Yixing was absent.

The deep silence in her apartment wasn't the usual peace and quiet she loved. No, this was an empty, echoing functional silence—the kind you get when a whole noisy crew suddenly vanishes. The steady beat of her life, which had been set by Yixing’s ridiculous punctuality for weeks, suddenly just flatlined into a big hole.

She thought back to that final night, trying to pinpoint the exact moment things felt different. It was several nights ago, and Yixing had deliberately hung out a lot longer on Sehun's favorite sofa in her library after dinner. Super weird, considering his normal routine was: serve the gourmet meal, clean kitchen, exit stage right. But that night, the strict rules just seemed to melt away. Ever since their 'off-site assessment' dinner, Jisoo felt surprisingly chill around him. She hadn't thrown the doors open, but she was definitely less stiff and formal. She was laughing more easily, even outright mocking Yixing's terrible jokes.

They’d spent the evening talking about her guzheng, and then fell into a ridiculously silly game: she’d play a short, traditional piece, and he had to guess the name. This involved tons of laughter and banter, mostly because Yixing, the supposed genius, was so hilariously bad at guessing anything non-Western classical. He kept thinking solemn court music was some bouncy folk tune.

When the clock ticked past ten—the old curfew hour from her childhood—Jisoo finally stopped laughing and asked, "Now, on serious note, don't you have some important big-boss stuff to do tonight, Zhang Yixing? You usually bail much earlier."

Yixing immediately turned serious. His face got this look, like he had ten million things to do but flat-out refused to leave. When she noticed the vibe shift, Jisoo stopped joking. "What is it?" she asked.

He leaned forward. "I won't be coming around for the next two weeks," he said simply. "I have to leave for Europe for a business trip. It was scheduled ages ago and can't be moved."

Jisoo drew a blank. To be honest, this was exactly the kind of thing she’d secretly been worried about. She’d gotten completely used to his reliable, daily presence, his efficiency acting like this weird, solid security blanket during her injury. Now, a two-week gap felt like a major security breach. She couldn't deny the hole his absence was about to rip open. But of course, she’d never admit that to him.

She simply nodded. "I'll be fine," Jisoo replied, forcing a lightness into her voice. "You really don't need to worry about me or my food supply. I'm a fully independent house cat, so I’ll manage just fine until my human shows up again."

Yixing let out a soft, genuine laugh at the word 'my human'. He leaned back against the armrest of the sofa, his hand resting on his temple as he looked at her. There was a noticeable difference in the way he was watching her; his gaze was incredibly soft, as if he were simply savoring a comfortable view.

Jisoo, of course, noticed it. She also realized just how much the dynamic between them had changed recently. Yixing, who was usually so reserved and guarded with his thoughts, seemed far more open about what was on his mind. They were starting to chat like old acquaintances, responding to jokes with lighthearted jabs instead of their usual witty, sarcastic banter. And most obviously, Yixing now seemed to have stopped restraining himself from openly flirting with her.

Like right now. Instead of responding to her joke, Yixing just tilted his head and stated, "Listen, I'm just gonna say it: I've analyzed all your data, and none of it prepared me for… this level of visual distraction. It's a significant miscalculation."

Jisoo’s face immediately flattened into her default are-you-serious-right-now expression. "Yixing, please say something relevant to the conversation," she retorted, desperate to sidestep the sudden blush and awkwardness his weird compliment had created.

Jisoo knew she shouldn't have been bothered by Yixing’s shift in behavior. Ever since she had implicitly challenged him to change her mind (about romantic relationships) if he could, she hadn't held any real expectations. Yixing was free to try if he wanted, but she certainly wasn't waiting for him to magically open her heart. She was, however, enjoying the process. They were two consenting adults who knew exactly what they were doing, and for now, she was just going with the flow of this strange, protracted game of mutual assessment, without ever wondering where the finish line might be.

Yixing chuckled again, clearly sensing that Jisoo wasn't buying his flirtation—or perhaps that she needed the topic changed. "Right. The food supply," he conceded. "Of course, I won't simply abandon my post. I'm sending someone. My assistant can drop off your meals."

Jisoo instantly stiffened. "No. Absolutely not. I won't have company funds used for a personal errand. That's precisely the kind of corporate corruption I can't tolerate."

Yixing smiled knowingly, anticipating her moral objection. "Fine. Then I'll send my driver. He's on my own payroll, not the company's tab." Knowing she couldn't win against Yixing's brand of airtight logic, Jisoo finally threw her hands up in defeat. Fine. Whatever gets you sleep at night.

A few minutes later, Yixing checked the time on his phone screen, signaling that he had reached his maximum comfortable visiting time. He reluctantly gathered his belongings, slipping on his coat and fastening his expensive wristwatch. He asked to be walked to the front door. After he put on his shoes, Yixing stood silent before Jisoo, lingering as if unwilling to leave her for such a long time.

Suddenly, he asked, "Um, can I just get... an awkward see-you-again hug?"

Jisoo burst out laughing. It was such an utterly ridiculous request. Given their strictly 'functional relationship' dynamics, a personal request like a hug should have been entirely out of bounds. Yet, for some reason, she felt there was absolutely nothing to lose with just a simple hug. She offered her arms, which Yixing accepted with evident delight.

He pulled her close. The warmth radiating from him was immediate and deep, a comforting anchor. His embrace was firm and secure, and she was immediately enveloped by the scent of him: a clean, masculine blend of fresh tea and something woody and expensive. The way he circled his arms around her back felt protective, but not imposing. For a long moment, everything felt precisely right, utterly steady and calm.

It was this sudden, overwhelming sense of rightness that finally sparked her internal awkwardness. She was the one who pulled away first, quickly retreating from the sudden intimacy. As their cheeks briefly brushed, she quickly masked her reaction with a tight, small smile, avoiding eye contact.

Yixing gave her a small, gentle squeeze on the shoulder. "Take care, Jin Xian. See you in two weeks."

With that, he turned and was gone.

A week passed with strange speed. Jisoo's new routine, though physically missing Yixing, felt incredibly structured. Like, seriously structured.

Just as Yixing had promised, his driver turned into a super-efficient daily courier, leaving hot, ready-to-eat meals on the sofa table in her office right before noon. Same deal at her apartment: fresh breakfast and dinner were always waiting in a package box by the door. Jisoo was definitely not starving, which was a huge deal considering her previous habit of using "being busy" as an excuse to skip food entirely.

Even though Yixing was physically MIA, they still touched base at least once a day. He’d usually text first, giving her the heads-up about the meal delivery, checking in on her ankle, or asking if the food was up to standard. Jisoo, as a casual thank you—or maybe just to mess with his efficiency complex—replied with before-and-after photos of her meals, basically reporting that she’d thoroughly enjoyed his efforts.

It was Day 12 of Yixing's absence. Jisoo was eating dinner solo—Sehun was stuck working late—when her phone buzzed. She grabbed it and got comfy on the living room sofa before answering the call.

"Hello, darling!" her mother's cheerful voice greeted her from the other side.

"Mom," Jisoo smiled. Her mother, whose personality was the complete opposite of Jisoo's usual calm and collected vibe, always sounded like she was perpetually 17—super bubbly and totally adorable. She was in her fifties, sure, but being an ambassador's wife basically meant she had a VIP pass to enjoy life: constant traveling, binging her favorite dramas, and sometimes even dragging embassy staff to concerts.

Without preamble, her mother immediately went for the gossip bait. "So, guess who crashed into our dinner last night?"

Jisoo, completely unbothered, took a wild guess. "Henry Cavill?" she asked, just because she knew her mom was totally obsessed with him since watching Man of Steel two years ago.

Her mother laughed delightedly. "I'd be thrilled if I met Cavill, Darling. But last night, I met a man no less charming, you know."

Jisoo barely listened, assuming this was just her mom's usual excitement because, let’s be real, the woman loved a handsome guy.

However, the next sentence made Jisoo choke on her food and start cough momentarily.

"Your father and I just had dinner with a man named Zhang Yixing."

Jisoo knew her parents were in the Czech Republic for some big global Ambassador meeting, but she totally did not see the Yixing factor coming. She was one hundred percent certain: this was Minseok's chaos, hands down. Of course. She could see the two guys’ scheme clearly now. Yixing had zero business reason to fly to the Czech Republic—Jisoo knew his schedule. There was exactly one reason Yixing would deliberately shift his itinerary and fly to a non-scheduled country: dinner with her parents.

Jisoo laughed to herself, imagining Yixing's prized strategic play. That sneaky bastard. He didn't just secure an ally in Minseok; he launched a full-scale operation straight at headquarters!

Her mother continued, her voice full of admiration. "Yixing was absolutely lovely, Darling. He brought me a beautiful vintage gift, a Salzburg silver cutlery set—he said he stopped by there. I adore it!"

Figures, Jisoo thought. That guy always knows exactly how to zero in on someone's softest spot.

Her mother then praised Yixing endlessly: he was so humble, even though her father dropped the bomb that Yixing's family company was one of the wealthiest and most influential conglomerates in China—a detail Yixing had, naturally, never bothered to mention to Jisoo. They had a lively chat about Yixing's European business travels, and his even deep-dived into international politics with her father. It turned out Yixing’s paternal grandfather had actually been good acquaintance with Jisoo’s own grandpa back in the day.

"Wow," Jisoo mused. "The world really is tiny. That was a bombshell I didn't see coming."

"I'm so happy I finally met that Logistic Officer Sehun won't stop talking about. Seriously, Darling, everyone talks about him in a good-natured perspective, even your Grandmother. After meeting him, I totally get it. He's the most reliable, positive young man I've ever met," her mother concluded seriously.

Her mother then carefully slipped in the big question: "So, how are things going with that guy you were seeing before, Darling?"

Jisoo didn't give a straight answer, and sensing the hesitation, her mother immediately cut to the chase. "Darling, you really need to consider Yixing. We were incredibly impressed—and your father was too. I could tell from this whole conversation that Yixing thinks highly of you and genuinely respects you."

"Honestly, we'd be thrilled if you two ended up together," her mother concluded.

Jisoo simply laughed, a huge, relieved laugh she couldn't hold back. She totally pictured Yixing smiling smugly somewhere in Europe, seeing how his genius plan to charm her parents had paid off. Seriously, the guy had just solved another variable in the "complex-problems" he was obsessed with, and he wasn't even in the country.

Immediately after hanging up, Jisoo yanked open her chat with Yixing. She typed a few sentences, hit backspace, typed a few more, and deleted those too. After arguing internally between sending a fake angry text or admitting anything remotely honest, she ditched the whole confrontation idea. She typed only one sharp sentence instead.

Jisoo hit send.

You (21:37): Congrats on leveling up your assessment criteria.

Yixing's reply came almost instantly. He completely bypassed her sarcastic commentary; instead, a short sentence read:

Zhang Officer (21:37): See you in two days.