Chasing Perfection || Lee Know

Chasing Perfection.

The evening felt like it had been pulled straight out of a painting. The city skyline stretched behind them, fading into soft twilight as the boat restaurant drifted lazily along the river. Strings of warm lights glowed above, reflecting off the water and casting everything in golden shimmer.

Hyejin sat across from Minho, dressed in the outfit he had chosen for her—something elegant, timeless, yet distinctly her. The way his gaze lingered on her every few seconds made her stomach twist, because it wasn't just admiration. It was reverence.

"Stop staring," she teased, cutting into her plate delicately. "People are going to think you're obsessed with me."

Minho leaned forward, unbothered, eyes glittering under the warm light. "Good. I am obsessed with you. Let them know."

Her laugh carried over the water, soft but unrestrained. He reached across the table, taking her hand, and pressed his lips to her knuckles. "Do you know how many times I thought about this exact moment? Sitting here with you, on the water, and you finally looking at me like I hung the stars?"

"Maybe you did," she whispered, thumb brushing over his knuckles. "At least the ones I get to see when I look at you."

Minho's chest tightened, and he leaned in as though he could get drunk on the moment alone. "Then I'll keep hanging them until you never have to see the dark again."

She shook her head, smiling so tenderly it nearly undid him. "You didn't just hang them... you made me believe they'd shine for me too."

His lips curved into something softer than a smile—something that almost looked like prayer. "That's because they do. Every star, every light, every stupid little thing in this world exists just so you'll never feel small."

"Careful," she teased, voice light but her eyes warm. "You're going to make me think you're obsessed with me too."

"I am," Minho said without missing a beat. "Completely, shamelessly obsessed. And you love it."

She rolled her eyes, though the blush creeping over her cheeks betrayed her. "Do I?"

"You do." He tugged her hand closer until she leaned across the table, until her face was inches from his. His voice dropped, almost reverent. "And if you don't yet... I'll make sure you do. A thousand dates, Hyejin. A thousand first times. Because every moment with you feels like starting over, and I want to start over forever."

Her lips parted, her breath catching at the intensity in his eyes. For a second, she forgot how to breathe. "Minho..."

But he only smiled, brushing his nose against hers with boyish playfulness before stealing a kiss that tasted like wine, and every promise he hadn't put into words.

When he pulled back, her laugh was shaky, but bright. "God, you really don't know how to stop, do you?"

"Not when it comes to you," he murmured, pressing another kiss to her hand like a vow. "Never when it comes to you."

Halfway through dinner, Minho leaned back in his chair, watching her enjoy herself, watching her glow in the flicker of lantern light. He sighed dramatically.

"What?" she asked, arching a brow.

"You're too beautiful. It's distracting." He tilted his head, lips quirking. "How's a man supposed to eat when the prettiest woman alive is across from him, the woman who made cherry cola look like fine wine?"

Her cheeks heated at the memory of earlier—him kissing her until she tasted like soda and heat. "You're insufferable."

"And you love it."