He'd been watching you. Undercover, of course. Who did you think he was?
Tang Bo was nothing if not subtle, a master of his practice, the best of the best—
"Sir?" A meek voice called out, making him blink. He looked down to see an anxious middle aged man. "What are you doing on the roof of my shop?"
"Ah." Perhaps not as subtle as he thought. He scratched the back of his head. "Your shop offers the best vantage point."
"I-I see," a drop of sweat rolled down the man's forehead.
Oh. He was being a bother, wasn't he? Well, that wouldn't do.
Bo reached into his pocket and pulled out a small satch of coins. He tossed it carelessly to the man. "Here, compensation for your troubles."
It hit the man in the face. "Oy!" He grunted, scowling in irritation. Then he opened it, and his eyes bulged at the contents. "T-thank you sir! Spend all the time you like up there!"
"Sure," Bo waved him off, fixated on something else entirely.
That something else being you, of course.
God, he could watch you all day. You were just so adorable.
Creep, a voice that sounded suspiciously like his Hyung-nim rang out in his mind. He scowled.
What did that old grouch know anyway?
What did you call me, brat?!
Bo shoved the raging image of his Hyung-nim to the back of his mind, ignoring the string of expletives. Right, he had a mission.
Today was the day he was finally going to make a move.
The stage? Set. His outfit? Immaculate. His lines? Rehearsed about a million times in the mirror. All that was left was to set his plan into motion.
Bo narrowed his eyes, watching as you laughed brightly with a street vendor. You were wearing that cute little ribbon in your hair again, his favorite one. The vendor grinned at you, leaning closer.
"Oy," he frowned, hackles rising. That was way too close. Didn't that guy have any concept of personal space?
Bo grabbed a piece of debris from the roof, before launching it hard at the offender with a sharp flick of his wrist. It smacked into the man's arm, making him yelp and flinch back. He looked around warily, making Bo smirk.
You, bless your soul, were just as alarmed as the vendor, wide eyed and frantic with concern. If only you would look at him that way instead.
Bo sighed, closing his eyes. A man could dream, but now was not the time to fantasize. Much was at stake here.
Soon, you would be leaving to travel on your usual route back home, a winding twenty minute walk through the village. Bo would intercept you strategically, charm your socks off, and take you home. Hopefully.
After way too much attention spent on the damned vendor (Bo was going to scare him out of Sichuan if his eyes lingered for just one second longer—), you were finally on your way, wicker basket full of fresh fruit in your hand and adorable smile on your face.
Bo grinned, tilting his straw hat lower over his eyes as he leaned over the edge of the roof. That was his queue.
He soundlessly leapt off of the roof, landing in a dark, subtle corner out of view. From this close, he could faintly hear you humming a cheery tune under your breath. He had to suppress an amused smile.
Bo crouched in the shadows, counting down the seconds. The carriage across from you should be coming through in 3...2...1...
He walked out, directly in its path, making the coachman yell in shock. Bo 'stumbled' back, gasping in shock as the horses reared back in alarm. Of course, they could never trample him if they tried. He'd calculated the exact distance he had to fall to make it look realistic but still be within relative safety. That, and he could roll out of the way faster than the coachman could blink.
"H-Hey! What do you think you're doing?" The coachman shouted furiously. "You can't just walk in front of a moving carriage like that! Are you out of your mind?!"
"Aha..." Bo chuckled, scratching at his chin. "My mistake. I wasn't looking where I was going."
The coachman muttered something nasty under his breath, making Bo twitch. If he wasn't in disguise right now, that stupid brat would be trembling in his boots—guaranteed.
"Hey!" A sweet voice graced his ears, making all of his ire evaporate like water. He blinked up at your concerned face and outstretched hand. "Are you okay, sir?"
Oh. Now he was, thanks. In fact, he could sit here on the dusty road and stare at you all day and be more than fine. The way the sun was hitting your hair right now was making you look like a dream.
It was only when he noticed your eyebrows begin to crinkle that he realized he had yet to respond. Right.
He smiled sheepishly, taking your hand and letting you pull him up. "Yeah, sorry! I guess I wasn't paying enough attention."
Somewhere in the back of his mind, he heard a loud, undignified snort. He slapped an imaginary hand over his Hyung-nim's mouth, ignoring the string of muffled expletives.
You tilted your head, smiling gently. "That's okay, there's always a lot going on here. Be careful next time though."
Bo looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm actually new here, so I'm a little unfamiliar with my surroundings." Lie. "Of course it's fine if you don't, but I was wondering if you knew someone who could show me around?”
He looked down and fiddled with his robes for extra pathetic effect. God, he was good at this. He knew you were too nice to say no, or pass the responsibility onto someone else.
You slimy little leec—mmph!
A warm hand landed on his arm, making his breath hitch. He looked up to see your blinding grin, eyes warm and crinkled at the edges. His heart stuttered a little.
"What a question! Of course I know someone," you chuckled, shooting him a sly wink. "She's standing right here. Come on, follow me."
Bo trailed after you, a little dazed. He was feeling a bit fuzzy. Was this normal? Did he need to see a healer?
Well, if he died, at least he would die happy. You had touched him. Twice.
Holy shit, this is pathetic.
Shut up, let me have this moment.
He followed after you enthusiastically, listening intently as you gave him a tour of all the places he already knew. In a way, it was like he was discovering them all over again through your eyes. Sometimes, you would even grab his wrist to pull him along. He swore he saw heaven for those few precious moments.
Every so often though, someone would recognize him through his disguise. However, a quick and well-timed glare always shut them up. He wasn't known for his patience, after all. Thankfully, you never seemed to notice, chatting away excitedly and bringing a genuine smile back to his face.
"This is the best florist in town," you told him eagerly, holding up an artfully arranged bouquet for him to smell. "Oh, and just down the street they sell the most wonderful foreign delicacies! The merchants come by every week—"
Tang Bo nodded along, eyes half-lidded and a stupid grin on his lips as he listened to you ramble. You were simply radiant, lighting up in excitement when you delved into something you were passionate about.
If only he could have stayed with you like this forever. But alas, all good things must regretfully come to an end.
"Sorry, I think I dragged you all over the place when you just asked for a quick tour," you scratched the back of your head, slightly embarrassed.
Bo had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep himself from grabbing you, tucking you into his robes and never letting you go. He needed you to think that he was kind and dignified, not some crazy psycho.
"No, no," he cleared his throat, smiling reassuringly. "I learned so much today thanks to you. In fact, I haven't had that much fun in a long time."
His heart melted at the bashful look on your face. Awee.
It was true though, he did have the time of his life today. It was way better than he could've ever imagined. And he'd...ahem, imagined a lot.
"I want to repay you for all that you've done for me today," he bowed his head, trying to hide the flush on his cheeks. "Let me know if there's anything I can do."
Your eyes widened, hands gesturing wildly. "Oh no, please! It was my pleasure. I actually had a great time too." You coughed, looking down with a small smile.
"Alright," Bo chuckled gently. This was it. He was really going to do it this time. "Then at least let me walk you back."
His heart thudded anxiously in his chest as he waited for your response. You blinked, looking up at him in surprise. Then, the most magnificent grin spread across your face.
"You know what? I would love that."
She said yes? She said yes!! Hell yeah!
Bo beamed brightly, trying not to show how much he was screaming internally as he offered you his arm. "Lead the way?"
"Of course," you winked, and the screaming kicked up two notches.
Bo floated next to you, barely harnessing enough self restraint to keep a serene expression on his face. Giddiness bubbled in his chest, threatening to explode at any moment. If someone had asked him afterwards to describe the scenery of the walk, he wouldn’t be able to say shit. What he could do was name about fifty different adjectives to describe your eyes. Honestly, he couldn’t stop staring at you if he tried. He was a fool for you—and you didn’t even know it.
“We should do this again sometime,” you grinned, turning to him once you arrived at your front door.
“What? Don’t tell me there’s more you haven’t shown me?” Bo smirked playfully, raising a brow. “And here I thought you were a diligent tour guide.”
“Well yes, there’s a lot to see in Sichuan,” you giggled, eyes flickering up to catch his. “But I meant that we should see each other again. Soon.”
Bo blinked, feeling a lump settle in his throat. He swallowed heavily, feeling his heart start to race. “Uh, yeah. Totally. Would love that.”
Ugh. Smooth, real smooth.
“But it’s strange,” you tapped your chin, making his stomach drop. Did he fuck up somehow? “I feel like I’ve seen you before.”
“A-Ah,” Bo smiled politely, sweat beading at his temples. “Is that so? I can’t say the same.”
“Really?” Something glinted in your eyes. Uh oh, that probably wasn’t good. You couldn’t possibly have figured him out, could you?
“You know, somehow I find that a little hard to believe,” a smile pulled at your lips, and you leaned closer into his space. His breath hitched as you gently pushed up his straw hat with two fingers, exposing his green eyes. “Because I heard you’re the sharpest of your clan. Isn’t that right, Master Tang?”
He gulped. “I-I can explain.”
A million different apologies began to run through his mind. He couldn’t lose his chance with you before he even managed to ask you out.
“No,” you shook your head, making his face drop. Ah. So this was it, then? He always found a way to—
Bo’s eyes widened, mouth hanging open as he processed the fleeting, soft warmth against his cheek. His eyes swiveled down to you, making you chuckle.
“I already know,” you said gently, squeezing his hand. “And my answer is yes.”
And then you turned around, opened your door, and left him standing on your front porch in the most jumbled mix of emotions he’d ever felt.
Huh…you really managed to pull something off, brat.
But Bo was already long gone, spirit floating up to heaven as his body short circuited. Steam poured from his ears as he twitched.
Hey, hey! Don’t you dare pass out on me! Tang Bo-ya!
You and Bo had never officially met before this
This hopeless idiot fell in love just by watching you around Sichuan (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧
You’re always smiling and so kind to others that he couldn’t help himself
At first it wasn’t planned, but then he started to alter his plans to walk by the places he knew you would be
Of course you recognize him, he’s practically a legend in Sichuan ( ◡‿◡ ;)
But you never approached him before because he never did either ╮( ˘ ､ ˘ )╭
He’s in disguise here cuz he doesn’t wanna scare you with his reputation or the Tang name
Pined so hard and for so long that Cheong Myeong stopped drinking with him for a bit because he was unbearable
He couldn’t stop gushing about you, and when he wasn’t, he just sighed in longing every few minutes
Will be definitely be smiling like an idiot all day after this (♡˙︶˙♡)
