Anxiousness II (1/1)

It had been the most tormenting thought of his life that she might not actually come, as he was expecting---which left him, temporarily, without his identity card, and a numb feeling in his chest.But when he saw her four days later, standing meekly beside three security guards who were reprimanding her for stealing something so valuable, his renewed confidence streamed through his body as if it hadn't just been a deflated balloon moments earlier, and he couldn't believe his luck to have arrived at just the exact time that she was about to be kicked out of the building.He hurried up to them, and casually placed his hand on her forearm to stop them from urging her to leave."You made it," he said smiling. Then, looking at the men, he apologized with a bow of his head. "I'm sorry; I should have notified someone when I gave her my identity card, but it slipped my mind."His smooth Korean baffled her. And she was still flustered from her interaction with the three guards."I'm not sure that what you did is allowed," one of the older guards commented disapprovingly, and he looked at the young woman cautiously because he was judging her.Minho thought about it, and realized that he was right---it wasn't allowed. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye and noticed that her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and other emotions, and he wanted the men to realize that he was a man with amorous intentions, that they had better leave him to his efforts because he was not about to succumb to authority without an argument, at least not when she was right there, alone, just within his reach, finally.Surprisingly, another one of the guards seemed to understand. He told him, "We'll just get you a new card, then." Almost provocatively, he added, "Be safe, Choi."Minho felt grateful, but he just nodded with a secret smile. Perhaps it was too soon to be thinking about that kind of advance, but the advice was not unwelcome.He grabbed her hand, noticing that she was sweating at the palm, and pulled her toward the elevators.Almost immediately, while he was standing there with her, their reflections looking back at them from the closed elevator doors, her hand pulled out of his in a retreat that was common for Americans, or so he had learned from his seniors. He was not surprised, and looked at her with a smile that he hoped did not make her feel uncomfortable.She relaxed and smiled back at him. "Thank you for the save," she said effortlessly with a small laugh.In Korean, he replied, "And I'm sorry for putting you in that position." He really was.As they waited, she asked, "What are you going to show me first?" As if discovering her coziness around him, she began peeling off her snow jacket, although the last time he had checked it hadn't been snowing outside---and her Spanish-styled top intrigued him in a way that was foreign to him because at long last he could witness as she shed the second skin that hid the exotic woman he had always known was under there.It was unusual, in a way---he had always been around young women with thin, fit bodies, but hers was exciting him more than theirs ever could. She was athletically built, with wide hips and a wonderfully curved, firm waist, and from what he could see, a flat stomach, but he could not deny that her appeal lied mostly within her face, which was sweet and elegant all over.He waited for her to step inside when the doors pulled apart, but she was waiting for him. Then, smiling shyly, she went in. Minho followed with a knowing smile on his face.Going back to her question, he told her, "We're going to the dancing studio." He pressed one of the buttons and the doors shut; the room jolted, and they began moving up.Her only response was a short hum, but because she was still smiling with her eyes, he imagined that she simply couldn't think of anything else to say.They were only on the tenth floor when he decided he should ask her.His eyes were curious when he looked at her. "Where's your boyfriend?"With no hesitation whatsoever, her face lit up with tenderness. Her hands came together and she fidgeted while she told him, "Tito had to leave for Busan to visit his friend." Then she hesitated. "Actually, that's why we're here in Korea in the first place."Minho nodded, and gave her his acknowledgement.The elevator stopped and the metallic doors drew apart. This time he stepped out first since he had already realized that she would have to follow him for the rest of the way. He looked behind and smiled when she didn't hide the way she was looking at the walls so curiously, even though they were just that: walls.Amidst the silence, she spoke up, "Oh I actually wanted to ask you something..."Minho half-turned his head to look at her."Can you tell me about how you know this place, then?"His eyebrows shot up, but he knew she hadn't seen. He had actually forgotten. For years everyone he had ever met already knew who he was, where he worked, what he did; she was foreign to everything about his career, apparently. He might have considered it refreshing, but he couldn't really tell how he felt about it just yet.Minho stopped in front of the door that led into the dance studio. His eyes stared at her, unintentionally, but he couldn't help it---she was so naive it fascinated him.Then, because he really did not know how otherwise to tell her, he said offhandedly, "I work here.""You do?" She seemed so intrigued.He laughed and opened the door, revealing the long, wide room with mirrors on all of its walls. He had been expecting no one to be inside, and it was empty, as he hoped.She stepped inside quickly, not wanting to repeat the mistake she had made at the elevators. Her eyes took in the room with an unhidden appreciation, and he wondered if she was a dancer as well---her body certainly indicated it. She turned back to him and hugged the jacket she had been holding even closer to her chest, smiling while she strode deeper into the room. He stepped inside and closed the door behind him.He knew it was too soon to do anything, but he could at least show her what he had been trained to do.He moved toward the speakers in the corner of the room and held up the iPod that had been left there. He looked at her reflection---those sweet, almond-shaped eyes with that innocent smile---and he could not have been any more distracted. Had she been any other girl, he might not have even thought of doing this, but because she seemed easily impressed with simplicity, he was confident that he could awe her, even if he was not excellent."This is part of what I do."Surprised, she nodded.He pressed a button and suddenly the room was filled with familiar, exciting music. Minho moved to the middle of the room and smoothly settled into the song's choreography.Ever since the start of his career, he'd been dancing in front of screaming fans of all ages and genders, and like all those times, he could already feel the anxiety stirring painfully in his stomach. She was either polite, or amazed, he couldn't tell, but the way her lips curved in fascination awarded him a greater self assurance in his own movements than he had ever felt, and when he stepped backward with his hands clenched by his sides, he convinced himself that he was executing the moves perfectly.Every second felt like a minute, and he almost dreaded the arrival of the song's ending because he was feeling so incredibly swollen with pride, and it was amazing to be this satisfied with himself; he hadn't felt like this in months, it seemed, and all he really wanted to do was savor the way she was watching him---it could only have been her presence that was putting him in such a mood, after all.He had twisted and turned; coordinated all his steps with a precision that was purposeful. When the music drifted into silence, all he could think about was his own balance, to make sure that he remained in his final stance a few seconds longer to make a lasting impression on her.Then the song changed, and he looked up with a smile, knowing that he was probably sweating, but his breath was even---and she was clapping, her own smile so overwhelmed that he knew he had done what he had been aiming to do all along.He walked toward the speakers and turned off the music.Immediately, she approached him with wide, approving eyes. "That was beyond what I had imagined! You're incredibly talented, Minho!"He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "It's what I do; I'm supposed to impress.""Well it was impressive."Then he laughed. He hadn't even noticed that he had responded in Korean, and now she was speaking it too.He looked at her sunny expression and felt overwhelmed. "Tell me," he began with a powerful look in his eyes. "Have you ever met a celebrity?" he asked her, and he couldn't help himself, he just had to step closer.She seemed to think about it. Her eyebrows became furrowed and she looked at him incredulously. "No...""Yes, actually," he corrected with a close-lipped smile.The pieces clicked together so rapidly that there was no way he could have missed the way her expression became so shocked and embarrassed all in a few seconds---then she stared at him, as if horrified with herself, and her mouth was trying to form words, but she wasn't speaking, just making very interesting noises. But when she started backing away, Minho lost his sense of empowerment; he hadn't meant to frighten her with something that could have been a relatively irrelevant fact."I know who you are," she said quietly, in English, just as he had begun trying to calm her by making short, strange gestures with his hands.She did stop moving, but only to begin making wide, frenzied gestures with her own hands. "You're one of those celebrities that all those girls I've met keep talking about---and you have other guys with you that sing and dance and go on television to publicize your image---holy mother, you're from that group, what the heck is the name, it's Shinki or something, isn't it?!---wait, why am I here, I shouldn't be intruding on your work---I should probably leave right now!"She turned around and tried opening the door, but Minho pressed his hand above her head, and it shut. He had seen it done in movies, and on dramas, but he had never really imagined himself doing this to a girl. It could have been romantic, but it wasn't, honestly. He had not understood her English rambling, and even now he was having trouble, so he reacted quickly with her miniscule movements."Hold on," he had barely stepped closer, but she was already facing him with her eyebrows locked in a defensive line, and he could tell that if she decided to fight him, she might actually win.She stayed still and he decided that it was best to take a step back."I like you," he told her, and when he said it, he sucked in his breath because she had raised her fist."No, no, no---I want to spend time with you!""What are you trying to say?!" Her fist lowered slightly, but her eyes were cautiously livid.He could appreciate how confident she was in her own strength; her menace, however, was somewhat frightening. "I'm a celebrity," he pointed out slowly, and he tapped his chest with his hand, "but I never get to choose who I pass the day with." When her eyes began to soften, he spoke with more earnest, "I like you because you caught my attention, and I want us to get to know each other."She dropped her arm and looked at him carefully."This is too strange. You understand that, don't you?" Her eyes looked up into his, and he wanted to tell her that nothing mattered as long as she was there, but it wasn't that simple. Explaining this kind of obsession was never simple.He noticed her relaxed posture and finally smiled. "I won't disappoint you," he promised."So you just want to hang out with me?" she repeated in a delicate tone. He caught her tone well enough; she was reminding him of her relationship with Tito.His smile widened, and she became embarrassed."Alright, but you have to tell me why, though---what was it about me that caught your attention?" Shyly, she looked at him, and he could tell that she was not being coy with him, just curious.He could have said her exotic skin, or her fantastic legs, even those perfectly shaped heterochromiatic eyes, but she did not appear to be vain. Staring at her, he confessed only half-truthfully, "You're a foreigner. We don't have many foreigners here, especially your kind."She smiled a bit.Minho noticed how pleasant her smile was, even if it was faint. "You are Middle Eastern, right?"To his surprise, she laughed. Her eyes had widened, and she laughed. He smiled back at her, but he could not understand why she had reacted so joyfully. It was not unpleasant---no, he thought it was charming---be he did think it was a rather vague response because she did not correct or reassure him."Your group isn't Shinki, is it?" She crossed her arms in thought, and she was embarrassed once more. "It's SHINee---" and when he raised his eyebrows, she laughed quietly. "We should make the most of our time together, then. I promise I won't disappoint you either Minho." Traces of her previous hostility no longer lingered in her elegant gaze.He wanted to embrace her, as if she had just accepted the role of being his girlfriend, but that was not what had happened. All he could do was stand there."Can you teach me how to dance to your music?"This was the best he could do. So he smiled with his eyes."Sure."