Yixing immediately busied himself with the soapy water, efficiently scrubbing the bowls. Jisoo didn't just stand there; she grabbed a dishcloth and started wiping down the counter and the wooden table on the balcony. The small kitchen suddenly felt very intimate with both of them moving around in it. There was a quiet, domestic rhythm as their hands occasionally brushed when reaching for the same cleaning spray or when Jisoo passed him the draining rack. They moved with an easy coordination that belied the fact that they were still technically just acquaintances.

As they worked side-by-side, Yixing, without turning around, brought up another topic.

"Do you have plans for the day?" Yixing asked while scrubbing a bowl.

Jisoo smirked, throwing back the exact phrase he had used the night before. "What if I do, and what if I don't?"

Yixing snorted in amusement. "Okay, smarty pants. I deserved that. But this is serious." He turned off the water and faced Jisoo, wiping his hands on a towel. "This is quite sudden, but my mother's birthday is next week. Normally, I'd have my assistant team help me pick out a gift, but with my head assistant on emergency leave, I can't really bother them with personal matters." Yixing sighed. "So, I need your help. Will you accompany me to find some gifts?"

Jisoo, who had originally planned to spend the day reviewing a pile of academic journal articles submitted by her students, paused. The request sounded surprisingly warm. Minseok wasn't even this considerate; he usually just sent money to Jisoo to buy their mother a gift, or simply transferred the money as a birthday 'gift' itself.

She felt touched, but also hesitant. It felt too personal.

"I can help, but I need to know one thing first," Jisoo said, leaning her hip against the counter. "Is this a professional or a personal request?"

Yixing wiped his hands on a towel. "What's the difference?" he asked, his expression puzzled.

"The difference is clear," Jisoo said, crossing her arms. "If it's professional, then this is overtime outside normal working hours. You'd have to pay me a hefty honorarium as a private aesthetic consultant. My hourly rate is quite high, you know." She grinned teasingly. "But if it's personal, I have to decline. I don't provide personal shopping services for an acquaintance's private needs."

Yixing was genuinely floored. His jaw dropped slightly, and his mouth moved soundlessly, as if he was searching for words that had completely evaporated from his brain. The sheer audacity and deadpan logic of her response—especially the casual dismissal of him as a mere "acquaintance"—rendered him momentarily speechless.

"An... acquaintance?" Yixing finally managed to sputter out, a disbelieving laugh escaping him. "I'm your brother's friend! We've had two meals together, and I got your secrets with me. I guess we've passed the 'acquaintance' level."

Jisoo smirked, enjoying his visible shock. "Exactly," she countered, pushing off the counter and walking closer to him. "You're Minseok's friend. That means you have a moral obligation to Minseok, not to me. And since my brother isn't here to enforce any familial duties, I feel completely free of any burden toward you, Yixing." She emphasized his name casually, driving her point home.

Yixing threw his head back and laughed, thoroughly defeated by her logic. "Okay, okay, I concede," he said, holding up his hands. "No hourly rate required. Consider this a debt I will owe you forever. Will you help your... acquaintance... find a gift for his mother?"

Jisoo's expression softened, the teasing immediately fading away. "Of course, I'll help," she said warmly. "That was really sweet of you to ask me. Let me just quickly get ready, and we can go."

Yixing gave her a grateful, relieved smile, exhaling audibly as if the most absurd debate of the morning had finally concluded. "Thank you very much," he said, his tone conveying a heartfelt sense of success.

It took Jisoo about half an hour to get ready. While she was preparing, Yixing settled comfortably on the balcony, enjoying the view and sipping the remainder of his tea.

Jisoo wanted to look just polished enough to stand confidently beside the formidable Zhang Yixing, yet remain casual for a shopping trip. She chose a creamy turtleneck sweater paired with a sleek, tailored black mini-skirt and dark opaque leggings beneath a long, charcoal grey wool coat. She styled her hair in soft waves.

When she finally emerged, Yixing, who had just walked back into the living room upon hearing her footsteps, paused. He seemed briefly awestruck, then recovered quickly, giving her a firm thumbs-up in approval.

"Ready?" he asked.

"Ready," she confirmed.

It was only then that she realized their unexpected coordination. Yixing was wearing a similarly structured outfit: dark chinos, a high-quality navy sweater, and a tailored grey coat that mirrored hers. It was an autumnal, effortlessly chic pairing that made them look less like two acquaintances and more like a carefully styled couple.

Looking back, Jisoo realized why Yixing had frozen for that split second when she first came out. If she noticed the accidental matching, he certainly had too. The unspoken observation hung lightly in the air between them—a silent acknowledgment of their unplanned sartorial harmony. Neither of them mentioned it, perhaps to avoid the awkwardness of conceding they looked like they had coordinated their outfits.

As they grabbed their things, the time was creeping closer to noon. Yixing noticed Jisoo adjusting her footing near the door. She was wearing elegant, mid-height black heels.

Damn these heels, Jisoo thought inwardly. She wasn't used to wearing them for casual outings, and after the long hours of busking the night before, her feet were already protesting the slight elevation. She was nearly 170cm—not short by any measure—but next to the giants she usually hung out with (Sehun clocked in at over 190 cm—a verifiable giant. Minseok was decently tall, but Yixing was the smooth average, perfectly positioned right between the two), she felt perpetually dwarfed. The heels were a necessary vanity.

Yixing, ever the observer, caught her brief moment of discomfort. "Are you sure you're comfortable in those heels? We'll be doing a lot of walking."

Jisoo waved him off dismissively. "I'm fine. They're not that high." She then added playfully, "Besides, talking to you is making my neck a bit uncomfortable, so the heels help."

Yixing burst into a hearty chuckle, clearly amused by her candid response. "You really don't mince your words with your acquaintance, do you?" he admitted, shaking his head.

It was clear that Yixing found Jisoo's quick wit and unfiltered banter quite entertaining. He didn't seem the least bit offended by her teasing remarks, and instead appeared to be thoroughly enjoying their exchange.

As they walked toward the door, Yixing smoothly pulled out his phone.

"Hold on a second," he said, tapping a few keys. He looked up at her with an innocent, mildly surprised expression."You know, for two people who just shared soju and plotted clandestine meetups, we still don't have each other's contact information. That is seriously inefficient for a consultant and her client."

He unlocked his screen and handed the phone to her, the new contact screen already open.

Jisoo narrowed her eyes, detecting the subtle manipulation, but she couldn't help but smile at his persistence. Well, that was smooth. He had found a perfectly logical, non-cringey reason.

"Fine," she conceded, taking the phone. "But only because my hourly consulting rate starts the moment I press 'Save.'" She quickly typed in her number and handed the phone back.

"Deal," Yixing said smoothly, securing the phone in his pocket. "Now, let's go find my mother a respectable gift."