baktae-hyun-blog

[baktae-hyun-blog]

ffsdimitri:

FUCK. this wasn’t supposed to happen. he wasn’t supposed to be here. dimitri knew, right of the bat after what happened to him, he wasn’t going to get involved in this kind of business again. no. he’d find a regular job. he’d make a living like regular people did. not like this. never like this again. his bright eyes followed the manila envelope as tae-hyun pushed it towards him, although his body remained frozen against the seat he was in. his eyes moved from the envelope to the man sitting before him.

 “you must have me confused for someone else,” he let out slowly, shaking his head slightly at the other. “i’m of no use to you.”

HE HUMMED SOFTLY, fingertip tapping once more against the folder as to keep dimitri’s attention focused there, giving him ample time to watch the other’s features contort into frustration and confusion. it seemed to be a look of deep contemplation, a million questions surely running through his head -- the question of why easily being the most prominent of them all. tae-hyun set his glass against the table and shifted in his seat, arms folding in front of him as he leaned forward, lips pursing in thought after the man spoke up, refusing his proposition. 

                           “dimitri moustafa, right? i know my secretary is a bit airy,                             but he’s not incompetent. it’s SO hard to hide in treeville.”

tae-hyun pushed the folder a fraction closer, head nodding for him to open the thick envelope that sat on top, “half now, the other half when you finish the job.”

[baktae-hyun-blog]

@ffsdimitri

WITH A MUTED SMILE, HE SLID THE ENVELOPE ACROSS THE TABLE, head cocked to the side as he watched the other shift slightly in his seat -- nerves? Probably not, after all, he was quite close to Naomi and trouble never followed too far behind her. Nowadays, it seemed to be the same for Tae-hyun; the nerve he’d gathered from the work he did with Naomi allowing him to seek out other options when faced with particularly vexing situations. If money didn’t work, then stealing it typically did -- which is why he had asked Dimitri there, to mull over the idea of working for him over an expensive drink. 

A fingertip tapped softly at the manila folder set between them, brow quirking slightly over the edge of his glass as he took a sip, “I think you can help me with a problem and I think I can help you with one of yours.”

[baktae-hyun-blog]

mvlina:

“so…” malina led, turning on the spot to face the other person with her lip pulled between her teeth. “i need to ask for a teensy bit of advice?”

a single brow quirked and his head cocked slightly to peer over at the girl. “i suppose advice is always better given from a stranger -- no biases, hm?” his words are laced with a quiet laugh, a hand motioning for her to continue. 

                                                           “i am all ears.”

[baktae-hyun-blog]

heynaomi:

NAOMI WASN’T SURE HOW SHE’D GOTTEN HERE. she was naomi abram, notorious for coming up with solutions herself. known for being entirely independent. yet, she’d reached out to tae-hyun. who knew, maybe as naomi was maturing she’d come to realize that she had proved herself and that it was okay to ask for help where help was needed. 

meeting with tae-hyun certainly hadn’t disappointed either. over the course of the night, they’d developed a plan that was foolproof. now, naomi had heard excellent things about him and his work, sure, but she had no idea he was capable of what they were planning to execute that night. 

following that initial meeting, the blonde knew that she’d made the right decision. she was sure to inform blake of that much, too. typically both parties were adamant about keeping all business pertaining to the family within the family, but (as cliche as it is) desperate times called for desperate measures. 

naomi was waiting patiently for just the right moment when tae-yhun would reveal her and until then, she was really like a kid waiting for christmas morning. naomi loved what she did, truly, especially when it came to working under blake. but this? she hadn’t felt excitement like this since she first started. 

when the door finally swung open to reveal the blonde, there was no denying the smirk that spread across naomi’s red painted lips as a result of seeing his reaction to it all. this was almost too good. naomi slowly emerged into the room, glancing at tae-yhun for a moment before they finally settled on the man for good. 

“thank you, tae-yhun. he’s very good, isn’t he?” naomi stopped just before the table, placing her hands on the flat surface and leaning forward to get a good look at the other. “what’s the saying? two’s a party, three’s a crowd? i warned you once, blake doesn’t like to share.”

               HE CONSIDERED HIMSELF LUCKY to have been brought in to the folds of treeville’s elite underground, especially by someone like naomi -- explicitly trusted and regarded so highly by the trons themselves. so, when he’d been approached that short time ago, tae-hyun found it in his best interest to find a way to placate both his insatiable desire to climb the social ladder and the blond that now stood at his side, hands splayed across the table and body arched like a predator poised to attack. the man squirmed in his seat, eyes blown wide and mouth hung agape like a fish gasping for breath only to find himself writhing on the deck, his captors watching in silent awe much to his dismay. he had swallowed the hook, tae-hyun only having to dangle the shimmering lure for a moment before he bit. 

the lawyer hummed, nodding along to naomi’s words as a coy smirk toyed at the edges of his lips, head cocked to the side as he watched the seated man grasping at straws, short bursts of apologies tumbling free, mingling with shuddered breathing. fatty fingers gripped at the wooden chair, his body shifting to stand to his feet -- surely ready to make a quick exit, his fight or flight telling him there would be no winning this battle, not alone. not with naomi staring him down from the edge of the table, ready to eat him alive. a large hand shot out to grip at his shoulder, forcefully slamming him down in his seat once more. as if to pour gasoline on the fire that slowly seeped from the woman at his side, tae-hyun gave the man’s shoulder a squeeze, body bending at the waist to refer to him, “you are F A R better off allowing ms. abram to speak. i think that if you stay, things will end much better for you and your company.”

if tae had reached out to touch the man’s chest, surely he would feel his heart racing, pounding excessively against his chest, ready to rip through flesh and bone and bare itself to them both. he was quivering now, lower lip quaking as he tried to keep it together, words quietly pleading with them both; he understood the severity of his own situation, especially with the two darkened figures looming over him like cats drawn to a cornered mouse. 

 “NOW --” he started with a huffed sigh, fingertips moving down the spans of the other’s arm before stopping at his rolex-clad wrist, “why don’t we start with an apology? then we can move to business.” instantly, the words fell from his lips like dribble, tripping over his own tongue as he spat out a terrified apology, eyes pleading only because he had been caught -- not out of remorse for his poor judgment. it wasn’t clear what the man’s discretion truly had been, other than his desire for more than he was allowed, but in their world -- that was just enough to land yourself in a seat similar to the one this mendacious business man currently occupied.

[baktae-hyun-blog]

ofcelodie:

elodie watched the whole scene go down, her head tilted a bit. the man looked familiar and she couldn’t quite get her finger on it. once she saw the small smile, she had it. “you know, there have been many many times i’ve wanted to do that, but i don’t think i’ll ever have the guts to do such a thing.” elodie smiled. “i don’t know if you remember me?” 

             TAE-HYUN’S ATTENTION HAD BEEN FOCUSED intently on the rippling effect his phone had created in the otherwise peaceful water, only to be ripped away at the soft voice that sounded behind him. dark eyes moved from the lake to the petite brunette just behind him, a quiet chuckle escaping as he did, “honestly, i think it really depends on how fed-up you get with whoever is on the phone.”

                               “ah-shibal --” his native tongue slipped out accidentally while he wracked his brain for a moment, a nod lulling his head as her name resurfaced, “elodie, right? you were my nari’s favourite person for quite some time.” it almost made him cringe the way his sweet tone enveloped his late-wife’s name ( he was getting too good at hiding his contempt with her ), but instead of letting that show, he offered a warm chuckle.

                                                   “you were our wedding planner &&                                                          a damn good one at that, right?”

[baktae-hyun-blog]

novayoung:

Nova gasped playfully, lips parting in faux disbelief as she feigned blinking away tears. The facade proved too much to maintain after a measly few seconds and she had to turn her head slightly away from him to prevent him from witnessing the hint of smile threatening to creep onto her lips. “I knew it, you– you jerkface!” she whisper-shouted the words, huffing dramatically as brown eyes rested on his again. “Honestly, you can’t get anything past me. Thought you’d know that by now, but nope, guess you’ll just never learn,” she replied teasingly, unable to keep up the charade any longer as she allowed her amusement to slip through. Her playful side never disappeared when she was around him, which was mostly a result of their first meeting. The entirety of the night, she had failed to get even a smile out of him and from that very minute, she had decided to make it somewhat of a personal mission to teach him how to not take himself as seriously as he seemed to have a habit of doing. And though it wasn’t a thought that she would likely voice anytime soon, if ever, the second she had gotten a smile out of him, she couldn’t help thinking that she wanted nothing more than to keep him smiling. “That’s precisely it, you big doof, what took you so long to figure it out? Thought you were supposed to be some hotshot lawyer, you should have realized sooner that I wanna make you cry, smartypants.” She forced a huff past her lips, her laughter bubbling to the surface immediately after the words had left her. 

“Of course I do, I’m hilarious, and don’t act like I’m not.” She raised her brows, as though challenging him to argue her point. “And I don’t? Is that what you’re implying? Careful, I might get determined to prove you wrong and nothing good will come of that.” Her gaze narrowed as she attempted to play the words off as a dare. “And you thought I was serious?” she forced herself to scoff. “Shows how much you know. Maybe you aren’t as smart as I thought you were.” She proceeded to stick her tongue out childishly as she reached a hand out to smack him lightly on the arm, her grin matching his easily. 

“You think you can bribe me with expensive liquor and it’ll make me forgive you just like that?” She paused before allowing her grin to shine through. “Fine, you win, but don’t think it’ll be this easy every time because I can’t be bought… with the exception of right now.”

Nova couldn’t discern the look in his eyes as their gazes held, and she couldn’t quite explain why her chest felt tight in that brief moment. It wasn’t an unpleasant feeling, per say, but it made her nervous, the way that he seemed to be attempting to figure her out. There were parts of her which she wished to keep hidden from him, the not-so-pretty parts that would inevitably shatter the image of this carefree, happy self that she presented whenever she was graced with his company. While they may have only known each other for a short time, she found herself to be quite fond of the times they spent together and his opinion meant a great deal to her. She had little to no desire to chase him away by allowing him to see the things that she attempted to keep hidden from the world.

Eyes rolling as though she were legitimately annoyed, Nova crossed her arms over her chest as she forced her previous thoughts to the farthest recesses of her mind, where they couldn’t eat away at her for the time being. “Well, I think that I don’t care what you think, and I’m not sure that I appreciate your tone,” she mocked him, her lips remaining pursed for only a moment as she watched him.

“Please, I’m calling your bluff, there’s no way you’ll throw me–” The rest of her statement died on her tongue as she watched him stand, eyebrows raising as he reached for her. “I swear to–”

Nova’s words were once again cut off as an entirely too girlish squeak escaped from between pursed lips, partly in disbelief that he actually thrown her over his shoulder and mostly a result of his having startled her. She attempted to kick him, but failed miserably and instead released a dissatisfied groan. 

“You better not throw me in that lake or I won’t be the one speaking last words!” she threatened playfully, because try as she might to be truly angered, she couldn’t find it in herself to be. “Seriously, put me down or face my wrath.” 

                            THERE HE WENT AGAIN, a laugh shuddering through him as his cheeks rose and lips parted in to a grin, “I think that’s exactly what I’m implying? Actually, I know that’s what I’m implying.” He watched her features shift from a grin to a childish pout, tongue darting out to tease him, head shaking slightly at her antics. Tae-hyun swayed slightly at her playful backhand to his arm, leaning slightly towards her to nudge her with an elbow, nose scrunched only a fraction in a feigned annoyance at her words. “I pride myself on my degree, madam!” He jested, an elbow nudging her once more with enough follow-through to hopefully topple her over.

                                “Oh? Okay, noted. But once you taste that Macallan,                                                         you might just be swayed every time.”

                Their words had died to a comfortable silence, eyes locking for a moment                 almost too long -- he forced himself to tear away his attention, seeing her.                                                           shift under his gaze.

Despite the silence that had fallen, his smile never faded, not once, since he had happened upon Nova. Everything that slipped out of her mouth, every little eye roll and playful nudge, Tae-hyun couldn’t help but laugh -- her grin was infectious. It seemed that with every meeting they had, she seemed to grow on him more and more. Since moving to Treeville he hadn’t acquired much of a social life, many of his friends having been directly linked with his late-wife, Nari && after her passing, he was left to his own devices. 

Even with Nari and their closest friends ( whether or not he genuinely enjoyed their company was debatable ), he hadn’t once been able to break down a wall like this, allowing him to be so playful and full of life. His eyes were alight, lips parted and teeth bared in a grin as his entire form shook with laughter, no doubt his chuckling echoing through Nova as he carried her towards the shore. “You swear to what? Because no one can save you now!” He glanced back at her for a moment as she squirmed on his shoulder, nose scrunching slightly at the disgruntled look on her face. He would have released her there, before they even touched the sand, but there was a playfulness in her voice that he couldn’t deny. So, Tae would carry on this rouse until he touched the edge of the water. 

He pouted slightly and quirked a brow up at her before finally tugging her off his shoulder and setting her down gently on the sand, another loud laugh rolling off his lips at her words. “Your WRATH?” He scoffed playfully, arms crossing over his chest and head quirking to the side, “I could put a hand on your forehead and you wouldn’t even be able to reach!” He attempted to prove his point by gently placing the palm of his hand on the center of her forehead, his feet moving him far enough away to completely outstretch his arm. 

                                                                “Try me, Nova!”

[baktae-hyun-blog]

[baktae-hyun-blog]

OF COURSE, it was the one night Tae-hyun hadn’t worn a jacket, leaving him helpless while watching the scene unfold ( he felt rude approaching without being able to offer her cover from the inevitable stain on her blouse ). His stoic features were written with slight frustration and disgust now as the way the man who had stumbled into her laughed it off, disappearing in to the crowd without an apology. Out of instinct, he approached, despite his inability to really help other than the fistful of napkins he’d swiped from the bar. 

                  “What an ass,” he sighed, eyes ticking up to regard her. A small frown toyed at pink lips as he handed over the napkins, “Don’t worry about the glass. Vivian has people to take care of that.” As he spoke, he glanced over the heads of the crowd, a hand waving over an employee to start the clean up before anyone began crunching through the shattered glass.

Natalia was carrying her drink away from the bar to roam around. Taking a couple sips, she carefully made her way through the crowd. But with her luck, someone had carelessly bumped into her, slipping the drink on her top and dropping the glass on the ground, causing it to shatter. “Oh you’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” She muttered. She looked at the person who was clearly drunk, seeing them laughing before stumbling off. Shaking her head, she sighed, “Great way to enjoy the night.” she muttered.

[baktae-hyun-blog]

novayoung:

It came of no surprise to Nova that the one voice she had least expected to hear at the event was the one that could bring a genuine smile to her lips. As her gaze fell on him, she couldn’t help but notice that he wasn’t donning his typical attire. Casual ( or what she assumed was as akin to casual as Tae-Hyun could force himself to dress ) looked good on him– really good. “You? At a club? Tell me I’m hallucinating,” she mimicked his teasing tone, a smirk threatening to replace the first sincere smile she had managed that evening. “Actually, no, I just enjoy self-torture. Guess it’s the masochist in me.” Her tone was thick with sarcasm and following the statement, she allowed her smirk to take form. “Do I strike you as the type to willingly drink a virgin martini– or a martini in general? Be careful what you say next, because I am not above using the crutches as a weapon.” 

A light chuckle escaped her lips after she spoke and she immediately felt a sense of relief wash over her at his following suggestion. Though she had wished to stick around to support Vivian for a little while longer, she couldn’t find it in herself to refuse him, particularly given that she didn’t exactly enjoy feeling like a fish out of water. “Did you not hear the part where I said I’d beat you with the crutches?” She raised a brow, as though challenging him, before another laugh fell from between her lips. The laugh quickly quieted, however, as his fingertips moved along the skin of her arm until stopping at her elbow. Her chest felt tight at the gentle touch, but not in an unpleasant way. “I’m in, but I might need you to be the doll I know you can be and help me stand for a sec while I grab the crutches… And just so you’re aware, I’m not weak, I’m just lazy.” She knew the words were unnecessary, but she loathed asking for help and didn’t want to be seen as a fragile little flower. 

HE TUGGED AT HIS HIGH COLLAR, white teeth grazing the inside of his lower lip as he shifted slightly in his spot. This was all so foreign to him, the milling of sweaty bodies, the thrum of the bass echoing through his feet; his age of clubbing long since past. Regardless, he had come for some reason and now, as he stood in front of her -- a mid-length, black dress that put her tanned legs ( well, the one able leg ) on display, coupled with an eye catching slit laced together that hugged her curves almost sinfully. In a flash, the cast on her leg was the last thing he could focus on and instead it was her ever-apparent figure in that stunning dress. Tae wasn’t entirely sure how he hadn’t noticed it at first, but silently thanked whatever god for that, or he wouldn’t have been able to approach with such nonchalance. 

His lips parted to speak, knowing that he had to respond within a reasonable time, before she would get suspicious ( the man almost never at a loss for words with her ), but only a single word seemed to stutter free, “Wow.” He blinked, a hand reaching up to cover his mouth as if to bottle up the word that escaped. 

            “Eh,” he huffed, trying to shake off the temporary stupor her appearance put him in, finally able to speak clearly, “you strike me as the ‘I’d rather be home’ type right now.” 

He held his hands up in a mock defense, the edge of his lips perking up in to a smirk as she playfully threatened him. “You may be a menace with those crutches, but remember, you’re on crutches. I could just grab them and run,” he hummed, offering a hand to her regardless of his teasing. As her hand slid into his, allowing her to shift her weight on to him enough to slide off her seat, the other reached out to gather one of her crutches so she could fully support herself. He knew by now that she was an extremely independent woman ( almost frustratingly so, but it was an attribute he couldn’t deny he admired ), so as soon as she could provide her own balance, he stepped away to give her room. 

                                 “It’s all right, Nova,” Tae-hyun smiled, leaning closer to her to assure he heard her over the music, “I know how strong you are -- especially coming here tonight. Now, let’s go before one of us gets carried away by this crowd.” Typically, he would offer an arm for the other to take as they walked -- a habit he had picked up from his mentor years ago -- but found no reason to tonight as it would be entirely impossible for her to walk. Instead, he moved aside to allow her to exit before him, assuring that no one would disturb her as she struggled out of the club. 

[baktae-hyun-blog]

edcnn:

       the blonde thought of a suitable answer, making a pause between the other’s words and her following comment. “–i guess i’m a little lost. i haven’t seen a single familiar face around here yet and uh–…” the words stopped coming out of their mouth as eden sighed. “it’s not as i imagined it to be.”

               TAE HUMMED IN AGREEMENT as his head lulled in a short nod, dark eyes settling on the other as his lips pursed in a thin line. “You’re not alone,” he sighed, his hand moving from the drink before him to reach out and offer a handshake, “I don’t know why I’m here.” 

It was the truth -- aside from knowing Vivian -- there was no reason as to why he should have stepped foot in that club to begin with. He had no clue who was performing, though as their music replaced the repetitive dance tracks, he couldn’t help but find enjoyment in their unique sound. 

                                         “But hey, at least the drinks are cold and the music is good.                                            I’ve found this corner to be a little oasis in this madness.”

             He offered a fraction of a smile as if to reassure them that it wasn’t so bad.

[baktae-hyun-blog]

a rare sighting of tae-hyun outside of his office -- TRX event.

[baktae-hyun-blog]

              HE HAD BEEN ENTIRELY FOCUSED on the drink in his hands, a fingertip tracing through the condensation absentmindedly, biding his time, until he felt a shift in the booth at his side. his head lazily tilted upwards to regard the blonde, a small, reassuring hum escaping, “it’s fine.” a hand lifted to wave off the other’s concerns, head cocking to the side to take them in as they pressed a genuine question. 

                               “me? just fine, a little too crowded in here for me.                                                 you don’t look to comfortable yourself, though.”

they’d just left the bar with a glass in their hand, making their way around the sides of the place, – looking for someone they knew, maybe? eden wasn’t really sure. the blonde meddled into a booth that seemed empty, realizing shortly after that it, in fact, wasn’t. “–oh shit, i’m sorry,” they raised a hand as an apology, turning around with a roll of their eyes before they bumped into someone on their way out. “oh, uh, you okay? – sorry.”

[baktae-hyun-blog]

TAE-HYUN HAD SOMEHOW MANAGED TO DETACH from his work for the night, convincing himself that it was a good idea to wander in to the ever-busy TRX for an all inclusive event; it would have been rude not to stop by, Vivian had opened her doors to everyone and his face inevitably would have gone unnoticed. He hadn’t made it more than a few feet in to the club before he spotted a familiar face in the crowd, hunched in the corner, gripping her martini. 

                    “Wait, wait, virgin martini? Tell me it’s because of the meds,” he hummed, slipping in beside her, a wry smirk playing at his features. Scanning the bustling club with a slight discomfort, he veered his attention towards her as she spoke again, a quiet laugh sounding in response. “Let’s get out of here, then, yeah? Our favourite bar is close enough for even you to walk to,” Tae mused, a hand moving to rest against the back of her arm, fingertips sliding along the soft skin to tug at her elbow, motioning towards the door. 

Nova was feeling sour. She didn’t want to be, but as she watched everyone dancing and chatting, she found it hard not to feel such a way. Jealousy was an ugly green monster, but currently, she was proving to be incredibly envious of every able-bodied person gyrating on the dance floor and walking around the club. She could move, but doing so only succeeded in exhausting her. To make matters worse, she had been sipping on the same virgin martini for the better half of an hour and her craving for something much stronger only grew by the second. “Honestly, a virgin martini– worst idea ever,” she scoffed to herself, not thinking that even anyone within ear shot could hear over the music. As off the wall as it may have sounded, talking to herself was the only thing keeping her somewhat sane. “This is actual torture. I think I’ve found my own personal version of Hell.” 

[baktae-hyun-blog]

                 “AH! VIVIAN,” HE SHOUTED, cutting through the loud music that thrummed through him, a once hidden smile curling in to a grin at the familiar sight. His arms engulfed the blonde in a welcoming hug, a chuckle shuddering through him as he pulled away, attention keen on her words. His head shook slightly, shoulders rolling in a shrug, “I suppose I could be swayed with an Old Fashioned.” As he pulled away, his fingertips caught her wrist, allowing him to gently tug her towards the bar.

                                             “So this is the illustrious TRX?”

@baktae-hyun liked this post for a closed event starter.

“Bak!” Vivian yelled over the music, her arms extending to embrace the other in a hug. Her voice lowering when he was close enough to hear her whispers. “Business is upstairs.” She nodded towards the staircase a few bodies to the left. “But pleasure is down here. Please tell me you’re here for the latter and are down to keep me company?”

[baktae-hyun-blog]

[baktae-hyun-blog]

blaketrons:

“SOME LEARN THAT LESSON the hard way,” blake replied as he gave tae-hyun a nod. blake was quickly growing to like tae-hyun alone from what he’d hard from naomi. he was beginning to think that the other would be a crucial asset to keep in his pocket. letting a chuckle slip from his lips, his curiosity getting the best of him. “humor me.”

“I TOLD YOUR DAUGHTER ONCE that your business can’t make every problem disappear, but I’m beginning to see that’s not entirely the case anymore.” with every transaction he helped finalize, every jackass he helped swindle, tae-hyun saw his problems slowly dwindle -- every obstacle was just a single pay-off, or ‘accident,’ away from conquering.

                      “but i’m facing a lawsuit i can’t win from a loud-mouthed, former-employee.”

[baktae-hyun-blog]

novayoung:

“Well, someone has to be the bad guy in this scenario and since I’m so obviously the good guy, that leaves you, sorry to say,” she was quick to retort, failing miserably at even attempting to fight off a smile. “Hmm,” she mused, tilting her head and placing her finger against the edge of her mouth as though she were in deep thought. “I think–” Her pause was as dramatic as his had been, though it lasted a few seconds longer because she was most certainly a child at heart. “I think it isn’t fair to bribe me with dinner because food is my second weakness after coffee, but take me out for Thai and I just may forgive you for playing unfairly and threatening to toss me in the water,” she finished; however, she couldn’t quite force herself to leave it at that because clearly she had forgotten how to be serious for the time being. “I’m not making any promises, though, so don’t get your hopes up about getting into my good graces again anytime soon.” 

At this rate, Nova had basically forgotten her reasoning for coming to the park in the first place. That woman staring blankly at the sky in a half-hearted attempt to escape herself felt light years away and in her place was a woman who was genuinely happy– or as close to genuinely happy as she was capable. Even in the silence that had threatened to break the spell ( and that was how she thought of it, like a spell that would eventually wear off because happiness was fleeting ), she found solace in the comfort of not being alone and felt it easier to swallow down the sadness that continually threatened to consume her. There was something about Tae-Hyun that made her good mood feel quite effortless despite them being polar opposites in most ways. She enjoyed bringing out the child in him and seeing his eyes crinkle at the corners as he laughed, and in truth, he was a much more welcome distraction than the sounds of nature.

As her gaze caught sight of his smile, it was nearly impossible for her to glance away, not that she was even considering making the attempt. The warmth emanating from the gesture was enough to calm the storm inside of her momentarily and she found herself almost regretting that she had broken the silence because the silence between them felt… not nice, precisely, but comfortable. The issue she had with silence, however, was that, for her, it was often deafening. 

All traces of being in deep thought or too serious fell away as she listened to his following words. Her laughter came almost too easily as she felt her cheeks heating slightly. Nova was far from what one would consider shy, but the words had caught her off guard— which she silently commended him for. It was quite the achievement to render Novalee Young temporarily speechless. “I beg to differ because that is not the same thing. Unless your neighbors have happened to see you, because it isn’t skinny dipping unless you get caught. I should know, okay, because I’ve LEGITIMATELY skinny-dipped.” She forced out a scoff, though it sounded more like a chuckle. “I am not a baby, you are the baby, so hmmph.” 

The temptation to watch him as his gaze drifted to the sky was a great one, but she had no desire to appear weird ( weirder than was out of the norm for her, anyway ), so rather than giving in, she allowed her own gaze to drift. Still, she found herself absentmindedly glancing at him here and there. She couldn’t quite figure him out, but she supposed the mystery was half the fun of getting to know someone. “Oh pish posh, anyone who is really a friend of yours will already know that you’re a goof. Excuse you, but I don’t have to compete with anyone because I am clearly the best, just accept it already that it’s impossible not to adore me.” 

"I'VE BEEN WAITING ALL DAY to make you cry. How'd you know? There's no hiding anything from you! So, go on," he teased while a hand gestured as if to usher her onwards, playfully pushing her act, "I think you want me to cry! Is that what you want?" A dark brow quirked as he tilted his head to the side, lips pursing together to fight off a chuckle and maintain his momentary facade. It never lasted long with her, his laughter near impossible to withhold if he listened for longer than a minute. She never failed to make him laugh, or at least crack a smile. It had taken several meetings ( and seemingly endless conversations over quite a few beers ) for him to finally relax at her side. That all seemed so distant now as he watched her forced frown invert quickly to a grin, eyes alight and nose scrunched as she laughed at her own words.

                "You just crack yourself up, huh?" Tae-hyun hummed, eyes rolling in amusement. He couldn't look away as she mimicked his antics, her dramatic pause forcing a chuckle past his lips, "It's not fair that I just know how to win with you? I think I just know how to play the game. And, you were just ASKING to get tossed in the water, miss. I tell them like I see them."

She was almost too much for him to handle. His chest rumbled with laughter, those damn wrinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes, teeth bearing in a grin -- he hadn't been this carefree in what felt like an eternity and he owed it to Nova; it was a debt he felt he could never repay to her ( & he would pay any price for that. )

               "Okay, okay, how about this? I had bottle of Macallan, 15 year old Scotch imported last week -- I throw in that with dinner: how are you feeling about good graces after that?"

As eyes locked, only for a moment though it felt like an eternity, a part of him wanted to reach out and touch her, just to make sure that she was real. Every look he received from her was different, her eyes telling him everything he needed to know before her lips even parted to speak -- whether it was a playful quip to his teasing, or one of the seldom times that their conversations drifted towards reality, the bleakness outside of their temporary bubble. His gaze softened, forcing his eyes to shift away from hers to break his concentration on her. He found himself deep in thought each time his gaze wandered towards Nova, wondering what was going through her head, what made her really tick.

Though, just as quickly as she could lure him in to contemplation, she could snap him right back out. Her cheeks, although almost indiscernible in the moonlight, flushed red, prompting a laugh that would shudder through him, echoing in his chest for a moment after. It wasn't what she said, no -- it was the doe-like look that she gave him after his admission, seemingly caught off-guard. "I think that as long as you're naked, it's skinny-dipping. SO, I'm not sure I appreciate your tone, Ms. Young," he huffed in feigned annoyance, lips pursing to match his tone. His gaze flicked towards her for a fraction of a second to gauge her response before letting out a groan.

                                "That's it! You're going in the lake."

No sooner had he spoke before he tugged his arms from behind his head, hands splaying out behind him to push himself quickly to his feet. With relative ease, he scooped her up off the ground and laid her over his shoulder, an arm curled around the back of her knees to hold her there as he made his way closer to the shore.

                      "Any last words before you join my phone for a dip?"