Strangers ~ A Taemin Fic

Chapter 6

     Two days have passed and there wasn't a spark of life from Lee Taemin. He hadn't crossed our practice room since the day he confronted me during my lunch break. The direct message was labeled as seen but that was all the action I got out of him.

     The most frustrating part had to be that my debt was still paid off. It was Saturday, but instead of using this time to rest up, I couldn't stop thinking of a way to get him to get his money back. The last thing I wanted to do was confront him.

     "Hey, I'm going to go for a walk," I announce aloud, Talia and Yoora both holding a thumbs up. Sliding on a pair of sneakers, I grab my ID card and phone before letting myself out of the apartment.

     Once I reached the bottom of the stairs to the lobby, I find the usual secretary and staff walking around as I let myself out, checking my card as I do so. There was where I let myself and the autumn breeze took my breath away.

     I allowed it tot fill every inch of my lungs, my frail chest expanding as far as it could before shooting the air back out. It felt good to take in my surroundings, even though I knew it was only a weekend that lasted two days before I go back to my 16 hour rehearsals.

     I cross the parking lot and join a few other people on the sidewalk; some walking their dogs or taking a stroll with their family members on this fine, Saturday afternoon. It made me think of my parents, only heating my cheeks in frustration.

     Passing people, the faces became a blur as a pink flower drifts past me. My eyes follow the flower before landing in my palm. 'A Japanese Cherry blossom.'

     A black car finally pulls up at the curb, allowing my eyes to part away from the flower to find a blonde in a white button up and black slacks come out of the car on the other side. Turning his head, our eyes meet and my heart drops.

     "Taemin?" I breathe loud enough so he heard me. I slowly approach the car so people wouldn't pass in front of me.

     "Are you...free?" He asks in between a pause. His arms rise to the top of the car where he rests them and waits for my response.

     My eyes flicker down to the blossom still in my palm before shoving it in my coat pocket. "I..." pausing, I look around at a few girls snapping photos of Taemin, "I think you better go before your fans surround you."

     He scoffs a snicker at my words, shaking his head with a glowing smile on his face. "I'm not leaving without you," he replies.

     My lips naturally press together in an attempt to hold in my incoming smile. I could feel my cheeks heating up at his smirk seen from the corners of my eyes. "So, I don't see another option then..." I sigh, can't help but smirk before reaching out and opening the side of the car opposite of him.

     With that, he climbs back in just as I do. The scent of heavy cologne and leather fill my lungs, reminding me just how delightful he smelled. "Is this what you do on your free days: walking around and catching flowers?" He asks, my upper lip curling in as the car slowly pulls back into traffic.

     "I don't think...we know each other well enough for me to respond," I say, his head nodding in understanding. I was genuinely surprised by the way he treated me for being a foreigner. It took years to gain the managers slight trust because of my origin. I wasn't sure if he was just playing nice at first or not.

     "Fair enough."

     I gaze out the window to find the SM building growing further and further away from me. "Where are we going?"

     He meets my gaze, or eyes locking for a few seconds before he looks back down at his watch. "I'll take you to my place. I want to show you a few things about the music video before the others."

     My eyebrows furrow in confusion. "Why?" I chuckle, not exactly knowing why he would personally take me above everyone else.

     He slowly shrugs as he leans back in his seat in a nervous manner. "Who knows...maybe it's just my excuse to spend time with you," he turns his head, his blonde hair draping slightly over his coffee eyes that pierced into my own.

My head whips the other way, trying in all my power to not blush in front of him. 'Why AM I blushing? I never blush...'

We arrived at a house still in the center of Seoul but a ways away from the busy portion. It was a house made up of many rectangles of white exterior as well as glass walls. I wasn't surprised by the luxurious lawn with a shimmering pool either. 'I can't wait to be able to buy my own house.'

"If you see any of the superm guys here, just ignore them. They tend to come here from time to time on the weekends," he explains, exiting the car with his hands shoved into the pockets of his dress pants.

I follow closely behind where I notice the number of guards surrounding his place. We walk up the white marble steps to the double doors that swung open with the assistance of two guards.

"Huh, I don't think any of them are here," he shrugs, gazing around his own house to find it empty. Artwork and portraits decorated the white interior; artwork that I admired as we passed them.

"You have a beautiful home," I sigh, my mind drifting off as he leads me to some sliding doors opening up to the pool.

"I'm glad you like it," he kindly smiles, sliding open the doors, the fresh, autumn air inviting itself in on cue. "I'll be right back. You can explore if you'd like," he says, placing a hand on my back assuring my before approaching a flight of glass stairs leading to a second floor.

The small of my back where he touched me tingled as I stepped back outside and admired his lawn and pool. 'Gosh, what I'd do to go back to this.'