२३

"Shut it already and have the damn tea." She gritted through her teeth as she pulled him back on sofa. "Wonwoo-sii please pay no heed to his words." Youngjae snickered.

"De." Wonwoo nodded having hard time to hide his own smile. "You both are one odd couple." Wonwoo commented sipping his tea.

"Couple?" Wonwoo looked up. Did he say something wrong? He thought noticing the furrowed eyebrows of Rumi.

"Waeyo? Buin, why do you sound so offended?" Youngjae suddenly put his arm around Rumi and pulled her close. "Don't you love me anymore? What about the promises you made? Didn't you say marriages in your country are said to be bond for seven lives?" Youngjae dramatically said while looking into Rumi's eyes.

"Hmm, seven lives of hell." Rumi pushed his face away while turning towards Wonwoo. "Wonwoo-sii, I think you somehow misunderstood our relationship here." Rumi said pointing between her and Youngjae. "To be honest, it's quite funny that you thought we are a couple." Rumi chuckled shaking her head.

"What? You are not...?" Wonwoo said looking from her to laughing Youngjae. "I thought you were with what happened earlier-"

"Aniyo. I can't imagine spending my life with this man."

"Except, you are." Youngjae said. "But it's true. We are not married or together. She is someone I picked up from streets. My adopted daughter to be precise." Youngjae explained putting his hand over Rumi's shoulder. Wonwoo stared at them opened mouth. What? "Stop it." Rumi slapped Youngjae's knee. "He might believe it."

"I almost believe it, Youngjae-sii." Wonwoo said looking at him. Youngjae laughed feeling triumph.

"I thought so. And please, you don't have to be so formal. Youngjae is fine, or hyung if you are fine with that. You are 96 born right. I am 92." Youngjae blabbered earning another slap from Rumi. "You aren't trying hard to hide you fangirling." She whispered.

"De?" Wonwoo asked looking at them exchanging words.

"Oh, it's nothing don't mi-"

"Wonwoo-sii, I am your big fan!" Youngjae suddenly stood up startled him. Wonwoo glanced at Rumi who awkwardly laughed trying to pull Youngjae down. "Ani, I don't know when I'll get a chance like this again. Wonwoo-sii, I am a big fan really. I have purchased every album of Seventeen and watched every single episode of Going Seventeen!"

"Uh-okay. I-I am grateful for your support." Wonwoo replied glancing at Rumi who shook her head in embarrassed. "Would you be kind enough to give me your autograph?" Wonwoo nodded watching as Youngjae giddily ran away probably to get pen and paper? Wonwoo turned to looked at Rumi in question.

"I am really sorry about him. He was planning to keep it quite but I guess his inner fanboy couldn't hold it?" Rumi awkwardly laughed.

"Rumi-ya! Why did you mess with my albums?! I can't find Sector 17 album!" Youngjae screamed from somewhere.

"The what?!" Rumi screamed back. "And when did I mess with your albums?! It's you who keep leaving your stuff behind and nagged at me for not cleaning up!" Wonwoo scrunched his face at their voices, they behave like some old couple and ask people to believe they are not.

"Because you don't clean up!" Youngjae walked out.

"Because you scream at me like this every time when I do!"

"Because you mess up all the arrangement every damn time!"

"Then don't ask me to clean up damn it!"

"Young woman, you better not raise your voice at me!"

"You stop screaming at me first!"

"You-"

"Um, I saw the album in CD collection."

"What?!" Both Rumi and Youngjae turned towards Wonwoo, who flustered with their sudden attention, stood up and walked towards the CD shelves trying to avoid their unwavering eyes. "I suppose you were looking for this." He said pulling out the yellow coloured album from the other CDs.

"Yes!" Youngjae exclaimed walking towards. "AH, pen! I need a pen now!" Youngjae started bustling looking for one. Weird. When Wonwoo saw the album among those CDs, he thought they might belong to Rumi-sii. He shouldn't have been presumptuous. He chuckled to himself while finally Youngjae found him a pen. "Please." Youngjae smiled politely handing him the pen.

"Here." Wonwoo smiled after signing and handing him back the pen and album.

"Hehe." Youngjae laughed showing off his signed album to Rumi who rolled her eyes while crossing her arms. Then again thinking back she didn't even know Seungcheol hyung's name. Wonwoo thought smiling at the annoyed look on Rumi's face.

"Are you done now?" Rumi asked. "Leave him alone. His taxi is here." She informed urging Youngjae to move along. "Ah, I hope you don't mind. I took liberty to call a taxi for you."

"Aniyo. It's fine." Wonwoo smiled.

"Taxi? You are letting him go by taxi when I am here? I can drop you home Wonwoo-sii."

"Oppa-"

"Hyung its fine. You must be tired from work. I can go back by taxi." Wonwoo smiled patting Youngjae's shoulder. "But-"

"I hope you're still keeping your word of letting me join to play those?" Wonwoo said nodding towards the CD shelf. "Of course, you are welcome anytime!" Youngjae grinned. "Geurum. Rumi-sii." Wonwoo bowed. Rumi bowed back.

"I'll bring him to taxi." Youngjae said as both of them left.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Rumi groaned for the tenth time, with her groan sighs of annoyance were followed. "Mianhae." Rumi apologized bowing her head towards her annoyed colleagues. Fate had no sympathy towards Rumi yet today. She had attracted so much attention that she could see her low profile going down the drain. If those sharp eyes weren't enough her back made it impossible for her to sit straight.

"Ughh. I should've taken painkillers." Rumi muttered.

"Painkillers for what? Getting drunk on workday?" Misoo kicking Rumi's chair making it turn.

"You are to blame, Unnie! How can overwork you subordinate like this?!" Rumi screamed complaining before looking around fearing she might annoy her co-workers again.

"It's lunchtime. They left." Misoo informed. "And how am I to blame? Drinking was your choice I never asked you to."

"Drinking is another thing but- you know what? Never mind!" Rumi stood up suddenly and regrated holding her back in pain. "Since, it's lunch time excuse me." She grabbed her bag off the table. "Wah, you are carrying a bag today? And aren't you suppose to hold your head when having a headache, why are you holding your back?" Misoo asked following her.

"Because I don't have a damn headache!" Rumi exclaimed taking a turn to catch the other elevator.

"Yah! Eodiga? (Where are you going?)" Misoo called out.

"Somewhere you are not!" Rumi replied without turning back. "Why is everybody unnecessarily nosy here? Either they want to know where am I going or who am I dating?" Rumi muttered to herself as she walked out of the elevator, thankfully, it was only her riding it.  "I hope he is here." Rumi said to herself looking around the corridor, it sure looked different from other floors. Oh. Rumi step aside when she saw few boys running in hurry. "Why do I feel like I walked into boys dormitory?" Rumi said watching the boys disappear around the corner.

"Rumi?" Rumi turned around upon called. It was Hoshi on the other end. "Rumi-ya, what are you doing here?" Rumi smiled walking towards him. Feeling lucky to found someone familiar, now she won't have to look for him, herself.

"Eo, I was just looking for someone." She replied. "Ha! Somehow you bring luck to me, Hoshi-ya!" She laughed patting his shoulder before intertwining her arms with him. "Now, take me to see your bandmates." She smiled blinking her eyes at him.

"Uh, I don't know how to feel but okay, I'll take you." Hoshi smiled back. "By the who are you looking for? Because all of them are not here. And if you are looking for Wooziiii..."

"Shush. I am looking for Vernon, the taller one, Leader-nim and Wonwoo-sii." She listed off.

"Leader-nim? Taller one-ah Mingyu-"

"Especially Wonwoo-sii. Yes." She nodded.

"If you mean Seungcheol by leader-nim. Then he and Vernon aren't here. Wonwoo and Mingyu might be I don't know. Let's check their room." Hoshi said dragging Rumi before coming to stop before a door. "I can here noise." He said loudly banging his fist on the door instead off using the bell.

"You know you can use the bell-" The door clicked opened revealing a very shirtless Wonwoo.

"Yah, can't you just ring a bell like normal person, do you have to be so- Rumi-sii?" Rumi awkwardly smiled her eyes lowering to his naked chest. "Ah! Excuse me!" He slammed the door shut exactly when Hoshi was about to walked in. The door nearly missed Hoshi's nose.

"YAH! Imma!" Hoshi cursed pounding his fist on the door. "Slamming the door! You almost hit my no-" The door was opened again and Hoshi was pulled in.

"Ah, sorry about that." Wonwoo apologized appearing again, this time with a shirt. Rumi smiled. "Please come in." He stepped aside inviting Rumi inside. Rumi nodded and stepped inside; Hoshi had already made himself comfortable on one of the two beds. "Yah, get up from my bed." Wonwoo kicked him while pulling a chair for Rumi. "Please." He smiled.

"No, it's okay. I was just here to give this to you and other three." Rumi said pulling out a small bag from the bigger one. "This is little token for helping me last night. This-" she had the bigger bag first. "-is for all four of you and this is for you." She shyly handed the second bag to Wonwoo.

"For me?" Wonwoo asked taking the bag and peeking inside. Gloves? Are they gloves?

"Why does he get special gift?" Hoshi asked finally getting up from the floor. "And where is mine? I don't get one?" He asked trying peeked inside the Wonwoo's gift bag but failed. "Why would you get one?" Wonwoo taunted.

"Exactly! In fact, you are partially responsible for me getting in trouble." Rumi accused narrowing her eyes at Hoshi. "You keep unnecessarily playing cupid and I get in trouble for that." Hoshi laughed. "Mianhae. I heard what happened last night." Hoshi shamelessly laughed patting her shoulder.

"Stop laughing!" Rumi grabbed his collar and started shaking him. "Do you have any idea how uncomfortable it was for me. I can't even go to pee without people staring at me! How am I to survive this!! You should take responsibility for what you have done!"

"Aa-ra-so." Hoshi grabbed her hands taking it off his t-shirt. "I'll take responsibility. Say, what do you want? What should I do?" Rumi hummed as if thinking. "Currently, I am hungry." Hoshi clapped his hands. "Okay, Let's go!" He put his arm around her shoulder ready to leave. Wonwoo stared at them wondering if he was only the sane one here and probably he was.

"Wonwoo-sii are you tagging along?" Rumi asked. "Yah, why are you asking him? It's our date." Hoshi argued.

"I am coming along." Wonwoo cut him off. "Yah, you are paying for your own food." Wonwoo pouted and glanced at Rumi.

"Hoshi-ya, you said you would take responsibility?" Rumi said blinking her eyes at Hoshi. Hoshi stared at her for seconds then narrowed his eyes at Wonwoo. "Aarso." Rumi cheered excitedly punching Hoshi in stomach. "Ah-h! Yah!"

"Responsibility!" Rumi laughed while Wonwoo chuckled shaking his head. "Let's go!"

A/N :

A filler.

Love,

Alba💜