"Aniya. Don't move. I can take care of myself from here."
"I insist. I will walk you to the elevator at least-"
"Just to the elevator," Suzy pronounced sternly and he produced the gold medallion ring from the deep pocket of his jacket and held it in front of her, she nodded.
'Kol." Without a single hesitation she took the ring and gripped it tight in her hand.
The next thing she knew, she was offered his large hand as she followed him out of the car.
For some reason she felt compelled to have her hand stay intertwined with his. She didn't even retract when she felt the brush of his thumb against the back of her hand, but instead gripped him tighter as they walked through the lobby, not giving a care to the look on the doorman's face or the question of the elevator boys suspecting smile.
They eventually stopped, Suzy with her back to the open elevator door, giving her a little privacy from the prying eyes.
"Never come here. If you need me, find me elsewhere. Promise me you won't go upstairs? Okay?"
Joohyuk's frown deepened as she spoke and even more so when the feeling of her soft hand slipping the ring onto his relaxed pinky.
"What's so secret I can't come up and see your apartment?"
"We're not friends."
"Yet. We're going there aren't we? 94 line chingus."
"Jebal. Promise me?" Her eyes were begging and he couldn't say no. The look on her face told him to respect her limply, he muttered his reply.
"Ne."
One minute her hand was on his face and her lips on his cheek, the next she was stepping back until she was being enclosed by the elevator doors.
___________
"Suzy-ssi? This got delivered for you." A smiling receptionist presented a box as she opened her door.
"Gamsahabnida," she said smiling, receiving the gift.
Suzy had no idea what was inside. It was just a black box, complimented with a golden bow ribbon.
"Too early for Christmas." The familiar voice chirped.
Suzy immediately knowing that voice anywhere looked up to glare at the woman before her.
Gayeon stood with a wide smile on her face, lollipop between her thumb and index finger and she shrugged happily.
Suzy rolled her eyes, holding the gift like her life depended on it as she went inside her house.
"How was your date last night?" Gayeon asked sweetly following her, like butter wouldn't melt.
"Aish. You mean the blonde haired, politically infused hunk with the personality of a plank of wood?"
With a loom of bafflement, Gayeon opened her mouth to speak but only to be interrupted by Suzy's hand.
"Tedious. Next time, keep your frustrated blind dates to yourself. Now if you will excuse me, I have work." She summed, gesturing her best friend to play with her adorable dog Dezy.
With a pout Gayeon did as she was told and slumped next to Dezy like a freshly scolded child.
"Be nice to Gayeon eonnie, Dezy-ah." She called, making her way to her office.
Drawing her attention back to the box, she put it on her desk. Suzy pulled back the ribbon, opening the lid until her eyes dropped upon matching gold tissue paper.
She frowned but pulled the layers apart as she dipped her hand to greet the black box that sat in the middle, a white note accompanying it.
Light lunch and shopping like a boss?
Game?
-Joohyuk
She smirked mischievously as she let go of the note and went to open the box.
True to his word, sat innocently in the box's hold, his ring.
No time was wasted as she slid the larger ring on her index finger and consulted her desk clock.
11:58 am
Interrupted by a knock at the door, her breath hitched in her throat when she thought of him. Surely he wasn't stood behind that door.
"Come in!" She called in a professional tone.
When the door creaked open, she was half disappointed when she didn't see his tall and handsome face.
"Gayeon-ah?" Suzy sighed asking what her best friend wanted.
"There is a car waiting for you downstairs, Suzy-ah."
"Huh? I don't remember I have any schedule today."
"Don't you have anything to tell me, Suzy-ah?" Gayeon pressed, raising her eyebrows.
"Mwo?"
"The car isn't from Soop."
"Nugu? Who sent the car?"
"What's your business with Nam Joohyuk? Are you even friends?" Gayeon fired endless of questions, her face giddy and accusing. "Omo. Omo. Ya! Are you dating him? Since when? Why didn't I notice it!?"
Ignoring her best friend's shocked mumbling, Suzy speed dial my manager. "Manager oppa, what does my schedule look like today?" she asked curiously aloud as Gayeon stood ready with an answer.
"Just a casual visit to your hairstylist team at three and apart from that, nothing that can't be rescheduled."
"Gamsamhida, Oppa. Send my apologies to the team," Suzy confirmed with an honest smile.
Glad to have picked a manager that knew her well enough to cater for her every wish and need; Suzy grabbed her coat and bag before heading out of the door.
_____________
A grin of achievement sprung to his lips as he watched her strut out from her luxury building apartment, an unknowing expression on her face, that was until her eyes registered with his and her features were replaced with a unexpected smirk.
"Well, well, what do we have here?" She titled her head as he stepped a little closer.
"You seem surprised? Didn't you get my offer?" Joohyuk pondered with a playful faux expression.
"Oh I did, but light lunch and shopping with a twist? Not exactly your run of the mill afternoon."
"That maybe so, but I thought you wanted exhilarating?"
His deep smirk shook her to the core until she inevitably held up her ringed finger.
"Why are we still talking on the sidewalk then?" She shrugged before he nodded in approval.
"After you, Suzy-ssi." He gestured as she smiled and slid into his car.
____________
"Don't you have any schedule today?" Suzy pondered lightly as she brushed her fingers through rails of dresses in a cute boutique they had stumbled upon after their lunch.
"I could say the same to you?" Joohyuk smiled behind his mask as he went to the rail of clothing, picking up a simple blue dress with intricate black detailing which would be perfect for her shape.
"You said it yourself, I want exhilarating. My home couldn't offer me that today. So, I had to take up your offer instead." She smiled appealingly in her mask, taking the dress from his hands and moving towards the dressing room.
"Good choice." Suzy nodded as she trailed her eyes over his outfit, allowing him to wonder whether she was purely referring to the dress that had just been picked for her.
They're eyes locked each others and then they clapped on the close by sales assistant, smiling obediently as they entered the dressing room.
Joohyuk was presently surprised that she took so well to the role of casual shopper, accepting the dress he had picked for.
"You should know, blue really isn't my color," Suzy announced for one side of the dressing room door as Joohyuk reclined on the chaise lounge that had been offered to him.
"We will see-" he began but his words were interrupted as Suzy stepped out from the dressing room.
"Cat got your tongue, Joohyuk-ssi? I told you blue isn't my color." She shrugged, pleasantly amused by the glint in his eyes as he stood to take a closer look.
Twirling his index finger in a circular movement, she took the hint and turned for him.
"Whoever convinced you that blue wasn't your color must have been deluded or jealous."
He couldn't take his eyes off her frame.
The way it pulled in at her waist, hugging her bottom just enough and leaving just enough of cleavage to the imagination certainly did her justice.
"You're like the perfect gay best friend! Jinjja!" Suzy launghed as she turned to see him swallow hard before straightening his stance.
"I can assure you I am anything but gay, Suzy-ah," he corrected.
"Ohhh dropping the honorifics already, Joohyuk-ah?" she playfully said. "Kai! Bai! Bo!!" She wanted to trick him, but couldn't believe what just happened. "Daebak!"
Bae Suzy had found her equal. Guaranteed, any man encountered by her would have been weirded now, but not him.
"Mianhae, Suzy-ah. I am born ready," he said with a victorious laugh. Too proud waving his winning hand rock around her face.
"Such a kid," she blurted out laughing with him.
Suzy didn't expect Joohyuk to share the same humor, level of confidence and weirdness with her, it was confusing for her to meet another 4D personality in this stage of her life.
Only now was Joohyuk starting to realize that Suzy really didn't want feelings involved as she called him a 'kid', but as hard as he tried, tiny moments of honesty would creep out and it scared him of how he felt comfortable with her.
"It'd be a sin not to adorn this outfit at a later date. Allow me?" he asked as she retreated back into the changing room.
"No, thank you. I don't take charity."
"This isn't charity, it's a gesture. Chingu to chingu."
"But I thought purchasing items wasn't part of this trip?" Suzy reminded. "Could you please unzip me?"
Joohyuk's thought path was changed instantly. Her back was presented to him and he torturously withdrew the small zip from its confines as he did as she had requested.
She had bunched her hair to the side as he helped her but she casually twisted the handful of locks as she glanced looked over her shoulder. Joohyuk swallowed hard, she really was torture.
"We have all afternoon to spare. What's the rush? Think of me as your shopping buddy." He coughed and replied to her original question; anything to take his interest away from the presentation of her flawlessly sleek and perfectly porcelain neck and back.
"Gomawo."
From behind her, he saw her cheeks rise as evidence of her smile. He then let go of the zip and stepped away a little as he watched her brace the dress closely to her chest before disappearing back into the changing room.
_____________
"A hat? I'm sure it's still winter," Suzy raised a brow as she donned an overly large summer hat.
She eye-smiled innocently at the sales assistant and took the hat off, walking away from the stand and allowing her fingers to explore the different textures of jewellery littering the tables.
"By the way, you said shopping like a boss for this game. Seems normal to me." Suzy turned curiously to see Joohyuk following her like a loyal companion, occasionally picking up an item to inspect before discarding it and moving onto the next piece of interest.
"You have a handsome shopper." He shrugged with a smirk of the eyebrows before grabbing her wrist.
Almost shocked by the action she soon realized his intentions when he went to softly run a set of bracelets over her fingers and onto her delicate wrists.
"Are you sure you aren't gay?" She giggled lightly as she admired the shiny metal at her wrist.
"One hundred percent. Unless of course, you need more convincing?" he confidently stated, raising his eyebrows.
He couldn't help it. But she laughed nonetheless before speaking in return.
"That won't be necessary. And neither will this." She chimed, forcing the metal from her wrist and dropping it absently where it had originally come from.
"Not my style." Suzy finished as she moved away to another part of the store, taking note that the once attentive sales assistant had lost interest and backed away.
Joohyuk tactfully brushed off the comment and yet again followed her.
"How about an umbrella?" Suzy turned on her heels unexpectedly and with a woosh of air, the umbrella was open and stood proud as her lips formed to a convincing 'O' shape as if it had all been an accident.
The gust of air from the umbrella had sent charms ringing in the store, attracting the attention of customers and sales assistants alike.
"Oops!" Suzy announced.
Handing the umbrella to Joohyuk, Suzy playfully whispered to him. "Let's not make a scene here, shall we?" She giggled, tapping her cheek.
He was caught off guard by the sudden closeness and touch of her hand. All he could afford at that very moment was to swallow his own saliva and nod. He then graciously closed the offending item silently before returning it to the stand like a robot. With a shrug of innocence, he sent the sales assistant a look that made her forgive the good looking gentleman and his company before continuing with her task of assisting another customer.
"Can I interest you in a silk scarf?"
It wasn't really a question, more of a statement as Joohyuk picked up the deep purple, almost plum scarf and swung it around her small neck, allowing it to hang comfortably, complimenting her grey blouse.
"Not bad. You got an eye for fashion," Suzy teased with a content smile as she admired her new accessory in the nearby mirror.
"It seems I do," he replied in a clipped tone and before he could say much else, she was stood in front of him again, her hands smoothly intertwining with his only momentarily until he could feel the warm metal being slipped onto his ring finger.
He looked up to meet her gaze after affirming his suspicions only to be greeted with her warm but mischievous eye smile as both her hands began removing the scarf from her neck and transferring the soft material to Joohyuk's.
Visible over the lapels of his suit he spoke softly but firmly as he reached for her hand and locking his fingers through hers.
"Kol."
With nothing but a mere look of confidence, together they got rid of their masks. Both with a childish grin, Suzy squeezed his hand and they began walking, casually at first before picking up their pace to the exit.
Once Suzy was inches out of the door, she watched as Joohyuk returned the scarf to the sales assistant, throwing her a pitiful thank you and following Suzy.
"Oh Nam Joohyuk?" The sales assistant squealed. "Omo I think I saw Bae Suzy too?"
A rush of adrenaline for such a petty act was reinstated when she leaned against the car door and noticed how the sales assistant and other customers behind Joohyuk approaching the door of the shop in a panicked haze.
Joohyuk began to laugh lightly as he opened the car for her and slipped into the driver's seat. Suzy watched the people rush out onto the sidewalk, only to watch the car patiently pull away from the sidewalk.
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Please take note: In this AU, Covid-19 doesn't exist. 💟