#also a whole park jimin exists

[magicshopaholic]

Pretty Girls

Summary: Yoongi is back from tour for a day and Miso tries to make the best of it. Chaeyoung seeks advice on her new relationship with Hoseok. Sooah and Jimin try to be helpful, while Kaya tries to get her boyfriend to stop smoking.

Pairing: OT3 x OC (feat. Jimin x OC) (different OCs)

Genre: Humour, fluff, mild angst, smut

Word count: 12.1 K

Rating: 18+

Warnings: language, kissing, alcohol, blowjobs, semi-public intimacy, smoking

A/N: No, this hasn't been edited because I wanted to post it before I end up delaying this for another week. I hope this came out the way I pictured because the way I pictured it was 🥰 This is set about six to eight weeks after Late Night Call.

Tagging: @bbl32 @quarter-life-crisis2 @dreaming-with-happiness @faearchives @margopinkerton @purpleseoul7 @confessionsofamarshlily@jiminjhang@xjoonchildx@tarahardcore@infinitehobi@handfullofcandids@whoisbts @jihopesjoint @kflixnet (drop a message if you want to be added)

Listen to: "something pretty" by patrick park

namjoon masterlist | yoongi masterlist | hoseok masterlist | jimin masterlist | main masterlist

Yoongi steps out of his building, running a hand through his long hair and checking his phone for his emails. There might be a meeting today; he hasn’t been invited to it yet and he hopes it stays that way, but there’s really no telling. 

He squints slightly as he steps out, tilting his head up to the sky before he puts on a pair of sunglasses. It’s a beautiful day, the kind that movie montages are made in, but his is a day of errands and catching up on work so he doesn’t see himself being able to enjoy it. He heads out to the above ground parking for his Range Rover, but does a double take when he reaches.

Standing next to the hood of a car and holding a coffee, Miso smiles a rare smile. “Hi.”

Yoongi halts before taking two slower steps, feeling a smile already creeping up his face. “Am I in a dream? What - what’s happening?” he asks, taking off his sunglasses. “You’re alone? And smiling? Who died?”

She gives him a look but her shoulders are still relaxed as she reaches behind her and reveals another cup of coffee which she brings to him.

“You said you had a break for two days in Seoul and miraculously, one of them coincides with one of the rarest, most auspicious days that only comes about once every year or so,” she tells him, handing him the cup. “Also known as the day my father is abroad and Seungkwan is at my mother’s disposal for the entire day, thereby leaving me to blissfully exist as their last priority.”

Yoongi takes the cup with a chuckle, no longer a stranger to her dry humour. “So you came to see me?”

She nods, and he thinks he sees a tinge of pink creeping up her cheeks. “The whole… asking my father for my passport thing didn’t quite work,” she admits, pushing her own sunglasses up her nose. “But your tour seems like it’s going well and… I don’t know. I guess for one day, you can tell me about it in person instead of over text at some ungodly hour of the night.”

Something expands in Yoongi’s chest but doesn’t acknowledge it out loud. This might be the most spontaneous he’s ever seen Miso and it feels too precious to disturb. 

“Sounds like a plan,” he agrees, sipping the coffee and feeling like he’s finally waking up. “I do have some stuff to get done today, though,” he warns her. “I need to meet Jimin for a quick thing before picking up some stuff in Gangnam, then the studio -”

“Are you trying to get rid of me?” she asks, and he can’t tell if she’s joking.

Yoongi exhales, taking her coffee cup from her hand and placing both cups behind her on the hood of the car. Ignoring her mild frown, he tugs her gently by the hand and slowly wraps his arms around her waist, pulling her to him. He waits until she hugs him back, a bit stiffly, before frowning suddenly.

“It’s okay that I’m doing this, right?” he asks, pulling away slightly. “I mean… you won’t get in trouble…?” he ventures, looking around suddenly as though expecting to be filmed.

“I don’t think my father has spies in the UN Village tracking me,” she says lightly, before stepping away. 

Yoongi nods. “It’s good to see you, Kang Chanel,” he murmurs, leaning forward and pressing a lingering kiss to her cheek. 

Her mouth curves upwards slightly, but then she rolls her eyes. “Don’t get sentimental on me, Min Suga.” She steps backwards and opens the drivers’ door to the car and slides inside. “You’ll be late for your errands,” she informs him, tucking her coffee into the holder next to the gear shift.

Missed you, too. He follows suit, strapping himself into his seat while she fiddles with the stereo, the morning already seeming brighter.

—

“You’re going to be late, you know?”

Namjoon nods and rolls them over, gently pressing her back into the bed as he captures his lips in hers. “You’re the one making me late, if that makes you feel better,” he murmurs against her jaw.

“Way to shift responsibility,” she responds, wrapping her arms around his neck and sighing softly, feeling his arms slide down her waist.

“You came in here and took off all your clothes as I was about to leave,” he reminds her, lips moving down her collarbone, past the flimsy material of her top. “How is that my fault?”

“I came here to change my pants,” she retorts, pushing him back so they’ve switched positions. Kaya sits up, straddling him, and runs a hand through her long hair so it falls gracefully down one shoulder. “And only because you spilled water on them,” she adds with finality.

Namjoon grins up at her, eyes hazy with arousal, and her heart skips a beat. Maybe it’s the shirt he’s wearing this morning, maybe it’s the residual aftermath of their break-up from last year, but it’s harder than ever to stay apart. But she has an important date with herself today, and it’s a working day for her boyfriend.

“That’s right. I was picturing you taking off all your clothes,” he amends, sighing dramatically. “Guess I’ll be picturing it all day now.”

“You do that.” Kaya pats his chest and climbs off him, reaching for a pair of jeans and pulling them on. She feels Namjoon’s eyes on her and holds his gaze as she gets dressed, until he finally sits up.

“Can you just fucking move here or something?” he asks wistfully. “I really miss you.”

She nods in understanding, not knowing how to respond to that. “I miss you, too. Your apartment is, like, five times the size of mine.”

He clicks his tongue. “The bigger it is, the emptier it feels.” He frowns slightly. “By the way, your mouth tastes of watermelon,” he says curiously.

“Watermelon?”

“Yeah. Hang on - I can’t be sure. C’mere,” he mutters, pulling her by the hand and kissing her. “Yep, that’s watermelon. I can’t remember the last time I had something that healthy in my house,” he remarks, raising his eyebrows.

“It’s probably the supplement I’m taking,” she guesses, turning towards the mirror and finger-combing her hair. “It’s Vitamin D and iron and something else - I don’t remember.”

“What do you mean? Did a doctor tell you to take them?”

“Yeah, he thinks it’s because I’m not getting enough sleep,” she says absently. “This last stage of my dissertation is killer so he thinks it might be causing deficiencies of some kind in my system.” She shrugs. “But watermelon, huh?”

Namjoon looks like he’s about to say something but shakes his head at the last moment. “Yeah. It’s nice.” He wrinkles his nose. “Is that weird? Liking what you taste like?”

She bites her lip and meets his gaze in the mirror. “No, it’s endearing. I kind of miss what you taste like, too, when we’re not together.”

“Yeah?” His smile widens as he leans back on his hands, tossing his hair out of his eyes. “What do I taste like?”

Kaya hums, thinking. “Chocolate. Dark chocolate,” she clarifies. “Sometimes red wine, sometimes straight up whiskey,” she adds, noting how he chuckles self-consciously. “Sometimes that coconut water that you have stockpiled in your studio.”

“Wow.” He nods thoughtfully. “What do I taste like today?”

She locks her eyes with his in the mirror again. “Cigarettes.”

There’s a pause where she can see him being caught off guard by her response, before his shoulders fall slightly. “Have to admit, I didn’t see that coming.”

Kaya finally turns around and crosses her arms across her chest, feeling a little guilty about potentially ruining a nice moment. “Look, I don’t want to be that girlfriend - the one who tells you what to do and what not to do… so if you could just realise it on your own?” she ventures, raising her shoulders.

“It’s not like I’m doing it regularly,” is all he says, but she can sense his feeling of being caught. 

“Yeah, I know, which is why I don’t really bring it up. But I also haven’t ever tasted it on you at ten in the morning,” she points out. “Do I need to be worried?”

She waits for the answer to be an immediate no, but when Namjoon sighs and hesitates, her heart sinks a little in disappointment. “I don’t think so,” he says a little later. “Just… with the album and everything, things have been a little stressful. I know you know what that’s like.”

She scoffs. “Weed is nowhere near as bad as pure tobacco. And I’m definitely not smoking up first thing in the morning.”

“Look, I’ve stopped before and I can stop again. I’ll have to - it’s not like I can keep it going in the military.”

There’s a pause. “Fine. Prove it,” she says. “Go the rest of the day without a single cigarette, and I’ll probably believe you.”

Namjoon raises his eyebrows. “Seriously?”

“Yeah. Maybe I’m being a buzzkill but unfortunately for you, I love you and I’d rather not see you die an early death.”

His jaw hardens slightly. Then he shrugs. “Fine. I won’t smoke the rest of the day if you don’t stay away from work for the rest of the day.”

“What?” She scoffs again. “How is that the same thing?”

“Overworking won’t kill you the way smoking will, but it can’t be good. Kaya, you’re supposed to be on vacation,” he reminds her. “You’ve been here four days and you’ve worked during all of them. Last night, you were up later than I was. You’re on medication because of it.”

“They’re supplements,” she corrects him, feeling distinctly called out. “And… this isn’t about me.”

“You can be worried about my health but I can’t be worried about yours?” He stands up, his height making her heart stutter again. “I think it’s a fair bet, no?”

Kaya narrows her eyes at him. “Fine. I won’t work. That’s easy.”

“That includes checking your emails.”

She feels her face fall slightly. “That’s… fine,” she repeats, although less confidently this time. “I’ll be able to tell if you smoke. The smell lingers,” she informs him. 

“I’m aware. And checking your email and visiting your college intranet leaves timestamps.”

“Deal.” She sticks out a hand which he takes, shaking it before tugging her towards him. Her stomach flips. “What are you doing?”

“Nothing,” he says, grabbing her around the waist and tossing her on the bed, making her gasp in surprise. “Just kissing on it.”

—

Chaeyoung checks her reflection in the mirror, checks her small overnight suitcase and checks her phone, before stepping out of her room and shutting the door behind her. She can hear Sooah’s voice in the living room and with some trepidation, she heads over to her and Jimin lounging on the sofa.

“It’s just ridiculous,” Sooah is saying, slamming her laptop shut and tossing it to the side. “Every day is a nightmare of indecisiveness and I have to waste my time executing every idea and negotiating with vendors, just when she changes her mind because of a Pinterest post.”

“Her own management has to be pretty pissed, too,” remakes Jimin, lying down by her side and scrolling through his phone. “Oi - what if she goes so overboard that they just has, like, a breakdown? And the whole thing has to be cancelled?”

“Don’t even say that,” she warns him when she catches sight of Chaeyoung. “After all this effort if we actually lose this client, I can probably kiss my job goodbye. Hey,” she says to Chaeyoung with a sigh. “Sorry, was I too loud?”

“Not at all,” she answers, shaking her head as she approaches the couple. “Is everything okay?”

“No, but I’m not going to worry about it today,” decides Sooah. “I have the day off so I’m not thinking about it till Monday.” She frowns. “Why do you look so worried?”

“Do I?” When Sooah nods, Chaeyoung takes a deep breath and sits on the coffee table, opposite her and Jimin. “Actually… I could use your help. Both your help.”

“Oh?” Sooah raises her eyebrows as Jimin sits up as well next to her, dark hair tousled. “What’s up?”

“Well…” Chaeyoung takes another deep breath, running her hands down her thighs. “I need some… advice. About - okay, wait. Oppa, this stays between the three of us, right?”

Jimin’s eyes widen and he looks around, clearly not expecting to be called out. “I - yeah. Of course. Who would I tell?” He looks from Chaeyoung to Sooah. “Okay. Fine. Yes, of course this stays between us.”

“Okay, then.” She tries again. “I need advice,” she repeats. “Like… dating advice. As you know, Hoseok and I have been sort of dating for a few weeks now,” she begins, when Jimin whoops. When both girls simply frown at him in confusion, his grin vanishes.

“Oh. Sorry. It felt just a cheer-worthy moment. Sorry. Carry on.”

“Well, it’s been going… well. Surprisingly well. But it’s also… I don’t know, casual? Like, neither of us are talking about it in depth, about where we are, how serious we are - all that stuff.”

“So… why don’t you just ask him?” Sooah suggests. “Are you worried you’ll scare him?”

“Not exactly…” Chaeyoung struggles to articulate it. “I don’t think it’ll freak him out. I just can’t be the one to bring it up. I guess I just want to know where he is with all this, you know? Especially because we’re both going back to Gwangju today for the long weekend and my brother’s going to be there, too, which is sure to freak Hobi out and…” She lowers her eyes and sighs. “I don’t want him to start reconsidering this or something.”

Jimin shakes his head slowly. “I don’t think you need to worry about that. He talks about you a lot,” he adds earnestly. 

“No, not reconsidering… you know, dating me,” she replies, trying to ignore the warmth creeping up her face. “But… I just want to go there knowing where we are, hopefully without having to talk about it. How he feels or- or…” She trails off, feeling a bit exposed as she says it out loud.

“Chae… I’m afraid Hoseok is the only one that can actually tell you,” says Sooah slowly. 

“Isn’t there any kind of way I can make him bring it up?” Chaeyoung presses. “You know about our past. I really don’t want to be the one all eager to have the conversation about us - I just can’t do it. Especially since we’ll have to spend the whole weekend pretending to be casual friends connected through my brother anyway.” Chaeyoung shakes her head. “Look, you two have known each other for decades, too,” she points out. “How did you know how you felt about each other when you started going out last year?”

Sooah and Jimin look similarly doubtful, but Jimin is the first to speak. 

“Well… I always knew how I felt about Sooah,” he begins, shrugging in a matter-of-fact way as he glances at his girlfriend. “Maybe the intensity changed when we spent years apart and the rest of the time… I guess I was in denial,” he admits sheepishly, grinning when Sooah fondly punches his shoulder. “But Sooah was always the one, ever since we were fifteen. She’s Kim Sooah. She’s fun, she’s smart, she brightens up every room… and she’s only gotten hotter over the years,” he adds seriously.

Chaeyoung exhales, saying nothing as she turns to Sooah who’s gazing up at Jimin with a sparkle in her eye. “Unnie?”

“Okay, first of all, I can’t ever stay mad at him for longer than five minutes because he says things like that,” she says dryly, tucking a lock of hair deliberately behind her ear. “And… Jimin is the absolute sweetest guy I know. That’s been the case since we met in high school - he was cute and shy but he was already the best person I knew. He’s loyal and hardworking and, uh…” She reaches over and taps his bicep. “As millions of girls will second me, he is a total smokeshow.”

There’s a moment of silence before Jimin sighs. “Come here,” he murmurs, pulling Sooah to him and wrapping his arms around her. “I love you, Kim Sooah,” he says, kissing the side of her head.

“I love you, too, Park Jimin,” she says into his shoulder. “We’re so lucky!” she exclaims, making him laugh.

Jimin hugs her tighter. “I know. I can’t even remember what we were fighting about,” he adds, making her laugh and nod.

Chaeyoung stares at them. “You weren’t fighting. You were helping me with my problem.”

“Right.” Jimin and Sooah separate, clearing their throats before the latter leans forward. “Chae. What exactly are you afraid of?”

“Acting like the thirteen year old me around him,” she answers instantly. “I’m not that person anymore and he’s not that person anymore. We’ve both grown up and I just want to know how he feels without actually asking him how he feels.” She places her hands on her lap, having said her piece. “So? Any words of advice? Because we’re leaving for Gwangju in, like… half an hour.”

The silence is deafening.

“Okay, thanks.” Chaeyoung nods and stands up, feeling like she might spiral when Sooah stops her. 

“Look, I get it. I promise, we’ll think of something,” she assures her, squeezing her hand. 

“Hey, maybe Yoongi hyung will have some ideas,” pipes up Jimin, reading something on his phone. “He’s coming over to drop a demo tape for me before he flies out again on Sunday.”

“No! God, Jimin oppa -” Chaeyoung clicks her tongue while Sooah slaps his shoulder. “This stays between us, remember?”

“Fine, fine,” he says quickly, backing away. “He’s almost here anyway.” He turns to peer out the window. “Wait - I think that’s his car.”

Miso pulls up outside the building and switches off the car. “Is this it?” she asks, looking up at the small structure with half a dozen floors, vines and leaves decorating a single side.

“Yeah,” mutters Yoongi, unstrapping the seatbelt. “I don’t know if everyone’s home but Jimin’s definitely here so Sooah must be, too. Come on,” he says, moving to open his door.

“Oh, yeah - no.” Miso shrinks back into her seat. “If you just need to go up for a second, I’ll wait down here.”

Yoongi frowns. “What? Like a chauffeur? Miso - this is Jimin. You know Jimin.”

“Yes, but it’s not like we’re friends. And I don’t know his girlfriend either.” She shakes her head with finality and sits back in her seat. “I’ll wait here.”

He stares at her for a few seconds before speaking again. “You know, it wouldn’t hurt to step out of your comfort zone once in a while. What exactly are you afraid of with Jimin?”

Miso bites her lip, aware that there’s no way to explain just how terrible she is with people, but also aware that Yoongi of all people should know this. The last thing she wants to do today is bicker with him, however, so she sighs and nods.

“Fine. Let’s go.” She unstraps herself from the seat and catches Yoongi’s pleasantly surprised expression. “Don’t get excited. You’re just dropping off a tape, right? So, like… a couple of minutes, tops?”

“Absolutely.”

They reach the apartment and Yoongi rings the doorbell while Miso hangs back slightly, feeling anxious. When the door opens, it’s done by a girl Miso has never seen before: petite with long hair and doe eyes, so slender that she looks like a gust of wind might blow her away.

“Hey, Yoongi hyung! See, I was right,” comes a voice from inside the house that Miso recognises as Park Jimin’s, smug and musical all at once. She follows Yoongi inside, noting the double take Jimin does when he spots her.

“Uh - hi, noona,” he says, sounding a bit uncertain but immediately introducing her to the two girls that she presumes are the actual residents of the apartment. She gives them an awkward wave in response, continuing to stay out of the way as a wave of low chatter ensues, easy and familiar as though they’ve all known each other forever. 

 “Oh, thanks.” Jimin sighs when Yoongi hands him a small, sleek silver pendrive the size of a grape. 

“Just remember to add backing vocals to it or it’ll sound way too flat,” says Yoongi, picking up his bag and looking ready to leave. Miso exhales in relief and starts to move towards the door when Jimin stops them.

“Wait, this doesn’t have backing vocals?” His eyes widen dramatically. “I thought Hobi hyung already recorded them!”

“Didn’t have the time,” says Yoongi, shrugging. “Just get together with him in the studio tomorrow and ask him to ad lib it. I’ll be gone but you can ask Miso and Donghyuk for help,” he adds, evidently not realising how Miso’s heart almost jumps out of her chest at hearing her name. “She composed most of it anyway.”

He looks automatically at Miso and she nods slowly, her eyes flickering between Yoongi and Jimin. “Um, yeah. Sure. Come to the studio when - whenever.”

“Uh, thanks, noona, but that’s not the problem. Hobi hyung won’t be there,” says Jimin. “He’s leaving for Gwangju today.”

Yoongi swears under his breath. “Oh, come on. I don’t think I’ll be able to squeeze it in today,” he mutters, checking his phone.

“He’s on his way here right now.” The petite girl with the headband pipes up. “If that’ll help.”

Jimin and Yoongi exchange looks while Miso feels a looming dread. 

“I have a portable mic and my laptop,” volunteers Yoongi, shrugging. “Quality won’t be as good but it should work for now, until he’s back and you can do it at the studio.” He turns to Miso, as though to see what she thinks, but the semi-smile fades, presumably at her expression.

Saved by the bell, she thinks murderously as the girl in the headband - Chaeyoung, Miso remembers suddenly - skips over to open the door again, this time to see Hoseok standing in the doorway.

“Hey, y - oh, hey,” he stutters, his tone changing when he takes in the half a dozen people in the living room. “Um -” His eyes fall to Chaeyoung, who bites her lip and lets him in as their eyes dart around awkwardly for a moment before he finally presses a quick kiss to the top of her head. 

Chaeyoung is blushing as she closes the door and Hoseok troops in, catching sight of Miso. “Oh, wow! Hey, noona,” he says, high-fiving her as though she’s an old friend he hasn’t seen in ages. It occurs to Miso suddenly that the last time she saw Hoseok, she was drenched with blood running down her face, and her greeting is therefore a bit subdued.

“Soooo, what’s going on?” he asks, looking around. “Is there some party happening at -” He checks his watch “- eleven fifteen in the morning that I’m not aware of?”

“We need you to record something for us,” informs Yoongi as Jimin reaches over and grabs Hoseok by the arm, steering him over to one of the bedrooms.

“Now? But we have to -”

“It won’t take long,” interrupts Jimin, before peering over his shoulder at the rest of them. “You ladies are okay to wait for a little bit, right?”

Chaeyoung and Sooah shrug and mumble unintelligibly, while Miso glares at Yoongi.

“Comfort zone,” he reminds her in a low voice, turning around and walking backwards, “noona.”

“Bite me, Min Suga,” she hisses, wanting to throw something as he flashes an amused grin at her before disappearing into the room with his group members.

Miso tears her eyes away from the door with difficulty to see the two other girls looking back at her. “Um,” she begins, clearing her throat awkwardly. “Maybe I should… leave,” she ventures.

“Oh.” Sooah frowns curiously, perching on the arm of the sofa while Chaeyoung sifts through the fruit bowl on their small dining table. The entire living room is roughly the size of Miso’s bathroom, and the photo frames and trinkets, the mismatched pots with leafy plants interspersed across the room and the soft throw across the back of the couch would give her mother a heart attack. Part of her wants to touch the throw, for it looks incredibly soft.

“Didn’t you come with Yoongi? You can wait with us, if you want.” She smiles a confident, easy smile. “We won’t bite.”

She offers so nonchalantly that Miso almost finds herself considering it. “I just - I don’t want to intrude,” she says, “especially if you have plans or -”

“Damn it, not this again!” Sooah exclaims suddenly, her eyes on her phone. “I’m so sorry to interrupt, unnie. It’s just this - this crazy client is ruining my day off.”

Miso raises her eyebrows while Chaeyoung snorts. “You sound like you could use a drink.”

“You know what? I really could.” She strides into the kitchen and Miso can hear the sound of a cabinet creaking open.

“Wait, I was joking - Sooah, it’s not even noon.”

“So? It’s noon somewhere,” she calls from inside the kitchen. “And as I recall, don’t you have to spend the next two days around your family pretending like you and Hoseok aren’t an item?”

“That’s right. Grab me a glass, too?”

“You got it. Miso unnie, you’re drinking, too, right?”

Miso, who had been ready to take this as her chance to leave, freezes. “Um -” She sighs quietly. “I have to drive,” she says after a moment.

Sooah pops her head out of the kitchen. “Can’t Yoongi drive?” she asks, just as muffled music begins playing from inside one of the bedrooms.

“Right,” mutters Miso through gritted teeth. “Yoongi.” His slightly mocking refrain of comfort zone, noona comes back to her; she doesn’t want to prove him right but at the same time, she remembers how his pensive face had broken into a smile at the sight of her this morning. It’s infuriating, but almost as though she can’t help it, Miso finds herself nodding.

She traipses into the kitchen to see Sooah retrieving wine glasses one by one from a cabinet while Chaeyoung cuts up an apple into smaller pieces. A bottle of white wine sits on the counter; Miso picks it up, not recognising the name, and turns it over. Automatically, her gaze drops to the price sticker, which explains why she’s never heard of this wine. She places it back carefully on the counter, musing wryly at her father’s reaction if he were ever offered a drink at this price point.

The kitchen is small and cluttered, but it’s the sight of two young women bustling around inside it that’s truly remarkable to Miso. It’s a far cry from her parents’ personal chef that moves robotically around their sleek modern kitchen that makes her dread every mealtime.

“So, unnie, you’re a record producer, too?” Sooah asks as she hands her a glass. 

“Um, yes. At Hybe. That’s how I know those guys,” she adds, pointing vaguely towards the bedrooms.

“Wow, that’s so cool,” says Chaeyoung, sounding rather like she means it. “Female producers are so rare.”

“It’s badass,” agrees Sooah, popping open the bottle and pouring  some into her own glass.

Miso doesn’t quite know how to respond, for it’s quite possibly the first time anyone has ever referred to her as cool, let alone badass. When Sooah brings the bottle to her glass and raises her eyebrows questioningly, Miso simply nods, feeling unexpectedly gratified, and takes a sip. She’s pleasantly surprised to discover that the wine is delicious.

Sooah agrees apparently, taking a much larger sip and sighing as she clutches the glass to her chest. “I’m going to get fired. All because this headcase of an actress can’t make up her damn mind.”

Chaeyoung catches Miso’s eye and tilts her head. “She works in event planning. Right now she’s got this client who’s… what can I say?” she asks Sooah. “Making her life hell.”

“Hell,” repeats Sooah. “But, no, that’s not even half of it. So, okay, the way this client actually got signed was through her cousin who’s friends with our CEO…”

Sooah takes them through the entire story of her hellish client, a minor actress who she says she can’t name due to an NDA, but drops enough hints that Chaeyoung at least seems to know who she’s talking about. Miso nods along at every pause, taking cues from Chaeyoung as to when to chuckle or make sympathetic noises. She wonders, though, if these girls really are being terribly polite for the sake of their boyfriends in letting her stay here and drink their wine. 

They are much younger than her - that much Miso can tell instantly, and she’s sure they can as well - but there’s a level of ease with which they’ve welcomed a new person into their home that Miso doesn’t even feel she can relate to. She takes a piece of apple when Chaeyoung offers her the bowl; she wonders if this is a regular occurrence for them, preparing their own snacks, cleaning their own kitchen, having their friends come and go without care. 

Somewhere along the way during the story, they end up sitting on the kitchen floor and facing each other, cradling their glasses while the bottle sits in the middle of their little circle.

“- tries way too hard. But maybe I’m wrong. Unnie, what do you think?”

It takes Miso a moment to realise she’s lost track of Sooah’s story. “Um… I think…” Shit.

“Chae doesn’t agree with me,” adds Sooah, pointing at her roommate who shrugs matter-of-factly. “She thinks the client’s management makes most of these decisions but she’s getting all the flack for it because she’s a public figure. But she’s the one paying her management,” she says, giving Chaeyoung a pointed look. 

“But don’t you think artists could be getting manipulated by their management, too?” Chaeyoung presses, turning to Miso. “Hobi told me it happens a lot.”

“Oh. Uh -” Miso swallows. Sooah seems like the kind of person who’s had friends and admirers her whole life, while Chaeyoung is more insightful than Miso can remember being at that age (or any age). Therefore, it’s somewhat strange how they’re both looking expectantly at Miso, as though genuinely wanting her opinion on this topic.

“Well, it’s true,” she begins slowly, her eyes fixed somewhere on the floor between both the girls. “Sometimes decisions taken by an artist’s team can reflect badly on the artist. But that’s why we limit the access that managers get to the studio, so that they have some freedom to express themselves honestly. Sometimes they’re a whole different person.”

Both the girls nod seriously. 

“But sometimes they’re just a bitch.”

There’s a pause before Sooah snorts and Chaeyoung laughs, and they begin debating which one this mysterious client is more likely to be. Miso listens, a strange sort of lightness spreading through her chest at this unexpected approval. She takes another sip of the delicious wine, which only seems to have gotten sweeter.

“So, unnie,” begins Sooah after a little while, “how long have you and Yoongi been dating?”

Miso chokes. “Oh, we’re not - we’re not dating. God, no.” As she says it, a series of images flash through her mind in no particular order: their hands meeting in a pitch black elevator, a coat room and a sudden kiss, sitting fully clothed under a running shower, falling asleep in the comfort of his arms. “I mean… we’re colleagues. And friends, I guess. Kind of.”

“Oh. Sorry. It seemed like you two were - anyway, I shouldn’t have assumed.” Sooah taps her roommate’s knee. “Little Chaeyoung here is having relationship troubles and I thought we could help -”

“Unnie, shh!” Chaeyoung whispers, looking terrified as she whips around in the direction of the bedrooms. 

“Oh, don’t worry,” says Miso. “As long as you can still hear that clicking sound, it means the record is playing and they’re still working.”

They all fall silent, collectively listening for the sound. After a few moments, Chaeyoung nods, looking relieved as the clicking is replaced once again by louder music.

“Okay,” she sighs heavily. “That’s a relief. And I’m not having relationship troubles,” she disagrees, glaring at Sooah. “I’m just… having trouble.”

“Yes, and we are here to help,” replies Sooah reassuringly, helping herself to another glass of wine. “But I’m not even sure you know fully what you’re having trouble with.”

“Yes, I do! I told you, I -” She pauses abruptly to turn again and make sure they’re alone. “I want to know where we are as a couple,” she says clearly, in a low voice. “I want to have the conversation without, you know, actually having the conversation.”

“But what’s the outcome you’re looking for? Do you want to attach a label to the relationship, do you want to know how serious he is about this - everything depends on that.”

“I just want to know how he feels!” Chaeyoung exclaims, clearly getting frustrated now. “But I want him to initiate it - like, I don’t want to direct the conversation at all. I mean - look, he’ll tell me if I ask him. But we’re just - we’re casual right now. I can’t be the one to ask. You know that,” she says with finality. “I just can’t.” 

There’s a pause for several seconds after which Sooah takes a deep breath and shrugs. “Okay, then. It has to be some sort of gesture. Hey, maybe you can get someone else to get him talking. I can ask Jimin if you’re willing to -”

“No!” Chaeyoung shudders. “Absolutely not. Jimin is very sweet but he’s… I mean, he’s not the most…”

“He’s got a huge mouth, I agree.” Sooah bites her lip. “Maybe we’re going about this the wrong way. I don’t know - do you think we’re missing something, unnie?”

Chaeyoung follows Sooah’s gaze and once again, Miso finds two sets of eyes looking at her earnestly, waiting for her advice. She frowns in mild internal panic; this entire line of conversation is so far away from anything she’s familiar with that she can’t imagine contributing anything meaningful to this debate. 

Still, there’s something about the way both girls have turned to her that makes her feel responsible for providing the right guidance, despite how out of her depth she is. 

“Well,” she says finally, taking a sip of wine (delicious, fruity, summery) before leaning back against the cabinet and bringing her knees to her chest. “Sometimes, when we have an artist or a group that isn’t committing to dates or being really closed off about their future plans, we tend to bring in another artist to the discussion, just to observe their reaction.” She gives them a small shrug. “It gives us a reasonable indication as to where they are.”

Sooah scoffs quietly. “Holy shit. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.”

Chaeyoung shakes her head, eyes wide. “What?”

Sooah pats Miso’s knee casually. “You’re a genius. Chae - I mean, this is going to be kind of an unfeminist suggestion, but if you want to know how he feels, a great way is to make him jealous,” she suggests, sipping her wine conspiratorially. 

“Huh. That could work. How, though?”

“Oh, that’s easy. Fake a run-in with an ex, fangirl over a singer he’s worked with - the world is your oyster,” she answers breezily, stretching her legs out in front of her. “Trust me, it’ll totally work. Don’t go overboard to the point where he’ll sulk the rest of the night but a little jealousy - foolproof for a reaction.”

“Okay. Oh, my God, I can’t believe I finally have an answer to this,” says Chaeyoung, laughing weakly. “I swear, I was up half the night wondering how to talk about this, you know -”

“Without actually talking about it,” all three girls say it in unison. Miso doesn’t realise she’s laughing with them until Chaeyoung brings her glass to the middle of the circle and all them clink their drinks together. They hear the bedroom door open and the sound of footsteps and low chatter until Jimin, Hoseok and Yoongi reach the kitchen.

“Alright, we’re done here,” says Hoseok, gently tapping Chaeyoung’s shoulder. “Are you ready to leave?”

“Yeah,” she says, standing up and placing her empty glass in the sink. Sooah stands up as well, handing her glass to Jimin who downs the remaining drink in one go. Miso stands as well, meeting Yoongi’s meaningful gaze. When he raises his eyebrows, she rolls her eyes and silently tells him to shut it.

They don’t talk about it until they’re back in the car and halfway through the rest of his errands. Miso can tell he wants to bring it up but he’s unsure, and she isn’t sure she’s fully processed it herself. About an hour and a half later, they stop at a roadside ramen place on a highway outside the city on their way back from Incheon. Out of habit, Miso parks some ways away from the stall and they walk the rest of the way.

“I got it,” says Yoongi, placing a couple of bills on the counter as she picks up two packs of DIY ramen. Miso says nothing, squinting mildly at him until he turns to her and they fill their bowls with hot water before walking back towards her car.

“It’s a nice day,” he remarks after a while, just as they reach. They take off their jackets and sit on two tree stumps facing each other before digging in with their disposable chopsticks. 

“It is,” she agrees through a mouthful of ramen. The light afternoon breeze feels nice on her arms and through her loose sleeveless top after the air conditioning of the car. She looks around, reasonably pleased with her choice of rest stop. They’re away from the bustle of the city, by a desolate road with trees and vegetation on either side. There’s no pollution, no traffic and no people.

“You’re a cheap date, Kang Miso.”

She chuckles. “Is that what this is?” 

“At the risk of being presumptuous, I’d say so.” 

Ignoring the dull thumping of her heart, she tosses her hair off her shoulders and looks up at him. “So, this is what a date with Min Yoongi looks like?” She reaches for her can of Diet Coke from where it’s placed on the dry grass, next to the packets of seasoning and bottles of water. “The tabloids need to know, in case it is.”

“This is not what a date with Min Yoongi looks like,” he clarifies. “But like I said, you’re a cheap date. Which is a hell of an irony,” he adds dryly.

“I can surprise you.”

“Yes, you can. I think the sight of you on Sooah and Chaeyoung’s kitchen floor definitely convinced me of that.” He makes a gesture with his hand when she groans, as if to indicate that he hasn’t forgotten. “You were smiling when I walked in. You might’ve been - dare I say it - having fun.”

“It was okay,” she says nonchalantly. “I mean, they were nice. But. You know.” She shrugs, keeping her eyes on the last of her ramen before scooping it up with her chopsticks. “Not really my type.”

“That’s probably true,” he agrees. “They’ve got that nice, wholesome thing going on, like Hoseok and Jimin. But it didn’t kill you,” he says after a moment.

Miso sighs, knowing she can’t skirt around it for much longer. “No, it didn’t. In fact… it was kind of nice.” She presses her lips together. “I dunno, can I say something kind of pathetic?”

“Go for it.”

She sucks in air through her teeth, her tongue hot from the spicy food. “It was kind of what I imagine it’s like to - to have friends. Like in the movies?” She registers his face changing momentarily and quickly continues. “But anyway. I think that was all the boy talk I could handle.”

“Oh, boy talk? Do tell.”

She chuckles. “Unfortunately, what happens in the little girly circle stays in the girly circle.”

Yoongi grins. “I don’t know why you’re surprised. You’re not that bad to hang out with.”

“Stop, I’m swooning.”

He gives her a look. “I’m serious.” He reaches for her empty bowl and starts packing up their trash. “I know you’ve been surrounded by some real douches in your life but that doesn’t mean you are one. You just need to put in a little effort.”

She squints and stands up. “Where to next? Did you say you need to be at Hybe by five?”

Yoongi observes her for a moment but thankfully lets it go. “Yeah. I think we have some time for a smoke, though?”

Miso nods, heading to the car and retrieving a pack from the glove compartment. She shuts the door behind her and tosses the pack to Yoongi, who takes out two cigarettes and lights them one by one. She follows him a few feet into the woods so they’re away from the road.

“Thanks,” she murmurs, taking one from him. “Nothing like fresh air, huh?”

Yoongi takes a long, deep drag in response and closes his eyes. “I get why we can’t smoke on tour but… man, I wish we could.”

“Doesn’t time apart make the heart grow fonder?” she asks. “Every puff of nicotine must be better than you imagined.”

Yoongi nods, flicking ash with his thumb. “I did imagine it quite a bit.” He meets her eyes. “It’s really hard to stay away, though.”

Miso clenches her jaw in an effort not to smile and doesn’t reply, smoking in silence. Yoongi finishes his cigarette first, savouring it until it’s nothing but a stub.

“Are you sure you won’t have paparazzi following you?” Miso asks.

“Here?” He takes a couple of steps towards her, slow and casual. “In the middle of nowhere? Definitely not.”

She nods, less successful in hiding the smile that flickers across her face this time. She juts her chin towards the stub between his fingers. “If you burn my clothes, I will kill you, Min Suga.”

“Duly noted.” Holding her gaze, he drops the stub and steps on it before closing the gap between them and kissing her. It’s hungry and longing, his hands cradling her face; Miso stumbles slightly before taking a few steps backwards until her back hits a tree.

She kisses him back, wrapping her arms around his neck and reaching up on the tips of her toes. His cologne smells delicious, almost as if it’s coursing through her veins and waking her up after months of sleep. 

“You know,” he murmurs, lips moving down her jaw, “if you burn my hair, Hybe will probably sue you.”

Snickering, she drops her own cigarette on the ground and puts it out with her shoe before pulling him back to her. She’d chosen this place for a reason; unlike any other place in the city, a random ramen stall and surrounding woods would be the one place where his celebrity and her situation wouldn’t matter. For once, they would be alone.

Yoongi’s hands slide up her waist, lifting up the corners of her top. She can feel his bulge hardening against her hip and pulls him closer by his belt loops. She snakes one hand down to palm him, enjoying the way he gasps against her lips. He hardens against her hand with every touch, until she swiftly undoes the button of his trousers and unzips it before slipping her hand into his boxers.

The moment she touches him, Yoongi pulls away and grabs her wrist. “Whoa. Are you serious?”

Miso raises her eyebrows and retrieves her hand, hooking her fingers on the elastic of his boxers. “Do you want me to stop?”

“It - it’s not that. It’s just…” He looks around. “Here?”

She holds his gaze. “I’ll stop if you want me to… but if the location is your only issue, then -” She shrugs deliberately. “- you may want to step out of your comfort zone, Min Suga.”

Yoongi bites his lip and against her hand, she can feel him strain against his boxers. “You’ll be the death of me, you know that?” he murmurs, capturing her lips in his once again.

Taking it as his consent, she slips her hand into his boxers again, finding him hard and erect. She strokes him as they kiss and runs her thumb against the head of his cock, her back against the tree and his long hair brushing her cheekbone.

“Fuck,” he gasps after a few minutes, pulling away and dropping his head on her shoulder. Miso squeezes his shoulder before kneeling on the wild grass and tugging his boxers down slightly, just enough so she can take him in her mouth. 

It’s quiet and intimate, in the privacy of the wilderness and mutual trust. Yoongi���s hand is gentle on the back of her head, fingers tangling in her short hair while the other is pressed against the tree for support. His gasps are soft, voice quiet as he swears under his breath until he breathes her name, and climaxes in her mouth.

“Fucking hell,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair once his trousers are back in place. His cheeks are slightly flushed and his eyes are hazy as he meets hers. “I… fuck, you’re amazing,” he murmurs, bending his head to kiss her again.

Miso kisses him back, her hand resting lightly on his shoulder. “I figured if we want to go any further, this probably isn’t the best place for it.”

He chuckles, still looking a little winded. “You read my mind. Come over to the studio later?” He takes a step closer to her, eyes searching hers, almost like he’s pleading. “Don’t get me wrong, but… I don’t think we’re nearly finished here.”

That makes her laugh. “Duly noted,” she says, reaching for his crotch again. She watches as he raises his eyebrows in surprise but says nothing, holding his breath while her hand roams his hips until it stops over his pocket. She reaches in to retrieve the pack of cigarettes. “For the road,” she says nonchalantly.

They share a cigarette this time. Miso looks over at the horizon as they walk back to the car, trying not to think about how low in the sky the sun is already. It’s only late afternoon, but the day is coming to an end. Standing by the car, she lets Yoongi have the rest of the cigarette.

“What’s wrong?”

Miso shakes her head, not turning around. “Nothing.”

“Are you sure? You have that look on your face.”

“That’s just my face.”

“Miso.” He waits until she turns around, leaning back against the side of the car. “Did I do something? Back there? Did I say -”

“No, Yoongi.” She exhales, swallowing. “I’m fine.”

“Okay. But don’t say that’s your face,” he tells her, gathering all their trash in a polythene bag and knotting the ties. “If you recall, I saw your face today. Your real face - the one you have when you’re having fun.”

Miso rolls her eyes, although unsure why. “Not this again. Yeah, it was nice while it lasted but I don’t really see myself hanging out with them again. Believe me, they don’t want that either.”

Yoongi scoffs. “That’s just not true. You have this image of yourself that’s all closed off and difficult to be around, but you’re not like that at all.”

“Really? You think I’m all sunshine and daisies like Chaeyoung and Sooah?”

“No, not quite,” he admits, sounding far calmer than she is, which annoys her more. “But you aren’t nearly as antisocial as you make yourself out to be. If anything -“ He stops abruptly, apparently deciding not to say anymore.

Miso raises her eyebrows. “Well, don’t stop now. You sound like you’re on a roll.”

He gives her a look, as though asking her not to be angry. “If anything, I think you use it as an excuse to not make an effort.”

She nods and puts her sunglasses back on. “Got it. I think we should go now.” She turns to open the driver’s door but Yoongi grabs her forearm.

“Hey, I don’t want to fight,” he says softly. “I don’t mean to make you mad or - or call you out or anything. But you’re capable of building friendships,” he says, and even through the dark glass, she can feel his eyes piercing hers. “Or at least getting along with people. If you could let go of this facade you keep up and just let yourself be the person that I see…” He squeezes her hand before letting it go. “I think you’d be surprised what a little bit of effort can do.”

For a moment, Miso isn’t sure whether to scoff or cry. Her shoulders fall, but her tone is less combative when she speaks again.

“You’re going to be late,” she mutters, touching his shoulder lightly and hoping he’ll take the hint and end this conversation here. Thankfully he nods and steps away before heading to the other side of the car. They duck in and buckle their seatbelts and they’re on their way without another word.

“Just to be clear, though,” he asks after a couple of minutes. “Should I be calling you noona?”

“Not unless you want me to stab you in your sleep.”

“Got it.”

—

There’s nothing quite like home. These words were said by her mother, in laughter and mirth, in one of Chaeyoung’s favourite home videos of her childhood. Now, grown up and living by herself in the capital, she finally gets it.

Everyone seems to, in fact. Her brother is at ease on their parents’ sofa, Hoseok seemingly even more so, and Hayoung, her brother’s girlfriend and their classmate from high school, seems like a natural part of their small group of four.

The family dinner is over and it’s just them in the living room, laughing and chatting about their lives and old stories. She and Hoseok are sitting on opposite sides of the room, careful to be as nonchalant as possible. She glances at him to find him already looking at her; the moment their eyes meet, his mouth starts to curve upwards and she looks away immediately. Part of her wants to tell him to cut it out, but the other part, the part that still secretly recalls the teenage Chaeyoung that lived in this house, lets it happen.

Sooah [20:10]

Girl! Did you do it yet?

Chaeyoung bites her lip, keeping her phone screen tilted away from Hayoung who’s sitting next to her. It was bad enough that when they’d reached, her father had immediately asked, in front of everyone, the embarrassing question of Did you thank Hoseok oppa for giving you a ride? It had taken every bit of her resolve to look Hoseok in the eye, while he tried with all his energy to keep a straight face, and respond with thank you, oppa in the most innocent way possible.

The way his face had gone red was enough for Chaeyoung, but she’d opted to drop him a text right after as well, asking if there was anything she could do to really thank him. It’s been ten minutes and you’re killing me, caterpillar, was what he’d replied with, giving her a satisfaction she hadn’t expected.

Now, he and Chanyeol are guffawing as they try to remember the words to some song their class’s football team had penned to insult a rival school’s, which Chaeyoung takes as an opportunity to respond to Sooah.

Chaeyoung [20:12] Not yet. I’m kinda rethinking it if I’m being honest. We’re not even technically in a relationship yet. Do we even need to have this conversation?

Sooah [20:13] That’s why you’re not having the conversation. You’re just trying to get a reaction out of him that’ll do the work for you.

Right. Chaeyoung locks her phone and places it next to her. The trick is to maneuver the conversation correctly, she decides. She tries to pay attention to what they’re talking about, wondering if she can find an in.

“- he was the guy who got dropped from the team because the goalie didn’t like him - no wait, you’re right, it wasn’t him.”

“Yeah, that guy was a senior. I remember because he was dating that girl in our coaching class - what was her name?” Chanyeol frowns, clicking his tongue. “The one who’s working at Google now.”

“Haneul,” says Haeyoung, and both guys chorus in agreement. “She was really pretty - and she had a brother, too, if I remember correctly.”

Chaeyoung sits up straighter. Jackpot. “Yeah, his name was Jihoon,” she adds casually. “He was a couple of years above me - I think he joined a band. We ran into him in Seoul, remember, oppa?” she asks Chanyeol.

“Oh, yeah,” he says slowly, before frowning. “Wait, wasn’t he the guy who had a thing for you when you were in college or something?”

“M-hm,” she answers, taking care to only observe Hoseok out of the corner of her eye. “He asked me out a couple of times but it didn’t really go anywhere.”

“Wait, I remember him,” pipes in Hayoung. “Yeah - didn’t his band perform at that festival in Busan last year? It was all over the school Instagram page.”

“Oh, I remember that!” Hoseok exclaims, nodding. “I went with Namjoon - they did that cover of Sweet Child of Mine. It sounded even better in person,” he tells them.

Chanyeol and Hayoung nod, vaguely impressed, while Chaeyoung frowns. “Yeah, well - I actually ran into him again, just a few weeks ago. Right after that big storm,” she adds pointedly, this time glancing at Hoseok for a few seconds as well. “His band is performing again and he asked if I’d like to go watch him.”

“Oh, you definitely should,” says Hoseok emphatically, to her surprise. “Especially if it’s a place with good acoustics because the instrumentals were fantastic.”

“Okay,” says Chaeyoung, after a pause. “We ended up chatting for a while actually. He said if I want, I can go backstage as well. Apparently the have an after party with loads of booze.”

Chanyeol clicks his tongue disapprovingly. “Loads of booze with a bunch of older musician types? That sounds like the exact kind of situation I don’t want you in.”

Chaeyoung starts to scoff, but Hoseok speaks up instead. “Hey! I’m one of those musician types!”

“You’re an idol, dude. You’re not one of those musician types,” he clarifies. “I don’t see a ton of drugs or single girls being invited backstage to your concerts. No offense.”

“None taken - I think.” Hoseok chucks a piece of popcorn at Chanyeol. “But I won’t tolerate this slander.”

“Exactly - Chan, you have to let her live,” adds Haeyoung, both of them clearly enjoying ganging up on her brother, who groans. “This is the age to have fun experiences like that. Chase, just make sure enough people know where you are. I mean, this is where it comes in handy to have a family friend in the entertainment business,” she adds wisely, pointing exaggeratedly at Hoseok.

“Precisely. Thank you, Hayoung,” says Hoseok loudly. “Chae - I will need all your information before we send you to this party from Chanyeol’s nightmares.” Both he and Hayoung laugh at Chanyeol’s stony expression while Chaeyoung stays silent, wondering where the hell she’s going wrong and wanting to throttle Sooah.

“Just make sure you take pictures, too,” continues Hayoung, “although if he still has a crush on you, you could wear anything and it won’t matter.”

Hoseok laughs even harder, clapping his hands at Chanyeol’s horrified groan. “Adding onto Chanyeol’s worst nightmare! Maybe there will be cocaine, too - I mean, don’t do any, of course,” he adds quickly to Chaeyoung, as though advising her to wear a seatbelt. “But definitely take pictures.”

Chaeyoung grits her teeth. Don’t go overboard, Sooah had said confidently, but that’s seeming like a non-starter at this point. “I will,” she says, now no longer bothering to be subtle about checking for Hoseok’s reaction. “Although he did seem like he just wanted me to go. Turns out he just broke up with his girlfriend.”

Next to her, she can sense Hayoung frowning at her curiously, just enough to give Chaeyoung the validation that she’s saying the right thing to raise eyebrows - just not the right eyebrows.

Meanwhile, Chanyeol grimaces while Hoseok nods sympathetically. “Poor guy,” he remarks. “A concert could be good to make him feel better, though.”

“Yeah, I’m sure it will,” mutters Chaeyoung, standing up and trying not to storm out of the room too obviously. She doubts any of them will care that she’s gone. It’ll leave them to their reminiscence about high school until Chanyeol and Hayoung retreat to his room and Hoseok - well, it doesn’t really seem as though Hoseok cares about anything at all.

She reaches her old bedroom and slams the door shut behind her, refusing to cry over Jung Hoseok in this room ten years later. Her real beef, she decides, is with Sooah; sitting briskly at the foot of her bed, she swipes up her phone screen with force to bring up their chat, when there’s a knock on the door. She ignores it, but it repeats again.

“Go away,” she calls. “I’m naked.”

“Uh…” The voice deliberately lowers. “Is that supposed to keep me away?”

Rolling her eyes, Chaeyoung stomps over to her door and unlocks it, turning away before it can even fully open. From outside, she can hear Chanyeol and Hayoung saying goodnight.

“Yeah, I’ll just get my charger - probably in Chae’s bag!” Hoseok says loudly. “See you guys in the morning!” There are a few more words exchanged before she hears the bedroom door close and assumes the coast is finally clear.

“Hey,” he says, and his voice is completely different, gentle and tender - and uncertain. “Is something wrong?”

“Nope.”

“I don’t believe that for a second, Chae. Come on, you can tell me,” he presses, reaching for her arm which she dodges. “Wait - are you mad at me?”

“Oh, no,” she says, finally turning around and shrugging. “Nothing to be mad at. Obviously you’re okay with me going to a random party with musician types and doing a ton of drugs - why would I be mad?”

“Okay, I specifically said not to do any drugs,” he clarifies. “But… wait, is that why you’re mad? Aren’t you the one who hates it when me or Chan try to tell you what to do?”

This is unfortunately true, but she doesn’t opt to respond to this. “So - just so I’m clear,” she says instead, crossing her arms across her chest, “you’re totally okay with me going to this party?”

“I mean… yeah, I guess. Just don’t drink too much and keep your phone on,” he says, almost as though he’s guessing the correct answer. “And don’t do any -”

“Oh, God, enough about the drugs!” she interrupts, rolling her eyes and scoffing when he immediately shushes at her to lower her voice. “Do you really not care that a guy who’s older than me - a single guy - who’s in a band and had a crush on me is inviting me backstage to a party? Seriously?” 

“Of course I care! I want you to be safe - that’s why I said that thing about keeping your phone on and - and not drinking!”

“That’s all you care about?” she cries incredulously. “What - what is it? Is it something about being back here that makes you just - just not care at all about anything other than annoying my brother? You aren’t the slightest bit jealous that a single hot guy who might very well be hitting on me is inviting me to a party without you?”

Hoseok’s forehead clears slightly, but he still looks confused. “You - you’re mad because I’m not jealous?” When she simply shakes her head and turns away in answer, his tone softens. “But… why would I be jealous?”

“I don’t know, Hobi,” she mutters, throwing her phone on the bed and feeling completely ridiculous about this entire plan. “I guess I thought that since you allegedly have feelings for me, maybe it would bother you that someone else does, too.”

“But why?” He sounds genuinely bewildered. “I mean, I trust you. What do I care if he has a thing for you? I know nothing will happen - you’re not that kind of person. I trust you,” he repeats, like he’s saying something really obvious.

“I -” Chaeyoung opens her mouth but nothing seems to come out. Hoseok still looks concerned, but his response is so out of syllabus that she doesn’t quite know how to respond.

“Chae, come on. I know you’d never do anything with another guy - you’re honest. And kind.” He takes a hesitant step closer to her. “I don’t think there’s anyone in the world I trust more than you. I mean, I guess I might be jealous if you liked him, too,” he says after a moment. “Do you?”

“No,” she says immediately. “Of course not. I just…” There’s a trickle of embarrassment that’s there, somewhere, but somehow it doesn’t seem very important right now. She purses her lips before sighing and letting her shoulders fall. “I get it.”

“Okay,” he says softly. “You still seem mad, though.”

“Yeah, I am mad,” she answers, although with far less feeling than before, “because… Sooah gave me some advice and you… you just went completely off script.” She sighs and walks up to him. “Come here,” she mutters, reaching up and wrapping her arms around his neck. He hugs her back immediately, arms automatically tightening around her waist.

“So I did say something wrong,” he guesses, sounding less anxious than before.

“No, unfortunately, you said all the right things,” she confirms, feeling stupid and silly in retrospect. He kisses the side of her head in response and she closes her eyes. “Thank you, oppa.”

“You’re welcome,” he murmurs against her hair, slowly stroking her back now. “Just… just don’t do any drugs, okay?”

“Just one hit of coke.”

“Don’t think for a second I won’t rat you out to your brother, caterpillar,” he warns, pulling away but not stepping back. “If you aren’t careful, you’ll find me at that party, too, watching your every move.”

Chaeyoung snickers. “Deal.”

—

It’s a breezy night, cool and quiet. Miso steps out of the Hybe building, ready for her last smoke before she needs to head home. It sours her mood slightly; her high from the hour she spent with Yoongi in his studio also seems to be waning.

She lights a cigarette, hitching her bag higher on her shoulder. Yoongi said he’d meet her in a few, right after he’d innocently asked her if she’d be willing to give him a ride back home. She turns around and leans backwards against a low square-shaped area, just under a huge plant. She takes a deep drag and exhales, closing her eyes, opening them in a snap when she hears someone cough.

Turning towards her right, Miso sees a woman on the adjacent side of the square, leaning back in the same position. She turns at the same time and waves a hand.

“Sorry,” she says in English. “I mean…” It’s clear she’s struggling for the word for a few seconds. “Um -”

“No worries,” replies Miso, registering her surprise at getting a response in English. “I shouldn’t be smoking out here in public anyway.”

“Oh, that’s… fine.”

She’s beautiful - it’s the first thing Miso notices, her hair long and soft down her back, her eyes dark and expressive. She also looks familiar; Miso tries not to frown too obviously, for she’s definitely a foreigner, but she’s blanking on where she might have seen her before.

“Do you work here?” she asks, putting her cigarette out in a nearby trash can.

“Oh, no,” the girl says, shaking her head. American accent. “I’m just waiting for someone. A friend.”

Miso nods, not prying. “Sorry about the cigarette. I didn’t think there’d be anyone here this late.”

“That’s okay. It’s kind of ironic, actually,” she adds, “because I bet my - friend - this morning that he couldn’t go a whole day without smoking.”

“Yeah? What happens if he loses?”

“Uh, I don’t know because I think he might be winning.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

The girl winces. “I don’t have a clue if he actually smoked today, but he bet me in return that I couldn’t go the whole day without checking up on work, and…”

Miso raises her eyebrows. “Really? You couldn’t go a day without working? You must really love your job.”

“Sure, although some people call it workaholism.”

Miso chuckles at her wry tone. “Nothing wrong with a little self-awareness.”

“I have resisted so far, though,” she points out. “But I’m at the end of my tether and if he keeps me waiting too long, I may have no choice but to check my email.” She sighs dramatically and smiles, glancing sideways towards the entrance of the building and fluffing out her hair.

Miso follows her gaze to a small group of three people talking, particularly the tallest one, and something clicks. “Namjoon?” she asks, noting how the girl does a double take. “Is that the friend you’re waiting for?”

She smiles sheepishly. “In a manner of speaking.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not press or anything,” she confirms. “And I realise now where I’ve seen you before. We met at Taehyung’s birthday party, like a year ago. You were with Namjoon and I was with… well, never mind.”

The girl’s eyes light up in recognition. “Oh, yeah. Of course. I’m sorry - I’d had a lot to drink that night and I don’t really remember a lot of it… I’m Kaya,” she finishes, giving her a radiant smile.

“Miso.” They shake hands and Miso moves to stand opposite her by the wall. “It’s nice to finally meet the muse that’s probably inspired his last album,” she adds.

“Really?” Kaya frowns and glances back at him, looking confused but not altogether displeased. “Does he write a lot of songs about doctoral students struggling with insomnia?”

“Yeah, but he really romanticises the workaholism. He’s got a way with words.”

Kaya laughs. “It could be worse, I guess. Especially if I lose this damn bet.”

Miso frowns curiously. “Not to be dismissive of your work or anything, but… is it really that hard to switch off from it? Or do you not want to?”

“I don’t know.” Kaya shrugs. “I wish I could. But I’ve spent so much of my life planning and working towards this that missing out on something important just because I want to take a break… it just feels like I might regret it. It’s too important now. It’s what’s kept me going all this time.”

Miso nods, silent. It doesn’t sound like anything she’s ever felt before. She thinks about her job, the one she has now, the one she had to beg her father to keep. But even in her most stolen moments, she struggles to find the purpose present in Kaya’s voice.

“Wow,” she says finally. “How do you find that, do you think? Something that keeps you going?”

Kaya thinks about it for a few seconds. “I can’t remember, honestly. I guess… when you think about what you want your life to look like in five years, or ten. When you think about the future and find something that sticks.”

Wake up, rinse, repeat. There’s Hybe and her parents’ house, Seungkwan’s car being the intermediary. “I can’t remember the last time I thought about the future.” It’s too fucking depressing. She glances up at Kaya, who’s still looking at her, almost encouragingly. “I guess… when I went to college. In Australia.”

Kaya raises her eyebrows, a smile flitting across her face. “I’ve always wanted to go.”

“Yeah. It’s lovely. Four years of school, and then I worked at this pub in Sydney, not far from the beach. I was doing branding for them, initially, and then I started meeting some of the local artists they’d bring in to do live music,” she adds, before trailing away. “And then I met a record producer there who asked me to work for his company. A small one, in New South Wales.” She pauses. “Yeah, I guess that was the last time I ever thought about the future. Australia,” she repeats, the name sounding like an old friend on her lips.

“Sounds to me like something to keep you going,” agrees Kaya softly.

Miso nods slowly. The day is still coming to an end and tomorrow still looks bleak as ever. But a happy memory - or a series of them - has surfaced after a long time and for that she is grateful. 

Someone calls out her name just then and she jumps slightly, turning around to see Yoongi leaving the building from a side exit. He waves at her - and Kaya, she realises - as he walks towards them, then stops abruptly, picking up his phone. Visibly groaning at the caller ID, he holds up a finger and answers the call.

“Yoongi?” Kaya asks as Miso turns back. “A friend, I suppose?”

No, just a colleague. But the smirk playing on Kaya’s lips is too knowing and Miso tries to fight her own fleeting smile. “In a manner of speaking.”

They share a laugh as Namjoon approaches them, looking somewhat surprised to see Miso. “Miso, how are you?” he says formally. “This is -

“We’ve met,” says Kaya, in English.

“Yeah, we kept each other company while we waited,” adds Miso, before switching briefly to Korean. “You’ve made a good catch.”

A surprised sort of smile appears on his face, but he nods humbly. “I agree,” he mutters knowingly. “Are you waiting for Yoongi hyung?”

“Yeah, he’ll just be a minute.” She notices him moving to stand next to Kaya, the way their bodies tilt unconsciously towards each other. “It was really nice to meet you, though,” she says to Kaya.

“You, too,” she replies immediately, smiling that same charming smile and tucking a lock of hair behind her ear as she turns to Namjoon. “Ready to go?”

Namjoon nods and they all bid farewell to each other, including silent waves to Yoongi across the entrance of the building. As they move to leave, something occurs to Miso. She turns to look at Yoongi, who gives her quick smile when he meets her eyes, still on the phone.

Turning back, she calls out Kaya’s name, who stops a few seconds before Namjoon does, about five feet behind. Miso walks up to her, heart racing slightly in anticipation. 

“Everything okay?” Kaya asks, when she’s close enough.

“Yeah. I wanted to ask…” 

Miso bites her lip, thinking of cigarettes, fully clothed showers and beaches in Australia.

“...do you want to exchange phone numbers? Just to keep in touch?”

—

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave a review :)

[parkminijiminie]

AYS - Jeju trip /my recap/

Now that all of the Jeju episodes have aired, I've come back to quickly share my opinion. Disclaimer: This is just my opinion and speculation, you are more than free to disagree with me.

Overall, I managed to enjoy the episodes despite my initial hesitation. I was 50-50 about the first episode and I liked the other two. It wasn't a full love because while watching, I couldn't relax completely knowing how certain things would be twisted later on, but overall I enjoyed Jeju much more than I anticipated.

Let's start with the obvious difference between Jeju and NY, namely "the guest". TH's presence didn't add anything of value for me, apart from some cute Vmin moments and very few but still cute Vminkook ones. His being there didn't show me any new insight into their relationships, and there was no major change in either Vmin or Taekook. Even though Tae and JK spent a lot of time together in the first half of 2023, I didn't see any change in their dynamics or any new emotional depth to it. As many people have already said, JK and Tae together are two kids bouncing off each other's energies. They really bring out the immaturity in each other, and even if I tried, I could not get any romantic vibes from their interactions. Jk made it abundantly clear that TH being there was something he didn't choose and even seemed mildly annoyed by it the first day.

When it comes to JM and JK, this trip also didn't show anything new for me, but rather things I've always associated them with - their own private jokes, their being in sync with each other at all times, just existing in their own little world. They really do click. I loved their scenes at the pool, both days, I loved that JK is JM's personal chef, I loved that JM always pays attention to what JK is doing, even when driving, I loved their little joint routine at all times of the day. This really was JM and JK's trip through and through, and even a third party being there didn't really change anything. The only time we didn't have the signature JK and JM interactions was when JM was feeling unwell, after that they were back to their usual antics.

Jeju to me showed them being as close as ever. None of the tension and awkwardness from NY was present, which means that whatever issues they previously had, it was all resolved between the two trips.

As for them individually, I would say I am more and more and more amazed with Jimin with every new footage of this man I see. Firstly, he is just so naturally uniquely gorgeous. I kept staring at his bare face and wondering how one person could be so pretty even when sleeping, driving, and feeling sick. It's just like magic to me. More than that, he is just a class act through and through. He is polite, fun, considerate, energetic, just the whole package.

When it comes to JK, I would say he is a special person and probably a lot to handle in real life. He can be really sweet and his love language is definitely acts of service, but he also has an immature side to him. Maybe that comes from being the youngest and I think it was especially amplified because he was with the youngest members who always let him off easily. I think he is very kind-hearted, definitely not mean-spirited like some people make him out to be, but he is also a little bit impulsive at times. Personally, for me, he would probably be a little too much to handle in real life, but I can see that JM for sure knows how to handle him really well. As for JK's feelings towards Jimin, I think this boy lives and breathes for Jimin's attention. When JM is near, he is downright obsessed with having his eyes on him. He truly is like a big energetic, sometimes unruly puppy, wanting to be played with, praised, and loved upon. I can't really blame him, though. I, too, would turn into a clown or a personal chef, if it meant having Park Jimin's love and attention directed at me. In my opinion, nobody could truly deserve Jimin, but it is clear that Jimin truly adores Jungkook.

Jeju definitely showed that Jm and Jk have a very special type of relationship. The vibes between them were as weird as ever and it left me with more questions about the nature of their relationship than answers, but then again, this is also nothing new. 2023 Jikook remains confusing to me, but I am okay with that.

In conclusion, I liked the Jeju trip and I am not afraid to admit I love the solo parts between Jm and Jk the most. After all, this is what I paid for and wanted to see from the beginning and I am glad there were still plenty of JM and JK solo interactions. While these three episodes were better than what I expected them to be, I am the most excited about the upcoming Japan ones. I must admit I dreaded the Jeju episodes a little bit, which is why I actually didn't watch the first two right away, but I am fully, and 100% excited about Japan.

[caseylovefics]

January - April 2025 Jikook Fic Recs

Favourite Re-Reads

Under the Blood Moon (48267 words) by Sunnyjinx When Jimin unexpectedly submits himself to the sacred ritual and commits to run, it'll be the most unlikely Alpha to give him the chase of his life.

There is something undeniably comforting about this fic. It's satisfying and predictable in way that just scratches my brain nicely.

Must Reads

Some Kind of Magnet (87985 words) by annie_vi Once best friends to lovers who made a promise to get married. What more do you need? The Stars in Sagittarius (62961 words) by cakeandruin If you need something soft, caring and unconditional, this is it. Spinning Love and Nettle (52153 words) by jamjm Prince Jungkook cannot imagine a worse way to spend the year than to be playing servant to the infamous Witch of Wraithwood. Unfortunately, his father thinks it a fair punishment for embarrassing their country in front of foreign nobles. Jungkook didn't know the party would get that out of hand! But Jimin is nothing like he expected him to be—a little crazy, a ton gorgeous—and Jungkook will be damned if he doesn't make the most of this last year before having to go home and get married.

THIS was one that really shook up the fic genres for me when I needed it. Well written and fast-paced, I think most people could jam with this magic man. Lights Up (6849 words) by serendiplini Jeongguk and Jimin, both recently dumped by their girlfriends, decide to take a trip to Vegas together. The fact that Jimin might be in love with Jeongguk might complicate things.

Just a cute, classic, best friends to lovers fic. Pearl of the North (52681 words) by Sunnyjinx Park Jimin, the most coveted Omega of the northern mountain packs, has resigned himself to his destiny. Betrothed to an Alpha from a neighboring village, he lives his life under the watchful eye of his guardians and his uncle, the Pack Alpha. soft animal (48733 words) by paliampelo Car accident, the doctor had said. He’d been incredibly lucky, escaping with just a few broken ribs and a nasty bump to the head. And then she'd frowned, because Jungkook got the date wrong. Very wrong, as it turns out. Who doesn't like an amnesia fic? Honestly, this is one of the best I've read since the original falling for you again by Rose_gold715. sweetener (16291 words) by serendiplini Jimin downloads a dating app seeking advice on how to ask out the cute alpha who frequents his bakery. It would be just his luck that said alpha also moonlights as a dating coach.

It seems I'm extremely late finding this gem but it had me smiling like an idiot at my phone. Definitely re-read worthy!

Solid Reads

Anemone (25009 words) by rkiveink Jungkook has been alive for a very long time. As a benevolent water dragon, he spends most of his days looking after a little stretch of coast and collecting trinkets and treasures washed up after storms (and pretending he isn’t bored and lonely). That is until he finds a strange creature glowing on the rocks and unexpectedly invites a whole heap of chaos into his quiet existence. Unique concept that was really enjoyable to read. I like when the ending is somewhat surprising and the writing was visual.

Apricity (36479 words) by bubyjeongguk Every year, Jimin's pack holds a festival for young, newly presented alphas and omegas to court the person they want to be mates with. As a beta, Jimin has lost hope for ever finding a partner during the Courting Festival. And then Jeon Jeongguk presents.

If you like ABO and haven't read this I recommend giving it a go. It follows the traditional storyline. Baepsae | 뱁새 (100650 words) by fruehlingsregen Jungkook, an alpha from the tough side of the tracks falls in love with Jimin, the picture perfect valedictorian of their high school, after taking his virginity. Jimin, who doesn’t want to fall behind his peers despite living with a chronic illness grudgingly begins to fall as well. Life drives the young lovers apart but years later, after an unexpected reunion, circumstances level the playing field. Fall For You (49498 words) by cockmin Jimin and Jeongguk accidently mate after a drunken night. The problem is: Jeongguk’s in love with someone else. A longer read and on the slower side but a bit of a classic.

Just For Show (8857 words) by thisneedsmorefilth Park Jimin, the nation’s sweetheart and squeaky-clean idol finds himself in hot water when a one-night stand goes to the press. Now he’s in desperate need of image rehab and his only way out might be rapper Jeon Jungkook, fresh off his own scandal and willing to join in a crazy scheme: date each other. Trees and Dirt (38122 words) by Gylliweed Jimin, an omega from the streets of Dongnae, is sent to one of those packs that live in the forest. Nocturne (53949 words) by Ocean_View_Song Professional dom Jeon Jungkook provides non-sexual services to Alpha Park Jimin who learns theres a lot more his alpha wants from the alluring Enigma. Interesting plotline - I was waiting for more of a twist but it was satisfying to read and a unique take which I liked.

Easy Reads

Atoning a Wounded Heart (49719 words) by Neoneun_na Jungkook wants to apologize for being a dick to Jimin, but he also wants to get his dick inside of Jimin. So I really really liked this but the ending and certain parts didn't hit the way I was hoping but it was still a great read. Bark for me and I'll bark back for you (because I love you) (17158 words) by hobimo “I think Jungkook’s a furry," says Jimin. Funny and cute read. I liked how frustrated Jungkook was getting - poor man couldn't catch a break! dare me to (21116 words) by paliampelo "Whoever this lands on, you have to kiss," Taehyung says, wicked look in his eyes. "Every day, for a whole week." Juno (24712 words) by momora In a world where omegas court alphas, Jungkook is courted by his cutie tenant that keeps asking for help to fix his washer. Super cute. I kinda skipped the sex scenes but the concept was promising. Speak now, or forever hold your peace (18196 words) by jminlovely Taehyung gets married and co best-men Jimin and Jungkook have fun interactions.

Sexy Dumpsterfire Fics

it's a bro thing (61242 words) by lilithbts Gay best friend porn 1.0. This one has a bit more feeling and plot but the others below are pretty blatant porn. Sweet Dreams (12526 words) by mimistokki Tentacle porn.

underwear looks better when it’s off (12134 words) by RedRosie Model Jungkook porn.

Guide Me (Fuck Me) (12971 words) by divinekoomin Gay best friend porn 2.0.

jimin and his big dick roommate (9099 words) by RedRosie Pretty...uh clear what this one is.

[imaginebeautifulworlds]

Loved By Seven | Chapter 4

Genre: Hybrid!AU, Poly!AU, Mate!AU, romance, fluff

Pairing: OT7 x Reader

Characters: Human!Reader, Peacock!Seokjin, Serpent!Yoongi, Hawk!Hoseok, White Tiger!Namjoon, Merman!Jimin, Leopard!Taehyung, Wolf!Jungkook

Summary: Hiking was just an activity to get you out of the apartment, the last thing you imagined was ending in a whole different world by touching a jewel. That not being enough you end up meeting seven hybrids, and they all claim you shared the Connection with each of them making you their partner for life.

Notes: Hi! After I posted the third chapter I noticed I have more than 200 followers!!! I truly can't believe it, thank you so much!!! And I decided to write this chapter as fast as I could for a 100 followers celebration, which means the fifth chapter will be a 200 followers celebration along with a one shot from my masterlist. I'm so grateful for the people who keep reading this series and for the new ones who are giving me the opportunity to give them something to read. Likes, reblogs, comments are always appreciated. English is not my first language so pardon me if anything is misspelled or grammatically incorrect. Also the main idea came from a webtoon but I can’t remember it’s name. Enjoy!

Masterlist | Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Support me?

Closing the door behind him a very happy leopard stops in front of the elevator to call, once inside he marks the parking lot. Which car should I drive today? Well I'm already late, I should take the smaller one he walks and picks up one of the two pair of keys dangling from his parking space I can't wait to take Beautiful out, just the two of us a boxy smile breaks through with this thought and gets in the car After this shoot I'm gonna pretend to be sick and get back to her quickly.

Thanking to the people who picked up the place for the photoshoot, since it was near the building he lives in, he exists the car and jogs a little bit to meet with his manager, a dog hybrid, waiting for him at the entrance, "Tae, I know you're a really big name in this industry, and thanks to me may I add" Jaehyun says with a silly smile and walking where there was already a lot of people waiting for Taehyung "but you can't be this late to a shoot man" this time is a frown what accompanies his words. "I know hyung, I'm sorry, you know I don't like to waste people's time but something happened yesterday and my phone died so the alarm didn't ring and I had to make breakfast but didn't have groceries so everything was a bit chaotic".

Once they're in front of the crew, Taehyung says out loud "I'm sorry everybody, I didn't mean to be this late" "It's okay, I mean you're THE Kim Taehyung you can be as late as you want" says a young leopard hybrid coming way to closer for his liking, like she almost wanted to touch him, so he takes a step back "I'm sorry Director, it won't happen again" he says bowing at her, which makes the girl blush "Um, Tae, she's no…" Jaehyun stars but gets interrupted "She's not the director Taehyung, it's me, she works with the make-up department" a slighter older fox hybrid walks towards Jaehyun and him "Oh, I'm sorry for being late Sir" he bows again, but this time at the right person "I know you're a big name but it can't happen again while we do this campaign" "It won't I swear" Taehyung says with his anima ears twitching nervously and his human ears red from embarrassment, at this the Director chuckles "It's okay, go get changed and then go to make-up while we set up things to start the shoot" he points at a girl who raises her hand She must be from the costume's department thus Taehyung walks behind her until they get to the dressing room.

"Hi Mr. Kim, I'm Danny and I'll be helping you during this campaign with what you'll be wearing" "Thank you Danny, and you can call me Taehyung, Mr. Kim sounds way to formal for my liking" he smiles gently at her Wow he is even more handsome in person and the rumor of him being a sweetheart are true, thank you universe for already having a partner otherwise I would probably be acting like the girl from make-up "Sure thing Taehyung" she says with red cheeks "These are the clothes you're gonna be wearing for this particular shoot" Danny shows him the main show of the shoot, a pair of underwear, with a pair of jeans and a jacket, both in denim "Okay" the leopard goes behind a curtain to change himself "If you need anything, I'm here" Danny says in a more professional tone "I actually have a question" he says while taking off his shirt "Sure, is anything not your size?" "No, it's not about the clothes or the shoot" "Oh" she says more relaxed "Sure" You're human right? I mean I didn't smell anything particular from you, except a faint smell of giraffe" he rushes his explanation in fear of offending her while almost falling from taking off his pants, she chuckles at this "Yes, I'm human and the scent you're smelling is my partner, it's faint because he's away on business, may I ask why are you asking this?" "It's just that I found my partner and she's also human and I wanted to know how can I court without scaring her, both my parents are hybrids so I don't know if I should do something different" a fondly smile forms on his lips by the mere thought of you "Well" she laughs a little "Andy was very forward, we crossed paths at a coffee shop and as I was exiting he screamed Wait! I think you're my partner to the entire shop and I genuinely thought that wasn't directed to me so I just walked out but he followed me and tapped my shoulder and told me the thing he just screamed was aimed at me, so we sat and started talking. I think everyone in this world knows they're destined to someone therefore you shouldn't be afraid of scaring" she finishes at the same time he pushes the curtain already changed That's the thing, I don't think she knows about the Connection which is so weird but he doesn't let his thoughts reflect on his face, instead he smiles at Danny "Thank you, you were very helpful" "Okay, let me see you" she turns on her job face "Please turn around" she hums looking for something that may stand out in the wrong way "I think you look great, the jacket is not too big, the boxers are up enough to see the brand but your abs can also be seen, and the jeans make your thighs look great, and this denim makes you ears stand out in very nice way. You're ready to go to make-up Taehyung" she smiles at him "Thank you Danny" he waves at her, exiting the dressing room.

"Hi handsome" someone says as soon as he exits, scaring him a little. Turning to look at the person who startled him, he finds the same leopard girl he thought was the director "Hey Taehyung, I was just coming to get you to take you to make-up" Jaehyun approaches but stops when spotting the girl "What are you doing here?" he asks "I'm here to pick him up" "The director told you to wait by your room, thus I'm asking again, what are you doing here?" "I'm just trying to show initiative, that's all" she answers with a fake sweet smile "Let's just go, yeah? We're already behind schedule because of me I don't want to keep delaying everything" Taehyung intervenes. "Yeah, you're right Tae…Lady, please take us to the make-up room" Taehyung puts himself between the wall and Jaehyun, just to be safe from the girl, watching this the girl frowns because she wants to be next to him Especially if he's wearing something so tempting. The three get to the room full of make-up suitcases "Okay, we're already you can leave now" she smirks at Jaehyun "You know make-up artists have to be alone to do the job quickly and without errors" Jaehyun growls a little bit at her but knows he can't do anything because she's right "Tae, call me if you need anything" he looks at the male leopard like saying If this crazy girl throws herself at you call me at which Taehyung only nods, and Jaehyun takes his leave.

"Okay Tae, you can sit here" she purrs the words in an attempt to sound sexy "Please don't call me Tae, only people close to me can call me that" Taehyung says in a deeper and strained tone of voice, one he uses when he's not comfortable or mad, dreading being with her and sitting in front of her "Then we can get closer, don't you think?" she trails one of her fingers up his right arm, trying to reach his exposed chest, however a male hand stops her intention "Look I really don't want to say anything to the director about your inappropriate behavior but if you continue I'm not going to have another choice but to talk to him" at this point his chest was vibrating to let out a growl, but he contained himself. Watching his face she felt a little scared but that didn't deterred her purpose This man is going to be mine, he just doesn't know it yet. I mean, we're both leopards, we obviously belong to each other. I have to be more forward with that in mind she sits in his lap, wrap her arms around his neck and brings her face closer to his, watching how her prey open his eyes wide Oh he looks so cute, and he's gonna be mine "Come on Tae, I know you don't have a partner and look at me, we would be incredible together, you're hot I'm hot, we're both leopards, and I'm just feeling this electricity between us, it's incredible" with each word her voice goes lower and her face closer I can't just toss her, it could hurt her and it would make a mess.

"Lia, what are you doing on top of Taehyung?!" A woman's voice wakes up Taehyung from his shock and stands up, trying not to toss the girl with too much force, and turns to find a familiar face "Mrs. Choi?" "Mom! What are you doing here?!" the girl screams at the woman Is she the daughter of one of the best make-up artists? Taehyung thinks "No, the one who asks questions is me. Now, what were you doing on top of him?" "Mom, we're part-" "She sat on top of me! Started touching me and saying crazy things! And we're definitely not partners, I already have one and she's at home!" it's not his intention to almost scream but that's how it comes out, he wants to be clear with anyone who's listening that he already has a partner, a very beautiful partner What? He has a partner? Well, it doesn't matter he's not marked yet which means anything can happen the other leopard in the room thinks "Oh my God Lia, I told you that if you wanted to come with me you had to behave and why was the door closed, you know that until the senior enters the apprentice can't close the door" Mrs. Choi says "Are you the one who's going to do my make-up?" Taehyung says with a hopeful tone, and he's so relieved even his ears stand up in relaxation "Yes, darling. And I'm so sorry for my daughter" hearing her mother say that Lia crosses her arms in frustration If you hadn't enter mom I could've kissed him "Now let's do your make-up quickly Taehyung, after all this isn't the first time we work together" and it's true for most of his shoots Mrs. Choi has been the one does his make-up so, by now, the know what works the best. After 15 minutes Mrs. Choi is finishing his make-up, she really wanted to finish fast after all her daughter couldn't stop looking at Taehyung and trying to touch at very chance she could get, and the boy's obviously very uncomfortable; "There, all done" she says applying a thin layer of gloss to make his lips stand a little bit, Taehyung looks at himself in the mirror in front of him "Thanks Mrs. Choi, as always your work is impeccable" the woman smiles at him "My pleasure Taehyung, will be seeing each other because of this campaign so we'll see each other soon" Taehyung stands up and exits the room listening to something along the lines of "Let's go home young lady, we need to talk about boundaries at a work place" "But m-".

"Tae, you're finally out" Jaehyun starts asking as soon as he sees Taehyung "What happened? Did that girl do something? You know what? Where's the director, he needs to know this" "Hyung, hyung!" Taehyung almost screams but at least gest Jaehyun's attention "She's Mrs. Choi's daughter, apparently wanted to learn about this world" "Mrs. Choi's daughter? But she's so ahhh" Jaehyun makes angelic noise "and that girl was so oohhh" Jaehyun makes scary noises now, which makes Taehyung laugh out loud. Hearing a deep laugh the director approaches the two young men "Taehyung, did you finish? Are you ready?" "Yes Sir" Taehyung immediately stops laughing and transforms it into a serious face "Okay, please put yourself in front of the camera" the older male chuckles softly at the nervousness of the young leopard.

Modeling comes easy for Taehyung since he was recruited at 16 years old people has praised his good looks and how natural he's in front of a camera, however he started his official career at 20 years old and he's been doing it for 5 years now. It pays the bills and lets him have a certain commodity, and now that he found you he knows he can also provide for you as well. Being in front of the camera makes Taehyung sometimes feel weird or even shy depending on the type of shoot he's doing but once he switches on his modeling talent he can only focus on what pose to next so it can come as natural as possible, something many directors like when working with him is that the leopard almost never need directions he knows which are his best poses, his best faces and most importantly knows how to use his body, which angles show, in this case, the clothes better and how can his animal features add to the mix, play with his tail or hide his ears to show something.

Because of how good he is at his job the shoots ends on time, despite Taehyung being late, and now was time to go home There's no way I'm gonna keep working when it's almost noon and Beautiful doesn't have anything to eat "Hey hyung, I'm not feeling well, I think being with that girl really disturbed me, besides I think I ate something that's bloating me. I think I should go home, tell the other shoots we can double the time when we reschedule or the can pay me less" Jaehyun couldn't say anything because Taehyung starts running to the dressing room "Hi Danny" and changes his clothes in a flash "Bye Danny", the leopard runs again and encounter the Director "Great job Director, thank you for everything, have a nice day, I look forward to the next shoot I swear I'll be on time" he bows and runs again towards his car not even paying attention to the "Taehyung's" Jaehyun is screaming.

Once inside his car he makes a plan First I need to buy her a phone, hers is obviously so old it doesn't work anymore, I have to buy one for Jiwoo too because I know how important she's to Beautiful. Second, the both need clothes just a few and the we can go together to buy more. Finally, groceries for the three of us. Parking at the mall, Taehyung goes straight to a store where he can buy the phones, for his Beautiful he buys the same one he has but pink because he saw that many of her things had that color It suits her that color he smiles at the thought, and for Jiwoo he buys same model but white. Outside of the store he looks at the watch on his wrist Damn it, there's not a lot of time adding something more to the list he goes to the food court and approaches to a Italian restaurant and orders 3 lasagnas to take, and while they're making them Taehyung goes to a store for clothes as soon as he sees a clerk similar to your body type he asks her to pick six shirts, two pair of jeans, and 4 pair of shorts It's getting hotter these days with summer approaching, he pays and goes to another store for the underwear where he basically does the same but this time with a very red face and animal ears glued to his head from embarrassment, in this store he pays even faster. He has to accept he must look like a mad man running from one place to another with a lot of bags; he gets to the restaurant and picks up what is gonna be lunch. Running again he sees his car closer and closer, he puts the lasagnas in the front seat and the rest of the bags on the back seat, once inside he takes route to the nearest supermarket around his building.

Getting off the car after parking, he takes a supermarket cart an starts going through the aisles to pick up and put inside the cart the food of his choice I just hope they like what I'm choosing, but I can always bring them with me if she wishes something else. With the supermarket already seen he approaches the cashier and pays and pack everything as fast  as he can, looking at his watch once more he notices it's noon Okay I'm close just have to hurry up a little bit he tries to run with difficulty from the heavy grocery bags. This time he puts the bags on the trunk and gets up inside to start driving to the destination he wants to arrive the most Home.

Finally seeing his building he presses the gas a little bit more, once inside the parking lot, he parks next to his other car and takes out all of the boxes that despite being heavy he can carry all of them thanks to the gym and his leopard genes. He walks towards the elevator and calls it, it doesn't take long and it opens its door and he walks inside. Marking the 10th floor, he's almost buzzing with excitement, his tail is wiggling behind him in a happy manner. The elevator chimes and announces it arrived at its destination opening its doors. The leopard exists and runs for his apartment, in front of the door he opens it Finally. "I'm home"

Chapter 5

Taglist: @lovely247 @apathina @kalala22 @singukieee @tinyoonsblog @arantxaglz @btsiguess-kpop @lachimolala22019 @goldeneclipsedragon @sophiaj650 @sukunasstomachtongue @djodjom1 @uarmyhore @to-see-without-eyyes @chatsgotmytongue @kyuupidwrites @thebisexualonesworld if you don’t want to be on this taglist anymore let me know :), and if you want to be just leave a comment saying so :)

[alessiamalfoyzabini]

Vampire's Kiss | Chapter Three

Pairing | Vampire!Jungkook x Reader

Word Count | 4,4k

Warnings | +18, trouble for MC is not over, use of a dating app to look for someone, Jungkook is absolutely cute and sexy, kisses, fluff

⤷ Summary | Humans have finally unveiled and accepted the centuries-old existence of vampires, in a modern world people share their lives with these peculiar and mysterious creatures, but it is not all roses.

Will two souls belonging to such different species be able to be together?

➢ Author's Note | Hi, guys! ❤️

I apologize to all of you who have waited so long for chapter third to arrive, I'm really sorry, but life has been really hectic and I'm also working on many other stories, so I hope you enjoy the chapter now 😭💕

Let me know what you think, I always love your comments ❤️

Taglist: @katherine-kookie @peterstarkchrishiddleston @reallygenerouskoala @btsuga-d @angelicsmilesworld @jimincrystal @velvet-stardust2002 @ke1k029 @kylafox09 @pantara @takemeaway5402

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You're going to kill Park Jimin.

It's been a whole week since that party and you're still spinning in your head his words, which had the effect of making you even more depressed.

“In truth ... they specifically told me that they don't believe our relationship, they will only believe it when we go to their house for lunch.”

The idea of spending time with them again haunts you, Jimin had said one evening. One.

Yet, you still have to help him, because his parents did not see passion from both of you, you were blatantly fake in their opinion.

Well, kudos to Father and Mother Park, you certainly don't lack the nose like bloodhounds!

But why at their home of all places? Are they going to secretly feed you to their servants? You shudder just thinking about it. They are certainly up to something, Jimin repeats to you that you should stay calm, but it is easy for him to talk. You are nothing to them, just a dirt stain on their perfect son's shirt.

You must be eliminated somehow.

But the worst thing about all those days spent thinking and agonizing between you and you is the wrong idea that Jungkook may have gotten about you.

Shit, he's just a guy you met briefly at a party, so why can't you get him out of your head?

You always think back to the way he held you close, to his cautious and sweet look whenever he tried a more direct approach with you... and there they are, the damn butterflies! They don't leave you alone for a moment, your wormy little brain even dares to loop back his last words, before Jimin cursed Park ruined the atmosphere.

You roll over on the bed hugging your faithful stuffed animal you've been carrying around since childhood, gazing into his inane black eyes, you sigh.

“What should I do, Little Sunshine?” but the teddy bear, predictably, does not answer you.

He has left without deigning you another glance, perhaps seeing you there with Jimin he must have thought of who knows what, they know each other and must know of your best friend's reputation as a womanizer.

You violently plant a hand in your face, long ago to fuck Jimin it was enough to be his acquaintance, it wasn't necessary to get up to girlfriend status, you may have said Jimin is just a friend ... but in someone else's eyes there may still be a possibility that the two of you are some sort of fuck buddies.

Besides, why else would a human like you willingly accompany a vampire like Jimin?

You feel like screaming like crazy, you don't just do it because you sense your phone ringing in the darkness of the room.

You try to compose yourself, imagining it was a business call, but it turns out to belong to your best friend.

You stare at the phone screen with tears in your eyes almost.

<<Ellen!>> you shout, on the other side your friend whines, <<My sweetest Ellen! You called at just the right time>>.

<<You scream like that again and I'll block the phone in your face!>>.

You ignore her empty threat and begin to tell her what happened with Jimin and about the meeting with Jungkook, omitting nothing. By the end of the explanation you are out of breath and your eyes are glazed over, why do you have to feel that way about a stranger? What is happening to you.

<<Let me understand... Jimin asked you to be his fake girlfriend and this Jungkook, whom you described as more handsome than a normal vampire, flirted with you for at least half an hour or so and then left offended?>>.

You frown, <<He didn't flirt with me! He was just being nice...>>.

You hear a laugh stifled on the other end of the line, <<I used to say the same about Shawn and look at him now, chained to me in the sacred bond of marriage>> a smile escapes you… actually it doesn't sound bad.

<<What should I do?>> you ask more to yourself than to her.

<<Uhm... you said he works with Seokjin, right? Isn't Seokjin the creator of Vampire's Kiss? Maybe he's on that site too, try looking for him... and maybe contact him, they even created a very convenient app!>> you widen your eyes. Sure! That could work...

<<But what if he doesn't want to hear from me? I mean, he didn't leave on the best of terms, surely he must have thought of something strange>>.

<<Take your balls out and look for him! You said you felt something different next to him, right? Don't let such an opportunity pass you by, what you felt doesn't happen to everyone ... and for your sanity and mine too, put your mind at rest once and for all>>.

You nod, she has a point, then you hear her stifle a shriek.

<<Wait a minute! ... You said that just looking at him turned you on-!>> you close the call in half a second, redder than a tomato! There, that thing you might as well have avoided revealing it to her, even if it simply slipped out of your mouth without realizing it ... such a thing has never happened to you, neither with humans nor with vampires, that was a detail as embarrassing as it was surprising.

You make a decision and install Vampire's Kiss on your cell phone, the app's simple and intuitive screen allows you to enter your account right away, go to the purple heart with the magnifying glass and search for Jeon Jungkook.

The results are immediate and the search leads you to no less than five users, but only one is the one that immediately hits you like a bouquet of soft flowers in the middle of your face.

He is right there, posing for a photo taken in the middle of a summer day, not at all concerned about possible sunburn, and you smile instinctively at his caption, which is short and absolutely adorable.

So your impression was right, this is a good guy. You zoom in on the photo and look admiringly at the sunlight softly shining on him, he is also smiling and without thinking about it you take a screenshot, do you look crazy? Probably yes, but your chest tightens at the idea of not being able to see him every day.

It's really crazy... it's just a stranger.

But you and this stranger have one thing in common. The two of you are desperate for love, to the point of signing up for a dating site to find it, your finger trembling, undecided whether to press your purple heart to follow him and thus engage in conversation with him or just drop everything and move on from your lightning-fast meeting at the party.

You turn off the phone with a sigh. Even if you wanted to try, you are nothing compared to him. You would only have wasted his precious time.

“But seeing you there, under the moonlight, I-”

You shake your head violently, it's no use daydreaming, he didn't even finish the sentence. That only indicates one thing, that it was not meant for you two to continue the acquaintance, period.

Suddenly an annoying noise starts from your stomach, you cast a glance at the time -- 2:11 p.m., you haven't even had lunch and there is nothing edible in the fridge, in short, the typical life of a single career woman. But below the house there are several small stores open 24 hours a day that sell noodles and allow you to cook them immediately after purchase. Yes, you would have graciously taken advantage of their services, that is also the beauty of living in Korea, every place becomes home.

You turn on the light and look around for your shoes, heedless of the eyes burning at the sudden impact.

Next mission: don't starve.

You look thoughtfully at the shelf stuffed with packages of noodles, there are all flavors and colors, but maybe you'll have to buy some instant cook rice too to satiate your stomach more, and speaking of your stomach, you hear it growling once again.

Ungrateful, why doesn't it give you time to think?

You grab a packet of spicy chicken-flavored noodles on the fly, then reconsider -- better two.

Excited to eat, you jump merrily without looking over your shoulder, like the clueless fool that you are, you feel your head collide with something sharp and immediately see the stars in the middle of the convenience store, a stifled moan escapes your lips and you squeeze your eyes shut trying to chase that pain away, being interrupted by another unexpected moan of distress.

You turn back to the source and notice a boy behind you, head down, you can just make out a wonderful mass of dark, wavy hair.

You blanch, your own flushes of pain sidelined. Did you hurt him? Medical bills are fucking expensive.

"I-I'm sorry! Did I hurt you very much? I didn't want to, believe me."

The boy makes a strange noise, as if he has suddenly held his breath, then slowly his head rises and you find yourself going wide-eyed.

In front of you Jungkook in casual clothes and a jacket far larger than his own size is holding his chin with one hand.

“Gosh, you knocked me out,” he chuckles with difficulty, removes his hand and you see a red spot take shape on that area of smooth, soft skin, “I didn't think I'd find you here....”

You're frozen, you can't utter a single word, the only thing that assures you you're still alive is the slow pulsing of the bump on your head, but is this guy made of granite or what? A very sexy granite, of that there is no doubt.

"I didn't... I didn't think so either” for the simple fact that not even twenty minutes earlier you looked him up on a dating app, then clandestinely saved his picture like a poor desperate spinster.

"Are you okay? I think you were the one who got the hardest hit,” he asks worriedly, out of the corner of your eye you notice how his hand tries to rise, but he instantly lowers it, you gloss over the incident by waving yours away.

"No, absolutely! I'm fine, I'm so sorry, I'm stupid,” you mutter to yourself, feeling guilty.

You see him looking around carefully, “I'll get you some ice, wait here!” not even time to tell him to let it go, it vanishes in an instant.

You lower your eyes to the packages of noodles, “This happened because I never buy real food, right?”

You both find yourselves so seated face to face in front of the convenience store, you're uncomfortably pressing ice on what appears to be quite a bloody good bump. Jungkook just stares at you with that innocent look on his face, is he seriously a vampire?

You take the floor, trying to fill that uncomfortable silence, deliberately ignoring the palpitations of your heart, “Does it still hurt?” you point to his chin, which seems to have returned to normal coloring, in fact he denies it.

“It's okay, for us vampires pain is momentary, we heal quickly.”

Okay, now what?

There, meeting him was not some kind of miracle, but a curse.

"Um... you look different, I mean... with these clothes you look normal, no wait! I mean you look great even without clothes, No! T-those elegant clothes! But you look fabulous even like this, really!” you stumble over your own words and god, you want to hole up in some dirty hole on top of a remote mountain. You look great without clothes, really?!

“Hey, hey, don't worry, you look very good in your normal clothes too,” he smiles amused, then changes his expression, “Did you have a good time at the party when I left? I apologize for how I left you, I don't usually go to parties and I don't know how to behave,” he explains, his voice sounds colorless, different from the sweet voice he used before and even during your first meeting.

Something has been bothering him and you even know what it is, or at least you think so. You shouldn't worry about it, but you like him and want to clear it up.

You take a breath, “Jungkook, I don't know what you thought seeing me there with Jimin, but I assure you we're just friends, there's no romantic or ... well, sexual interest,” you just want to calm him down, but evidently your words have the opposite effect, because he whitens starting to gasp.

“Oh god, I made you feel like a lowlife, didn't I?” he puts his hands to his face shaking his head, “I'm just an idiot, you don't have to pay attention to me,” he complains with his forehead pressed against the surface of the table.

"You didn't make me feel like a lowlife! I just wanted to make it clear that I didn't lie to you, I was really there to accompany Jimin” maybe it's best not to specify the plan that brought you there that night.

But the boy continues to shake his head, at times in despair, “I never thought you had lied to me or anything...” he raises his eyes to you fearfully, “I was just... disappointed, your knight for the evening had returned and my company therefore no longer needed, that's it, I was disappointed and envious,” he chuckles exasperatedly, most likely at himself.

You feel the same pleasant grip on your heart as a smile makes its way across your features. Should you tell him?

Maybe it's not such a bad idea after all, you would have loved him even in case of rejection, he seems like a really good person.

“I'd like to tell you a secret...” you start by saying and immediately come back with a straight back, in his eyes you can glimpse ill-concealed curiosity, “I too felt disappointed... my real knight left that night, leaving me with one of his underlings,” you sigh sadly.

“That knight may have felt he was in over his head in that situation,” he says embarrassed, but you shake your head.

“He shouldn't have left me there, it's his duty to make sure I'm okay!” you don't know where all that courage came from, you just feel it's the right thing to do.

He tilts his head to the side, biting his lower lip with what you identify as a canine, the soft scarlet skin drooping under his pressure, but not tearing. Images and thoughts of what he could have done to you with those luscious lips of his leap into your head, adding to all the erotic dreams you've had over the past few nights, they always knocked treacherously, but you let them in willingly.

“Even this knight has a secret to confess” he leans toward you, enough to breathe your own air just inches away, you remain in awe of his deep irises, where you catch a vermilion flash, “Wasn't the moon beautiful that night” you begin to cough because of your own saliva, you didn't expect such a statement, not from someone like him toward someone like you. You beautiful? Is he really saying that? The darkness must have been to blame, the moon cannot be darkened by a mere human, he must have seen wrong.

But wait… vampires see in the dark as nocturnal predators, don't they?

A grin from him surprises you and you also understand the motivation behind it, after all, the rush of excitement your body undergoes is not ignorable. Now you also have confirmation that vampires perfectly sense a person's emotional and physical changes.

You try to compose yourself, bringing a lock of your hair behind your ear, he remains firm in his position.

“I like you, I've done nothing but think about you, do I have a chance?” his bluntness amazes you in no small part, he is showing much more courage than any other man who would have gone around us instead.

You swallow, not knowing what exactly to answer, so you try with resolving one of your doubts, “Y-You know I'm human, right?”

It seems a silly thing to ask, but it's very important to you that he knows what he's getting into, you two have different rhythms and abilities, you don't want him to feel stuck in a relationship too different from the ones he was used to with women of his own kind.

But his eyes soften, you feel you can also calm down.

“Of course, I knew right away...the sound of your heart beating is something I couldn't give up, your skin is warm and it warms mine,” he takes your hand between his, the ice falling to the ground from your shock. Doesn't he care about that? “Can we at least try?”

In that instant you realize that you cannot give up on him so easily, you nod contentedly as your eyes glaze over, incredulous that such a thing could have happened to you.

From that moment you continued to go out every day, especially at night hours, as he wrote in his profile on Vampire's Kiss, he loves to take walks under the dark sky and he also took his dog, Bam, with him from time to time. You, who usually prefer cats, found no difficulty in falling in love with that handsome, hyperactive dog, so similar to his daddy in both physique and character.

You and Jungkook are now hand in hand at the seashore, neither of you speaking, simply listening to the sound of the waves calmly crashing on the shoreline.

You see him lying comfortably on the sand, heedless of the grains that go to hide in every fold of his comfortable clothes, without much thought you follow his example.

It is nice to gaze at the stars like that, but turning your head in his direction you find yourself thinking that the best show is there by your side.

Unlike you, he has never looked away from you, you have literally found the boy of your dreams, “What is it?” you ask with a laugh in your voice, he doesn't answer right away, settling on his side.

“I feel a little confused,” he replies, frowning a little worriedly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I love this beach at night, but the only thing I can think about is you next to me, it's a little confusing to me, now whenever I come here without you, I'm sure I'll be thinking about you nonstop.”

You watch his face engulfed in darkness, yet you can make out the brightness of his eyes; he is a nocturnal predator, you lift yourself up on one arm to get a better look at him.

“Who says you'll come back here without me?”

He inhales sharply, “Don't say such things, don't make promises you can't keep, baby,” he hisses an inch from your face, he has never called you that. Sometimes you forget that he is an adult vampire, much older than you. You like being called that by him, with Jimin it's a game... with Jungkook it's something more intimate.

"Why, Jungkook... Have I been giving you a lot to think about these days?” you are literally talking on his lips, clenching a fistful of sand tightly, the urge to kiss him is becoming more and more pressing, but he shakes his head, pulling away suddenly.

“You always make me think a lot of things, but no ... you don't have anything to do with it, it's just that all my relationships have ended one way,” he laughs without humor, “That is, with a broken heart, mine. It's funny coming from a vampire who doesn't have a heart, isn't it? Or at least, not as alive as you humans',” he explains with a look up at the sky. No, you can't believe it, it's impossible that there is someone who can leave such a boy.

"Are you so convinced that this will also apply with me? If that's really the case, then why have we come to this point?” if he believes it will end badly, why the hell did he invite you on all these dates?

He shrugs, “I've never dated a human girl, I look good with you! I would never say otherwise, but...."

Sighing, “You're afraid,” you finish for him, “But you know what? I have never dated a vampire guy, yet I want to give myself and him a chance, even if it ends badly, with him now I want to think it will be okay."

Silence falls between you, you return with your back to the sand, unsure of what just happened.

Perhaps you have both gone too far in such a short time? Oh... maybe he wants more space for himself, that's why he talked about going to the beach alone, your lips begin to tremble.

“Jungkook... maybe I'd better go home,” you murmur, rising slightly again in search of your bag and shoes, but a hand on your arm stops you instantly.

"What? Why?” he stares at you like a lost puppy, unable to understand your intentions.

“Maybe I rushed you too much, I'm sorry,” you try to wriggle your arm still in his grip, but all you get from it is an imprecation from him that makes your eyes go wide, he has never cursed in front of you, and before you can say anything to him you see his figure descend entirely on you, just like the vampires in the old movies, with only one difference, at that moment he is not interested in your blood.

His moist lips make contact with yours without hesitation, you accept them willingly using your free arm to anchor yourself to his blemish-free neck, you close your eyelids inhaling his wonderful scent, crushing his weight on you as if your very life depended on it, he lets you do it by filling your lips with numerous small kisses in the mold, your heart threatens to melt under all that tenderness and you note with happiness the softness of his lips that taste like cherries, not resisting you lightly grasp a flap of his lower lip between your teeth, savoring it on your tongue.

His shoulders shake and he releases your arm from his grip so you can sink a hand into your hair, this encourages you to do the same with his, enjoying his little moan. Jungkook with an extra bit of resourcefulness deepens the kiss, tapping his tongue against the seam of your lips, which you open willingly to his passage.

You kiss him as you've never kissed in your life, in your chest a soft warmth pushes to bring you to accept him in his entirety, your eyes moisten from that almost suffocating instinct, it has an effect on you that you can't even imagine. It scares you a little, but that is bearable if it means keeping his taste alive on your lips.

He separates from you slowly, “I've been dying to do this,” he whispers an inch from your noses, you take a big breath.

“So it's okay?” you whisper, you don't want barriers between you two, it's hard enough to accept the fact that you are not yet an actual couple.

He brings his head to your chest, resting his ear exactly over your beating heart, then nods.

“I think I've lost hope, every woman I've had wanted different things from me, mainly money and sex, then there were the ones who wanted to own me in everything... I've just come to a dead end after all these years, it's not easy for me to open up now.”

Gently you stroke those locks from which only a sweet floral scent comes, “Jimin said you never attend parties like that.”

“It's not easy for me to stand by and watch couples who are doing much better than me,”he look up with huge eyes, almost as if you want to express something very obvious, “I'm a very envious guy, you know?” you burst out laughing, sounding like a child, and lean slightly toward him to print a tender kiss on the tip of his nose.

He looks surprised and awkward for a moment, then returns to hide his expression.

“I'm talking seriously, and you go and do things like that,” he mumbles, shrugging.

“You're so cute,” you whine, he lets out a grunt.

“A little human talking like that to a vampire much older than she is.”

A question mark the size of a house makes room in your mind, “I've been wondering this for a while... how old are you?”

You hear him smiling at you.

“S.e.c.r.e.t,” he punctuates nicely, before lifting himself up on his arms and planting another soft kiss on you, “I'll tell you my age, if we're good together.”

You arch an eyebrow, “On Vampire's Kiss you wrote twenty-five, so I already know how old you are,” you say in an offended tone.

He shakes his head, “Twenty-five years I've been living in Seoul, baby.... We vampires tend to fake our age so as not to scare you humans."

Oh dear. He always has an answer for everything!

“All right, how long would you be willing to make me wait?” he clearly pretends to think about it, his expression too theatrical, but you let him. You find that side of him really adorable and would never try to change it in any way.

“A hundred days, a hundred days and you'll know who you've decided to spend your life with,” he chuckles, wrinkling his nose, nodding in agreement.

“A hundred days.”

You both don't know each other very well yet, but already hearing him say such a sentence sent your heart to heaven, and the butterflies in your stomach to a valley in bloom.

How much more can you like Jeon Jungkook?

[aettuddae]

funky — chapter 66.

➵ synopsis: aeri takes her members to a music festival to introduce them to her newly made friend, jeon minki, the front person of a popular rock band in south korea. after seeing minki, karina, aespa's leader, becomes completely starstruck with the rockstar, and decides to find a way to make them fall in love with her, even though minki is the most clueless person in the universe.

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[half written chapter]

"so..." the people in the back of the car were engaged in conversation. "did you kiss somi?" said yunjin curiously.

"yes." admitted aeri with a shy smile.

"so what's up? are you guys a thing now?" yizhuo popped in excitedly.

"i guess." replied the girl in a whisper, trying to hide her blush. "i mean, she just invited me on a date tomorrow." she specified after taking a breath and calming her nervousness.

"minki, how does it feel like that your best friend is going to be your sister-in-law?" minjeong addressed them.

"you go, girl!" they exclaimed with a big smile on their face, to which the girls squealed, copying their excitement. "you both deserve to be happy with someone who treats you well." they added with sincerity.

"aw, i love you, boo." aeri blew a kiss to the rearview mirror to make sure they saw her.

"and i, you, boo." they pretended to catch their friend's flying kiss and dropped it on their cheek.

jimin, right next to minki, was admiring this whole interaction full of tenderness. she loved seeing her friend happy and surrounded by people who loved her, and then there was how it made her mind churn to see the person she liked smiling and so cheerful.

it felt like she was finally in the presence of the minki she was supposed to meet when she returned from the united states.

minki moved their gaze from the road for just a second, but it was time enough to find the girl in the passenger seat smiling as she looked at them. they could also see her put on a serious expression the moment she realized she was caught.

the rest of the ride continued with small talk between the girls in the back, while the two in the front tried to completely ignore each other's existence.

"we've arrived." announced the one driving as they parked outside the building where the aespa dormitories were located.

yizhuo, minjeong and aeri started to grab their things, but before they got out of the car, jimin spoke up.

"you guys go first, i want to talk to minki."

and everyone in that car tensed up at such words.

"sure..." rambled aeri, thinking. "yeah..." she mumbled out again. "come on, yunjin." she ordered, this time sure of what to do.

"huh?" the girl looked at them confused. "but... i don't live here."

"do you want grape juice?" offered yizhuo trying to act as normal as possible.

"i don't know," the girl was totally puzzled. "do i want grape juice?"

"yes you do, let's go." minjeong took her hand and started dragging her out of the vehicle.

"min-ah, i'm going to get some grape juice, but i'll be right back, okay?" she warned her friend. "you two..." she analyzed the people who would be left in there. "don't kill each other meanwhile." she warned and left with the others.

after the other girls left, only jimin and minki were left in the vehicle, silence reigning.

neither dared to speak to the other, until the younger girl's voice was heard.

"i think we need to clear up a couple of things." she blurted out.

minki just nodded. they didn't know what to say, the tension was killing them, and the truth was they were too bad at showing their feelings, so they waited for her to speak first.

"jaemin and i don't have anything, he's gay and has a boyfriend." she picked up again the topic they had left earlier at the party. "the pictures..." she took a breath of air to calm her anger and the nerves from being there alone with them. "we were talking about how happy we were at that moment. he was telling me about jeno, his boyfriend, and i," she thought about whether she should say the following, but she really had nothing to lose. "i was happy because you showed up in my life." she revealed. "we were drunk and mellow, so we hugged, and that's it."

minki took a moment of silence to take in what they were discovering. but really, it was just them thinking about what an idiot they were.

"so," the girl spoke up again to break the silence. "how did that end up in you fucking your band mate?"

for a moment, minki even thought they could cry while thinking how poorly they acted with this girl. but after that question, they got upset again.

"i'm not fucking my band mate." they stated.

"it sure looks like you are." jimin contradicted.

"i saw you with someone else and thought it was obvious that the moment someone more interesting, attractive, or whatever, came along, i stopped being what you wanted." they confessed bitterly. "and i thought it was my fault because i allowed someone to have the chance to make me feel that way."

"well, that's a problem that could've been fixed through talking and not blocking anyone." she raised her hands showing obviousness. "but how did you end up fucking your band mate? i don't get that part." the black haired girl brought a finger to her chin, tapping it gently, pretending to think.

"rosé made me feel chosen." they said simply. "and i was hurt, i had the wrong perception of you at the time. it just happened." they finished.

"oh, so, it just happened!" jimin made quotation marks as she remarked on the last sentence. "great, it makes me feel excellent to know that the thing that's been hurting me for the past few days just happened." she assured angrily.

"you made me feel like shit and she made me feel like i would never have to go through something like that because of her!" they developed further.

"and yet you swear there's nothing going on between you." she mentioned incredulously.

"there isn't." they said again. "it happened only once because i doubted you, but at the end of the day, you're the one that i want."

"well, buddy, you won't have me until i'm sure you won't doubt me anymore." she unfastened her seat belt. "and until i know i can stop doubting you." she opened the door next to her.

"then, the roles have turned around." minki pointed out.

"what are you talking about now?" she complained, putting a leg outside.

"now i'm the one who has to win you over." they replied with a playful grin.

"win me over again, mind you." stressed the younger girl, getting completely out of the car.

"won't you give me my goodnight kiss?" they said in a fun way before jimin closed the door.

"no, you still smell like rosé." she made a disgusted expression and finally closed the car.

[sadnightforus]

THE FATED STARS (PJS) | SMAU

PROFILES: VICTIMS OF CAPITALISM

Park Jongseong harbors the biggest crush on one of the most popular girls on the campus, you. You, being dared by your friend group to tweet and made a boyfriend application, initially started out as a joke, thinking that no one would applied it. Upon the tweet going viral and many applications being sent in, he decided that he would shoot his shot, even if he doesn’t know a single shit about what is the sun, moon, rising in astronomy. 

BACK TO MASTERLIST. | 7 DUCKLINGS.

JI Y/N: a proud libra, being mariah’s carey fan is her special trait, majors in literature because she likes to hear people being dramatic. obsessed with astrology. she gets flamed in the group chat most of the time for listening to drain gang. yeji’s roommate.

NINGNING/NING YIZHAO: the fashionista of the group. majors in fashion. her bad habit is always saying out of pocket things when drunk (something kazuha and karina deal with a lot, especially when they throw parties together). believes in manifestation and sometimes asks y/n to read her birth chart to see the year she will succeed. roommates with jimin and kazuha.

FAKE Y(A)EJI/HWANG YEJI: likes to tell people she’s yeji and not yaeji the korean-american artist but also would take no offense if she is mistaken as one. a hater to just about everything. majors in dance. listening to the most ear bleeding music is her speciality.  y/n’s roommate.

KARINA/YOO JIMIN: calls herself Karina because it’s her Bible name. A hardcore Girl Generation’s defender and would go to war for Irene. Her enemies are in online form but she is very lovable in real life (that’s because she’s not hiding behind the screen to cuss people’s family out). Majors in communication, use that skill to argue. Roommate with Kazuha and Ningning. 

NAKAMURA KAZUHA: a former ballerina who’s currently majoring in dance and met the whole group through yeji. a professional hater #2 as jiseok and ningning swear she has every blackmail material on her phone. is roommates with jimin and ningning. 

GAON/KWAK JISEOK: 1/6 of xdinary heroes. y/n thinks his bandmates regret for picking up an anxious kid off the street and forcing them to join their holy band (actual story is he begged seungmin from vocal class to join because he is a fan of gunil and he can sing and play something a bit). zero dating experience and got rejected so many times that ningning and yeji made a mapping detective board of who has rejected him. 

LEE JOOYEON: another xdinary heroes’ member. residential cool guy. people at his university who is a fan of his likes him even though he’s a clumsy Prince Charming (nicknamed by hyeonjun). always keep his calm and is very collected, although he often offers bad ideas for the group, sometimes for fun and other time, he’s serious about his idea. he exists without a thought (which y/n strives to be) 

[helenamayhathaway]

Chapters: 5/? Fandom: 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS, SHINee Rating: Mature Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence Relationships: Jung Hoseok | J-Hope/Min Yoongi | Suga, Lee Taemin/Park Jimin (BTS), Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V, Kim Namjoon | RM/Kim Seokjin | Jin, Choi Minho/Kim Kibum | Key Characters: Min Yoongi | Suga, Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Park Jimin (BTS), Jeon Jungkook, Lee Taemin, Kim Namjoon | RM, Kim Seokjin | Jin, Kim Taehyung | V, Choi Minho, Kim Kibum | Key, A Bearded Dragon Named Goemul, A Cat Named Whiskey, A Cat Named Tango Additional Tags: Not Actually Unrequited Love, Artist Min Yoongi | Suga, taekwondo, Jung Hoseok Does Taekwondo, Min Yoongi | Suga Has ADHD, Min Yoongi | Suga Is Very Much Autistic, Min Yoongi | Suga is Trying His Best, Athlete Jung Hoseok | J-Hope, Murder Mystery, Humor, Attempt at Humor, Minor Violence, Crushes, Everyone Is Gay, Age Swap, Eventual Smut, Eventual Happy Ending, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Mutual Pining, I have a degree in English & Creative Writing if that makes you want to click on this fic, Unreliable Narrator

Summary: The author of South Korea’s most popular manhwa, Young Kim-Min (known to his friends as Min Yoongi), was nearly killed in an attempted murder, but he was miraculously saved by the main character of his own comic—or at least by the man on whom he based that character. Jung Hoseok, Korea’s taekwondo megastar, was also the jock from Yoongi’s high school that he fell madly in love with. As with all high school crushes, Hoseok never even knew he existed. Well, eight years later, a whole lot of people are trying to murder Yoongi, and Hoseok seems to be the only person who holds the secret as to why. He certainly knows Yoongi exists now, but Yoongi would not have picked mortal peril as the circumstances.

[xwonderfuldeath]

Special Day- Yoongi

The sound of the piano resonates in the room as he stirs his tea. It was hypnotic, a little surprising, but not completely crazy as an idea. He enjoyed the silence of conversations, replaced by good music. It was far more poetic than some grand but empty discussions—or even some people, for that matter.

Min Yoongi knew how to appreciate the finer things in life, and at this very moment, the finest thing was the man playing the piano before him. Of course, there were a few wrong notes—nothing too disturbing. He didn’t mind hearing a few imperfections among the silky melodies. He could always correct them later—no big deal.

Life was funny sometimes. Yoongi came from a strict family—the kind that made you wear expensive suits, talk to overly perfumed people, and receive your first watch by the time you were barely six. A collection of maybe twelve hundred and fifty watches, each one more expensive than the last. It was a loving family, but suffocating—always hovering over him, always loving him too much. Private school, personal tutors… He was only the second and youngest of the siblings, but he was the most spoiled.

He had been taught proper manners as soon as he could sit upright. By the age of four, he could speak nearly ten different languages. He had only the best things, the expensive things—the things everyone wanted.

Yoongi wanted a piano? He had one. He wanted a bigger, more luxurious bedroom with a view of the family estate? Then he had it. Simply put, no one had ever said no to this man. It was a word that didn’t exist in his vocabulary.

And then, luck had followed him throughout his life. He was born beautiful. For a Korean man, he had perfectly slanted eyes and pale skin—features that appealed to both women and men alike. It was a fact: Yoongi was attractive, and he played on that. At least, until he crashed into the world of Park Jimin.

Jimin was his complete opposite. He was born into an average family, wore average clothes, and had an average education. He spoke only one language—Korean. No others found their way into his vocabulary.

Mr. Park didn’t have a mind-blowing watch collection, nor did he have the best room. He lived in a house barely the size of the Min family’s living room and sometimes wore the same sweater three times because water was expensive.

His parents owned a rice cake shop, so Jimin helped out in the afternoons and on weekends—keeping his hands busy and being useful.

In short, Jimin was the dark contrast to his perfect life. He wasn’t rich. A plain Korean man with a plain body. At least, that’s what one might think when he was fully clothed. Believe it or not, once he shed a layer of that façade, it was a whole different story. Min Yoongi found himself completely incapable of keeping his hands to himself in those moments.

Everything between them was strange—especially their first meeting. Yoongi was a close friend of another rich man in the city, Jung Hoseok. "Close friend" was perhaps an understatement, considering they had lost their virginity to each other before Hoseok realized he had a stronger attraction to women. Yes, Hoseok had been Yoongi’s first heartbreak, his first love, and also his first lover.

But Hoseok had also been something more than a friend to Jimin. Nothing serious—just a bit of stability whenever his girlfriend of the moment turned her back on him. A way to feel a little loved.

Yoongi had stumbled upon Jimin during a visit to his longtime friend’s place, simply because a new video game had come out and he had agreed to watch Hoseok play. What Hoseok had failed to mention, however, was that his "intimate plan" was also stopping by.

And so, Yoongi had the privilege of witnessing a glimpse of heaven—a shirtless Jimin making himself a coffee at eight in the evening.

It had taken Yoongi an inhuman amount of self-restraint not to just walk up and run his hands over that incredibly desirable back. He wanted to pin him against the counter and show him what it meant to be dominated. Unfortunately, that wasn’t exactly ethical without at least saying hello first—so that’s what he did.

That bare back belonged to an adorably baby-faced man and, much to Yoongi’s dismay, an incredibly sharp tongue. Jimin had not appreciated Hoseok failing to mention that a "spoiled brat" would be there, and he had slammed the door on his way out—laughing along with Hoseok.

This man was strange. Yoongi had done nothing to him, yet Jimin avoided him like the plague. As if Yoongi had let his impulses take over—which, he absolutely had not. And the problem with being a rich man who had never been told no in his life? The moment someone puts up a wall, he wants nothing more than to climb over it. Even the smallest touch would be enough.

Yoongi became obsessed with Jimin, dreaming about him constantly. He searched for him in every crowd, and—something completely improbable before—he even started frequenting the Park family’s rice cake shop. The snack was cheap, sticky, and clung to his teeth—not exactly appealing. But it wasn’t bad. Nowhere near the level of his personal chef’s smoked salmon, but still worth it, as common folk would say.

"— Why did you stop?" — "You seemed like you weren’t listening." — "But I was."

Yoongi’s gaze locks onto Jimin’s, who stares at him from over the grand white piano in the living room. Time had passed, as they say. Jimin and he were still playing cat and mouse. He wasn’t sure what they were exactly, but that was fine with him.

The younger man's fingers brush the keys before resuming his melody, and Yoongi returns to staring into nothingness.

They had seen each other, met again. Measured each other, fought, and eventually collided. Jimin seemed unwilling to let him go, and Yoongi had no desire to leave either. People could call it whatever they wanted. To Yoongi, there was no word for it.

Feelings were difficult. Sometimes, they were overwhelming. Sometimes, they were flat. But they were certainly beautiful.

Now, it was a mutual understanding. They spent entire weekends together—either in silent work or lost in Jimin’s music. It was a routine Yoongi refused to lose, not after fighting so hard to have it. And now that he had it, he felt the satisfaction of a child finally getting their desired toy.

Even though he knew Jimin wasn’t a toy. The latter had made that clear multiple times. He might be poor compared to the Min family, but that didn’t mean he was something to be used and discarded.

Yoongi flinched, nearly spilling his now-lukewarm tea. He stopped staring at the perfectly polished floor, shifting his curious gaze to a visibly tense Jimin.

He rarely saw this version of Jimin—the nervous one, the one searching for words. And he didn’t like it. The last time this had happened, Jimin had been considering leaving—walking away because Yoongi’s parents disapproved of their relationship.

If Jimin ever brought that up again, Yoongi swore he’d lock him away in a cabin in the middle of the woods. He never wanted Jimin out of his life.

"— Well, speak." — "I was thinking… Since your birthday is coming up, maybe we could… do something?" — "We are doing something. The Min family’s birthday banquet is always spectacular." — "I’m not talking about that. I mean… something for just the two of us."

Something.

Yoongi frowned. What did he mean by "something"? No one had ever done a "something" with him before. It was a strange way to phrase it, and he remained stoic, trying to understand where Jimin was going with this.

"— I got us… tickets to Jeju. Nothing fancy, just a weekend in a small inn. But if you don’t want to go, I can always go with Taehyung." — "We’re going."

Jimin smiled. And when Jimin smiled, Yoongi was okay.

Inside the small white envelope were two tickets. And at the bottom, written in the most beautiful handwriting Yoongi had ever seen, were words that made his heart race.

A simple envelope. Plain. Like how he had once thought of Jimin. But it was a representation of them.

"Happy Birthday, Yoongi. I love you. <3"

[causesciencethatswhy]

Just curious, why do you think Jk is "definitely bi" and not gay? /gen

It's mostly based off a vibe ig ? There's also the thing where he, as well as jimin, have used the bisexual flag colours most explicitly whether its in lighting for photoshoots or in other concepts of theirs. One of the big ones for me was during a run episode in 2019, they had to make a bouquet thingy for the episode and he had made his with like flowers that make up the bi flag and had named it "various loves" (🧐) and it's descriptions sound very...queer. This was mostly what had made me believe that if this boy is queer (cause let's be real, he is) then he's most likely bi. I mean a whole park jimin exists if we wanna talk about his attraction to men, but even his boycrush story on namjoon is like the strongest evidence for his not straightness to me.

He's also talked about having crushes on IU and liking women when he was younger (though an argument could be made for compulsory heterosexuality) . At the end of the day, we can't really know for sure, but if I've observed anything from my fellow Bi friends around, is that they really really love their flags colours and incorporate it into their style very frequently as like a wink to other queer people. I know I personally love wearing and showcasing the lesbian flag colours hoping some fellow sapphic might notice. I'd like to believe that's a universal experience. But yeah, no hard hard evidence, but hints which I feel if you're queer and looking out for your own you might notice, yaknow?

[rpwprpwprpwprw]

joonie gang put your hands to the sky 🙌 thank god and @joons-cinnamon-bun for this blessing 💗

You guys think is all fun and games to be friends with a author… yeah, it is but also ABSOLUTELY HELL WHEN THEY KEEP TEASING YOU WITH RANDOM IDEAS LIKE HEY LOOK AT THIS and then you’re like omg that’s amazing when you plan to post it? and this is them: 😐 “well… about that”

so yeah. absolutely nightmare but thank god this idea saw the light of day! i miss her writing so much because the humor 😭 i can’t! so let’s dive into the fic:

Im a astrology girl until the end i suppose so all this mystical vibe GOT ME. also the kdrama vibes, the umbrella, the bus, falling in love for a strange in a bus (very relatable) GRRRRR the elements i meannnnn

"I've been single for five years. My circle is a square." — GIRL… well yeah 😐

"Oh look, there's another fortune on the back," you say, picking up the crumpled paper, "Get back to work before you lose your fucking job." — her friendship with jimin 😭🤣

“And sure, he could intellectualize it. He was great at that. He could chalk it up to incompatible life stages, to ambitions, to the relentless grind of trying to build something meaningful out of art and chaos that outlasts him” - damn…., just stop 😭 like i loved the inclusion of his POV and seeing how his mind reacted to the whole situation, all the analysis he had of the things she said.

“Namjoon listens like it matters. Like he's not just waiting for his turn to speak, but like every word is worth holding onto. And when he does talk, it's with that same quiet charm and wit, a little self-deprecating, a little too sharp to be accidental, but still incredibly intelligent and cunning, (so much so that you assume his jokes fly over people's heads most of the time)” - reading about these type of men that only exist in a woman’s mind. But well, if one like this exists, I hope the universe sends it my way.

" also cry at movie trailers. And I keep handwritten cards from people I'm not even friends with anymore” You blink. That shuts you up for a second. Then: "Okay. That's not very Virgo of you." THATS A VERY VIRGO THING (I have Mercury in Virgo so I can give my opinion... or it could be the Moon in Scorpio)

"You say that now. Just wait until Mercury retrogrades and I forget to text back." — BLAME ME FOR FALLING FOR ASTROLOGY JOKES OKAY BLAME ME BLAME ME

“It's ridiculous how you can see yourself doing this while your kids play in the park” - ps: she’s a pisces 🤣🤣🤣

Also the respect, their chemistry together, the smut, the dialogues….. i promise i’m not biased here! she’s that talented 💅 see for yourself

⚠️‼️ Last but definitely not least THERES A GIANT FUCKING AMAZING HUGE PLOT TWIST HERE ⚠️‼️

BUT I WILL NOT give it to you MUAHAHAHAHAHA ~evil laugh 🤣😈

I was supposed to comment on it since I do reviews right? The point is basically to comment on it BUT I want you to feel what I felt and I want you to comment with me hihihihi I want to see your reaction 😈😈😈😈😈

that ALL being said (I hope I haven't lost my touch when writing a review), give your love to this long and very well written fanfic because if I see someone crying on TML saying that there is no fanfic with Namjoon I swear to God 😤

LOVE YOU ALL beijos bye 💋

A series of unfortunate Dates -2-

Summary: Fate has never been a determining factor in Namjoon’s life. Destiny, if it existed at all, seemed to have a sick sense of humor, and his horoscope barely got it right half the time. In fact, the only otherworldly forces Namjoon puts any stock in are his mother’s divine meddling…and his unlucky dating streak. So when she signs him up for what can only be described as a modern, barely legal, arranged marriage agency operating somewhere out of Seoul, he’s not even surprised. Resigned? Yes. Hopeful? Not in the slightest. But then he meets you. The girl from the bus, many months ago. The one who felt like a missing piece from his story, but slipping away through the fates' threads. And through what can only be described as a bizarre serries of coincidences (or, as your mother would say, divine intervention), you’re here. Wearing a pink dress. Wondering if maybe, just maybe…soulmates do exist. Namjoon doesn’t believe in fate. And maybe, just maybe—he could believe in you. word count: almost 12K Genre: Borderline rom-com with an arranged marriage kick. Matchmaking. Fluff. Smut. Warnings: Explicit smut scene. oral sex. fluffy sex. the author pokes a lil fun at mysticism masterlist

taglist: @uniquetravelerone @sexytholland @codeinebelle @annyeongbitch @rpwprpwprpwprw @goldietigers294 @amarawayne @oneshallsmile @ktownshizzle @jimineepaboya @lili-spots @themwordsblog @jub-jub @tryingtotwice @callmenoona25 @angellekookie

Namjoon’s lips drag into a slow smile. His heart ticks up when he catches your eyes drop to his lips, like you can’t help it. Like you’re thinking about it—about him—in that very same way he’s been thinking about you all night.

He normally isn't one to chuck up moments of his life to ‘destiny’ or ‘stars’ or even on his karmic balance. In fact he is a proven rationalist. But there’s something about this moment—about you—that makes him want to believe in all of it. In missed connections. In soulmates. In the unspoken glances on the bus. In ironing his shirt for a first date. In the way your fingers lingered a bit too long when he lead you to the table. In the way your laugh cracked open the night like a lighter held to wax.

In the way you step just slightly closer to him, and he doesn’t pull away.

“No,” he says finally, voice low, steady. “Not the last time I checked.”

You nod, once, and it’s all the invitation he needs to let his heart figure-four leg lock his brain into submission. No more pretending this is just a good match on paper, or just a lucky coincidence orchestrated by the universe and meddling parents.

“So…” you start, barely louder than the rustle of wind through the leaves. You’re standing at the corner you’re supposed to turn down to get home—but your feet don’t move. Neither do his. “I know this wasn’t exactly in the matchmaking procedure, but—”

He tilts his head, curious. Heart absolutely stupid in his chest.

“There’s this exhibit down the block.” You offer, pointing with your chin like he can see it. “They’re doing a late-night show. Local artists. A light installation from what I gathered, glow-in-the-dark stuff… All the makings of a very respectable second date.”

His smile grows, slow and bright and so full of genuine delight, it feels like it might light up the sidewalk.

“Lead the way,” he says, voice warm—tinged with that rare, boyish kind of joy that slips out when he’s caught off guard by something good. Really good.

And maybe that’s what this is. Not just a good night, or a good date. But something good.

A second chance to fix the unbalance that was left in the universe that day when you returned his umbrella on the bus; when he wasn’t certain if he should speak, or follow or do anything beyond watch you disappear into the crowd with a polite smile and his heart held loosely on his sleeve.

Back then, he’d told himself it was fine. That not everything unresolved needed resolution. That some people are meant to be passing moments, not permanent fixtures. But now—walking beside you as your hands swing just close enough to brush—he wonders if that logic was just fear, dressed up as pragmatism.

Because here you are. In front of him again, months and lifetimes later, offering him not closure, but possibility. Like destiny is adamant not to let him screw this up again.

You turn before he can see your blooming smile, and he falls in step besides you like he’s done it for years, slipping an arm around your shoulders with something his mother might deem too forward. But he can’t quite bring himself to care.

Not when you’re practically sharing his warmth as you set off on another quiet street.

The gallery is only a few blocks down, tucked between a bookstore and a café that smells like burnt espresso even when its closed. The light from the entrance spills onto the sidewalk in soft waves—cool blue and lavender, gently shifting like reflections on water.

The entrance is marked only by a low-lit sign and a hand-painted poster peeling slightly at the edges. But Namjoon looks at it like it’s the Louvre.

The door softly chimes when he pushes it open, and you step into darkness punctuated only by the gentle glow of the installations. A corridor to the side, one that leads to a room with suspended lanterns pulsing in shades of pinks and oranges; each one swaying ever so slightly, casting rippling shadows across your faces. Your shoes echo against the polished concrete.

“Woah.” You slip away from his arm to brush a finger against one lantern—warm paper, almost like it’s humming against your fingertips. “It’s like a daydream.”

Namjoon lingers behind for a beat, something catching in his chest. The light pools across your shoulders, catches in your hair, glints off your cheeks as you move. You’re looking up, eyes wide, lashes tipped in gold—and he forgets, briefly, about the gallery, the installations, the rest of the world.

The only thing on his mind is that ridiculous manuscript he read many years ago about the red sting that tied fated souls together. It was cheesy, ridiculously syrupy and chucked full with cliches.

But now, even for someone who doesn’t believe in destiny, he sure as hell can feel it pulling taut between you.

He’s always scoffed at the idea before—chalked it up to folklore and sentiment. But there’s something about this moment, about you illuminated in all this soft, shifting light, that makes the whole myth feel less like fantasy and more like gravity. Not a string, exactly. But a weight. A pull. A line drawn from some unseen center straight through the quiet place behind his ribs.

Something about the way you tilt your chin up to see more of the ceiling, the way your fingers linger in the air even after the lantern sways back into place. Like you belong among the blinding lights, because they too, are trying to memorize the shape of wonder.

He should say something about light. About the meaning of the patterns painted on the lanterns. He should keep things easy.

But instead, it slips out—quietly, helplessly honest.

“You are.”

You glance over. “What?”

He blinks, half-embarrassed to have said it out loud. “I meant the room,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck, eyes darting down. “The whole thing. You were right. It’s like a daydream.” He pauses without meaning to, perhaps digging his grave a little deeper. “That’s what I meant.”

You watch him for a beat. Narrow your eyes. But you let it slide, lips curving with something softer than amusement as you walk deeper into the space.

Namjoon doesn’t follow right away.

He stays still, breathing through the sudden, aching swell beneath his ribs.

He’s always known how to be careful. Always kept his hope on a leash. He’s familiar with his own limits, with the way his heart learned to flinch before it could reach. The detachment wasn’t indifference—it was armor. It was survival. He was never scared of love itself, just what it asked of him. What it took when it left.

And right now—watching the way your silhouette slips through glowing strands of light, how you don’t even realize the effect you have just by being here—he feels it again.

That timeworn want.

That quiet hope that maybe, just maybe, this time he’ll be chosen back.

So now, with you…

He exhales, slow and steady, and lets his feet move. One step. Then another. He’s not sure where this goes, but he knows he wants to find out.

“Hey,” he says gently, catching up to you just as you part the curtain that leads into the next room—this one lit in a soft, underwater blue, where fiber optics ripple from the ceiling like kelp and stars and rain.

Fiber��optic strands immediately brush around you like the a waterfall—thin, cool tendrils of light that tickle your cheeks and arms. You gasp, and he laughs softly, steadying you with one hand while he lightly brushes the sea of glowing fibers away from your faces with the other.

“They should really warn people.” You murmur, blinking through the light like you’ve just stepped into another universe.

“They kind of did,” Namjoon says, voice low and close. “There was a sign. You were too busy floating.”

You nudge him gently with your elbow, but you don’t step away. Neither does he.

This room is smaller, silence deeper—like the world has narrowed down to just the two of you and the hush of soft light. The strands pulse faintly, changing color every few seconds. Pale blue. Violets. Soft greens. It paints his skin in shifting hues, shadows brushing beneath his cheekbones, catching the warmth in his eyes.

“You know,” you say, tilting your head slightly toward him, “for someone who tried to backpedal out of a compliment five minutes ago, you’re surprisingly smooth when you’re not thinking about it.”

Namjoon smiles, but it’s the kind that flickers—bashful and unsure. “I think I just get clumsy when it matters.”

You study him for a beat. “This matters?”

He doesn’t hesitate. “Yeah. It does.”

And it’s stupid, maybe—it’s barely been a night, you’ve only just begun—but there’s something in the way he says it that lands like truth. No embellishment. No overthinking.

Just real.

Your breath slows.

You don’t say anything, not at first. You just reach out, fingers ghosting over his sleeve, the edge of his wrist, like you’re not sure what you’re doing until you’ve already done it.

Namjoon doesn’t move. But he looks at you like he might.

“I think…” you begin, voice quiet, almost shy, “...if you kissed me right now, I wouldn’t stop you.”

Namjoon exhales, the air knocked clean out of him. “Yeah?”

You nod. Just once.

He moves in, slow and careful, as if waiting for you to change your mind, letting the strands slowly fall back around you.

But you don’t pull away. Your chin just tips up, lips part just slightly, and his fingers lift, brushing a strand of glowing fiber from your cheek.

“Stay still,” he murmurs, voice low. Catching the strand between his fingertips, drawing it gently across your lips. You swallow around a pulse of heat.

His thumb brushes the filament against your lower lip. He holds it there, the delicate glow outlining his fingertip, and you nearly tremble under his touch. The whole universe sums up to hush and halo—to lights suspended between you, breath and body caught in the stretch of the undeniable certainty that feels almost too overwhelming for words.

You part your lips just slightly, and Namjoon stills. His eyes search yours, asking one last time. Offering you one last out.

But you don’t take it. You don’t want to.

So you close the gap—only a few centimeters, really—but it feels like a leap. Like a decision. And when your lips finally meet his, it’s soft, almost hesitant, like a step taken into the unknown.

Then he kisses you back.

Fuller. Warmer. His hand slipping to the curve of your jaw, anchoring you to him as the filament falls away, forgotten. His other arm wraps loosely around your waist, drawing you closer, and you feel it—his steadiness, his quiet restraint, the way he’s holding back just enough to be respectful, but not so much that you can’t feel how much he wants you.

The kiss deepens naturally with all it’s warmth and unhurried movements, the kind that tastes faintly of strawberry soju and a hundred things still unsaid. And when you melt into him, finger curling in his shirt, lips sweet and slow, he knows he can die happy.

The kind of kiss that steals the breath right from his lungs without asking.

When you finally pull back, it’s only by a breath. He doesn’t let go. His eyes open slowly, lashes low and heavy, and he searches your face with that same quiet attention he’s held all night—like you’re an answer he didn’t realize he had the question for.

“You good?” he asks, voice husky.

You nod. “Yeah. It’s just…”

You kiss him again.

Because how else do you say thank you for the way he’s looked at you all evening? How else do you say please, don’t stop without giving him every single part of your heart right here and then?

This one is softer. Briefer. But somehow deeper—like a secret passed from mouth to mouth, like a promise sealed not with words but with the way your hand finds his again and stays there.

Namjoon exhales against your lips, like maybe he wasn’t sure you’d come back, like maybe this second kiss is the one that undoes him. His forehead rests against yours and you feel his smile before you see it.

“Okay,” he says quietly, thumb brushing your jaw.

You laugh, quiet and breathless, the sound curling between you like another thread tying future, circumstances and intention together.

Namjoon leans in, just slightly—enough for your noses to brush, for his smile to press against your cheek like a whisper. You feel it in your chest, that dizzy, buoyant thing rising, rising, rising. Hope, maybe? Or something even more dangerous.

“Okay,” he says again, like he’s trying to ground himself. Like maybe saying it out loud will help him believe this isn’t some flickering, impossible dream. “That was… definitely not in the matchmaking brochure.”

You smile, still so close your breath warms his lips. “No, but if it were, I’d sign up again.”

He lets out a laugh that melts into a sigh, and you feel him shift—his arm still around your waist, holding you like you’re something fragile but already his. His thumb strokes gently at your back beneath his jacket, like he needs to remind himself he’s not hallucinating.

The gallery hums around you, quiet and alive. Blue and violet and gold light shimmers on the walls, on your skin, on the edges of your shared silence. Somewhere deeper in the room, the soft whir of a projector starts, casting delicate patterns that ripple across the floor like light on water.

Neither of you rushes to move.

Eventually, he tilts his head, voice quieter now. “So... third date?”

You tilt your head slightly. “Confident, are we?”

“I kissed you twice,” he says, grinning now. “That has to earn me something.”

You lean back just enough to see his face, to read the smile tucked into the corners of his mouth and the warmth simmering in his eyes

“Do I still get points for tteokbokki?” He continues, and you snort.

Your smile stretches helplessly, warmth rushing in from somewhere deep in your chest. “You get a lot of points for tteokbokki,” you murmur, letting your fingers play lightly with the lapel of his jacket still hanging on your shoulders. “And the soju. And the walk. And, well… everything else.”

Namjoon leans in just a bit closer, voice dipping. “So that’s a yes?”

You press your lips together, pretending to think. “Hmm. I don’t know…”

His brows rise, exaggerated mock offense already painting his features. “Wow. Tough crowd.”

You shrug, stepping back through the curtain of light. “Better keep up, then.”

And Namjoon follows—because of course he does—his fingers finding yours like it’s second nature now, like you were meant to be holding hands all along. The lights ripple over your skin as you walk deeper into the exhibit, casting moving constellations across your joined palms.

By the next room, Namjoon’s brain finally reconnects to the server—sparking back to life with enough clarity to remember that he’s supposed to be intelligent, and articulate, someone who can string a sentence together without being entirely distracted by the feeling of your lips on his.

He clears his throat softly, as if that might reset the system.

The next few displays are quieter, dimmer. The lights are cooler—crystalline, and almost sharp. Glass orbs suspended from the ceiling spinning, catching slivers of light and scattering them in fractured bursts across the floor. A projector room that had animations interacting with the walls themselves.

The final corridor is lit by candlelight—flames flickering in unison, guiding you back toward the real world. Outside, the night is deeper than before, colder, and the sky stirs quietly overhead.

Namjoon lifts his eyes towards the black night, bracing against the sudden gust of wind that blows out the few candles outside the exit.

“Was there a rain warning today?”

“Not that I remember of…” But just as the words leave your lips, the clouds open with a loud thunder. Rain comes down suddenly, soft at first, a gentle patter against the gallery’s doorway—but quickly growing in urgency, as if the sky itself can’t hold back any longer. You both freeze in the doorway, caught between the warm cocoon of the exhibit and the cool, unexpected downpour outside.

“Guess the night’s not done surprising us.” He sighs before shifting his gaze over at you. “No chance of you having an umbrella stuffed in that little bag of yours, huh?”

You laugh, breathless and a little wild. “I’m sorry.”

He shakes his head, fingers brushing back a strand of your hair. “Don’t worry. I’ll get you an Uber.”

You peer up at the night, cheeks flushed. “Isn’t your place close by?”

Namjoon pauses, rain splashing at his shoes. His gaze drifts to the street, then back to you—umbrella-less and close to being drenched.

“My place?” He echoes, voice soft, quickly picking up on the implications. “It’s not far. Maybe five minutes if we run.”

“I—” You stop, “If it’s okay. I don’t want to overstep.” You glance back at the rain slowly puddling the street. “Just to borrow an umbrella…”

He blinks, then smiles—slow and warm. “Borrow an umbrella? I was thinking more along the lines of borrowing your evening.”

You frown, half-smile tugging at your lips. “That sounds… generous.”

He shrugs, eyes sparkling with that same undeniable allure, before he pulls you close, lifting his jacket off your shoulders carefully and sheltering you beneath it. “Come on,” he says, tipping it your way. “Let’s run.”

His jacket settles over your shoulders, the fabric cold against your skin. You slip an arm into a sleeve, the other one around his waist, the collar brushing your neck. He drops his own shoulders under the rest of the fabric, creating a makeshift canopy against the downpour.

“Ready?”

You nod, heart fluttering. “Ready.”

And you dash down the street—feet splashing through fresh puddles, laughter tangled between ragged breaths. The rain pelts the makeshift covering, a thunderous applause that only draws you closer.

Five minutes later, you skid to a stop in front of a tall building, breaths visible in the misty air. He lifts the jacket just enough for you to slip inside first, then follows, shielding you both as he closes the building door against the storm.

The hallway light flickers to light when you move, soft and golden. He peels the wet outer layer from your shoulders with gentle fingers, revealing the pink dress damp at the hem. “Come on,” he murmurs, leading you toward the elevator, completely unbothered by the water he’s trailing behind on the tiled floor.

The elevator dings open, its doors sliding apart with a soft hum. You step inside first, the warmth of the building pressing against your chilled skin. Namjoon follows, pressing the button for the last floor.

“You live in the penthouse?” you ask, brows raised.

He glances at you, a sheepish smile tugging at his mouth. “Technically, yes. But it sounds more impressive than it is.” He says, scratching the back of his neck like it’s a little embarrassing. “Just means I don’t have anyone stomping around above me.”

You raise an eyebrow, teasing. “So modest.”

He laughs under his breath. “I mean, it’s no castle.

You huff a laugh. “Still sounds like you’re trying to charm me.”

He leans a little closer, voice low. “Is it working?”

You don’t answer—just smile and look forward again, heart doing its own reckless thing inside your chest. And beside you, Namjoon tries not to grin too obviously, as if you haven’t both already completely given yourselves away.

The elevator hums upward, slow and steady, carrying you somewhere high above Seoul. The lights overhead casting a warm glow across his face—his wet hair slightly mussed, his shirt clinging just a little at the collar. You catch yourself staring and look away too late, heat blooming in your cheeks.

He notices, of course. But he doesn’t say anything. Just slides his hand gently back into yours, thumb brushing your knuckles.

When the doors open, the hallway is quiet, carpeted, softly lit. He leads you a few steps down, then unlocks a wide modern looking wooden door.

Inside, his apartment opens up into warm tones and wide windows—a soft, inviting space that smells faintly of cedar wood and something like bergamot. Books line tall shelves, and for some reason they frame his couch too, where a few shirts are strewn across the back of it. A turntable sits quietly in the corner, covered in plants, and a half-used mug of something forgotten rests on the kitchen counter.

The walls decorated in paintings that range from minimalism to neoclassicism.

Namjoon toes off his shoes by the door, gently guiding yours next to them before stepping further in. He moves through the space like someone used to solitude—quiet, unhurried, but there’s a steadiness in the way he turns on a few low lamps, casting the room in amber glow. It’s not the sterile kind of clean. It’s thoughtful. Lived-in in a way that feels intentional, not lonely.

“I’ll get you some dry clothes.”

“Thank you.”

You stand still for a moment, taking it all in.

Books by the armrest, manuscripts marked with reds and blues, a blanket draped over the side like it’s been used recently. Records leaning against the console—Miles Davis, Chet Baker, Bon Iver, something obscure in Japanese. There’s another sweater thrown over the back of a chair, and a framed photo tucked beside the speaker: Namjoon with someone older, maybe his father, both of them mid-laugh.

Namjoon reappears with a soft, oversized sweatshirt slung over one arm and a pair of black joggers folded neatly in his hand. “They might be big, but they’re warm.” He says, holding them out to you.

You take them, fingers grazing his. “I don’t mind big.”

His smile tugs a little wider, but he doesn’t comment—just tips his head toward the hallway. “Bathroom’s just down the hall. First door on the right.”

You follow his direction, padding down the hall as your bare feet sink lightly into the carpet. The bathroom is like the rest of the place; stone-toned, curated and clean, with eucalyptus hanging from the shower head. A candle, nearly burned to the end, flickers faintly beside the sink.

You change quickly, slipping into his clothes. The sweatshirt hangs loosely on you, the sleeves swallowing your hands and you have to double tie the joggers. They smell like clean laundry, rain and him.

When you return, Namjoon’s already in the kitchen, barefoot, pouring hot water into two mugs. He looks up when he hears you, and something in his face shifts—fond, quiet, maybe a little undone.

“You look comfortable,” he says, handing you a mug. It’s warm between your palms, chamomile and something faintly floral.

“I am.” You glance down at yourself. “I might not give this back.”

He chuckles. “I’ll allow it. As long as I get visitation rights.”

You settle onto the couch, tugging your knees up beneath you, the oversized fabric pooling around you. Namjoon joins you, a little closer than necessary, his own mug cradled between his palms. For a moment, there’s only the soft clink of ceramic, the patter of rain still against the windows, and the rustle of his breathing beside you.

Then—

“I haven’t brought anyone here in a long time,” he says, not quite looking at you.

You glance at him. “No?”

He shakes his head. “Not because I didn’t want to. Just…didn’t feel right.”

His voice is low, almost cautious, like he’s not sure if it’s too soon to say something like that—but says it anyway. And it hangs there, soft and honest, between the two of you.

You study him, the gentle slope of his shoulder where it meets the couch, the tension he’s clearly trying to mask in the line of his jaw.

“Why now?” you ask quietly.

Namjoon’s thumb runs slow circles along the edge of his mug. He exhales through his nose. “Because tonight felt… different.” He pauses, searching for the right words. “For some reason, it’s easy with you. You don’t ask for anything I wasn’t already offering. It just feels like you see me. Not the vision I sometimes hand out.”

You blink at that, unexpectedly moved. Because you know what he means. What it feels like to be seen and not simply looked at. That’s exactly what he does to you.

“I didn’t know I was waiting for that,” he adds, finally meeting your eyes. “But I think I was…ever since the umbrella scene.”

And you don’t know what kind of Fate or Moirai or Kismet is working in your favor. Or if its just two equally stubborn people, avoiding love, who finally decided to stop running.

Without quite meaning to, you reach out—resting your hand lightly over his, fingers curling around the edge of his mug. It’s a small touch, but it roots something between you.

His hand turns instinctively beneath yours, palm meeting palm, like it’s been waiting.

Namjoon doesn’t speak right away—just watches your fingers fit with his, the quiet press of skin to skin. There’s no urgency in the gesture, no need to rush past it. Just a kind of stillness. A shared breath.

Then he says, quietly, “I don’t really believe in fate.”

You nod, not pulling away. “Me neither.”

“But this feels like something,” he murmurs, glancing down where your hands rest between you. “Doesn’t it?”

You don’t answer right away. You just hold his gaze. Let it say everything your words can’t yet touch.

And when you do speak, it’s not a confession. Not a grand declaration. Just simple, quiet truth.

“Yes.”

Namjoon exhales like that was what he’d been holding out for. Like your agreement unlocks something in him.

He shifts, not closer—but deeper, and you move with an impulse, free hand cradling the side of his face, palm meeting the warmth of his cheek, your thumb grazing just beneath his eye. The soft stubble along his jaw, the way he leans into your touch, like it means something—it’s all disarmingly intimate, like a kind of closeness that’s been patiently waiting in the quiet between your words.

Namjoon doesn’t rush it. He just closes his eyes for a beat, like he’s memorizing the weight of your hand, the safety of this moment.

When he opens them again, they’re softer. Clearer. Lit with something that looks a lot like wonder.

His voice is barely above a whisper. “If I kiss you again, I won’t want to stop.”

And your heart stumbles, caught near the fear and the ache of wanting the same.

“Kiss me.”

His breath stutters—just for a second—and then he’s closing the space between you. The kiss is slower this time, surer. Less searching, more knowing. Your mugs forgotten somewhere on the table. Your fingers slip into his hair, nails dragging gently across his scalp, and his hand finds your waist like its meant to rest there. To pull you closer.

There's no background music. No dramatics. No closeups. Just the rain.

Rain on the windows. The tick of the clock. The hush of two people finally arriving at the same place at the same time.

The kiss deepens slowly—like it’s unfolding, not erupting. Like it’s been waiting in the wings, rehearsed in glances and half-smiles and every soft pause between you.

Namjoon tilts his head, just slightly, adjusting the angle, the pressure, the pace. One of his hands slips from your waist to the back of your neck, fingers threading into your hair, anchoring you. His other arm is a quiet weight around you, steady and sure.

You shift, instinctively, knees brushing his thigh, the fabric of his joggers warm against your skin. The couch creaks softly beneath you when you move to straddle his lap—slowly, carefully—like you're not quite sure if it's boldness or gravity pulling you there. Namjoon doesn't stop you. If anything, his hands guide you, one resting at the curve of your hip now, grounding you against him.

The kiss never breaks. It just changes, to fuller, to deeper, bracing at the edge of something molten that tugs at the space between wanting and having. The kind of heat that grows steady, reverently, with no call to rush.

Your fingers trail from his hair to the sides of his face, thumbs brushing his cheekbones, memorizing him with every soft drag. Namjoon’s breathing shakes slightly against your mouth, and you feel it when he exhales, his chest rising to meet yours.

When your lips part, it’s only to rest your forehead against his, breath shared in the quiet lull that follows.

He’s the first to speak, voice low, almost rasped. “Okay. Yeah. I definitely don’t want to stop.”

You smile, slow and flushed, heart tumbling in your chest. “Then don’t.”

His eyes flicker open—dark and shining and impossibly soft.

And he kisses you again.

A little hotter. A little bolder. Like he’s memorizing the way you taste and is desperate to have it all to himself. His hands find your hips fully, holding you in place, anchoring you with all the reverence of someone who doesn’t take intimacy lightly.

You shift in his lap, just a little, just enough to feel the way he tightens his grip, more certain than anyone has ever held you before. Like he’s been holding back long enough and now, finally, he’s been given both permission and freedom.

Your hands move again, dragging slowly down the back of his neck, thumbs brushing his pulse point, feeling the way it kicks up beneath your touch. He groans softly against your mouth, the sound low and almost surprised, like maybe he hadn’t expected the way you’d undo him so easily.

His lips trail down, brushing your jaw, the slope of your neck, each kiss a question he’s too careful to ask aloud. And you answer with the arch of your back, the way your fingers twist in the hem of his shirt, tugging, pulling it out of his jeans.

The sweatshirt you’re wearing shifts slightly, slipping off one shoulder. Namjoon leans back just enough to see it—see you—and his breath hitches. His thumb ghosts over the exposed skin, reverent and slow, like he’s not sure how he got this lucky but he’s not going to waste a second of it.

“You’re beautiful,” he murmurs, half into your shoulder.

You laugh, a breathless sound that doesn’t even try to hide how wrecked you already are. “You haven’t seen me yet.”

He lets out a soft laugh, the kind that’s half amusement, half awe, and presses another lingering kiss to the curve of your neck. His fingers tighten just a bit on your waist, pulling you that much closer.

“I’m getting there,” he says, voice like honey, like a promise unfolding.

You feel it in your spine—in the low, slow drag of his hands along your sides, the tug at the hem of your shirt, the warm press of his mouth as it returns to your collarbone, kissing lower now. His breath fans against your skin, and your fingers thread into his hair again, gently tugging, urging.

“Joon,” you whisper, not sure if it’s a plea or a warning, or if it matters.

He hums against you like he heard both. When his hands slide beneath the hem of the sweatshirt, they pause at your waist—fingertips stroking over bare skin as if to ask, this much? And when you nod, he moves upward, deliberate and slow, slipping the fabric higher. It peels off over your head with a soft sound, and for a beat, he stops.

Your chest is bare before him, flushed like your cheeks and Namjoon doesn’t speak—doesn’t know how to anymore. He just stares.

Like he’s trying to memorize the curve of you, the way the light catches your skin, the rise and fall of your breath. One hand lifts slowly, and rests just beneath your breast, palm warm, fingers splayed wide. You stutter slightly, and his eyes flicker to yours.

He finds no fear in your gaze, just the same quiet, open awe that took refuge in his own heart.

“You okay?” he asks, voice low, steady, thumb brushing lightly against your ribcage like he’s trying to soothe you even as you unravel.

You nod. “Yeah. Just… it’s you.”

His hands slide up, featherlight, thumb brushing just beneath you nipple and you tremble again.

“You’re unreal,” he says, like it’s something he’s trying to convince you of.

You don’t hide from it. You reach for him instead, fingers moving to his jaw, thumb brushing the corner of his mouth. “Touch me,”

He leans forward, pressing a kiss just above your heart—soft, almost shy—and then another, lower, slower, his lips brushing the swell of your breast like he’s learning the shape of your skin by his lips. His other hand slides up your side, calloused fingertips trailing over sensitive skin until they meet the curve of your back. When his mouth closes around your nipple, warm and wet, your back arches instinctively, his palm keeping you steady, a breathy sound escaping you that you’re too far gone to care about hiding.

Namjoon groans at that—deep and quiet, vibrating where his mouth presses against you. His teeth drag over your nipple and you moan again, wrecked, melting against him fully. Only when he deemed you wrecked enough he switches sides, lavishing the same attention to your other nipple, his hands never fully leaving your skin.

You feel yourself pulsing already, thighs tightening around his waist where you still sit in his lap, hips rolling without quite meaning to. The friction is slow, but it’s enough to drag a sound from both of you—his head dropping slightly, teeth catching his bottom lip as he exhales hard through his nose.

“Fuck,” he mutters, his voice cracking on it, running cold over your wet chest. “You’re gonna kill me.”

You give him a weak laugh through the haze, eyes fluttering half-shut. “That’s not the plan.”

He grins, kissing above your heart again.

“Take this off,” you murmur back, undoing just the top few buttons before tugging the shirt fully out of his jeans.

He doesn't hesitate.

Namjoon lifts his arms, and you pull the shirt over his head in one smooth motion, letting it fall somewhere behind you both. And suddenly there’s nothing between you anymore; just bare skin and rugged breath and the thrum of something heady and unstoppable threading through every second spent apart.

You take a second to look at him. Tracing the lines of his chest with your hands, the dip between his collarbones, the slope of his shoulders. His skin is warm beneath your palms, muscles shifting under your touch like he’s barely holding still. When you lean in to press a kiss to his sternum, you see the way his eyes flutter shut, and feel his heart jump beneath your lips.

The moment swells again when you rock against him, hips shifting just enough to draw a weak sound from his throat—low and guttural, his hands returning to your hips, gripping tighter now.

“Tell me if you want to stop,” he says, voice strained.

“Don’t stop.”

That’s all it takes.

He lifts you, carefully, arms hooked around your thighs, slowly moving you down the hall. His kisses hungrier now—your jaw, your throat, the slope of your chest. The warmth of his body pressed against yours, drawing you closer with every step, every breath.

By the time he lays you down, the bed creaks under your weight, sheets cool against your back in stark contrast to the heat of his body above you. Namjoon hovers for a moment—like he needs that final second to catch up, to make sure this is real. That you’re here. That he’s allowed. And he kisses you, a little demanding now, impossibly tender, full of intent. Tongue sliding slow against yours, one hand braced by your head, the other trailing along your side, smoothing down the curve of your waist. You gasp softly into his mouth when his palm cups your thigh, guiding it around his hip, anchoring you.

His body fits over yours like it was made to.

Your own hands roam, tracing the planes of his back, feeling the taut muscles flex under your touch, nails softly tracing confessions of love until he shivers beneath your fingertips.

He groans against your mouth, and you answer in the same breath. You reach down between you, tugging at the waistband of your sweats, and Namjoon stills, just for a second, before helping you out of them. The fabric slides down your legs with your underwear, and joins the rest of your clothes somewhere forgotten. He kisses down your torso as he goes, mouth brushing each inch of newly exposed skin like a silent thank you.

When he settles between your thighs, his breath is already shaky.

“You sure?” he asks again, voice weak, reverent, gaze stolen by the wetness pooling between your legs.

You nod, and this time, you say it with your whole body—rising up on your elbows to brush away the strands of hair that have fallen over his forehead. “Yes. I just—” your breath shakes. “I never do this.”

Namjoon stills at that—just for a moment—his hand still resting on your thigh, thumb sweeping gently over the apex of your thighs.

His expression softens, gaze flicking between your eyes. “We don’t have to,” he says, voice low, steady. Not pulling away, just… waiting. “I want you, but not more than I want you to feel safe.”

You exhale, “No. I want to,” you say, and your voice is steadier now, like his patience gave you permission to mean it. “I just don’t usually—” You trail off, words failing, head sinking in his pillow, but he seems to understand.

Namjoon leans in, brushing a kiss to your hip. Then your thigh. Then the inside of it. “Then we go slow.”

His breath is warm where his mouth lingers, kissing down the tender skin between your hip and knee, charting you, piece by piece, before hiking your knee over his shoulder. “Tell me what you like,” he murmurs, voice muffled against your skin. “What feels good.”

You’re already trembling, and he hasn’t even touched you properly yet.

Your fingers tangle into his hair, not to guide, just to hold. “You.”

He smirks at that. You feel it against your thigh before the sudden rush when he sinks his teeth right there in the doughy skin.

You gasp, fingers tugging, but it’s enough to distract you from the way he lowers himself fully, settles between your legs like he belongs there, like he’s not just willing, but eager to worship and take his time at this altar. His arms curl around your thighs, grounding you with the weight of his palms as his mouth dips lower, his breath teasing against your folds.

And when he finally licks you, it’s slow. A single, unhurried stroke from your entrance all the way to your clit that makes your hips twist and your breath falter. He moans softly, like the taste of you confirms something he’s been hoping not to long for, the sound rolling against your sensitive clit.

“God,” he murmurs. “You’re already so wet.”

You whimper, hips tilting toward him, and he takes the invitation gladly.

His mouth seals over your clit, tongue flicking with soft, rhythmic pressure—exploratory at first, then purposeful. Like he’s learning what makes you gasp and then doing it again. And again. And again.

Your thighs begin to tense, one hand fisting in the sheets, the other still anchored in his hair. You glance down and find him already watching you, eyes half-lidded and dark, utterly focused.

“Just like that,” you breathe, your voice so airy it hardly sounds like your own.

He moans into you—low, rough, vibrating straight through your core—and your whole body shudders.

When he shifts slightly, you feel the press of his tongue lower, dipping just inside, slow and deliberate. His hands adjust, one palm pressing against your lower belly, the other keeping you open for him as he moves back, mouth closing around your clit again—sucking just once, firmly—and your whole body arches.

You can’t stop the sounds you’re making now. You’re past that. Every flick of his tongue is unraveling you, making it harder to remember anything but his name, the way he tastes you like it’s Sacrament, like he’s been starving.

“Na-Joon,” you gasp, and he hums in response.

That’s all it takes. The rhythm. The hum. The patience in the way he doesn’t rush you, but feel you.

You come with a cry that splits the silence, fingers twisting in his hair, back arching, heels digging into the bed, his name catching in your throat like a prayer you weren’t prepared to say.

Namjoon doesn’t pull away—not right away. He lets you ride it out, only slowing when your body starts to tremble from oversensitivity. He presses one last kiss to your thigh, then rises over you, lips swollen and chin slick, eyes molten with something between adoration and hunger.

“Still okay?” he murmurs, voice hoarse, mouth ghosting over yours.

You nod, barely able to form words, breath catching as you wrap your arms around his shoulders and pull him back down to you.

“More than okay,” you whisper. “Come here.”

He kisses you again, slower this time, less urgent but no less intense. You can taste yourself on his lips, but there’s no shame behind it—just fucking heat you’ve never felt before. A flicker of something raw and real between you. His hand cradles the side of your face, thumb brushing your cheek, your jaw, your neck, like you’re still something he needs to hold carefully.

You kiss him back just as fully, fingers threading into his hair, the weight of his body pressing you into the mattress in all the ways you didn’t know you needed. And when you shift beneath him—bare skin sliding against the fabric of his jeans—you both groan at the same time.

“Namjoon, baby, my love,” you murmur, voice low and frayed, so wild it doesn’t even register what you’re saying. “I want to feel you.”

His gaze darkens at that. His hand trails slowly down your side, over your hip, between your legs again—touching you softly, testing how sensitive you still are. You twitch under his fingers, and he smiles against your mouth.

“You’re still shaking,” he whispers.

“I want you” you breathe again. “I want all of you. Please.”

You can see how that undoes him. The way his eyes flutter , jaw tightening without him wanting it, like he’s holding something back—like he has been for too long. He groans low in his throat, kissing you again, slower this time, like he needs it to confirm the last piece of his puzzle, to bring himself back to earth, to feel you, the sound of your voice saying things he never thought he’d get to hear.

“Okay,” he breathes, forehead pressed to yours, eyes dark and full, pupils blown wide. “Okay, yeah.”

You nod, lips parting with the ache of it, and he leans in to kiss you again—this time quicker, just to indulge himself. His hand moves to your thigh, fingers curling around it, anchoring you open beneath him, and he reaches down without breaking the kiss—fumbling for the drawer beside the bed.

The soft rip of the wrapper breaks the hush between you, and you breathe in shakily when you feel him shift back, just enough to strip the last of his clothing away, enough to reach for the fly of his jeans, and for your gaze to follow him instinctively.

It’s not the first time you’ve seen someone undress in front of you—but it feels like the first time. Maybe it’s the low light, or the hush of rain still ticking against the windows. Maybe it’s the reverence with which he wrecks you—or maybe it’s just him. But as Namjoon pushes his jeans down, your breath catches all over again.

You take him in slowly, eyes tracing the lines of him, the quiet power of his frame. The solid line of his thighs. The long stretch of his torso, skin kissed with warmth, marked by the rise and fall of his breathing. The way his cock hangs heavy, already hard for you, fucking big and flushed at the tip. He’s beautiful in a way that makes your throat tighten.

He doesn’t shy from your gaze. If anything, his stance softens. His hands fall loosely at his sides when he’s done with the condom, waiting for your reaction—not cocky, not proud, just… there.

You swallow. “You’re…”

He tilts his head. “Yeah?”

“God,” you breathe, sitting up more fully now. “You’re kind of ridiculous.”

A faint smile tugs at his lips, breath catching as your fingers reach for him, grazing lightly along his hip before you look back up. “That’s a good thing, right?”

You nod, unable to keep the heat from your voice. “It’s a very good thing.”

Namjoon laughs—quiet and a little unsteady, like you’ve knocked the breath out of him again. His shoulders relax, his stance falters just enough to reveal the truth behind it: he’s just as wrecked as you are. Just as undone by your eyes, and your voice, and the way you’re sitting there with your legs parted and your fingers on his skin.

“You’re not so bad yourself,” he says softly, kneeling on the bed again, letting your hand guide him closer.

You hum, fingertips brushing along the V of his hips, watching the way his stomach flexes under your touch. “Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he echoes, leaning in until his lips meet your shoulder, then your jaw and his forehead rests against yours, breath mingling. “You’re everything".”

You don’t reply, you just kiss him instead.

His hand comes up to cradle the side of your face again, thumb brushing the line of your cheek before sliding into your hair, as he exhales into your mouth.

Then you shift, pulling him down with you, and he follows without hesitation—settling between your thighs, the heat of his body a welcome weight, grounding and electric all at once, pushing you against the mattress. He lines himself up, careful, steady, eyes flicking to yours for that last silver of confirmation.

You nod.

And he pushes in slowly, and it steals the very breath from your lungs.

The stretch is otherworldly. Intimate. painful and pleasurable all at once. His hands brace your hips, guiding you through it, and the moment he’s fully seated inside you, you both freeze, overcome. Your hand clutches at his shoulder. His forehead presses to yours again.

“Oh my God,” you whisper, barely audible.

Namjoon lets out a sharp breath, grounding his weight on one forearm. “You feel—fuck” he whimpers. Fucking whimpers. “Fuck,” he repeats every syllable drawn out, trembling. “You feel—you feel—” doesn’t even finish the sentence. Just groans, his hips rolling once, testing the fit, the friction, and your body clenches around him on instinct.

“I know,” you gasp, blinking up at him, swallowing down the sound building in your throat. “I know.” But it still dissolves into a wrecked moan when he starts to move.

Slow at first, measured. The roll of his hips smooth and sure, dragging heat out of you one breath at a time. You’re impossibly hot around him, slick and gripping tight, and it pulls a curse from his lips that has you tightening again, and his slow rhythm almost stutters.

“Fuck. Don’t do that.” He breathes, voice cracking low in your ear, like he's trying not to unravel right then and there on top of you. “You’ll kill me woman.”

But you do it anyway—tighten around him, just to see the way he loses control again. The way his voice wavers, the way his hips jerk forward harder than he meant to, pulling a moan from your throat that you don’t have time to swallow down.

“Fuckin’” he doesn’t finish. Just buries his face in your neck like he’s overwhelmed. “God you’re…”

He doesn’t even know what. Evil? How can you when you feel like heaven. Perfect? He already knows that, and suspects you know it too with the way you arch into him, chasing every slow thrust, one leg wrapping tighter around his waist to draw him in even deeper.

The love of my life. Like what it means to want someone without fear.

His hand moves, cradles the back of your knee, lifting your leg higher around his waist, and the angle shifts—deeper, perfect, a little faster—and you keen again, clinging to him, nails scratching down his spine.

And he’s back at evil again. Because how else can you explain it when someone breaks you like that? So easily, so completely, just with the way you say his name.

“Jesus, baby,” he pants, the endearment slipping out raw, like it doesn’t need permission anymore. “You’re gonna ruin me.”

You smile—wrecked, breathless, wild around the edges—because you want to. Because the power feels electric in your blood and you can’t stop rocking up to meet every thrust, trying to pull more of him, all of him, deeper. “You’re already ruined,” you manage to say, even though your voice barely holds.

Namjoon groans like you’ve struck something in him, something buried, something feral. He braces both hands now, caging you in beneath him as his rhythm falters—harder, deeper, no less reverent, but touched with desperation.

The bed cries in protest, headboard fully slamming against the wall now, the sound of skin and breath and everything unspoken crashing into the space around you like a storm too long held back.

You can’t think anymore. Just feel. Just take him—the way he fucks into you, every push, every sound he makes, the way his breath runs hot against your sweaty skin. The way his teeth sink into your neck. The way you let go so easily with him.

“Say it again,” he grits out, voice wrecked, ragged, like he’s chasing something he can’t name.

You blink up at him, barely able to hold his gaze, but you do. You do. You reach for him—both hands cupping his face, your thumb sweeping over the sweat at his temple. “You’re mine.”

And that’s what breaks him.

Namjoon shudders like he’s trying to hold himself together and failing gloriously. Like he’s not just inside you but completely undone by the fact that he gets to have you. All of you, without pretense or performance.

His lips crash into yours again, breath mixing, teeth grazing, and it’s not graceful anymore—it’s reduced to it’s essence. It's raw. Devastation in its honesty. His rhythm stutters, faster now, deeper, each thrust drawing a sound out of you you’ve never made for anyone else.

You feel yourself tightening around him again—close, so close—and your fingers tangle in his hair as you gasp, “I’m gonna—Joon, I—”

“I know,” he whispers, forehead against yours, his voice cracking on the edge of it. “Come with me. Come on, baby.”

And when it hits—when your body seizes around him, when the moan breaks from your throat so loud it almost scares you—it drags him down with you. His hips stutter once, twice more, then he’s pulsing inside you with a groan torn from somewhere deep, too deep to name.

He collapses onto you slowly, carefully, doing his best not to crush you.

But you don’t mind. Not really. Not when you’re both there. And in the silence that follows, with chests heaving, limbs tangled together, skin flushed and trembling, you feel it.

The weight of everything you just said without words.

He kisses your shoulder. Then your cheek. Then your mouth.

Slow. Soft, like gratitude.

“You okay?” He whispers a moment after, brushing your hair back.

You nod, eyes glassy, lips parted, still catching your breath. “I think you just rewrote my brain.”

“Good. I’ve been meaning to leave an impression.” Namjoon laughs, quiet and breathless. and you can’t help but laugh too.

Outside, the rain still hasn’t stopped. But it’s falling slower now, softer. Like even the sky got the message that it’s time to quiet down.

You're still wrapped around each other, his arm heavy cross your waist, your fingers drawing aimless shapes into his back. Neither of you speak for a long while. Not because there's nothing to say. But because there is no urgency to say it. Not now. Not when it feels like everything that needed to be known has already been shared somewhere in the in-between.

Eventually, Namjoon shifts, slowly easing out of you with care, kissing your cheek before sliding out of bed with reluctance. You’re too tired to watch him pad across the room, still you pick up on the soft rustle of tissues and the low thunk of the bathroom bin as he knocks into it. Then the faint splash of water, the crackle of a wet wipe package.

He comes back with both—water first, holding the glass steady while you sip, then the warm, damp wipe he uses gently, reverently, to clean between your thighs. His touch is so careful, you almost want to cry, because you’ve never been handled quite like this—so cherished, even in the quiet after.

You whisper his name, blinking through tired eyes, and he only smiles—soft, boyish, exhausted in the way that means he gave you everything.

 Namjoon tosses the wipe in the trash, then slides back into bed beside you. The sheets are cool, your skin still flushed from the heat between you, but he pulls the covers over both of you and wraps his arms around your waist like he’s never letting go.

You’re just beginning to drift—his heartbeat steady against your chest—when you hear him speak again, barely above a whisper. 

“You’re not going to disappear in the morning, are you?”

 You smile faintly, pressing your forehead to chest. “No. Are you?”

He laughs under his breath, the sound gently shaking you. “No. This is my house.”

You laugh then, quietly—tired and soft and maybe a little in love with the way he says it. Like it’s obvious. Like of course he’s not going anywhere.

“I guess that makes it harder to sneak out unnoticed,” you murmur, your fingers brushing over the line over his heart, lazy and affectionate.

Namjoon shifts, just enough to nudge his nose against the crown of your head. “Exactly. You’d have to climb out a window. And I’m not sure you’re up for that after—”

You cut him off with a light pinch to his side, and he huffs a laugh, catching your wrist gently and bringing your hand back to his chest.

“Okay,” he says, quieter again, thumb stroking once across your knuckles. “Then stay. Just… stay.”

You nod. No teasing now. No hesitation.

“I’m here.”

And you mean it. Not just tonight, not just in the warmth of his bed. You mean here, with him. Maybe forever.

~~~

The light is soft when you wake—filtered through thin curtains and rain-slicked windows, casting a muted gold across the room. It takes a moment to remember where you are. The scattered clothes. The unfamiliar ceiling. The warmth at your back.

Namjoon’s arm is draped over your waist, his chest flush to your spine, breath slow and steady against your shoulder. His hold is loose, but sure. Like even in sleep, he’s still holding on.

You shift just enough to glance over your shoulder.

He’s still asleep. His hair is a mess, smushed from the pillow, lips slightly parted. He looks peaceful—unreasonably handsome in that soft, unguarded way people only look when they forget they’re being seen.

Then he stirs.

Nudges his nose into the crook of your neck like he’s chasing your warmth in his sleep. A beat later, voice low and scratchy from sleep, he mumbles, “Mornin’”

You turn to face him, smiling into the space between you. “Morning.”

“You’re warm,” he mutters.

You nuzzle into his chest, letting yourself settle there, your smile hidden in his skin. “You’re clingy in the morning.”

“You like it.”

You do. God, you do. You just don’t say it yet. Instead, you tease, “Do you always get this handsy before breakfast?”

His lips brush your temple, and you can feel the grin in his answer. “Only with you.”

You stay like that a while. Wrapped in the quiet. In each other. Long enough for the sun to climb higher, for the real world to knock softly at the edges of the room.

“Do you have a plan for today?” He murmurs.

You shake your head, cheek against his chest. “Not really. I just want a shower.”

Namjoon hums, his hand flattening gently against the small of your back. “Later.”

You laugh, quiet and warm, your legs tangling more deliberately with his under the covers. His fingertips trace idle patterns on your spine now, slow and lazy, like he’s in no rush to be anywhere but here. And maybe you aren’t either.

“I should text my mother,” you murmur eventually, not moving.

“Mhm.” He still doesn’t let go.

“And Jimin.” You smile at the way his eyes flutter close, hands still moving. “He’s my friend. He’ll probably grill you even harder than my mother.”

Namjoon just hums.

“I should grab my shirt.”

“No need,” he mumbles into your hair.

You snort softly, pressing a kiss to his shoulder before slipping free—slowly, reluctantly. He makes a quiet noise of protest, half-heartedly reaching for your wrist but missing.

“We need to work on this morning person tendencies you have if we want this marriage to work.” He mutters, rubbing a hand down his face, his hair spiking up even more when he runs that same hand through it.

You grin, tugging the crumpled sheet with you as you stand up. “That’s fine. I’ll just marry you in the afternoon instead.”

Behind you, Namjoon groans into the mattress. “You can’t say stuff like that when I haven’t had my coffee yet.”

“You started it,” you call back, voice light even despite the ache between your thighs.

“I’ll get you a towel,” he says around a yawn, already swinging his legs over the bed just as you leave the bedroom in search of your phone.

You pad into the living room and grab your sweatshirt too, swinging it over your shoulder, muscles still deliciously sore. Your phone is right where you left it—wedged in the couch cushions—and as you pick it up, it lights up immediately.

[12 notifications – Jimini 🐸]

You swipe.

12:30 PM: did he come? 12:30 PM: lol come. 🤣😂🫣😏 12:31 PM: no. joking. your mother arranged this—DISGUSTING✨💕 12:31 PM: maybe… send me a pic! a sneaky one. just make sure ur flash isnt on like last time.😂 4:13 PM: Are we still getting drinks with Tae or…? 4:17 PM: helloooooo?!?! 6:27 PM: babe. are you alive? 10:37 PM: I swear if you’re dead I’m gonna be so pissed 12:10 AM: do you know CPR? because I might need it when you finally tell me what happened with that tall korean man. 8:55 AM: okay it’s morning! say something. 9:00 AM: HELLLOOOOOOOOO 9:01 AM: fine. I hope he’s ugly.

You bite your lip, suppressing a grin.

From the hallway, you hear Namjoon’s voice, still hoarse, “Do you eat in the mornings?”

You blink at your phone, thumb hovering over Jimin’s latest message.

You: he’s not.

Then—just loud enough for him to hear, a grin already creeping up your face—you call back, “Eat what?”

There’s a beat of silence.

Then: a choked sound, and Namjoon’s footsteps.

You don’t even bother turning around.

“…Food,” he deadpans, emerging around the corner, already dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a loose t-shirt, towel in his hand, the other combing through his wild, sleep-ruined hair. “I’m going to get us some coffee. Wanted to know your order too.”

You nod slowly, pretending to consider it, even though your smile is already betraying you. “Hmm. Something strong. Hot. Sweet, but not too sweet.”

Namjoon raises an eyebrow at you like he knows exactly what you're doing when you grab the towel from his hands. “You want me or coffee?”

You grin, finally meeting his eyes. “I can have both.” You tease, walking towards the bathroom.

He exhales a short laugh, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek as you pass by. “I’ll be back before you finish.”

You glance back at him over your shoulder, already half down the hallway, towel slung loose over your arm. “Don’t rush on my account.”

Namjoon smirks, leaning his weight against the doorframe for a moment like he’s debating whether to follow you in after all. “Too late. I'm already thinking about round two.”

You snort. “Bold of you to assume I won’t lock the door.”

Namjoon grins, eyes sparkling with mischief. “Challenge accepted.”

You laugh softly, shaking your head as you walk into the bathroom, door completely open behind you, even when you step into the shower.

Namjoon chuckles, heart full and a little dumb, suddenly eager to actually keep his promise of being back before you finish. He slides on a pair of slides and heads down the hall. Waiting for the elevator, he pulls his phone from his pocket, scrolling through yesterday’s notifications.

Work mails, with nothing urgent still, his sister wishing him luck on his date.

Then, five missed calls from his mother and a message that makes him pause.

Eomma 💮: I can’t believe you Kim Namjoon. You are completely something else! How could you even think about skipping on the date!? let alone leave that poor girl hanging??? Ajumeoni Bae said she’d considering lowering your profile!! LOWERING IT! I am deeply disappointed.

His thumb hovers over the screen, mind momentarily blank.

Skip the date?

Namjoon blinks, glancing at the timestamp. The message came in sometime last night—hours after he’d already been tangled up with you in his sheets, your mouth on his, your laugh caught in his chest. Definitely not skipping anything.

Unless—

He swipes back to his call log. All the missed calls from his mom came after dinner.

Well after he’s already met you…

His brow furrows.

“The fuck?”

The elevator dings, but he doesn’t step in right away. Instead, he rereads the message before stepping inside and calling his mother.

The phone rings twice before his mother picks up—no hello, no greeting, just straight to the point.

“Namjoon-ah, you better have a good explanation.”

He closes his eyes briefly, already bracing himself. “Hi, Eomma.”

“Don’t ‘hi Eomma’ me. Do you know how embarrassed I was when I got that call from Ajumeoni Bae? I practically begged her to keep your file active! I told her you’re a good boy—just shy, busy, thoughtful. But this? Skipping on a date without so much as a message?”

He rubs a hand over his face. “I didn’t skip.”

“Oh really?” She huffs. “Because the girl you were supposed to meet complained you never showed!” She lets out something he can only describe as profound disappointment. “I can’t believe you did this—”

“No, I—” Namjoon blinks hard, staring at the elevator doors like they might provide answers. “I met with her, Eomma. At the Cafe next to the SeMa? A girl in a pink dress. Kang Y/N.”

That makes his mother stop mid rant, a long pause following. So long it makes him wonder if the elevator ate up all his phone signal.

“What?” she asks, suspicious.

“Yes. We ate lunch, ended up going for a walk and then dinner and a gallery too—” and he stops because that is enough information for her.

“Kang what?” His mother demands.

“Y/N.” Namjoon says, just as certain as before. “Pink dress. works as a paralegal at a firm in Seoul, at the café near the museum. You said—”

“I said your match would be wearing a pink dress, yes,” she cuts in, “but her name is Kang Mirae, Namjoon. Mirae!”

Namjoon blinks. “…Who?”

“Oh my dear God,” she breathes, and he can practically hear her pacing now. “ You mean to tell me you went on a date yesterday and didn’t even download her complete file? Did you just read the debrief?” She sounds borderline outraged.

“I thought—” He stops, then runs a hand through his hair. What did he think? “Listen, I saw a her by the window, she fit the description. I figured it was her.”

“And you just sat down?” The disbelief dripping from his mother’s voice is almost unbearable. He feels like a small kid again, getting scolded for coloring on the walls. “You didn’t even confirm she was sent by Ajumeoni Bae?!”

Namjoon grimaces. “No?”

There’s a pause. A sharp exhale. Then—

“Namjoon-ah. Aigoo.” The sound is somewhere between disbelief and reluctant amusement now. “How did you manage to pay to go on a date and still end up on the wrong one?”

He closes his eyes, forehead tapping against the cool elevator wall. “I thought she was her.”

“You thought? You thought? Did she even mention Ajumeoni Bae’s services?”

“No,” he admits, voice small. “But she looked… like she was waiting for someone too…”

“She wasn’t waiting for you!” his mom cries, fully amused now. “You just saw a girl in a pink dress and assumed?”

“Well technically she assumed too—she didn’t ask either!”

“Oh my God!” She was full-on giggling now. “Dear God,” she says. “You two really deserve each other. I accidentally raised a himbo.”

Namjoon groans. “Eomma—”

“No, no, don’t you ‘Eomma’ me. This is so stupid it must be destiny. You went on a blind date with the wrong woman,” she cackles. “Is she pretty? You said paralegal? Lawyer was better but paralegal isn't bad. Wait—” She pauses mid tirade “Did she know she was supposed to marry you after this date?”

“Yes…She was supposed to meet a Kim,” Namjoon says, running a hand through his hair again, the beginnings of a smile tugging at his lips despite himself. “That’s what her mom told her. Just—‘a Kim.’”

There’s a beat of stunned silence on the other end of the line.

Then: “Aigoo.” His mom’s voice turns reverent, like she’s just witnessed divine intervention. “That’s fate, Namjoon-ah! You stumbled into your match without even trying.”

Namjoon makes a low noise in his throat, not quite agreement, not quite denial.

“Does she like you?” His mom asks, immediately nosy again. “She must, if you’re still alive.”

“She stayed the night, didn’t she?”

“Kim Namjoon!”

“I didn’t mean it like—well, okay, maybe I did. But it wasn’t—” He pauses, mouth twitching. “I like her,” he admits quietly.

More silence.

“I really like her,” he adds, just as the elevator doors slide open.

And his mom, predictably, gasps like she’s just been handed a winning lottery ticket. “Then you better fix this before she finds out from someone else and thinks you’re some matchmaking scammer!”

Namjoon winces. “Why would she even think that?”

“I don’t know! I’m just being thorough. Now go! Make it right. And Namjoon?”

“…Yes?”

“You’re both idiots.”

“Thank you, eomma.” He deadpans.

His mother snorts. “Anytime sweetheart. Now go! I want to meet her soon!”

“You will.” He chuckles and hangs up with a sigh, slipping his phone back in his pocket as he steps out of the elevator and into the soft, overcast morning. The morning smells like rain and city steam, and his brain is buzzing, equal parts panic, disbelief and something stupidly light and warm.

He accidentally ghosted his match.

He accidentally met his better-half.

And yet—he can’t bring himself to regret any of it.

Not when you’re still upstairs in his shower. Not when he can still picture your sleepy smile and the curve of your neck and the sound of your laugh echoing off the bathroom tile. Not when his bedsheets still smell like you.

He ducks into the café on the corner, nods to the barista who already knows his usual, and adds a second coffee order. Strong, hot, sweet—but not too sweet.

Then he points to the pastry case, zeroing in on the flakiest, most obscenely overpriced croissant he can find. The kind of treat you’d mock and inhale in two bites.

He taps his card. He adjusts the pastry bag under his arm, balancing the coffees carefully as he starts back toward the building.

He’s going to tell you everything….

Just… maybe after caffeine.

Maybe after you’ve stopped smelling like his shampoo.

Maybe after round two.

Maybe.

~~~

Epilogue: The steam curls around you in the shower. Your hands are all over him.

Water runs down your spine in rivulets, hot and heavy, but he’s hotter still—his skin, his mouth, the way his fingers skate over your damp skin, mapping out the slope of your waist, the curve of your ass and he carefully presses you against the cold tiles.

His lips drag across your neck, up to your lips to catch them back in another heated kiss. He tastes like coffee now. Like maybe he stole a sip before he got in with you, and you can’t seem to get enough of it.

His palm finds your thigh and lifts it, slow and deliberate, anchoring your leg around his hip. The movement brings your bodies flush together, and the groan that leaves him—low, ragged, real—makes you clench around him.

You bite at his bottom lip and feel him shudder.

Then—

“Random question, have you ever heard of Ajumeoni Bae?”

You gasp around a moan, a little wrecked, a whole lot confused. “Who?”

[wandererslcst]

◟✧⡀ ( park jimin. cismale. he/him. ) … there’s a figure off in the distance, do you see it? wait is that … KIM EUN JAE ? how long have they been standing there? if that’s really them, i believe they’re 29.  do i know them?  no,  but i hear they're SOCIAL and CREATIVE, but also NAIVE and INSECURE. i do know that they’ve been in the City for 19 YEARS. it’s crazy that they’re just standing there … shouldn’t they be working at POISON APPLE as a DANCER? maybe they’re off today, i couldn’t tell you. hope they get moving soon. hey, do you think they’re aware of the strange people around here?

Although he hails from the city of Seoul in South Korea, Eunjae and his parents moved to the United States when he was ten years old; thanks to a job offer that his father could not refuse. Jae's own opinion on the decision had not mattered. Of course, a ten year old isn't supposed to dictate where their family chooses to live, but in Eunjae's case, it was just another Thursday. See, his parents still preferred to live their life as if they had never had any children - the way they had planned to. Unfortunately this meant that Jae's existence had been entirely unplanned and whilst he tried his hardest to prove himself worthy of being their son, his parents continued to make him feel like the opposite.

Eunjae spent his first few years learning the new language, receiving tutoring from the best teachers his parents could find. Money was never an issue and it turned out to be the only love language he ever received from his family. With his father working as a surgeon and providing plenty of income, his mother had taken it upon herself to live her perfect housewife life - organizing parties and fundraisers for the whole town to attend. And for a long time, that was just the way life was. Studying, showing up to the parties he was being dragged to, then attending church every Sunday.

Religion wasn't something he had chosen, but it was something he'd been born into. In fact, it was only because of his parents being so religious that he was begrudgingly brought onto this earth. And yet, as years passed and his attraction developed, Eunjae discovered, to his horror, that he had a stronger interest in men than he had in women. Worse, he felt no attraction to the latter at all and no matter how hard he tried to push these feelings and fantasies away, they only got stronger with time.

It wasn't until his early twenties that he dared to act on his desires; though it was all done in secret and usually followed by crushing embarrassment and insecurities. Jae struggled to wiggle his way out of the mold he had labeled 'perfection' - the perfect son with the perfect grades, the perfect body, the perfect etiquette. With a clean mind and soul. But he had tainted it and there was no going back.

So he distanced himself from his parents (not that they would notice) and gave up on the medicine degree he had originally been trying to pursue. Instead, he finally made his own choices; getting a job as a dancer, which had always been a hobby he'd hidden from the judgmental eyes of his mother. Choosing to be happier, to be free to finally find himself and not a muted, restrained version of himself. Or as much as his mind would allow him to.

There are still days that are hard. Most days, in fact, he wonders if he made the right decision, if things wouldn't be easier if he went back to pretending to be who his parents want him to be. Eating is hard, breathing is hard. But Eunjae will keep smiling, because the one thing he never changed, was always wanting to make others happy and content, no matter the sacrifice on his own part.

[chimini3]

Makeup The Break Up

Park Jimin | Chapter 10

SERIES MASTERLIST

Pairing: Park Jimin x OC

Synopsis: What happens when Park Jimin's biggest what it comes back into his life? His friendly neighbor, childhood best friend, high school lover, and now his makeup artist?! Amidst the 2020 outbreak, the last thing he needed was Seong Areum making his heart skip a beat and fill his stomach with air. What will he do when unspoken words threaten to slip past his tongue? Would he take the chance of ruining a healing past? Or would he let her slip away once more and let himself get lost in the lights?

Note: super late post been caught up with some stuff but enjoyy :)) this one is kinda long and its not beta read

Word Count: 8.0k words

Around Busan

Sources of Information included in this chapter are from:

Gamcheon Culture Village Wikipedia

Some environments have changed by the time I wrote this to the time specified on the story so it might be a little confusing seeing something that didn’t exist in 2020 though please bare with me for the details 🫶

(If any information is proven false, please do not hesitate to comment and inform me of the mistake. Let us avoid spreading false news, thank you <3)

I was born and raised in Busan. We were all born and raised in Busan. Yes, the Seong sisters had just arrived after years of being away from Busan, but it wasn’t like we hadn’t had our fair share of school trips around the city. So someone tell me why we were in one huge black van that would take us around Busan? The van was one that us members would take in our tours outside the country, when separating us in different smaller cars would cause more inconvenience than driving a big van.

“Hwan ssi, I thought I booked a private tour for three people. The van you brought could fit the whole BTS and our crew.” I asked as the man that would be our tour guide for the following days could only chuckle.

“The Park Jimin ssi deserves only the best. Besides, we were ready for unexpected additions…” The middle aged man smiled past his eye glasses. He was alluding to the fact that I said he needed to tour three people though I ended up joining myself so it had turned to four, though four people definitely did not need such a big van that would surely gain the curiosity of people.

“And don’t you worry about unwanted company. These two guys would surely keep you safe.” The man lurched forward to tap the shoulder of one of the tall and muscular men that would accompany us today. Alongside the driver that was also similar in size. Oh my connections were certainly spoiling me today.

I’m always so shocked at the reach of my influence. I don’t think I’ll ever get used to it, no matter how many years I’ll keep it up. It even took my family a while to adjust. Especially now that Appa had opened a bakery and he was exposed to this influence on a regular basis. JiHyun loved this lifestyle, that little brat, though occasionally I’d notice how he still can’t take in my influence.

I wonder if Areum notices my influence too. Is she impressed? The little kid who injured himself on a toilet seat was long gone and now a successful hunk of a man is what he became. Is she attracted to that?

What. Am. I. Thinking ?!

What the hell! Snap out of that Jimin.

Stay humble as always and remember that everything can be taken away if I don’t properly use it with good intentions.

I quietly groaned to myself.

Why would I call myself a successful hunk?? What the hell.

“Okay, we’ve arrived at our first destination of the day… Gamcheon Culture Village.” Hwan said in a much more gleeful tone. I associated that as an entertainer's voice. The voice and personality we take on as soon as we do our work.

The van passed by the sign saying ‘GAMCHEON Culture Village’ as it entered the smaller streets of the Gamcheon Culture Village. I’ve seen pictures of this place though I never had the time to come here before. People walking freely on the small one-laned streets had moved aside for the van to come through though I started to wonder whether our van was meant to be on these roads.

“Don’t worry, we’ll also walk on these streets later on. The van just needs us to arrive at Haneul Maru first so that we can take in the entire village.” Hwan said as if he read my mind.

I looked back outside and watched as people gathered around street stalls and seemingly every building had a different vibrant color.

The van stopped in the middle of the street as Hwan hummed and prepared to open the door. I can feel the anticipation from all of us as one of the guards got out first and assisted us in getting out of the van before the driver drove away.

“Don’t take in your surroundings yet! You haven’t seen the best part yet.” Hwan raised a finger before he led us on a small pathway between two buildings. We filed into a one file line with me right behind Hwan, Areum behind me, Ahnna behind her, and JiHyun in front of the bodyguard that was following a good distance behind.

“Watch your step everyone!” Hwan warned, before I turned the corner and swallowed at the small concrete steps.

“Hwan, what is this? Are you planning on keeping us hostage here? Perhaps kill us by accident?” I was obviously joking though I made my tone out to be accusatory.

“Of course not!” Hwan sounded offended as he sped up his climb though I kept up my careful pace.

I can hear the girls giggling behind me and I couldn’t help but have a smile on my face from how ridiculous this climb was. I can feel a few droplets of sweat arise from my heated forehead. So I pushed the sleeves of my colorblock denim jacket off my shoulders to alleviate some of the heat.

Busan was one of the warmer cities of South Korea though February was usually rainy, the skies had blessed us with a good sunny day. Good thing most of us were wearing decent clothing for both climates.

I wore a similar outfit to the one I arrived in Seoul with on Monday. Black straight cut jeans and a dark blue shirt that matched my newly colored hair. I hoped that since I wore a beanie that mostly covered my new hair at the airport that now that I’m wearing a black beret, no one would immediately notice me because of it. Though I still kept it safe and had a white mask on.

JiHyun always wore one of his hoodies though this time it was a partially zipped gray hoodie that gave him the ability to choose to warm up by zipping it all the way or unzipping it to let more air in.

Ahnna in the meanwhile wore denim straight leg pants with a white tank top and white cropped cardigan.

While Areum chose to wear a blue denim midi skirt with a black top. She tied her hair up in a temporary bun when she realized the sunny weather and even opted to leave her denim jacket at the van. I guessed she was always one to quickly break a sweat under hot weather. Even when we were teens, she always broke a sweat first when we walked towards a bus stop.

I can see Hwan reach the end of the stairs and I anticipated myself for the view, it was definitely one I shouldn’t have underestimated.

The beautifully colored buildings and houses looked so peaceful on the hillside. The sun had only started to reach its peak and the vibrant colors shone ever brighter. We could see the layered streets, twisted labyrinth-like alleys, and people busy with whatever stalls littered the streets.

“Woah! It’s so pretty!”

“Eumi unnie, let’s take pictures!” Ahnna spoke though when Hwan cleared his throat to speak we all turned to look at him with divided attention.

“Okay so… the Gamcheon Village was built during the 1920s and 1930s when the Busan city administration decided to relocate the working-class population into an area secluded from the port. So, Gamcheon underwent a lot of changes throughout the times. Gamcheon was actually only one district in the 1950s and now it’s nine. In the 70s the houses were made of wood. In the 80s and early 90s, families started getting bigger and houses started to get bigger and have multiple floors. In 2009, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism carried out a public art-themed renovation effort to convert the village into a central hub. With improvements to infrastructure, fresh paint, other home improvements, spaces for retail and museums, with the help of artists and residents the village has been reborn as Busan’s most colorful and artistic spot. And don’t worry we will be visiting these spots sooner than later.” Hwan explained as we all listened to him.

“Do residents still live here?” Areum asked.

“Yes, last time I checked it’s about 120 residents.” Hwan smiled at the girl who nodded at the information. She always had a knick for information. She wasn’t one that loved math and studying though her interest always piqued when the subject was one she wanted to learn more about. Perhaps this tour was exactly what she might’ve wanted.

“That’s not a lot. I thought you said the whole working-class population was relocated here.” She inquired and Hwan’s smile grew at the fact that the woman seemed to take note of every piece of information he said.

“Yes, the population is decreasing especially because this has become a common tourist attraction. After the renovations, about 300 houses were found abandoned and those were used to create museums instead.” Hwan smiled.

I can see JiHyun and Ahnna already wandering around the wooden view deck and taking pictures near the edge of the white fence. I honestly didn’t know why I was still listening to Hwan and Areum’s conversation, I just came here to bond with my brother and the girls though I was enjoying how Hwan answered Areum’s questions so composed and well studied. I can tell he had a lot of passion in his job.

“Jimin Hyung! Areum Noona! Come take a picture with us!” JiHyun called us over as I glanced back at Areum who nodded at the two though continued to converse with Hwan.

I walked towards the two near the edge and looked down at the streets below us. The breeze was chilly though the heat from the sun was enough to balance our temperature well.

“What’s unnie doing?” Ahnna sounded impatient as I could only chuckle at her and JiHyun as when I glanced at them they had their arms crossed in front of their chest.

“She’s always learning, no? Let her be, this is a private tour we can stay here as long as we’d like.” I said as Ahnna could only frown and ready her camera for another selfie before tapping me with a finger to smile for the camera.

“I’m sending this to Aaron. I’m a neglected child! My responsible guardian is ignoring me!” Ahnna jokingly complained as Areum glanced at her from the sides of her eyes, her eyebrows furrowed and she curved her lips into a pout that mocked and judged her sister.

It was a hilarious sight that had me holding onto my knees as I bent down from my laughter. JiHyun was laughing too as Areum finally stepped away from Hwan with a less than pleased look though I can tell from the way her cheeks tried to force down a smile that she wanted to laugh with us too.

“So bratty. I should just leave you here and go back to New York.” Areum rolled her eyes as she finally stood with us near the edge of the view deck.

“Yeah right! JiHyun and Jimin oppa would take care of me anyways!” Ahnna fought back with a voice full of sass.

“You leech! You just want to walk around the HYBE building to meet popular choreographers.” Areum softly shoved Ahnna on the shoulder as Ahnna tried to do it back though Areum continuously blocked her hand.

“I wouldn’t mind really…” I spoke without thinking.

It was true, I really wouldn’t mind. Ever since Ahnna was born I have taken a brotherly role for her and I still think our dynamic stays as it is. I’d love to help her with her studies in an art school. I did it with Jungkook and I’d do it again.

“Aish! It’s a nightmare, save yourself!” Areum softly shoved my shoulder though it was more of a tap of the tips of her fingers. I can tell that she didn’t mean to shove me and she realized it a bit too late as she already had her hand against my shoulder.

Shoulder shoving seems to be a new habit of hers. I don’t know where she got it from, she usually wasn’t like that. It was usually me and JiHyun who did it and whenever we unconditionally did it to her she’d just roll her eyes. Why am I reading into this so much? Just let the woman live, Jimin.

“Okay, serious now… Selfie for the gram!” Ahnna held up her phone to the sky with the front camera pointing down at us to show the colorful background of the Gamcheon Culture Village.

“Wait! I shouldn’t join…” I quickly stepped out of frame as the three looked at me with confusion.

“I shouldn’t appear in public media this month… The focus needs to be on the new album.” I paired it with a chuckle as I didn’t want them to not post their experience in Busan just because I couldn’t appear in social media.

“Everything doesn’t have to be posted. I’m sure we’ll have more photo opportunities later, so just join us for the selfie.” Areum said with a warm smile that made my stomach feel like it could float.

“Come on oppa, this will be for the memories and for eomma and appa.” Ahnna smiled as I relented and took my space back beside JiHyun and behind the two girls.

“Wait, I can’t see you two properly.” Ahnna tried to reach higher into the sky as JiHyun took a step closer behind Ahnna and I copied his action to come closer behind Areum.

“Don’t point it too high at the sky too! We’re gonna go blind staring at the sun!” JiHyun chuckled as he placed a hand around my shoulder.

Ahnna laughed and lowered the phone angle. I’m glad JiHyun pointed it out before we took pictures. I knew these weren’t going public but I wanted to smile with a peak of my eyes at least. I loved my eye smile but I didn’t want my eyes to entirely disappear from squinting at the sun.

“Oppa remove your mask!” Ahnna reminded me as I took the hand opposite from JiHyun, who was pressing on my side, to remove my mask. I hung the mask around my wrist before I rested my hand to the side of Areum’s shoulder before we all pressed together and smiled for the picture.

It was great. The moment felt great. It wasn’t like the happiness I feel everytime I’m on stage or when I’m with Bangtan and other friends. It wasn’t the same happiness as I felt with family either. It was a happiness that I will now start to associate with my past. A happiness that I must’ve felt before though it now felt foreign. It wasn't happiness that made my cheeks hurt from smiling, but it was happiness that left a good feeling in my stomach. A good mixture of unfamiliar airiness and warm fulfilling joy.

“We’ll be walking around the village towards our next location now. Feel free to stop and buy a few things on the way.” Hwan told us before he led the way down the staircase as we had spent a good twenty minutes on the view deck already. Just appreciating the scenery, taking pictures, and feeling the breeze on our skin.

“Is anybody hungry? It’s still a good 10 to 15 minute walk until we reach the cafe we’ll have a short break at.” Hwan asked.

“We might just buy some street foods on the walk.” JiHyun said as he walked behind Hwan and carefully looked behind him to make sure Ahnna was following behind him. Whilst Areum walked behind Ahnna and in front of me, with the bodyguard behind me.

We were halfway down the twisted staircase when I noticed Areum struggling with her midi skirt before I heard a skid of the soles of her sneakers. I didn’t see her slip though it was somewhat like a reflex for me to immediately grab her upper arm in case she fell. That all too familiar noise of shoes losing grip that I’ve heard way too often during dance practice.

“Woah…Thanks.” She breathily laughed whilst regaining composure as the rest of the group glanced up at us before continuing down the stairs more carefully.

“Careful.” I said before we continued walking down and her body posture only showed how flustered she was.

“You okay? You’re always falling nowadays…” I prolonged the silence as I took the last step and saw JiHyun and Ahnna walking towards Hwan a few meters ahead of us.

I haven’t brought up our past encounter at the photoshoot before. It mostly slipped my mind though Areum had only said to us last night that she took up a few gigs around Seoul. Was working for BigHit that day just a gig? I always thought we were careful about who we hired. Something about not wanting any spoilers to leak out considering we mostly do a lot of content weeks prior to the proper airing date. We already had six boys, excluding me of course, that were already doing a great job in spoilers. We did not need part time staff to spoil for us too, not that I’m calling Areum bad but if they let her in as a part timer then who else were they letting in?

“Ha. Ha. Ha.” Areum rolled her eyes in mocked laughter, though she wasn’t offended.

“I don’t do it on purpose.” She added.

“Uh huh.”

“I’m being serious. It just happens…”

I really wanted her to open up about the photoshoot. I wanted her to willingly talk about it instead of me bringing it up in a more direct way. Or I might just be a little scared to make it awkward for the both of us to speak about it.

We soon exited the smaller alley that led to the Haneul Maru observation deck before we went down a flight of stairs to get to the much larger one lane street.

“If you turn around actually, you’ll see that there’s a large fish made of tiny fish shaped cutouts. All throughout the village, you’ll see that these fish shaped cutouts will lead us around. And I know that you all know this since it’s practically the first thing we’re taught in school here, but Busan has the largest seaport in South Korea. The city has abundant seafood and traditional street markets where you can enjoy fresh and delectable dishes. I am also informing you to please wear beach appropriate attire for our last day since we will be spending most of it in Songdo.” Hwan smiled as we all nodded.

“Gosh, remember our Songdo visit before?” Areum spoke as the rest of the group had started walking off in a direction.

“How could I not?” I smiled and we walked side by side as we followed the group. Hwan was talking about something as JiHyun and Ahnna followed closely behind him and I assumed the guard was walking behind us. As I grew more aware of the fact that I could be recognized.

“It was a long time ago. How old were we?” Areum asked as I looked up at the sky as if it would help me remember.

“JiHyun was at most six, so you were probably seven and I was turning eight.” I remember though perhaps we were a year younger. My childhood years seemed to all merge together and every memory I have prior to meeting Areum had disappeared whilst every memory I had before confessing and getting in a relationship with Areum was childhood.

I didn’t lose my childhood when we were together. I lost it when I started thinking about the future, my future. The future that I vaguely made out was me in Seoul and dancing, that was the year I started to dream and act on it. My teenage wild and whatever you call it phase.

“I don’t remember much of that anymore. Everything is hectic in New York. It makes you forget things easily.” Areum said as I nodded along.

“I’ve been to New York and it surely does feel more hectic.”

“You have?” Areum asked with surprise and it broke my heart to know that she wasn’t keeping up with me. It wasn’t like I expected her too but damn…

I literally performed for New Year’s. How could she not know? Isn’t it like the biggest thing in New York?

“We performed in Times Square during Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve.”

“You did? Wow! That’s great! I’m sure the crowds were cheering you on.” She smiled at me and I wanted to smile back, though I only forced to squint my eyes in the illusion that I smiled as the effort of smiling didn’t feel needed when I had my mask on.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t watch it. We spent New Year’s in Seoul with Aaron.” Areum apologized though I only shook my head to signal that it wasn’t worth apologizing for. Of course I knew Aaron spent New Year’s in Seoul. I saw it on her Instagram afterall.

“Aaron hyung was here? Was Mr and Mrs Seong here too?” I asked as I remember it was one of the questions I asked myself that one drunken night.

“No… just us three.” She exaggerated a smile.

I should really stop bringing up her parents. Stop it Jimin. It’s awkward and none of your business.

“Ah, you should’ve said something. Eomma and Appa could’ve celebrated with you! I might’ve gone home too if we had guests.” I proposed though Areum only shook her head at the idea.

“We shouldn’t bother—“

“Areum, you two are never a bother! Look at JiHyun, he missed you so much. You’d have to run before he chains you to Busan.” I pointed at my brother happily pointing at everything he sees with a smile brighter than I’ve seen after all these years.

“I never knew he’d be this happy to see us.”

“We’re all happy to see you guys after all these years. I’m not joking, I would've actually spent New Year in Busan and canceled New York if you reached out.”

I don’t know if that was an exaggeration or not, but I would’ve definitely tried. It’s been too long and I know I wouldn’t pass up the opportunity to spend the holidays with my family and reunited friends.

“Yeah right. You’re a busy man now, Jimin. You’d probably get yelled at by your Sejin ssi.” She warned with a joking yet serious tone that made a laugh bubble out of my throat.

“Sejin i— he can’t control me!” I doubted the next thing I was going to say as I fought back with a much more playful manner that I’d usually engage in when Taehyung was up to his more theatrical moods.

“I know you were about to say that Sejin wasn’t your boss! He’s your boss Jimin. You have to follow him or else he’ll look like he was on his last hair with you not changing for the next set.” Areum alluded to something I don’t vividly remember happening.

“What do you mean? What set?”

“When you were still watching the interviews when you and RM should’ve been changing.” She clarified as I remembered when RM had dragged me on screen to join the other members in their group interview.

I chuckled with a shake of my head. Ironic really. I wouldn’t get changed because I was watching her. I was merely baffled by her presence in the photoshoot.

“I didn’t know Sejin was angry… I thought he was in our waiting room already.” I shrugged as I really didn’t get a glimpse of our manager that time.

“How’s TXT’s manager?” I added, hoping to stay on this topic of work.

“He’s good. We don’t interact much, but he’s been kind.” Areum smiled as I was at a loss of what to respond.

“I’m a BigHit makeup artist, so it’s not like he’s my boss.” Areum added with sass and a playful manner that stayed the same after all these years.

“I guess you’re right.” I laughed.

“Your boss is Sun Jee?” I asked as I stated the name of one of HYBE’s boss that I knew was in control of the makeup and dressing department.

“No, it’s Hee Ran. I just work for BigHit, not HYBE.” She smiled as I nodded.

“For how long?”

“I got connected through a friend and got hired when I booked a ticket and got my visa for Seoul.” She explained briefly.

“So you’ve worked since the day you got here?”

“Not really. I don’t go to every shoot or event. BigHit has other staff too, you know. And I’m just building up my portfolio and trying to get better at it.”

“I saw your work. You’re already doing very well!” I said encouragingly though the raise of her brow had me thinking that I said something wrong.

“When did you see my work?”

Oh.

“At the photoshoot… you did TXT’s makeup and hair and it looked great!” I recovered with a forced chuckle.

“Well yes… but I wanted to be more experimental. That’s why I do gigs outside of BigHit too. You idols need to look perfect, so I can’t try anything more than a new technique on your eyeshadow.”

Yes, I know. You post them on your Instagram and they all look amazing. You can be more experimental with me. Let it be like all those years ago, when you experiment on hiding blemishes and my scar.

I wanted to say so much in reply but when Hwan turned around to connect eyes with me I knew I didn’t have the time.

“Jimin ssi, you might want to take a good look at this.” Hwan called for me as the three of them slowed down for me and Areum to walk up to.

We rounded the corner and saw a pink building called Korean Traditional Paper Art Shop with space beside it to look over the village at another angle and had photo booths lined up beside the building.

“We’ll take pictures in the photo booth?” I asked though Hwan only kept walking past the building before he turned around and looked at something behind me.

“Woah! Hyung!”

I heard JiHyun’s amazement before I turned around and saw that the Korean Traditional Paper Art Shop had a painted mural of both me and Jungkook. It was amazing and something I hadn’t even heard of before. A cloud background was behind us as both me and Jungkook held red roses. Whilst the hashtags #Jungkook #Jimin were beside our murals.

“Woah! I have to tell Jungkook about this.”

If I had my mask off then they’d definitely see my toothy smile, though I think it was obvious with the mask on that I had a smile on my face. My cheeks were so high up that I was squinting at the mural. Though I had to remind myself to be extra cautious in case there were any ARMYs around admiring the mural too.

I quickly pulled out my phone and took a picture of it to send to the group chat later.

“Want us to take a picture for you?” Areum asked though I only shook my head. It was no need. It would probably raise more suspicion on why a man that was similarly built to the man on the mural was taking an awkward photo in front of it.

“You guys want to buy something here? Our next stop is a cafe so there should be no rush.” Hwan informed us as I skimmed through the display.

“You want something?” I looked towards the two sisters as they shrugged though their eyes roamed through the display.

“Excuse me.” I called the attention of one of the vendors as an older woman came to my call.

“Yes mister? What can I get for you?”

“May I buy two sensus?” I said as I glanced at the artful folding fans that were displayed on a rack.

“Of course, just choose. The price depends on the design.” The woman smiled as she pointed at the fans for sale.

I looked over at the Seong siblings and gestured for them to choose as they tried to deny it though I insisted and they let their eyes roam at each design carefully.

“I’ll choose this.” Ahnna took a green and blue sensu from the lower rack that wasn’t displayed though similar enough to one that was on the rack.

“That will be 20,000 won.” The woman smiled and I nodded as I got my wallet out to count some cash that I’ve brought aside from my credit cards.

“And this? How much?” Areum spoke to the lady as she pointed to a sensu that had an off-white background behind a simple Cherry Blossom tree branch. Of course she went for something so elegantly simple.

“35,000 won, miss.”

“What? What’s the difference between these two?” She pointed to the one Ahnna held as her eyes tried to not widen from surprise at the price.

“This one is larger and is made from the best bamboo!” The older woman tried to impress though Areum was having none of it.

“How about 25,000 won?”

“No way, miss! This is really good quality and—“

“Don’t worry about it Eumi, I’ve got it.” I interrupted the older woman as I took out a yellow 50,000 won bill along with a 20,000 won bill to hand to the woman.

“We’ll have both ahjumma. Thank you.” I bowed as the woman looked less pleased with Areum though still packed up both fans in a bag and handed it to me. She was about to return my change though I simply shook my head as a sign for her to keep it.

“Jimin. 55,000 won on sensu? Back then they were 10,000 won each!” Areum complained as we started to walk away.

“Areum. I’m BTS.” I had a smug smile behind my mask as I said the line with much pride.

Was I being boastful? Yes.

Did I need to stay humble? Yes.

But for once I finally got to tell Areum my biggest accomplishment while she was gone and I wanted her to be proud of that.

“Aish, shh! They’ll eat you up as soon as they hear you. Then it’ll be a bigger problem for all of us.” Areum looked around as though she was checking if anyone had heard such a deep secret.

“Hyung, let's buy some!” JiHyun called me from the other side of the street as he pointed to a fresh Kkwabaegi stall. The sweet twisted doughnut smell was already hitting my nose as soon as I laid sight upon the stall.

We approached the stall and asked for ten doughnuts. JiHyun already had one in his mouth and was being held by a white paper cup whilst the rest were in a paper bag that we’d take to the cafe that Hwan said was only 3 minutes away.

“I remember loving this as a kid!” JiHyun said as he stuffed another mouthful into his mouth before he licked his lips from any stray sugar particles.

“Looks like you still do.” Areum added as we chuckled and JiHyun rolled his eyes.

“We really need to eat more in Seoul, Eumi. You know, during New Year’s we went to a traditional Korean restaurant and I didn’t know half of the things on the menu!” Ahnna complained.

“Aish, blame Appa and Aaron for that!” Areum waved a hand at her younger sister though opted to keep her eyes on the road we were walking on.

“You’re an American already. You grew up in America. It’s natural.” I stated.

I’m pretty sure there was another word for it because the situation was just that common. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it get called ‘whitewashing’ though I’m not sure if the situation is entirely similar. I couldn’t blame Ahnna. She even speaks in half Korean and half English and she definitely had an accent from the west. Thankfully enough all of us are exposed to English and American accents so communicating with Ahnna was smooth sailing. I even see it happening to Namjoon Hyung, especially when we travel to The States and are exposed to more Western accents. Even Hobi Hyung gets it sometimes and I worry that the more we take English lessons then the more we’ll have this accent more frequently. Days are harder when I can’t slip in an ‘Okay’ in pure English form.

“That’s why you’re here to study. You get to be more in touch with your culture again, so that this time you won’t forget it so easily.” JiHyun smiled as I nodded in agreement.

“Just through this corner.” Hwan spoke from behind us as he was engaging in conversations with our guard.

We climbed up a set of stairs on the sidewalk. The village seems to have layers that you simply walk through by these staircases on the side of the road.

Hwan decided to walk in front of us to lead us to the cafe. It was good timing too because my feet were getting more exhausted the more steps I took. Now imagine if we walked all the way to our middle school earlier? I would be dead.

“Now this place is actually run by a close relative of mine and it’s a bit more private so you could take your mask off and relax more Jimin ssi.” Hwan smiled as we approached a red building that seemed to be two stories tall with a roof deck on the top.

I can tell that it was more private than the rest of the cafe’s we passed by. All the others were near the sidewalk and closer to the edge to have a view of the village.

We went into the cozy red building. The walls were painted white with black stone tiled flooring and a black brick counter that showed the staff making the drinks.

“Why don’t we take a seat on the third floor for the view? Or would you like to stay on the second floor for the air conditioning?” Hwan asked as we all piled in front of the counter.

“Let’s go to the top and when it gets too hot some of us could come back down.” I raised the idea as Hwan nodded and told the guard to go up and get us a table before he stayed with us to order.

“Hello! What can I get for you?” The barista greeted us as we all looked at the menu.

“I’ll have the coconut jelly iced tea.” JiHyun said as the woman nodded and placed his order on the register.

“I’ll have an Americ—“

“Ahh! We were just talking about this earlier…” JiHyun interrupted the girl as me and Areum let out a laugh.

“Wha—“

“Why not try something other than a coffee that’s literally called American.” JiHyun said as I let out an even louder and breathier laugh. His interruption was uncalled for, but bless my brother and his overactive nature.

“You should try something else, Ahnna. It’s too late for a coffee anyways.” Areum added as she flicked her phone on and the digits 15:07 displayed on her phone to indicate that it was three in the afternoon already.

“Okay… I’ll have a Grapefruit Ade.” Ahnna pointed to the English menu.

“And I’ll have a Blueberry Yoghurt Smoothie.” Areum said as the three of them now looked at me for my order.

“I’ll have a Green Grape Ade.” I said as the cashier inputted that in.

“I’ll have two Americanos too! But please separate our bill.” Hwan said from behind us as the cashier nodded and typed a few things on her register.

“Please separate both of our orders too please. The Yoghurt and—“

“No need. I’ll pay for it, don't worry.” I smiled as I interrupted Areum. Her lips readied to disagree though I stopped it by pulling out my newly obtained black card.

“I don’t get it? Why do they get Americanos?” Ahnna half whined.

“They’re adults.” JiHyun responded nonchalantly though Hwan also responded at the same time.

“It’s the cheapest thing there.”

“Kindly cancel his order too and add two Cappuccinos to our order.” I smiled as I could see Hwan’s mouth slightly drop at my quick action.

“Jimin ssi…”

“Hwan, I can’t pull this out and expect you to pay for your own Americanos now.” I chuckled as I waited for the register to calculate our order.

“That will be 30,500 won. Would you like any pastries added?” The register asked as I turned to the people around me as they only shook their heads no.

“We’ll have some cheese bread with that please. Just take 40,000 won from that.” The register nodded as I handed the card to her and she swiped it before letting me sign the receipt.

“We’ll call you when it’s ready.” The woman smiled before turning around to tell her colleague about the order.

“I’ll wait here for the orders. You guys can go up.” I told the group as I removed my mask and finally got to breathe in some cold conditioned air.

“I’ll stay with you.” Areum said as the rest had already started going up.

We both sat down at a nearby table as I removed my black beret and finger combed my hair.

I wonder how cool I look right now. After flashing my newly gotten invitational black card and having my blue hair out. I must look like a dream. Though I quickly brought those thoughts down and I wasn’t usually the boasting type. What was happening? I shouldn’t be thinking like that.

“Wow, so Mr. Black Card?” Areum raised a brow as she removed her hair tie and let her long hair flow down her shoulders whilst I only chuckled.

Okay Jimin. We get it, you're rich and handsome and everything let’s stay humble now.

“You want some? They might get cold soon.” I placed the bag of Kkwabaegi and Areum gladly took one out of the bag and took a bite before peeling one braid of the twist and offering it to me.

“Gosh, you still eat it that way.” I laughed and shook my head as I vividly remember Areum eating Kkwabaegi by peeling the two braids off instead of just biting into it the normal way.

“What? It’s good! I haven’t had this in forever, and it’s still warm!” She smiled as she took a bigger bite of her strand of sugar coated bread while I took the strand that she offered me.

I took a bite of the bread and instantly felt the warmth of the bread in my stomach as we ate the bread in silence. Though it wasn’t an awkward silence between past lovers. This time it felt warmer, it felt just like it used to be before. A silence that was understood as a time for us to rest our personalities and just bask in nothing but the smell of coffee.

“Excuse me ma'am and sir, your order is ready.” The cashier waved to us as I stood up and grabbed one of the trays of our drinks.

“Thank you.” I said as I turned to the other trays debating on how I would take this up the stairs.

“I’ll take this one.” Areum took the wooden tray in her arms with a smile after she had already placed the bag of twisted doughnuts to place on my wooden tray.

“Careful.” I warned seriously, though she only laughed at me.

“Don’t worry, I had my daily trip already. I won’t trip this time around.”

And she really didn’t trip as I walked behind her on the staircase. We got up to the top floor and admired the view with rest. Ahnna and Areum had even taken pictures and videos for their Instagrams that I was sure I’d see later when I opened Instagram.

The cafe had us relaxing as Hwan and I discussed the next stops we’d take in the village.

We still had dinner with my parents later on in the night so we had to travel back to Jinam-ro on time.

We went to a few more locations around the Gamcheon Culture Village. We took some pictures with the Little Prince Statue that overlooked another angle of the village. We went to buy a few more souvenirs in the Gamcheon Culture Station. We also went to see the Stairs to See Stars, though it was difficult to take pictures when other people also sat and stepped on the stairs to take pictures.

“Gosh, this is exhausting. My knees hurt.” Areum complained as we were walking towards a small museum Hwan wanted us to see.

“You’re getting old, unnie.” Ahnna laughed though it was followed by Areum bringing a weak hand up to threaten a punch.

“We’re both too old for this. I don’t get why Hwan is taking us to all these places.” I said.

“I’m taking you to all these places because last time I heard you wanted to show these locals turned foreign around so that they get to embrace their culture again.” Hwan sassily yet calmly responded.

“Yeah, but after this I think I need to lay down for the next seven days. This isn’t a break from work. This is more intense than my workout!” I exclaimed though JiHyun only snorted at me.

“You work out, hyung?” He chuckled as a mock to my ever repeating statements of working out.

“JiHyun, watch yourself.” I warned him.

“Here we are! After this we’ll just walk back to the main road and the van should be waiting to take us back to Jinam-ro. Unless you’d like to walk all the way back to Haneul Maru?” Hwan teased though both me and Areum turned in synch to glare at him.

“At least tomorrow days we’ll be spending most of it in museums.” Hwan smiled as I threw I nodded a relieved.

“Hwan, go easy on us tomorrow.” I said as the man nodded.

“Of course, Jimin ssi. We’ll be at the museum and aquarium in Hawundae, so you’ll probably end off earlier. We could book you dinner somewhere after too…” Hwan replied as he looked at me expectantly for my plans though I hadn’t really thought much about it.

“Uh… I don’t know. Are there any good places in that area?” I thought of the idea on the spot as we were already eating out tonight, a change of menu would be great from time to time.

“Yes! If anything is going to get Ahnna more familiar with South Korean culture then it’s night life in Haeundae!” JiHyun cheered as Areum’s eyes widened at the idea.

“Oppa, I’m not legal yet!” Ahnna whined as I laughed at Areum’s reaction. I placed a hand over my mask as if I still needed to conceal my open mouthed laugh behind the mask.

“No. Maybe next time, but not right now. That’s something for Aaron to have a say in.” The older sister said as my laughter subsided though a smile still fought its way up my cheeks.

“But would you join? Have you even tried the nightlife in Korea? You left before you were even legal.” I waved my brow in suggestion of a night out though the woman only rolled her eyes.

“Jimin hyung, have you tried American nightlife?” JiHyun asked in curiosity .

“Of course! It’s nice there, their whiskey is top tier!”

“And the girls?” JiHyun wiggled his brows.

I could only chuckle. Whatever I did outside of South Korea is a different story to how I usually do it here. Sometimes I was dumb enough to join house parties that I really shouldn’t have gone to, but that was that.

“Here’s the Modern Man museum! It’s pretty small, but it’s private enough for Jimin ssi to take a break from wearing your mask.” Hwan smiled as we stood outside the small building.

I removed my mask as I read the text outside the building.

Room of our Contemporaries

Contemporary Men by Shin Mugyeong

A Village Art Project in 2012.

The work expressed the busy contemporary men who are doing repetitive tasks in their daily life by visualizing the hands tapping on the keyboards or people working at the desk.

It was self explanatory.

I stepped in first since the rest were still busy reading the sign. Inside was a TV about the working man though I only skimmed through the message before JiHyun followed me in and we both entered the main room.

A brightly lit white room with glass that separated us from the artwork. About 15 machines that visualized a clear hand pressing onto nonexistent keyboards.

Namjoon Hyun had actually started to be more open about his love for art and museums. Just like Jin Hyun and Lee Hyun Hyung and their open interest in fishing that had newly started after our photoshoot. And just like fishing, I really don’t understand the appeal of looking at interpretive art.

Yes, I agree they look incredible, but Namjoon Hyung goes into rants about artworks sometimes and I really don’t understand it. Though I try to understand that art and fishing is their passion like dancing is for me.

What a weird passion, in my opinion. But it’s their life.

“Woah, this is nice!” Areum’s eyes roamed the room as I only stood in place and looked back at the room as if I was missing something.

Was there something I couldn’t see?

No there wasn’t. Perhaps Areum and Ahnna had a better eye than me since they took a good few minutes just staring at the exhibit before we exited back out.

We soon got into the van and we were back on the road after a long day. The sun had begun to set as we sat quietly in the van. The walking and standing we did throughout the day had finally taken its weight on us as the van was completely silent on the ride back to the cafe.

I told Hwan to simply drop us off at Magnate since my parents will be driving all of us to Geumcheon-Dong for dinner.

I took out my phone and started to aimlessly check important notifications that I might’ve missed. I saw the reactions of fans on our second MOTS:7 Concept photos that showed my much more vibrantly colored blue hair. I should take more precautions now since fans will be on the lookout for a blue headed male around.

Of course ARMY loves me.

ARMY loves all of us and we love ARMY back. That’s why we’re so excited for our new album Map Of The Soul: 7 and our plans for doing a world tour. It would be a great opportunity to see ARMY again.

We all could honestly say that our souls' motivation was ARMY. They give us the power to persevere through challenges and hardships. No matter the battle, no matter the dumb fights and complications we face. If ARMY was brought into the conversation then everything doesn’t matter except for ARMY.

Our new album ‘Map Of The Soul: 7’ is our fourth full-length album and shows the honest story of our journey of discovering our true selves. ‘Map Of The Soul: 7’ looks back on the seven years since our debut as seven members in one team. Our joruney to stardom wasn’t easy and smooth sailing. We faced challenges that left scars, and we now understood that these scars were part of ourselves. Our new album will show our growth as artists and I just can’t contain my excitement for this release. Considering Taehyung and I actually have a duet that included my active participation in making the lyrics and part of the production. I just can’t contain my excitement.

I just hope ARMY will love it too.

When I finished checking Weverse and ARMYs reaction to our concept photos, I then looked around and saw that JiHyun was asleep beside me whilst Areum and Ahnna were sitting behind us though they kept their eyes on the road or on their phones.

I opened Instagram and logged into my account. Seeing reposted pictures of our concept photos before I saw Areum’s account has posted a new story.

They were snippets of our trip around Gamcheon Culture Village and I couldn’t help but sigh in happiness as I looked back at the day. It was definitely different from how I expected my break would be though I wasn’t complaining.

It was great reconnecting with old friends.

[whysojiminimnida]

OH MY GOD CALM DOWN JEEZ

People still losing their shit over this

and with good reason I might add, I have spoken on it already *coughbetweenroundscough* but the naysayers are saying NAY very horsily, more like "neigh loud enough and it won't be true" which: points for the coping mechanism, denial is a powerful tool, use it as needed but REALLY? At some point it's gotta be sinking in.

"BUT HE WAS IN BUSAN"

No shit, Sherlock. Y'all act like he wasn't there for Jimin's Live and a train can't get to Busan in four hours. Trust and believe that it can. It's 2:15 on the high speed rail that is usually closed at that time of night unless you're BTS. But even if he went earlier...

... you can be assured that the jeonparkery was going, is going, will go and already done went DOWN.

It went down so hard that the hyung of all hyungs had to address it:

I love Korean and its lack of reasoned pronouns. He meant "everyone will think we're on bad terms but none of us are because we're all cool. So cool."

MEETINGS HAVE BEEN HELD. This has been a Topic Of Meetings. ARMY opinions, "anti-shipper" and TKK opinions are considered Valuable Factors for marketing because of their dollar signs, and it was addressed as recently as yesterday. Totally unrelated, traveling separately is a great way to deflect suspicion and enhance security, not that anyone would think otherwise. ANYWAY.

THEY READ US. BTS READS US. They do. I cannot tell you how many times I've been told "Yeah so Hobah says ARMY's on their bullshit again", like.... Y'ALL. I HEAR THIS WEEKLY. And in case the bajillion posts didn't clue you in, Hoseok hangs with Jimin almost daily. They are close in a way that, I hate to even say it, Taehyung and Jimin are not. Not anymore.

He did post though.

I mean he didn't say "bro" or anything so it isn't romantic but... don't get any crazy ideas, they're fine. They're just fine, fine, fine. Sing it with me, they're fiiiine... kinda. I'm actually addressing the maknae line in a series that may have to take a back seat to Busan this week. The lines at Magnate are OUT THE DOOR (photo stolen from twt user pjmdata who is there, unlike me but very like Kev and X)

And naturally some elements just have to go and step on normal human boundaries and insert themselves into every situation:

It's not as big a deal as it looks. Kev saw it and says it's actually one of those oversized poster-type digital ads in a station, people sneeze as they walk past it and don't even look because the rest of Busan is rightfully INSANE, lining up at the Jeon Park Tribute Wall and everything. I'm told it's an entire Jiminfest over there right now. That's gotta be chapping some asses.

So, listen. The Jeon-Parks are doing well. Happy, as much as any closeted gay couple in a massive media frenzy can be. It's not easy spending years of your twenties dodging the press and the cameras and the fans you love so you don't get outed. Jungkook in particular, never a lie-down-and-take-it kind of guy (ahem, as far as we know), is having a rough time with the Golden Closet. Films or no films. Maybe personal films, I'm not judging.

It's a beautiful sunny day in FloriDUH and I'm off to see my only daughter for the first time in a solid year so cut me a break, willya, I'll update as I have the inclination but yeah. I think we may have a coming out before I expected it. We'll see. I LOVE YOU GUYS, LOVE YOU LOVE YOU LOVE YOUUUUUU /rosebowl /fireworks

I'm out. Carry on.

[andy-wm]

Omg @heartofbusan I can't believe you wrote about this tonight!

Because for realsies - at the risk of sounding like I'm me-tooing your thoughts - I was thinking about this earlier.

I was assembling a cute little wrought iron garden arch at about 9pm tonight and found myself gazing at the moon and musing over Jikook and their love story.

I zoned out, standing there with my teeny-tiny little spanner, you know the type that comes in the package when you buy something you have to assemble, thinking about the way the two of them laugh delightedly at silly things and how they are endlessly entertained by each other. I was filled with that warm happy-sadness of second hand joy, just smiling by myself in the darkness.

I realised i am in love with their love for each other.

I have no need to be part of it. I'm grateful just to be an unknown bystander. I am of no consequence to them whatsoever and that's fine by me.

We are all just NPCs in Jikook's world.

I'm not jealous of either of them (actually sometimes i am envious of what they have because I'm currently very single and it sucks).

I adore them as a couple. They give me faith in the universality of love.

It's so human, such a basic, fundamental part of our existance and at the same time it's incredibly special and rare. Their love is precious and beautiful, and not just their romantic love but also their platonic love.

Their enduring friendship is just as inspiring.

It's true that we have only a narrow view of them but from what i can see they've never pushed aside their friendship in favour of romance. The way they are when they're together - from their playful teasing to their genuine affection to their absolute trust and honesty - all stems from their friendship. It seems like that foundation has never crumbled, and we know it can happen. Catching feelings can ruin a friendship.

Theirs seems stronger than ever, cemented by their emotions (and the ever present lust, lets be real. That's not slowing down either.)

I loved reading your views on GCFT, its absolutely an ode to Jimin, put together with such obvious tenderness. It's not hard to imagine Jungkook gazing at the still images with a soft smile.

Thinking back, The Moment I Knew, would have been Rosebowl. It's a cliche, i know but I was already watching them (after GMA when they performed BWL in Central Park and Jimin back hugged JK and then walk off the stage with his arm around JK i kept a close eye on them).

If all the subtle gestures I'd seen up until then were like tinkling bells, Rosebowl was an air raid siren.

The other big one, when i started going back through all the things I'd missed (i had only been army since late 2018 and there was so much happening i couldn't keep up) was the fortune cookie at GDA.

Really, the fortune cookie incident was more shocking to me than Rosebowl because by then I understood the significance of Jungkook dropping honorifics in front of the whole world. The fact that Jimin didn't say a word about it made it crystal clear that Jimin and Jungkook had an understanding.

The fact that none of the other members pulled him up either meant everyone knew and accepted the situation.

Of course their body language gave the game away too, but we already had all the evidence we needed.

They were unambiguously together.

Jikook inspire so many people to believe in the kind of love songs are written about.

The kind of love found in books and movies and art.

Love is such a simple yet powerful emotion. Can it really be just a feeling? Sometimes, it's so powerful, it can barely be contained in one's body, thrumming to the surface, making your hair stand up, your cheeks blush, and your body to become like a magnet. The pull of the moon is strong between them.

They've been given a gift, really, and they share it with us. Keep it safe 🥹💜💛

-

I loved reading this thread. It's a compilation of people realizing...

Because you can't deny what's happening right in front of your salad.

What was your moment?

Mine was GCFT. I work in film, and I know how much time and effort goes into making any video, be it short or long. This was a labor fueled by love.

Any video is born from an idea, a spurt of inspiration that transforms into concrete steps and actions. Jungkook constructed the narrative by, first of all, bringing along the camera. Maybe even while planning the trip. He consciously turned his lens towards his subject, his muse, by placing said subject in a variation of wide shots, the 'Tokyo' of the title becomes the backdrop of the narrative: a young man, enjoying his freedom in Tokyo.

The close ups always get me. First, the Jimin we see glancing around his shoulder in the tunnel leading towards the plane. He's in 'disguise', hiding his appearance, hunched over a bit. Hiding, but unable to keep up appearances, he busts a funny move when he catches Jungkook looking at him. This is the beginning of his transition. The shedding of a layer.

Then, comes the silly faced Jimin, bathed in yellow light.

Here we see Jungkook's Jimin emerge.

Funny, yes, but more importantly, UNINHIBITED. Free. Guys, I'm crying again. Nobody puts GCFT in a corner because she needs to shine.

The golden light cast upon his face, and he emerged into his truest form.

😭😭😭😭

Almost at the end of gcft, we see the most beautiful of all the Jimin’s. He is free to laugh and be silly, free from control, his own, and others. And Jungkook is right there with him, catching him if he needs.

Also, Jungkook is immortalizing this moment. For Jimin to see: this is how I see you. This is how beautiful you are, to me too. Guys, really... I cannot. Drink water pls.

As I looked for stills I stumbled upon a THOROUGH analysis of GCF's videos that I sincerely recommend. Read it on this (hopefully) lazy Sunday. Thanks to @kanmom51 for reblogging it since OP deactivated 🤧

Wow. This started as a way to hype that first thread, and before I knew it, I spent an hour looking for pictures and stumbled upon that blog, and my lazy Sunday became a GCF rabbithole. 😃😃😃 I am normal, I swear.

Have a lovely day, my sweets, I admire all of you for supporting real love. For believing in romance, even if you haven't experienced it yourself, or if you lost it, or if you don't desire it at all. It's all good. Life is about growing into your truest form.

Jikook grew from separate branches, only to entagle with each other, and GCFT is proof.

[goldenhickeyss]

Vibe is coming 🥰

Jimin is coming 😍

Jimin x Taeyang is coming 😍

On the 13th January 😁