September, 2019
If there was one thing Hahm Yunhee took comfort in when she got home from work, it was slipping shoes from her swollen feet.
Closing the apartment door, she lifted her foot and gave her toes a gentle massage, groaning in satisfaction at how tender they felt beneath her skin.
'Tae?' she hollered, her eyes darting along the dark hallway. She worked her hand up her leg and massaged her aching calf, her fingers tracing the thin, white scar on her knee as she contemplated a cup of tea. 'You home?'
When there was no response, she dropped her leg and padded across the solid wood floor into the kitchen, hoping to find the man sitting at the table reading a book with his headphones on. Still, the room was empty, only the warm downlights illuminating the space.
Groaning, Yunhee leaned against the countertop and rubbed away the tension at the back of her neck. She'd had a particularly busy schedule on the road today - delivery after delivery - but months of hard work had finally paid off. Now all she needed was her boyfriend to share her news.
'Taehyung?' she yelled, slapping her hands against her thighs; if the man was asleep again, she was going to murder him.
Grabbing the kettle, she snapped the lid up, listening out for any signs of life before she turned on the tap. When there was still no reply, she filled the container, smacked it shut, and banged it down into the holder impatiently.
'Hey, bone head! You better get your arse out here!'
Nothing.
Yunhee left the kettle to boil, heading out into the dimly lit hall leading to their bedroom. The door was ajar, and so she tapped it open with her foot, hoping to catch him out as she quickly flicked on the light. She was greeted with a freshly made bed, the sheets as smooth as she had left them this morning.
'Where the hell is he?' she muttered, anxiety pooling in her belly as she shut the room off and moved back to the kitchen.
Right on cue, the apartment door opened and crashed shut, shaking the walls of the building. Yunhee's mouth curled up into a happy grin and she dashed into the living room to find Tae kicking off his shoes with a lazy yawn.
'Hey,' Yunhee greeted.
Tae stopped short, a flash of surprise etched across his features. 'Oh.'
Oh? Yunhee raised an eyebrow in question. He quickly changed his expression when he saw her face, shuffling over to greet her with a warm smile.
'Hi, baby,' he said, his voice a deep velvet that never failed to make her shiver. He kissed her forehead and pinched her hip affectionately. 'Sorry. Didn't expect you home yet.'
'I'm always home at this time, Tae,' Yunhee pointed out as Tae slipped into the kitchen. She trailed behind him as he made a beeline for the kettle, but he pivoted around when he realised it was already boiling. Thumbing over his shoulder, Tae clucked his tongue with a smirk. 'Read your mind.'
'As always.' He sent her a grateful smile and smothered another yawn.
Yunhee watched him closely, appreciating the way he ran his fingers through his hair.
Kim Taehyung was breathtaking.
Twenty-eight years old, tall and slender with flawless caramel skin and long eyelashes that framed his sleepy, brown eyes. His hair was a mixture of gold and autumn hues, the silky strands falling over the cute pair of Harry Potter glasses perched on the end of his perfect nose.
The man was child-like, kind and compassionate, yet carried so much sex appeal it sometimes had her weak at the knees.
Yunhee was...well, Hahm Yunhee. Although two years his junior with a slight frame, her mouth tended to run away with itself and her temper was a force to be reckoned with. Her complexion was fair, cheeks rosy and dusted with freckles beneath a pair of chocolate eyes that were too large for the rest of her delicate features.
At least that's what she thought when she looked in the mirror. There was also her hair, an unruly mop of madness that she could never tame, so she kept it cut short around her heart-shaped face. Tae insisted she was adorable, but Yunhee considered her unconventional looks rather odd in comparison to his beauty.
The man could have any woman in South Korea, but for some wacky reason, he'd stuck with her after hitting it off on a night out in Seoul. Granted, Tae may not have approached her if not for his friend Hoseok bottling it first. He'd teased the man before confidently making a bet that he could get Yunhee's number on his behalf.
Unfortunately for Hoseok, sparks had flown between the pair, and the only back pocket her digits slipped into that night was Tae's. Eleven months later, they were sharing a stylish apartment in the quiet district of Daechi.
'I'm starving,' Tae declared, his dark brows knitting together as he browsed the cupboards one by one.
'I'll cook us dinner soon,' Yunhee assured, wrapping her arms around his waist as he rummaged around for a snack. 'How was your day?'
Tae frowned, tilting his head in confusion as he continued to stare into the cupboard. 'Have you seen the- oh, thanks,' he said when Yunhee reached around to grab a box of popcorn for him. 'To answer your question, it was okay. I had to handle an important job.'
'Where?' Yunhee questioned, resting her flushed cheek against his back as he tipped the contents into a bowl.
'Just a place in town,' he responded with a dismissive shrug, throwing several pieces of popcorn into his mouth and chomping loudly.
Ah, Yunhee thought, another job in town. Freelancing. That's what he liked to call it, although Tae rarely gave any details on the business he took care of daily. The man may have been handsome and kind-hearted, but there was an edge to him that often made her wonder. Even after almost a year of getting to know each other and building trust, Yunhee knew that there were certain matters he'd rather keep to himself. She'd be lying if she said it didn't suck at times.
On the flip side, Tae took care of her. Yunhee didn't have a pot to piss in, and if it weren't for him, she'd be living in a cardboard box with a styrofoam cup holding a total of four won.
'Guess what?' she giggled, eager to share her latest news with him.
Tae turned in her arms, his face a picture of curiosity as he leaned against the counter with the bowl directly between them. 'Go on.'
'I got promoted!' she announced excitedly, bobbing up and down on her tiptoes so that the popcorn shook.
'Wow,' Tae's eyes widened in astonishment, 'about bloody time!'
'Aren't you going to congratulate me?' Yunhee sulked, taking the food from his hand and placing it out of reach. 'You know how long I've wanted this promotion.'
It was true. For almost a year she had bust her guts delivering goods at Master Deliveries, and today her boss had informed her that it was time to oversee the daily conveyances as a company manager.
'Congratulations, baby,' Tae purred right before his mouth squared into a boxy smile. 'You wanna celebrate? I got a bonus today, so it's my treat. Just choose what you wanna do.'
'Sure,' she beamed, 'why don't we-'
'Oh, hold on,' Tae interrupted, sifting into his back pocket for his vibrating phone. He held the device between them and unlocked it, his infectious smile dropping into a grim line when he opened the text message. Yunhee waited a beat, watching his face sway through a range of emotions as his fingers tapped the screen .
'Everything okay?' Yunhee whispered, lowering her head to catch his eye.
There was the tiniest shake of his head, his brow knitting for a millisecond before he locked his phone, stuffed it away and grabbed her waist. 'Everything's fine. So, whaddya wanna do to celebrate?'
Tae was smiling at her again, but Yunhee didn't miss the tension in his shoulders nor the troubled glint in his eyes. Everything was not okay.
'Um, how about a date night? Sofa, movie, food and wine?' she suggested with a wiggle of her eyebrows.
'Hmm,' Tae thrummed, pulling out of her arms to grab two cups from the holder. He went about making them both a cup of tea, a thoughtful look on his face as he playfully mulled the idea over in his head. As the tea brewed, he cocked his hip onto the counter and folded his arms, pulling his bottom lip between his teeth. 'Do I want a date night?'
'Tae,' Yunhee whined, her stomach fluttering as he stared at her mischievously. She knew what he was doing. This here was the Tae she adored. The mysterious, sexy, impish man who knew how to push all of her buttons. 'You said I could choose!'
Tae released a hearty laugh, reaching out to catch her wrist and tug her to him. Yunhee's lips parted as she glanced up at him, watching his lustful gaze flick between her eyes and her mouth. 'How about sofa, movie, food, wine and...' he lowered his head to her ear and dropped his voice to a gravelly murmur. 'Sex.'
Yunhee gulped, turning her face to meet his. 'Deal.'
'Deal.' Tae pecked her mouth and smacked her arse as he slid out of her arms. 'You get yourself settled. I need to nip out first.'
Yunhee snapped out of the daydream, turning on the spot to watch him walk out of the kitchen. 'Wait. What? Why?'
'Errands,' Tae called over his shoulder.
'Errands?' Yunhee frowned, following him into the living room to find him over by the door hurriedly putting his shoes on. His face was tight with unease, fingers shaking as he tried to tie his laces. 'Tae, is something wrong?'
Tae paused and glimpsed up at her. After a few moments, his features relaxed and he took a step forward, cupping her cheeks, 'I'm sorry, baby. Everything's fine. Why don't you pick a movie for us? I promise I won't be long, okay?'
'Okay,' Yunhee mumbled as he let her go to finish off his laces. He threw on a jacket, flashing her a dangerous grin before opening the door and leaving the apartment.
Yunhee sighed. The man was an enigma.