𝓡𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥𝐠𝐮𝐤

You’re being gently guided towards the little seating area or rather the booth, following the steps of the man in front of you. The same man that openly invited you, in front of everyone, to join him in a more intimate setting.

You’ve noticed the long curtains since the time you entered the bar, but didn't ponder much over it. It’s probably just a window, you thought. However, you learn that the said curtains hide behind them a musical set up equipped with every kind of instrument one could think of.

Great. This place couldn’t get any fancier. Still in disbelief about the fact that you are here tonight, in a place that doesn't feel you, will never feel, and can never feel like you.

The very simple oriented you, not very keen on building your image on superficial things. Not up for extravaganzas, and definitely not in search of luxury experiences like this.

You feel even more out of place right now, as you’re being led to the corner. But the man in front of you, Jungkook, seems unaware of the turmoil that’s been brewing inside of you all night.

Once close to the seating area, you see Jungkook reaching for one of the rounded chairs and slightly moving it backwards, therefore giving you more space to sit down.

You step forwards, getting closer to the table and circle chair set up, a little wary of your surroundings. The chair feels extremely soft as you sit on it, totally different from the tall bar stool chairs you were sitting on for hours on end. Why did you move only now to these awfully comfortable ones? Who knows.

The table in front of you, also circle shaped, is meticulously crafted from shattered glass pieces, giving the furniture a more modern approach.

You see the newly met stranger sit in front of you, with a clean and sharp posture. His soft eyes solely focusing on you, as if right now all he could think, breathe and see is you.

His hand, the one that is tattooed, reaches up to signal for one of the waiters attention, while his left hand stays comfortably on the table. You take a quick glance at it. No ring.

So probably not married, right? But who are you kidding.

You’ve only just met this guy, but a man like him typically gets snatched off the market pretty soon. Following your calculations, by now he should have a mansion in the suburbs, a loving wife and four kids—

“Two Bourbon Boulevardier, thank you.” You were so out of it that you didn't even notice the waiter standing in front of your table, but Jungkook’s voice took you out of that trance.

You cannot be fantasizing about this man’s private life any longer. He’s taken. If not a wife then surely a long relationship girlfriend, or boyfriend to be completely frank. The man sitting in front of you has the full potential to be snatching women or men left and right.

The waiter scribbles down your order on his notepad, and as he leaves, only the two of you remain again.

“Are you in a relationship?.” Blunt, straight to the point.

You had to ask. Couldn't help it, and your mind kept on spiraling around it. Yes, you did say to yourself not to mingle around his personal business, but curiosity got the best of you.

Maybe you should’ve phrased it differently? Or waited perhaps once you got to know him better. Now you look like an ill-mannered mad woman who just got dumped by her ex-husband and now seeks to get into everybody’s business. Great.

However, all you hear from him is a faint and light chuckle. His smile propagating even more than before, eyes somehow softer, just straight up digging into your soul.

You on the other hand, don’t fully get what's funny about your comment. Perhaps it was the eagerness in you that caused him to emit a laugh. You just hope you didn't screw up all your chances. Do you even want to have a chance with him?

“No.” He shakes his head lightly, a small smile hovering his lips, kind of surprised by your frank question. “I’m currently not in any relationship.” You see him leaning back, getting more comfortable on the soft chair, still not diverging his stare from you.

So, no suburban mansion? No wife? No kids?

“That’s an interesting question to ask to someone you just met.” You could hear the teasing voice dripping from him, not meaning it seriously.

You straighten your posture as you hear his remark, courageously looking directly into his deep black orbs as well. Your guard is up right now, quite curious with where this is going, so you challenge him with a faint smile, crossing your arms over your chest.

“To me that’s a perfectly valid question to ask to an umbrella donator.” Your head tilts to the side a little bit, nudging for a response from the man in front of you.

“I frankly would've opted to ask for your number.”

Thank god for your light layer of foundation or you would’ve turned into a living tomato right here, right now. However, you still feel the blush creeping slowly from the neck above, reaching all the way to the ears.

You suddenly feel hot, too hot for your liking. How does one just blurt stuff like that from nowhere.

You try your best to keep your cool, not wanting to be swayed by the handsome man’s tactics. Quite smooth indeed, you have to admit that.

So we playing this game now, huh?

“Then why aren't you?” Keen to see him fumbling even just a little bit, you lean over, both elbows resting on the glass table whilst you hold your face in your hands.

You would've never expected to see him reaching for his back pocket and grabbing his phone from there in a million years. Your words were just a little tease, a reminder that two can play this game, but life seems to prove you wrong times and times again.

He gently lays his phone towards you, already opened to the keypad on his contact application. Head nudging towards it, his grin even more prominent now.

He just seems to love to surprise you.

“Eager much?” You say as you start typing in your number. Sporting a shy smile, you shake your head a little at this silly back and forth. Frankly, you have to admit, it did take you by surprise. Usually a man would just shrug your comment, or come up with something to contradict you.

Not him apparently. Jungkook goes straight to the point.

“Just would like to get my umbrella back eventually.” He jokingly says, his hand wandering to his hair tousling it around.

You definitely learned one thing throughout this night. Jungkook is one hell of a smooth talker. Knows how to say things and when to say them in order to stir something in you.

Not sure if the thing you’re feeling is something you are ready to sign up for, but maybe you’re just thinking too much again. Like May says, just let this night be and enjoy it as much as possible. You don’t have to lay a meaning over everything that approaches you.

And at the thought of your best friend, your eyes sway to her, already located on the opposite side of the bar, sitting on a booth as well. She seems to receive your signals, matching your eyes and just giving you emotionally supportive thumb ups. Typical May.

“Oh? Well here I was thinking that you’d like to get to know me better.” Feeling like you got this conversation under control, you confidently look towards the black orbs in front of you.

Just like when you are in the lab, and you manipulate the molecules to behave in a certain way, the ending varies. A bunch of unpredictable variables can occur in the experiment you conduct, however one thing is for sure, you are always in control over them.

And Jungkook right now is, very conveniently, one of your molecules. You are just tip toeing over it to see how it’s going to behave, maybe put some input here and there in order to seek a reaction from him.

A reaction that you are certain you’re ready for. After all, you work with unpredictability. That’s one key factor you need to have for your job.

His honey-like voice strips you from your thoughts, words dripping from his luscious lips. His posture relaxed and confident, sitting so powerfully on that damn chair. “I’m already getting to know the beautiful lady in front of me.”

Fuck.

You forgot one big thing. You don’t get all blushy and flustered when you work with organisms that you modify genetically in the lab. So when Jungkook, a very unpredictable man, says unpredictable things to you, you can’t just be unfazed.

From the corner of your eye, you see the waiter come back with a tray in hand, both of your drinks on it as well as two glasses of water next to them. Thank god, your throat was now as equally dry as the desert, you need something to chug down.

And so you do, you chug down most of the water, eyes diverting anywhere but him. Your housemate can almost feel the beaming lasers coming out of you right now. You see her motioning to calm down and perhaps not murder the poor gentleman.

Little does she know that murder is the last thing you are thinking about right now.

It’s just been a while since, you know, this. So you're dealing with a lot at this moment. The man’s sudden comment definitely not helping either. And plus the way he has been looking at you throughout the evening feels almost illegal.

But your intense imagination train gets cut off by the sudden sound of rustling fabric.

You glance towards the stage, the curtains being moved to their sides, offering you a clear view to what is the musical set up. The crew all in their position, and soon after a wonderful jazzy performance graces your ears, thus distracting you from anything else.

“I suppose that is true. And what do you want to know so badly from me?” You reply, taking sips of the fancy boulevardier—your second for the night—as you try to be as nonchalant as possible. It’s important to not let your opponent see you trembling, you think to yourself.

You manage to get a light chuckle out of him, emitting the most angelic sound known to mankind.

“Firstly, why a boulevardier?” You’ve noticed this even before, but the way he says boulevardier in such a perfect french accent, does something to you. He did ask you the same question before as well, when you first got introduced to him after your arrival from the restroom. However, at that time you preferred not to mingle in the answer, too overwhelmed by the encounter to reply to him properly.

His eyes curiously search yours, softly glancing at your every feature whilst he reaches for his drink with the tattooed hand. You wonder if you’ll get to ask about them, what they mean to him, when he got them. They seem to hold deep stories that are stitched to the surface of his skin and you can’t help but get drawn to them even more.

As for the question, you can’t admit that your choice of drink for the night was a mere recommendation from your friend. Not like there’s anything wrong with that, but people like him, like your friend, know such stuff like the back of their hand. They live in this elite world made of money where their worries include what a mere fish eats, which drastically changes the flavor of caviar to have for breakfast tomorrow.

You on the other hand, haven't even seen caviar in real life.

However, you got to show that you also belong here, at least you have to try, but you’re not the person to lie just for convenience.

“It’s refreshing, something new.” Your voice comes out strong, still playing coy. Your hands hover on the table, reaching for the napkin that the waiter brought together with the drinks. “You said it’s your go-to?” You refer to the words he said before, asking why he thinks that way.

“It has been my favorite for years.” His lips form a soft, warm smile, all for your eyes to witness. Pearly whites on full display as he diverts his gaze from you for a second. The faintest little flush of red tinting the tip of his ears, so faint you almost miss it. “It’s best to have it when you don’t want to be seen, Chérie.”

Not sure what he exactly means by that. He could be referring to himself, to what the environment and the class he lives in expects from a man like him. The burden he gets constantly inflicted with that never seems to lessen down.

You curiously look at him for a moment longer, but soon after you hear his voice again, adding more to the table. “Just another thing we have in common it seems.” Or maybe his previous comment could have been ment for you. The man is acting as if he’s reading you like a typical french magazine on a Sunday morning.

“Can I also ask you something?” Your sudden question cuts the topic from before, voice a little more pronounced and sure. Completely ignoring what he even called you before.

Chérie.

Jungkook nods his head, ears attentive to whatever you may say.

“Why did you do that?” You know what you are referring to, and perhaps so does he, however just for the sake of seeing you fumbling with your words even more, he feigns ignorance.

“Do what?”

One more sigh leaves your lips, already used to the game he’s been playing all night. “You know, Thursday evening, that day when it rained.”

“Why?” You ask again, eager to know the truth, no, dying to know the truth. The music in the background accompanying your curious question with a more laid-back rhythm.

“I’ll be honest here, but I don’t know if you’ll get what I mean.” His eyes stare intensely at you, soft as always. “In that moment.” He pauses. “It seemed like the right thing to do.”

“Like, I kind of..”

“Knew you?” You finish the words for him, inching a bit forward, an invisible magnet pulling both of you together. That’s the first time you saw him falter with his words throughout the entire night.

Eyes sparkling under the crystal chandeliers. “Yeah.” His voice breathy, finally managing to exhale. It almost seems like the weight on his shoulder has finally dissipated. You know what he means, and that seems to connect you both in ways you cannot decipher yet.

You hold each other’s gaze for just a little longer, the music in the background fading away, only silence remains, accompanied by the occasional sound of your heartbeat.

The moment stretches longer between you, and you decide to cut it off first, suggesting to order a few small dishes—more entrées—to go with the drink in hand.

However, as you both get your orders taken, you do wonder what feels so familiar in this guy. Dwelling more over it will only result in frustration, so you let the thought go for the moment.

･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

You eventually learn more about the man throughout the remaining of the evening. The rest of your friends joining in to the conversation, May being seated on the circle chair right next to yours while as Jungkook is still parallel in front of you.

Memories from the older days, reminiscing the times where Taehyung and Jin met in high school, then went to college together.

You already knew that Jin’s parents own a renowned hotel in the city where he himself is administrated as the manager of the hotel’s restaurant, but you've never heard of his friend Taehyung before this night.

After college the said man moved across the globe to live in France where he met Jungkook through other mutual friends.

Jungkook early on in his life would find himself often there due to his parent's job requiring him to go back and forth from New York to Paris, something you can hardly even grasp to have the privilege of.

A few drinks in, some utterly expensive finger foods later, you and the rest of the group seem to be more at ease, more relaxed per say. You keep on hearing stories on stories of back then from your friends.

One of them being when Taehyung had to save Jungkook from a rather embarrassing situation when a group of elderly women took a special liking for the said man. Back when he used to internship at the former law firm in France, during one of their yearly company parties, the poor man got stuck in a loop conversation for fifty plus minutes with the group of women.

They didn't seem very keen on letting him go any time soon, so thankfully, Taehyung was there to save his ass.

Also, at the very beginning of his internship, anonymous “love letters”—more like poorly written confession attempts as Jungkook prefers to call them— were constantly placed on top of his desk. It started with two letters per month and then gradually increased with time, until he eventually decided to report the happenings to HR. You hear laughs all around you, teasing the poor man for causing such a big commotion.

You now wonder what made him leave Paris all together. From what you can tell, he seems to be back in New York full time, but you aren't completely sure about it.

“Seems like you were everyone's crush back in Paris.” You hear Jin jokingly say causing everyone but the man in question to laugh at it. Jungkook seemingly only sporting a shy grin whilst shaking his head.

And you think Jin has a point, understandably so. The man who you casually and coincidentally met on a rainy evening, looking like a character that’s been extrapolated straight from a romance movie, just randomly gives you his umbrella? In many women’s books, that right there, is husband material.

You, however, are opposed to getting swayed so easily. Both of your backgrounds too different to have any sort of chance, in your opinion. But you do understand, why one would fawn over him.

Taehyung reaches over to mess up Jungkook’s hair jokingly, while the said man tries to dodge his attempts. “No, but for real, this dude still catches stares here too.” And you can definitely confirm that.

Taehyung almost going into a detailed ten minute rant about the countless times both of them were out together and girls just swarm at him asking for his number. Almost. “Oh come on, they asked for yours too.” The umbrella man says, almost offended to take all the credit to himself.

“Yeah, exactly, asked me to give your stupid number to them.” Taehyung adds, which results in light chuckles out of everyone. You, too, cannot help but laugh a little, admiring the chemistry between your newly met ‘friends’.

“What do you think Y/N?” At the mention of your name you suddenly halt your movement. The fork that you’ve implanted in the expensive looking imported Swiss cheese still in your hand. Your eyes glance at the person who addressed you, which results to be your friend May. Of fucking course.

Like being caught red handed at a crime scene, you seem paralyzed by the sheer mention of your name in a conversation where you have no play in whatsoever. And what seems even more embarrassing, is the fact that everyone around you is also attentively awaiting a response, an action. Well, literally anything from you that isn’t just silence.

In a frenzy to say anything at all, all you could mutter is a lame “Think of what?”. Looking even more ridiculous than if you’d remained silent.

“You’re a woman, and as one, I want to know what you think of Jungkook?” May, your wonderful, incredible, sweet sweet best friend May, adds.

What the fuck, you think. You are literally one nano second close to committing mass murder. Just kidding.

But, thinking about it, what is there to say? Yes, he is extremely handsome, hot and awfully attractive, well spoken, incredibly smart, very fuckable man and you can one hundred percent bet that any women would be down to spend the night with him, let him do as he pleases, even ignore you for a bit after just to do it all over again.

As she said, you are a woman and you have eyes. Is that what she wants to hear?

Everyone’s eyes are at you, and so are the eyes of the man this fuss is all for. To be frank, his eyes are the ones that dig the deepest in you, tryin to read you aloud, but you don’t back down so easily.

“My opinion doesn't matter since I’m already in a relationship.” And you threw the bomb.

Jin and Taehyung both acknowledging your words nod at you, a faint surprise emitting on their faces, asking you to bring him with you next time.

You only deliver the tiniest smile known to mankind, silently agreeing. You would bring him if he even existed in the first place. And your friend May knows it, she’s looking at you with an obvious smug look, eyebrows lifted as in asking you ‘you really pulled the boyfriend card to save your ass?’

The thing you said before that you don’t like to lie just for convenience? Scratch that.

The other one who seems to pick up on your white lie is the attorney himself. Probably professional trained to filter out liars like you.

You take a quick glance at him. Head tilted side ways just slightly, analyzing you as if you are in a courtroom ready to be accounted as guilty. Although he sees through you, he doesn't mention anything, leaving the conversation be for now. Both of your eyes meeting, yours much more fierce than his, ready for attack.

You all, however, continue the journey down memory lane. More stories coming from them, and you occasionally adding your version of events that happened with May.

You’ve been housemates for two years now, best friends for way longer. Even though you both have drastically different lifestyles, you get along well with one another. May is always there for you when you need someone, even when you don’t.

She decided two years ago to move in with you, even though she could easily live in one of the penthouses her parents own as a real estate company, however, she actively chooses to stay in a humble seventy eight square meters apartment on a third floor, just to spend more time with you.

Despite that, you do know that sooner rather than later she will have to eventually move in with Jin, if the relationship progresses even further, so you are kind of doomed to say the least.

But you don’t let your mind drift into that topic yet, too soon for it. You just let yourself indulge in the delicious cheese and Italian olives that go hand in hand with the new drink you ordered.

The night seemingly coming to an end after hours upon hours of staying in this refined bar lounge. You don’t even get to see the bill, as May immediately comes to you to assure you it’s already taken care of.

Knowing your friend well, fighting her wouldn’t bring to anything, so you let it slide this time, but that doesn't make you feel less guilty for letting them pay for everything. Another distinct feature that differentiates you from the rest of the group.

Of course they are never going to let you pay for something that would burden you, but it’s exactly this that makes it feel like you are the burden.

The sudden gust of cold wind nips at you as soon as you exit the venue, immediately met with the staircase going down.

“I’ll bring you both ladies home, hm?”

“Thanks Jin.” You say as you look ahead of yourself, cars already parked right at the bottom of the long flight of stairs by the concierge, and you seem to spot Jin’s car right next to another sleek mat-black one.

Reaching the bottom, it is time to say your goodbyes to the other two men. Lightly smiling towards Taehyung who just wishes you three a safe ride home, then your eyes wonder towards Jungkook. His cheeks and his nose a little redder than before, indicating that the cold is nipping at him as well. “It might rain tomorrow, don’t forget your umbrella.”

You know what he means. Your umbrella, meaning his, that is now yours but once was his. You have to admit, hearing that did stir up something in you. A piece of him now being yours, well, it’s only a mere object, but it has started to mean something to you.

“Is that so?” You teasingly ask, eyes looking towards the other three who are still indulging in their own conversation, not minding whatever is happening over here. “It was wonderful meeting you again, Y/N.”

The amount of times that this man has flirted with you in one night is ridiculous at this point. Or at least, you think he’s flirting, you can never be too sure.

The only thing you offer is a mere nod, not trusting yourself to say something you might regret later.

And with his soft smile plastered in your head as the last memory of him you get into the car, that tingly feeling still present in you, though very small.

The journey back being quiet but steady, traffic not as bad now that it’s past midnight. Most families already retreated in the safe space of their homes.

And so do you. Jin drops you off right at the main entrance of the apartment complex, you hear May wish him a good night, were as you thank him again for the ride back, before he takes off again.

Once finally inside you see your friend’s eyebrows constantly turning up and down. “So…?”

“So what?”

“You have to tell me, who is this guy? You seemed to have known him already?” You already knew she was talking about Jungkook. Too exhausted to even talk about it, but you also know that she won’t let you sleep until you eventually spit it out.

“It’s the umbrella man.” You just straight up went to the point and admitted it. May’s expression, however, is priceless. Her mouth almost to the ground, a shocking gasp leaving her mouth as she takes in your words.

“It’s him? Actually him? Oh my god!” Her excitement seems to go over the roof, certainly overreacting a tad bit. “Why didn't you tell me earlier!”

Her shocked face still present, you just roll your eyes at that. You also had your shocked moment back when you were reaching for your purse and he turned around, but you think you were way better at concealing it than May.

You just tell her that there was no time to do so, since she was the one who purposefully sent you and the attorney man to a private booth the moment you met.

“Fair enough, but damn! You didn't tell me he was this hot?” Oh, Jin, you’re sorry for him, however you also know that he would unironically agree with his girlfriend’s words. Jungkook is hot indeed. But that is besides the point.

“I couldn't even get a clear picture of him that day under the rain. Everything was too fast.” So the memory of him was a bit blurry by the time Saturday came, but just one glance at those mesmerizing eyes, and you could clearly identify the owner of them.

“He seems to have taken a liking for you.” You hear May’s teasing voice, almost plastering it on your face. You were making your way towards your room, hand on the doorknob. “What? No, he’s not.”

“Yeah right hun. Tell that to your 'boyfriend'.”

Touché. Even going all the way to create air quotation marks. The seemingly innocent white lie you constructed earlier to avoid having to publicly gush over Jungkook in front of everyone resurfacing again.

Can’t blame you for doing that. At that moment that’s all you could muster. Will it inflict consequences for your future self? Most probably, but at that moment you couldn't think of anything better to say.

You shake your head again—seems like you've been doing that a lot today—a silly smile forming on you, but you try to mask it away. You spare May one more glance before wishing her a good night.

Opening the door to your room, the cozy warmth from the heater gracing you as soon as you get in. Changing your clothes to a comfier and cozier pajama set, you start to wipe away the little make up you applied for the night whilst looking at the mirror. That’s where you hear a ding from your phone, that is currently laying face down on your vanity.

Maybe it’s an app notification, you think. And as you were removing your light layer of mascara with the wet wipe, you reach for your phone, seeing it’s a text message from someone. Your motion completely halting.

01:12 Unknown sender: Hope you got home safely. I enjoyed tonight with you. -jjk

It’s from him isn't it. The mark at the end signing ‘jjk’ basically confirming your assumption. It’s not like there is any other person who would text you out of the blue.

It’s an hour past midnight, this late at night, yet he still texted you, wanting—no—hoping you got home safe. You really want to scream into your pillow right now and kick your feet in the air, but you're mindful of your neighbors.

You almost forgot that you’ve given your number to him, kind of regretting it in the first place. What do you even reply to him now? Something that wouldn't imply anything more than a ‘Thanks’.

Deciding to continue your night routine for now, you let your phone just be. You haven't opened the text message yet, it just stays on your notification bar, sitting so prettily on there as if it has all the right in the world.

Only when you get cozy underneath your layers of blankets and comforters that you hear another ding. Oh no.

You are so dreading to look at the screen right now, already aware that it’s going to be the annoyingly handsome attorney.

01:19 Unknown sender: Also bring your boyfriend next time too :) Seems like a good guy.

Shit. You so wish the ground would swallow you whole, chew your fucked up brain and spit you out towards the flaming sun. Now you are regretting even being born at this point. How do you get yourself out of this mess?

You’re fed up with his little smug mouth, you just leave the matter for when you wake up in the morning, once you are a bit more sober. You don’t trust the intoxicated you to reply wisely any more.

So you put your phone down, making sure to turn on the do not disturb toggle and try to get some sleep. If you even can.

･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Monday comes ahead, you are currently in the university library, mind focused on your laptop, revising your notes for the next exam.

The same old library. That’s where you’ve been living these past couple of weeks, as you will graduate soon enough. You made some tea back at home and decided to bring it to your study session. Too aware of the high quantity of coffee you were drinking lately, so you decided to switch it to tea, not that it made much difference to be honest.

It was relatively early, 9:37 on a Monday morning.

Before heading out of your apartment, you checked the weather, and indeed, it was raining outside. It has been since yesterday actually, so you grabbed your umbrella before coming here. Not the umbrella, just one you already had, probably May’s.

You simply refuse to use the one from the attorney guy you met on Saturday.

Later during the day, you have to attend a little meeting at the laboratory where you’ll be having your internship for the next six months. A mere informal interview, just common company practice, they said. Nothing to worry about, you already got the spot anyway.

It’s going to be your second time there overall, and you’ll get to meet your other lab mates, your team, today as well. Some of them are senior students just like you, some are actual veteran biochemists that are going to function as a mentor to you and the other newbies.

Looking around for a minute, you take a little break from studying. Observing your surroundings, you notice that the library was packed today with many other students from different faculties hunched over the study desks. Some of them reading, some typing and some writing down frenetically.

And some of them are just straight up napping on top of the tables, it’s a rough season for everyone you guess.

You get back into your notes, draw down the change in molecules before and after the experiment that is shown on your screen. That’s all you do for the next couple of hours, no thoughts, no nothing.

At around noon you get a call from what you see is May. Picking up you hear her voice greeting you, asking if you’re almost done, to which you just hum. Technically one is never done studying, but it will be enough for now.

“Lunch at the usual? Sena is also coming.” At the mention of food, that’s where your stomach starts to grumble a little, not having anything this morning except for your tea you suddenly feel very hungry. “Sure. Be there in 20.” Agreeing to meet up with the girls.

At that, you take all your things, pack them up neatly and head out where you use your university card to exit out of the gate. Since the rain seemed to have stopped, you’ll probably just walk it all the way to the cafe.

And as you make your way to the same crossing where you had your k-drama moment, you look around, a little more attentively than usual, just to see if by chance the man is here. Just coincidentally, you know.

And fortunately—or unfortunately—he doesn't seem to be present.

Once you get to the cafe, Sena and May are already seated inside the cozy ambiance, the same table as usual. “Oh perfect, we were just talking about you.” You hear May say as you sit down across from the two sisters.

The waiter comes in right after, asking for all of your orders. You say you’ll just have today’s special menu, some type of feta cheese cream and tomato fusilli pasta.

“Gossiping about me, I see.”

Sena shakes her head a little, seemingly frustrated at how the older sister phrases stuff some times. “No, May was just about to tell me more scoops from the umbrella guy!”

You almost want to stuff your ears with flour, maybe then you don’t have to hear this nonsense anymore. “Not this again. I’m not spending this lunch to talk about him.” Your clearly annoyed face the sole evidence of that.

“No wait! Tell me, he was there on Saturday?”

Unfortunately for you, it seems like Sena has taken the competitiveness of her older sister May, so unless you start talking about it, she will not drop the topic.

“Girl, you have no idea. He looks like he straight up comes from a playboy magazine.” Your housemate responds for you. That’s exactly what you would've said as well, note the sarcasm.

So, you eventually take matters into your own hands, and start to explain to both of them what happened. May already heard bits and pieces from you when you told her yesterday, but you left the detail of him asking for your phone number out. Only now getting to know it.

“Oh god, did he text you?” The eagerness that is plastered on your friend’s face is frame worthy. They seem like little teenagers hearing about how intercourse works for the first time.

“Yes, but-”

“Show me.” You huff a little, a bit annoying—just slightly— about the fact that you are talking about him again. You just never seems to escape him.

You grab your phone out of your tote bag and open the chat from two days-ish ago. You obviously didn’t reply yet, but the fact that you still didn't save his contact is upmost strange for the two sisters. Just left him as 'unknown sender’. A man, so desirable, so attractive, just left unnamed like a creepy stalker.

“I enjoyed tonight with you?” Sena reads the first message he texted you, phone in May’s hands. “Y/N, he’s downright bad for you and you just left the poor man on read?” You just, didn't have the time to reply, that’s it. Definitely no other reason.

“Why does everyone say that? Girls, come on. We just met, chill your pussies.” You desperately try to downplay the situation. For you, after all, it doesn't feel like much. There’s no signals that suggest him having any interest in you, well, except for the flirting but you argue that every guy does that, so what?

Yeah. Every guy would just randomly kiss your hand so softly you feel like you’re made out of jelly. Every guy would call you chérie, with the best french intonation your ears have ever been graced with.

He’s just being polite, you tell yourself.

“Chill? Nothing’s chill. Not if it’s a french man.” Sena argues back, sipping a bit more of her latte. You on the other hand have been repeatedly stirring your matcha latte for the past couple of minutes. Just monotonously stirring it until it eventually started becoming frothy again.

“He’s not even french. Just lived there for a long time, I think.” Which is true, but you do know what she means, you just don’t want to admit it. Maybe it’s stereotypical of you to think this, but you have this portrait idea from consuming various medias and movies, that make it look like France is the place where the real gems come from, not like the blunt stones we have here. But you are certain that not all men are like this, hence why you disagree with Sena. Just because he lived in Paris doesn’t mean—

“There, you have a date. Thank me later.”

Wait, wait, wait.

“What the fuck did you do?” Your train of thought got suddenly interrupted once you heard May’s words, words you wish you misheard or misinterpreted. But no, she shows you the screen of your phone, a definitely longer text chain being presented to you than you remember.

She was apparently texting him on your behalf? Oh dear angels, they will have to hold you back before you do something she won’t like. However, you’re in the middle of a public area so you have to contain your rage for later.

“You did what?!” Your voice, almost soprano worthy, startles the people eating around you, but you can’t be bothered by thinking of how loud you are being right now. Your whole life is on the line, kind of.

At that, you snatch your phone from her evil hands, probably thinking that the devil possessed your friend there for a minute, as you look through the chat. ‘I could present him to you on Friday.’ You, or rather May, sent out just minutes ago, while you were distracted and talking to Sena.

His reply came in swiftly, nearly half a minute later. ‘I’m looking forward to that. Dinner sounds good?’ And a little after, he sent a google link which you assume goes to a restaurant’s website, one that he picked.

Oh no. This is going bad. Abort mission. Command, alt, esc. Whatever gets you out of this situation.

But you see there’s more. Dreading to read the next message, your free hand goes up to your temples, you can already feel the migraine incoming. ‘Sure. Be there at 7.’

The last text, sent from May, mockingly stares at you, as if to challenge you. It doesn't matter how much you may try to escape the attorney, nothing will work, you will have to face him again. And this time alone? Heck no. You’re not going. You’re going to cancel right this moment, actually.

“Don’t even think about it.” You hear May tell you with a rather accusatory tone. You are supposed to accuse her of backstabbing you, not the other way around.

“What you mean? You set me up for this! I’m not going.” At that, you see your friend snatch your phone again, your face utterly confused, eyebrows furrowed, starting to get really annoyed. But before you could yell at her even more, Sena calmly places a hand between you both.

“Okay, okay. Sis, that was a goat move.” Referring to what May was brewing up without your consent or knowledge. Your face even more puzzled than before, about to start yelling at Sena as well, but you got cut off again.

“We all know it will do you good, Y/N. Come on, just try it.” You are currently fuming, little smoke clouds possibly coming out of your ears, and all Sena says is ‘just try it’?

“Y/N, honey, listen to your bestie. I did it for your own good.” She safely swipes out of the chat with Jungkook and locks the phone up, although still keeping it in her grasp. “When’s the last time you went on a date?”

You cross your hands, face still annoyed as hell, as you try to come up with an answer. Who even cares when was the last time, you think to yourself.

Not hearing anything from you, you see May nod her head. “Exactly. It’s been a hot minute. Just go, this once. He seems like a very good dude.”

All these excuses, for what. You don’t even have the strength in you to fight them like you planned you would. “I’m not going, and that’s final.”

“Please.” May, the culprit, says whilst dragging the ‘s’ sound annoyingly long. You sometimes ask who made you befriend someone like her, and then you remember it was you in the first place.

Sighing for what feels like the nth time today, you pull up your white flag, very much giving up to stand your ground. “Fine. I’ll think about it. But just so you know, that was some sneaky shit there May.”

She might have done it for you, in a none ill-mannered way whatsoever, but it still doesn't sit right with you.

You would’ve eventually replied to him. At least you are gaslighting yourself to believe you would. How? You have no idea, but now you have no choice but to go. You could just form an excuse, cancel, or completely dump him and not show up, but you know that your friend will somehow set you up together again. Oh, you so know.

“Nah, you don’t mean it. You’ll thank me one day.” And in come the dishes you’ve ordered, the food seemingly silencing you and your tummy. The conversation back to lighter matter, one that doesn’t include Jungkook.

What a good friend you have.

･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

chapter (3) trois

note: thank you for reading and being excited for chapter two! it made me so happy to know other people were looking forward to it. thoughts?? don't hate may please, she only means well <3 love u bye pls talk to me in the comments or asks hehe

Red.

All you could see in front of you is the fuzzy red colored wool material, woven delicately into beautiful patterns and textures. You could feel the softness on your cheek as you couldn't help but rub yourself deeper and deeper into the newly found warmth. The warmth that you were in search of for a long time, perhaps.

His hug feels like a cure and the softest hug one couldn’t imagine. The more you stayed in his warmth the tighter the strong arms around you would hold you, keeping you inclosed in his vicinity as much as possible. As if even the littlest air between you is unbearable. As if each atom forming your bodies felt the need to bond together.

But atoms don’t really touch each other, do they? It’s all a two faced fake scenario. Nothing we make contact with really touches us, but then why does him holding you feel so real? Feel so right?

All you could see is red. Even as you tried to look up at the source of this comfort, everything felt too blurry. The strangers face being a mystery to you. Your only clues and memories to him are his warmth and scent.

He smelled divinely.

Like feeling the first ray of sun on your skin after a blizzardingx and cold night. Like walking in a park on a foggy morning with the lingering scent of rain from the night before. Like warmth. Like him.

You couldn’t get enough of him. And so does he. His touch never loosened even for a beat of a heart. The presence of his buff arms was so strong, yielding you towards his sturdy chest. Hands so delicately placed on each side of your waist, as if it was moulded by them and they could carry all your baggage.

Protected, that’s how you felt. And you couldn't ask for anything more. After all, all you could think about is this stranger in red. A stranger to an outsider, yes, but comfort to you.

This can’t be real right?

Who are you? Is what you really want to ask him. The question kept on hovering over your head like a mother’s lullaby. Yet you’re too afraid to even utter a sound, scared that what you have in your arms might vanish faster than the speed of light. Not wanting this moment to end ever, you contain your curiosity for the moment, letting the tender action speak for itself.

However, all great things in life have to come to and end someday.

There you wake up in the middle of your bed. Hair tousled from rubbing yourself deeper into the silk pillow, searching for that warmth. Searching for him.

You look outside of your window, the weather is cloudy and dark, light rain still sprinkling the city. The street light outside casting a sweet hue inside your bedroom. Just like the sweetness of his arm-

The sudden vibration of your phone pulls you out of your early fantasies. Someone is calling you. Reaching for the device on your nightstand you see the name of your housemate Marie, for friends May. Your eyes also notice the odd hour.

5:54 am

Too early for anything to be done and face the world. However worry fills you, wondering if something happened last night, if she is safe, so you bring the ringing phone closer to your ear. “Hey May, Is everything alright?”

“Oh thank god you picked up. Yes, everything’s fine, well, sorry I just forgot the keys in my bedroom I think, could you come down and open the front door for me?”

Right, the front door downstairs. It has been causing problems as of lately. The bell stopped working after one stormy night. Maybe something messed up with the wires that time. So there is no way to ring your doorbell, and you keep on forgetting to tell the owner about it.

“Yeah” Your mind still trying to wrap itself around the man of your dreams. Literally.

“Yeah sure. I’ll be down in a second.” You hear May apologize once more for waking you up at the crack of dawn before hanging up. You make your way to the hallway, grabbing your long coat along with you from the rack to somewhat protect you from the chilly autumn morning. Going down the three flights of stairs and reaching the main entrance door, you see your friends silhouette through the frosted glass that is carved in the middle of that door, letting you catch a glimpse of her tired aura.

Her apologetic but also grateful look being the first thing you see as you open the door. “Thanks a lot, hun”. Both of you make your way up again to your shared flat. A small contented sigh leaving your lips as you enter and immediately get greeted by the warmth of your apartment. “I thought you were staying at his place tonight?”

Or at least that’s what you would imagine after she told you that she’d be going out to some newly opened club in the city center, one her boyfriend’s friend works at apparently. She did invite you to come too, insisting that it’s not the usual club filled with nasty sweaty bodies and young teens grinding on each other. It’s a private, more confined environment. A posh club, one you could only get in through connections.

Still not your cup of tea. Also you didn’t feel like going out tonight either way, so you just stayed back at your flat, having a party of your own with your reading session and hot cocoa.

“I did. It’s just that Jin has an early shift today again, so we got ready and he drove me here. I think it’s the last week that he needs to go to work so early, since his coworker is coming back from maternity leave.” May sits down on the island chair in kitchen, you offer a cup of water to her and she accepts it gladly. Probably the first non alcoholic drink she’s had in a few hours. Yet she doesn’t seem to be completely out of it. May has a strong tolerance and is a responsible drinker too, would never overshoot it too much to the point were she’s a wobbly mess.

“Did I startle you when I woke you up? Sorry about that, girl. I though I had the keys with me.” Her eyes linger outside the kitchen window, the autumn leaves outside rattle following the grace of the chilly wind. It’s quite a cold night today, colder than any up until now.

“I was actually already up. I got woken up by, I don’t know, a strangely weird dream.” Your friend’s eyes linger back to you for a moment, and then standing up to start taking her puffy jacket and cardigan off. Too warm to still keep them on. “A strangely weird dream?” A chuckle leaves her lips as she listens closely to you. “You mean a nightmare?” You hear May’s voice, as you also make your way deeper into the open space living room.

“No, not a nightmare. Completely opposite to that actually.” You decide not to dive into it too much, as your memories of the dream also start to dissipate the more time passes. “Just a bit odd, I’d say.”

With an odd stranger too. But you don’t add that either, just letting your friend retreat back to her room to rest some more after wishing her a good night. The long evening and early rise probably tired her more than she’ll ever admit.

You also make your way back to your own bedroom. The same warmish light cascading through your sheer white curtains. Once getting back in your soft covers, sleep overtakes your mind again. Though this time without his presence.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

Monday afternoon, you were just walking down the streets of the city in search for the reference book that your biochemistry and calculus teacher assigned you to purchase. “I always advise my students to purchase a copy of my self written reference book that you can prepare better for the fina exams.”

Yeah right, also known as another way for them to make some cash.

So you had no choice but to head towards the nearest library from your house, whilst also listening to some music on your headphones along the way. Even though you were wearing your warm wool long coat, the chilly autumn air consumed you making everything colder than expected. Today was particularly windy, so windy that you were starting to get worried that you might get a sore throat if you stay out longer.

Not wearing a turtleneck wasn’t the smartest decision either and your neck felt particularly bare. Not wanting to risk getting a cold in this busy season, you stopped by the first clothing shop you encountered. Looking for something that could provide you with some warmth.

No, not gloves. No sweaters either, you already had many at home. A beanie? That wouldn’t solve the problem.

A scarf.

That could possibly work. It will keep the delicate skin of your neck warm and protected from the harsh wind that’s surfing in the air. You are particularly drawn into the red color of the cashmere wool scarf. Reaching out to touch it, the material felt soft under your finger tips. Incredibly soft and weirdly familiar. As if the softness had a story to it. As if it lived before.

It somehow called out your name. Almost too literally.

Not wasting any more precious time, you decide you’ll go with the red scarf. Plus, the color red pairs well with your coat, and it make the intricate patterns of your eye stand out even more.

As you walked out of the clothing store, you noticed your reflection on the opposite side of the road from the window of a coffee shop, the red item standing out in the crowd of monotone people. One could be spotted easily with a statement color like that. The beauty of it being it’s polite demand for attention. Catching anyones eyes, as it demanded. But also catching your attention as well. You noticed someone. Sitting inside the coffee shop, back faced towards you. A black sheep amongst the crowd.

Or rather a red sheep, since you notice him wearing some kind of red colored upper garment. Too far away too properly see. However, you could only catch a glimpse of this stranger’s back, as the rush of people lining up to order obscures your point of view.

That’s when you hear the first thunderstorm. Although still in the very distance, a rainy storm is about to approach the city. The weather not being the best recently. It seems like this autumn has been cursed by gloomy outcasts and blizzards. You hardly remember the last time the rays of sun graced the city with its presence. The yellowy orange globe that comfortably sits on the sky, starting to feel like a fond memory from childhood rather than realty.

However, you did hear that the weather should start getting better in two weeks time. Maybe there is still hope for a sunny and warm autumn anyway. Not in temperature, but in feeling. Feeling warm and fuzzy by the good weather, by the sunshine that you could no longer feel.

You get back home with your reference book in your bag, managing to escape the severe weather just in time. It started to sprinkle a little just as you were approaching your front door.

“I’m home.”

As you enter your shared flat, you immediately get whiffed by a light smell of cinnamon. You can also hear May’s speaker playing cozy music in the distance. Probably her usual RnB playlist, you recognize the songs by how often you hear them because of her.

“Hey Y/N, look you came just in time. Made some fucking delicious gingerbread cookies.” And you can see it. On the island of your shared kitchen lays a tray full of mini human cookies, all laying down to cool off from the heat of the oven. Utensils and whatnot scattered around the counters, dough sticking to spoons and some of it even reached the fridge handle. How did it even get there.

You can’t help but chuckle a little. Seeing the mess, but most importantly how hard she tried to bake these cookies. May isn’t particularly the first nor second person to come up to mind when you think of baking. Probably could count how many times she’s baked since you’ve lived together with two hands. So you eventually wonder what made her do it all of a sudden.

“Christmas is still months away though.” Taking a closer look at the cookies, the details on them is impressive, probably from the stamp she’s used to mould the dough into tiny humans. “That doesn’t mean I can’t start now, hun. Consider it a pre-launch for my baking era. Have one, they are so good.”

“You’re into baking now? Since when?”

A soft smile spreads across your lips, just by listening to her silly rambles. But, you do reach for one of the cookies, the sweet gingery cinnamon taste exploding in your mouth. The sugary aroma reminding you of your favorite childhood baked goods, ones you would get at a desert bakery during the holiday season.

“Since an-hour-and-a-half ago."

You stare at her intensely in silence. "Okay fine, Jin really likes baking and I thought that..."

So that's the motive, huh. May and Jin have been seriously dating for a year and a half now. You've never seen your friend more sure of someone else than Jin. Simply infatuated by him and his persona, but understandably so. Jin has a very charming aura, catching stares from women and men left and right. However, May is not here for the looks. You know she seeks something more than that. Trustworthiness. Her past relationship, didn't end well, let's just say that. A lot of heartache, for a boy that never intended to stay longterm, so it makes your heart fill with warmth to see her so in love.

Love. Only the lucky ones get to experience that. People being in love in this economy? The chance of getting slaughtered by a grizzly bear is probably higher. You don't even know if you've ever been in love love before. Sure, you're in love with the books you read, with the university faculty you chose, with your candle collection. Your friends too, you care for them. But a significant other? Not really.

"And you thought that..? Look at you." You coo at her playfully. "I can't even recognize you anymore"

After all, it is a rare sight to see. "You, with the oven. I can be only grateful you didn't burn the appliances."

"Yet." you add as well.

At your last remark, May approaches you with the spatula that's still drenched in dough batter, running after you. "Girl, when I get to you. You better run." She acts offended just to add more fuel to everything.

And you do run. Retreating back to avoid getting marked with dough, but May is getting dangerously close to you with that spatula, reaching out to your face and smearing some on your left cheek.

"May! Sorry sorry, didn't mean it like that." Both of you started laughing by the silly behavior. It seems like being high school students again. Fooling around so lightly, with no care in the world.

"Beg for forgiveness on your knees!" You hear your friends voice, trying to imitate an odd ancient accent. Whilst also dodging all her tries to smear even more batter on your face. "Oh sorry, your majesty. I will bow down-"

As you were about to "bow down", you dash sideways in full speed, running for your life towards your bedroom's door, avoiding her deathly spatula. May was about to chase after you like a mad woman, until her phone started ringing. She still sent you a death stare jokingly, whilst you could only reciprocate with a snug smile. "Go on, pick up." You say challenging her, your friend giving you a dramatic eye roll.

She retreats back to the kitchen island where her phone lays and picks up the call, a soft smile plastered on her face. "Hi babe." You hear her voice tone change as soon as she picks up the phone call.

Shaking your head softly, you laugh at her change in demeanor and decide to get into your bedroom, letting her have her peaceful conversation with her boyfriend. You also need to continue with your research assignment, required to go over the first three chapter's of the biochemistry reference book you purchased earlier, by the end of next week. It's gon' be a long night.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

You feel them again. The same arms like last time, the same man like last time, giving you the most soul-stirring hug in humanity's existence. Closer, closer. Is what you secretly desired. Wanting even the non existent gap between you two to fully vanish.

So comforting. So comfortable. You feel like your heart is being physically held by two warm palms, caress after caress, filling you with warmth.

He is so warm. Heat radiating from him like he's being powered by the sun itself. Icarus had his wings burned off, when he dared to fly too close to the sun.

But here you are openly welcoming in the heat just like Icarus, not scared of it at all. Your skin burning, but in a good way. So in ecstasy that you can hardly grasp what is real and what is not.

No sound emits either from him, the surroundings or you. Not even a single word. But you are dying to know the name of this comforting stranger, however it's physically straining to utter anything, almost like your lips are frozen.

But your hands aren't. You tighten them more and more around his luscious back, muscles flexing as you feel around the area, whereas he slowly nuzzles his nose deeper into the crook of your neck, making his way up to your jawline and brushing his lips on a faint mole.

The garment he is wearing still in the color crimson. The color of passion. It hasn't changed the slightest from the last time, or rather the first time you ever encounter him.

What's with this stranger and the fixation with red?

You figure there must me a correlation to all of this and that's all you could think of as you woke up that morning . This past week has been unique, to say the least. You usually don't have such reoccurring dreams, but somehow you've managed to recreate the same scenario from a few nights ago again.

May looks at you, you seem lost as you have your breakfast on the kitchen island, you hear her ask you something, but didn't quite register it, too lost in your space to notice. However, getting closer to you, her suddenly louder voice startles you out of your conspiracy theories.

"Hey Y/N? You weren't listening, where you?" Her eyes looking at yours deeply, she's also noticed your off behavior, but doesn't question you with it.

"I was, I was. This cereal is too good I got carried away."

"Sure." You see your friend's eye squint at you. Not buying any of your shits, but still proceeds to explain again what she wanted to tell you. "Jin, his friends and I were planning to go to the bar lounge again this Saturday, the one I went to last time. You should really come, it had a great atmosphere and the cocktails there. Don't get me started girl. They were exquisite."

You carefully listen to May's rambles, not sure if your sold yet on the idea of having a night out so close to exam season. It's not like you were a nerd, maybe a little bit? Just slightly less social than your bubbly friend. You don't mind a bit of silence and space. It somehow heals you to distance yourself from the outside world. "With actual flavor and not just plain straight rubbing alcohol."

She knows you well. You always complain that bars and parties nowadays just serve drinks that come straight from the supermarket's toilet supplies section. The alcohol feeling too strong or too watered down, nothing in between. No flavor, no reason to enjoy it, so you mostly skip it, just already knowing that you don't fancy that stuff.

"Really?" Attaching a slightly sarcastic tone to the question. Almost done with your cereal bowl as well.

"I'll be your personal baker for two weeks if the cocktail's end up disappointing." An interesting offer. One you might be tempted in. You do have a sweet tooth though. Could never turn down freshly baked goods tailored to your taste. Damn, she knows you too well.

"I doubt you would." May acts offended at your response, whilst you get up and head towards the sink to clean the utensils you've just used. "I swear on the ball of cabbage we have in the fridge right now that I will. Trust me on this. Please" She dramatically elongates the vowels on the last word, standing right next to you with big hopeful eyes, awaiting for a positive answer.

You grab the sponge and a sigh leaves your lips as you surrender early. There's no point in fighting her, well aware that your friend is not going to drop the suggestion. "I'm expecting to see cinnamon rolls as the first one."

May smiles brightly, thankful to you for saying yes. "There's no need. You'll gonna love that place, babes." She hugs you loosely and sprints off to her room.

Guess, no book night on this week's Saturday.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

It's 8:39 in the evening and you are still in the university library, laptop on one side of the big table, an empty paper cup form the cafeteria on the other, remanence of coffee still lingering on the bottom of it. Your third cup for today. A hefty sigh leaves from your mouth, already dreading the time you'll have to go to sleep, if you'll be even able to.

As the good friend you are, you've agreed to the night out on Saturday, so had to take some time before that to revise your notes. The first exam was today, and you feel confident with your performance, definitely nothing close to perfect, just happy that at least one is done with. You have another one next week, plus some extra research projects to get done.

So much for graduating.

But that's the positive side to this. It'll be over soon and you'll finally be able to fully live as an adult. Yay. Honestly, you have no clue which one is worse. You did manage to secure yourself a six month long internship at a local laboratory. They personally offered the spot, seeing the results of last semester's score results.

A sudden flash of light graces your skin, you look ahead of you thinking that it probably came from the high ceiling windows. Soon after a thunder follows as well, indicating that it's about to downpour outside. The occasional sound of keyboard tapping and page turning from the students around you being the only sound you hear after. If not for your stomach. It rumbles quite loudly, asking for it to be fed.

Oh right. Dinner.

Thankfully no one seemed to notice the grumbling noises emitting from your belly, and that's where you decide to call it a night. Grabbing all your belongings and packing them up in the backpack, you make your way towards the exit.

Once out, you instantly get a sniff in the air of that classic smell of soaked up soil, and indeed, it was raining already. You could see the rain drops cascading from above quite persistently, not showing any sign of stopping on the weather forecast as well.

Not having another option, you decide to venture out there and get home as fast as possible, and getting soaked up as least as you can. You were half running half walking your way down the sidewalk, cars, trucks and busses passing by you, the usual traffic. At one point, you reach a big crossing, with the traffic light still red. It's too big of a crosswalk to jaywalk it, so there is no other option other than to wait it out in the pouring rain. You are so missing your cozy warm bed right now. Just the thought of snuggling up to your fluffy blankets sounds divine.

At least, your surroundings offered a beautiful scenery, and you could catch a glimpse of the yellowy orange autumn leaves visible from central park. The street lights surrounding it casting a gorgeous warm glaze all over the place. The faint smell of someone's chestnut parlor lingering in the air.

More thunder sounds. The rain was brutally pouring over you, so much so that you had to place your hand on top of your eyebrows to keep the rain from getting into your eyes, in order for you to see properly ahead of you. Still waiting for the light to hit green. It's taking so long.

But, suddenly everything stops.

Or at least the cascading droplets of water do. And you feel someone's presence next to you, as well as a shadow drawn above you. Turning slightly around, the first thing you see is the dark brown coat that this stranger next to you is wearing. The wool material lays comfortably on his broad torso, and you also notice three embroidered letters on the peak lapel saying "JJK." A custom piece perhaps. Tailor made to perfection.

You also notice the man's hand wrapped around leather gloves and holding the handle of.. an umbrella?

His long coat surpassing well over his knees, stuck to his body like it was sculptured on it. Everything was immaculate, down to the polished leather moccasins of some sort of high luxury brand.

Looking up, there is indeed a maroon colored umbrella above, shielding you from tonight's downpour. The material screaming wealth in every language possible.

Now you realize you haven't even taken a glance at the face of the kind stranger yet. But once you do, you stay immobile for what feels like forever. You could see him staring at you down, his height much more powerful than yours.

The soft light of the streetlamp blessing his face with a gentle orange hue. However, his eyes were the star of the show. No need to look up at the sky when you could already find constellations in his iris. A soft expression plastered across his face, one that felt too intimate. The tip of his nose coated in a subtle tint of red.

You just now noticed the coldness of the night, but when you look into his eyes again all you could feel is.. warmth. A mole sits right under his plush lips, and you could see a small acknowledging smile forming on them.

Is this a dream again? Why does it feel like you cannot move. As if you are paralyzed. But the sudden gust of the icy wind solidifies the fact that this is not a dream.

The man in front of you pushed the handle of the umbrella closer to you, almost offering it to you to take it. That can't be true, right? You just stare at him, eyes moving from his hypnotic eyes to his leather gloved hand gesturing for you to take the item.

"No, I could never, I.. I-"

Forming words seemed like a tough task. You couldn't possibly take such an offer.

You felt one of your bare hands being suddenly coated in a warm embrace. Carefully grasping them in his hold and lifting them up. He was gently holding your right hand up and placing it on the handle of the umbrella. "Please." Is all you could hear from the gorgeous man. The intensity of his voice pulsing through your veins, like an electric shock. Laced with sweetness that no amount of honey could replicate.

Immediately after that, the stranger's grip on the umbrella loosened and next thing you know, he dashes away on the opposite side of where you were going. At this exact moment the traffic light turned green as well. The sounds from the city coming back to your ears again. The sound of people flushing out to cross the street, of car's engine rumbling, of the faint ambulance sirens in the distance, but all your eyes could focus was the man who just randomly gifted you his umbrella.

"Hey, Wait. Wait, Sir!" You tried to make your way to him but the amount of people coming at you and hindering your silly chase let you to eventually lose him. Not having any idea where he could've gone. You didn't even get to ask him his name.

Plus the probability of encountering him again in such a big metropolis is close to zero.

Giving up on the failed search of the nameless man, you head back to the direction you where going, heading back home with a new item in your hands. The deep red umbrella of the stranger you will never have the grace to meet again.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

"And he just straight up gave you that?" Sena asks her eyes stunned by what you just told her and her sister May, your friend. Sena came to hang out with all of you the next day, currently sitting at a trendy coffee shop, hot lattes in front of you, just chatting about anything.

Well, right now, you're just telling them about the absurd happening of yesterday night. "Yeah" you softly let out, not believing it yourself. "You didn't even ask for this gentleman's number nor name? Girl, you lost a precious gem! That's so romantic." You hear your friend scold you dramatically, almost bouncing off the chair in the café. Looking around if anyone was disturbed by the loudness of your roommate voice.

Bless her heart, she knows no better. You remind her to lower down her voice a little. Thankfully no one seems to stare. You wouldn't want everyone in this coffee shop to know about the movie like scene you went through.

"I just, there was no chance for that. He just vanished after that." Taking more sips from the warm coffee as you go over the memory of the man again and again. That's all you've been doing since it happened. "That sounds so surreal. Where can I find men like this?"

Both of the sister can't believe such a thing could happen to you, especially the very unromantic and very much single you, and truthfully, you can't either. Was everything crafted by your mind? It cannot be a dream like the past ones you've had. What even is the universe telling you? All these reoccurring events mean something perhaps.

However, all you know is that you cannot let that distract you from your upcoming graduation and final exams. Your hard work can't be waisted in cinderella-like fairytales.

"Do you still have the umbrella? What are you going to do with it?"

Great question. There is no way for you to retrace the umbrella to it's original owner. No contact, no social ID, heck, not even LinkedIn account of this stranger. "It's in the shoe closet and I don't know. There's nothing I can do with it."

"Imagine if that's the reason you two meet again. He sees you from afar with his umbrella and chases you down, you both kiss, get married and have four kids." You laugh heartedly by Sena's weird and silly fantasies. There's literally a two percent chance of meeting the stranger again. So no four kids like Sena says. "You can tell your grandkids that you met your husband in the falling rain. Love at first sight." Your friend May adds to the exciting conversation. Exciting for them at least.

"I'm not in love with him." You reinforce your statement for what seems like the twentieth time. "He is just as a stranger to me as he is to you. I know nothing about him." Only some initials on his tailored coat saying 'JJK.' But you don't mention that detail.

"Right. Just that he is tall, handsome, romantic, incredibly well mannered, soft spoken, a gentleman. Yeah, you're in love."

You can't help but laugh at what Sena is saying. There isn't such thing as love at first sight. I mean that's a given right? Everyone knows that, however that doesn't stop people from romanticizing it and gaslighting themselves into believing it exists. He was just an oddly kind citizen, doing citizen things.

Who wouldn't give their one and only fancy looking umbrella to an umbrella-less person on some random street?

Yeah, not you.

But still, the fact that he did doesn't mean anything special. It could've literally been anyone, but it happened to be you. That, you don't quite get.

"Oh shut up. I'm not in love. You sound like the one who is."

You say jokingly to Sena. The waitress coming to your table this exact moment. Putting down the slices of cakes the three of you ordered. One cheesecake, one chocolate and one red velvet. "I mean, of course. He sounds like a dream, girl. You don't realize how lucky you are."

"Exactly! Even if Jin and I would suddenly be strangers, he wouldn't do that for me if he saw me waiting at a crosswalk." May adds as well, bringing your mind to a conflict. You do agree that it is a nice act to do from a stranger to another stranger, but there just something iffy about all of it. You just can't let yourself fawn over him too much, since it's going to be a one time thing anyway.

The three of you talk more about the what ifs and what nots, whilst enjoying your desserts in the cozy atmosphere of the recently opened coffee shop. As it started to get late, you say goodbye to Sena, wishing her a safe trip home, and head back to your shared flat with May.

"You're still coming to the lounge bar on Saturday, right?" You hear your friend's voice as you enter the apartment, hanging the coat on the hook next to the entrance. "Of course. What makes you think I won't? I'm sining up for a private baker for two weeks. Heck yeah, I'm coming"

"If the drinks will be to your liking, I won't have to." She reminds you, whilst almost singing it. A light chuckle comes out of you. "We'll see about it."

Opening the door to your bedroom, you put your bag down on the soft pillowy fabric chair on the corner of your room. You sit down on your bed, freshly changed into comfier lounge clothes, you notice the little cream colored notebook that sits on the top of your bedside table. The notebook where you've been writing all your happenings and thoughts regarding the strange dreams.

You flip through the pages, until you land on the most recent entry of your so called journal. Fingertips gracing the navy blue ink splattered across the page. You've wrote down your most recent dream, the handwriting not being so neat indicating that you were in a hurry not to forget important details.

You've only managed to capture one out of the two dreams you've had recently. Both of them including the stranger. The other one is currently unavailable to your brain right now. You can seem to recall only one. And oh boy was it a dream.

It all started with warmth again, as basically all of the silly little dreams with the silly stranger do. However this time the location is different. You recall laying down in some bed, a queen sized bed. It's definitely not yours, your not familiar with the surroundings, but it's also not clear enough for you to paint a picture of it.

You remember it being the early morning, sun shining through the windows, casting a beautiful pattern of sun rays on the pure white bed sheets. Everything about this dream is white. White ceiling, white walls, white bedsheets, white curtains. It just felt pure.

It did not give off the same atmosphere of a sterilized dentist studio. Completely opposite to that actually. There was life in this room, warmth, a story to be told, and most importantly a naked man laying next to you.

Yeah.

The presence of a man's naked upper torso laying next to you was gracing you. At the moment you can't think anything of it. Hugging the person tightly, you feel him wrapping and scooping you in his arms. The most reassuring arms a man could ever possess.

The only sound emitting from him was a light contented sigh, his deep voice reverberating throughout every single neuron in you. A sigh so deep it feels magical. He could heal any type of sickness just by laying beside him, that's how strong it felt.

Your eyes wandering around, glazing over each atom that composes him. The way his smooth skin glistens from the rays of the sun. The way little goosebumps form on him as you trace imaginary silly drawings with your fingers on his luscious back. The way the veins decorating his neck pulse under your gaze. And at last, the way his beating heart pumps so passionately, one beat after another. Picking up speed the more you gawk at him.

Does he perhaps feel overwhelmingly flustered as well? Because you certainly do.

You scooch even closer to him, your face completely plastered against his flush pectorals. Eyes closed, just taking in the warmth that this man next to you provides. The more you seem to get closer the tighter his grip on you gets. As if both of you want this moment to last forever.

That's all you wrote in the journal, not having any memory of the dream past that point. A dream. How cruel of the universe to only offer you temporary bliss moments that only occur in the rapid eye movement cycle. Is this your curse for not being a good enough student? Good enough friend? Daughter? Heck, even dog sitter?

The feeling you get once you wake up from those utopian dreams is terrible. A sudden void manifesting throughout your chest. You could physically feel that there is something missing, or rather someone, and you have to figure out a way to stop these dreams from reoccurring.

With silly thoughts, you get under your warm sheets, ready to call it a night. Hopefully without the stranger in red this time.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

It's half past six on a Saturday evening. The sun is slowly casting down, it's last rays shining through the cotton like clouds, sparkling the sky in that coral pink hue. It was tremendously sunny this morning, clear sign of the weather getting better after the past couple of rainy weeks.

You are seeing your reflection in the small hand held mirror. You got ready very simply, not really a fan of bedazzling your face whenever you go out, too much effort for that. A super fan of anyone who does so. It takes talent as well. However, the fact that you even applied a fancier perfume than usual is remarkably impressive.

You opted for one you save for the occasions, not that this outing is in any way more special than the others, it's just the setting of tonight's event that requires for a more intimate and special scent. At least that's what you keep telling yourself. May gifted this to you a few birthday's ago and it's still pretty much full.

A light, not too heavy scent consisting of dark amber base with leather, vanilla for some sweetness, oak moss and a sprinkle of wood notes decorating your décolleté. As you walk outside of your room with your coat on and the newly bought scarf lightly draped around your neck, you see your housemate dabbing the last touches of lip gloss in front of the hallway mirror. "Ready to kick every men's ass that approaches you?" You hear May's slightly teasing voice.

"Oh, come on. I'm not that intimidating. And besides, it's just a bar." Nothing too deep. It's not a stupid college frat party, no sketchy underground club filled with horny men either. "Right, you are not even in full armor yet. How unprofessional of you." Her faint chuckle reverberating throughout the four walls of your shared flat.

Shaking your head at her silly comments, you start to think about it. On a scale of leather to netherite, today it's probably an iron armor.

"I don't need to rip off every men's head with my imaginary sword. It's just a normal night out." You make your way to the entrance area, slipping on your high knee suede boots. You take a clutch purse from off the rack and stuff it with your essentials. "Oh, are you looking for your mysterious hubby perhaps?" You hear May's voice get closer as she approaches you, putting her heels on as well.

"Just stop with him already. There's no chance of me seeing that man ever again."

You look towards May and see her eyes glimmering, sporting on a mischievous smile. Since the day of that infamous encounter, your friend keeps on teasing you about it. Every second of the day. But that's just May for you. She just loves to consistently get on your nerves, and you are just so fun to tease apparently.

Out of the blue she starts singing the lyrics of Justin Bieber's never say never, adding even more fuel to the fire.

"And there's just no turning back. When your hearts under attack. Gonna give everything you have. It's your destiny. You will never say never."

Nice, she also conveniently changes all the I's to you's, emphasizing even more who she is referring too. As if it wasn't obvious enough.

"Shut up or I'm retreating to my castle with my jar of dark chocolate ice cream and never speak to you again."

Lifting her hands up in surrender, she leaves you to be, at least for now. Knowing her, she might mention it to you again throughout the night.

You make your way out of the apartment. Heading down the flight of stairs, you start to realize how badly you want to actually head back into your room. Not because you don't enjoy spending time with May, or hanging out together with other friends in your group. It's just that, you are the well known homie of your friend circle. The grandma, if we really want to exaggerate it.

A university senior student who's at her last life line. So close to finishing this god forsaken degree. Not sure how you've made it through all these years. The student life taking everything from you, in every sense. There's basically no time left for a proper social life.

If it wasn't for May, you'd really be rotting in your cavern and head out only to attend classes. So, you just let yourself be loose for once. Not overthinking it, just here to have a nice night with your friends. Friends you've only gotten to know because of your awkwardly social housemate, by the way.

As you exit the front door, you see Jin's car parked in front of the staircase leading to the entrance door. His headlights still on, just waiting there for both of your arrival. The air around you is chilly, signifying the slow approach of winter. Your most favorite season. There just something magical about New York at that time of year, however at the same time, it's the period you detest the most as well.

The feeling of loneliness being more and more prominent during winter than any other season. How could something so beautiful also feel so cruel at the same time? You feel even more self aware of the inexistent presence of a significant other, and you sometimes catch yourself wondering how it feels to experience the winter season with a lover-

"We're all ready to go? You didn't forget anything? Keys or something." May's boyfriend, Jin, interrupts your train of thoughts, as you make yourself comfortable in the backseat of the car, your friend in the passenger seat in front of you. "That was just one time! And thankfully Y/N opened for me. I don't know what I would've done if she wasn't at home that night."

That same night where you first started getting those dreams with him.

"I'm always the one to save your ass. You owe me many." Looking outside the window, you see cars passing you in streaks of yellow and red strobes. People walking on sidewalks, all in their zone. It's really baffling to think that each one them is the protagonist of their own movie. If you were to disrupt their zen, you would just seem like an intruder, a npc per say, just offering them a side quest to their already demanding main task.

"I see you're both working to be against me. But I'm always one step ahead of you." You glance ahead, seeing Jin's eyes sparkle and a genuine laugh plastered across his face. He reaches one hand across, softly grasping May's hand.

You filter out everything else that's being said as your mind goes back to that delicious ice cream in the freezer you could be having right now. How unfortunate that it needs to wait.

Slowly approaching the end location, the prestigious looking ivory marble walls and pillars stand tall at the front entrance of the bar. A long flight of stairs, in the same marble material, leads to the front door.

Jin parks the car right in front of the stairs. You get out and what seems like a Concierge approaches you. The said gentleman takes the keys of the car and starts to drive towards the underground parking lot. “So we’re just suddenly getting escorted by butlers?” You whisper-yell to May, inching closer to her side, whilst looking at the retreating car.

“I told you it’s going to be different. You really didn’t trust me, didn’t you?”

All of you start to make your way up the polished stairs. People in black suits waiting outside all offer you polite smiles. The atmosphere around here not being something you’re very used to. The only thing missing to make this place truly sophisticated would be a red carpet leading towards the entrance.

You glance at your friend, almost giving her a death stare. “Yeah, but I wasn’t expecting to be welcomed like a celebrity. What is this place?” You didn’t even step a foot in this bar yet, and you already feel all the pressure on your shoulders. The constant need for perfection, the appeal for a alternated version of oneself, the stiff smiles and facades. Yeah, not something you’re part of.

“You’ll enjoy it, you have my word.” You look at May with a very skeptical look, not so sure where this is even heading towards. What more has this night prepared for you?

As you enter inside, you get welcomed by a lady on the front desk. Her attire mimicking the one of flight attendants, hair in a slick bun and a flawless make-up base. Jin handles the talking, whilst you gaze around the reception lobby.

It seems like May wasn’t joking when she said that this bar lounge can only be accessed if you have the right connections and actually know the person that owns the place. You don’t hear much of what Jin is saying to the nice lady, just the mention of his name. However the doors in front of you suddenly open, offering you a clear view of the very anticipated bar.

You look at May again, not so sure of what you’re being faced with. She just gives you a silly eye roll, grabbing your forearm and dragging you with her.

The inside of the bar lounge wasn't as you expected it to be. The lights around the venue are soft and cast a calm warm tone around the area. The furniture, the bar counter, down to the chairs are all made out of a deep tone of oak wood, polished in a way that screams artistry in every language. It tells a story, as if this place has seen many days, but still kept its prestigious appearance.

A soft suede coats the sofas all around, completely round with tones of beige, caramel and forest green, creating little booths for lounging and enjoying special drinks. There's some greenery present in the corners as well, bringing dimension and depth to the table, and at the same time, the burgundy hues of the low tables adding more flavor, almost homey. The perfect marriage of modern and classic.

Looking to your right, you see an entrance to what looks like a cellar, all probably filled with decade aged wine and liquor. One glass of it could potentially cost a fortune, but there's only one way to find out.

"Jin. Hey buddy, good to see you again." You hear a male's voice just ahead of you. Observing your surroundings, you notice the presence of other people in the room, however not that many, as you could count all the guests in here with one hand. You remember your friend saying it's very exclusive, but you weren't nearly imagining to be greeted by such a confined atmosphere.

As you reach the main bar, you get a cleared vision of the man who's welcoming you in such a place. "And I see you came with more companions." The said man adds as well whilst looking straight at you.

You eventually get introduced and discover that he, Taehyung, is apparently the owner of this entire thing. "Glad you came tonight. I heard a lot about you from May." The newly met man says to you. Whilst shacking your hand out of courtesy.

You also get to know from your friend May that Jin and the new man Taehyung go way back, knowing each other since the early days high school. And then during college both of them studying in the same institution but in different faculties.

"But soon after their graduation, Tae got offered a job abroad, and since then he's been living in Paris." You hear May say softly next to you, while the two men next to you, catch up on this week's work related stuff. You manage to overhear a bit of their conversation as well. Something in the lines of another guy. A friend of Taehyung, named something something J perhaps.

However, the fact that you got into all of this because of your very own housemate and best friend May is astounding.

You? Here? Breathing in the aroma of three decade aged Japanese imported whiskey, Italian marble stone right under your feet, surrounded by the presence of people who most probably travel by jet for fun.

Listening more to the story that your friend tells you, you discover that he's been back in New York just recently and opened a very renowned bar in the heart of the city. Not bad at all.

As the time for your orders to be placed comes, you frantically think of any good choices. You have no idea what even fancy liquor names sound like, let alone which one to choose. Everyone's order already in, it's just you who's still fumbling with your words.

"And for Y/N, please do a Bourbon Boulevardier." You look at your friend, glad that she's managed that for you, not surprised by her knowledge. She regularly deals with fancy things.

You don't know if you could've handled even one more second of that awkward moment. Slightly offering her a thankful smile, she just pats your shoulder lightly. "Tell me if I made the right choice, I think you'll like it."

You shake your head at her comment, still so fixated with the whole actual delicious cocktail mantra that May's been raving about since she invited you to come here. "We'll see about that. I have a feeling you'll be baking a lot next week." She only spares you a weak side roll of her eyes, but a light chuckle manages to slip through either way.

Orders in, you see the two bartenders getting to work immediately. Even their uniform stands out to you as posh, a bit different from the one of the front desk lady, but still cohesive.

It's pretty balanced as well, you see a female bartender and a male one getting your drinks ready for tonight. Something tells you that it won't be the last time for tonight that you'll be ordering ridiculously priced concoctions.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

You're almost through all your drink. The expensive Bourbon Boulevardier, sitting on top of the bar counter. Not too bad of a cocktail, you think to yourself. It's easy to enjoy and you keep on reaching for it without even knowing.

You are seated on an elevated bar stool of the counter. May is sitting on the right side of you, her boyfriend next to her, still talking to the owner of the lounge. "He said he'll be here twenty minutes ago, where the fuck is this dude." You overhear Taehyung. Looking towards your right, you see him glancing at his phone, checking multiple times for a message from the said man. His voice nowhere near angry or loud, just slightly annoyed and frustrated.

"Well, you know how he is. Probably got out of the courtroom as we speak." Jin joins, taking a peak at Taehyung's phone as well. No further messages after the last one. Both men shake their heads, well aware that it could be highly possible.

May sips her drink cautiously, head looking up at Jin as he continues. "Plus I don't think that the traffic is helping in any way either." And that is very much true. It's still fairly early in the evening to be considered late, so the people rushing home to their families for dinner might be flooding the busy streets.

Taehyung agrees with Jin, saying it's best to order a set of starters for now. Although this place is not a full on restaurant, it does offer entrées à la carte, with only exquisite french cuisine. The food selection is provided by Taehyung's trusted french culinary team, the only team of chefs that meet his standards and that fit the criteria of the bar.

"Who are they talking about? Are other people joining?" You get closer to May, whispering so only she could hear. Tonight wasn't supposed to be a grandiose gathering after all. Just a small, intimate group of people hanging out at a luxurious bar. Yeah, nothing too crazy. So you wonder if there are even more strangers coming this evening.

"Just one. It's Taehyung's friend from Paris."

Nodding to her, your eyes scatter over all the decor on the walls. Behind the counter, on top of glass shelves there are bottles of liquor sporadically placed for decoration purposes, the real liquor stays in the cellar and canteen.

You glance at your phone, it's 8:12. You tell the group you'll be off to the bathroom for a bit. May joins you as well, saying she needs to retouch her glam. You discover that the bathroom is on the second floor.

There is a second floor to all of this? You think this place cannot get any crazier than this.

Stepping into the pristine looking bathroom, you get presented with floor to ceiling mirrors. Any amenities that one could possibly think of kindly displayed on the counter. A pleasant aroma fills the air, lavender being the primary one. You would never guess that they'd be in a bathroom if blindfolded.

"Okay. What the fuck is this place? Who is this guy and why am I here?."

May laughs at your rant, obviously a little overwhelmed by everything happening. You're only now able to breathe properly, feeling like your lungs are inhaling real co2 in what feels like days. The stiff ambience of before felt so restrictive. You're not used to such scenarios after all. It feels too much.

Also, your friend didn't prepare you at all. She did say it would be exclusive, yada yada. But you could've never imagined it to this degree. It's not like you're a stranger to fancy things, having a friend who's parents own real estates, you've come accustomed to her lavish lifestyle. However, she never oversteps it, at least not with you. Well aware that you don't particularly incline towards extravagancy.

"Chill for a second. You've been rotting in your books for so long, I though some thrill would do you good." May's intensions are never ill-mannered. Despite her power to literally request anything she would like, she is a very understanding friend. Always looking out for you and keeping a close eye. So when she saw you getting stressed over your last exams, the final exams that will determine your career as a biochemist in the lab world, she had to intervene a little.

Life, is greater than we think and therefore it's never a good idea to be ahead of it. You've always known that you cannot control your surroundings. What you can control is your own pace and all the other things around you will follow your pace accordingly.

"In a five star Michelin restaurant?" Yes, you are aware that it only goes up to three and that this is not a restaurant, but that's how grandiose this place feels. Like something greater than you could handle. May laughs at your attempt of a joke. Well to you it's not, you're absolutely serious.

"I'm sorry. I should've perhaps let you know sooner, but I knew you wouldn't come if I did." Her eyes soften a bit, looking to the side and not directly at you. You know you shouldn't be too hard on her, so you sigh deeply, eyes closing for a second taking everything in. "I wanted you here with me tonight. It wouldn't be the same without you."

May's voice gets more quiet as she speaks, you see the faint look of remorse on her face. Remorse of not telling you any sooner, and hence making you mad, at least that's what she thinks. "It's alright, tho you owe me a big one. You know I.." You start to say, but your words linger.

"Don't do well with these? I know." She finished your sentence, hands on both of your shoulders, gently giving them a comforting squeeze. You sigh once again, nodding your head slowly. You could tell just from her face alone what she wanted to tell you. To just try, at least tonight. Let the evening speak for itself and don't overthink too much.

"And if you're thinking about it, you don't owe me anything. Don't have to repay me in any way."

You almost want to counteract her words, but May was already expecting you to, her eyes staring you down with the same familiar look you've always seen on her. Let it be on me. An invisible invitation to let loose and enjoy a friend group gathering, no matter the venue.

And that's what you try to convince yourself, as well.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

You both finish your business in the bathroom, May adjusting her make-up on the mirrors, while you decide to dabble a bit more perfume right under the jawline. Adding the somewhat faded scent back to your body again.

"Do you think you'll be alright with the rest of the night?" May asks you as you step outside the restroom, making your way back to the two men awaiting your presences. The sound of heels clicking against the marble stone being reverberated throughout the hallway. "Yeah, I think I'll be fine."

Once you've reached the bottom of the stairs and into the ground floor, the sight of the two men still at the bar counter greets you. May walking slightly in front of you, getting closer to the group first.

You notice another man's presence at the same place where you were seated just ten minutes before, on the same exact counter. His back facing you both, so you don't get a clear view of who it is, not that you would know anyway.

You think to yourself that the awaited friend of Taehyung probably arrived finally. May already reaching there, grabbing her drink in her hand. You still have your purse on the spot you were seated at before, so you make your way next to the newly arrived man. Eyes fixated on retreating your clutch, you get closer and closer.

"Sorry, just gotta get my-" What the fuck. There's no fucking way.

The man in question spins his bar stool a bit to face you. You see his face form a shocked expression as well, mimicking yours. His eyes wondering all over your face, making sure that it's really you.

Everything else stops, literally almost recreating a drama-like scene in your head. Sappy ost music blasting in your head as you stare at the beautiful, ehm you mean, at the stranger in front of you. Well, not a stranger anymore, though.

His hair framing his face and some streaks falling lightly on his forehead all the way to brushing his eyelashes. Eyebrows soft as they furrow a little by the surprise.

And then you see his eyes, the same familiar eyes that looked at you on that very day. Glitter shining in them as they sparkle with the reflections of the mood lights all over. His face glowing and radiant, that only the night can bless you with.

Moles decorating parts of his face, as if meticulously placed there piece by piece. The one that catches your attention the most being the mole under his luscious underlip, right at the center. The same one that caught your attention last time.

His attire just as formal, although sporting a different coat this evening. It still fits him like a glove, denoting his shoulders firmly and cascading down his chest with purpose. His turtleneck for today being a thicker merino wool in the color red. The yarn looking so soft and smooth, with fuzzy fibers sticking out occasionally.

"It's.. you?" His voice, lower than you remembered, resonates deeply in your eardrums all the way to your veins. His head tips to the side a little bit, hair following his movement, and the softest smile gracing his lips, slightly tiled upwards.

Too stunned to speak, or let alone utter any sound, you just continuously stare at him. Crazy. You kept on convincing your friends that he would be nothing more than a stranger, and that you would never see him again probably.

However, all of that came untrue, as the exact same man that lent you his precious umbrella in the middle of a thunderstorm, just casually sits in front of you, in your seat by the way.

"You guys know each other?" Jin, who was sitting one seat away from him, asks. Looking at the image of you both frozen in time. Your eyes switching to Jin, not sure what to answer. What do you even say? Yes, we already met and it felt like a romcom movie from the early two thousands?

"Kind of." You hear the nameless man, followed by the sound of his chuckle as he looks back at you. "Nice to meet you again, I'm Jungkook." The warm smile still present while he offers you his hand to shake. You glance down at his stretched out hand, fully decorated by artworks of different shapes and sizes. Colors blooming from his knuckle all the way to his wrist where it gets obstructed by his coat, specifically by the hem of the sleeve.

Staring at his hand, you slowly lay out your own towards him, something in you aching to be connected with him. Placing your fingers in his, you feel the softness of his skin on yours. Warmth creeping in you, and a tingling feeling surrounds your heart. His hand grips yours with the upmost care of the world, as if he is holding the world's cure to cancer in his very own hands, so precious and important that it needs to be protected.

You thought it to be a simple shake, but the man surprises you once again when you see him gracefully raising your hand up all the way to his face. His grip on you still as soft and pillowy, you look straight into his eyes, and so does he. You stare at each other, so immersed in your bubble and he gently places his lips on your knuckles kissing them meticulously, whilst still keeping a steady glance on you.

The pillowy softness brushing your hand ever so slowly, as if he's also taking in each second to the fullest. Noticing that you haven't said anything to him yet, you try to bring out every ounce of courage left in you as you mutter softly. "Y/N."

You're name just barely making it out of you, not sure if he even picked up on it. However, judging by his change of expression, you think he did. His eyes sparkling even more, creases forming on the edges of them as he offers you his most genuine smile. You just now notice your hand still in his grasp, so you carefully distance yourself from him, too aware suddenly of the presence of three other people around you.

The entrées you ordered earlier coming in right at this moment, your eyes drifting away from Jungkook, it felt like being burned alive while under his gaze. You needed a moment to breathe and for now your half empty cocktail was the most interesting thing for you in this instant.

May slightly looks at you with a questionable look, it's strange to see you suddenly so silent, and furthermore a bit embarrassed..?

Your eyes meet hers, urging for her to not to mention anything, to behave. Telepathically signing to her that you'll explain whats up later, in a second moment.

Throughout all the conversations Taehyung's question seems to bring you out of your daze. "Did you come straight from the firm?" The said man nudges his head towards the newly arrived one, reaching elegantly towards his drink of choice.

"No, from the courtroom. Today was the first trial, sorry for showing up late." You can hear Jungkook's voice as he explains his situation and the reason for his late arrival. Still cannot believe that the umbrella man is actually right in front of you. The melodious tone of his voice quite literally bringing down all the stars from the night sky of New York City. Maybe even the whole world.

Jin also asks how the undergoing case is progressing. Work stuff. But you do learn that Jungkook is apparently a patent attorney. One who somewhat is connected closely to your field of work, but still completely different professions and academic backgrounds.

Apparently a patent attorney is the one who helps companies and investors get legal protection for new inventions, bridging science and law together in one job. They can also represent clients in disputes and lawsuits to defend their patent rights. Interesting.

And you guess that he probably came from the courtroom because of this exact reason.

"And my client feels strong about his case." Jungkook's explanation brings you out of your thoughts once again, implying that he has the case under control. You look up at him, eyes gazing at his every feature. The way his pupils soften when looking at his friend, his enchanting smile and the way his lips curl up so beautifully on the corners. However, you try not to stare too much. Emphasis on the word try.

Taehyung comes up to him, patting his back roughly, in an almost sibling like manner. "Not trying to lose a case, huh?" Everyone's expression morphs into a stunned look, quite impressed with his winning strike. That must take some serious determination to your work, you think.

And that makes the man even more charming. His soft demeanor and the way his eyes drift to the side a little bit, somewhat feeling shy by all the attention.

But no. You cannot cave into your silly little fantasies. You really got to get it together.

So, you focus on your drink that is quite literally empty by now. There's only ice, and what's left of the orange slice, with some orange peel swirls for decor. Swirling the heavy glass in your hands, the ice makes a clattering sound against it, which seems to get the attention of someone.

"Boulevardier?"

You get startled for a second, not expecting any sound, probably too focused on the boring drink. And most importantly, not expecting him to talk to you. Still not wavering your stare from the cocktail, you take in his initiative to what you assume is small talk. "Is that a bad choice?"

"Far from that actually. A boulevardier is my go to." And that statement makes your head look up to him, taking him in for real this time. Finally getting to see him more up close, his eyes bore into yours so intensely, as if he can read inside you, what your thinking and whatnot.

"In fact, may I join you, whilst also getting you another one perhaps?"

May overhears Jungkook's polite invitation, urging you to accept it. You, however, you look lost for words. This awfully charming gentleman wanting to get you a drink. That's where you start to lose sense of the plot and think to yourself, how did we get here?

Seeing your stunned form, your friend understands that you are in no place to make decisions of your own right now. Seemingly paralyzed. So, to save you from a socially awkward silence, she pushes you lightly and carefully towards him. Just a bit closer.

"You can take the booth over there! The live show will begin shortly."

Wait, wait. Hold your horses. Booth? Him and I? Live show?

You thought that the night couldn't surprise you more than it already did, but destiny proved you wrong once again.

*･゜ﾟ･*:.｡..｡.:*･'。・°°・・°°・。'･*:.｡. .｡.:*･゜ﾟ･*

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