my food so I'll pay for it," I murmured awkwardly, pulling out my credit card. He waved it off with a smile and ruffled my hair before paying for everything himself.
"He's a good gentleman. You should scoop him up for yourself before it's too late," the Harabogee laughed as I blushed and loaded the cart. "He's so handsome too, so you should move fast!"
"Dohyun, don't speak to the poor kids like that!" a Harmonee scolded, whacking him lightly on the head.
"Misong, doesn't she look like Suji?" he whispered to her with a smile. "She's such a pretty girl. Anyway, goodnight you both! I hope you eat well today!"
"Thank you Harabogee! Bye Harmonee!" Taeil and I said together, smiling as we walked out, our arms full of groceries. They waved at us with bright smiles and I felt myself sigh as Taeil unlocked his car.
"Hyorin?" I looked at Taeil as he got into the car and sighed. "That was pretty awkward, huh?"
"I think it was cute," I chuckled with a smile. "They were a sweet old couple." He nodded in agreement as he started the car and turned into the main street. It was already nearing nine o'clock and the streets were emptying ever so slightly. Seoul nightlife was starting and I saw the gangs of smokers and fighters taking up their posts on the corners of intersections, drinking and talking with huge grins.
Taeil was quiet as he drove, his hands tightening ever so slightly on the steering wheel. His knuckles were turning white as he tensed up and I slowly reached over and rested a hand on top of his. "Ah, sorry! I must have getting a bit nervous about driving at night!" he exclaimed nervously. "I can't see that well at night, so I must have been unconsciously stressing." I chuckled and sighed as he pulled up in front of my apartment building. "Come on, I'll help you take everything inside."
"Thank you Taeil," I said with a grateful bow. He waved off my gratitude with an awkward smile. I opened the trunk and grabbed several of the bags before whirling around and crashing into Taeil.
"Woah Hyorin!" he laughed good-naturedly, steadying me with a smile. "Be careful." I nodded awkwardly before walking to the entrance to the building. Taeil locked the car and then joined me with a grin, shivering in the cold. I opened the door and then kicked off a bit before scrambling inside quickly. Taeil chuckled and followed my up to my floor before kicking the snow off of his boots and waiting expectantly for me to open the door.
I unlocked the door before walking inside and switching on the light. Taeil's mouth fell open as he stared at the apartment and I stifled my laughs before waving him in. "Hey, why don't you call the boys over? I'll start getting dinner ready and we can all eat together," I said with a smile.
"Sure, I'm sure they're starving after rehearsal today," he agreed with a grin. He dialed a number on his phone and held up a finger while he took off his shoes. "Hello? Yo, Jiho, Hyorin invited you all over for dinner. Make sure you come by, alright? Yeah, I'll see you soon then." I stared at him and then walked into the kitchen to start dinner. Putting on an apron, I began preparing the brine for spicy fried chicken before felling my hair being gently pulled back.
My cheeks burned as a pair of warm lips brushed my skin. "Taeil?" I murmured in surprise. He sighed and pulled my hair into a ponytail before tying it up and resting his head on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine," he whispered contently. "I just realized something."
"What's that?" I asked curiously, unconsciously resting my head on his. He mumbled something I couldn't understand and I swallowed hard before mumbling for him to repeat.
"The Harabogee at the supermarket was right," he mumbled with a sigh. "I need to catch you before someone else does." I was quiet and continued to prepare the brine while Taeil slowly fell asleep on my shoulder.
"Taeil, why don't you go sleep on the couch, huh?" I suggested, gently shaking his head off of my shoulders and turning to face him. He hung his head and I smiled softly, gently touching his cheek. "Don't be a pouty boy. Go sleep and let me cook." He nodded with a sigh and then dragged his feet while he trudged to the couch before collapsing on it with a happy sigh.
The bell rang as I coated the chicken and put it into the oven and I brushed off my hands before rushing to the door and opening it with my elbow. "Hyorin!" Jaehyo cheered, walking in and giving me a hug with a grin. I hugged him awkwardly, not allowing my filthy hands to come in contact with him. Each member of Block B greeted me enthusiastically as they walked in and I gave all of them awkward hugs before retreating to the kitchen.
"Wow, it smells amazing in here!" Zico exclaimed excitedly while he and the others took off their shoes and dumped their jackets on the ground by the door. "What's for dinner Hyorin?"
"Does it matter if it's my cooking?" I called teasingly, earning laughs from the rest of the boys. "Make yourselves at home guys! Dinner is almost ready!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Minhyuk joked, plopping down in the living room. "This is a nice place you've got here Hyorin!"
"Thanks Minhyuk," I said with a chuckle. I heard the boys moving around in the living before settling down and put the water in the kettle for tea. The oven sounded and I opened the door and checked the chicken before dumping it into a giant bowl and checking the rice in the cooker. The kettle eventually whistled and I grabbed some cups out of the cupboard and set them on a tray before dumping tea leaves into the kettle and allowing it to soak.
"Hyorin, do you need any help?" Kyung called.
"No thanks, I'm fine!" I exclaimed with a flustered tone. Carefully, I filled each cup with tea and then set the kettle down before taking the tray out to the boys.
U-Kwon clapped and whistled with a grin as I set the tray down on the table with a smile. Jaehyo grabbed me around the waist and pulled men to his lap, causing the boys to burst into laughter. "Hey, why do you get Hyorin?" Jihoon complained with a pout.
"No dinner for any of you unless Jaehyo let's go of me!" I threatened as everyone leaned forward to take a cup of tea.
In terror, Minhyuk shouted, "Jaehyo, let go of her!"
"Never!" Jaehyo yelled, hugging me tightly with a grin. "I love Hyorin!" I elbowed him lightly in the stomach and scrambled away quickly before standing.
"Hyorin, you look so cute in this picture!" Taeil chuckled, pointing at a picture of me in one of my old photo albums. I gasped and tackled him only to have Jihoon take the album with a smile.
He flipped through several pages before gasping and staring at a page. "Hyorin, is this your brother?" I glanced at the photo of Hyojun and I grinning happily at the camera the day that I was getting ready to leave for New Zealand and then nodded slowly. "He's really handsome. I wonder what your parents looked like to give birth to such good-looking kids!"
"I'm nothing special," I chuckled with a smile, waving off his compliments. "My brother was a great person though and he was really loved in school." Kyung rested a hand on my shoulder as Jihoon flipped to the next page and pointed at the pictures in shock.
"Kyung, you're in these pictures!" he exclaimed, pointing out Kyung in all of the pictures. "Are these three your friends Hyorin?" He pointed at Jinyong, Kwangsu, and Daejung and I nodded with a chuckle. "They're handsome too! What happened to your luck Hyorin that made you fall for Kyung with all of these handsome people around you?"
The Block B members burst into hysterical laughter and Kyung fake weeped into my shoulder. I patted him on the back and and then stood. "Who wants spiced fried chicken?" I inquired energetically.
Zico squealed excitedly and U-Kwon slapped a finger onto a picture in shock. "It's Zico and Kyung!" The boys gathered around him curiously and stared at the picture with wide eyes. "Wow, you two were adorable as kids!"
"You're still adorable," we all muttered bluntly. He puffed out his cheeks and I pinched them and made a pouting face.
"Ah, you're right Zico! They do make the same faces!" Minhyuk exclaimed in shock. Zico pointed at him and then nodded at us with wide eyes, glad to have his point proved. "Anyway, not that I don't love sitting around with all of you, but could we maybe eat now?" I nodded and waved everyone over to the table before carrying out the bowl of chicken and setting a plate in front of each person. Returning to the kitchen, I grabbed several rice bowls and filled them each before sticking a spoon in all of them.
I grabbed my pot of curry off of the stove and took everything outside to the boys who were already digging into the chicken. "We saved you some chicken," Kyung managed to say through his stuffed mouth. I stifled my laughs before taking a seat.
"Curry!" Zico cheered upon opening the pot I had just set down. The boys all added to the cheers with huge grins and quickly shoveled through the chicken before moving onto the curry.
"Hyorin, could I have water?" Taeil mumbled through his rice and curry. I nodded and carried out glasses and a huge pitcher of water. The boys helped themselves eagerly, eating as if they hadn't seen food in an eternity.
Eventually, they finished every last bit of the food I had made them and sat rubbing their bellies with satisfied expressions. "That was so good," U-Kwon eventually said with a grin. "Thank you for the meal Hyorin!"
"Thank you for the meal!" each member echoed with an equally large grin.
Zico stood and stated, "As payment for a delicious dinner, we will clean up for you!" Before I could protest, the members each picked up their own plate and proceeded into the kitchen. Slowly, the table was cleaned and the dishwasher was loaded while I sat in the living room, forced to not help them.
"They're all such good people," I murmured to myself with a smile. "I should cook for them more often if they get that hungry after rehearsal."