#jaebum fluff

As you travelled down to the front of the building, you almost laughed out loud bitterly. Why did you go through all you had in your life to become the office lackey? You had a better degree than the four workers who treated you like their slave. In fact, they were your juniors in the workplace. That was what bothered you most about it all.

How had you fallen into this predicament in the first place?

Shaking off your annoyance as you lined up at the local coffee shop, you trained your focus on the menu, reciting under your breath the orders that you already knew off by heart.

“Doing a coffee run?” a voice asked from behind you, and you faltered in the tempo of repeating your chant, glancing back at the man, and smiled politely.

“Monday mornings can’t be helped without caffeine.”

“You’d think workers in this day and age would have the self-belief to cater to their own needs and not waste the time of others.”

You grinned. “If only.”

“You could have said no, right?”

Blinking a couple of times as you tried to think of a response that didn’t out you for the unfortunate worker of your department to the handsome man, you opted with pressing your lips together in a straight line and nodded at him once when nothing came to mind. He pursed his lips in thought for a moment, his dark eyes washing over your face.

You didn’t know why, but the experience was exhilarating. You felt entirely exposed to the stranger, the intensity of his gaze seeming to uncover all your secrets. But there was something that you liked about it.

As if he saw you as someone and not no one.

“Excuse me?” the clerk behind the counter called, and you flushed with realisation that you had lost sense of the present. Vaguely catching the smirk he gave you as you dashed towards the counter, you ordered the drinks and then stepped over, waiting for them to be completed.

The handsome stranger looked at you pointedly. “Your drink?”

“Huh?”

“What about yourself? You ordered four drinks. Not five?”

How did he figure out I hadn’t ordered for myself, you wondered, eying him more curiously. When you realised you were holding up the queue as he waited for your answer, you breathed out your usual beverage and watched as he added it to his own order.

And then he joined you. Staring at his side-profile for only a minute, you cocked your head to the side. “Who are you?”

“Me? I’m Jaebum.”

“No, well, I mean, it’s nice to make your acquaintance, but how did you—”

“Don’t let them push you around,” he answered, and you gaped at him. Jaebum turned, washing his eyes over you once more. “You’re worth more than that.”

“I’m confused.”

He grinned. “That’s good to hear.”

“Not really. Why are you taking an interest?”

“It’s Monday morning. Don’t you have a meeting to attend soon?”

Checking your watch, you gasped and lurched forward when your order was called. Darting your focus between Jaebum and the sudden concern of your meeting that you were definitely going to be late to, you let out a whine and then dashed for the door.

“Wait!” you heard Jaebum call after you, but you chose to continue to your office hurriedly, groaning by the time you reached the department and found it empty.

Had Gail timed this to put you in your boss’ bad books again? It wouldn’t be the first time that she or Jeremy had intentionally sabotaged you from getting that much-deserved promotion.

Trying to decide whether you should enter the meeting or not, you mustered up the remaining amount of courage you had left and headed to the boardroom.

All eyes turned to you as you stepped inside, and you bowed apologetically. Lance, your boss, grunted before gesturing to the empty seat, and you quietly handed the drinks to Gail, Jeremy, Liza, and Margo along your way to the far corner of the table.

“Right, where were we before I was rudely interrupted?” Lance asked out loud, and you shrunk back into your seat, fully aware of the satisfaction on the other four faces in the meeting.

Just then, the door opened again, and you sat up with a start when Jaebum breezed in as if he was meant to be there. Mouth wide, you watched him survey the room and then smiled once he found you. “Good. I’m in the right place after all.”

“Who the hell are you?” Jeremy questioned, as Margo nudged him harshly.

“That’s Im Jaebum.”

The atmosphere in the room felt charged, and you watched with bated breath as Jaebum inspected the presentation being projected onto the screen. “Who’s responsible for this?”

“I am,” Liza proudly admitted, and Jaebum glanced at the woman before searching your face.

For some reason, you were certain he knew that Liza had left you on Friday night to complete this for her. Chewing on your bottom lip as you looked between him and Liza’s slowly fading smile, you waited to see what would happen next.

“Ah!” Breathing out suddenly, Jaebum walked around the table and held out the second drink in his hand. “You forgot this.”

“You were at the same place, Y/N? How come you didn’t escort Mr Im here?” Gail seethed, and you went to open your mouth to speak, but Jaebum beat you to it.

“I’m grown man, and it’s not in her job description to escort anyone anywhere. Nor is it to fulfil coffee orders for her junior staff members, but here we are.”

“She offered, didn’t you, Y/N?! She’s so kind!” Liza prompted, and you felt Jaebum’s encouraging gaze boring into the side of your head to tell the truth.

“N-No.”

“No?” Lance, your boss, echoed and then looked at the others. “You asked her whilst she was on the clock to do a coffee run again? What the hell are you all thinking?!”

“No. I meant I won’t sit here anymore,” you said, shakily standing up.

Jaebum gleamed with amusement as you briefly looked in his direction.

“I need to have a meeting with HR.”

“What?! Don’t be ridiculous, Y/N. It’s harmless.”

“Lance, that presentation is my work. I did it Friday night after hours. You can check with the security guard working that evening. He was surprised when I stepped into the foyer as the lights had been automatically turned off in the office.”

Looking at the flabbergasted four before you, you then pointed at Margo. “I also completed the big merger contract that Margo claimed as her own work last week. Jeremy is having a fling with your married daughter, and I discovered it, which is ridiculous because it should have been me making them all do the dirty work that I have for the past six months, but I’m a fool who didn’t know my worth. I would much prefer a peaceful day in the office than cause drama. I realise I enabled these four to walk all over me and disrespect my worth here. I’ll take my leave now before I say anything more incriminating and follow the proper procedures through HR.”

“Y/N!” Gail, Lance’s daughter, exclaimed, looking back and forth before bursting into sobs. “It’s a lie, Daddy!”

“Wow, this department sure is interesting,” Jaebum stated, tapping a finger against his jawline.

“Mr Im, please—!”

“Shall I assist you on your walk to HR, Y/N?” Jaebum cut in, and you nodded appreciatively, stepping over to the exit with him. Walking in silence until you reached the elevator, you maintained your rigid posture until the doors closed and encased you in the small space.

Where you then slumped against the wall and heaved in several deep breaths.

Coming over to your side, Jaebum patted your back gently. “Well done. I wasn’t expecting quite the reaction you had, but I’m proud you chose to stop the workplace bullying there.”

“I’ve one-hundred percent just lost my job.” you suddenly wailed, looking up at Jaebum exasperatedly. “What did I do?! Even if I go to HR now and complain, how can I hold my own in that department?! They’ll treat me horribly. This isn’t what I wanted!”

“Why you would want to go back to that team is beyond me. Gail’s his daughter? He told me she was his best friend’s daughter. Lance has some cheek himself.”

“Wait, you knew everyone in there?” “Shouldn’t I?” he wondered with a frown, and you stepped out of the elevator and followed him down the hallway. Jaebum nodded towards the receptionist outside the executive doors of the firm, and you stopped walking, the man glancing back at you. “Y/N?”

“This isn’t the HR department.”

“I know, this is my office.”

“You’re… you’re-?!”

Coming back for you and then gently guiding you by your shoulders into his office, Jaebum didn’t stop until he had you seated in one of the armchairs near a desk. He took the one next to you and angled his head so he could catch your gaze. “Don’t go getting all silent on me again. Where’s the bold woman who finally stuck it to her team just before?”

“I did that in front of the big boss?!”

Chuckling, Jaebum nodded. “It was a great show, really.”

“I’m mortified.”

“On the contrary, that ought to be me for having a hard-working employee such as yourself feel stuck in a terrible position. My Dad warned me that office hierarchy was a thing when I took over the role recently, but I wasn’t quite prepared for how archaic it was. Are we in high school? Jesus.”

You smiled softly, and Jaebum grinned. “There’s my girl.”

“Your girl?”

Jaebum smirked and shrugged. “Going to tell HR on me too?”

“No!” you answered with a laugh before sobering up. Looking genuinely at Jaebum, you smiled. “Thank you.”

“For?”

“Encouraging me. I had no idea who you were, and you seemed to figure me out in the coffee shop so well. When I saw you in the meeting room, I don’t know, it was as if I had a fairy godmother looking out for me and sent you along to boost my confidence. Whatever it was, thank you.”

“This world won’t look out for anyone. There’s a lot of opportunists out there, ready to take advantage of kindness. Of someone honest and hard-working. Of people in power, even.”

“I can’t imagine people slighting you when you’re the Chairman’s son and my current boss.”

“Only temporarily. My old man will be back in action in two weeks.”

“That’s a relief.”

“You mean, you don’t want to see me around the office more often?” he asked bemusedly, and you sighed heavily. “Fair call. I mean, I don’t want you to be walking on eggshells around me now that you know who I am. But for the meantime, whilst HR sort through the investigation of your department, I think you should come up here.”

“Here?”

He nodded. “I’ll transfer you up. You can help me.”

“Help how? You have a secretary.”

“That’s my Dad’s personnel. I want someone I can trust to tell me how it is.”

You laughed. “I spent the last six months keeping quiet and putting up with bullying. What makes you think I’ll be any good for you?”

“You stood up for yourself today. It was entertaining to watch them scramble about. I think you’ll have no problems looking out for yourself. Besides, I’m not going to ask you to get me coffee or work after hours. That would be rude of me.”

“Oh yeah? What’s the catch, though?”

He grinned. “You figured there’d be one?”

“I can tell there is something brewing behind that intense gaze of yours.”

“On the first, my role as acting CEO will be over.”

“And I’ll go back to my department then?” you surmised, your hopes falling. You knew it wasn’t practical, especially with the way your heart was racing with every look Jaebum gave you, but you were starting to feel addicted to his presence. If you were going to work with him for two weeks, you didn’t like the idea of building everything up, only to crash back down to reality when he was gone.

You’d much prefer unpaid leave for the duration of the investigation and living off your modest savings instead.

Leaning forward, Jaebum caught your gaze. Deeply, he tantalised your soul before speaking. “When I leave here, you come with me.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I’ve got my own business that I run under this corporation. So, it’s not a loss in prestige in your career to follow me. I understand it might concern you, but I could do with someone with your type of work ethic.”

“It’s just about ethics?” you asked, wondering why he had stolen your heart as he had just now for business. You faltered. He was just as much of an opportunist as the people he spoke of just before.

“Absolutely not. But you see, HR here is run by my Dad’s team. And if his son starts having a personal relationship with one of his workers, that could get messy. However, at my company…”

You laughed, shaking your head. “Is that so? You want me to call you Mr Im by day and moan out Jaebum at night?”

Taken aback by your bold statement, Jaebum was still for only a moment. And then a seductive smile spread across his face. “Now, that would be rude. You can call me Jaebum always. But as for the bedroom nicknames, how about we establish those when we get to it?”

“Bold of you to assume I’ll accept your offer,” you replied, and Jaebum laughed heartily.

“You’re right there. But I’ve got at least two weeks to impress you enough to consider it, right?”

You smiled and gave a small nod. Jaebum leaned back in his chair, satisfied.

“You’re trouble, aren’t you?” you asked, and Jaebum glanced over at you.

“Actually, I think you might be the true troublemaker here. I was just having a pleasant Monday morning when I stepped into that coffee shop.”

“Are you disappointed that you met me there?”

Shaking his head, Jaebum leaned towards you again. “Had you not been wearing your lanyard, I would have asked you out on the spot.”

“Darn, I would have liked that.”

“But this is better. Nothing like co-workers to lovers, right?” he teased, and you rolled your eyes, still excited from the flirty transaction.

“Dating your boss is frowned upon, you know.”

Jaebum chuckled, shooting you another wicked look. “I won’t tell if you don’t.”

_________________

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After you’d told everyone to pair off and start practicing the basic waltz square you’d just shown them, you weaved your way through the parquet floor to him with a somewhat cautious smile on your face.

If he wasn’t thrilled to be in your class in the first place, it was safe to assume he wouldn’t be thrilled for you to be his partner, but... there wasn’t much you could do about it now!

“Hi,” you greeted softly when you approached. “I noticed there wasn’t a partner for you, so I’m happy to --”

“Sure,” he muttered.

Of course, his terse interruption made you pause, but you recovered quickly and simply smiled at him. You then stepped closer to him, resting one hand on his shoulder and extending your other arm out to the side so the two of you could get into a waltzing stance.

As soon as he’d slid one hand around your waist and took the other one, grasping your fingers firmly, you waited for him to lead into the four-step box formation.

...And you almost yelped with surprise when he did.

His hold on your waist and fingers quickly became even more firm, and he pushed you subtly but confidently backward, dancing with you smoothly.

You’re not sure why this surprised you so much.

But it did.

And that made you a little uneasy.

“So,” you breathed, clearing your throat quietly. “What’s your name?”

His gaze had been inconspicuously aimed at the floor, most likely watching his feet, but it shifted to look at you when you asked your question.

“Jaebum,” he answered without hesitation, though his voice was still very brusque.

“Nice to meet you,” you replied with a slight dip of your chin. “I’m Y/N.”

“Yes, I know,” he murmured. “You introduced yourself about five minutes ago.”

You raised your eyebrows, unsure if you were bewildered or offended by his incredibly impolite response.

Probably a bit of both.

“...Right,” you said. But you had to maintain your composure and civility, so you added, “What brings you here?”

Rather than answering quickly and succinctly like he had previously, Jaebum simply furrowed his brow at you.

“You just seem less than enthusiastic, so I was curious as to why you’re here in the first place,” you explained, figuring you could at least be honest to counteract his almost-rudeness.

His forehead smoothed out, and he tilted his head to signal that you did have a point.

“One of my best friends is getting married in a few months, and he wants the wedding party to do this... dance routine.”

“And you’re not too excited about it?”

Jaebum shook his head.

“Well, if it helps, you’re a really good dancer.”

Again, Jaebum furrowed his brow at you, shooting you a confused, sidelong glance. “I am?”

He sounded genuinely perplexed which made you genuinely perplexed. He really didn’t know? Had he never taken one single dance class before?

“Yeah,” you chuckled. “You’re a natural.”

And naturally gorgeous, you thought.

Oh my god, why did you think that?

Besides the fact that it was true, of course.

To distract yourself from that thought, you added, “You haven’t taken any sort of class before?”

“No, never.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” you replied with the tiniest smirk you could muster. “You’ve barely even looked at your feet this whole time, and you haven’t tripped me once.”

Of course, Jaebum instinctively looked down at his feet and almost immediately stumbled.

“See? Once you looked down and thought too much about it, you messed up. You’ve got instinct.”

An expression of clear discomfort flashed across his face, and rather than insisting that you knew what you were talking about, you simply kept silent. You were only planning on continuing this exercise for another minute or so, and you would rather not make him any more uncomfortable than he already clearly was.

But when that minute was up... you realized... that you didn’t want to stop dancing with him.

Oh, boy. 

A student who had made you feel uneasy twice in the first half-hour of class.

That was quite unprecedented.

And... very disturbing.

When the two of you got to a good stopping point, you murmured under your breath that it was time to move on.

Jaebum responded immediately, pausing his movements and loosening his hold on your hand and waist to allow you to step away.

“All right, great job,” you said, turning away to face the rest of the class and doing your best to avoid any sort of eye contact with Jaebum. “I know it may seem repetitive, but this is the foundation of a waltz. You need to be really familiar with these steps, know how to do them in your sleep, before you can move on.”

You had everyone go through the steps on their own while you played different music tracks, helping them find the four-count beat in each song and showing they could waltz to really any style of music.

All in all, it was a pretty typical class.

Except for Jaebum.

You had tried to get him -- and the way he’d briefly made you feel -- out of your mind, and while you had been mostly successful when you hadn’t been looking at him... you had been the opposite of successful when you had.

And once the hour was up, you found yourself doing something you truly hadn’t ever expected to do. The thought had never crossed your mind, yet you couldn’t stop your body from walking toward Jaebum, an anxious grin plastered on your lips.

“I was just --” you began, though you were quickly interrupted by a departing student who thanked you for a great class. “Oh, sure, you’re welcome.”

You pressed your lips together then, your gaze following the student and waiting for her to vanish through the studio door.

When she did, you looked back to Jaebum and saw that he was already looking at you, his gaze expectant. You jumped a little -- though, you weren’t quite sure why you were surprised that he was looking at you. You had been just about to say something to him.

After letting out a breathless chuckle, you inhaled sharply and continued on from earlier. “I was just wondering -- you said your friend is wanting to do some sort of routine? For his wedding?”

Jaebum nodded. “During the reception. The bridal party is all going to do a... ballroom dance... thing.”

“Do you know if the choreography is finished?”

“I believe so,” he answered, slightly lowering his brows.

You gulped.

“I -- I mean, I would be happy to help you learn it if you want to -- have the time. You could stay after class or come in whenever you’re free. I can shift things around if I need to, this job is pretty flexib --”

“Okay.”

And you were surprised yet again.

He had actually said yes? Even though you definitely sounded a bit like a bumbling idiot right now?

“Oh, good!” you said with a relieved sigh, your lips spreading into a grin.

“I can’t stay much longer today, but if you have time tomorrow?”

For some reason your instinct was to reply immediately -- in the positive, of course -- but you forced yourself to actually pull up your schedule in your head to look and make sure.

“I’m very free in the afternoon,” you told him after a few moments. “From after lunch until about four.”

Jaebum nodded tersely and said, “I can be here at two” before murmuring his thanks and heading toward the exit.

You stood there, in the same exact spot, for about five minutes after he left, mainly because you were dumbstruck. You had no idea why you’d done that, and you had no idea why you were so relieved (and excited) that he had accepted your offer.

You had literally never offered private lessons -- private free lessons! -- to a student before. Many students had requested them, absolutely, but you had never offered.

The only reason you could think of as to why you’d done this was because Jaebum was so... intriguing. He fit the stereotype almost exactly for the “Perfect Man.” Tall, dark, and handsome. Strong and silent.

...And did you mention handsome?

Very handsome.

But that was actually more of a reason not to give him private lessons. You wanted to spend more time with him, of course. But you shouldn’t.

You really, really, really shouldn’t.

Rather than wait in jittery anticipation for Jaebum to show up, you spent the first part of your day keeping as busy as you could.

You had two classes basically back-to-back in the morning, which definitely helped keep your mind off the perfectly handsome man arriving at the studio in the early afternoon. And once those classes finished, you took a lunch break and headed to a nearby deli for one of your favorite sandwiches.

Between lunch and Jaebum’s arrival time, you decided to clean the entire studio from top to bottom because that was just what you did when you were stressed or nervous: you cleaned.

A small cleaning crew visited the studio once a week to keep the floors and mirrors gleaming, of course, but it had been a little while since you’d wiped down your office and deep cleaned the reception area.

You dusted and vacuumed and scrubbed and decluttered and even rearranged some furniture just to change things up -- for almost two hours.

And it wasn’t until a quarter to two that you realized you’d made a rather large mistake.

Cleaning and rearranging furniture for two hours was hard work, and now -- fifteen minutes before Jaebum was set to arrive -- you found yourself exhausted and sweaty.

I mean, you were exhausted and sweaty a lot. Obviously. You were a dance teacher. 

But the exhausted and sweaty parts of your day were always at the end of class, after you’d done all the work, not at the beginning.

...And your classes typically did not involve an incredibly good-looking man whom you were nervous about spending time with.

After putting away the cleaning supplies in the closet, you quickly ran into the bathroom to splash some water on your face. You then headed into your office and dug around in your bag for the emergency vial of perfume you kept in there -- just in case.

Thank goodness you did because it really came in handy in this moment.

Just as you stepped out of your office and back into the studio, closing the door behind you, you heard the clack of footsteps on the dance floor.

“Hello?” a soft but deep voice called out.

You jumped a little, your gaze snapping over to the studio entrance and landing on Jaebum.

A quick glance to the clock above the mirrors showed you that he was almost ten minutes early -- and that only heightened your intrigue.

You loved a man who was early.

“Hi!” you blurted out suddenly, realizing you hadn’t yet answered him. “Hi, come on in. Welcome.”

Jaebum reached into his pocket as he walked over to you, retrieving his phone and tapping on the screen with a wrinkled forehead. “My friend sent me the video of the choreography,” he muttered, his eyes flashing up at you briefly over his phone screen.

“Oh, perfect,” you grinned. You came to a stop in front of him, resting your hands on your hips as you waited for him to find the video and show you.

“Here,” he mumbled before doing just that -- turning his phone around and showing you the video.

You leaned in, and only then did you realize this was a bad idea.

Obviously, watching something on a person’s phone meant you had to be standing rather close to that person, leaning in until your heads were almost touching.

And that’s exactly what was happening right now.

You were standing rather close to Jaebum, your heads almost touching.

And, boy, did he smell amazing.

It took almost every ounce of willpower in you to concentrate on the video and not on how amazing he smelled.

When the video finished, you took a step back, hoping you hadn’t backed away from him too obviously. If you were going to be learning this choreography together, you certainly didn’t want him to think you couldn’t stand being close to him. Because that wasn’t even true! 

It was just... difficult. In a good way. Kind of.

“That seems fairly straightforward,” you said, pushing all these thoughts out of your mind as best as you could.

“Yeah?” Jaebum asked, turning to look at you, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

“Absolutely. You want to give it a shot?”

He nodded and took off his jacket, hanging it up on the rack by the door before joining you in the middle of the dancefloor. He set up his phone against the mirror, and you began guiding him through the choreography, step-by-step.

Only a few minutes in, and Jaebum stopped you. “How... how do you know the routine already? We watched it once, and you’re not even referring back to the video.”

A frown curved your lips, and you lifted your shoulders into a shrug. “I... don’t know? I just remember it.”

“Seriously?” he asked with a soft chuckle of disbelief. “How?”

“I don’t know,” you repeated. “I’ve always been this way, with dance especially. I can just picture it in my mind.”

“So, you have a photographic memory.”

...How had you never realized that before?

“I guess so?” you chuckled. “I just never thought it was different than what anyone else could do.”

A half-smile tugged at Jaebum’s lips as he got back into the dancing position, and he murmured, “No. I absolutely cannot do that.”

“Well, then, it’s a good thing I’m the dance teacher,” you retorted, trying to suppress a smirk.

He laughed softly, and you ignored the fluttering in your heart.

You spent the next hour and a half going through the first part of the routine, and even though Jaebum claimed he wasn’t able to learn choreography like you did, he still caught on quickly.

“No, you’re honestly doing a great job,” you assured him after deciding to stop for the day. “I told you, you’re a natural dancer. You have instinct!”

Jaebum simply shook his head, but you saw the smile he was trying to hold back.

As he went back toward the door to retrieve his jacket, he glanced over his shoulder at you and said, “Are you free to keep going? Go over the rest of the routine?”

“Absolutely! I wouldn’t leave you hanging like that for a wedding.”

“What if it was a birthday party?”

“Yes, maybe.”

You heard Jaebum’s deep, low chuckle, and even though you’d just spent over an hour touching him and dancing with him and being extremely close to him, the sound of his laugh still sent a shiver down your spine.

What was this guy doing to you?

“What does your schedule look like?” he asked as he slipped his jacket back on.

“Oh, here -- let me write it down for you,” you said, taking a step toward your office.

“Or --” Jaebum blurted out.

You paused, raising your eyebrows and shifting your gaze to him.

“Or you could... just text it to me.” He still had his phone handy from playing the dance video on repeat during the lesson, and he held it up as to emphasize his suggestion.

“Oh!” you chirped. “Well -- I mean, yeah, sure. That -- that works.”

Jaebum opened his mouth to say something, but then he stopped himself. He narrowed his eyes slightly at you and said, “If I just tell it to you, will you remember it without having to write it down?”

Your eyes widened with minor panic. “...Yes?” you replied uncertainly even though you were absolutely certain you could do that.

He let out a soft, breathy chuckle and shook his head.

After he told you his phone number, he murmured his thanks for the lesson and then headed through the door without another word.

You waited approximately ten seconds before scrambling to your office, fishing your phone out of your bag, and quickly entering the number into your contacts.

You wouldn’t have forgotten it, but... still. You didn’t want to take any chances. It wasn’t every day that an incredibly attractive and fascinating guy gave you his phone number.

Not that you would use it for anything other than sending him your schedule.

But. Yeah.

Jaebum was absolutely incredibly attractive and fascinating.

Either Jaebum was not a busy man or he...

Well, you weren’t actually sure what the other most viable option was.

Because the only things you could think were that he just really wanted to learn this dance routine for the wedding reception... or he just really wanted to spend time with you.

And that was definitely just wishful thinking.

Either way, Jaebum was -- apparently -- able to fit in a private lesson whenever your schedule allowed.

Did he not work? Or was he taking a lot of time off for this? Or maybe his job allowed him to be flexible like yours did.

There were so many questions you wanted to ask him and so little courage you had to actually ask them.

When he came back two days after your first private lesson, you began the lesson with those questions still occupying your thoughts but ended it with another question on your mind entirely.

And, for some reason (seemingly everything about Jaebum was a mystery, I guess, including your reactions to him), you found the question tumbling from your lips as he was putting his jacket back on to leave.

You had just spent another hour and a half teaching him the second half of the choreography; another hour and a half touching and dancing with him. Maybe that had bolstered your courage enough?

“Why do you not want to do this?” you asked, tilting your head curiously. “The dance at the wedding.”

Jaebum paused for a moment before turning to face you. “I just... What -- what do you mean?”

You felt your cheeks warms, but you continued on. “You were just so... not happy to be in that first class, and... I don’t know. Whenever I bring it up, you get this look on your face.”

His eyebrows flew halfway up his forehead. “I do?”

“Yeah,” you chuckled.

He stood there just for a second before letting out a sigh and taking a few steps toward you. “To be honest, I’m not thrilled about having to dance in front of a room full of people I don’t really know.”

While you couldn’t exactly relate to the sentiment, you still understood what it was like to be scared to do something. Or, at the very least, be uncomfortable about it.

“You’re going to do a great job,” you assured him, your heart starting to skip a beat here and there as he got closer to you.

Seriously? You had just been dancing with him. Touching him. 

“I’m not saying I don’t trust you,” he said, shaking his head. “But... I’m just not... confident about it. And I don’t like that.”

Jaebum was such the epitome of the Strong and Silent type -- so far, at least -- that you couldn’t even imagine him not being fully confident in himself. And the way he danced definitely wasn’t something to be insecure about it!

“I don’t know,” he added with a roll of his eyes. “I just don’t see the point in doing a choreographed dance at a wedding.”

Okay, now that made you laugh.

“Because it’s fun,” you chuckled. “Receptions are basically just a big party, and most parties involve dancing, right?”

“Well, yeah,” he shrugged. “But they don’t have to. And you can dance without doing some full-fledged routine.”

“This is true,” you agreed, though it was mainly just to appease him.

“In my opinion, weddings should be about the marriage. The relationship. The vows you make. Not cutting a cake or a DJ playing viral songs no one really wants to hear.”

...Well. You couldn’t argue with him there.

“So, when it’s your turn to get married, you don’t even need to have a reception.”

And your heart was acting funny again. Thinking about Jaebum getting married both made you hopeful that it would be your wedding, as well, and upset that -- realistically -- it would not be. You were just his dance teacher, and he was only taking lessons until the wedding. It was highly unlikely he would come back to continue his education, and even though you had his phone number now... why would you ever have a reason to use it?

“Don’t worry,” he murmured. “I absolutely plan on eloping. Or only inviting my family and having just a small ceremony.”

“Ah, good. Now I know not to be offended when I don’t receive an invitation.”

Um... okay? Why? Had you just said that?

Thankfully, Jaebum simply smiled that tiny half-smile of his and let out a soft chuckle.

Was it weird that after spending time with Jaebum only three times you already knew his signature smile?

Despite the fact you had taught Jaebum the entire dance backwards and forwards and there was literally nothing else you could do to help him, he continued to request private lessons. He continued to show up whenever you had a free hour or two, no matter the time or day.

And while this behavior would usually suggest some sort of romantic feelings on his part, he also continued to be Strong and Silent.

He talked to you during your lessons, of course, but he was never talkative. He was always polite, but he wasn’t super... friendly.

So, in conclusion, you were still as mystified and confused by Jaebum as ever.

He didn’t like dancing but he was amazing at it.

He didn’t need you to teach him anymore but he still showed up at your studio.

You just wished you could peek into that brain of his -- just for a minute! -- to see what he was thinking.

And, because you were his teacher, you never felt comfortable asking why. Why was he still asking for lessons when he didn’t need them? Why was he always so guarded around you? Why did he never ask about your personal life?

I swear, if Jaebum ever asked if you had a boyfriend, your heart would absolutely combust.

Maybe one day you would ask him all those questions, but by then, he wouldn’t be coming to your classes any longer, and what would be the point?

Apparently, you were thinking too much about all of this because, all of a sudden, Jaebum’s voice broke through the haze in your mind.

“Y/N,” he said, his voice forceful enough to make it obvious it wasn’t the first time he’d said it.

“Sorry,” you replied hastily with a shake of your head. “Zoned out.”

“Did you hear what I said?” he asked as he stood by the coat rack, getting ready to put his jacket back on before he left with hardly a word.

That had become his routine after every class, and you had come to expect nothing different.

“Hmm? Oh -- no, sorry. What did you say?”

“I said the wedding is this weekend, so I won’t need to come back any more.”

...Oh.

That was not what you wanted to hear.

“Oh,” you replied, doing your best to sound... well, not upset about it. “Well, I know you’re going to do an amazing job --”

“I’m more nervous than I thought I would be,” he interrupted.

You froze, your mouth slightly hanging open and your unspoken words hanging from your lips.

But then you quickly pulled yourself together and said, “You are?”

He nodded tersely.

But he didn’t elaborate.

So, you bit. “...Why?”

“Because I know how to dance it with you, and what if it’s different with someone else as my partner?”

“I mean, yeah, it’ll be different,” you confirmed. “But you know the steps through and through. Even if the bridesmaid is a terrible dancer, you’ll be able to carry her through it, I promise.”

Jaebum let out a sigh and his head tilted forward, his chin practically touching his chest.

“You’ll be fi --”

“What I really wanted to say is that I wish it could be you and not someone else,” he said, interrupting you again in a quiet but strong voice.

...You stared at him.

And blinked.

“...Excuse me?”

Without hesitating, Jaebum strode over to you, only stopping when he was as close to you as he was while you’d danced.

You tilted your head to look up into his eyes, though yours were still too wide with shock to say anything.

“I... I feel more comfortable dancing with you than doing... anything else. And the reason I kept asking to come back even after you taught me the whole dance is because... I just wanted to be with you.”

Okay, you were fairly certain you were no longer breathing.

You certainly couldn’t speak at the moment, so it was very possible that your heart and lungs had just stopped working.

“You are... incredible,” he continued. “Confident and talented and kind and beautiful.”

You repeated the word ‘beautiful’, though you couldn’t even hear your own voice so you must have simply mouthed it.

...Was he really saying all this to you?

To you?

And since it was obvious you weren’t going to actually say anything yet, Jaebum continued.

“You’re why I haven’t stopped coming back. I only joined your class because my friend practically forced me; he’s one of my closest friends, and I would do anything for him, but I truly could not care less about this dumb wedding dance. I would have happily fumbled my way through it if you hadn’t been so... wonderful.”

Okay, at this point, you kind of felt like you were more shocked to hear this many words coming out of his mouth at once. You’d been teaching Jaebum for almost three months, and you were fairly certain he hadn’t said more than two sentences back-to-back.

And you, who normally had no trouble speaking, could only reply with a whispered, “...Really?”

Jaebum simply nodded, and you felt more at ease. A simple nod was much more in character.

But you had no idea what else to say because there was too much you wanted to say.

Apparently, your racing thoughts showed through on your face because Jaebum stopped waiting for you to say something. “I... don’t really want to invite you to be my date to the wedding since... I’m a groomsman and all. You would have to sit by yourself, and I don’t want to make you do that.”

Ah, so, he was thoughtful, too.

“So... maybe you’d like to meet up after the wedding? I mean, like, go out. Not meet up. Go out. On a... date.”

“Yes,” you replied, finally able to force some actual words out of your mouth. “Yes, I would love to. Please.”

And then, Jaebum’s lips curved into a smile.

A real smile.

A full-on, teeth-showing smile -- not the half-smile you’d gotten used to.

Your heart stopped.

I mean, it felt like it stopped.

And you were immensely glad he hadn’t smiled like this before because oh my god. You wouldn’t have been able to go on teaching him. You would’ve fainted.

Even now, you had to reach out and grab a hold of his arms to steady yourself.

But Jaebum must have thought you were going in for the hug, so took another step closer to you and slid his arms around your waist, pressing his fingers into the small of your back and enveloping you in his embrace.

It took you approximately .0001 seconds to melt into him, feeling the strong wall of his chest and the secure cage of his arms around you.

You’d danced with him countless times by now. His hands had held your waist for hours, and yet... You had never experienced this sensation before.

And you knew right then and there that you never wanted to live another day without experiencing it again.

It has been quite a while since you set your book down on your stomach and watched the sky in front of you, your right arm tucked under your head as a makeshift pillow while lying under the tree.

Jaebeom lowers the book he’s been reading and looks down at you. Unlike you, he was sitting with his back leaning against the trunk. He uncrosses his legs and leans forward to better see your face.

“I just want them dead,” you continue to stare blankly in front of you. When you were younger, you could easily make shapes out of the scattered formation of the clouds in the sky. “But they don’t look like they’re dying anytime soon. And I can’t do it. I’m too weak to kill anyone.”

“What’s going on?” Jaebeom asks slowly. He studies your face carefully albeit being upside down. Something doesn’t sit right. You’re never a violent person and hearing you speak about wanting to kill someone sent a shiver down his spine but made his blood boil at the same time.

“I’m just kidding. Did I scare you?” You smile at your best friend and fake a laugh. Clutching the book on your torso, you sit up and brush your hair with your fingers, scooping closely beside him in the process. You see him still looking at you intently. Somehow you know he will not let your brief slip of the tongue away so easily unless you tell him the truth. His gaze on you is sharp and you worry he’ll easily look right into you again this time.

Jaebeom’s gaze continues to pierce into you and you sigh loudly before collapsing onto the grass again, placing your head on his lap.

Tears attempt to prick the corner of your eyes so you close them, hoping to feign a tired look on your face so he could leave you alone with your thoughts again. Instead, you feel his hand caress your cheek tenderly. His other hand brushing away the strands from your face.

“You know you can tell me anything, right?” he asks softly.

Not trusting yourself to speak without sobbing, you only slightly nod your head, though a single tear trickles your side of the face afterward.

Jaebeom immediately wipes it before it even falls halfway down the side of your cheek and dips his head down to place a light kiss on your temple.

In a world where people judge more than try to comprehend the victim’s claims, it is mentally taxing to ask for help.

Not that you never asked anyone for help. In fact, you did. A lot of times. But what do people usually get in return? Nothing more than a mere dubious look from your family and friends and even verbal excuses to downplay your issues. “Should be a slip of the hand, honey,” “Were you both drunk that night?” “He’s your husband. It’s okay.”

The thing is, it is never okay. It never is but somehow you will just learn to live with it.

Sometimes you just wish the tears you shed will be enough to drown all the monstrosity in this world.

Your heart clenches at the mere thought that at least one of the people you meet every day are being abused in one way or another. The only thing you think you could help anyone with is by treating them with utmost kindness and respect unless they prove to be not worthy of either of those.

Everyone except, probably, your own family who caused you an awful lot of mental distress.

They say when you wish someone dead, chances are, they will live longer than you expected. You never cease to wish it though, every time you get a glimpse of their mere shadow inside your house. But aside from that, you also wish to be old enough to help yourself run away from the very place where your nightmares originated.

Before you got into college, you saved the majority of your allowances, took part-time jobs, and even applied for scholarships to save enough money to live on your own, determined to finally get away from everything and start again. You plan on not looking back and build another version of yourself away from the people who inflicted your pain.

And you did. You were able to score yourself admission to a respectable university in the capital. It hasn’t been easy but you felt a lot better than before. You only hoped for the best the moment you stepped inside the university. Soon, you were able to find yourself a number of trustworthy people you can count on. No one knew your past and they’re never really nosy about such things. It should be fine since you wanted to forget about everything from your past anyway, but sometimes you can’t help but feel as though you’re not being fully honest with them. Like you’re creating a different version of yourself that you want to be liked by the new people around you. There are times when you wanted to tell them your story but you’re too afraid they’re going to judge you and they will start to see you differently. You cannot afford to make the same mistake you did in the past when your stories drove your family members and your friends further away from you.

Finding your way to college has been the greatest decision you’ve made so far. If you haven’t pushed yourself way harder to get where you are right now, you wouldn’t be able to meet  Lim Jaebeom—your best friend and now your boyfriend. For almost a decade now, you have been each other’s constant rock.

You met Jaebeom in your favorite coffee house near the university. Unlike most people, background noises in coffee shops actually help you more to focus when studying. It was evidently full the moment you entered one afternoon to study for your upcoming exams. Most people that came in came out after a minute or two after realizing that the coffee house was a full house. But you’re not most people. You didn’t mind standing by the side of the counter as you wait for the other students to wrap up and leave a table until someone pokes you from behind and offered to share his table.

Jaebeom’s mind has been wandering that day, unable to focus on the questions from his mock exams and reviewers. Seeing you enter the shop with your books clutched against your chest and a serene look on your face didn’t help him at all. Before he knew it, he was already approaching and offering you the seat he’s saving for his friend. His heart raced when you smiled warmly and lightly bowed at him, grateful for his generosity.

Oddly enough, you felt really comfortable even when sharing a table with a total stranger for the very first time. A couple of times you caught him staring at you from the corner of his eyes which made you blush but not at all fidgety or uncomfortable. When your second cup of coffee turned cold and the low temperature inside the premise mixed by the sudden pouring of rain outside made you shiver for the second time, Jaebeom offered you a black hoodie hanging in the back of the chair beside him. You refused the offer a few times before accepting, too shy to wear a stranger’s clothes but eventually accepted because the temperature is just too cool for your body’s liking. Both of you, with a few other students, ended up staying in the coffee house until closing. Before parting ways, Jaebeom insisted you keep his hoodie on your way home and used it as an excuse to get your name and your number. Since then you started hanging out and eventually became a couple.

The very first person you told your past about is Jaebeom. Within the course of a few months, somehow, you have developed an unusual bond and attraction for each other which made telling your life story to Jaebeom so much easier.

After accidentally thinking out loud during one of your breaks at the campus garden a month before, you wanted so much to share the ease the burden of you still being occasionally haunted by your past to someone. You felt incredibly lonely more than ever and Jaebeom had always been the most perfect fit to talk to when it comes to your troubles. With him, you feel safe and secured. Most of the time, you get easily overwhelmed with your troubles and he’d always be there to help you look at things objectively, encouraging you to try to make a sound decision each time.

Jaebeom pulls you closer to his body and kisses your temple. His lips stay pressed on the side of your head and you can feel his chest rapidly rising and falling on your back after hearing the side of the story you just bared with him. He’s flushed with anger. How can people do such things and get away with it so easily?

You bask in the warmth of his body against yours. Even after all these years, talking about your traumatic experiences sends every limb of your body to shiver at the memory. Meanwhile, as opposed to what you have expected of yourself, you barely shed a few tears instead of sobbing uncontrollably.

Jaebeom shifts slightly and starts to guide your body so you’re facing him on the couch. His hands soothe your back and arms when you face him and you settle at the crook of his neck comfortably, breathing in his familiar scent. You stay pressed like this for a while until you hear him sniff slightly.

You pull yourself just enough to look at his expression and you’re shocked to see the corners of his eyes red.

“I’m sorry you had to go through all that. I promise you will always be safe with me,” he whispers, slightly croaking. His eyes are wide with sincerity. “We can no longer change the past but, I promise you, you will never have to go through that hell again. Our future kids will never suffer. Not when I’m alive. I will make sure of it.”

You don’t remember the last time you were genuinely consoled by anyone’s words until now. Jaebeom’s words weigh more than a simple I love you. He’s committing to providing a safe haven for you. And even though at the back of your mind you know this couldn’t be foolproof—you cannot control the people around you, after all— you wanted so much to hold onto his words and trust him.

“Thank you for trusting me, baby. Please, please, let me share your troubles. You will never be alone again,” he whispers before bringing your lips to his, showing you just how deep his love for you.

“I love you,” you say between kisses. You didn’t realize you were crying until Jaebeom kisses your tears away.

“I love you so much.”

You obliged, of course, with a nod of your head. "Do you mind if I take a couple of pictures? The view here is breathtaking."

"Go ahead," Jaebeom cocked his head towards the film camera sitting idly beside his crossed legs. "Are you sure it's the view that's breathtaking or something else? Someone else?" He teased with a hidden smirk, flipping a page of his book.

You shook your head in disbelief. "Lim Jaebeom, I thought you were feeling unwell. Clearly I was mistaken."

"Trust me, if I was fully recovered I would've volunteered to sing that Ed Sheeran song for you. What was your favourite again? Perfect? No, it's Thinking Out Loud, right? The lyrics you scribbled in my notebook?"

You knew which incident he was referring to. It happened ages ago, before the two of you got together. You were tipsy and were thinking of ways to confess, which led to clumsy sentences scribbled on an open notebook. Yet, you pretended to pay him no mind as you shifted around to find the right angle, trying to capture the back of his broad shoulders with the charming waters of River Spree in the background. Thankfully, the Berlin skies had been kind enough on their rest day, granting the boys pleasant weather. The dazzling afternoon sunshine illuminated the side of Jaebeom's face as his hand came up to push back his long fringe. You captured that exact moment with a swift click of a button.

"How did it go again?" Jaebeom hummed the beginnings of the chorus softly under his breath, folding the top of the page as he did so. "When my hair's all gone and my memory fades. And the crowds don't remember my name,"

You scoffed lightly at that, resting a palm on his shoulders. "No, not likely. They'll remember you, always."

"When my hands don't play the strings the same way, oh oh," Jaebeom directed an affectionate gaze towards you and held your hand in his. His thumb stroked your palm softly, tenderly. "You know I will still love you the same."

You pointed the camera towards him, your finger poised on the shutter release. Jaebeom pressed his warm, mask-covered lips against your skin, just as you pressed the camera button. A bashful smile worked its way upon your lips. "It's I know you will still love me the same, silly."

"Way to ruin the moment, genius. Either way they're both true, am I wrong?" Jaebeom lifted an eyebrow expectantly.

You hummed in agreement. "True," You replied, circling your arms around his upper body and resting your head against his shoulder. It was an action that you would never in a million years dream to perform publicly, especially not in Korea. Being on tour on the other side of the world had its perks, you supposed. It was extremely liberating to be within such close proximity with your lover. A part of you, the part that was still a love-struck teenager, rejoiced in your blatant display of affection.