No more masks: Pulling out your safety pin

Date Night Part 2

Things don't go according to plan.

Gang Tae leaned against Sang Tae's desk in the study, looking through his older brother's sketchbook and waiting for Moon Young to get ready for their date. Sang Tae was going to have dinner with Jae Su tonight, and get dropped off at the mansion later. Jae Su had, as usual, whined about it at first, but once Gang Tae promised he would hang out with Jae Su for an entire day, he had happily swept Sang Tae off on Alberto.

Gang Tae smiled to himself, thinking how nice it was to have a friend and older brother like Jae Su by his side. Despite always wallowing in his own misfortunes and problems throughout the years, Jae Su had stuck through it all and relentlessly followed him everywhere. One of the things he was trying to improve about himself now was being a better support system for Jae Su in return.

Speaking of relentless ... the other relentless force in his life could be heard moving around upstairs closing doors and eventually walking down the stairs.

He closed Sang Tae's sketchbook and stood up straight. "Are you ready to go?" he said as he walked to the entrance hall. His mouth fell open as he watched Moon Young walk down the stairs.

She wore a tight knee-length sleeveless black dress with a wide, square neckline that hugged her perfect body like a glove. Her hair was parted to the side and pulled back into a sleek, low bun, revealing her long neck. Her only accessories were simple black and gold drop earrings and pointed black heels.

She came and stood before him. She was wearing a perfume he hadn't smelled on her before, a floral bouquet scent that went straight to his head

.

"How do I look?" she asked, smoothing her dress.

His only response was to gape. Was incredibly sexy an appropriate thing to say?

"Aish, it's too plain, isn't it? I knew it! I should add my rose gold belt with embroidered leaves...and maybe a bright headpiece..." she muttered to herself, turning around to go back up the stairs.

He grabbed her wrist to stop her. "No! Don't. Sorry. I. Um." He cleared his throat, his ears turning red as his brain took longer than usual in formulating a response.

And of course she noticed, coming closer, saying her usual "Ahhh" when he was caught.

"What? What is it? Why are you turning red, hmm?" she asked, her index finger trailing down his overheated ear. "Come on, open up. Tell me how I look?"

"You...you look... really, really hot," he said finally. She smiled in response.

"Tscht, you're unbelievable, you know," she said, shaking her head, her smile growing wider. "I can't believe it took you this long to call me hot."

Gang Tae blinked at that. "Wait a minute — what do you mean, it took me this long?" he retorted, his hands going to his hips. "Who else is calling you hot?"

"Well," she looked up at the ceiling, in what was her 'thinking face'. "A lot of people."

"Who are these people?!"

"Fans, guys who meet me — it happens all the time. Just because you didn't notice I was hot..."

"Yah! Of course I noticed."

"Aish... Really?" she shook her head. "You could have fooled me. Wow. You really should have been an actor, not a caregiver."

"The point is, nobody gets to call you hot except me," he said, frowning. "Come on, let's go." With that, he took her hand and led her out of the mansion, and she followed, chuckling.