When he finally looked up at her, still on one knee, there was a soft smile on his face. "You really should wear comfier shoes," he said, voice low and teasing.
Sooyaa's breath hitched slightly. She couldn't say anything just stood there.
Sooyaa's cheeks were still pink from the moment before. Flustered and unsure of what to say, she quickly turned her eyes away only to catch sight of a small, fluffy cat sitting calmly by the wall.
"Ahh… how cute!" she said, walking toward it eagerly. She crouched down and gently patted its head. "You're such a pretty one… Where did you come from, huh?"
Taehyung followed, hands still in his pockets. He tilted his head, watching her quietly.
"Hmmm… do you like it?" he asked, crouching beside her.
"Very much," Sooyaa replied with a soft smile. "But… is it homeless?"
Taehyung leaned a little closer to examine. "Mmm… I don't think so. If you look closely you can see this small silver chain on its neck? That means it's someone's pet. Tamed."
Sooyaa blinked, then looked at him with an impressed smile.
"Whoa… you have sharp eyes, Mr. Kim," she said, a hint of admiration in her tone.
Taehyung shrugged casually, pretending not to be affected by the compliment. "I observe things."
Just then, a man came jogging over from the sidewalk. "Oh! Here you are," he said, looking relieved as he reached for the cat.
Sooyaa stood up as the man gently picked up the cat in his arms. "You like him?" the man asked with a grin.
"He's a bit of a wanderer."
"He's beautiful," Sooyaa said with a bright smile.
The man extended his hand toward her. "I'm Lee Han, by the way."
Before she could respond, Taehyung suddenly stepped forward and firmly shook the man's hand instead.
"Kim Taehyung," he said, his tone a little too smooth, a little too sharp. "Nice to meet you."
Lee Han blinked at the interruption, but nodded politely. "Nice to meet you too. I should get going. Take care!" He walked off with the cat in his arms.
Sooyaa watched him go. "That was such a nice cat."
"Mmm," Taehyung muttered beside her.
"And that young man… he was handsome too."
Taehyung's head snapped towards her in an instant.
"Handsome?" he repeated, looking at her incredulously.
"Yeah," Sooyaa replied casually. "He was tall. Good facial features. Definitely handsome."
Taehyung chuckled dryly. "I didn't see it. Didn't seem that handsome to me."
She just smiled and turned away. "Let's go," she said, starting to walk ahead.
Taehyung stood frozen for a second, staring after her.
"I'm standing right here,and she's out here complimenting someone else?" he muttered to himself.
He shook his head and broke into a light jog, catching up with her. "Yah, wait up!"
Sooyaa turned around, hiding a small smirk as he fell into step beside her again.
Sooyaa suddenly turned around, eyes twinkling with mischief.
"Catch me if you can, Mr. Kim!" she called out, playfully poking her tongue out with a cute little
"ding!"
Taehyung blinked in surprise, then let out a soft chuckle.
"How childish… and immature," he muttered under his breath but the smile tugging at his lips gave him away. Without hesitation, he dashed after her. "I will catch you"
They both broke into laughter as they ran down the sidewalk. They both look carefree.
For a few seconds, time slowed down for them. Their laughter echoed in the air, and even the breeze seemed to dance around them.
They finally skidded to a stop right outside the convenience store, slightly out of breath.
"Huff... Huff… You run fast," Taehyung panted, hands on his hips.
Sooyaa looked at him and grinned. "Mr. Kim, how are you already tired? That was barely a jog!"
He gave her a mock glare, then nodded. "Let's just go inside."
As they stepped in, the familiar jingle of the door chimed above them.
"Hello!" Sooyaa greeted the cashier brightly.
The cashier looked up and smiled.
Taehyung quietly picked up a hand cart and followed behind Sooyaa as she wandered through the aisles of the convenience store. Unaware of his little mission, she touched items curiously colorful candies, a new flavor of chips, a soft bun with cream filling.
Behind her, Taehyung silently picked up each item she showed interest in and placed it in the cart. He didn't say a word just followed with a faint smile playing on his lips.
Sooyaa picked up a neatly packaged jar of imported strawberry jam and looked at the price tag. "Ohh… this is expensive," she muttered with a small sigh. "Okay, I'll buy it another time." She carefully placed it back on the shelf and walked ahead, humming softly to herself.
Behind her, without a word, Taehyung reached out, took the same jar, and quietly placed it into the cart, his expression unreadable but his actions gentle.
They eventually reached the refrigerated section. "Ah, here they are the eggs," Sooyaa said, crouching slightly to pull out the last pack from the very back of the refrigerator.
Taehyung raised a brow. "Why the last one? There are plenty in front."
She gave him a knowing look. "Most people grab the ones in front. They get touched, sometimes dropped, maybe even cracked. The ones in the back are safer."
"Huh... smart," he nodded, genuinely impressed.
Just then, his eyes fell on a different pack nearby fancy packaging, labeled as organic. "Oh! Look at these. Let's take those too."
"No way," Sooyaa said quickly. "Those are too expensive."
"Not for me," Taehyung replied, picking them up anyway and dropping them into the cart.
Sooyaa turned and finally glanced into the hand cart her eyes widened at the amount inside. "Mr. Kim... are you trying to buy the whole convenience store?"
He stopped walking, then slowly knelt down in front of her eye to eye.
"If you want, I can," he said softly. "And you know I can."
END OF CHAPTER.