TRACK 07
OPEN DOOR
LIZ
I absolutely am not lying as I look Kyung dead in the face and tell him that I'm more nervous right now than I have ever been in my life.
Truly, he can't fathom what that means. I've competed in sports.
I've been on stages for school plays. I've danced in competitions in front of hundreds of people.
I packed my life into a storage unit and left everything I've ever known to travel to places I've never been.
Yet, somehow, meeting the people who mean the most to the man standing in front of me, has me feeling like I'm having an anxiety attack for the first time in a long time.
Then he has to go and say something crazy.
I wish just once that he could see inside my brain so that he could understand that I don't care if they're idols.
When I look at him, that's not what I see.
When I tell him as much and he pulls me into a hug, it's like he absorbs all of my nervous energy into himself, and I return to normal. One of the many ways he affects me.
Letting him take my hand, he leads us into his home where Dav En and the rest of his family wait for us by the door.
I give them all a quick glance, and holy bananas.
Every single one of them is just as attractive as Kyung and Dav En.
All different in their own appearance, but still some of the most good-looking men I've ever seen in my life.
I have to fight my laugh as I see one of them with Dav En's elbow pinched between their thumb and forefinger like they're holding him in place.
I lose the fight as one on the other end makes a comment about me being beautiful, and it's only funny because I was literally standing here thinking the same thing.
Kyung smiles down at me before going down the line introducing them all.
The one grasping Dav En is Seong Su, which if I'm not mistaken is their group leader if I'm remembering what Kyung said correctly. He's got blond hair long on top and shaved sides. Not going to lie, either, one of the most gorgeous smiles I've ever seen on a man.
Next to him is Yeon, who's taller, but not as tall as Kyung or Dav En. His black hair is longer, framing a heart-shaped face.
Minsul, next, is shorter and a tad bit stockier.
His dark-brown hair is a close shade to mine, but it's not as long as the others, leaving him a small amount of bangs on his forehead.
He smiles softly at me, but it's not one of trust. Something I completely understand.
I intend to make it a mission to not cause any problems for Kyung and Dav En and the rest of them. That trust will need to be earned.
To his other side is Yoon Ji. Kyung has warned me multiple times that he has a tendency to be awkward sometimes and ask random questions.
What he didn't warn me about is just how attractive he is.
Around the same height as Minsul, but less intimidating.
The most intense thing about him is his inquisitive stare beneath the blond halo of his hair that he's already pushed out of his eyes no less than three times standing here.
Lastly on the end is In Se and Jae-un. They're about the same height with short black hair, but that is where the similarities end.
In Se is much skinnier and paler than Jae-un.
And it's more than obvious Jae-un works out, because his black shirt is straining hard at the sleeves.
They both wear their own version of smiles like they've got stars in their eyes.
They're all dressed about the same as I'm used to with Kyung and Dav En at this point, in jeans and some form of t-shirt or hoodie. It makes me feel better about choosing not to dress up, because I almost did.
Kyung and I take our shoes off, him offering me his slippers. I politely decline. Knowing my luck, I'd trip over how big they'd be on my feet and break something.
I see the moment that Seong Su lets go of Dav En, and I prepare myself. Sure enough, he makes a beeline over for a hug. I don't hesitate to slide my hands across the tight planes of his stomach and around to his back for a hug. He wraps me up tight, leaning down to quietly whisper, "I missed you."
"Me too," I say into his shirt low enough that only he can hear.
I'm not lying either. I don't know how he's managed to squeeze his way into my life and heart so fast, but it's happened.
He's there. Waking up alone after they left this morning just about wrecked me.
It's the loneliest I've felt since meeting Kyung.
Taking a deep breath, I take in a lungful of nothing but Dav En.
His sweet floral scented cologne, and something with his shampoo that is distinctly him.
What does it say that it puts me just at ease as Kyung's hug?
He lifts me off my feet, squeezing the laugh right out of me.
Between the hard warmth of his muscles and his scent, it makes me wish we could go back to last night and relive it again.
Much like seeing Kyung this afternoon. I should've known he wouldn't listen and just let me meet him.
Of course, by the time I was done dragging him inside my building for a few stolen kisses, I was glad he didn't listen.
It took all the will power in the world to not drag him up the steps to my apartment.
Dav En sets me back on my feet and moves to my other side.
Seong Su steps forward and asks, "Are you hungry?"
"Starving," I answer immediately.
It's not a lie. I haven't eaten anything since I woke up so late.
It didn't exactly help that Kyung called a few hours ago and warned that dinner wasn't just going to be with him and Dav En tonight.
He told me that he wanted to give me the chance to back out if I didn't want to come.
Like I would ever do something like that when he's offering the chance to share a piece of himself with me.
As Seong Su leads us into their dining room, I slip my hand into Kyung's as we walk, giving it a small squeeze.
He's smiling as we move toward the end of the table where Seong Su is going to sit.
Letting my hand go, he grabs the side of my head and pulls me close to kiss my hair.
He pulls out my chair, offering it to me.
I can't help but wish there was a way to bottle this feeling and save it for a rainy day as I watch him take the seat next to me.
Glancing across the table, I find the four men there already in their seats trying their best not to stare and failing miserably at it.
Yeon is directly in front of me, and going down that side is In Se, Minsul, and Jae-un.
Yoon Ji is sitting at the other end across from Seong Su and Dav En is next to Kyung.
Things get less awkward as everyone starts reaching toward the middle and opening all of the waiting containers there. We've pretty much got an entire buffet laid out on the table, and I remember that I am surrounded by eight men. If they're anything like Dav En, they can really pack it in.
Kyung reaches toward Yoon Ji's end and grabs up a container of chicken, scooping some onto my plate before putting it back down there.
I see him searching the table until he finds what he's looking for, grabbing it up.
He dumps a broccoli veggie mix on the other side of my plate, and I thank him as he sets it back down.
Not like I was waiting on him to make my food, I just want to keep all my fingers when everyone was reaching in for it at the same time.
"Mmm," he murmurs, starting to fill his plate.
I wait until he's done and starts to eat before I do.
Glancing down at the table, I have to press my lips together to fight the smile trying to fight its way out.
I'm not sure what he's told them and what he hasn't, but someone was kind enough to make sure I had a fork and spoon when none of the rest of them do.
Time to shock their beautiful minds the way I did Kyung the first time we had dinner.
Bypassing the fork and spoon, I pick up the chopsticks the same way I have for the past almost twenty years and grab a piece of chicken.
It's literally just made it past my lips when Minsul asks, "You're good with chopsticks and you speak Korean. Where are you from?"
I chew as quickly as possible so that he doesn't get the impression that I'm having to think on my answer or anything. Once I get the chicken down, I tell him, "I'm from America. Virginia."
"Do you speak English then?" he asks.
Smiling, I answer in my native tongue, "Yes, I do. Korean is my second language."
"How many languages do you know?" Yoon Ji asks from the end of the table.
I count them off as I say them out loud, "English. Korean. Japanese. Mandarin. Thai. I know some Spanish and Italian, but they’re rusty and don't trust myself using it."
Yeon chuckles across from me, making the rest of them either smile or laugh.
Minsul brings my attention back to him. "Why are you in Seoul if America is your home?"
Kyung sighs quietly. "Can we let her eat before we start the inquisition?"
I lay a hand on his arm and he brings his eyes to mine. "It's okay. I don't mind."
His lips purse a bit like when he's not entirely happy with something, but not willing to fight over it. He nods slightly and goes back to eating as I answer Minsul, "South Korea was my adoptive mother's country of origin before she moved to the states."
I keep thinking about Kyung's expression and hate that me or any of this made him unhappy. So, when In Se fires the next question, I say, "You know, it only seems fair if we make this even. That way we can get to know each other at the same time."
Kyung's smile returns even though he's trying to hide it. Yeon is mirroring him, but Seong Su sits back in his chair, setting his chopsticks down. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask you. You're not recording this, are you?”