Jihoon asked Claire if she wanted to come out to dinner with the staff as they made their way back to the hotel, but she declined, saying she wanted to see if she could meet up with some old friends in the city if they had time. Next time, she told him. He nodded and promised to let her know next time before he headed to meet with the rest of the staff to make final dinner plans.
Claire pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to see if Roz might be free to meet up before she headed upstairs to change and check in with the boys. Most of them had gathered together in Changho’s room, killing time and hanging out. She found Cheol there, damp haired and freshly out of the shower.
“자기야[67] do you mind if I go out and see Roz tonight?” She greeted him with a soft kiss to his clean, freshly shaven cheek.
“I was kind of hoping to hang out a little tonight,” He couldn’t keep the disappointment out of his reply. “But I know you don’t get to see her a lot.”
“What about a compromise,” Claire offered. “Maybe we can go someplace with her together?”
“That would be good, yeah,” He jumped at the possibility.
“Okay,” She was glad he was alright with sharing his time with her. “Let me see if Roz has even gotten my message yet. I’ll be back in a few, yeah?”
“Sure, I’ll get dressed in something better and try to get my hair a little drier,” He gestured towards the bathroom.
“No problem. I’ll be back when I know,” Claire explained before leaving him to it. She headed back to her room and waited for the message back, which came about twenty minutes later.
Claire grabbed her bag and tucked her phone in the pocket before heading to Changho and Cheol’s room. Cheol greeted her at the door, his hair now a puff of unruly blond waves. He looked adorable, clean faced and now dressed in a t-shirt and holey jeans.
“Maybe a mask and a hat to go with your coat and scarf,” She suggested, running her fingers through his hair.
“Yeah,” He padded over to his bag and pulled out a black face mask and knit beanie, putting both on before he started putting on his shoes and coat. He gave the other members a wave before closing the door behind him and following Claire as she led him out of the hotel and to the nearest taxi cue half a block away. The ride to Franklin Street station was relatively quick, despite typical city traffic. Claire paid the driver and they scooted out to see if Roz had arrived yet. They moved to stand near the exit of the station, parking themselves under the old fashioned pillars that held up the odd open structure that covered the stairs that rose out of the station.
“I don’t see her yet,” Claire’s breath left icy clouds in the air as she spoke. “But she should be here soon.”
“Are you cold, 애인?”[68] He rubbed his hands over the arms of her coat, trying to create a little friction to warm her up.
“I’m fine, thank you, 자기야[69],” She reached up and gave him a quick kiss over his mask. His eyes crinkled, giving away his grin hidden behind it as he pulled her into a warm hug as they waited. Roz emerged from the station to find them rocking back and forth as they spoke quietly to each other, looking like they were the only people in their world. She was almost reluctant to interrupt them, but it was far too cold to be that patient. Announcing her presence by calling her friend's name, she greeted them both with a hug. She led them along the few blocks to a little nondescript gray building with a protruding green entrance. They stepped inside to the warmth and found a small vintage interior buzzing with happy conversation. Someone stepped out from near the bar, greeting them and guiding them to the curved couch like seat just before the bar. Cheol scooted in, followed by Claire and Roz took the chair across from him.
“How did you find this place?” Claire asked her friend as she opened the menu.
“I had a few dates here,” Roz admitted. “The guy was a dud but the place was really nice.”
“So it was a win in the end,” She joked with her friend.
“Yeah,” Roz agreed with a boisterous laugh.
“Do you know what you want?” Claire turned to Cheol, scooting over to look at the menu with him.
“I was looking at the burger,” He bit his lip, still looking at the options.
“That’s probably good,” She put a hand on his thigh. “I think I’ll get the salad.”
“Is that enough food for you?” He asked, looking at the description. “We’ve been busy and you should be sure to eat enough.”
“Would you guys like to share the charcuterie plate as an appetizer?” Roz interjected.
“Yeah, that would be good,” Cheol agreed, closing his menu. “That should be enough, right?”
“Sounds good,” Claire nodded, doing the same as she gave a smile to the other two at the table. Cheol reached out and interlaced his fingers with hers under the table, loving the feeling of almost being out on a real date. After a quick glance to read the room, he stole a brief kiss.
By the time the food arrived, the three were chatting and laughing like old friends. Cheol loved seeing the banter between Claire and one of her closest friends. She seemed a little different, more carefree as they chatted, alternating between catching each other up on all the things they had missed and calling back to fond memories they shared.
Though he didn’t have much to contribute to the conversation, Cheol was enjoying hearing the stories and learning more about his love. He learned that she had been at the top of her class, being both brilliant and dedicated, as Roz put it. He learned that she had moved to the city at 18, when she started university, where she met her best friend Roz as her freshman roommate. They had become quick friends despite their different paths at school. Roz had been pre-law and continued on to law school after graduation, while Claire had double majored in literature and history and continued on to get a masters in English and creative writing. They had lived together until Claire had left for Seoul and adventure.
“I had sort of hoped she would hate it and come back,” Roz confessed as she sipped her after dinner cocktail. “But she didn’t and I’m actually really happy for her.”
“I can understand wanting her to come back,” Cheol told Roz sympathetically. “I would be heartbroken if she moved away.”
“We may have to come up with some sort of shared custody for her,” Roz tilted her drink towards him. “At least a couple of times a year you have to lend her to me. Maybe Christmas and summer holidays, like I’m an absentee father or something.”
“Sure, I can let her go for that long,” He let out a laugh as he looked over at Claire who was giving them both a faux unamused look.
“I like that I am in the middle of a custody fight again,” She rolled her eyes. “It’s like my childhood all over again.”
“You know it's only because we both love you but not each other,” Roz gave an exaggerated sip on her drink.
“How do you even remember that line? Oh my god!” Claire cackled at her friend’s parroting of what her mother had told her so many years ago.
“How could I forget?” Her friend flashed her a look. “Your mom is a smart cookie and that was an epic line.”
“Yeah, mom is pretty awesome,” She agreed. “I’m still hoping she can at least come up for a few hours while we are in Chicago, but it’s a couple hours drive and I don’t know if she can make it up just for a short visit.”
“You know she’ll drop everything to see you if she can,” Roz shook her head. “Have you told her yet?”
“Told her what?” Cheol’s eyebrows drew together in confusion.
“She means about you,” Claire squeezed his hand under the table. “And no I haven’t yet. I can’t really tell her who he is and a mystery boyfriend in a foreign country will just make her worry.”
“Does your family know yet?” Roz turned her attention back to Cheol.
“Ah, no,” He admitted, giving her an embarrassed smile. “It just. They know about the dating ban and all...and like you said, telling them would just make them worry. I’ll tell them w
hen I can. They’ll love you just as much as I do, I’m sure of it.” He put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her against his side.
“I’m sure mom will love you once she is sure you are a good boyfriend,” Claire assured him in return. “Though I think she will be a little worried since we kept it a secret for so long. She’ll probably assume the worst about that.”
“I’ll just have to prove to her that I deserve you,” Cheol gave her a cute look and tucked his chin into her shoulder.
“Keep that up and I think she won’t be hard to convince,” Roz lifted her upper lip in a slight look of annoyance.
“We’ll see,” Claire laughed, caressing the side of Cheol’s face.
Chapter 20
The concert the next day went on without a hitch. Claire attended, blending in with the crew off to the side. It was wonderful seeing them in their element again and the crowd loved them. The photographer from the magazine came back to photograph the first half of the performance. After the concert, she headed backstage, meeting the boys and Jihoon in the dressing room. The room was a buzz with chatter and laughter. Most of the members had changed by the time she got there but still had their slightly worse for the wear stage make-up on. Getting clean would have to wait until they made it back to the hotel.
Hyunwoo and Kitae sat with Claire as they waited for everyone to be done so they could head back to the hotel to shower and eat. Both were very eager to hear what she thought of their performance, asking what her favorite song was and whether she had noticed the few minor mistakes some of the other members had made. Honestly, she told them, she would never have noticed from out where the audience sat. Hyunwoo laughed and suggested she should have attended more of their practice sessions, then she would have noticed. Claire assured them that it probably wouldn’t have helped much as she didn’t have their talent for dance.
They made their way back to the hotel in the bus-like van, everyone eager to get clean and hungry after expending so much energy during their concert. Everyone was planning on ordering some room service and having a well deserved bout of doing nothing. Tomorrow was their tourist day when they would get to go and do tourist things as a group. It wouldn’t be a hard day or an early morning but they would be out and about for the better part of the day.
Claire decided to join Jaejin, Changho and Cheol for dinner and a movie in their room. They ordered room service before starting the latest superhero movie on the hotel’s streaming service. Claire and Cheol curled up against the headboard on his bed, tucked against each other while they waited for the food to arrive. Cheol was warm and damp from his recent shower and smelled like the expensive body wash the hotel provided for the rooms. It reminded her of citrus and musk, something fresh but with a heavy, comforting background. The scent might not be her favorite, but it smelled lovely on him. She tucked her head against his shoulder and slipped her arm around his waist. He made everything comforting.
The food arrived not long into the movie and Jaejin brought in the cart and passed the plates to the correct person. All the boys had ordered large portions with lots of meat and sides. Claire shook her head as she took her order of pasta and sat herself down on the far side of the bed, plate in her lap.
“Are you sure that’s enough?” Cheol questioned, setting down his two plates on his side of the bed.
“Yes,” She assured him. “I didn’t dance for three hours on a stage today. In fact, I think I probably did less than I do on a normal day back at home. This is more than enough.”
“You’ll come with us when we are out tomorrow, right?” Jaejin asked, his cheeks puffed out with the food he had already stuffed in them.
“I will,” She twirled a long string of pasta around the tines of her fork. “I’ll help with some of the handheld shooting in the museums and the park. It should be fun.”
“Have you been to the museums before?” Changho questioned as he cut another piece of meat.
“Many times,” She confirmed. “But I always love visiting them. I don’t think you’ll have time to see everything. Have you thought about what it is that you want to see?”
“Is it really so big?” Cheol paused long enough to ask before putting a bite in his mouth.
“Yes,” She paused, thinking about her last visit to the museums. “The natural history museum is four floors if I recall and the art museum, when my mother visited, we did it in two days at a walking pace...and we started when it opened.” All three boys paused and looked up at her with wide eyes.
“Seriously?” Jaejin managed after swallowing half of his bite.
“Yeah, and that was with, I think, two wings closed for renovations or renewal,” She squinted as she worked to remember. “It was the Islamic art and something more modern, but I don’t remember what exactly.”
“Do you have some things that are your favorites?” Cheol wondered if she might lend them her experience on the matter.
“Of course, but I’m biased. You guys might have other things you’d love to see more than my favorite things,” She shrugged. “Is there anything you especially like? Or I might be able to suggest areas that would look best on camera?”
“That’s not a bad idea,” Jaejin admitted. “Do you think they already had someone think of that?”
“Maybe,” Changho acknowledged. “But if there are things we want to see, we can ask to see them.”
“Okay, let’s start with the natural history museum,” She set her silverware down to concentrate on her thoughts. “The hall with the blue whale and the ocean mammals is probably a good choice, the hall with the elephants and the other African animals, all of the North American animals and the main room of the astronomy area. Those are both interesting and pretty to look at on camera.”
“Isn’t a blue whale huge?” Cheol wondered aloud after a beat.
“Yes, the hall is very large and there are two levels which are open in the center,” She explained eagerly. “Mmmm and all the animal areas have these diorama style little rooms with taxidermied specimens set up in a realistic environment.”
“That does sound good,” Changho’s lips quirked into a little smile. “So what about the other one?”
“Mmmm, that one is a little harder,” She put her chin in one of her hands. “I think the 19th and 20th century European paintings are good. Not only is it beautiful art but there is a lot there people would recognise. Mmmm, the Egyptian temple is the perfect place for you to do a group photo. The asian art section could be good if you think it would resonate for fans back home to see the region’s art being appreciated abroad, though I think it’s mostly Chinese and Japanese rather than Korean. They have some very good Ancient Greek and Roman sculpture that you could have fun taking pictures with and shooting around. Then there are the historical rooms they have installed in the building. A couple from Pompeii, the French ones are nice, there are a couple by famous American architects or interior designers…” She paused looking at the other three in the room sitting with surprised expressions. “Now you understand why it took a couple of days. That’s barely touching what’s there.”
“It really is huge,” Cheol let out an impressed breath.
“You have no idea yet,” She sighed knowingly. “I feel like I could visit there every day for the rest of my life and always find something new I hadn’t noticed before. You know, one of my favorite moments in my life was when I walked through the first time and saw Monet’s haystacks. Everybody knows the water lily paintings and a lot of people know his paintings of Rouen cathedral. Don’t get me wrong, those are also really interesting and beautiful, but the haystacks…. There is something so moving about the perfect pastel light he captured on something so simple. Not a single color is the real shade of straw, or the grass, or the trees, but it’s what a snowy twilight feels like.” She sighed again, looking off into space as if she could see the art in front of her.
“I didn’t know how much you liked art,” Cheol confessed softly, setting the plate on his lap aside. “Yo
u look so happy when you talk about it.”
“There are a lot of things I like,” She blushed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “Art is one of them. I don’t have much of a chance to indulge in it much since I moved. I know there are lots of museums and such in Seoul, I just haven’t had a lot of time to visit them. I know I should. I would hate to leave without having seen them. I just...I’ve been busy.”
“When we get back, maybe I can take you—” Cheol began.
“No, museums are too public,” She waved away his offer. “Maybe whatever I do next will need me a little less and I can find some time to go. I know there are some little places like the historic village I should visit as well. I’ll find some time.” She cleared her throat. “In any case, you can talk with the others about those ideas tonight or in the morning and we should finish dinner and the movie.”
“I’m sorry I can’t take you places like a normal boyfriend,” He reached out and put a hand on her knee.
“If it bothered me so much, I wouldn’t keep choosing you,” She put her hand over his. “It’s a choice I haven’t regretted making.”
“Still,” He scooted closer, looking at her apologetically. “I hadn’t really thought about what you might be giving up having to hide for me.”
“We all make choices to give things up or at least put them off for many reasons,” She cupped his cheek. “Some choices are harder and some are easier. You aren’t a very hard one.”
Cheol kissed the corner of her mouth and pulled her to sit in his lap, her back against his chest. “We should finish the movie.” He threw a look over to Changho who went back a few minutes in the movie before starting it again. Picking up her plate, he twirled a bit of pasta onto the fork and brought it to her mouth. Claire accepted the bite and leaned into his chest.
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