Jamais Vu

Chapter 15

Let's talk," said Hoseok as he sat after he wiped his hands dry.

Sunhee put her notebook on the table and removed her apron. The experimenting and food tasting gave her enough time to hide her nervousness. She was only expecting a message reply, but not him being there to give that. She can't put it off any further. Besides, she was the one who kept on asking him about what happened that evening.

Sunhee took a deep breath.

"You're not serious about this boyfriend-girlfriend stuff right?" started Sunhee, running her fingers through her hair as she paced around.

"What if I am?" tested Hoseok.

"Do you realize the situation you're putting both of us in? You're my business partner and you're asking me to be in a relationship with you," Sunhee was getting frustrated.

"To be fair, you're the one who initiated it. I was just accepting what was offered," defended Hoseok.

"I did?" asked Sunhee. Darn if that doesn't make her sounded shallow, Sunhee berated herself. She should just watch what she say. She's just making herself look bad.

Hoseok gave her a droll stare, "The application. Remember?"

Sunhee was quiet in response. She had it coming with every single thing that came out of her mouth.

Hoseok suddenly felt drained and tired. She didn't mean it, he thought. He shouldn't take it to heart to begin with. "Look, if you don't want it we can just pretend that didn't happen. I'm going home," Hoseok stood intending to leave. Jin was right, he was impulsive. The feeling was not mutual. Yoongi and Jin didn't have to know what happened that day. He was just glad, or he would never hear the end of it. He crashed and he burned.

"Wait, babe. Don't go," she put a hand on his, stopping his move from the stool. The word just came automatically from Sunhee's mouth before she knew it.

Hoseok's brow raised at that endearment. "Babe? See, you're doing it again," said Hoseok. "You have been making me go through a heck of an emotional rollercoaster ride, with every single flippant thing that you said. Are you always that thoughtless of what you say with everyone?"

Sunhee mumbled something, but Hoseok just moved on.

"Don't say that kind of thing if you don't mean it. Makes a guy think you're interested in them."

"I am," admitted Sunhee curtly staring at a space next to Hoseok. She couldn't find it in her to look at him squarely in the eye. Darn if it wasn't already awkward as it already was, thanks to her ever glib tongue. They had to settle that one out before any one of them leave or it was going to be even worse. They had only started on the partnership and thanks to her, she was already doing things she wasn't supposed to do.

"You're what?" Hoseok was getting confused.

"I can't take back what I already said and I know I'm breaking all sorts of the business ethics by what I said," started Sunhee.

"I don't get you," said Hoseok looking confused.

Sunhee laughed mirthlessly, "I don't get me either. So where do we go from here?"

"From where?" asked Hoseok, still puzzled.

"Damn it, Hoseok! I just told you I'm interested in you. I like you. There," said Sunhee exasperatedly, finally looking at him, trying to gauge his reaction. He looked thoroughly stunned.

"When did you say that?" asked Hoseok again.

"When you said... forget about it," replied Sunhee. She was not going backtrack and explain every single thing that she just said. She just told that man she likes him and he didn't even realize it. She felt like cursing to the whole world for that as she try to march pass him, intending to escape. Where did she put the pot? She needed one to cover her embarrassed face.