#hobyul

8. Seductive kiss

Hoseok sighs and sips his drink. Byulyi is coming closer, as she often does, and he has zero interest in the conversation to come. He glances at his phone. Tuesday. Which means...

Yep. There’s Yongseon, sitting by herself and fiddling with something on her phone while sipping her drink. Hoseok is really very tired of this.

“So,” Byulyi says as she comes closer, smiling gently. “How was your week?”

“Just go talk to her please,” Hoseok says. Byulyi’s smile hits a snag for a split second before she gathers herself back up.

“No idea what you’re talking about,” she says. She flips her ash blonde hair over her shoulder and it’s more than obvious that she gives a quick glance to Yongseon as she does. “I just wanted to know how my favorite regular is doing.”

“I’m fine,” Hoseok says, “and you act like you work here.”

“I practically do,” Byulyi says. She leans in closer, hand fisted and positioned to prop her head up, and he watches her gaze drift behind him to Yongseon again. “It’s fate, obviously, the way we keep running into each other.”

“Or we both come to the same bar on the same night,” Hoseok shrugs.

“You’re ruining this.”

“Direct your terrible flirting to the appropriate person. I’m gay. You’re gay.”

“I’m not--”

“Please just...Say hello to her at least,” Hoseok sighs. “Do you want me to--”

Hoseok has been caught offguard in kisses before, but definitely never from a woman. He furrows his brows, tries to keep his lips firmly together, and lets Byulyi get whatever this is out of her system. It isn’t horrible, to be sure, but it isn’t right.

She pulls back with a small smile, eyes darting over his shoulder again before looking him in the eyes.

“How was that?” she asks.

“Was she looking or something?” he asks.

“...Yes.”

Hoseok blinks a few times as if that might clear up his hearing. Not that his hearing is broken--it’s really quite good actually. But he must’ve heard this old woman wrong. Definitely for certain absolutely. He looks to Byulyi, who is fighting back a laugh. 

“Sorry what?” Hoseok says once he looks forward again. The old woman in front of them adjusts her glasses and grips her shopping cart and Hoseok momentarily considers kicking the cart out of her grip to make her fall over. How dare she.

“I said you’re a very lovely-looking couple,” the old lady says with a thousand year old voice. “Very lovely. Like my husband, God rest his soul, and I were once. Congratulations!”

“Thank you,” Byulyi says loudly before Hoseok can correct this lady. He turns his confusion to Byulyi at that, and she does nothing more than grin politely and rub her stomach. “We’re very happy together.”

“Do you know what you’re having?” the old lady asks.

“No, no, we want to be surprised,” Byulyi says. She makes a show of taking Hoseok’s hand, of leaning against his arm. “Whatever we wind up with will be good for us.”

“You should pray for a girl,” the old lady says with a nod as she starts up a slow shuffle down the aisle. “So much easier. Smell better, too.”

“Of course,” Byulyi nods. She waves some and waits approximately seventeen years for the old lady to be out of earshot before laughing. “Wow, again.”

“I am completely unhappy with this,” Hoseok complains. “You get yourself knocked up and suddenly I’m a dad just for standing next to you? Unacceptable.”

“I really wish you wouldn’t talk about our child that way,” Byulyi teases as she starts pushing their cart. “How will Hoseok Jr. feel to know their father disowned them already?”

“I’m never going anywhere alone with you ever again,” Hoseok says. “Get your baby mama to take you shopping.”

“But that’s no fun,” Byulyi whines. She latches on to Hoseok again. “Please don’t leave me alone with this child!”

“Oh good grief,” Hoseok grumbles. He smiles some at people looking their way thanks to Byulyi’s loudness. “I refuse to pay child support.”