Night-Owl Romance

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Note: Happy Valentine's Day~! And for those who don't celebrate it, no worries ~ there's never an excuse not to eat chocolates or candy ; D

Enjoy some Zen goodness~!

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Chapter 10: Blossoming Heart

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*RING RING RING RING*

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Mina had awoken feeling quite startled and partly disoriented by her foreign whereabouts as glistening eyes had been immediately burnt from the intensity of the powerful indoor lights.

Soon enough her fears had subdued as she grudgingly cursed at her tired self. 'When had I fallen asleep...?', she wondered with squinted eyes, attempting to reach for that ringing buzzer without the aid of sight. Everything about her body was hurting, from the top of her head to her curled toes. She had fallen asleep in an uncomfortable position, body bent over the coffee table, with her neck and lower back pulsating painfully from the slightest movement.

Stretching her bad posture, Mina was closest to resembling an elderly woman than she'd ever been with the poot state of her body... w Oh, disappearing youth... The coordinator mumbled a weak 'mmhe'o?', rubbing her partly-opened slits while suppressing a yawn.

"..."

"Hello?", she pressed the question again, picking up a faint voice answering back.

"Hi MC..."

It alarmed the girl, fully opening her blood-shot eyes and regretting it the next second. Those lights were a crime, Mina yelping loudly in the process.

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"MC, are you ok?!"

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"Zen?", she asked, unsure whether it was the actor for a few seconds. Hearing him use that nickname while addressing the girl was too...

Odd.

Tame even, considering he enjoyed teasing the girl from the very get-go. 'N-Not that I was c-complaining about this!' It was sort of refreshing not to have her heart repeatedly spike inside her chest, although Mina knew better.

The value behind all those 'jagi'.

Zen had only meant it in a friendly way and it felt like such a part of his personality when addressing females. At least, that's what Mina kept assuming as she mentally explained his behavior towards her.

"It's me. Are you doing well?!"

"Yeah... I'm fine.", Mina answered.

"Ah. That's good!"

"..."

"..."

"...", her mind froze.

"Is... is this a bad time?", he asked, surprisingly hesitant in Mina's opinion. "Hul... It must be since it's already nighttime."

"Oh?", the party planner swiftly checked the clock: a quarter to 10. At night. "It's so late!", she darted upright, shock laced in her observation. Zen wasn't sure how to take her outburst, but one thing became crystal clear – the actor had disturbed her rest, which is why she sounded strangely disoriented on the phone.

Zen was really apologetic about it, believing she was borderline angry at him for this. He hated this. 'Damn it...', he suppressed cursing out loud, anxious hands searching for the Black Angelstashed in his pockets. 'Ashi!' This was nerve wracking, not even auditions troubled the male to this extent!

To his relief, the girl dismissed such negative thoughts. "No, no, no!(E) Don't get me wrong, Zen. I'm... I'm actually thankful that you had called now. Otherwise, I would have risen up with the sun, and I don't like to be up that early ha, ha!"

"It can get so boring on my own.", she sighed.

"Oh... I see. Perhaps I could keep you company~!"

"The nights are always fun when in good company~!", the silver haired man pushed his luck by activating the flirt mode – albeit, toned down drastically.

"Eh, you don't need to! I can easily find ways to entertain myself. I was just... whining now."

"I tend to do that a lot, heh~!"

"Sorry...", Mina awkwardly blurted out, bringing forth a finger to her lips and biting hard on it for how stupid she sounded. The coordinator would not forgive herself if Zen wasted more precious hours of sleep for her own selfishness when his schedule was already so packed and unforgiving. The planner had bothered him enough, for sure.

"Don't mind me, Zen!"

"Hm... I see. Although, it's not a problem for me if you do change your mind."

"Naaaah~! (E) It's fine. I'm fine~!", Mina rapidly rejected his offer without a second thought.

"Hmm... alright.", he didn't seem pleased with her answer, the girl shuddering at his sigh.

"A-As I recall, actors need their beauty sleep... do they not? Or else, it will fade away dangerously fast!", she carried on further, trying to shift the conversation to something else to add some life into this dying conversation.

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Slowly...

But surely!

It was starting to work.

How could it not work,

when she hit the correct, soft spot of a narcissist... ^^;

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"Oh...?"

"OH?! You think my face isn't handsome enough and needs improvement?!"

"I deny claiming such a thing~~~~ He, he, he!", she replied playfully in return.

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"AIGOO!"

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"Your expectations are unbelievably high, MC... ", the girl twitched at the continuous use of her nickname, chewing onto her lower lip again and trying to come up with an appropriate comeback.

"Extremely high indeed!"

"I honestly doubt that it's even physically possible for you at this point which is a shame."

"Pity.", she had an urge to slap her face because of her abrupt rudeness, quite certain her brain had fried in its entirety just about now as she were unable to control the words escaping her mouth.

"What the...?"

*gulp*

Mina's reddened face was distorting her features into a genuine tomato. She really needed to filter her thoughts better, believing that she had just made a serious blunder that would put an end to all contact between each other. That is... until an appropriate cringe-worthy statement came from the silver haired man's side.

"WOAH!"

"What- I – I can't believe it!"

"Are you seriously doubting this perfectly chiseled face?!"

"W-Well- (E)"

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"Miss."

"Your challenge has been accepted!", his voice thundered in a serious tone.

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"Challenge...?" O-O

"Thanks to your icy words, I've finally seen the fatal errors of my way...I had become far too contempt in this face that god had bestowed upon me! I need to become more diligent in enhancing these heavenly gifts and reach my true potential and worth! For this, I have to increase the numbers of pictures I will be sending to your inbox!"

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"Every. Single. Day!"

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"EEEEH-?"

"Zen."

"T-T-That won't be necessary-"

"Please (E)", however, it had been too late to undo the damage and plead with him. MC had poked fun at the wrong beast and these were the consequences she had to endure onwards.

"There is no other choice! How else could you oversee the evolution of my beautiful features and offer your critiques?! It's no longer a request but your absolute, vital duty to ensure my looks get their long awaited upgrade!"

"This way, my career shall become prosperous and I will be thriving in the future!"

"It's the only way."

"As the newest R.F.A. member, this task cannot be denied!"

"Aaa-", Mina choked, internally crying from the good news. Oh no...

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OH NO!

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HAHAHA!

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What had she done?!

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"It's settled, then! Your mission hereby is to rank my daily progress until I reach my visual peak! PHEW! Ashi~! I have never felt so better... How lucky can I be to have someone as caring as you by my side, to wake me up from my prolonged daze?"

"Ha... Ha, ha, ha...", Mina's eyes were twitching, same as her fingers scratching the table.

"Wait a second! Don't hang up." *takes a picture and sends in mid-conversation*

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"Commencing Day-One~!"

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"Oh god...(E)", Mina scrunched her nose as surges of pain shot right into her deepest core, heart beating alongside the rhythm of his intoxicating, boisterous laughter – Zen's stomach and throat hurt so much thanks to her cute reactions. Those were the best prize he could ask for this night~! Eventually, the actor cleared his throat and steered their talk back to the original intentions of this call.

"To be fair, the real reason why I couldn't stay online earlier was due to my practice. I finally escaped from work at this hour –"

"Huh?"

" – and can finally talk to you properly -"

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"EEEEEEH?!"

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~oOo~

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Zen nearly lost his footing on the theatre's staircase, landing unpleasantly on the step below the one intended. Luckily, his ankle didn't experience severe harm, only a light inner quaking. "AIIIISH!Oh! M-my heart...I almost saw my life pass by!", he accidentally used a harsher voice, red eyes bulging from the scare.

"S-Sorry! It's... It's just - you'd finished your work this late!"

"What kind of an intense schedule do you have?!", MC's panic was too easy to decipher.

"Easy, easy there~!", the silver haired male grinned half-heartedly, scratching his forehead out of confusion... he regretted having mentioned such a troublesome detail. Zen added, "Normally, I'd be working out a good sweat for longer hours but I decided to finish up my routine at the theatre much earlier than intended so I could focus on other matters."

"You!", MC had turned unreasonably screechy. "You should head to sleep! Now! Go, go, go!"

"Run if you must!"

"..."

"No! Don't run actually."

"You might trip and fall down...", she mumbled.

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"TAKE A TAXI!"

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"HUH?!", Zen raised an eye brow, completely taken aback by the ludicrous order. His mood faltered greatly while expression turned considerably bitter. "MC..."

In the end, MC must dislike him – otherwise, why would she rush him away without missing a beat? *deep sigh* The cigarettes in his pockets were as tempting as ever, Zen feeling the need to pick one up and take a deep swift but he couldn't find the stupid lighter anywhere in his pockets. Despite the possible salt to his wounds, the handsome male forced his mask back on, conveying the disappointment in a humorous way that didn't reveal his broken heart.

"Oh... so you do want me suddenly gone~~~~ Jagi, you're such a cold girl."

"I... No! You've got it wrong."

"Always chasing me away. You must dislike me so badly-"

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"NO!"

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"I-It's not t-that at all!", the male overheard sharp moans, somehow feeling a shiver run down his spine.

"Is it not?"

"Zen... don't you feel exhausted right now?"

"You had very few hours of sleep last night, if any, and you've been working for, what... 12 hours?! Or... come to think of it...", the words trailed away softly, the girl's habit of talking out her thoughts kicking in. 'Let's see, from seven in the morning... or was it six-ish...? No, no, no(E)... It's way passed 12 for sure... 14 hours-"

"It can't be...", the feathered whisper traced her ears.

"Yeah, way over 14 hours of work without proper sleep for sure -"

"Am I actually hearing you properly? This isn't a dream right? I have to check..."

"Huh?"

'Aish! It hurts...', Zen thought after pinching his hand. Nope – he was definitely wide awake. "You're seriously worrying about me?!"

"Of course I am!", the boldness in her statement caused the actor's mouth to hang open out of shock. "How can I not be? I mean... how are you even capable of walking after such a day is beyond me... I'd be crawling on the ground if I were in your shoes."

What ensured next was an explosive laughter from Zen's part, jolting MC's body in a touchémove, payback for her own vocal slip of tongue.

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"How can you be this cute, jagiya~~~?!"

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"I-I-I-I...", her brain fried and his laughter intensified for short seconds before calming down.

"Hey, a friendly warning though."

"If you are not careful, I might truly fall for you at this rate."

"Jagiyaaaaaaa~", he whispered this in a shamelessly seductive manner, Zen too enticing to be ignored by the girl who was stuttering like a braid dead idiot. It made him happy and his own features flushed. He was happy. So happy that his body had awakened newfound energy, his cheerfulness meter aiming for the moon.

"And it will be too late to stop me from pursuing you, then~~~~!"

"S-Stop saying such weird things! I was being serious here! If I hadn't joined the group last night, you'd have been able to properly focus on your work and not waste time at 4 o'clock in the morning just to talk to someone like me-"

"I was being serious, as well!", Zen complained loudly in return, silence ensuring shortly from her side before the actor continued. "If it puts your mind at ease, know that I am a master multitasker~! So, jagiya... rest assured. Our very lovely chats hindered no work of mine~!"

"B-But still... Sleep –"

"My schedule near the opening of a show – of any show in fact – is nowhere near restful so sleeping is quite wishful thinking. It's normal with my line of work so don't believe even for one second that your sudden arrival and presence in the R.F.A. has had any negative effects on me."

"Ah..."

"On either of the members actually."

"Hmm..."

"Okay?"

"..."

"If anything, I would say it had the absolute reverse reaction and brought me more energy~~~!"

"..."

"..."

"Hey... You still there?", Zen asked again, suddenly hearing a sharp hiss. "Ja-"

"Why are you treating me like this...", her voice trembled, Zen not taking it as a good sign at all. "You guys don't know me at all... and... and yet..."

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'Ashi... It was happening again...'

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The actor closed his eyes and hummed defeated.

She definitely wanted him to become a broken record... not that he was against it if it eased her mind. So he continued with his explanations. For his job, it wasn't uncommon to rehearse his lines 100 times over if necessary – endlessly repeating phrases never bothered him as a result. Zen could put in just as much effort, if not more, for the girl's sake – being part of the R.F.A. meant that the coordinator was one of them. The group was precious to Zen, regardless of all his whining or distaste about certain members. MC was a kind girl, no doubt in his mind about it, thus she deserved the best treatment from him and his fullest attention. If only, to make her current situation less upsetting, being stuck inside Rika's apartment.

"K-Kind?!"

"Well, I suppose you do tend to mercilessly deafen me any chance you get...", Zen massaged his aching temple, the playful words piercing through MC like glass shards. "Ultimately... Yes. You are a nice girl."

"Ah... You're mistaken, I'm not-"

"Oh? What's that? You want to make me angry...?"

"So courageous.", he used a different approach, not a fan of the way MC kept putting herself down whenever she got a compliment. "Is that what your aim is? Hmmmm?!"

"No, no, no!(E) I don't want to! Please don't get upset!"

Zen laughed again – she was too easy to mess with. "Relax, jagi. I may not know you well enough, it's true, but your kindness is unmistaken.", he added, rolling his eyes as she scoffed in disagreement quite loudly. "I can feel it from your reactions barely a minute ago. And, if that's not enough to have you convinced, then remember how you ended up in our chat room in the first place."

MC went out of her way to return someone's lost phone. She wouldn't have been involved with them had her kindness not been taken advantage of by Unknown, leading her to Rika's apartment and their group. Moreover... "You could have left the moment you'd found out the truth. Forget about any of this happening yet you chose to remain with us and show us your support within the R.F.A. as our new party planner."

"..."

"Honestly, it's not what I'd have done if I were in your situation. I wouldn't have looked back and simply blocked everybody...", Zen confessed, pointing out this obvious difference between their characters. Heck, MC made room in her daily life in order to help plan a charity event, organizing it for people she did not know well – without compensation or expecting anything in return. If that wasn't conclusive enough for MC, then...

"Then think back on how much concern you've shown towards me tonight... someone you don't know well, right?"

"W-Well, any other w-would have reacted the s-same-", Zen heard the girl stutter, rapidly disproving her. "No. Not many would."

"Not many at all."

"..."

"Jagi-"

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"-I'm thankful you've stayed with us!"

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~oOo~

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Mina was drained, the energy boost from the nap having gone entirely to waste. Moreover, her puffy face was drenched in tears, eyes matching Zen's... in a way. The only difference was that Mina's sclera was dipped in red, not the iris. Even so...

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She was grinning...

Ever so widely.

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Zen's photograph was in full view, locking the girl in a spellbinding magic. In spite of his crushing schedule, the actor's expression remained remarkably fresh, wearing an extremely happy look as he posed for the camera. He didn't miss out on using the signature 'V' hand sign or plastering a playful wink – he even added glowing heart stickers, this time, floating around his face and illuminating it! The only thing narrowly giving away the tiredness of today was through his visible eye: it lacked its usual brightness, mirroring the skin underneath which carried somewhat darker undertones.

Similar to last night, the photo had been sent through private channels.

Zen hadn't shared this particular one with the rest of the group, having a different version in store for the members. In there, his expression felt smuggish and arrogant while the one Mina carried had... a special type of rawness and softness. Nonetheless, his selfie had created a human puddle out of Jaehee, all the suffering caused by her own work schedule having been wiped away with a magical sponge – "What a healing balm for the soul... *sparkling emoji*"

"Heh...", a low sound escaped Mina, the corners of her mouth trembling.

...

...

Zen really was a really handsome person...

His beautiful smile, in comparison, made hers pale tenfold, erasing it altogether as she gazed into the bathroom's mirror. Mina shook her head at such a messy, ugly sight... Comparing her lacking visuals with Zen's glowing figure...

It was painful.

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Yeah...

This was the best cold shower Mina could have asked for – there wasn't anything special going on. Not now, not ever. Zen was merely trying to cheer up one of his group members. He'd have reacted the same way had it been another girl. She keeps believing this; because, face it, Mina was not special.

Hereby, there was nothing more to his intention.

And even if there ever was... one glance towards her face would solve the problem quickly.

So...

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The girl had to keep the tingles in her heart at bay, preventing their creeping claws from doing something problematic. Before the R.F.A. came into the picture, Mina didn't realize how viciously thirsty she had become for human connections and companionship: all these random acts of friendship had the girl completely hooked on the taste, constantly fed with this drug which was messing up her emotional wiring.

Zen's taste was especially addicting and sweetly toxic...

He made Mina feel special the most when she really wasn't anything special at all.

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"I'm thankful I stayed too... more than you can imagine.", she muttered softly, splashing away the rest of the hurt from her face with ice cold water before returning to the main room.

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There was more work to be done!