Pride and Fidget Spinners (M)
Author: @kpopfanfictrash , as part of the You’ll Never Shop Alone (YNSA) collaboration with @underthejoon and @suga-kookiemonster
Creative Content Contributor: @underthejoon, for this amazing banner
Rating: 18+
Warnings: oral (female receiving), dirty talk, big dick (it’s seokjin, duh), everyone in this fic is a brat, seokjin talks about fair lending
Genre: Rom-Com / Smut / Enemies to Lovers
Word Count: 18,623
Summary: Seokjin has always prided himself on being the top mall kiosk salesman. His turf, the spot nearest to the fountain, is due to him being the undisputed best in the game. At least, until you arrive and throw his world into chaos.
[ cross-posted to Wattpad here ]
I GET KNOCKED DOWN, BUT I GET UP AGAIN
YOU ARE NEVER GONNA KEEP ME DOWN
I GET KNO –
SLAP. Seokjin’s hand finds the buzzer, tuning off his alarm to burrow further under the covers. Sunlight streams through the open windows, pricking the back of his eyelids but Seokjin refuses to look. He can sleep for five more minutes. Five more minutes will not kill him.
Somewhere else in his apartment, a bedroom door slams. Wincing, Seokjin pulls his comforter higher. His roommate, Min Yoongi, spends most of his time annoyed with the world – but especially in the morning, and especially before having coffee. Loud banging continues, along with the sound of facial products hitting the sink. Groaning out loud, Seokjin pulls a pillow over his face.
Unfortunately, he is now awake and unable to slip back into his dream. It was a good one, too. Something about Iron Man and that hot barista at the mall Taehyung is crushing on. Squinting into his pillow, Seokjin abruptly sits up and tosses this on the floor.
“Fuck!” he yelps, throwing up a hand.
Every day, Seokjin somehow forgets to close his blinds before sleeping. Groping his way into the bathroom, Seokjin ruffles a hand through mussed morning hair. Turning on both taps in his shower, he waits for the water to warm and stares at himself in the mirror.
Clapping both hands to his face, Seokjin drags down the side of his cheeks. Getting older is weird.
Before he can get too hung up on this fact, Seokjin steps into the tub. “I GET KNOCKED DOWN,” he sings, lathering himself with soap. “BUT I GET UP AGAIN!”
Once out of the shower, dried and with a towel wrapped around his waist, Seokjin wanders into his closet. The sight dims his spirits a bit, seeing rows and rows of neatly pressed suits. Seokjin stares them each down in turn, knowing blinking is a weakness.
Reaching past them, he sighs.
The one at the front is navy, pin-striped and stares at him mockingly. Seokjin remembers wearing that one on his first day of work, nearly three years ago. He remembers how proud his parents were of him when he called them on his way home.
Seokjin’s heart sinks at the memory. That first phone call overlaps with another, less pleasant one. The one after his company decided to move their programming center out of his city. Seokjin was not one of the engineers selected to go. He was – rather unceremoniously – let go.
Let go. Seokjin snorts at the memory. Let go is such a nicer way to say fired. Fired has the ring of burnt smoke to it; it stinks of crumbling foundations and all hell breaking loose. If a company wants to yank one’s livelihood out from under them, Seokjin at least feels they should have the decency to call it what it is. Let go.
Shaking his head, Seokjin pushes past the suit to grab a white button-down. It has been nearly six months since that second call. Four months since his severance ran out and Seokjin realized he needed a job. Three months and three weeks since he began working at the Fidget Funk – even thinking the name makes Seokjin wince.
If someone had told him three years ago that he, Kim Seokjin, with his fancy degree and multiple years of experience, would ever be working a glorified mall job, Seokjin would have laughed in their face. He would have asked what they were smoking and if he could share – and yet. Here he is.
Frowning at himself in the mirror, Seokjin zips up his pants. Perhaps the worst part is that Seokjin was not upset when he was ‘let go.’ He was not actually disappointed by the firing, which disappointed his parents even more. When Bob and Karen from HR sat him down in that tiny, white room and handed him a tiny, white packet, Seokjin could not stop grinning.
His colleagues thought he had been kept when he left the room. That is how much Seokjin hated that company. His pure joy at finally leaving was enough to make up for the sucky way it happened.
Honestly, Seokjin was not surprised when he was fired. His entire last year he worked there, Seokjin spent most of his free time designing apps on his phone. No wonder they let him go, come to think of it. He was hardly their employee of the year.
Grabbing both wallet and keys, Seokjin shoves these into his pockets. Stepping into the hall, he glances at Yoongi’s room. “Yoongi!” he calls. No answer. “Hey! Min Yoongi!”
Continued silence, apart from the harsh thud of bass.
Leaning a shoulder against the wall, Seokjin tries again. “MIN YOONGI!”
The door at the end of the hall opens, hitting the wall. “What?” With a yawn, Yoongi drags a hand through his hair. Bleached blond strands fall about his face. “You said 10:00 AM. It’s 10:01.”
“Right.” Seokjin looks at him pointedly. “But I need to have the kiosk set up by 10:30, or else Bertha gets pissed.”
Yoongi walks past him and frowns. “Who’s Bertha? I don’t remember you working with anyone named Bertha.”
“I don’t.” Seokjin shrugs. Today is one of the rare days their work schedules lined up and – amazingly enough – Yoongi agreed to carpool. “Bertha is the name of my fidget spinner display. She’s temperamental.”
Yoongi groans, shutting the door. “Dude, you need to get a hobby.”
“I do have a hobby!”
“Then, get a girlfriend,” says Yoongi, sliding his keys from the lock. “You have way too much free time on your hands.”
“Do not,” Seokjin mutters, shoving both hands in his pockets as they walk to his car. “I’m working on loads of stuff.”
“Oh, really?” Yoongi flips his phone. “Which amazing app is it today? Let me guess. The one which meows every time a cat comes near? Or, the one which ranks all the apps in your phone from most to least used? Or, maybe –”
“Hey!” Cutting him off, Seokjin pulls open his car door. “You left out Alliterate! The handy app which suggests words which start with the same letter as yours – for casual alliteration.”
Yoongi stares over the roof of his car. “Dude, who would buy that?”
“English majors. Dramatic teenagers writing letters in the eighteenth century.”
“Seokjin.” Yoongi slides into the passenger seat. “You don’t give a fuck about any of these ideas, and therein lies your problem.”
“Oh, really?” Seokjin sticks his keys into the ignition. The car is sweltering, baking from having been left in the sun all morning. “Unlike you and your SoundCloud rapping?”
“Exactly unlike me and my SoundCloud rapping.” Grinning, Yoongi buckles his seatbelt and looks over at Seokjin. “Speaking of which – I have a new track to play.”
“No.”
Turning on the engine, Seokjin winces when a red warning light appears. He apparently needs an oil change soon but – with what money?
“Yes.” Yoongi reaches out, already hooking up his phone. “Just these two hooks, okay? Tell me which one you like more.”
Twelve minutes later, Seokjin pulls into his unofficial parking spot at the mall. “Will you look at that?” he says, turning off the engine. “We’re here! Time to go sell those fidgets!”
Rolling his eyes, Yoongi pushes open the door. Shoving his white Auntie Anne’s visor further up on his head, he glances around. “You’ll be sorry,” he says, slamming the door. “You’ll all be sorry!” Yoongi yells at the empty parking lot.
Patting him once on the back, Seokjin walks inside. “You know that I like your music.” Seokjin shivers when they both hit the AC. “More than like it, in fact. You’re too good and you know it – your head is inflated, and I have to take you down a peg.”
Yoongi scoffs. “Yeah, because all this pretzel rolling is inflating my ego. I’m basically Kanye, pre-Kim. Or Kanye, post-Kim. Say what you will about the guy, he’s remarkably consistent about how good he thinks he is.”
Snorting, Seokjin quiets when they pass by Kay Jewelers. Both men swerve to avoid eye contact, since they never know when what’s-her-name will be working. Seokjin makes a face. He always forgets her name, but the Kay Jewelers girl is usually after the dick of someone in the mall. Both he and Yoongi have been on the receiving end of that hunt before.
“Alright.” Coming to a stop at his kiosk, Seokjin lowers his gym bag to the ground. “Here is where I bid thee adieu.”
Yoongi continues walking. “Bye.”
“BYE, BEST FRIEND!” Seokjin yells, waving as Yoongi crosses the food court.
Several heads turn, and Seokjin continues waving until his roommate is gone. Grinning, Seokjin returns to his kiosk. Unlocking the metal grating, he pulls this up to reveal a brightly colored display. The morning routine is standard. Inventory, balancing the register, ensuring all displays are functional. Each time he passes the front, Seokjin sees his name on the register.
The kiosk’s top salesman, three months in a row.
It might seem like a silly thing to be proud of, but Seokjin is at a point in his life where everything has gone wrong. Everything he does seems to become a failure and even though he hates this job and hates these fidget spinners (okay, that’s harsh – no one hates fidget spinners), at least he can succeed at this one, small thing.
Selling shit to people they absolutely do not need.
Leaning against the counter, Seokjin crosses an ankle to wait. The mall opens on weekdays at 11:00 AM, prompt. Some places are open earlier – like Java Joe’s, the coffee shop, and maybe the gym – but Seokjin’s kiosk is standard mall hours. Rubbing his eyes, Seokjin glances longingly in the direction of Java Joe’s, but there are only five minutes until the mall opens. He needs to remain where he is.
Pulling his phone from his jacket, he shoots off a quick text.
Seokjin: yo [10:55 AM]
It takes a moment for Namjoon to respond.
Namjoon: what do you want? [10:56 AM]
Seokjin: nothing!!! [10:56 AM]
Namjoon: … [10:56 AM]
Seokjin: ok fine [10:56 AM]
Seokjin: I’ll come clean [10:56 AM]
Seokjin: are you doing the morning shift at T-Mobile [10:56 AM]
Namjoon: …. Yes [10:57 AM]
Namjoon: why? [10:57 AM]
Seokjin: do u think… on ur next break… u could bring me some coffee?? [10:57 AM]
Namjoon: get it yourself [10:58 AM]
Seokjin: pleaseeee Joon?? I never ask you for anything! [10:58 AM]
Seokjin: Chad called in sick, so I’m here all alone : ( [10:58 AM]
Namjoon: sigh. Fine – can you hang on until 1? [10:58 AM]
Seokjin: : ( [10:58 AM]
Namjoon: ur the worst but fine, I’ll try to get away sooner [10:59 AM]
Seokjin: THANKS JOON [10:59 AM]
Seokjin: grande iced Americano, no milk [10:59 AM]
Namjoon: u wouldn’t treat Yoongi like this [10:59 AM]
Seokjin snorts, shoving his phone in his pocket. He absolutely would treat Yoongi like this – problem is, Yoongi rarely responds. He usually spends his work breaks engrossed in his music. If anything, Seokjin is the one who brings coffee to him.
The first two hours pass by at a glacial pace. Seokjin regularly looks at his watch, wondering why the day is moving so slowly. True, it is a weekday but there is usually steady traffic. Stay at home parents and high school kids with nothing better to do than spend their summers at the mall, drinking Orange Julius’ next to the fountain.
It took Seokjin two months to convince his boss to put in for this spot. Next to the fountain is prime mall real estate, since you need to pass by it in order to reach anywhere else. Which is why it is strange that Seokjin has had zero customers.
He is still frowning when Namjoon appears at his workplace, iced coffee in hand. Namjoon wears his T-Mobile manager uniform, complete with a badge which declares his name and title. Kim Namjoon, Assistant Manager.
“Two?” Seokjin fake gasps, holding out a hand. “All for me?”
“Nope.” Namjoon only gives one to him. “One is for me.”
“Rude.” Seokjin sniffs, turning to survey the mall.
“What is? The fact that I brought you coffee?”
“Sure.”
Namjoon laughs. “What’s up with you today? You seem super distracted.”
Squinting at the fountain, Seokjin shakes his head. “I don’t know. Things have been so quiet today. Is there something going on? A deal at Woodbury mall, or something?”
“Hm.” Namjoon’s brow furrows. “Not that I know of, I – oh, wait.” He straightens, glancing across the food court. “When I was walking over here, I did see a new kiosk. Maybe they’re taking some of your customers?”
“A new kiosk?” Seokjin looks up in alarm. “Where?”
“There.” Namjoon points behind a browning, potted plant.
Seokjin peers in the direction Namjoon is pointing. In his line of vision stands a brand-spanking-new kiosk. The sides are all pristine, gleaming and white, with the kind of bright-colored accents designed to draw people in. Neat boxes of toys line the shelves, almost as pretty as Seokjin’s own display.
Groaning, Seokjin sinks to his kiosk. “Drones?” He glances at Namjoon. “How are fidget spinners supposed to compete with fucking drones?”
“Dunno.” Namjoon takes a sip of his coffee. “I first saw them this morning, but they’re getting pretty good business. Nearly tripped over their salesgirl on my way here. She’s cute,” he adds, glancing at Seokjin.
Seokjin glowers. “Cuter than me?”
“Maybe.” Namjoon shrugs.
“Impossible.” Seokjin glares in the direction of the kiosk. On one side, he can barely make out the shape of a worker and based on what he sees, Seokjin begrudgingly thinks Namjoon might be right. You could be cute.
Namjoon drains the rest of his cup. “Well. Gotta go,” he says cheerfully, clapping Seokjin on the back. “Breaks don’t last forever. Hope the rest of your day picks up.”
“Thanks,” Seokjin mutters. “Hope so, too.”
Namjoon leaves, returning the same way he came towards the T-Mobile store. Seokjin continues to glance at the competing kiosk, staring with envy at its remote-controlled helicopters.
Up until now, the competitive landscape at the mall has been easy. There is a guy on the second floor selling Proactive but other than that, Seokjin has never had real competition. Until now, it would seem.
Rather than be turned off by this fact, Seokjin tilts his head. The only reason he lasted as long as he did at his prior company is because of how competitive he is. Even if Seokjin does not care about the product, he still works tirelessly to be called number one. He should stop by and check out the competition – just to be certain there is no real risk.
Seokjin’s phone buzzes, revealing a text from his boss. Lisa will be here at 5:00 PM, meaning Seokjin only must hold out a few hours before he can see the new kiosk.
Only a few more hours until he knows what he is up against.
Lisa’s arrival at five means Seokjin is afforded a half-hour break. He uses this to grab food, bothering Yoongi at Auntie Anne’s before moving on. Dinnertime at the mall is typically crowded and Yoongi tends to throw mustard if Seokjin overstays his welcome.
Not wanting to ruin his button-down, Seokjin wanders in the direction of your kiosk. He eyes this as he approaches, finding the reality of the situation to be worse than he feared. The drones you stock are cool and what is more – they are all beautifully displayed. The stand might even rival Bertha.
Crossing both arms over his chest, Seokjin examines the kiosk. The products are neat, all of them aligned in carefully placed rows. The fingers on his right hand twitch, really wanting to touch the remote- controlled helicopters, but before he can move –
“Can I help you?” you ask, bright and cheerful. Seokjin flinches, gaze darting to you.
Fuck – seeing you up close, Seokjin’s jaw nearly hits the ground. You are gorgeous. There is no other word for it. The smile you give is infections; it makes him want to smile back. More than that – Seokjin finds himself wanting to be the reason for that smile, but no! Straightening his spine, Seokjin reminds himself that you are the competition.
Looking at you, his scowl deepens.
Your own smile falters. “Did you want me to take that one out?” you ask, pointing at the drone. “Show you how it works?”
Seokjin shrugs, as though he could not care less. “I’m not here to buy, actually.”
Now, it is your turn to look confused. “I – uh, okay.” You squint. “Then, why are you here?”
Seokjin realizes how creepy he sounds. In your eyes, he has wandered over, stared at your merchandise for a prolonged period of time and then announced he was not here to buy. A grade-A creep rivaled only by that one flasher who lurks in female footwear.
“Uh…” Backtracking, Seokjin jerks a thumb over his shoulder. “I work at that kiosk, actually. I’m Seokjin.”
Unimpressed, you glance in this direction. “Y/N. And – uh, okay?”
“I stopped by to say hello. And to see what you’re selling.”
As he speaks, you read the name of his kiosk. Your upper lip twitches as slowly, you return to looking at him. Seokjin is unnerved by your smile. For some reason, he has the sinking suspicion he is the butt of your joke.
“Oh,” you say, tone entirely different. “That kiosk. Brandi mentioned you.”
“Brandi?”
“My boss.” You wave towards the middle-aged woman on the other side of the kiosk. Seokjin thinks he has seen her around before. “She said you’ve been selling pretty well the past couple of months. Great job.”
Seokjin tries not to seem smug – there is an undercurrent to your tone which screams subterfuge. “I mean, yeah,” he says carefully. “Things are going pretty well for us.”
“Strange, then.”
“What is?”
“Strange that we’re doing so much better than you.”
Someone could scrape Seokjin’s jaw off the dirty, child-scuffed floor. You smirk at him, tapping two fingers against the pretty, floral sleeve of your tunic. If Seokjin did not know better, he would think you were flirting with him.
Except you just fucking insulted him.
“I…” Shaking his head, Seokjin’s voice is strangled. “Mall traffic has been slow this morning. No big deal. I guess once you’ve been around longer, you’ll know that.”
“Hm.” You purse your lips. “I don’t know – things have been pretty crazy for us today. We already ran out of a product. Wild, right?”
Seokjin’s mouth dries, his ears starting to buzz – all evidence of his pure hatred of you. Obviously. It could not be anything else.
“You ran… out of something? Already?”
Seokjin’s voice squeaks on the last word, making him cringe.
“Not bad, huh? Although, I guess once we’ve ‘been around longer,’” you mock with a grin, “we’ll get more lulls. Must be nice.”
In the face of his clear disbelief, you have the nerve to wink.
Seokjin begins to see red. “Yeah,” he croaks, recovering himself. “Beginner’s luck is nice, too.”
Your smile disappears. “How long is your break? I don’t think my kiosk could afford to have me gone for so long.”
Not looking away, Seokjin shoves the rest of his pretzel in his mouth. Chewing exaggeratedly, he watches you wince. “Sorry,” he mumbles around cinnamon-sugar bread. “Thanks for the reminder. I do need to be getting back. Can’t have my kiosk without its top salesman.”
Nose wrinkled; you continue to stare. “If that’s your idea of finesse, I think they can manage without you.”
“Please.” Seokjin gives you a pointed look. “I’m literally dripping with finesse.”
Your lips twitch, suppressing the gesture. Seokjin is impressed by your stoicism, since he knows he is a good-looking guy. That much is a non-debatable fact. Even if it were not, he can see by the way your gaze lingers, that you like what you see. And still – when your gaze returns to his face, your expression is artfully composed.
Fuck, Seokjin realizes. You really are going to be competition.
“Is that all?” Blithely, you turn. “Did you just stop by to see how much better we’re doing?”
Seokjin scowls at your arguably perfect behind. “I came to see how much product you have left, yeah.”
Glancing over your shoulder, you grin. “Why? Worried we’ll sell out before you can buy?”
“No.” Undercutting his conviction, Seokjin glances again at the helicopter. “I’ve got my hands full, thanks.”
“Ri-ght.” You draw out the word. “Then, you should probably get back to the, uh – Fidget Funk.”
Seokjin’s ears turn red with embarrassment. “I will,” he blurts, spinning around on his heel. “You have fun at the Drone Dome – fuck,” he mutters, coming to a stop. “That’s actually such a cool name.”
Without waiting for a response, he stalks away. All the way across the food court, your laughter rings out behind him. Upon reaching his kiosk, Seokjin glances over his shoulder. You are not paying attention to him, already engaged with another customer and Seokjin’s stomach slowly sinks.
He might be in trouble – and in more ways than one.
Seokjin arrives the next day ready for battle.
Before, he was unprepared – caught off guard by your wily ways, but no longer! He is Kim Seokjin, crusader of goals and defender of the kiosk. The fact that Seokjin does not care about fidget spinners does not matter. They are his unfortunate chosen weapon and so, he will die upon this metaphorical sword.
Leaning against his kiosk, Seokjin spins a toy in one hand. Smiling and nodding at everyone who passes, he tries not to seem creepy or make eye contact for too long. This is the number one rule of kiosk sales – be deliberate, but approachable.
Most kiosk salespeople fail here, never ascending past the first stage of selling. They leer at shoppers, approaching women with earbuds in, or spraying perfume without asking. Not Seokjin. Seokjin is the very image of class, one ankle crossed over the other.
Seated at the food court is a large group of collegiate girls. At least, Seokjin assumes this based off one girl’s University sweatshirt. They sit clustered around Starbucks drinks (a slap in the face to Java Joe’s!), giggling every so often and glancing at Seokjin. Despite knowing they see him, Seokjin pretends not to care. Every so often, he pushes a hand through his hair and angles himself in the light.
Eventually, he knows one will come over and when they do, Seokjin will whip out the charm. A shadow steps into his path, blocking the sunlight.
Seokjin frowns. “Get out of the way,” he says, bored. “I almost have a sale.”
Arms crossed; you glance over a shoulder. The group of girls glare at you, clearly perturbed at having their view interrupted.
Snorting, you return to Seokjin. “Oh, please. So, what – you’re a pedophile, in addition to creep?”
Jerking upright, Seokjin scowls. “I am not a pedophile. I’m just trying to make a sale.”
“Of what kind?” you ask pleasantly.
“Fidget spinners.”
“Hm. Could’ve fooled me.”
Shrugging, you take a long sip of your coffee. Seokjin tries not to linger on the way your lips wrap around the straw.
I don’t have to explain myself to you,” he says stiffly. “Now, move. You’re blocking my light.”
“Whatever,” you yawn, leaving. As you enter the food court, you give Seokjin an excellent view of your backside walking away. “We’ll still beat your sales target today, anyways!” you call back.
Glaring at your retreating head, Seokjin holds out for as long as he can before dropping his gaze to your ass. Waggling fingers over your shoulder, you disappear behind the potted plant. The college girls resume looking at him but now, Seokjin finds he does not care.
Really, he should be thanking you. As soon as you are gone, three of the girls wander up to his kiosk. Seokjin sells five fidget spinners in one hour, thanks to the jealousy your presence provoked. Rather than be pleased by this fact though, Seokjin becomes even more agitated. He does not like feeling in your debt.
The next time your shifts overlap, determined to get even, Seokjin switches tactics. He parks on the opposite end of the mall, necessitating he should walk by your kiosk. Yoongi complains about this, but Seokjin merely ignores him.
Slowing as he passes your kiosk, Seokjin waits for you to look up.
Both elbows leaned to the counter, you scroll casually through your phone. When your gaze flicks up, taking him in – you blink.
“Oh, come on,” you groan.
Waving to Yoongi, Seokjin veers in your direction. “Oh, hey!” He stops at your display, nonchalantly stretching his arms overhead. “Having a good morning?”
Gaze darting to his pants and back up, you almost seem flustered. “I – how tight are those jeans?”
Seokjin’s grin widens. “What, these old things?”
Turning around, Seokjin checks out his own ass, as though surprised by its appearance. He is rather proud of his legs, actually. There is a reason Seokjin spends so much time in the gym with Jungkook. His newly bought skinny jeans show off his best assets. Not to mention how satisfying it is to see you rendered speechless.
Your gaze returns to his, smoldering. “There’s a tag still in the pocket, genius.”
“Oh.” Grandly, Seokjin plucks this off – fuck, that just cost him an entire week of spending allowance. “Well, there you go. Wouldn’t want to distract from the view.”
Jaw clenched, you seem as though you want to say more, but hold yourself back. “Great.”
Seokjin smirks. “Isn’t it?”
Whirling around, you pretend to be busy but Seokjin can tell your register has already been counted.
“Shouldn’t you be getting back to your kiosk?” You glower, glancing over your shoulder. “I’d hate to waste any more of your time standing here.”
Seokjin’s grin broadens. “You’re right,” he agrees. “That’d be a shame. See you around, Y/N!”
Happily, he turns and walks back the food court. With each step his grin widens, imagining you watching him leave. The rest of his day is spent in lazy self-satisfaction.
As it turns out, Seokjin should have been warier. Your silence was not acceptance of defeat, but a determined self-call to arms. The very next day, Seokjin walks past your kiosk and nearly spills his drink down his shirt.
You stand off to the side, bent to display a generous amount of cleavage. Seokjin’s jaw drops, unable to look away. He realizes how inappropriate he is being when you look up and see him.
“Seokjin!” Straightening, you wave.
The action makes your breasts bounce, causing Seokjin’s pants to feel tighter.
Yoongi snorts at his side. “Good luck, man,” he says, patting Seokjin once on the back before walking away.
Seokjin is left alone, facing the wiles of his enemy.
“Hey,” you say, raising both brows. “Seokjin? Are you okay?”
Forcing himself to move, Seokjin walks robotically forward. He does not allow himself to look below your collarbone – fuck, you must be wearing a push-up bra. There is no other way a single day could cause such a dramatic transformation.
Unable to help himself, Seokjin sneaks another peek.
When he looks up, you are smirking at him. “See something you like?”
The tips of Seokjin’s ears turn crimson. “I – what?”
“The merchandise,” you say sweetly, waving a hand. “We just got in a few new toys over the weekend.”
Seokjin has no response to this, having momentarily forgotten what words are.
Your lips twitch. “Is something wrong, Seokjin?”
Seeing the teasing look in your eyes, Seokjin fumes. “Nothing’s wrong,” he says, jaw snapping shut. “I’ll just be on my way, then. Lots of… fidgets to spin.”
Turning around, he dramatically walks off.
He cannot help but feel oddly unsettled, throat burning in a way which does not make sense. Anger, he tells himself. The emotion is merely annoyance. It is completely natural he would hate his competitor. Natural, for him to think about what their lips would look like shut up by his.
It takes two weeks for Seokjin to enact the next phase of his plan. Which is – dramatic entertainment. Basically, phase two involves Seokjin researching fidget spinner hand tricks for hours at a time on YouTube. It reaches to the point where Seokjin is in near hibernation. Jungkook sends him texts every so often, asking when he will return to the gym, but Seokjin is a man on a mission and cannot be stopped.
He starts off slowly, learning the simple fidget spinner hand transfer. Next is the hand twist, rated Difficulty Level Two by the most known YouTube star. From there, learning the around the back is easy. This maneuver is more complex – it involves Seokjin physically throwing the fidget spinner over his shoulder to catch in the other hand.
Once Seokjin can control two fidget spinners at once, he deems himself ready.
Phase two goes into action on a busy Saturday afternoon. Seokjin hijacks the Fidget Funk’s speakers, hooking up his iPhone to the horror of his co-worker, Lisa.
“Oh, no,” she groans. “Please tell me you aren’t doing what I think you’re doing.”
“Are you thinking I’m doing a fidget spinner trick show?” Seokjin adjusts the sweatband on his forehead. “Alright, then. I won’t tell you.”
“God, how embarrassing.” Lisa slumps low in her chair. “Well, at least do it before Chad gets here.”
“Noted. What song should I use?” Seokjin flips through his playlist. “Hero by Enrique Iglesias? Whatcha Say by Jason Derulo? The Cha Cha Slide?”
Lisa stares in disbelief. “What vibe are you going for, exactly?”
“None of those?” Seokjin frowns. “What about All Star by Smash Mouth?”
“How about Cotton Eyed Joe?” Lisa offers. “That seems more fitting with all of… this.”
Ignoring her sarcasm, Seokjin selects a song to press play. The first notes of Everybody by Backstreet Boys plays through the speakers. Lisa groans and slumps even lower.
At first, no one notices Seokjin at all. People sidestep him, focused solely on getting to the food court but then, Seokjin executes a perfect shoulder throw. A kid stops to watch. His mom stops too, trying to drag her kid forward but failing in her mission.
“Hey!” Seokjin beams, switching the spinner from one hand to the other. “Want to see more?”
The boy nods and before long, Seokjin has managed to gather a small crowd. Over the ooh’s and ahs of children, Seokjin converses with their moms.
“Fidget spinners are proven to help concentration in both kids and adults,” Seokjin says with a hand twist. “One of my friends was telling me a story the other day. He and this AVP at his office are both tactile people and remember better while doing something with their hands. So, they end up having this entire meeting while playing with fidget spinners from her office.”
The moms all laugh, moving forward to let their kids pick out a toy. By the time the day ends, Seokjin has beaten all previous sales records. He has also managed to capture the attention of most people in the mall – including you.
And Namjoon, who stops by before closing.
“Dude,” Namjoon laughs, leaning one arm to his kiosk. “Why are you being so extra lately? It’s just a temp job. Who cares?”
“I care, Namjoon.” Seokjin bristles. “Is it so wrong to want to do well at my work? To want to improve the sales of my peers. Frankly, Namjoon, I’m insulted you would –”
“Hey, Kim!” you yell, passing by. “Heard you’re trying to break into show business!”
Seokjin abruptly stops talking. “Trying?” he calls back. “I’m already there. Were you able to catch a performance?”
Rolling your eyes, you walk backwards. “Of course, I did! The whole fucking mall saw you, Seokjin. Your music was so loud, people physically moved in the food court.”
Seokjin’s grin widens. “What’d you think?”
“I think you should stick to sales.” Shaking your head, you try not to smile. “Anyways, just wait until you see what we’re doing this weekend. It’ll make your lame tricks look like nothing!”
“Can’t wait!” Seokjin cups both hands over his mouth. “I love to watch lofty dreams come crashing down!”
Shaking your head, you turn around and disappear into the mall. Once you are gone, Seokjin returns to Namjoon.
“What?” he blinks, seeing his friend’s smug expression.
Namjoon’s smile widens. “Oh, nothing.”
“What?”
Namjoon merely laughs, grabbing his smoothie and turning away. “Good luck with that, man!”
Seokjin stares after, not understanding but deciding it is not worth his while. Namjoon always thinks he knows so much – granted, he usually does, but that is not the point. The point is Seokjin does not and so, he should not worry about it now.
The next day is busy, which means Seokjin barely has time to consider the performance you mentioned. He is again covering for Lisa, who failed to show up. Chad and Seokjin are the only ones covering the kiosk, which Seokjin despises because Chad is his least favorite co-worker. Lisa may be flaky, but at least her presence is tolerable. Chad is always going off on tangents about who wronged him on Twitter that day, and why.
Chad is also terrible at customer service – no surprise – which means Seokjin must handle all returns and exchanges. A tedious task in itself, let alone with Chad’s monotonous voice in his ears. In fact, the morning is so busy, Seokjin barely remembers to eat, let alone visit you.
It is the sound of cheers over the food court which make him look up.
Midway through a transaction, Seokjin pauses to glance at your kiosk. You and your Manager – Brandi – stand before it, navigating two competing drones in the air. It seems several people are betting on which drone will win.
Rolling his eyes, Seokjin returns to his customer. Smiling blandly, he hands the woman her money and ignores the wild cheers growing steadily behind him. It makes Seokjin’s teeth grind, realizing you might be drawing a bigger crowd than he did.
Unable to stop himself, he peers over his shoulder. Seokjin’s eyes widen. Above the food court, a helicopter loops circles around a remote-controlled plane. They no longer seem to be racing, dive- bombing the crowd and swooping up at the last second. Kids squeal in excitement, running around underneath.
Seokjin scowls, slamming shut the register. His mind revolts at the knowledge that your show is better than his – also, there is the maddening fact that Seokjin wants a drone for himself. Huffing under his breath, Seokjin turns away.
Before he can tell Chad he is going on break, a scream pierces the crowd.
“MOVE!” Seokjin hears your voice above the rest. “KIDS, MOVE!”
Seokjin whirls around, spotting the helicopter spinning out of control. Kids duck from its path, their hands held overhead as the helicopter sputters, dips and sputters again. Steam curls from its top, clearly not responding to the remote you hold in one hand.
Worse than that, the drone is headed in their direction.
“Chad, move!” Seokjin yells, diving out of the way.
Chad looks up just in time to see the helicopter crash into their kiosk.
Fidget spinners fly every which way. From his spot on the floor, several hit Seokjin in the back of his legs – he winces, curling into himself. Chad’s sputtering continues above as the slow whir of helicopter blades begins to wind down.
Seokjin hesitantly looks up. The kiosk above him is chaos. Nothing seems to be broken, but his carefully placed display – Bertha! – is entirely out of whack. Brightly colored boxes lie on the floor, shelving hanging precariously off the sides of the kiosk.
You dash into view, skidding to a stop inches away from his nose. “I’m so sorry!” you cry, a useless remote held in one hand. “I don’t know what happened, I swear.”
Your gaze darts to Seokjin’s, still lying prostrate on the floor.
He slowly pushes himself to stand, staring in shock at the disastrous kiosk. Seokjin expects to feel angry. He should feel pissed, since all his hard work was erased and now, he will have to spend several hours cleaning it up, but – nothing.
Well, that is not entirely true.
Seokjin wishes he could wipe that look of distress from your face. “It’s alright,” he says, still looking at you.
Surprise flickers over your expression.
Chad steps out from behind the kiosk. “Oh… my… god,” he says, eyes wide.
“I’m really sorry,” you repeat, face twisted in agony.
Before you can continue, your manager appears. “Go back to the kiosk, Y/N,” she says, sighing. “There are a bunch of customers to take care of. I’ll handle this.”
It appears you wish to say more, but a stern look from Brandi is silencing. Giving Seokjin an apologetic look, you turn on your heel to walk across the food court.
Brandi waits until you are out of earshot before looking at Seokjin. “I’m sorry about the disruption,” she offers.
Seokjin tears his gaze away. “It’s okay.”
“What?!” Chad stomps out to point a finger at Brandi. “It is not okay! You and your dumb drones wrecked our display!”
Brandi looks at his finger, unimpressed. She glances at Seokjin. “You can throw that helicopter away. If anything of yours has been damaged, let me know. We’ll pay for it – just send me an itemized receipt by the end of the day, okay?”
Seokjin nods, a bit thrown by the interaction. “Yeah, alright. Sounds good.”
Brandi looks at him thankfully, turning around to return to her kiosk. Once she is gone, Chad whirls on Seokjin.
“Man, what the fuck?”
Bending, Seokjin picks up a lone fidget spinner. “What do you mean, what the fuck?”
“They should’ve…” Chad trails off, shaking his head. “Done more. I don’t know. They should’ve cleaned up the whole area, or something!”
Seokjin snorts, replacing the toy on the counter. “Relax,” he says. “It’s not like anything is seriously damaged. We just need to re-stock the display and besides, they don’t know how to do that. It’ll be faster if we do it.”
“Even so,” Chad mutters. He begins cleaning up, casting an angry glance in the direction of the Drone Dome. “They should still fucking pay.”
“They will, if anything’s broken,” Seokjin says simply.
He then tunes Chad out, putting himself to work. Re-stocking Bertha takes a while but, in the end, Seokjin is happier with its order. He keeps thinking you will stop by after your shift, but you do not. Perhaps you are too embarrassed to do so, or maybe Brandi warned you not to go near them again.
Whatever the reason, Seokjin cannot leave before closing. When he finally passes kiosk on his way to the gym, everything is closed, and you are nowhere in sight.
Seokjin lingers a moment before he moves on.
SLAM.
Seokjin drops his barbells, the sound echoing through the gym in a satisfying way. Several women on the elliptical look up in annoyance.
“Sorry!” Seokjin calls, wiping sweat from his neck.
Although the women continue to glare, they return to their workout. Jungkook snickers into the sleeve of his t-shirt, biceps bulging beneath the tight fit of his clothes. Pulling a power bar from his pocket, Jungkook waves at the weights Seokjin discarded.
“Give me ten more.”
Seokjin glares. “Go choke.”
“Can’t.” Unwrapping his snack, Jungkook takes a large bite. “Told my current hook-up that was just for her.”
“Gross.” Seokjin groans, bending to grab the weights. “I didn’t need to know that.”
Jungkook grins, displaying chocolate and teeth. “Ten more,” he repeats.
Despite several muttered curse words under his breath, Seokjin obeys. Dropping the weights again on the floor – in direct defiance of the no weight-dropping sign – Seokjin grabs his knees with both hands.
“Alright,” he huffs, squinting at Jungkook. “I don’t care anymore if I’m in shape. I care more about snacks. Snacks and alcohol.”
“I’m choosing to ignore that.” Jungkook takes another bite. “I’m using one of my free guest passes on you, so you better be worth it.”
Rolling his eyes, Seokjin takes a long swig from his water bottle. Despite this, he still follows Jungkook as they walk to the treadmills. Jungkook is right, he is doing Seokjin a favor by letting him work out for free. Truth be told, Seokjin hated Jungkook when he first began at the mall. Jungkook was young, good- looking and got tons of attention – male and female, alike.
He was the competition.
Over time though, this distrust dissolved and somehow, Jungkook is now one of Seokjin’s closest friends. When he is not annoying the hell out of him, that is.
Throwing his wrapper in the trash, Jungkook wipes both palms on his pants. “So.” Stepping onto a treadmill, he turns the speed to three. “How’s it going with drone girl?”
Seokjin follows suit. “She knocked over my display today.”
“Like, on purpose?”
“Nah.” Seokjin shakes his head. “On accident. She was doing a demo and one of the helicopter drones broke. Crashed into my kiosk.”
“Oh.” Jungkook’s brow furrows. “Still – annoying. Increase your speed.”
Seokjin obeys. “Eh,” he huffs, beginning to jog. “I don’t think it was on purpose. But still, she’s just so frustrating.”
“What’s frustrating? Increase your speed again to four.”
“I don’t know,” Seokjin says, following suit. “She’s frustrating. She has this way of looking at me, you know?”
“Looking at you in like, a creepy way?”
“No…” Seokjin’s feet pound the treadmill. “She’s a tease.”
“Sounds hot.”
“She keeps messing with me.”
“You keep messing with her.”
“She made fun of my fidget spinners!”
Jungkook bursts into laughter. To add insult to injury, he barely seems winded at all by their run and Seokjin is panting.
“Dude. Fidget spinners suck. I’ve heard you say that on multiple occasions.”
“Sure, but she doesn’t have to say that!”
“Whatever, bro.” Jungkook grins. “Sounds to me like you want to fuck her.”
Seokjin is so startled, he nearly trips on the treadmill. “I do not.”
“No judgement here! Do it once, get it out of your system.”
“I don’t want to fuck her, Jungkook.” Seokjin glares in his direction. “She hates me. And I hate her!”
“O-h,” Jungkook says knowingly. “So, you’re in love with her. I get it. Increase your speed to five.”
Seokjin obeys, face turning beet-red. “Jungkook,” he growls. “Shut the fuck up.”
“Make me.”
Reaching out, Seokjin turns the speed on Jungkook’s treadmill to eight.
“Hey!” Jungkook yelps, breaking into a sprint. He manages to keep up, pushing a hand through his hair. When Seokjin rolls his eyes, Jungkook grins. “Nailed it.”
Seokjin returns to his machine. “Besides, you’re one to talk,” he mutters. “Aren’t you in love with the juice girl, or something?”
On reflex, Jungkook glances over his shoulder. Seokjin can tell by his lovesick expression he is right. Juice girl only started working recently at the gym and from what Seokjin can tell, Jungkook is entirely smitten. He has never been subtle about the women he likes, but with juice girl, Jungkook seems to have met his match.
She is completely immune to his charms. Seokjin cannot help but feel sympathy for the guy. Or – at least, he does until Jungkook returns to him with a grin.
“So.” He wriggles his eyebrows. “How hot is kiosk girl, anyways?”
“No.” Seokjin reaches out to increase Jungkook’s incline. “You’re not going to fuck my mortal enemy.”
“Well, if you’re not going to.”
“Think about juice girl!” Seokjin yells – entirely unintentional, but he is running out of breath.
Jungkook retaliates by upping his speed. By the end of their sprint, Seokjin feels like collapsing. He steps off his treadmill with wobbly legs, feeling as though he has just run a marathon. Not that Seokjin would ever run a marathon, of course, but he can imagine. Jungkook follows suit, hopping down from his machine.
“Good workout.” Jungkook wipes his forehead with a towel. “Wanna come over and hang? Hoseok from Foot Locker is gonna come, too.”
Seokjin nods, taking a sip from his water bottle. “Yeah, okay.” He glances again at the door, but your kiosk is too far to see. “Sounds good to me.”
As they walk towards the locker rooms, Jungkook chatters aimlessly but Seokjin cannot stop thinking about you. While he showers and changes, Jungkook’s words replay in his mind. The idea of Seokjin having a crush on you is insane. The two of you have barely exchanged one nice word since you met.
Still. Snapping a towel free from his neck, Seokjin continues to wonder. He does think about you an awful lot. Usually, he is thinking of new ways to annoy you, but that is more than he thinks about anyone else. Chad, for instance – or Lisa.
Frowning, Seokjin slams shut his locker. He cannot ignore the initial attraction he had for you. If you had not been his competition, Seokjin would have probably asked you out.
The moment he thinks this, he freezes. Maybe this is why you annoy him so much – Seokjin is attracted to you and can do nothing about it.
Under any other set of circumstances, this fact would be enlightening but things being what they are though, nothing has changed. You still hate him. Seokjin still finds you his competition.
Staring at his locker, Seokjin’s lips twist.
“Seokjin!” Jungkook yells from the door. “You coming, or what?”
Jerking himself free from his thoughts, Seokjin picks up his bag. “Coming!” he yells, pushing you from his mind.
Seokjin has the next two days off work. He uses this mainly to work on his apps, pouring time and energy into working the kinks from his latest round of updates. In between each stroke of his keyboard, he is thinking of you.
Seokjin hates Jungkook a little, for pointing out the obvious fact that he likes you. Before that, Seokjin took his fixation with you at face value. He did not like you; he was just annoyed by you. Now, though.
He cannot help but wonder.
Exhaling loudly, Seokjin slumps against his kiosk. His manager is off once again – honestly, that dude never works – and Seokjin is stuck working with Chad. Absently, Seokjin twirls a spinner around his finger.
“You okay, man?” Chad breaks the silence.
Shaking his head, Seokjin stares into space. “Oh, yeah. Just a bit preoccupied, that’s all.”
“With what?”
Seokjin shrugs, not feeling like talking.
Chad is one of the few people capable of getting under his skin without saying a word. It is something about the way Chad stands – chest puffed, gaze lazy, as though the world owes him something. He always wears a backwards cap, even inside and Seokjin suspects a receding hairline to be the cause. Whatever the reason, Chad always has a chip on his shoulder.
He seems to be compensating for something. Although what he could be compensating for, as a white male in today’s economy, Seokjin has no idea.
“Hey.” Voice lowering, Chad nods towards the food court. “I know something which might cheer you up.”
Seokjin straightens when he realizes Chad is staring at you. Anything which cheers Chad up could only have the opposite effect upon Seokjin.
“What?” Seokjin asks, suspicious.
Chad leans in. “You know the bitch who ruined our display a few days ago?”
Seokjin’s jaw tightens, hearing you called a bitch. “What about it?”
“Ha.” Chad laughs, not hearing the clear warning in Seokjin’s tone. “Don’t worry about paying her back. I got this.”
Alarm bells go off in Seokjin’s mind. “What do you mean by, ‘I got this?’”
“Let’s just say it’s taken care of.”
“No.” Seokjin drops his phone, standing up from his chair. “Let’s say more. What the fuck did you do, Chad?”
Chad blinks at him in surprise. “Whoa – chill, dude. What’re you pissed about?”
Seokjin pauses, uncertain. It is not as though he knows you, not really. But still – Seokjin remembers how sincere you looked that day, apologizing for the display. You did not mean to injure their kiosk; he knows that much.
“Chad…” Seokjin mutters in warning.
He does not get further before screams erupt from the food court. Seokjin’s head whips sideways, spotting the source of the commotion. Once again, a drone is loose in the mall. Like two days prior, a rogue helicopter flies over the food court. It seems out of control, dive-bombing people at random and sending them running.
Seokjin’s mouth drop. Before he can move, the drone careens towards the ground. A girl stands alone next to the frozen yogurt place, holding her cone and staring at it in terror. Her eyes widen, fixed on the drone and Seokjin moves on instinct, darting into the crowd.
Before he can arrive, the girl’s mom appears to yank her to safety. Her cone spills in the process, mint chocolate chip on the ground, but at least the helicopter misses, swooping and diving again. Seokjin’s eyes narrow, realizing the drone moves much too fast to be out of control.
Glancing around, Seokjin realizes Chad is on his phone. When he sees Seokjin looking, Chad waves at him with a grin.
Seokjin’s stomach heaves. Before he can move, you are barreling towards him.
“YOU!” you yell, pointing a finger. Several people between you look up in surprise.
Seokjin blinks, also pointing at himself. “Me?”
“You!” you gasp, skidding to a stop. “What the hell did you do to my drone?”
You are holding several remotes in your fist, Seokjin realizes. Apparently, none of them are working. The helicopter swoops dangerously close to you both and Seokjin ducks out of the way.
“What did I do?” he blurts, staring upwards. “You think I’m the one behind this?”
“No, shit!” you yell, dodging the drone.
“Y/N, I –” The chopper dive-bombs again and Seokjin groans. This is not going to make you believe him, but he needs to do something before someone gets hurt. “Fuck it!” he yells and takes off.
Sprinting away, Seokjin hears you yelling behind him. Ignoring you, Seokjin leaps onto a table. He is not sure how Chad is controlling the helicopter – possibly from his phone, but Seokjin would not put it past him to have someone stationed elsewhere in the mall. Based on the depth of his vengeance on Twitter, Seokjin imagines Chad to be petty.
All Seokjin knows is he needs to stop the drone and a sure-fire way of doing that is getting the drone from the air.
Above, the drone does a loop before dive-bombing a cluster of girls exiting the lingerie store. The girls squeal, scatting in every direction as the helicopter pulls from its spiral. Leaping into the air, Seokjin’s fingers barely brush a wing before falling back to the ground.
“SEOKJIN, GET BACK HERE!”
Ignoring you, Seokjin continues pursuing the drone. “Sorry!” he yells, dodging a woman. “Y/N, this isn’t what it looks like!”
Your footsteps pound behind him, catching up. “It looks like you hijacked one of your drones!”
“See!” Seokjin glances over his shoulder. “I told you it wasn’t what it looks like!”
“Huh?”
“Aha!” Seokjin leaps into the air. Fuck – he barely misses. Crashing again to the ground, Seokjin takes off running. He uses his next jump to leap onto a table.
A guy looks up from his hot dog, mustard dribbled onto his chin. “What the f –”
Seokjin leaps into the air, fingers grazing the wing of the helicopter. Eyes narrowed, Seokjin swears as his heels hit the ground. A mother nearby covers the ears of her child.
“Sorry!” Seokjin yells in response.
A hand grabs his arm. “Kim Seokjin!” you blurt, whirling him sideways to face you.
Seokjin glances over your shoulder in distress. “It’s getting away!” he blurts, shaking free to sprint towards the fro-yo.
Your mouth drops, but you follow. “What are you doing?”
Not having the breath to answer, Seokjin runs faster. For the first time in his life, he is grateful Jungkook pushes him so hard at the gym. Jumping again in the air, Seokjin thinks he has done it – until you jump suddenly in front of him, swatting his hand.
“Hey!” Seokjin yelps, stumbling as he hands. “What the fuck, Y/N?”
“Mine!” you yell, darting forward.
“Wait – Y/N!”
Grumbling, he chases after you. The two of you must look ridiculous, racing around the food court. As you pass Auntie Anne’s pretzels, Seokjin swears he can hear Yoongi cracking up at the register.
One second, you are ahead of him and the next, Seokjin is. He runs faster, pumping his arms as he spots the drone by the fountain. Cutting you off, Seokjin puts on a sudden burst of speed and leaps into the air. His fingers wrap around metal, yanking the helicopter from the sky. As he descends, Seokjin cannot help but laugh – until your hand finds his elbow, pulling him sideways.
Seokjin yelps, stumbling when his feet hit the concrete.
There is a dangerous, teetering moment where you both hover at the edge of the fountain – and then he falls, taking you with. Seokjin yelps, soaked to the skin when a water jet hits his face. A second splash follows as your butt hits the water.
If feels like a scene from a movie; that moment when a song cuts at a party. One second, everything is happening and the next – nothing.
Slowly, Seokjin pushes himself to sit in the water. The trickling sound of the fountain fills his ears, one of his hands resting on something which is definitely not a penny.
“Gross,” Seokjin groans, seeing the wad of pink gum.
His pants are soaked, so is his shirt and Seokjin does not even want to imagine the state of his hair. Removing his hand from the water gum, Seokjin looks up.
You glare back at him, making Seokjin recoil.
At least the drone is down.
Seokjin can see its red wings submerged in the water, bobbing genteelly in the waves of the fountain. Slowly, the sounds of the mall filter back in. Someone nearby snickers and someone else starts to clap. In his peripheral, Seokjin can see a few teenagers recording and slowly, he closes his eyes. If he goes viral, there is no way his manager will keep him.
You seem to realize the same thing, glancing around you in panic. Seokjin realizes your situation is noticeably worse than his, since you were wearing a white t-shirt when you fell. The material sticks to your skin, making each curve of your body apparent.
Seokjin swallows, understanding crashing into him with all the subtlety of a lightning bolt.
He likes you.
Fuck. Seokjin likes you, and he is a giant idiot.
Snickering at the food court grabs Seokjin’s attention. It appears he is not the only one to have noticed your shirt. At least your bra is white, but this does not seem to matter to fifteen-year-old boys.
Glancing down, you inhale and cover your chest. Seokjin awkwardly tries to stand, rushing forward to help but slips in the process, nearly falling again. It does not seem as though you desire his help anyways, springing to your feet with tears in your eyes.
Teeth chattering, you hold one hand before you. “Stay away,” you blurt, wet strands of hair plastered against your face. As though unable to help yourself, your lower lip quivers. “I fucking mean it, Seokjin. Stay away from me.”
Seokjin’s feet falter beneath him. “I…” Staring at you, he slowly nods in defeat. “Okay.”
You bend, scooping the helicopter into your arms before turning away.
Giving him another scowl, you climb from the fountain. Your sneakers make squishing noises against the linoleum as you stalk through the food court. Seokjin continues to stand there, ignoring the water jets which repeatedly hit his kneecaps.
His stomach sinks, watching you disappear.
Logically, Seokjin should go and find mall security. He should explain to them what happened before they find him, or worse – before he goes viral on the web. Less logically, Seokjin wants to run after you. He cannot simply leave things between you like that.
At the very least, he should find you a dry t-shirt. Maybe Hoseok could get him one from Foot Locker.
Because this is partly his fault. Seokjin was not the one who took over the drone and he did not push you into the fountain, but you only reacted that way because of how Seokjin has treated you. It was not a wild leap of thought to assume Seokjin was the culprit.
Before he can think about this further, a laugh breaks through the crowd. Turning around, Seokjin sees Chad running towards him.
“Wow.” Chad skids to a stop at the fountain. “That was incredible. Did you see how wet she was? And guess who got it all on camera?” He winks, waving his phone.
“Did you?” Seokjin speaks pleasantly, although he is starting to see red. “Can I see that?”
“Sure.” Chad grins, handing over the phone.
Accepting the object, Seokjin promptly throws this into the fountain.
Chad’s mouth drops open. “What the fuck?” he blurts, watching the metal sink to the bottom.
Seokjin brushes off his hands. “You’re fired,” he says, stepping out of the fountain. Water drips from his shirt, splashing the ground at his feet.
Chad’s eyes bug. “You can’t fire me, asshole. You’re not my manager.”
“Maybe not.” Seokjin shrugs and walks past. His hands open and close, curling into fists. “But he likes me better than you and he’ll believe me when I say this was your fault.”
“You dick!”
“That’s right,” Seokjin mutters. He glances at your kiosk, only to find it empty – Brandi must be helping you to clean up. Something twinges in his chest, knowing this is partly his fault. “I guess I am.”
One week later, Seokjin cannot stop thinking about you.
He tries to forget. Truly, he does but this proves itself to be more difficult than he realized. Seokjin did not understand before, how deeply you integrated yourself in his life. He did not realize how much he looked forward each day to your banter, to hearing your laugh whenever he passed by your kiosk. The past month has been bearable only because of your presence.
Slumped at the counter of Auntie Anne’s pretzels, Seokjin stares forlornly across the food court.
“Either smile or move.”
Seokjin turns to Yoongi in confusion. “Huh?”
“Either smile,” Yoongi repeats. “Or move. You’re bumming out all my customers.”
Seokjin glances at the empty food court before him. It is 10:00 AM. “What customers?”
“Exactly. All my customers are scared off by how sad you are.”
Seokjin manages a weak chuckle. “Trust me, my face is not what’s driving your customers away. If anything, it’s your latest SoundCloud mix.”
Yoongi frowns, perturbed. “Take that back.”
Seokjin winces, seeing the genuine hurt on his face. “Sorry, man,” he mumbles. “I’m just not in a great mood today.”
“No shit.”
Seokjin cracks a smile. “That obvious, huh?”
“Much in the same way climate change is obvious to everyone but the Cheeto.”
Stifling a laugh, Seokjin quickly sobers. “I just… I don’t know. I thought she’d hear me out, at least.”
The entire past week, Seokjin has parked at the opposite end of the mall from your kiosk. It makes his morning walk shorter, but somehow lonelier.
“So, this is about her, huh?” Yoongi lowers his elbows to the counter. “She’s gone incommunicado.”
“Yeah, it’s about her. I guess I can’t really blame her for being mad at me.”
“No?”
Seokjin shakes his head. “I was kind of a dick.”
Yoongi snorts. “She was a dick, too.”
“Yeah, but I started it.” Seokjin takes a sip of his coffee. “I was the one who approached her all weird, called her the competition. That set a tone.”
“Okay.” Yoongi tilts his head, thinking. “So, what’re you gonna do about it?”
“I’m going to do nothing about it.”
“Then stop complaining to me.”
“I’m not complaining!” Seokjin looks up and sighs. “Alright, maybe I’m complaining a little. I just… wish I’d realized I liked her sooner.”
“Who cares about that? Tell her now!”
“But she hates me.”
“She hated you then!”
Seokjin glares and takes another sip of his coffee – sputtering, he chokes, “Oh, shit – that’s hot.”
“Hey.” Yoongi gives him a look. “She thinks you messed with her job. That’s way different than wearing tight pants, or putting on a fidget show, or whatever.”
“Fidget spinner show, Yoongi. Fidget show sounds like something else.”
“Both are lame,” Yoongi says. “And my point still stands. She’s mad at you now because of something you didn’t do. Now, move your elbow – I need to clean that spot before lunch.”
Seokjin obliges, dutifully removing himself from the counter. Drinking his coffee, he stares out at the food court. Up until now, Seokjin thought he was doing the noble thing. He was respecting your wishes by giving you space. You said you did not wish to see him again.
Yoongi is right, though. You said all that laboring under a misconception. More than respecting the words said in anger, perhaps it is better for Seokjin to tell you the truth. Maybe pretending to be noble is just another way of chickening out.
Because if Seokjin explains everything to you and you still do not care, it means he is alone in all this. His feelings are one-sided and everything before now was merely a rivalry. The spark Seokjin feels when he looks at you, the burning desire to kiss you – if you knew all that and still hated him, then Seokjin would be alone.
Seokjin exhales and looks up. “Gotta go,” he says, slapping the counter. “See you after your shift?’
“Wait!” Yoongi catches his arm before Seokjin can leave. “Bracelet buddies?” he grins, holding up the pink cat charm wound around his wrist.
Seokjin groans, dutifully rolling up his sleeve to showcase the pale pink alpaca. “Bracelet buddies,” he says glumly.
Yoongi gave him the gift several days ago; payback, he said, for all the women Seokjin has sent his way with the promise of a free pretzel. That used to be Seokjin’s way of scoring dates at the mall. At least, before he met you. Seokjin is obligated to wear said bracelet for three months, or else Yoongi will send their friends pictures of him sleeping with his mouth open on the couch.
If he is being honest, Seokjin does not entirely hate the bracelet. The alpaca is kind of cute, but Yoongi cannot ever know that. Waving goodbye, he manages to scowl and keep up appearances when he heads towards his kiosk.
For the next several days, Seokjin continues to wimp out.
Kind of.
While he does not actually explain what happened, he tries to make up for it in other ways. On Monday, he overhears you telling the Kay Jewelers girl the legs of your stool are too short. As a result, Seokjin volunteers to work late and stays long after closing. Before he leaves, he goes to your kiosk and switches your stool for his.
On Thursday morning, your shifts overlap. Seokjin sees you yawn passing his kiosk, mentioning to Brandi you did not sleep well the night prior. Ducking behind his counter, Seokjin does not make eye contact.
Still, he stops by Java Joe’s on his break and begs Taehyung for coffee.
Taking the long way back through the mall, Seokjin visits your kiosk. It is the first time he has tried talking to you since the Great Fountain debacle. As you come into view, Seokjin swallows and forces the words from his lips.
“Hey.” He comes to a stop at the register.
You freeze when you see him. “Um. Hi?”
Seokjin holds the coffee tray out like a shield. “I was at Java Joe’s and Taehyung brewed too much espresso. Lisa doesn’t drink it, so I was wondering if you wanted it?”
Your lips part, staring at him for a moment.
When you do not immediately respond, Seokjin starts to sweat. “You don’t have to take it,” he says quickly. “I can give it to someone else. It’s too much for me though, and you were on the way back from the shop…”
Trailing off, Seokjin wonders if this entire endeavor is foolish. The tray he is holding is full – four, small cups of espresso which cost an hour of pay. Of course, you do not need to know that. You only need to know that he thought of you.
“I – yeah,” you say slowly, reaching out for a cup. “Thanks, Seokjin.”
Seokjin blinks, since your response was almost cordial. Before he can get too excited about this, Brandi appears.
“Wow, thanks!” she enthuses, grabbing a cup. “That was so nice of you to do this.”
“Right.” Seokjin deflates just a little. It is not as if he does not want Brandi to have espresso, but he was hoping for a shared moment with you. “Just spreading the love – or caffeine, as it were. Anyways…” His laughter trails off, gaze darting to you. “Guess I have one more cup to distribute. Enjoy!”
He turns around too fast for you to respond.
Each step he takes, Seokjin half-expects to hear you call out behind him. If this were pre-Fountain Incident, you probably would have. An insult, or horrible pun – something to let Seokjin know you were watching him walk away, but now there is only silence.
This goes on for a week. Seokjin continues to do nice things for you, passing by in the hopes you will say hi. He holds his breath and hopes you will speak first, but it seems you are determined to continue icing him out.
Seokjin supposes he cannot blame you for this. It is not as though you were friends, after all.
He has almost accepted the idea that you will continue being strangers when one day, Seokjin looks up and finds you at the register.
All words instantly die in his throat.
If he thought he was in the process of getting over you, Seokjin was sorely mistaken. The days of silence have not lessened his want, but only intensified it. It makes him swallow, uncertain, which must be a first. Out of all his friends, Seokjin is not the one to call shy.
Tentatively, you smile and Seokjin realizes he still has not spoken.
“H-hi,” he stammers.
Your shoulders seem to relax at his nervousness. “Hi. Is this a bad time?”
“No,” Seokjin says, slamming his register shut. “Lisa is on break, but it’s been a slow afternoon.”
“Yeah,” you exhale. “Same. Guess we finally found those lulls you were on about.”
Seokjin chuckles under his breath. The space between you falls silent again.
“I, uh…” Twisting your hands before you, you seem unsure what to say. “I haven’t seen you around, lately.”
Seokjin’s heart stutters. “Oh. I guess.”
“That’s kind of my fault,” you say. Seokjin’s gaze drops to your hands, which continue to twist. He finds the gesture oddly endearing. “I was the one who told you to stay away.”
Arching a brow, Seokjin turns towards the register. He does not know what to say without being rude. Yes, seems like the most obvious answer, but that could be construed as impolite. Casually, he sneaks a peek sideways. You are right, though – this is partly your fault, also. Even if the other fault is his own.
“Yeah,” he agrees. “I don’t blame you for saying that, though.”
“You don’t?”
Curiosity laces your tone and Seokjin looks up, surprised to see a question mark in your gaze.
“Brandi told me Chad was fired,” you add.
Seokjin stills. “Yeah. He was.”
You pause, as though waiting for an explanation. When none comes, you narrow your eyes. “He was the one who messed with that drone, wasn’t he? Not you.”
“I – yeah, I guess so.”
Exasperation enters your gaze. “Well, why didn’t you tell me?”
“I did!” Seokjin protests. “I told you when we were chasing after the drone and you didn’t believe me!”
“Oh,” you say, wilting a bit. “Right.”
Seeing your face, Seokjin softens. “Look, it’s not a big deal.”
“Is it?” you ask in disbelief. “I yelled at you in front of the entire mall for something you didn’t do, and you’re saying its fine?”
Seokjin’s lips quirk. “Well, when you put it like that.”
When you roll your eyes at the ceiling, he laughs. Weirdly, it feels good to have you disparage him a little. It feels as though you are on even footing again.
“I mean, it’s not like we were friends,” Seokjin continues. “Why wouldn’t you think it was me?”
“Hm.” You blink, taken aback. “I guess you’re right.”
After another long moment, Seokjin adds, “We could try to be friends now, though. If you want.”
You bite down on your lip. “Are you giving me a formal offer, Seokjin? Should I sign on the dotted line somewhere?”
“I can make a contract if you want. All good peace treaties are in writing.”
“Is that what this is? A peace treaty?”
“Of a sort.” Seokjin raises a brow. “I can’t promise to stop kicking your ass in sales, though. I was born talented.”
“Or, maybe it’s Maybelline,” you shoot back. “I wouldn’t want you to stop, though. It’s been too quiet around here without you blasting Backstreet Boys.”
“Liked what you heard?”
“Who doesn’t like Backstreet Boys?”
“Monsters.”
“Agreed.”
“Wow.” Seokjin’s brow furrows. “I think that’s the first time you’ve ever agreed with me.”
“I know.” After a moment, you frown. “It’s oddly unsettling.”
Seokjin laughs – a short, surprised burst which makes you smile. “Well...” Trailing off, he finds himself unsure what more to say. “Is that why you came over?”
“Let’s see.” You lift a hand, ticking things off on your fingers. “Tell you I know you didn’t sabotage my job. Check. Ask to be friends? Check. Oh,” you add, as though only remembering. “There was something else I wanted to say.
Seokjin waits, holding his breath as you start to lean in.
Angelic, you smile. “I lied before,” you say. “We aren’t having a lull. See you around!”
Dropping a wink, you turn to walk across the food court. Seokjin watches you go, legs having effectively turned to jelly in your presence. It is unfair that you have this effect on him. Slowly, he lowers himself onto his stool. It would seem the two of you are friends now.
Dragging a hand through his hair, Seokjin wonders what he has gotten himself into.
Over the next couple of weeks, Seokjin stops by your kiosk more often. He learns your usual morning coffee order – a grande iced Americano – and occasionally brings it along. You seem to have switched to the morning shift, he notices. Before, it was about fifty-fifty which time of the day you showed up.
At some point, Seokjin explains about his former job and current app development side projects. This turns into a running joke of him bouncing ideas off you.
“Okay,” you say, folding your hands across a wan food court table.
Seokjin takes a sip of his coffee. “Okay, what?”
“Okay, what’s today’s app idea?”
Seokjin snorts. It is 10:00 AM and neither of you must be at your shift yet but somehow, you both managed to arrive early.
“What about this?” Seokjin leans back in his chair. “Angry birds, but – instead of birds, its photos of friends that you upload yourself.”
“Pass.”
“Hm. A Bachelorette fantasy league app?”
“Hard no.”
“Okay, so this one is a kid’s game.”
“Go on.”
“A kid’s game where you change the oil of your dad’s car as fast as you can.”
You snort, nearly spilling your drink. “Seokjin! That’s a terrible app idea.”
“Bonus points if you spill no oil on the driveway!”
“Seokjin!”
He grins. “Yeah, Yoongi said it was bad, too. I don’t get it.”
“Please.” Shaking your head, your smile fades the longer you look at him. “I don’t believe any of those are your actual idea, though.”
“Huh?” Seokjin blinks. “What do you mean?”
“Those are just the ideas you tell people to make them laugh,” you observe. “It gets them off your back, so you don’t have to say your actual idea. You know, the one you really care about.”
Seokjin pauses, mouth suddenly dry. “I don’t know what you mean.”
You arch a brow. “I get it. That’s how I am with my writing. Freelance doesn’t exactly pay for dreams, does it? I tend to downplay my favorite ideas, so then if they don’t work out – hey, at least it wasn’t something I cared about. You know?”
Seokjin is not quite sure how to respond. In only a few sentences, you have looked inside him and summarized his thoughts. No one – not even Yoongi, whom Seokjin has known for years – is able to read him as well.
Inhaling gently, Seokjin leans back from the table. “Well,” he admits. “There is this one idea.”
“Oh?”
Nodding, Seokjin considers where to begin. “Do you know what fair lending is?”
“Not really, no.”
“It’s the unbiased treatment of customers by banks.” Seokjin pauses and, when you do not seem bored with the topic, begins to speak freely. “It ensures financial institutions provide uniform services, regardless of bias.”
“Gotcha. So, it’s like equal opportunity but for banks?”
“Kind of, yeah.” Seokjin exhales. “Basically, I want to create a fair lending app. There is a lot out there to help with credit decisions and stuff, but I want to put it all in one place. I want to break down the ‘non-biased metrics’ banks use and warn people how there could be bias involved.”
Your frown. “What do you mean?”
“Take income, for example.” Seokjin grips his cup tighter. “The vast majority of people below the poverty line are minorities. So, if a bank has a hard and fast income requirement for a loan, they inadvertently discriminate. It’s why a variety of factors are mandated to assist in … what?” Seokjin blinks, seeing you staring. “What is it?”
Hiding a smile, you shake your head. “Nothing, it’s just a cool idea. I think you should do it.”
“But then who will make bachelorette fantasy app?” Seokjin jokes, ducking his head.
“Someone else.” You wait until he looks up. “Do the fair lending app.”
Seokjin finds he cannot think of another joke. “Alright,” he says slowly. “It’s a plan.”
You nod, sipping your coffee as silence falls in between you. It is unnerving, how easy it is for Seokjin to talk to you. With most people, it takes him a while to show his true colors but with you, he finds he cannot be anyone else.
Glancing at his watch, Seokjin realizes how late it is. “Shit,” he mutters, jumping out of his seat. “It’s nearly 10:30.”
You wince, standing as well. “Damn, do you have to open today?”
“Unfortunately so.” Seokjin grabs his coffee. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay, Y/N?”
“Okay,” you say, waving when he turns out of sight.
Seokjin does not hesitate to walk away. He curses himself the entire way to his kiosk because he is becoming much too comfortable with being your friend. Enough that he keeps catching himself thinking about more.
It is hard not to think about his hands wrapped around yours on your coffee cup. Hard not to imagine carpooling with you in his car to work. Seokjin tries to be on his best behavior but still, the fantasies worm their way in.
It is why he has created several rules of conduct around you. First and foremost is never stay for too long. The second Seokjin feels himself becoming attached, he leaves. Like now, for instance. Seokjin does not really have to be at the kiosk before eleven but the way you were looking at him made his heart beat out of his chest.
Self-preservation, he reminds himself.
The rules are working until Taehyung throws a party.
“Saturday night,” Taehyung grunts, slamming Seokjin’s coffee order on the counter.
Seokjin blinks, reaching up to take both cups. Lately, Taehyung has been in the worst kind of mood. This mostly seems to stem from his hot co-worker who will not take him seriously. All the guys in the mall gave him shit about it before, but the kid really does seem to like her. Which sucks, since Taehyung has a reputation and the pretty barista clearly has heard of it.
“The party is at your place?” asks Seokjin, glancing up at the counter.
Taehyung nods. Loud enough for his co-worker to hear, he adds, “The party will be at my place this weekend! Can’t wait to see you there, Seokjin!”
Seokjin snorts, shaking his head. “You’re whipped, man,” he whispers. Then, loud enough for the female barista to hear, he adds, “I’ll be there! In fact, everyone should come!”
The girl does not react, busy at the register and Seokjin shrugs.
Sorry man, he mouths to Taehyung before pushing open the door. Making his way through the mall, Seokjin walks past your kiosk – only to see you deep in conversation with another guy. Seokjin does not recognize him as your co-worker, but he does recognize him from the gym.
Occasionally, Jungkook talks to him before they work out. Seokjin never found the guy threatening before.
Seeing him now though, the oddest sensation unfurls in his stomach. He does not want you talking to this guy – the desire flashes through Seokjin’s mind faster than he can stop it. Before he can turn around and leave though, before Seokjin can separate himself from the situation, you look up and smile.
“Hey, Seokjin!”
“Hey, Y/N.” Plastering a smile on his face, Seokjin forces himself to walk towards your kiosk. “And you are…?” he asks, looking at the stranger.
The guy grins, unconcerned. “Hey, I’m Josh.”
“Cool.” Seokjin returns to looking at you. “Are you coming to Taehyung’s party this weekend, Y/N?”
Everyone at the mall knows who Taehyung is. He is a staple for anyone who drinks coffee – and chances are, if you have stopped by Java Joe’s in the past three days, you are invited.
Your eyes widen. “I was thinking about it.”
“Cool.” Seokjin casually leans an elbow against your kiosk. He forgets about the wheels though, and as a result, the entire thing starts to move. Frantically attempting to right this, Seokjin nearly spills his coffee in the process.
“Anyways…” he mutters, ears turning scarlet.
You clamp your lips tightly together. “So, you’re going to be there?”
Seokjin nods. He has no idea what he is doing. He has no idea what Josh is doing, since he has not said a word since introducing himself.
Glancing at him now, Seokjin is reminded of Chad. Not because the two look anything alike, but because they both have that air about them. That condescending, could-bench-press-you-in-seconds look. Seokjin bets that, at some point in the past ten days, Josh has worn a snapback.
You are standing close very close to him, though. Seokjin cannot ignore this fact.
“Cool.” Your gaze lingers on his. “Then, I guess I’ll see you there?”
Seokjin nods. “Guess so. We’ll see!”
He turns, walking away and overhears Josh ask you details about the party. Gritting his teeth, Seokjin uncurls his hands from their fists. You are not his to be jealous of, he reminds himself. He has no right to be angry if you decide to date someone else. But still, Seokjin’s mood remains sour for the rest of the day.
You do not visit at the end of your shift. If could be because you are genuinely busy. Or, it could be something else. Or, someone.
Seokjin has the next two days off. He uses them to work on his fair lending app, getting a good bit of coding done in his apartment. Your voice plays in his mind as he works, telling him to go for what he wants.
Seokjin is tired of working at the Fidget Funk. He is tired of waking up every morning, going to a job he hates and feeling as though he is doing nothing with his life. What was supposed to be a temp job has stretched into months and Seokjin needs to act for anything about this to change.
There is only so long he can complain before doing something about it.
He wants to do what he loves; wants to do something he cares about – not this. Sometimes, making that decision is the hardest part.
The night of the party, Seokjin drives there with Yoongi. Yoongi, surprisingly agrees to come with little coercion. Usually, Seokjin needs to drag his taciturn roommate to social events. He was easily convinced tonight though, which results in Seokjin being more nervous than normal.
As they enter Taehyung’s apartment, he pauses on the threshold.
If he had your number, he would have texted to see if you were coming, but Seokjin does not and so, he could not. Wandering into the room, Seokjin winces when no one removes their shoes. Parties are always strangely barbaric in that regard.
Taehyung’s apartment with his roommate, Jimin, is much larger than his. Seokjin remembers Taehyung saying Jimin came from money but does not remember specifics. Jimin is a night nurse at NorthShore Medical center and often stops by Java Joe’s in the morning for coffee. Other than that, Seokjin does not know much about him.
Walking inside, Seokjin realizes Taehyung has downplayed Jimin’s wealth. There is no way they could afford this place on a nurse and barista salary. A bunch of people are outside – because there is an outside; a large balcony overlooking the city – chatting about nothing over the rims of their drinks.
Yoongi disappears as soon as they enter, heading off to god-knows-where. He leaves Seokjin alone, who shifts his weight about nervously. Glancing up, he spots Namjoon in the kitchen and hastily rushes towards him. Finally, a familiar face.
“Joon!” he calls out.
Namjoon waves, re-filling the cup in his hand. When Seokjin reaches his side, he hands another to Seokjin. “Hey,” Namjoon nods. “You just get here?”
“Yeah.” Seokjin scans the party again, red cup in one hand. “Is everything c –”
Cutting himself off mid-sentence, Seokjin stares when you walk into the room. Everything he wanted to say falls from his brain to the floor. It is not unlike that one scene in She’s All That, when Laney comes down the stairs and Freddie Prinze Jr. loses his mind. Seokjin cannot think, looking at you.
A red cup is in your hand, matching the red gloss on your lips and god, Seokjin cannot stop thinking about kissing it off.
He swallows, hard – and then notices the guy at your side.
You laugh, turning sideways to Josh. Because that is who it is, of course – the same muscle- bound jock you were talking to at the drone kiosk earlier.
Jungkook appears as well, clapping Josh on the shoulder. Seokjin scowls, swallowing a larger sip of his drink than intended. First, this guy tries to steal his girl and now, his best friend. Eyes widening, Seokjin straightens. Shit, you are not his girl. He needs to stop thinking that way.
“Seokjin?”
Seokjin realizes Namjoon is staring at him. “Uh, yeah?”
“You trailed off in the middle of a sentence and have been hard-core staring at that girl ever since. Is – oh!” Namjoon’s eyes light up. “That’s her, isn’t it?”
“That’s who?” Seokjin hastily swallows his drink.
“The girl! Fountain girl!” Namjoon shoves him. “The one you’re head over heels for!”
“Okay, fountain girl is a horrible way of describing her. And yeah, maybe that’s – shit, shut up,” Seokjin hisses. “She’s coming this way.”
Namjoon snorts into his drink. You are, indeed, waking towards them but Josh is no longer beside you. Craning his neck, Seokjin looks over your shoulder but does not see the guy anywhere.
“Hey.” You come to a stop right before them, glancing at Namjoon. “Namjoon, right?”
Namjoon sticks out a hand. “Yep. Y/N?”
You take this, stifling a smile as you shake. “Yeah.”
“And, of course, you know Seokjin.” Namjoon grins at Seokjin’s flustered expression.
“Uh-huh,” you say, offering him a tentative smile. “We go way back.”
Feeling somewhat nauseous, Seokjin takes another sip of his drink. “Y/N and I are friends.”
A flash of something – uncertainty? Annoyance? – crosses your features. “Right,” you say carefully. “Friends.”
Your expression remains stubborn though, and Seokjin wonders if he has done something wrong. Changing the subject, he glances around the apartment. “Have you been here before, Y/N?”
“No,” you confess. “But damn – which roommate won the lottery?”
Seokjin grins. “I know, right? I can show you around if you want.”
You blink, taken aback by his offer and Seokjin wonders if that was too forward. Well, fuck it – he is not getting anywhere by being subtle.
“Yeah,” you say, recovering yourself. “I’d like that.”
Pushing himself off the counter, Seokjin says goodbye to Namjoon and plunges into the party. He continues to look for hot gym guy, Josh, but does not see him anywhere. It is unlikely you came here together, but not impossible. Perhaps the two of you are dating. Perhaps you like him and want to date him in the future.
Seokjin is so busy running through what-if scenarios, he does not notice you looking at him.
“Right, so Taehyung and Jimin’s rooms are that way.” Seokjin leads through the crowd. “Aka, that hall is off limits. This is the living area and well, you already saw the balcony.” Steps faltering, Seokjin looks sideways at you. “Did you see the balcony?”
You shake your head. “Nope.”
“Scared of heights?”
“Not really, no.”
“Well, then you’re lucky.” Seokjin mutters, pushing open the sliding glass door. “Luck you never met that dick, Jared Karinsky.”
Laughing, you follow him out on the balcony. There are only a few other people outside and, once the door slides shut, it feels as though you are trapped in another world.
“Who’s Jared Karinksy?”
Glowering, Seokjin takes a sip of his drink. “Some dick who knew I didn’t like heights, but still brought me to the top of the jungle gym. Then, he left me there. It took two hours for my brother to find me and get me back down.”
Laughing, you lean against the railing. “I take it that didn’t help?”
“It did not,” says Seokjin. “If anything, my fear was worse after.”
You grin, draining the rest of your cup as the wind ruffles your hair. It makes Seokjin’s heart ache a bit to look at.
“Well, I have to say –”
The glass door slides open, interrupting whatever you were about to say. Josh’s head pops out. “Y/N!” he grins. “I was looking for you.”
You slowly turn towards the interruption. “I... oh. Hey, Josh.”
“Are you busy?” Josh glances between you and Seokjin.
Rubbing the back of his neck, Seokjin feels oddly foolish. It seems obvious now, that you came here with Josh. You must have been making a beeline for drinks when you ran into Seokjin in the kitchen. Seokjin assumed, then. He thought you were free. When he grabbed you, he was yanking you away from the guy you really wanted to be with.
“Not busy.” Seokjin drains the rest of his cup. “Not busy at all. Have fun,” he mutters, brushing your shoulder as he moves towards the door.
When he leaves, Seokjin does not look back and so, he does not see your lips part. He does not watch you stare after him with equal parts frustration and anger. All Seokjin sees is the kitchen before him, full of alcohol for him to consume. Alcohol he will need to get through the rest of this party.
He is almost to the kitchen when a hand grips his arm, yanking him around. “What the fuck was that?” you say, brows furrowed.
Seokjin stares at you, alarmed you are in such close proximity. “I – huh? What the fuck was what?”
You scowl, leaning in and Seokjin leans back. “That!” you demand, waving vaguely at the balcony. “Why did you run away?”
“Run away?” Seokjin’s gaze darts towards the offending location. “I thought you wanted to talk to that guy?”
“Why would you think that?” you ask, brows furrowing further.
“I…” Seokjin finds himself at a loss. “I don’t know. Didn’t you come here with him?”
“With Josh?” You wrinkle your nose. “You mean – my cousin, Josh?”
“…cousin?”
You nod, looking at him incredulously. “You thought I wanted to talk to my cousin, Josh, as opposed to you?”
A lightbulb clicks in Seokjin’s mind. “I – he’s your cousin?”
“Yes, he’s my cousin.” Scowling, you take a step closer. “But even if he weren’t, why would you just leave like that? We were in the middle of a conversation!”
“I don’t know!” he blurts, gaze narrowing at your tone.
Out of the two of you, Seokjin is the one with the right to be angry. You are the one looking so damn good tonight and currently yelling at him for something he does not understand.
Vaguely aware they should not have this argument in the middle of Taehyung and Jimin’s kitchen, Seokjin grabs your wrist and tugs you into the hall. The forbidden one, next to the bedrooms. Realizing this, Seokjin keeps going and decides to beg forgiveness later.
Dropping your arm, he whirls around to find you mere inches away.
“Why didn’t you ask me to stay?” he accuses, pointing a finger. “For that matter – why didn’t you ask if I was going to the party tonight? If my presence is so important to you.”
Glaring at him, you bat his finger away. “You asked me first! Besides, I thought it was obvious I wanted you here. You know… because of the… and…”
“Because of the what?”
Somehow, you have gotten very close to Seokjin. The tips of your toes are just brushing his. Electricity crackles between you, making Seokjin’s heartbeat oddly erratic.
Glowering, your gaze darts to his lips. “Oh – seriously? Shut up and kiss me, you ass!”
Grabbing your face, Seokjin does just that. His lips crash into yours, the kiss muffled and urgent as he backs you to the wall. You groan, hands fisting in the back of his t-shirt. Seokjin cannot think beyond his hand resting on your jaw, then sliding into your hair, then moving down to your ass.
He cups you against him, head reeling from the sudden warmth of your mouth, your body and the urgency of your touch. Seokjin has never wanted someone so badly. Each brush of your lips leaves him wanting more, an endless desire alight in his veins.
Your mouth opens, tongue flicking with his as Seokjin’s heart nearly explodes. He cannot breathe – each breath mingles with yours, leaving him dizzy and parched.
“Fuck,” he groans, breaking away to lean his arm to the wall.
You stare up at him, breathless and confused. Your chest continues to rise and fall, lips swollen from the wanton press of his mouth. Seokjin cannot look away.
“I…” He exhales, glancing towards the living room. “Do you wanna get out of here?”
You nod so fast, you nearly hit your head on his chin. “Yes.”
“Okay.” Seokjin reaches down, grabbing your hand. “You good with my place? It’s only a few minutes drive.”
“Yeah,” you answer, following him down the hall. “Roommate?”
“Here. At the party.”
“Good.”
Dragging you into the foyer, Seokjin digs his phone from his pocket. Letting go of your fingers, he shoots a text off to Yoongi, telling him not to come home. He can face the consequences of that later. Shoving his phone in his pocket, Seokjin opens the door.
“Do you have a coat?” he asks, looking at you.
“Nope. You?”
“Nope.” Seokjin shuts the door to the hall and the noise of the party fades. “This way?”
“Sounds good.”
When you move to walk past, Seokjin grabs your hand – he cannot help himself. Pushing you against the wall, he relishes your muffled exclamation of surprise and kisses you fiercely. Thoroughly. The way he has wanted to for so long.
Hands sliding into your hair, Seokjin feels you arch against him. Your hand is on his hip, pulling him closer and Seokjin cannot stop thinking about your hand on other places.
When he finally breaks away, you stare at his lips. “That’s…” You swallow, voice sounding strangled. “Fuck.”
Seokjin grins. “Come on.”
Grabbing you again, he pulls you into the elevator. The entire way down, the air between you is electric. Seokjin shifts his weight and you follow suit. Raising a hand, you rub the back of your neck. Seokjin’s skin prickles when he sees.
When the door dings, opening into the lobby, you suddenly come to life. Newly determined, your hand wraps around his and pulls Seokjin outside. He practically throws his keys at the valet, wondering how on earth he is going to survive the drive home without touching you. Thank god he only had that one drink tonight. It would have been torture to be so close to fucking you and then not.
Startled by the thought, Seokjin realizes the truth of the matter. He is going to see you naked. Whirling to face you, Seokjin blurts, “This isn’t some random thing. You know that, right?”
Surprised, you glance at him. “I – what?”
“This.” Seokjin steps closer and his peripheral, sees the valet hop out of his car. “I really like you, Y/N.”
Staring up at him, you blink. “You do?”
“Of course, I do! You thought I didn’t?”
“I thought you hated me.”
“Of course, not!” Grabbing his keys from the valet, Seokjin opens the passenger door. He waits until you sit before crossing to the driver’s side. “Why would you think that?” he asks, sliding into the seat.
You stare at him incredulously. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What?” Seokjin pulls out of the driveway. “I’ve liked you for so long! I just didn’t know how to tell you.”
“Uh! Could’ve fooled me.”
“Are you serious? I was such an idiot in front of you! What other explanation is there?”
“That you’re an idiot!” you answer, scowling. “Are you seriously saying that was your idea of flirting?”
“I mean… well, no, but…”
You snort, facing forward. “You’re so bad at this.”
“At what?”
“This!” you insist, gesturing between you.
“Oh, come on! Like you’re Juliet, or something.”
“Who?”
“Juliet! Of Romeo and Juliet!”
“They… Seokjin, they died in the end!” you say incredulously.
“Well, what do I know?” Seokjin makes a sharp right, pulling into his parking lot. “I never finished reading that play, actually – fell asleep a third of the way in. What I’m trying to say is that you’re also shit at this.”
“Oh, really?”
“You said you never wanted to speak to me again,” Seokjin reminds, throwing the car into park.
Hastily, you unbuckle your seatbelt. “I apologized for that.”
“You were the one who said you wanted to be friends!” Seokjin shoves open his door and exits the vehicle.
You exit as well, slamming the door shut. “Well, it seemed like the next logical step!”
“No.” Seokjin strides forward. Caging you against the car, he growls, “The next logical step would’ve been admitting you liked me, too.”
“Too?” You blink, stuck on the word. “So, you admit you like me?”
“Never said I didn’t.”
These last words are muttered against your lips, Seokjin cutting off further retorts with a kiss.
Arching upwards, your hands twine around his neck. Seokjin’s mind stutters, unsure what to think. His brain is a vague mess of swear words and exclamation points when his lips move against yours. It is hard to grasp the fact that you are here, with him and wanting him the same way he wants you.
Breaking apart, Seokjin rests his forehead to yours. “Okay,” he manages. “I know you said you wanted to leave with me. I know you got in my car and drove all the way here. But – because I want to be sure – do you want to come in?”
Breathlessly, you laugh. “Yes.”
“Okay.” Withdrawing, Seokjin takes your hand. “Then, let’s go.”
Climbing the outdoor stairs to reach his apartment, Seokjin pulls the keys from his pocket so he is prepared to enter. He does not check his phone, certain Yoongi has texted him multiple epithets about where he can stick his ass.
Bracing his hip against his door, Seokjin jiggles the key to shove it open. Once you are both inside, Seokjin half-expects you to wrinkle your nose. It is not as if his and Yoongi’s apartment can ever compete with Jimin and Taehyung’s.
You do none of this, though. Stepping inside, you place your purse on the counter and glance around curiously. “You live with that guy from the food court, right?” you ask, turning around. “Yoongi?”
Stepping forward, Seokjin crushes his mouth to yours.
You inhale, the noise caught by his lips when your hands slide up his back. One of your legs curls around his, rubbing your core against the meat of his thigh. Seokjin’s head spins, gripping your ass to push you against the counter. You make a muffled noise, gasping when Seokjin hardens into your crotch.
It is embarrassing how ready he is for you. All it took where a few whispered words about how badly you want him and here he is, rock-hard and on edge. Admittedly, the noises you make are not helping.
“Shit,” Seokjin breathes, kissing down the slope of your neck.
You arch your throat, allowing more access. Your skin tastes of berries and something else – probably a perfume Seokjin does not know the name of. The warm press of your core to his leg leaves Seokjin reeling.
“My room?” he gasps, hand dragging up your side.
Frantic, you nod. “Yes.”
Bending, Seokjin grips your legs and lifts you against him. He stumbles towards his bedroom, realizing too late you are heavier than he thought. Maybe Jungkook was right about adding weight to his reps. Kissing you again, Seokjin staggers into his bedroom and drops you on the bed.
Laughing, you grab your top to yank overhead. There is some skepticism to your gaze, as though you expected him to fall short in carrying you. Seokjin’s ego flames in response. Growling lowly, he rips off his shirt and descends on the bed. Parting your legs, he presses a kiss to your thigh.
“Take off your jeans.” Seokjin looks up.
You blink. “What?”
“I wanna eat you out.” Seokjin cocks a brow. “Or, is that too much?”
“No,” you glower, undoing your buttons. “Go for it.”
As you shimmy your jeans down your legs, Seokjin’s mouth dries at the sight of your panties. He did not imagine them to be lace. He did not imagine them to be quite as revealing as they are. Slowly, Seokjin reaches out to peel these aside. You inhale, arching on the bed. Seeing your pussy like that, laid out before him, he can hardly breathe.
You are wet for him. Theoretically, this makes sense, but Seokjin did not think he could make you wet. Did not think he would ever see you as drenched as you are, the lace in the middle much damper than the rest. Pressing another kiss to your knee, Seokjin inhales and makes his way higher.
Flicking your clit with his tongue, he teases at more. You mewl, curling inwards and Seokjin pushes your legs down. He sucks the length of your folds, getting you good and wet before he returns to your sex. You arch again, pussy clenching even through there is nothing inside you.
Smirking, Seokjin takes pleasure in this fact. Your folds are glistening, ready even though has not touched you yet. He has not even pushed a finger inside that tight, wet cunt of yours. Lowering his head, Seokjin’s tongue curls over your clit. He turns needy, licking until your hands fist in the sheets on either side of your body.
“Seokjin,” you groan. “Please.”
“Please what?”
Seokjin leisurely sucks on your clit, pulling it between his lips. His other hand drifts to your cunt, tracing in circles.
You moan beneath him on the bed, arching to try and push him inside. Seokjin memorizes the visual – the black lace of your bra barely hiding your nipples, hair splayed on his comforter with his hands on your thighs.
“I need more.”
“Yeah?” Seokjin lazily traces your pussy. “Want me to finger you?’
“Fuck, yes.”
“Mm.” Seokjin sucks your clit until you cry out from pleasure. Releasing you gently, he sits back on his heels to rub with his fingers. “I could probably make you come like this, though.”
Reaching underneath your body, you unhook your bra. Seokjin stares in awe at your chest, bared before him. “Probably,” you agree. “But wouldn’t it be more fun to come inside me?”
Seokjin’s teeth grit, the words going straight to his cock. Already, it pulses against the tight fit of his jeans – when he feels how wet you are, Seokjin cannot stop imagining himself inside you. Grabbing your wrist, he brings your hand to his crotch.
You inhale when you feel how hard he is. “You’re so… big,” you murmur. “Will you even fit?’
Seokjin smirks, bending until his lips cover yours. “Not yet,” he agrees, spreading your legs with one hand. Stroking your center, he wets himself with your arousal. “That’s why I gotta stretch you out first. Get you ready for this dick.”
“O-h,” you gasp, mouth a perfect o as Seokjin’s finger pushes inside.
It is a tight stretch. Seokjin feels a bit light-headed, imagining something so tight and wet wrapped around him. Withdrawing, he pushes a finger inside you again. Rolling your hips, you force Seokjin deeper and he clicks his tongue, hand grabbing your waist.
“You don’t get to be in control,” he instructs, finger sliding back out. Adding another one, he slowly fucks you again. “You just have to lie there and take it.”
“Good,” you breathe, two of his fingers inside you. “Finally. I’ve been wanting you to yank my panties down and fuck me for weeks now.”
Seokjin’s jaw clenches – shaking his head, he is certain he must have misheard. “What?”
A smile curls your lips. “You heard me,” you say sweetly, pussy squelching as Seokjin’s fingers slide in and out. “You’re so hot when you’re mad. Why do you think I teased you so much? Wanted your dick in my mouth to shut me up.”
Heat blazes through Seokjin’s veins. He has never been this turned on in his life – hearing such sinful things from your angelic lips. Sitting back on his heels, Seokjin frantically undoes his jeans.
“Fuck, Y/N,” he mutters, pushing them past his ass.
Yanking out his cock, Seokjin wraps a hand around his girth. He rubs himself roughly, ignoring the pre-cum dripping from his reddened tip. Already, he is steeling himself to not come inside you. Pushing yourself up on your elbows, you watch him touching himself, lips parted in awe. Seokjin stares back, realizing you are as tuned on by him as he is by you.
Your gaze darts to his face. “Condom?” you ask, voice unsteady. “I don’t think I’ll last long once you’re inside me.”
Nodding, Seokjin grabs one from his drawer. Ripping open the packet, he rolls this on. Lowering an arm to the bed, Seokjin positions his cock at your core. As badly as he wants to be inside you, there is something so tantalizing about teasing. Spreading your legs, Seokjin rubs his cock to your clit and watches you twitch in response.
“Seokjin,” you groan, arms sliding around his neck.
“Yeah?”
“Need you to fuck me so good,” you whine.
“Yeah?” Cock at your entrance, Seokjin slowly pushes inside. “Like that?”
“Mhmm.” You nod, breath hitching slightly. “Like that.”
“There?” Seokjin pushes in a bit more, moaning when your walls flutter around him.
You are squeezing him so fucking tight, Seokjin wonders how much more you can take. He is aware of the fact he is big. It would not be the first time a girl could not take him; would not be the first time he gave up and ate the girl out until she came.
“No!” Eyes flying open, you grab Seokjin’s wrist when he starts to withdraw. Lips parted, you stare at him in a daze. “Please keep going,” you beg. “Don’t wanna stop.”
Seokjin arches a brow. “You sure? Sure it feels good?”
“Good?” You stare at him with a fucked-out expression. “Oh my god.” Wrapping both legs around his waist, you push Seokjin in deeper. “You’re stretching me so good, baby. Can’t wait until you’re pounding this pussy.”
“Fuck,” Seokjin hisses, gaze darkening. “I think I somehow got harder.”
“I know,” you laugh, somewhat dreamily. “Felt your cock twitch inside me. So fucking hot.”
Seokjin continues to ease inside you, inch by inch until your eyes start to water. Biting down on your lip, you urge him on and before long, Seokjin bottoms out. He stops there, panting at the feeling of being so deep inside you. Glancing down, Seokjin sees your pussy split by his cock and cannot contain himself any longer. He slowly pulls out.
“What…” Grasping for his ass, you panic a bit. “Seokjin, don’t –”
Grabbing your knee, he slams back inside you. The two of you groan at the same time. Him, because he has never felt anything as tight and wet as your cunt and you because his dick is so large, your body is trembling.
“God.” You fall back on the bed, chest bouncing. “I fucking knew you were big. There was no other way you could be so annoying.”
Seokjin withdraws, reliving the sweet sensation of thrusting his cock in your tight pussy. You are so warm and so wet – now that you have been stretched, you mold easily to him.
“Fuck,” you gasp, lifting your hips to his.
Seokjin toys with you. Slowly sliding in and out, he brings his thumb to your clit and starts rubbing. “You thought I was annoying, huh?” he breathes, lips hot in your ear.
Nodding, your hands fist in the sheets. “Still do.”
Chuckling, Seokjin captures your lobe with his teeth. His hips roll against you, pressing you into the mattress. “Mm. Know what I think?”
“What?”
“You talk too much. Flip over.”
Your eyes widen. “W-what?”
“Thought you wanted me to shut you up?” Seokjin presses a sweet kiss to your mouth. “Now, flip over, so I can fuck you senseless.”
Withdrawing, he ignores every inch of him which screams to stay put. It is worth it though, when you finally flip onto your stomach and stick your ass in the air.
Inhaling, Seokjin runs a hand up your drenched pussy. Your lips are swollen, messy with slick from him eating you out. Lifting himself onto his knees, Seokjin grabs his dick and pushes against your center. Slapping your clit a few times, he hisses when he feels you tremble beneath him. Hands soft on your hips, he slides into your cunt.
“Ah!” you gasp, head thrown back from the motion.
Wrapping your hair around his wrist, Seokjin thrusts into you again. He can feel every inch of your cunt, feel the tight squeeze of your walls on his cock. God, you are driving him crazy. Thrusting harder, Seokjin cannot separate the sensations before him.
Your ass pushing back on him, the way your moans fall from your lips. The tight wetness of your heat, his cock disappearing in and out. Leaning down, Seokjin slides an arm around your ribcage and pulls you against him.
He continues to fuck you like that, cock entering your body at a punishing speed. You feel so good pressed against him, nipples hard as they peek through his palms. Seokjin’s lips find your neck, sucking a hickey into your skin.
“Fuck,” you groan, walls tightening around him. Your bodies bang together, his cock fucking you open in a way which barely seems decent. “Fuck – Seokjin – yes! Oh my god, yes.’
“Yeah?” His grip tightens around you. “You about to come on my dick, baby?”
“Yes!” you gasp. He is basically holding you up at this point, fucking you senseless. “Oh – oh! I thought… you – mmph – wanted! Me – fuck! Quiet!”
Chuckling, Seokjin slides a hand between your legs. Finding your clit, he begins to rub with his fingers. “Changed my mind,” he grunts. “Wanna hear you scream my name so loud, you wake all my neighbors.”
“S-Seokjin!”
Your legs start to shake, trembling with your impending orgasm and Seokjin is not doing much better. The only thing holding him back is the intense desire to feel you come wrapped around him.
“C’mon,” he groans, angling his hips even deeper. “Wanna feel this tight, little pussy come on my cock. Can you do that, baby? Can you?”
“Yes,” you gasp and then you are coming undone.
Seokjin groans, biting your shoulder when your pussy clamps down. Your orgasm is so intense, Seokjin is surprised he can keep you against him. Pushed over the edge, Seokjin shudders when he lets go and releases into the condom. It goes on for so long, his cock aching as you take every last bit of him.
Slowly, his hand falls and strokes down your side. Lips brushing your neck, Seokjin exhales and gently withdraws. Everything is over-sensitive, each inch of his body buzzing with satisfaction. Tying the condom into a knot, Seokjin tosses this in the garbage and sees you roll out of bed.
His stomach twists. “Where are you going?” he blurts, wincing at how needy he sounds.
It is only – you look so fucking beautiful. Hair messy and lips swollen, traces of arousal lingering on the inside of your thighs. You smile at him, as if sensing his nervousness.
“Where’s your bathroom?” you ask, sheepish.
Seokjin exhales, relief coursing through him. He points to the left. “Over there,” he says, collapsing on top of the sheets. His dick is limp, soft in his lap, but looking at you, Seokjin is already thinking about more. “Want me to show you?”
“That’s alright,” you laugh, turning around. “I think I can make it to the closet alone.”
Grinning, Seokjin falls back again. “Come back soon.”
“Okay.”
Glancing at him over your shoulder, you sneak another peek before disappearing.
Seokjin stares at his ceiling for a moment before he remembers his roommate. Wincing, he reaches down to fish his phone from his jeans. Unsurprisingly, there are several missed texts from Yoongi.
Yoongi: k lol [11:01 PM]
Yoongi doesn’t matter won’t be sleeping anyways [11:01 PM]
Yoongi: too busy eating dessert ; ) [11:01 PM]
Groaning, Seokjin plugs his phone into his charger. He guesses this means Yoongi found someone else to hook up with. Rolling over in bed, Seokjin starts when you open the door.
“Hey.” You smile, almost embarrassed. Walking towards him, you bend to scoop your underwear from the ground.
“Whoa!” Seokjin blurts, grabbing your wrist. He pulls you into the bed before you can get dressed. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Putting on clothes,” you laugh, curling into his side. “Clearly, I was wrong.”
“Mhm.” Seokjin’s nose nuzzles your hair. He is not sure why, but something about this feels right. Having your limbs entwined in his, your hand resting soft on his chest. He feels warm, satisfied by the thought of being near you.
Sleepily, you smile. “I’m not allowed to get dressed tonight, is that it?”
“Nope,” he agrees, heart soaring the longer he looks at you. “Something that good needs repeating.”
Laughing a little, you curl tighter around him. “Does that mean you want to repeat it?” you ask, uncertainty to your voice.
Sliding two fingers under your chin, Seokjin tilts your head up. “Yeah,” he says, quiet. “I can’t think of anything I want more, to be honest.”
“I – same.”
Laying your head on his chest, you are quiet for a moment as Seokjin basks in the silence. Then, he exhales and adds, “I mean, aside from trouncing your sales targets, of course. I always want to do that.”
You snort, shoving his side. Seokjin pulls you in closer, grinning widely. It is a lie, of course – right now, there is nothing he wants more than to be with you.
[ COLLABORATION MASTERLIST FOUND HERE ]
© kpopfanfictrash, 2019. Do not copy or repost without permission.
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