The Prince of K-Pop || Bang Chan FF

Chapter Twenty-Three

          Naty rushed through her shower as quickly as she could while still making sure to wash her hair and hit all the necessary hot spots to lather. Once complete, she made a huge mess of removing her clothes from their place in her bags so she could find her important items. The woman combed her hair, moisturized her body, and spent too much time figuring out what to wear. She settled on a cute and comfortable outfit while also settling on French braiding her hair into two plaits so they could dry into curls.

          Once finished, Naty grabbed her brand-new slippers and rushed out of the room into the massive hall.

          "I'm all done!" she called out as she ran to the living room in search of her boyfriend.

          "That was fast!"

          She turned into the kitchen to see a beautiful dining area she had missed adjacent to it. On the table was an assortment of pizza with toppings she had never seen before. She gasped with excitement, "You remembered I wanted to try pizza here!"

          "I did!" his laugh was nearly breathless and it was then that Naty realized he was looking at her with a look she had only ever seen when she wore "the dress." Chan seemed to notice her notice him noticing her and so he coughed and looked at the pizza, "Come sit! I want you to try it!"

          Naty nodded happily and took the seat he directed. It was the head of the table and he sat right at the corner so that they were still close yet not too much in each other's space. Naty wanted more than anything for him to be all in her space.

          "Okay, we have one here with kimchi, one here with bulgogi, and another with seafood. You pick."

         Oh, Chan.

          His words were just barely understood. Naty found herself sinking into the sight of the man and melting at just his presence. It had been so long since she had seen him in person but he had somehow become even more devastatingly handsome. His hair was slightly longer than before and hung in his face just above his eyes. He looked bigger, shoulders broader, more mature in a sense than he had just months ago. And those lips! She felt a hunger in her body but not for the pizza on the table.

          Bang Chan was literally so beautiful!

          "What?" his voice was soft as he shrank, as if afraid that she may say something or see something he did not want her to.

          Naty snapped out of her daze and blushed as she leaned forward to grasp at his hand, "You just. You just look so beautiful. I can't explain it. Maybe it's going so long without seeing you in person but I swear! You are just so striking, so gorgeous, so—"

          "Stop!" the man whined as he threw his hands over his face, "I am definitely not. I'm not even wearing any make up. I look terrible. I am so ugly."

          "No!" she reached for his arms to bring it down.

          His hands did drop but only to take hold of hers in between both of is, "But you. I feel all of those things about you. I don't think I've ever seen you with wet hair and these braids I've only seen over the phone. You look so adorable. I just want to squeeze you!"

          Naty laughed at the word choice and smiled softly.

          "Come on! Pick a slice!"

          Her eyes scanned over the different options. As she did, she noticed Chan had a glass of cold water waiting for her and so she took a sip. The pizza looked delicious but she found herself more occupied with Chan's reaction. Even still, he seemed to be deeply uncomfortable by the praise toward his appearance. She wondered if it was because he was in a business that sexualized him since his youth or if he just genuinely felt ugly. It hurt her to think of either option and she felt the urge to ask if this would be a clear boundary but she thought it better to wait until they were better situated into their time together.

          "Naty?"

           "You pick one for me," she closed her eyes and opened her mouth, "I want to be surprised."

           His sweet laughter filled the air around her. With eyes closed she imagined hearts falling past his lips and kissing her features. That was what his laugh felt like to her. She had never heard a sound so lovely. She wished she could hear it on loop.

          The feeling of a pizza triangle reaching her mouth caught her attention and she quickly reached up to grab it and took a bite. The flavors mixed together in surprise and she realized it was the bulgogi slice. She opened her eyes to look at Chan who waited anxiously for her appraisal but she took her time enjoying the blending of flavors. As many had stated, the pizza in South Korea was different and had a sweeter quality than she had been used to. Her original reaction was to dislike it but, as she continued to take bites of the pizza, she began to enjoy the difference and even appreciate it.

          "What do you think?" His voice sounded defeated.

          "This is so good! I'm really surprised. I've never tasted anything like this!" Naty continued eating as though she were an explorer of a new land.

          Chan grinned, "Really? You don't have to lie."

          "I'm not lying! I love it!"

          "Good! I want you to try each one. I'm going to show you so many different dishes here. You'll be an expert by the time you leave!" Chan had such animation in his voice he sounded like he was a kid once again.

          Naty knew she would do anything he wanted as long as he just looked at her the way he did as he handed over the kimchi slice.

          She was in love.