The perfect Christmas date

[karened]

Prompt : #6
Title: The perfect Christmas date
Rating: I don't know... Some kissing?
Pairing: Tae Kyung x Mi Nyu
Summary: "This is our first official date. I want it to be perfect."
Note: This is set a few weeks after the incident where she was wearing his shirt.　  

Mi Nyu glanced into the mirror above the sink as she turned off the water tap.

"It does look a little dry," she thought, her hand running along her lower lips unconciously.

Fishing out the brown tube from her pocket, she recalled the conversation she had with Mi Nam earlier in the car.

"I really feel like Santa tonight," Manager Ma mused, "I set up a date with Yoo He Yi for Mi Nam, and next I'll be sending Mi Nyu to Tae Kyung."

Seated beside him was Mi Nam, dressed uncharacteristically in a plain black suit with a skinny tie Tae Kyung's fans would approve of. "It's my turn to act as Santa," he chuckled as he pulled out a pink package from the front compartment.

"This is for you," he said, handing the package to Mi Nyu without turning his shoulders. "Seoul's getting drier by the day. Your lips chapped the other day, right?"

Mi Nyu opened up the package to find a cocoa flavoured lip butter lying at the bottom of the bag.

"Thank you Oppa. But I just bought myself a stick of lip gloss."

At that, Mi Nam turned towards the back of the car and grimaced. "I put so much thought into this present! Aren't you going to use it?"

At that, Mi Nyu assured with a broad smile that she would cherish that gift and make good use of it.

That smiled seemed to work like a spell and was immediately reflecting on Mi Nam’s face as he said with an incomprehensible wink, “Remember to put it on before the party! You won’t look pretty with chapped lips.”

“Yeah, you have to shine tonight!” Manager Ma chirped as he pulled over by the Italian restaurant where Mi Nam was to meet his open crush.

Heeding their advices, Mi Nyu rolled the lip butter along her lips before leaving the bathroom to rejoin the other three at the Christmas Eve party.

It was the most elaborate Christmas Eve party ever held at the A.N.JELL dorm and had taken the group an entire week to make preparations, including the refurbishment of their outdoor barbeque area into a cozy spot taken right from a Winter Sonata scene.

The initiator of this party was undoubtedly Jeremy, who had checked their online fanclub forum and found that the top Christmas wish was to have a date with one of the members in a quiet spot at the park, just like in dramas. Determined to grant Mi Nyu this wish, he had suggested going for a picnic at the nearby park, a suggestion Tae Kyung vehemently objected to for he hasn’t been able to leave the dorm recently without being trailed by a certain Reporter Kim. That pest seemed to be bent on bringing the skeletons out of A.N.JELL’s closet and recent rumours about Tae Kyung’s sexual orientation had further fueled his fervor (and also his budget) for the chase.

Having heard enough of Jeremy bugging Tae Kyung to agree to his plan, or rather, wanting to do something for Mi Nyu, Shin Woo made a proposal that eventually led to them transforming the outdoor area into a miniature park just for the party.

The tables and chairs were replaced by wooden benches and the lights were dimmed. Christmas lights in the colours of dark blue, white, green and yellow dangled from the trees. The aroma of a dozen types of food was so strong, Mi Nyu could smell it as she left the bathroom and headed towards the door leading to the party.

She turned a corner and saw Jeremy standing by the doorframe a few metres away, grinning.

“Jeremy, why are you looking at me?” she asked when she found Jeremy staring at her intently, his lips pursed tightly together.

“I’m just…just looking. Come quickly! I have something to give you,” Jeremy stammered nervously, his hand gesturing for her to go to him.

Behind him was Tae Kyung, who was approaching Jeremy with the intention of reminding him his side of the bargain.

“It’s time for you to go…” he started but paused mid-sentence when he saw a newly put up decoration above the doorframe.

He looked past Jeremy and saw a confused looking Mi Nyu walking towards the doorframe. A quick look at the nervously entwined hands behind Jeremy’s back was all it took for Tae Kyung to piece the puzzle together. Moving behind Jeremy, he tiptoed and pulled the decoration off the door frame.

A stunned Jeremy turned and stared at Tae Kyung’s hand. “Hyung! What are you doing?”

“Don’t you know I’m allergic to pollen grains?” Tae Kyung stated calmly before pulling Mi Nyu right past Jeremy out of the house.

Jeremy rested his hands on his hips and called out indignantly after the two, “But this is mistletoe!”

“I’m allergic to poachers too. It’s an endangered animal,” Tae Kyung muttered as he led Mi Nyu to one of the benches on the balcony, not stopping to explain his words to a confused Mi Nyu.

“There’s something I need to do. Don’t go anywhere and just wait for me here,” he said, pulling together the hems of Mi Nyu’s dark green shawl as a gust of winter wind blew past.

Surprised by Tae Kyung’s sudden act of affection, Mi Nyu stiffened for a moment before clearing her throat and saying with a smile, “Yes, I’ll stay here till you’re done.”

As he turned away and headed towards the house, the smile Mi Nyu’s words put onto Tae Kyung’s face was replaced with a worried frown. “I’d better get the plan running now before they attempt anything odd. That Jeremy!” he grumbled.

Minutes later, having hinted his displeasure to Jeremy with a thousand metaphors and imageries, Tae Kyung emerged from the house with a box tucked inside his blazer. His joyous mood and painstakingly devised plan were put to a halt when he saw, from afar, Shin Woo seated beside Mi Nyu. Although the area was not brightly lit, he could make out a pair of heels positioned on the wooden floor in front of Mi Nyu. Instinct told him to dash forward and reclaim his rightful position but insecurity made him stay hidden behind the pair, doing what he never thought he would do.

“A friend of mine told me that good shoes bring you to good places,” Shin Woo explained gently with a smile. “Put them on.”

“Shin Woo oppa,” Mi Nyu answered hesitantly, worried that Shin Woo still had feelings for her.

Tae Kyung’s feet pushed forward a few steps at Mi Nyu’s address of Shin Woo.

“Don’t worry,” Shin Woo assured Mi Nyu, still smiling sincerely, “Haven’t you heard that shoes symbolizes farewell too? Put them on and I think I’ll be able to send you off in a charming manner.” (Note1)

Mi Nyu pursed her lips lightly as she moved her eyes from Shin Woo’s warmth-filled face to the pair of heels she had previously saved from the trash man. “Let’s end it today,” she thought and started to pull off her boots when a loud voice called out from behind.

“Go Mi Nyu!”

Shin Woo and Mi Nyu turned their shoulders to see Tae Kyung hurrying towards them. As if on cue, Mi Nyu got to her feet and watched blankly as Tae Kyung moved next to her.

Sweeping his eyes across the balcony, Tae Kyung spilled out the first words that came to mind. “Go Mi Nyu, do you know where is this place?”

“The dorm?” Mi Nyu replied with an obvious answer.

“No, this is the park,” Tae Kyung corrected, crossing his arms as he did so.

“That’s right, Jeremy said so earlier!” Mi Nyu acknowledged.

“Who wears heels to the park?” Tae Kyung continued with a superior air without looking at Shin Woo.

“We can’t wear heels to the park?”

“Of course!” Tae Kyung snapped uncomfortably as he struggled to maintain the logic in his words. “You exercise at the park right? How do you exercise when you’re wearing heels?”

Despite his efforts, the situational misfit of his words made even himself confused. He found himself unable to react when Mi Nyu asked innocent, “Are we going to exercise now?”

Hence, it was an unlikely relief when Shin Woo spoke up to end his poorly handled story spinning attempt. “Well, you can’t wear heels for an exercise but they are appropriate when it comes to dates.”

“Date?” Mi Nyu echoed, her voice an octave higher than usual.

Making a threatening face at Shin Woo, Tae Kyung brushed her off saying, “Not date. Diet! He’s asking you to exercise more and go on a diet!”

At the word ‘diet’, Mi Nyu spun towards the other direction to face Tae Kyung. “Diet? Why?”

“Well, I’ll leave you to tell her more about the diet plan then. Do it well, Tae Kyung,” Shin Woo said with meanings hidden between words.

Once Shin Woo has left, Mi Nyu turned back towards Tae Kyung and asked again, “What diet?”

“Your brother has been working so hard, he lost a lot of weight. If you don’t lose some weight as well, how can you pose as him the next time?” Tae Kyung walked away from Mi Nyu, buying time to think up a plan to move away from this awkward topic and enter into the one he had planned.

Following him closely behind, Mi Nyu stated her stand firmly. “Next time? I don’t want to! Look at what happened the last time. We were lucky those photos weren’t clear.” (Note 2) 

“But at least that got my name back onto number 1 position on search engines!” Tae Kyung said triumphantly as he leaned his back leisurely against the railings along the edge of the balcony. “Our fanclub saw a surge in male fans too! Oh, and fanfiction works increased too.”
But that didn’t stop Mi Nyu from blaming herself. “It’s all my fault,” she sighed, resting her elbows on the railings beside Tae Kyung.

Turning sideways to face Mi Nyu, Tae Kyung helped put into words what was going through her mind. In his usual nonchalant tone, he groused, “Yeah, it’s all you fault. It’s your fault that I can’t go anywhere public without that reporter trailing behind snapping away. It’s your fault that I’m stuck at home even during Christmas.”

Nodding in agreement, Mi Nyu added, “I’m my fault that you can’t go out and admire the lights. I heard that they’re really beautiful. I’m sorry.”

“Nevermind,” Tae Kyung said as a smile tugged at the corner of his lips. Steering the conversation skillfully, he dropped a bait. “I get to see a Christmas tree even when I’m at home.”

“Here?” Mi Nyu asked, looking wildly around. “I don’t see any!”

“I’m going to make one,” Tae Kyung replied with an air of mystery and a sparkle in his eyes.

“Really?” Mi Nyu chirped, placing a hand on Tae Kyung’s arm, tugging. “I want to see that! It’s fun!”

Stealing a downward glance at his arm, Tae Kyung continued his tease with an even tone. “Well, it’ll take a long while to finish.”

“It’s ok, I’ll wait!” came the reply Tae Kyung was waiting for, the one that boosted his confidence.

Without betraying the emotions that overwhelmed him, he shrugged and said, “Really? But it’ll take a few years.”

“A few years? Why that long?”

Reaching into his blazer, Tae Kyung revealed the white box that had been resting in the left pocket and put it into Mi Nyu’s hands. “Open it up.”

Registering Tae Kyung’s instructions, Mi Nyu got over her initial surprise and tugged at the delicately arranged ribbon. The lime green piece of fabric gave way and Mi Nyu lifted the cover to find a pair of star shaped ear studs resting in the box. Looking up from the sparkling studs, she said delightedly, “They’re beautiful! Thank you.”

“Well, I’ve gotten the tree, but I’ll only decorate it bit by bit every Christmas. Hmmm… What should I add on next year? A bracelet? Anklet?” Tae Kyung pondered aloud as he eyed Mi Nyu from head to toe. “One day I’ll put a ring on it.”

Not knowing how to respond, Mi Nyu could only keep looking at Tae Kyung’s bemused face. At that Tae Kyung rested his arms on Mi Nyu’s shoulders and bent slightly, bringing his face closer to hers. “The one and only Go Mi Nyu Christmas tree on earth! It’s really beautiful.”

Mi Nyu’s not used to words of compliments, especially those from Tae Kyung. What he had just said elevated her mood to the heights of the stars and her startled expression gave way to a bright smile. “Thank you, oppa. Thank you for saying that I’m beautiful.”

Still keeping his face close, Tae Kyung put on the puzzled look of a five grader and asked, “Thank you? Isn’t this what is expected of a boyfriend? To tell his girlfriend that she’s beautiful.”

“Boyfriend? Oppa is my… boyfriend?”

“You don’t like it?” Tae Kyung exclaimed, straightening his back and pulling himself away from her.

“No!” Mi Nyu made a wild grab for Tae Kyung’s withdrawing arms.

“Even if you dislike that, you don’t have a choice. I’ve gotten consent from your bother and even Shin Woo and Jeremy. Manager Ma agreed to it too!” he informed Mi Nyu smugly with a smirk.

“Mi Nam oppa too?”

“Yes. Besides, we’re on a date now. If we’re not a couple, then what are we?”

“A date?”

Frowning, Tae Kyung raised his voice slightly and cried, “A quiet date at the park! Even I can tell despite it being so dark!”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. So, we’re a couple. Now, I’ve given you your Christmas present. Where’s mine?” Tae Kyung demanded, his right palm raised before Mi Nyu.

“Didn’t I give it to you at dinner?”

With his arm still stretched out before her, Tae Kyung explained impatiently, “That doesn’t count. You gave it as an ex-ANJELL member. You’re officially my girlfriend now so it’s different.”

Scratching her head, Mi Nyu mumbled, “But I didn’t prepare anything else…”

“Tsk! I guess you’re still that pigrabbit I know,” Tae Kyung pouted and withdrew his hand. Unknown to Mi Nyu, that pout was meant to conceal the sly smile that was threatening to show. Things were going according to plan.

Flustered by the look of disappointment Tae Kyung had on his face, Mi Nyu suggested, “Should I sing you a song?”

Her attempt to fulfill the responsibilities of a girlfriend was met with a harsh response. “We’re not having a fan meeting now!”

“Then what do you want to receive? I’ll do my best to get it for you,” Mi Nyu promised keenly.

And hence, the bait was bitten.

Glancing at the night sky, Tae Kyung commented softly, “Well, we have a beautiful Christmas tree, a clear night sky, a quiet park… But we’re lacking one essential element to make this the classic drama date scene.”

“What is it?” Mi Nyu asked as she looked around in search for that one missing element.

“Stars!”

At that Mi Nyu craned her neck upwards and turned around in a small circle as she surveyed the night sky. “It’s true, there are little stars tonight.”

“This is our first official date. I want it to be perfect,” Tae Kyung said as he watched her count the stars. “Give me some stars.”

Hearing Tae Kyung’s request, Mi Nyu stopped her count and started a quest for stars. Pulling out the necklace from under her shawl, she said, “Alright, I’ll find you some stars. Here’s the star shaped necklace. And then, the star shaped ear-“

Tae Kyung cut her mid-sentence and clarified his request. “Not find. Make me some stars.”

“Make?” Mi Nyu repeated, baffled by his request. As she ransacked her mind for a way to make stars, Tae Kyung decided to cut short his wait and teach her how that can be done.

“Remember how I made you see stars the last time?”

Watching the blank expression on Mi Nyu’s face turn into one of shyness as realization hit her, Tae Kyung allowed a grin to stay for a few fleeting moments. Carefully, he leveled his eyes to Mi Nyu’s and slowly closed them in anticipation. He could feel the vapour from her breath as she shifted towards him and stopped short of closing the final distance between them. Behind closed lids, he could see the flush on her cheeks and that unsure look that had been appearing in his dreams. Just as he was about to save her the embarrassment by leaning forward, he felt a light brush of warmth against his lips.

The warmth lingered for a few seconds before it started to lift. But Tae Kyung wanted to hold on to his Christmas gift a while longer. Throwing his arms around the familiar shoulders before him, he pulled her into a deeper kiss. To his surprise, she reacted to his aggression this time round, slipping her arms under his blazer and wrapping them around his waist as she planted a kiss by the side of his lips.

Kissing can burn calories, and the two must have burnt all the calories from Christmas dinner when they finally pulled apart.

“You’re always so messy!” Tae Kyung teased as he grabbed a piece of tissue from the food table and dapped it gently against Mi Nyu’s lips.

“I’m sor-“ Mi Nyu started, but broke into laughter when light shone onto Tae Kyung’s face.

“What are you laughing about?” Tae Kyung asked, irritated.

“Oppa, were your muscles too tensed up?” Mi Nyu asked between giggles. “Your face’s all red!”

“What?”

Seeing the hand that had unconsciously reached up to scratch his neck, Tae Kyung realized what Mi Nyu was talking about. Horrified, he asked anxiously, “What did you eat?”

“Just the food at the party. Why did you ask?” Mi Nyu asked just as she noticed Tae Kyung scratching himself furiously. “Are you having an allergy reaction?”

Ignoring her question, Tae Kyung mumbled to himself, “So it’s not the food… What could it be? A mild reaction…”

“Could it be…” Mi Nyu started as she thought back of what she had recently eaten. “I had cocoa butter on my lips.”

“Cocoa butter!!!?”

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Note 1: I had the Korean word “멋지다 ” in mind when I typed this. MN used to call her and SW charming fools who liked someone who didn’t even looked at them.
 
Note 2: Please refer to my previous fanfiction for what happened.

X-posted here.