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Chapter 15 - The Lizard

Yoongi had changed since the other night.

He'd been texting Rhea more than usual—sometimes a bit too often, but always with updates. Whenever he got busy, he'd tell her straight up and promise to text again when he could.

She didn't mind. She understood. He was an idol. She was busy too.

That evening, after she clocked out of work, she grabbed an Iced Americano to-go and headed straight to his studio. He hadn't replied since that afternoon, and something about the silence made her want to check in.

She called first—no answer. So she knocked.

The door creaked open to reveal Yoongi, disheveled and groggy. His pale face peeked out, eyes squinting to figure out who she was.

"I brought you coffee," she said, lifting the cup slightly. "Sorry, I woke you."

"Hey," he murmured, his voice deep and raspy from sleep. "It's fine. Come in."

"I hadn't heard from you, so I figured I'd drop by. What are you working on?" She peeked past him at the monitor.

Yoongi took the coffee, plopped onto his chair, and pulled her gently onto his lap. "I've been stuck on this track for a while now. I think I need your input on the lyrics."

He placed the headphones over her ears, sipping his coffee while she listened. The track had a sultry R&B groove—smooth, rhythmic, and already addictive. When it ended, she pulled the headphones off and set them on the table.

"It's really good. You don't need my input."

"Yeah?" he asked, leaning back as his hand slid around her waist. "Still feels like it's missing something."

"I don't think so. I love the beat," she said, pinching his cheek lightly. "You look like the song drained the life out of you. Did you eat? Shower?"

He chuckled. "Nope. Lost track of time."

"Of course you did." She stood up. "Come on. Let's go home. You need real food and a hot shower."

He tightened his grip on her waist and rested his head against her back. "I just want to stay like this."

She flicked his forehead. "You need to shower, Min Yoongi."

He groaned in protest, burying his face deeper into her. "Will you come with me? Cook something while I wash up?"

"Sure. Want me to marry you too while we're at it?"

"Why not?" he smirked. "Two birds, one apartment."

"Do you want a headphone to the face?"

"Why are you so violent?"

At his apartment, Rhea headed to the kitchen while Yoongi disappeared into the bathroom.

His fridge was… bleak. A few bottles of water, some scallions, tofu, microwaveable rice, and kimchi.

"What kind of fridge is this?" she muttered.

Yoongi emerged from the shower, towel-drying his hair. "What are you making?"

"Whatever your sad fridge can offer. I also ordered fried chicken."

"I forgot to restock. I barely use this place—I usually crash at the dorm."

"Then why keep this apartment?"

He shrugged. "Wanna move in?"

She looked at him, amused. "How much is the rent?"

"We'll split it, if that helps."

"We just started dating and you're already asking me to move in?"

"I'm barely here anyway. It's close to your work, fast Wi-Fi, cheap rent. You'd have the place to yourself most of the time."

"Tempting," she replied. "I mean, the Wi-Fi is a strong argument."

His eyes lit up. "So… you're considering it?"

"I'll think about it," she teased, stirring the sundubu-jjigae. "Doesn't mean I'm saying no."

Yoongi leaned in to peek at her cooking, then at the mess around the stove, and gave her a playful look.

"Yah," she said, catching it. "I might be chaotic in the kitchen, but my food will make you fall in love with me."

"I already did."

He leaned in slowly for a kiss, but she pecked him first, grinning when his eyes widened in surprise.

The doorbell rang.

"Don't tease the teaser, Min Yoongi," she smirked. "Now go get the chicken."

He walked off, still dazed, touching his lips like she'd cast a spell on him.

Later that night, while they were curled up on the couch watching movies, Yoongi suddenly flung something cold and sticky at her cheek.

"What the—" Rhea screamed, panicked. She touched it and shrieked louder. Yoongi burst into uncontrollable laughter, rolling on the floor.

"You little—" She grabbed the gummy lizard off her cheek and slapped it onto his face.

"I didn't know you were scared of things like this!" he wheezed, still laughing as he peeled the candy off.

"And you had to combine a gummy and a jump scare?"

She bent down, bit off the head of the gummy lizard—right up to where his lips had held it—and retreated to the couch.

"YA!" he shouted, stunned.

"I didn't know you get scared of lip biting," she said, casually popping the candy in her mouth as if nothing happened.

Hours later, Yoongi dozed off on her chest. His breathing was slow, steady, peaceful. She didn't dare move, just gently ran her fingers through his damp hair.

She watched his lashes flutter slightly, then settle again. Her fingers traced the bridge of his nose… his soft lips… the curve of his brow.

"Rhea…" he mumbled in his sleep, arms tightening around her waist.

"I'm not going anywhere, love," she whispered, brushing his hair back.

"Love…" Yoongi muttered absentmindedly as he read Rhea's morning text saying she'd arrived at work.

His stylist paused mid-motion. "What was that?"

"Nothing," he replied, eyes shut, suppressing a smile.

A few minutes later, his phone buzzed again—Rhea had sent a picture of a sleepy cat with the caption: Thought of you.

He grinned and texted back: I'll pick you up after your shift.

|But don't you have filming today? I don't want to be a bother.|

|I won't be able to sleep at the apartment anyway. Let me take you home.|

Rhea's smile was unstoppable. Her boss noticed from the counter.

"Well, well, someone's in love."

Rhea nearly dropped her phone.

"Was that Suga?" her boss asked with a knowing smirk.

"How'd you—?"

"It is Suga, then." She laughed. "Kid came running like a maniac that night. Jin told me they were drinking when you got into that situation. Yoongi was here faster than an ambulance."

"I hit that guy pretty hard though."

"And Yoongi hit the gas harder. But listen—dating an idol can be tricky. You'll need patience. They've got millions of fans, but the right ones make time for who they care about."

Rhea nodded sincerely. "Thank you. I'll remember that."

"Also," her boss added with a dramatic sigh, "try not to get jealous of the stylists. They touch those boys a lot. Selena never got over that."

They both burst out laughing.

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