**"Well, you are,"** Ming Ji said quietly, eyes tracing every inch of Jin's face.
For a moment, Jin couldn't move, his heart pounding like a war drum.
Then, finally… he let out the breath he'd been holding.
**"You idiot,"** he muttered softly, fingers tightening on Ming Ji's jacket. **"You can't just say things like that."**
**"Why not?"** Ming Ji asked quietly, searching Jin's gaze. **"I'm just telling the truth."**
**"Idiot,"** Jin said again, but the word came out weaker this time—softer.
Ming Ji raised an eyebrow. **"I thought you said you weren't flustered."**
**"I'm not,"** Jin muttered, cheeks burning. **"I just… dammit, you can't say things like that and expect me to..."**
He broke off, looking away—frustration, embarrassment, a hundred other things he didn't have a name for swirling in his chest.
̶Ming Ji didn't tease him.
Instead, he gently turned Jin's face back with a single finger under his chin.
