Trickles from a sliver of a crack,

'Til it widens into a stream.

Emotions long kept locked,

Becomes a waterfall, spilling from the brim.

--- J., 2008

After a streak of grey, smoggy days, the sun finally made an appearance. Golden afternoon light filtered through the windows, alighting Yingyue's hair with dappled specks of brilliant blue. Jihoon furtively observed the way the strands grazed the delicate lines of her jaw. She sat across from him at the breakfast bar, a small frown between her eyebrows. While she tapped away on her laptop, he took in the peachy color she'd swiped on her eyelids, cheeks, and lips. The light flush made her winter-pale skin glow with health.

Pretty.

As soon as the unbidden thought came, he flicked his eyes back to his laptop and focused on the work email he'd been reading. He typed his reply while sounding each character. Although he was fluent in conversational Mandarin because his mother had insisted he and his sister speak and study it when they were young, writing with proper grammar was still a bit of a struggle.

Just as he was about to press send, a soft hum drew his attention back to the woman in front of him. She was gnawing at her lower lip causing tiny commas to appear at both corners of her mouth. The desire to reach out and trace them made his arm itch. Clenching his fists, he forced himself to look away.

What the hell was wrong with him?

After he apologized this morning, he promised he'd keep the flirting in check. As much as he enjoyed getting a reaction from her, there was a fine line between friendly physical contact and sexual harassment. It was one he'd never cross.

So why did he keep getting these weird ideas and urges whenever she was near? Mulling on the question, he sent his reply and scrolled through the remaining pending items. Even though everyone in China just started their week-long holiday, it wasn't the same for the rest of the world. Opening a sales report, he browsed through the numbers and made a note of questions he had on a separate file. He managed to make it halfway through before a sudden realization crossed his mind.

Pausing, he chanced another glance. The sight of her gave birth to a tingly sensation at the pit of his stomach. As it grew, it spread upwards until it felt like a flock of tiny swallows were unleashed in his ribcage. Throat dry, Jihoon grabbed his mug and gulped down a mouthful of tepid coffee. That should calm those stupid swallows down. Still feeling a flutter here and there, he drank some more tilting his mug to get the last drop.

There, that did the trick.

Placing his cup back on the marble surface, he went back to scanning her features. To his surprise, she was shining, a halo of gold outlining her body. He was reminded of those romantic Korean dramas his grandmother used to watch. Maybe he'd gone crazy. Or, it could be the universe mocking his attempts to suppress his obvious attraction. Most likely, it was the sun backlighting her. Whatever it was, it took a couple of blinks before the effect faded away. Was this the literal version of seeing someone in a new light?

At the silly thought, his lips quirked up, too.

Right then, Yingyue looked up and caught him staring. Jihoon froze, feeling like he'd been caught misbehaving.

"What is it?" she asked.

"N-nothing." A vehement shake of his head accompanied the proclamation.

An eyebrow quirked up. "Then why were you smiling?"

"Am I not allowed to smile?" he countered.

"I didn't say that. I was just wondering if there was something on my face."

"Oh. No, no! Your face is perfect." He gave himself a mental slap. Even for someone who adored cheese, that was over the top cheesy.

Yingyue's cheeks turn the same shade of cherry as her sweater.

He could feel his own skin heat up, too. Scrambling to salvage the situation, he added, "What I mean is you look wonderful today. Very pretty, in fact. Yeah..."

Now, she was even redder.

Jihoon tugged on the neckline of his turtleneck sweater. A line of sweat dotted his nape.

So much for his rescue attempt.

Thinking it was better to shut up, Jihoon waited for Yingyue to say something. The silence stretched. Was she ever going to speak? He hoped. And hoped. At the same time, he contemplated the possibility of kicking himself.

"Thank you--"

Finally.

"--Ah... you look great, too."

"Really?" Jihoon croaked out.

"Yes, I like your sweater."

He rubbed the soft, beige cashmere covering his torso. "Me too. It's very soft. Wanna touch it?" Dammit! Why did these stupid things keep coming out of his mouth? "Or no--"

"Sure!" Her eyes widened as if shocked by her own response. "I mean just to see if the material is as soft as you say it is."

Well, well, well... Maybe, just maybe, she wasn't immune to him, too. Grinning, he leaned forward, the edge of the counter digging into his abdomen. "Feel away."

With a nonchalant expression, she reached over and laid a hand on his chest. It stayed there for a second, then she pulled away. "You lied."

"I did?"

She nodded, serious. "Nothing soft there. On the contrary, it felt rock-hard."

At that, Jihoon let out a full-blown laugh, one that resonated from the depths of his diaphragm. "Miss Hu," he said when he recovered enough to speak, "by any chance, were you flirting with me?"

She frowned, unsmiling.

Uh-oh. What did he do now?

"Mr. Kang?"

"Y-yes?"

"If there's one thing I dislike..." She dragged the end of the phrase and dangled it in front of him.

Considering her fierce expression, there was not much he could do except bite. "Yes?"

"...it's having to spell out the obvious."

And then she smirked. Actually smirked. Then, as if nothing happened, she went back to typing, shutting him out before Jihoon could deliver a witty comeback. Not that his brain was functioning after being knocked down by the impact of that mischievous smile. If there was one thing Yingyue should know about him, however, it was the fact he was tenacious. She couldn't possibly think he'd let her get away after what she just did.

Clearing his throat, Jihoon stepped off his stool, rounded the counter, and stood next to her.

"What are you working on?" he asked.

"Hmm? I'm just checking on my investments."

Yingyue scooted a little. Whether it was to give him space or get away from him, he wasn't certain. Hopefully, it was the former. Although, it might be a little of both. Anyway, he peered at her screen, curious. "Investments?"

"Yeah, I have a portfolio I'm working on."

She trained an assessing gaze his way.

He crossed his arms and flexed his muscles a bit.

"Did you know I used to be an investment banker?" she asked, not even sparing his biceps a glance.

Disappointed, he took a seat. "I didn't know."

"Yeah, I used to work at J.P. Morgan."

Jihoon let out a low whistle. Having several friends in the same industry, he knew how demanding and competitive it was. "That must have been quite a challenge."

"Yeah, it was. Just thinking about all the overtime work I did..." With a wistful smile, she shook her head.

"I'm sure it was worth it."

"Well, I made it all the way up to VP and saved enough to buy this house, so..."

Knowing how expensive real estate was in such a central location, his jaw dropped. "Definitely worth it. Yingyue, you're amazing!"

"No, I just worked hard." 

"And your hard work was rewarded. That's quite high up the corporate ladder and this is a beautiful house."

"Thank you. I bought this for my parents, but..." She sighed and started tracing swirls on the countertop. A touch of sadness landed on her face, then just as quickly, fleeted away, leaving nothing but a slight sag of her shoulders.

If Jihoon wasn't paying attention, he would have missed it. But, he was, so he caught that momentary glimpse. For a moment, he wondered if he should dig deeper. When he was about to reply, he realized maybe it wasn't his place to do so, so he stayed silent. They've only known each other for a few days. What right did he have to pry? Besides, what if she started asking about him?

That gave him pause.

Deciding it was better to let his questions go, he sealed his curiosity away. Still, he couldn't help but be worried. Acting on impulse, he inched a little closer. But, when she looked his way, he moved back. 

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bring down the mood," she said, waving her hand as if to vanquish the moment.

"Don't worry about it. I just want you to know one thing though."

"What is it?"

"If ever you need a hug--" he opened his arms wide "--I'm here, willing and available."

The sound of her giggling was music to his ears. 

"Okay, I'll keep that in mind."

"How about redeeming the offer now?"

"No, thank you."

With an exaggerated pout, Jihoon dropped his hands. "Your loss."

"I didn't say I won't redeem it later."

"Ah, then I'll be waiting."

A grin plastered on both their faces, their gazes lingered. Jihoon felt that invisible pull tugging his body forward. Hands clenched, he resisted. But then, he noticed her eyes drop down to his lips. At once, his heart pushed into fourth gear. 

A little closer, just a little closer. 

His legs twitched at the effort it took to stay put. When their eyes met again, her pupils blown and hypnotic, Jihoon was ready to throw caution to the wind. To his relief, a loud sound from her laptop broke the spell. While Yingyue turned to check what it was about, Jihoon expelled the breath he'd been holding.

"Oh," she exclaimed, "Lunar New Year's Eve is tonight. I completely forgot."

Grateful for the change of topic, he replied, "You're right. Any plans?" 

"Does sleeping count?" 

"Absolutely not."

She shrugged. "Then I have none."

"Hey, I have an idea. How about we order some food and watch the countdown gala together?"

At the suggestion, her expression lit up. "That's a great idea! But no need to order. I can cook some dishes."

"Are you sure? I don't want you to overexert yourself."

"Don't worry." She patted his arm. "You'll help me, won't you?"

"Of course! But I'm not sure I'll be much help. As I said, I can't cook."

"Lucky for you, I'm a great cook. Just do as I say, okay?"

He gave her an okay sign. "I exist to do as you wish."

Yingyue muttered something under her breath.

"What? I didn't quite catch that."

With a soft laugh, she got off her stool and started walking. "I said let's start."

Although his feet trailed behind her, his mind was elsewhere. It was still stuck at that moment when he thought he heard her say, "I wish you would kiss me."

Except that didn't make sense. She said no to a hug, so why would she want a kiss?

Impossible. Definitely impossible. 

Wasn't it? 

☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ 

Author's note: 

Surprise! My update schedule is so irregular, I don't know when the next chapters will come out. I do really try to update once a month, though. For this one, it took me a while to figure out how Jihoon thinks. He's a mystery even to me. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy this chapter!

Also, I'm excited to write the next part. Two people. One couch. Loads of attraction. What could possibly happen? :P

P.S. Thank you to blu_blu_skye for recommending the above song to me.