"I remember you had something you wanted to ask me during the gala. What is it?"
The suddenly question brought Yoona by surprise.
She let out a nervous laugh. Curse his genius brain! Why did he have to remember such a detail? Not only was she nervous, but she"d never made a move like this before. Although she knew that her feelings were being reciprocated, explicitly saying it out loud was different. Trying to see if she could dodge the bullet, she tried to change the topic. "I forgot. The more important question is the whereabouts of Ji-ho. I can"t help but worry about that kid. Where is he?"
"Yoona."
She innocently fluttered her lashes. "Yes?"
"Don"t change the topic."
d.a.m.n him. Why was he this smart? Nothing went pa.s.sed Minhyun. This was what made him charming yet annoying at the same time.
"Fine. I"ll say it." A sigh escaped her lips. "Are you ready?"
There was a pause. "Yes?"
She diverted her eyes and stared away. She really did not want to answer. Was there any way to avoid this situation...Oh! There was a beautiful swan ice sculpture near the shrimp platter. Very impressive! Maybe she should talk to him about this!
Minhyun grabbed her cheeks again, forcing her to look into his eyes. "Don"t think about getting yourself out of this. What is the question?"
Ah. He caught her yet again.
She scrunched her nose. "Fine. I"ll say it this time."
His stare was intense. Since he already had a feeling of what she was curious about, his heart beat quickly.Come on. Ask.
Yoona lifted her hand to cover his eyes. "Before that, don"t look at me. Makes me too nervous."
Reluctantly, he shifted his eyes elsewhere. Although he wanted to see her reaction, he needed for her to say those words on her mind first.
"Okay," Yoona said. Gathering all the courage she had, she spoke her next words. "So basically, you know how we are childhood friends and stuff? Yeah so, I didn"t have any other thoughts about you when we first met. I thought we were purely platonic. However, as time pa.s.sed and when the housewarming party happened, I realized that some of the actions you made and the words you said were a bit... Too much. Not platonic."
Minhyun raised an eyebrow. "Mhm."
"There was one statement in particular that made me suspicious. So that is why that day curiosity took over me and the question formed."
He shook his head. "Get to the point."
She softly hit him in the shoulder. "Hey! Be patient. It"s embarra.s.sing for me okay?"
"Anyways," she said. "I-"
Suddenly, Minhyun"s phone buzzed.He let a frustrated grunt and ignored the noise coming from his pocket. It was as if the G.o.ds were helping Yoona elongate the process.
"Aren"t you going to check? It might be important," she teased.
Minhyun quickly checked the screen, seeing who could have messaged him.
Ji-ho: All the last bits of final evidence is launched! All the largest news sites will be on its tail in ten minutes. Can I get a compliment please? Pretty please?
Without replying, Minhyun put the phone back where it belonged. He was annoyed that the text came at such a crucial timing but at least it was good news.
"Continue."
"As I was saying," she said before biting her lip. "I wanted to ask you… Do you like me?"
Silence washed between them.
Minhyun"s expression didn"t change. He stayed poker face as if her words did not affect him at all.
Yoona gulped. She didn"t expect this type of reaction. Did she say something wrong? Although she thought that Minhyun felt something towards her, was her intuition off? Despite knowing the romantic advances he"d done today, a sudden wave of insecurity riled up in her chest.
Oh. My. G.o.d! What if he didn"t like her?!?
Sensing that Yoona was possibly going crazy soon, after those long seconds, Minhyun finally answered.
"Did you really need to be nervous for this question? Wasn"t it obvious that I liked you?" There was a playful smile on his face, teasing all the worries she had before.
Yoona"s cheeks burned with embarra.s.sment. Okay, maybe she did ask a stupid question. But why did he have to drop it like that! All the suspense plummeted.
She narrowed her eyes. "Hey! It was hard for me okay?"
"Making a big deal about a question you know the answer to. Sometimes I wonder why I fell for you in the first place."
"You little-" Yoona fingers scrunched into fists before unraveling again. Since this was a luxury event, she had to control her emotions. After all, she didn"t want to ruin the image she worked hard to create. Her face distorted angrily. "If this wasn"t a fancy place you wouldn"t be able to move!"
To her surprise, the air filled with laughter.With a grand smile on his face, Minhyun broke his cold sh.e.l.l, revealing his happiness within. His eyes resembled crescent moons, emphasizing his warmth.The sound made everyone turn their heads as they were mesmerized by the CEO. n.o.body had ever heard his laughter before nor had they seen him smile so widely.
Everyone came to a single conclusion after observation. They were truly perfect for each other.
Minhyun"s laughter slowed down. However, the smile on his face didn"t disappear. Yoona felt her heart thump. He really did have a wonderful smile.
"Your angry face was too cute. Like a little angry goblin."
Was that supposed to be a compliment? Feeling all eyes on them, Yoona wanted to bury her head into her hands. The people who heard his statement stopped dancing to glance over at her.
"Shut up."
He took a step forward, his face leaning down near hers. "But teasing you is so much fun."
"I hate you."
He moved his mouth near her ear. "Yet I love you."
When they first met, Yoona would"ve never had guessed that Minhyun would be this shameless. He was worst than anyone she had ever met! Yet, she couldn"t help but feel warmth seeing him act his way. Why? Cause in the end, the only person Minhyun was willing to tease, the only person he was comfortable with was her. And this showed how much he really cared.
She rolled her eyes. A small smile lifting her lips. "Whatever."
"Now," Minhyun said. "The more important question is what you think about me. What are your feelings?"
He made fun of her for asking a "stupid" question yet now he was asking the same thing? The right corner of her lip curled up into a smirk. Her answer was obvious: she was going to make fun of him just like he did with her.
However, before she could utter a word, a voice interrupted their conversation.
"Mr. Chae Minhyun please dance with me!"