THE LANDLORD (BBANGSAZ)

Chapter 6

MINJI

"No, no, no, there's no way I'm letting you wear that on a date," Hanni said, crossing her arms and shaking her head.

I'd just walked out of my bedroom to show her what I'd thought was a reasonable outfit for a casual let's start with drinks and see where this goes kind of date. But based on the horrified look on her face? I was dead wrong.

"What's wrong with this?" I asked, gesturing at my khaki pants and blue plaid shirt. I wouldn't have gone so far as to call myself a style expert, but I didn't think this outfit was that bad.

Hanni's eyebrows shot straight up, her eyes growing wide with disapproval. "Khakis?" she exclaimed. "For drinks?"

"They're nice," I said defensively, brushing the front of my pants with my palms.

Hanni softened for a moment, uncrossing her arms and sighing. "They are nice," she said, leaning forward from her spot on the couch to take another sip of her glass of wine, "if you're going to church on a Sunday and a picnic afterward. But you're going on a date. I beg of you, go try again." She nodded authoritatively, scrunching her brows together in a determined look.

"Fine," I muttered, turning to head back up the stairs. But I had to admit a part of me was getting a kick out of this, recalling the way she'd called me out on my cheesy pickup lines that night at the bar.

"Go put some jeans on. Dark wash, please!" she called after me as I rounded the corner to my bedroom. "And nothing too baggy," she called again.

Unbuttoning my shirt, I couldn't help but smile and shake my head at how comfortable Hanni was bossing me around. We'd only been neighbors for a couple of weeks, but it felt like we'd known each other for years. Even if things between us had a rocky start, it was nice having another adult around to share a drink with. Just having someone to talk and laugh with made the house seem not too quiet.

The only slight hiccup was Jia. It wasn't that she didn't like Hanni, but she was still suspicious about the whole special adult snuggle-time thing, something we had to tread lightly around.

Tonight, however, Jia was with her grandparents, most likely getting spoiled out of her mind. When it was clear Jia's mom wasn't going to be a part of the picture, I made sure to move the two of us closer to my parents. Honestly, having them on hand was a godsend. I loved my life with Jia and wouldn't trade our time together for the world, but the fact is, I needed backup reinforcements sometimes, no matter how much I might like attending tea parties and wearing tiaras.

Standing in front of my open closet, I pushed some shirts around on their hangers, looking for something more suitable for drinks. After tossing a pair of dark jeans on the bed, I continued rummaging around in my closet, finally landing on a gray sweater. I quickly changed into the new outfit and returned to the living room, ready to be playfully insulted by Hanni all over again.

I walked out in front of the couch to find her waiting for me with her wineglass in hand. Smiling, I raised a curious eyebrow, and she quickly set the glass down on the coffee table in front of her. Before I could say anything remotely teasing, she stood with a high-pitched squeal, clapping her hands and nodding with approval.

"Look at you! This is perfect. The jeans are great, and that sweater . . ." Hanni's gaze slid over my pecs and shoulders, her expression shifting just enough for me to feel a slight jolt of electricity between us. "It's great," she said quickly, snapping her eyes up to mine and forcing a smile.

"Glad to see you approve." I smirked.

She laughed and swatted my arm with the back of her hand. Even as she settled back into her seat on the couch, seemingly casual and unfazed, I could still feel the spark between us.