Secrets of Attraction

Eleven: SUZY

"What's up?"

Juhoon smiled as he walked into the kitchen. He'd decided to stay with us until he found a place of his own, but his schedule with the corporate-jet gig had been pretty full. We hadn't had the chance to talk except to say, "We should really talk," since eomma had broken the news. Part of me was really okay with that. I wasn't sure how to act around him, which made me even more self-conscious because I'd never had to think about acting a certain way around him.

"Hey, I, um, didn't expect to see you," I said as he placed the bags on the counter.

"The flight I was scheduled for got canceled."

Juhoon looked over my shoulder at Joohyuk. "Hair? In the kitchen?"

"Eomma doesn't really use the kitchen to cook when you're not here," I said, chuckling. "This is my friend Joohyuk. He's a developer and he's also going to produce songs, so I'm giving him a new look."

I picked up the whisk and resumed mixing the dye.

Juhoon put out his hand in greeting. Joohyuk wrestled his from underneath the plastic cape and gave him a hearty shake.

"This is Juhoon," I said, "he's a . . ." I stumbled - the word father would not come out.

"A friend of the family," Juhoon finished. "I wa going to make my vegetarian stir-fry, but I see you're busy."

"We should be done here in about half an hour. I can dry him upstairs, if that's okay with you."

Juhoon nodded. He didn't know the no-boys-on-the-second-floor rule, but since it was a special situation, I didn't feel like I was taking advantage. And it's not like I was going to be doing anything else but drying Joohyuk's hair.

"Uh, yeah, sure, that's great." He unpacked the groceries - mostly veggies - and put them on the top shelf of the fridge, then grabbed an apple. "I'll put out of your hair in a minute - ha, hair."

I shook my head.

"It's Seonmi's late night, right?"

"Yep," I said, pulling on latex gloves with a snap. I wiggled my fingers maniacally at Joohyuk. He had a wide, curvy mouth that stretched into an adorable smile. It transformed him from broody to hot in two second flat.

"I'm not going to regret this, am I?" he asked.

"Nope, especially not when the Gangnam girls swoon."

"Hey, you guys mind if I turn on some music?" Juhoon asked, flipping through the mail on the counter. He grabbed today's newspaper and put it under his arm. "I'll just hang in the dining room until you're done."

"Go ahead."

Moments later Juhoon's favorite song was playing in the dining room, singing along the song in between loud, crunchy bites of his Granny Smith. It wasn't a particularly romantic song but it took on new meaning to me every time I heard the chorus. Did it mean anything to Juhoon when he heard it? Did he think about winning at craps, a night with eomma? Ick. My cheeks grew warm. With Joohyuk into his thing, I was sure listening to this must have been romancey to him.

"Sorry for the, um, oldies," I said, working the dye into his hair.

"It's fine, he's cool. My dad listens to these type of songs all the time."

He smiled again. It was a smile I could trust.

"Mine too," I whispered.

✿ Secrets of Attraction ✿

"Joohyuk, omo, you have the patience of a two-year-old - sit still," I said.

We'd moved up to my bathroom to let Juhoon begin his culinary genius while I dried Joohyuk's hair. I'd made him sit on my fuzzy white toilet cover, facing the tub so he couldn't look in the mirror. He kept squirming, trying to sneak a peek. I wanted the look to be complete before the final reveal. It came out pretty hot, if I did say so myself. His dazzling eyes stood out in contrast to his lighter hair. I'd shaped his bangs to curled inward. He would be irresistible onstage.