Night-Owl Romance
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Chapter 25: Insomniacs Fourth-Warmth
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"Come on, come on."
"Pick up, pick up, pick up!", Mina was impatiently tapping her nails into the table's surface, growing more desperate with each second passing by without an answer.
"No..."
She chewed onto her bottom lip, afraid Seven had already reached the actor through other means – it would explain why Zen was not answering her, panic rising as a result. If her assumption proved correct, then the party planner would never recover from the ensuing shame and humiliation. Certain artistic endeavors and curiosities were just difficult to explain without being perceived as an...
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'Utterly depraved human being. T-T'
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There were things you told friends – and, then, there were things you only told friends whom you could entrust even the most questionable things about you, without the fear of being intensely judged by them.
'Much...'
It was mind boggling how Seven was already well versed in Mina's work and, to such an extent, reaching these questionable parts with ease. ^^;;;;;; She felt like going crazy, ha ha ha!
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'This spread of information had to be prevented by all means!'
'ZEN WAS NEVER TO LEARN THE DARK SIDE OF MINA CHOI!'
＼(º □ º l|l)/
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Thus, the girl did not think twice when she plunged into dialing Zen, praying Seven's mean threat did not come true – she still had time to warn the actor, not to trust in anything the hacker said or showed!
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*CLICK*
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~oOo~
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"ZEN!", the screeching blasting through his ears was something the actor had yet again forgotten to dodge, his headache increasing substantially as a result. "T-Thank goodness you've answered! Uff! I'm so happy!"
"?"
He might have suffered more damage to his eardrums than initially believed, because there was no chance the party planner seemed this relieved to have him pick up, not after everything that had happened. His heart was racing by her heightened mood, reminiscing the excitement she had in the first part of the voice mail –
"I thought Seven got to you. YES! I wasn't too slow!"
– only to be trampled all over thanks to this irritating obstacle encountered. The male's expression sourly changed at the girl's mentioning of the hacker. Why would that bastard come near him after the shit he had pulled – it was bad enough he now appeared hugely stupid in the app! And why was that a concern for Mina?He kept pondering about it in silence, leaving the party planner hanging for answers she was not getting.
The silence from his end was uncharacteristic, Mina's mind searching for the reasons. Frightful deductions were made.
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"Or, was I..."
"Did he contact you..?"
"Oh no, w-what did he say?!"
"I-I can explain e-everything!"
"There's a plausible explanation for everything you saw, I swear! Ha, ha, ha!"
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Now the actor's suspicions were on a new time high. Explain what? What was she talking about so suddenly?! Zen was not able to follow her phrasing at all, expressing it out loud before she continued on stuttering further nonsensical words.
"Oh~ So he didn't send you anything else? Okay. Great. That's perfect~! Phew!", she exhaled cheerfully, patting her heated face and making wind with her healthy hand to cool off. However, Zen did not let her slip of tongue go, questions pouring left and right.
"What does Seven have to make you feel so panicked?"
"Another one of those depraved images?!", he did not appear too kind though, his blood boiling at the hacker's inconsiderate actions towards the R.F.A.'s newest member – this, no matter how you viewed it, was unacceptable!
"D-Depraved images...", she whispered in a low tone, quite odd for Zen to hear. Mina quickly negated his accusation, playing down the issue at it being something really, really silly – and not related one bit, ha ha ha. "So, don't think much about it~~~ Just, don't trust in anything he may say~~~!"
"I recall warning you the same thing not long ago.", the actor added, the coordinator's voice – a dying sound as it lowered in tune again. "Yes... yes, you did."
"Anyway!"
"That's all I've wanted to say and I'll get going, so good ni – "
"Don't.", Zen voice commanded from impulse. The whole fiasco with Seven and the girl's secrecy only encouraged the actor to be stern and press harder on her staying, in order to clear things up. He could still recall how easily she had ignored him throughout the day while effortlessly interacting with the others in his presence.
He found it hurtful.
" – ght, Zen. Oh?"
"Mina, don't leave just yet. Stay on the phone a little longer.", the silver haired male boldly requested, however, judging from her hesitation and past actions, she appeared to be on the verge of leaving regardless. Maybe if he used a different angle...
"A-Ah, I'm a little b-busy right now, so I really n-need to go."
... before she'd come with more feeble excuses, which were enhancing his headache. Zen scratched at his pulsating forehead, trying to keep it together, but he couldn't help become frustrated by the girl.
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"Are you running away from me again?"
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~oOo~
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"Huh?", the girl lightly gasped, her cheeriness fading at his remark. "Y-You're wrong, I-I'm not –", Mina weakly answered, but he had none of it.
"You're always doing this..."
"Be honest for a chance."
"Are you still upset over how I yelled at you today?"
"I'm not upset over it, I understand it was an honest mistake.", the party planner seemed more truthful now, yet it was not enough to raise Zen's spirits who was tired of stressing over every little thing he may have done wrong towards her – he was still unsure whether he did, and clueless on what exactly was bothering the girl after his attempts to mend things had been met with silence.
Mina admitted the mix-up wasn't an issue.
"What is it then? If you truly weren't upset at the mix-up, then why had you left our talk so abruptly?"
"I-I was...", Mina was taken aback by these non-stop questions for those seemed highly unlike Zen to say – usually he sounded playful and simply curious about her as a person. Nonetheless, something more lingered on his words right now.
"I was busy, like I've already mentioned.", the girl kept chewing on her lips, feeling pressured to a corner that she could not escape from. She hated this feeling, trying to deflect the subject and end this call instantly – the girl finally had time to work on the R.F.A. e-mails and since V decided on the party date, there was a lot to be researched and dealt with.
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"Even on the messenger, you disappeared quite often whenever I was around."
"But were quite active otherwise."
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"...", the girl's eyes widen, lowering her head and closing her eyes, wishing the actor hadn't observed such shameful actions. Shit. Mina tried formulating ideas in her head, but she took too long to explain how the members were actually helping the girl with these e-mails. Zen's heavy sigh reached her ears, the silver haired male painfully realizing once more how he had hit the nail on the spot.
"Aigoo, what kind of twisted world is this~~~?"
"To be ignored so cruelly by such a cold girl~~~"
"Are my looks fading into nothingness..."
"Aigoo, aigoo, aigoo..."
Despite the addition of a comical tone, Zen's words were actually sharp enough to pierce Mina's insides, her panic upgraded towards the next level. The same as her high pitched voice.
"Z-Zen!"
"Don't think like that, I'm not igno...ring you!", the intensity of the word faded at the end, the actor's comical side deflating as quickly as it appeared.
Another confirmation by Mina, Zen whispering his sadness out. "Ignored so coldly..."
The coordinator mumbled that it wasn't something she had sought to do on purpose, but the actor just gave out an annoyed hiss at her futile explanations and tiresome excuses. Even if some of her interactions online today seemed logical and fit – like in Yoosung's case, with the LOLOL game – this still did not bring Zen the emotional comfort he was seeking. It did not explain the true reason he was ignored considering the girl had denied it was linked to the misunderstanding.
The subject was becoming repetitive and tiresome. The information was bugging him, trying to figure out all day long what was going on but failing.
"On purpose, not on purpose – Mina, all I ask from you is honesty and to stop hiding your true intentions. Seriously, it's incredibly bothersome to think you're lying to my face."
"But I am not –"
"If you're not, then why are you so cold to me?!"
"Is it the theatre visit then?"
"W-Well..."
"Is it that injured hand I've touched...?"
"Did it hurt when I did? I'm sorry about it, if I only knew at the time..."
"You're upset over that then?"
"N-No! Yes. I mean. No – Zen, I'm trying to explain –"
"Ashi...", Zen's voice was like a pained whisper, Mina closing in on her next panicked upgrade. To the point she just screamed it all out when the actor used the same tactic as the girl – saying goodbye in a really depressed tone. Feeling too tired for this.
No.
NO!
Mina did not want Zen to start avoiding the girl so she just blurted it out.
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"I WAS SCARED AND EMBARASSED, OKAY?!"
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~oOo~
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Zen was rather good in conversations with his female acquaintances, especially with those he worked besides at the theatre. The years he had spent in the acting world and the multiple library shelves of books he had skimmed throughout the years had the actor prepared for the most different types of characters, knowing what their likes were, dislikes, how to interact with others around him.
Zen could become anything one would want.
Zen could read a person's likes, dislikes with relative ease...
And he could use the information to his advantage.
Dare say he was pretty knowledgeable in human interaction of all kinds. Unfortunately, he had not discovered a book or a character that could help him figure what the hell was happening inside Mina Choi's head, because it was a whirlwind of confusion and personalities that would clash so often that Zen was lost as to what to say, do, speak, hear, breathe even.
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Scared and embarrassed.
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"What?", that made no sense to him. Scared of what – of him?
"Uuuh..."
"WHY?!", Zen asked obliviously, his hand darting through his head and pulling hard onto his silver white roots.It made no sense! Was he not friendly enough towards her? Should he have been nicer... more selfies?!
"NO!", she yelled back at his last suggestion, feeling foolish afterwards. "Zen... it's just... well... now you are friendlier than I expect a human to be."
"But later on?"
"Huh?! Later...?", the actor was unsure what Mina wanted to imply. However, it had dawned upon him when the girl sighed deeply and continued towards an area she really did not want to approach. But... if it made Zen stop feeling like it's his fault, then...
*sigh*
Mina might as well. "You must have heard what my former classmates said today..." , she started, the actor projecting the faces of today's audience.
And their slurs.
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Towards Mina.
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She did not linger over the subject for too long – and since Zen demanded honestly from the girl, she honestly stated that it was not something she liked speaking about because it was too stupid to be true. Yet, it was the truth.
"Jagi..."
"Shush. Don't interrupt."
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The few things Zen had learnt had shed enormous light over the girl and, likewise, had his face carry numerous sentiments during her story. He managed to abide by her request, to keep quiet until the end because if she were interrupted – she wouldn't manage to finish her thoughts properly.
Basically,
Mina was scared of the prospect of the past repeating itself, always happening the moment she felt too comfortable in a social setting.
The party planner was unsure whether her accent was still noticeable, but she hadn't grown up in the country, travelling with her mother to many foreign lands and living within these different cultures as a child. However, there were many cultural differences she wasn't made aware of after settling into her mother's hometown, which was in a rather conservative type of neighborhood. This included the life of a high school student. Mina knew the curriculum so that part of high school wasn't too difficult to adjust to, being pretty good at her lessons and studying, in general.
Bad news came when interacting within the school's social circles.
Mina never truly gave the required importance to the hierarchy system when it came to the student body. She was used to the foreign way of treating seniors – those even one month older than her were treated equally, but many took this as arrogance, an offense to their worth.
Plus, she neglected to learn the popularity ranking in the school.
"Who knew openly approaching certain people was regarded a sin...", her bitterness was overflowing, Zen suppressing comments or words of comfort. He didn't like the direction her story was heading towards...
"I was so happy to finish my studying there and start fresh in SKY~!"
"But, at university, things weren't great either. I was judged because of the teacher's favoritism over my work while I showed no potential in the class room and workshops. Or that's how it looked to many of the students in my year."
"The ones in my class got highly pissed off."
"And a lot happened due to this. I was, yet again, surrounded by very lovely people that turned their backs on me at the first sign of a scandal."
"So..."
"I can't help wondering – in the R.F.A., when I am going to succeed in pissing you guys off to that extent..."
"So when that misunderstanding today happened, I thought – it took only three days."
"Honestly, I thought the scandal with Jumin's bodyguards from yesterday would be the one to break the ice, but... he took the scandal so well, I was shocked how he simply shoved it away like unimportant news..."
"..."
"Now you know why I keep being hesitant."
"There's only so much I can handle anymore... XD"
"..."
"...Zen?", Mina asked softly, afraid she had overshared too much information that was of no interest to the silver haired actor. She waited for something, anything, a word, but all she got was –
"Wait a second."
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*END CALL*
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~oOo~
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She wanted to bang her head onto the nearest wall with sufficient strength to shake up the malfunctioning brain, but as the connection got cut, soon, her inbox began beeping with incoming messages.
The girl was unsure what to expect, however she was definitely not expecting the upcoming spam.
Personalized spam.
With,
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Zen's selfies.
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A whole lot of them. So many, in fact, she was losing count of the pictures uncovering in front of her eyes, each harboring messages that, for some reason, made her already watery orbs leak out while she was laughing out loud at the ridiculous phrasings written on them. The cringe was real with those sugary verses and Zen's face-stickers decorating them – each one was worse than the previous, but at the same time uplifting and... shocking.
"So many..."
While swiping through the gallery, the phone suddenly rang with the actor's number and, for the first time in a while, Mina answered without shying away. "Are you crazy?!", she scolded him while suppressing laughter, the actor complaining that he had nothing better saved onto his phone...
"Your tastes are too unique. Who dislikes the face of such a miracle of nature?!",Zen was beginning to feel quite overwhelmed by the girl called Mina Choi – he had never met someone like her before! It's as if she wasn't human like the rest of them.
;;;;;;;
"Huh?! That's so silly! I'm not an alien! Don't say it like that..."
On another note, had Zen known the girl was going through so much hardship, he would have found better selfies to cheer herself up, but for the moment, this was all he had fit for the occasion.
"Mirror selfies then?", she asked like a moron, quickly slapping a hand over her mouth as she heard the silver haired actor nearly choke on his end and stammer desperately. He immediately thought of the stupid shit he wrote back to Seven in anger.
And Mina w-wanted to s-see such a thing?!
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"Jagi..."
"Jagi...!"
"JAGI!"
"ASHI!"
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"You can't request that from a korean man so bluntly!", Zen was in complete shock, using the discovery of her foreign side as a means to give more suitable advice to her sheer bluntness and too-direct courage. Mina rapidly defended her statement by pointing out he could just take them as he normally did.
"Like that gym one! Unless, you normally take them..."
"..."
"Ooooooo...", her teasing realization of Zen's true mirror habit was ruining the actor's calm, who hated how his mind instantly went to that instead of his usually, innocent photos. She misunderstood, he misunderstood, everyone misunderstood! – hence, Zen quickly diverted that confession as something he had said for the sole purpose of stopping Seven's rampage, putting an end to those shameless links.
"Shameless...", she repeated the word carrying sweat drops. The drawings weren't that shameless, a lot didn't even have it detailed! But Zen believed Mina was attacking his morals.
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It was purely accidental.
He wasn't a shameless man at all!
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"Su~~~re.", Mina nodded, her tone betraying the true meaning of the word. She agreed with him – accidental slip of truth from his part. "I believe you are indeed a man like that!"
"Ha, ha, ha... Jagi, you're... ha, ha, you're joking, right? ^^;;;;; I mean – "
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"I'm never joking."
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The party planner sharply cut him off as if she were dead serious about it. This resulted in Zen exhaling in extreme pain, having been made KO by Mina. No –his precious and carefully crafted image had been ruined beyond repair! What else must the hacker destroy in his world filled with extreme hardships? What else must wipe away from the perfection of his well sculpted face and beauty? The silver haired actor faked a sobbing cry, dramatically complaining of the unfair destiny revolving around him.
"There, there. If it's any consolation, your image had been ruined for me from night one. ^o^~!", Mina cheerfully added, but Zen's mood worsened, his pain overflowing. Perhaps, some lying was well intended in conversations with him, the party planner should reconsider doing so instead of plunging him into such cold waters!
"Mina be honest, Mina don't be honest – really Zen, you're changing your mind too often about me."
"That's not true! I'm never going to change my mind when it comes to you~ ^^", he rapidly admitted, catching Mina off guard whose voice softened once more. And Zen only continued from there forwards – having a friend in the actor was not something he told lightly. And he was definitely not the type to follow baseless rumors or abandon someone due to things they might have done wrong in the past.
Context was also important, same with intention.
This is why he hadn't abandoned some of the people from his teenage years and many of them had had problems with the law. Zen himself hadn't had a clean past, but he mostly lived by respecting the rules and not creating troubles when possible."Huh?!", Mina was surprised to hear that, unable to associate the actor with being a criminal. Even the forums in his fan cafe did not hint at Zen having a dark past, not one bit.
"Most of it is not public knowledge, but some information had surfaced here and there."
"I'm not too popular for it to do me much harm and I've already settled matters in case it would surface in the future."
"Volunteering and other acts of work done to pay for the mistakes I've made."
"Woah...", she couldn't snap out of her surprise, but Zen did not dwell into any details – if she were curious, he would be willing to share more stories.
"Another time."
"Okay~!"
"Face-to-face~~~!"
"Ugh...", her reaction made Zen complain. He honestly wasn't that bad, nor dangerous anymore. The actor was completely harmless! "It's not that!", Mina replied, following with hesitation.
"Do you... really want to meet me...?"
"After everything?"
"Of course~!"
"I would even go as far as to run to Rika's apartment now if it meant I could see you~! ^^"
"N-NOW?!", the girl's eyes widen, gazing at the clock.
"Yes!"
"You're so eager, especially at this hour..."
"Hm? Oh, it's quite late in the night... come to think of it."
"Well, that bastard keeps hiding the address to Rika's place. So you're safe~!"
"Your true nature shines in the dark, Zen...", she clicked her tongue, pretending to fear his intentions underneath the looming night spreading over the city. The silver haired member yelped, immediately blurting out that he did not think of the meeting as anything improper! He wouldn't dare to do anything she wouldn't like or feel comfortable with. No-no-no! -
"Oooooooo... That sounds even scarier..."
"I would bring a movie so we could watch it together~!", he added to his crumbling defense. "Something adventurous, inspirational and amazing to watch, like yours truly!"
"Let me guess – one of your musicals?"
"You've read my mind~! Exactly. ^^ There's nothing better running in town nowadays! No other production has such an impeccable human being relishing on the screens! And, as much as it pains me to admit this, it is probably for the best. ^^ Else, this winter will become too stressful for people's own hearts and I can't handle the burden of knowing I ruined someone's peace of mind with my handsome physique!", the narcissism in Zen was blooming and Mina was groaning in annoyance as a response – however, she secretly welcomed it.
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The air between them had finally settled into a comfortable rhythm.
It felt like the hurdles before had been successfully dealt with.
They were both ok with each other ^^.
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The coordinator was going along the flow, becoming more daring with her jokes for Zen's reactions were funny when he was acting silly and over dramatic. The entire phone call was amusing and quite light hearted. ^^ And the night continued with this new, seemingly endless interaction, neither side sensing any intense awkwardness compared to previous days.
When the R.F.A. came into view, Mina finally packed up the courage to ask the man for his help, needing Zen's personal information to complete those tests she had received. It was near the midnight hour and a lot of content was still missing and she liked to be done with it soon. "Are you sure you're not the one who created this questionnaire? It's so private~~~!", the actor playfully remarked, hinting how Mina was becoming interested in him and hid behind this charade.
The coordinator nearly slashed his ear drums with her high pitched tone and moodiness. "Joking, joking! Ashi... so cold... you're a real ice princess."
"I know~!", she cheekily boasted, sticking out her tongue. Even so, Zen was more than happy to aid the girl through her newfound torment – actually, he was enjoying it rather too much, stealing from her fun in the end for he had a troublesome habit of derailing off the road, constantly remembering stories or events in between answers. One hour and she had barely gone through half a guest's content.
(ﾉಥ益ಥ)ﾉ
The actor couldn't help himself.
Nostalgia was hitting him hard, many reminding him of scenes from his rookie days~!
"E-mail!", Mina pointed it out every single time, eventually getting too tired to stop the actor, allowing him to continue. Zen hoped, deep down, that the party planner was genuinely interested in discovering these things about the actor. And not because of the guests' demands. ^^ The silver haired male did not remember the last time he felt so relaxed, both of them talking for so long that only an audible yawn from the girl's side had put an end to it.
The actor had finally looked at his clock and was instantly sorry!
^^;;;;;
The princess must have gotten too sleepy.
"It's ok, oppa...", Mina replied weakly, eyes already closed and head resting on the table.
"Aigoo...", he whispered fondly. "What am I going to do with you now...?"
"Hm,what d'you me'n...?", the words were too slurred for him to understand, Mina hearing Zen sigh and speak more gently than before.
"Go to sleep and I'll send you the rest by morning. Okay? ^^"
"Hn...", she agreed, the heaviness over her body intensifying.
"Jagi? Are you still there?"
"...", Mina couldn't move a muscle anymore, mouth remaining shut.
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"Tch, I've got carried away so much..."
"Please, forgive me~!"
"Good night, my princess. ^^ Sweet dreams~!"
"And don't run away from me in them, okay? ^^"
"Just like tonight."
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"Stay with me."
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Overall,
Mina was thankful.
So deeply thankful for how Zen was treating her after those fears had been spoken out loud – though the actor caught merely a glimpse of her struggles through a cracked-open door, he was really understanding and reassuring. Furthermore, he worked his magic and talents on making Mina feel... safe.
Included.
Important. ^^
Zen even shared things about himself she had never pictured to be true of an actor, adding more depth and color to his soul and persona, which blended beautifully together into a wonderful mixture.
Like his entire being – the actor was wonderful, both in and out.
Zen's words brought in a sensation that Mina was someone special to have around and dear enough to see happy and bright.
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Mina appreciated Zen a lot for this. ^^
However, she wasn't going to admit it any time soon.
His narcissism would become beyond unstoppable.
Also...
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Zen's warmth was making her heart race too much.
Any more of it and...
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Mina would be in deep trouble. ^^