You navigate the halls with the flashlight of your phone and stop in front of the storage. You snatch the box of candles out of the rack and head back to the front desk, where Seungcheol is sitting.

He looks up and your breath catches. "Ah, you got them. Thank you."

"Last thing before I go home." You smile and drum on the desk.

Seungcheol's eyes linger, you can see the flicker of doubt in the dim candle light. He looks at you for far longer than you can handle before his lips twist into a smile. "I'll see you tomorrow."

You nod. "See you tomorrow."

Before he can convince you to stay, you make your way towards the back entrance. You pass a couple of colleagues on their way back and push through the door.

It's the expectation that you do, at least.

You look up and down before pushing again, but it doesn't budge. From the pocket of your jacket, you grab your phone to shine some light. When you point it at the door, the window view is completely blocked. Not even a small shred of light manages to shine through.

As you curse underneath your breath, your screen lights up.

You hold the phone to your ear. "Yes?"

"I hate to have you overtime, you know that," Seungcheol sounds on the other side of the line, "however—"

"The back entrance is also snowed in," you interrupt him. "I know. I'm standing there."

"I figured."

A silence washes over you.

You rub your face with a sigh. "Alright, I'll come back. We can figure out what to do from there."

Before Seungcheol has a chance to reply, you hang up and turn on your heel. You've never experienced a snowstorm this bad before. Sure, it's shut off the electricity before, but the back entrance is mostly a free zone.

You take 'mostly' as the keyword now.

You drop your bag at your feet and plop in the chair next to Seungcheol. He has an IPad in front of him, a keyboard attached to it. Next to it are a variety of powerbanks, one with his phone already attached to it.

"I hope I get a text from our boss now," Seungcheol speaks up, his eyes on the screen in front of him, "'Thank you for convincing me that it was indeed a good idea to get multiple power banks and a back up IPad in case the electricity shuts off completely.'"

"Do you want her to kiss your ass, perhaps?"

He chuckles and the heat spreads to your cheeks. "No, but I like to hear that I'm right."

You place a hand on his shoulder and pat it. "Choi Seungcheol, you were absolutely right."

"I am glad to hear you agree."

You smile and grab the box. "Since I'm here anyway, let me light the resort with candles. You can do your boring manager stuff."

"Assistant manager."

"Same office tasks."

Seungcheol blows his cheeks, making you chuckle. You get up and grab the lighter from the counter, going around the resort with the box in hand.

Whenever you're working with him, you always feel a bit lighter when the day is over. Ever since he's joined the team a couple of years ago, things have been improving gradually. You were on the brink of quitting when he got on, but the fresh perspective that he brought with him made you stay after all.

You love your job, you've always loved it and as a supervisor, you were glad to have someone by your side again. It became evident very early on that Seungcheol was a leader like no one else you've had. They asked you for the position as well, but you referenced him instead, knowing that the team is better off in his hands than your own.

His loyalty and reliability proves to you how likable he is as a person as well. Every staff outing, you've found yourself flocking to him. A little group started forming with you, Seungcheol and some of your other colleagues. At work, you were inseperable, but you've started seeing each other outside of work as well. You've gotten a glimpse into the complete life of Choi Seungcheol and something started shifting.

You can't remember the exact moment it happened, only that your heart started beating a little faster whenever you were scheduled with Seungcheol. Your friend jokingly told you that you found him more attractive in his new role as assistant manager, but you had an inkling that it's been lingering for a while.

You stop to talk to some of the regulars as you light the candles. As you run out of them, you grab another box for the rooms in the resort. You hand them out to all of the guests, who are a mixture of upset and relieved.

"Ah, my favourite employee!"

You turn around and one of the regulars walks your way, a grin playing at his lips. "Yoon Jeonghan, here once again?"

"You know how it is, with the in-laws." Jeonghan places his hands on his hips and looks into your box. "In dire straits?"

"Snowed in and blacked out," you answer and hand him a couple of candles. "For your rooms."

He takes them with a hum. "They're up in arms about it. Everyone was so excited to go out today."

You nod and sigh deeply. "I'm off duty, but I can't leave because the entire building is snowed in. The weather is so extreme that they have to wait until it's dry to dig us out."

Jeonghan whistles lowly. "So, you need to stay the night here?"

"Wouldn't be the first." You hold the box up. "Let me get the rest of the candles to everyone. Helping Seungcheol out a bit."

"Oh, is he here?!" He slaps your arm playfully. "Let me say hi to him!"

"You know where to find him." You part ways and make your way through the last floors of the resort. When you make your way back, you stop in front of a poster.

'Music Night at the Seventeenth Heaven Bar, from 7pm until 2am'

When you look at the date, it's marked for today's.

You quickly make your way back to the front desk and put the empty boxes behind you.

Seungcheol looks up and frowns. "You seem in a hurry."

"We should host a music night," you say and sit down. "I completely forgot that tonight was a special music night at the bar in town and a lot of people were going. Let's host one ourselves, since we're snowed in anyway."

His gaze lingers, longer than it's necessary. He shifts in his seat and clears his throat. "Do you mean we…"

"You can sing and rap, Seungkwan and Seokmin are amazing singers and I can play the guitar." You smile brightly. "All four of us are stuck here anyway and people were really excited to go. Let's give them something fun in this blackout."

Seungcheol nods carefully and offers you a small smile. "Okay. Let's see what we can do for them, then."

You retrieve Seungkwan and Seokmin to spread the word as you and Seungcheol head to the bar. The room is big enough to gather the entire resort. You look around and smile. Covered in candles, it has a completely new atmosphere to it. Something cozy and homey, compared to its usual vibrance and high energy.

"This is perfect," you say and turn to Seungcheol.

His eyes are already on you, but he looks away. He nods and clears his throat. "I'm looking forward to it."

You flash him a grin. "Are you nervous?"

"No?" Upon the silence you give him, he slowly nods. "A little. I mean, I've never done this for so many people before, just my friends and family so… you know."

You smile and place a hand on his bicep. It tenses up under your touch and your heart skips a beat. "I haven't touched a guitar in years, to be honest. I think we'll be fine."

"We'll just go down together, then."

"Sounds like an awesome plan."

Seungcheol smiles and wraps his arm around you, locking you into his side. The jasmine and bergamot dances all around you, engulfing you in a scent that you can never get enough from. The moment you lean in, he tenses up again but his grip on your shoulder is firm.

Your heart is about to explode of your chest, but he pulls back.

You clear your throat and look at him. "We should practice, though. Or are we trusting on our ability to sync up like we do at work?"

Seungcheol splutters. "As if. With people like Seungkwan and Seokmin, we have to split some of the songs we're going to sing."

"Very valid point. We should get them."

Practicing rather feels like a fight to the death than an actual practice. You managed to find a guitar in the storage room on pure luck. You pluck the strings as Seungkwan and Seokmin are arguing over harmonies. As soon as you lock eyes with Seungcheol, that conversation fades to the background.

The air shifts and no matter how hard you try to look away from him, your eyes keep wandering back. You imagine the realm of possibilities if your colleagues weren't there, about how you would kiss him, tell him how much you've been wanting this. You'd run your fingers through his freshly dyed blond hair, admiring him while he's enjoying your touch.

You don't even know if Seungcheol feels the same. He can get anyone he desires, colleagues, friends and strangers alike fall at his feet. Maybe all the glances he's been stealing, the way he's been drawing closer to you, it's all misread signs because you want him to want you.

When everyone's gathered that night, settled in with drinks, a buzz of excitement shoots through your body. Seungkwan's voice echoes over the crowd as he announces the resort's very own music night.

The guitar rests on your leg as you look at Seungcheol. He's biting his nail, his leg bouncing up and down. You reach over and place a hand on his shoulder. "You're going to be alright," you whisper.

When he looks at you, the bouncing stops. He smiles and nods. "Thank you."

Seungkwan takes his seat as well and you pluck the first strings of your guitar. Their harmony sets in and you guide them through the song with ease.

Seungcheol cuts in with another harmony. His eyes are closed and his fingers drum to the rhythm of your guitar. When he opens them, he looks at you and the world around you fades for a while.

You offer him a nod and smile.

The night progresses exactly as you hoped. You played the songs you prepared and asked the guests what they wanted to hear as well.

Seungkwan gave it a twist by getting some of them and stage and asking them questions as if he was a show host. Some of the guests joined on stage to sing songs with you and at the end of the night, everyone left satisfied and even happy.

While the music night went on, the weather started settling down and they were able to dig the resort out of the snow. After it was done, Seungcheol sent everyone home.

You stay behind despite his protests, helping him clean up the bar. You put the last glasses away as Seungcheol is putting the chairs back. "You should be proud of yourself," you say.

"I couldn't have done it without you," he admits. "If you weren't there, I don't know if I would've sang in front of all of those people."

Your heart hammers in your chest watching him walk your way. You swallow when he stops in front of you.

The candlelight reflects in Seungcheol's face and his eyes glimmer gently. He steps closer to you and you're swept away bergamot and jasmine again. "I know we're friends, but I don't know if I'm satisfied with that," he says softly.

Your breath catches.

"You make me curious." His breath bounces off your lips, your noses brushing together. "Curious to everything we could be instead."

You grab his shirt and close the distance between you. Your lips connect in a kiss that ignites a spark you tried to suppress for months. You shuffle closer to him until there's no gap left between you, clinging onto his shirt.

Seungcheol cups your cheeks like you'll shatter, kissing you with a sense of urgency that makes the heat pool in your stomach. When he pulls back, he lingers. He always seems to linger lately. His chest rises and falls in big motions.

You bite your lip to suppress a smile, but the corners of your mouth curve upwards. You let out a giggle.

"Fuck, that's so cute." He shakes his head with a smile. "You are cute, actually. Am I allowed to say that?"

"Only if you mean it."

He chews his lip. "Should we…"

"Be careful on the workfloor? Absolutely."

"I was trying to ask you on a date, but the workaholic thinks about the resort again."

You slap his chest, to which he grins. You grab your bag from the ground and slide into your coat. "Text me a time and place and I'll be there."

"Wait." Seungcheol grabs your wrist, to which you turn around. "How do you feel about getting a drink tomorrow night?"

You smile. "I would like that."

He returns it and nods. "I'll see you tomorrow night, then."

You find yourself in Seventeenth Heaven the next night, an off the shoulder top and loose jeans hugging your body. Your hair sits the usual way and you sit in a booth as you're waiting for him.

Right on the dot, Seungcheol walks in. He needs no more than a second to spot you and walks over.

You smile at him and watch him slide into the seat across from you. "You look nice. I don't think I've ever seen you in a blouse before."

"I save it for special occasions," he says and fixes his sleeves. They reveal his lower arms and you have trouble looking away.

You do when his eyes land on you, your cheeks flushing.

"You look gorgeous," he breathes out. "I… Wow."

You giggle and fix your top. "I had to make an impression on my first date."

"You don't need much to impress him, he can assure you that." When the waiter walks up to you, he orders a bottle of wine and some food for the two of you. He looks at you and his cheeks tint a light pink. "This feels very official for the fact we've been friends for two years."

"Kind of, doesn't it?" You cover your mouth as you chuckle. "We're not doing anything else than we usually do."

"Maybe that's the beauty of it all."

You glance at him curiously.

Seungcheol pours the wine in for the both of you and hums. "I mean, if this would work out, I like that we're not doing anything different. We can just… you know, build our relationship off of our friendship."

You let the words sink in. Apparently long enough for him to start crumbling.

"I…I mean—"

"You've given this a thought before, haven't you?"

He flashes you a sheepish smile. "What if I told you I have…? It sounds so sappy, I know, but I think friendship is a beautiful foundation if you start a relationship."

"It is sappy, but it's adorable." You chuckle as his cheeks flush a deep shade of red. "What else have you thought of?"

"I'm not telling you."

Your lips twist into a grin.

Seungcheol points at you. "That's the exact reason why. You like to use my words against me when you have the chance."

"Me? Never."

He deadpans you, but your grin only grows. "You are such a menace, I hate how easily you can chase me up the wall."

"You love it, don't be such a wuss now." You clear your throat and shuffle in your seat. "Dead serious now, though. I do want to know where we stand after our kiss last night. I mean, it could be genuine feelings or maybe it was just the heat of the moment—"

"It was no heat of the moment in my eyes," Seungcheol tells you and takes a sip of his red wine. "The blackout did make it easier for me to ignore how incredibly nervous and red I was, but I meant it. I meant everything I said yesterday." He scratches his head while his cheeks flush again. "I don't know when it happened. I just realised one day, when I looked at you, that I saw you completely differently. Not just a friend anymore. Since then, I fell even deeper."

You play with your ring and nod.

He grabs your hand and laces your fingers together. "We can take it as easy as you like. I know I'm still discovering a whole lot, too, and if it won't work out, I'm happier to say we've tried than not knowing what could come out of this at all."

"I'm not planning on letting this slip, either."

Seungcheol squeezes your hand lightly and presses a kiss to it. "All I know is that I like you a lot and that's all I need."

You smile at him. "That's enough for me, too."

He returns it warmly and lets go of your hand. He raises his glass. "To us."

You cling your classes together with a smile. "And everything that's to come."

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