What If... [EXO Suho and Apink Eunji Fanfiction]

Chapter 9

He was the very definition of a gentleman.

She had to admit, she didn't expect this from him. She wasn't very perplexed when he lead her in and held the door open for her, but then he took her over to the table, pulled out a chair for her and only sat down when she had settled in.

"Go ahead and decide what you want to eat," he told her. "I'll pay."

She shot him a look. "You paid last time, didn't you?" she pointed out. "Let me pay this time."

He shook his head. "It's okay, I'll do it," he said. "Think of it as my honor."

She chuckled slightly. "But we're friends, aren't we?" she asked. "Don't friends pay for each other?"

"Don't worry about it," he assured. "I have the money and need to spend it. Let's just keep it as our thing, alright?" He gestured to the two of them. "Between the two of us, meals are on me. You can pay for everything else."

"What else is there?" she complained. 

"Well..." he paused for a moment to think. "Taxi fare?"

She playfully smacked his arm and he held it, feigning hurt. "Okay, fine," she said, sighing, "You can pay." 

He looked like he'd just won a million dollars, and she laughed it off as she went over the menu, deciding what she wanted to have. "What're you getting?" she asked. 

"Hm?" he seemed to be distracted. "Me? Oh, I'm not sure..."

"The options are good,right?" she asked.

He nodded. "We don't have a place like this near our dorm," he said. "You're lucky, Eunji-shi."

She beamed, closing her menu and placing it in the center of the table. "Well, I've already decided what I'm going to have," she said. "Do you need help?"

"You know this place well?" he asked. She nodded. "Then, yes, I need help."

She leaned over the table and he turned his menu so that she could look at it. "Ah, yeah," she said, pointing to a relatively cheap dish. "This is good for breakfast. You should get that."

He nodded. "I guess I will."

"Along with that, choose a coffee or hot beverage," she suggested, turning the page to the drinks listed. "Take your pick."

Deciding, he called over a waiter and allowed her to give her order first. Once she was done, he pointed to the dish she had referred him to, not really knowing its name and ordered a vanilla latte for himself. The waiter bowed and left their table, but she caught him turning around to see the two of them. 

She didn't understand the fuss. She'd visited here with Apink before, both in disguise and out of it. While the waiters kept changing, they were familiar with them.

Why were they acting like they were some big deal now? 

Why couldn't they just be a normal couple on a date?

Suho seemed to notice her slight fidgeting and instantly reached a hand out to hold her hand that was lying on the table. this brought her attention back to him. She saw an expression on his face she hadn't seen before, a mixture of comfort and...something else...was it weariness?

"I know," he simply told her. "It's hard, but we're idols. It comes with the job." He took a deep breath. "Don't focus on them, focus on me instead."

She didn't know why, but she found herself believing his words. Maybe it was the tone of his voice, which had now taken a lower, softer sound. She could feel the vibrations of the words hit her, soothing her heart. She found herself relaxing.