Yisu Cho leaned against the railing, smoke trailing lazily from his mouth. He was currently alone in a quiet corner of a second-floor terrace in Cheongdam, having stepped away from the other men to have a private smoke.
Just one, he'd thought, before they moved on to other business. But Yisu was on his second cigarette now, as he'd let the first burn itself out in a moment of distraction.
He could hardly be blamed considering what was happening in the quiet alley between this building and its neighbour, just a few feet beneath the covered balcony where he stood.
"... alone to a secluded place like this, wearing something like that."
"Oppa, why are you acting like this?..."
Seeing Ari Lim emerge from the popular karaoke business next door had surprised Yisu only mildly. As far as he was aware, beyond her acupuncture skills, Ari Lim was an ordinary teenage girl who should enjoy spending time in such ordinary places with her equally ordinary friends. An interesting coincidence to spot her here, but not a particularly noteworthy one. It was when he saw director Samuel Seo slip out of the shadows of the same alley, heading purposefully towards her, that Yisu's attention had shifted from idle to focused.
His first reaction, of course, had been to wonder what Samuel Seo was doing here, and in such a bedraggled state at that.
His second: Him too, huh.
Whether Ari Lim's interest lay in tattoos in general or his tattoos in specific, every time they met, Yisu could sense her peeking at his face in curious, poorly concealed glances. If he could notice this even without looking directly at her, it was no wonder that Director Cheon, whose eyes trailed her with silent, torpid heat, or Doctor Hangyul Baek, who watched her with religious fanaticism, had as well. Neither Director Cheon nor President Baek liked for her to pay Yisu much attention at all, and as a result, Yisu Cho had been able to observe Ari Lim only in passing or from a distance, or occasionally during his review of security footage.
Even so, Yisu would have had to be deaf, blind, and brainless to not notice Director Cheon's attraction to Ari Lim, let alone Doctor Baek's unabashed, rather handsy fixation. After all, they were both men who were used to taking what they wanted through any means. It was hardly a surprise that neither of them had made the slightest effort to hide his interest in her, despite that she was meant to be off-limits.
"Which bastard is it?"
Now it was obvious that Samuel Seo from the Fourth Affiliate was also of the same mind.
Yisu would have pitied Ari Lim for being the target of attention that a hardened soldier would be ill-equipped to handle, let alone an coddled young girl like her, except---
Except that it had never seemed to bother her very much.
Because she never seemed to notice.
When Director Cheon wordlessly hefted her backpack over his shoulder like it was a matter of course, or took off his jacket to drape around her shoulders as soon as she looked vaguely cold; when Doctor Baek wound his fingers around the ends of her hair and brought it to his mouth, or spoke to her in a terribly soft voice that made clear he wanted nothing more than to gather her into his arms; when either of them stared down any man who approached her with a gaze that promised cold murder...
Her reaction remained the same: Friendly. Light. Clueless.
Not once had he ever seen Ari Lim show any indication of having noticed that these behaviours were born of motives other than platonic affection, pleasant courtesy, or even, absurdly, professionalism. Apparently, their shows of interest were still not as blatant as Ari Lim was oblivious.
"... Until I knocked you up."
So Yisu certainly could not be blamed for remaining in place, close enough to the encounter between Samuel Seo and Ari Lim to hear most of their words drifting up with the rise and fall of their voices.
Yisu Cho had always wondered, with a clinical and likely dangerous curiosity, what it would take for Ari Lim to finally acknowledge a man's pursuit.
The answer was beyond anything he could have foreseen.
"Samuel-oppa," Ari said lightly. Yisu watched as her face suddenly brightened with an easy-going, cheerful smile. "You're lucky that it was me, instead of anyone else! If you'd said that to a girl who didn't know you... Jeez, I guess she would have called the cops already." She laughed carelessly and put both of her hands on Samuel Seo's shoulders. With what must have been gargantuan effort, on account of how much his body gulfed hers, she briskly pushed him back to a standing posture. "You're a bit of a hassle to deal with when you're drunk, huh? I'll call Manager Kim or someone to help you get back home safe. Be obedient and just stay here, okay?"
Yisu couldn't see Samuel Seo's expression from this angle, but he could see that the man did not continue to press her but rather remained slumped in place, swaying slightly. When Ari casually swept away the hands on her waist, one after the other, he did not resist.
Yisu Cho also straightened, slowly drawing away from the edge of the balcony. Despite everything, he found himself taken aback.
Clueless? Could this still be called clueless?
Impossible. This was pushing far beyond the realm of ignorance and all the way to absurd stupidity.
But Ari Lim was not stupid.
Which meant...
Below, Ari slipped out from the dark pocket of space between Samuel Seo's hulking body and the wall of the karaoke building.
"Oppa, you mustn't move an inch from here while I get someone," she said, trotting backwards with her arms folded neatly behind her back. "If I let you get in an accident while you're all out of it like this, I'll be scolded by both our bosses!"
Samuel Seo gave a low hum that was neither agreement or disagreement. He made no move to stop Ari when she began darting towards the exit of the alley.
With sudden awareness, Yisu could finally hear the field of thorns hidden behind her sweet words and her flower-like smile. From several feet above, he silently shifted closer to the corner of the terrace, his eyes following overhead as Ari made her exit to the sidewalk outside of the alley. She was still smiling, even though Samuel Seo could no longer see it.
Ari Lim wasn't stupid at all. No, she was smarter than anyone would ever give her credit for.
Ari swiftly turned the corner of his building and came to a stop several safe feet away from the mouth of the alley, her right side guarded by a stream of busily moving pedestrians.
Yisu watched as she put a hand on her chest and slumped forward a bit. Her shoulders heaved, as if with a heavy sigh, before she immediately straightened up again in a fluid motion that swept up from her hips to the crown of her head.
Tilting her chin up so that her face was once again brightened by the sun, she moved her hand from her chest to the small of her back. Pinched between her fingers was something that almost couldn't be seen, if it hadn't reflected the light for a single, glittering moment just before she tucked it into the band of her jeans.
Yisu Cho pressed his lips around his cigarette. He almost wanted to smile.
Ah. So that's how it was.
Yisu once again swept his eyes back towards the alley, where Samuel Seo stood as a statue, wordless and still. He was no longer swaying in place.
Just as Yisu was about to leave, he heard a low laugh break the long silence.
Samuel Seo finally began to move. With steady, brisk movements, he brushed his disheveled hair back into place and straightened out his clothes.
Then he slid his hands into his pockets and strolled back down the alley, completely sober.
___
[ Author's Note ]
yisu cho accidentally just watched a soap carried on by two award-winning actresses. unfortunately, he can't tell anyone what he saw on account of he's not supposed to be looking at ari that long lol
YOU ARE READING
adora • lookism
Fanfiction"I could eat that girl for lunch; she dances on my tongue, tastes like she might be the one..." It's said that those who are loved attract more love onto themselves. Ari's philosophy has always been to be so loveable that no one can think to harm...
