A Flower's Design

Chapter 4

Fluttering his eyes open slowly, Wooyoung made a small noise of confusion when the unfamiliar room interior came into view. His vision was blurry at first but gradually focused, and he slowly lifted himself into a seated position. He could still hear soft music playing overhead from a speaker as his memory came back of where he had been before he fainted. His eyes then widened, and he looked around more in a bit of a panic. He sat on a bed in what looked like a medical clinic room but also a sort of waiting room. As he moved his legs over the side of the bed, he heard voices conversating outside of the room since the door was cracked open.
Wooyoung stood up carefully and made his way to the door, pushing it open and peering outside. By the looks of it, he was still in the agency building, and his gaze followed where the voices were coming from, landing on a face that made his heart flip in his chest. Choi San sat in a chair talking to a few people, seeming deep in conversation. He was dressed in a very nice red button-down dress shirt, his sleeves cuffed similarly to his turtleneck that he wore at the runway show. The shirt was fitted in the best ways and was partnered with black dress pants that were on the tighter side. His hair was slicked back nicely out of his face, and Wooyoung noticed also the hues of rose and tan eyeshadow on his eyelids. The colors fit him so well, and he looked good. He looked really good. Wooyoung felt his mouth dry up, swallowing hard as a bit of that anxiety returned from earlier. He took a deep breath to remain as calm as he could be, stepping out of the room and walking over to where San sat. The designer's attention turned to him as he heard the footsteps, and he stood up.
"Wooyoung, you're finally awake." He smiled politely as he spoke. Wooyoung gave a small nod before asking. "What happened? One moment, I was in the waiting area, and now I'm here." San gestured for Wooyoung to sit in one of the chairs, noticing he still looked a little faint. Wooyoung was happy to oblige, sitting down so he didn't lose his balance. "When I came out of my office, you fainted suddenly, so I had my medical and emergency staff bring you to one of our clinic rooms. It startled me, but the staff said it was just a fainting spell and wasn't too serious." Wooyoung nodded as he listened to San speak. San was definitely very caring for anyone around him if he was that concerned about Wooyoung, a random stranger he met once at a show.
Wooyoung's lips turned to a sweet smile as he looked at San. "Thank you.. I think it was just from a mixture of a few things. Anxiety being the biggest factor. I've been nervous to meet with you all day for some reason.." He shyly admitted, which only earned a soft chuckle from San. "I can understand that. A lot of people are nervous when they come to meet me. I've been told it's mostly from them not knowing what to expect. But I can assure you, I'm a nice person. I don't bite, much." He said in a playful manner, trying to lighten the situation and help Wooyoung's nerves relax. And it did just that. Wooyoung laughed softly and let out a deep breath. "That makes me feel a bit better that I'm not the only one.. would we still be able to continue with the meeting then?" He asked, voice and eyes both equally full of hope. San nodded, and the two stood up. "Of course. Let's head to my office, and we'll get started." He led him towards the elevator, pressing the button and letting him step in first.
Wooyoung felt a subtle fluttering feeling deep in his gut when he stepped onto the elevator with San, just the two of them, alone. He didn't understand why a random fashion designer had such an effect on him. He glanced over at San as the elevator doors closed, and it started rising past the many floors. "I'm curious, Mr. Choi.. why did you give me a personal business card instead of the company one? Miss Hwang told me you never do it that often." He brought up his conversation with Yeji, and San turned to face him with that same, sweet dimpled smile that Wooyoung saw in his dream. His heart lept, and he felt his ears heat up a few shades of pink.
"I'm very interested in working with you. You have a certain type of spunk and charisma that captured my attention almost immediately. I always pick my models based on who they are and what they can add of their own to my designs." He explained to Wooyoung, his intentions made clear as he spoke. "And when I look at you, I see a stunning, young flower, ripe to bloom. It could become any color. Any texture. Have any petal length. The possibilities are endless. I can tell you have drive and passion. And that's what I look for in people."
There it was. A stunning, young flower. Wooyoung felt a strange shiver shoot up his spine and back down again when the words replayed in his mind, over and over again. Maybe it was simply a coincidence, but he decided to push it to the back of his mind for now. He was so lost in thought that he didn't realize San had been gazing at him silently for quite a bit, and it was only when they made eye contact did he realize he zoned out as San was talking to him. He went into a fit of apologies as the blush that was flushing his ears creeped inwards, the blood rushing to his cheeks in embarrassment. There was an indistinguishable look in San's piercing eyes, almost like a wildcat staring him down but not yet having decided to either devour him or spare him.
The elevator finally reached the floor of San's office, and the doors opened. San stepped out of the elevator, and Wooyoung followed suit quietly. He felt ashamed that he disrespected San by basically ignoring him as he was talking, and San hadn't said anything back to him about it. The designer led Wooyoung past Yeji, who was sitting at her desk, heavily engrossed in her work. The two men made their way to a pair of large double doors, a security staff member opening and holding the door for the two to walk in.
San went and sat in his chair behind his desk, patiently waiting for Wooyoung to sit in one of the chairs in front of the desk facing him. Wooyoung sat down and crossed his legs. He was doing well with staying calm as he looked around the office at the many photos and sketches San had up on the walls. His office was decorated nicely, having a specific charm that was definitely fitting. San cleared his throat to get Wooyoung's attention before beginning to speak, his friendly tone and expression returning.
"So Wooyoung, to get started, why don't you tell me about what you do for a living? What are your hobbies and interests? What makes you, you?" He asked, clasping his hands together and propping his elbows up on his desk as he looked at Wooyoung. Wooyoung thought for a moment about the questions and started telling San about his life. He mentioned his dance crew he was in and his simple yet fun lifestyle, along with his interests and hobbies that he enjoyed. He noticed how intently San was listening to him, taking in every word he said with deep interest, and he wore a gentle and content expression on his face.
When Wooyoung finished speaking, San leaned back in his chair as he smiled again. 'Good lord, if he keeps smiling at me like that, I'm gonna have a heart attack..' Wooyoung thought to himself, feeling the slight heat rushing to the apples of his cheeks. In a split second, Wooyoung could swear he noticed a dark glint in San's gaze before it went back to normal. San's eyes were all too expressive, and yet Wooyoung couldn't seem to decipher what exactly the man was thinking. San finally broke the silence between them. "You seem to have your life all held together well. There's a good head on those shoulders of yours, and I definitely want to see what more you'll achieve." He said with a voice full of confidence.
Wooyoung smiled hearing San's words, and he gave a curt nod as a small form of respect for that moment. "Thank you. That really means a lot coming from someone of your status." He was filled to the brim with pride, basically beaming from how excited he was. San stood up from his chair and handed Wooyoung a piece of paper. "I do have to attend another meeting shortly so if you wouldn't mind writing down a quick schedule of your next two weeks as well as your number, I'll have Yeji contact you about when we can meet again. And then I'll have one of my staff take you to show you basic areas of the building that you'll use most often like the cafeteria and whatnot." He explained to him.
Wooyoung took the paper and nodded in response, beginning to write down what he would be doing at what times in the next two weeks, as well as his phone number. At first, he thought it was a bit odd that he was just writing this all on a random piece of notebook paper, but who was he to question his new boss? As he finished writing and handed back the paper, he unintentionally spoke his thoughts aloud. "I'd prefer you to give me the tour if anything.." His voice was quiet, but still loud enough to be heard by the man in front of him. San's eyes widened a little bit as he looked at Wooyoung, bewildered at such a statement coming out of his mouth.
Wooyoung was absolutely mortified. Did he really just say that in front of San? What was it with this man that made him lose all sense of composure? He internally hoped San wouldn't mention anything about what he said, but his hope diminished almost immediately when San spoke. "I admire your boldness, Wooyoung." He said, a slight smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. Wooyoung couldn't look San in the eye, and his gaze kept averting from his face to something elsewhere in the room. "That wasn't supposed to come out, actually.. I apologize." He sounded almost pitiful, but San was merely amused. He continued. "Why apologize? You want an authentic tour by the head man himself. There's nothing wrong with that. I suppose I can postpone the meeting an hour to give you a short tour. Come on." He gestured for him to stand up.
Wooyoung was very confused. Normally, people would have gotten weirded out or uncomfortable or maybe even offended from a comment like that, but San had no care in the world. It seemed San was just content with him. As Wooyoung stood up and followed San out of the office, he felt a sort of warmth about the situation. He wanted to laugh at how anxious he was before. He now felt he had no reason to be as anxious as he was, and he felt a little silly, but he shrugged the thoughts away when San opened the elevator and allowed him to walk in first. 'Here we go again..' He thought.
As the two stood in the elevator alone for the second time, the atmosphere was a little different. It felt more warm and tranquil rather than sharp and anxiety inducing. However, for some reason, this elevator ride seemed to go on forever, especially when San looked directly at him. Wooyoung's eyes were filled with confusion as San took a step closer to him. "May I?" He asked, and Wooyoung's heart began to beat rapidly. May he what? Why was he stepping closer? Why was his voice so soft? What was happening? Wooyoung's breath caught in his throat, nodding slightly, in which San reached out and leaned in closer to him. Wooyoung's face felt hot, and he felt his knees beginning to tremble. Time froze for him, and it felt like hot steam was shooting from his ears. He could tell San was trying to hold back a grin, and it tied his stomach in knots at the thoughts of what was potentially happening. San's hand reached up and pulled at Wooyoung's hair a little, moving back into view with a small white fuzz between his fingers. "There was a fuzzy in your hair." He said, his voice now lingering along the lines of sweet and innocent.
Wooyoung's heart nearly stopped in his chest, and he could feel it beating all the way up to his head. San noticed Wooyoung's state and simply smiled. "You alright? Your face is all red.." He immediately strayed away from that sweet tone, and his voice dropped into an almost purr-like tone instead as he mentioned how red Wooyoung's face was. Wooyoung struggled to find the words to say. "I uh.. it's just- hot in here.. it's very warm outside the elevator might not get any air conditioning." He blurted out the quickest, best excuse he could think of, yet his expression betrayed his words, and San's eyes glimmered with that darkened look once again.
The elevator doors finally opened, and San stepped out onto the floor, regaining his sense of elegance and sophistication. Wooyoung just watched him with slightly widened eyes, and he was quick to follow after. 'What even was that?' He thought, his breathing finally at least starting to calm down as he followed San to their first destination. Wooyoung looked around as he was led to what was said to be the cafeteria, which was more like a quaint cafe than a cafeteria, but it added yet another charm to the agency in Wooyoung's mind. They were quick to pass the area, and San continued to lead Wooyoung around to different rooms and spaces, explaining to him what they were for and introducing him to the staff he would need to know.
Quite a bit of time passed, and finally, the two of them arrived at the main lobby. San turned to look at Wooyoung with a gentle smile, such a look causing Wooyoung's face to, yet again, flush a faint pink at the apples. What was with him today? Wooyoung's attention snapped right back once he heard San begin to speak to him. "I hope you enjoyed my attempt at a tour. I could only show you so much due to my tight schedule, but feel free to explore as much as you want. You're part of my team now, and I expect you to feel comfortable here." His tone was filled with earnest sincerity as he spoke, and Wooyoung felt a wave of adoration crash over him.
San was so kind and genuine and it was so attractive. Attractive? Again, with such thoughts. Wooyoung smiled back at San and gave a small nod. "I definitely feel comfortable so far, and I appreciate you taking the time to show me around. No wonder everyone seems to love working for you." His words made San's smile widen, and the man adjusted his stance with an obvious feeling of pride. "Why, thank you." He responded. "I'm happy to know people think so highly of me. I do have to go now, but I hope to talk more with you soon. Enjoy the rest of your day, Wooyoung." He held out his hand for Wooyoung to shake, and Wooyoung did just that. He firmly grasped San's hand, and at first was a little surprised at just how soft his skin was, but quickly shook his hand and let go so he didn't seem like some weirdo.
"Have a good day, as well, Mr. Choi." He said with a small wave as San headed back towards the elevator to presumably go back to his office. Wooyoung went to the separate elevator to lead him back to the parking garage. Once he returned to his car, he sat back against the seat and let out a heavy sigh. "That was so embarrassing.. I can't believe I fainted in front of him.." He was quiet for a moment before speaking again. "I can't believe he got so close to me.. Holy shit.." Running a hand through his hair, he started his car and put his seatbelt on. "I definitely can't tell Yeosang about this. He would freak out." He said as he pulled out of the parking space and left the garage.
Wooyoung arrived home in a short amount of time and went inside, setting his keys on the coffee table and plopping himself down onto the couch, feeling himself sink into the cushions as the all the anxiety from today melted away into the tranquil scent of his lavender and chamomile incense sticks that lingered in the air. He laid his head against the back of the couch and closed his eyes, taking a few deep breaths as the events from earlier passed through his mind. The mental image of San leaning in so close to him was branded into his brain and just the thought of it, the way he could just slightly feel San's breath mingling with his own, and the way those sharp eyes bore into his very soul, made the hairs on his arms stand up and he felt a boiling heat rise deep inside his body. A shudder wracked through his body, and he opened his eyes to look directly at his own reflection on his television screen. "How am I going to survive being around him.." He muttered quietly to himself. "Especially now that I'm starting to want him.."