#jaebum fluff

Jackson patted Jaebeom’s head and the staffs that filled the room tried to continue with their duties, but also be mindful of 7 crying and sobbing men in the centre of that room. Your gaze shifted to sobbing Mark and the way teared up Youngjae and Bam tried to calm him down. At least this view wasn’t tearing your heart into pieces. As a figure approached you, though, you had to readjust your eyes and focus on the man in front of you. The very next moment Jinyoung’s very warm hand grabbed yours and pulled you behind him. He felt your resistance and turned around, reading your face expression perfectly.

"I think he really needs you to calm him down." Jinyoung pulled onto your arm once again and you followed. "Hey, Seunah" Jinyoung called out in an attempt to whisper, but making it more of a low growl. Jackson, raising his head and seeing Jinyoung pulling on to you took a step back. Giving you space to come closer and giving you two space for privacy. Jaebeom raised his head a little, as he felt the loss of contact and took a few blinks to focus his teary eyes on you. Both Jackson and Jinyoung respectfully took a few more steps back and as you approached Jaebeom a little more, you couldn’t hold back a pout. Jaebeom straightened his back properly and it seemed the tears streamed down his face at a much lower pace. You pursed your lips and took a little step closer, not forgetting precaution and turning around to read the room - everyone seemed busy with themselves and their duties. But in all honesty - you couldn’t just stand and watch him any longer, even if the people watched you two attentively - your heart ached the moment you saw that first tear fall down his face back on stage. 

“You did so well-.“ You still whispered, everyone acted busy, but peoples’ ears were always perked up. Jaebeom blinked more tears down his face. Shit, you only made it worse for him. “Everything went so perfectly. You worked so hard. I’m so proud. These should be happy tears, everything worked out amazing. Right?“ you tried to give Jaebeom a smile, your words only made the tears fall down harder, while Park Jinyoung expected you to do the opposite. “Ah-, love, don’t cry.“ You finally sighed and reached a hand to his face, cupping his cheek and making a lame attempt at catching the teardrops - it did seem impossible. The waterfall that streamed down his face was impossible to stop with a finger. Jaebeom leaned in into your touch and closed his eyes. You tried to caress the softness of his cheek, while not making it too inappropriate for a working environment. “Everyone’s so proud and everyone are so thankful for the things you do. You’ve put so much hard work into this, it’s okay to cry. I can’t even hold back my tears for you and ah-.“ Jaebeom suddenly draped his arms over your shoulders and lost his face in the crook of your neck. You patted his nape in a very weak attempt to calm him down. He seemed crashed, drained and exhausted. You really wished you could lift him up just like that and transfer to bed and let him get as much sleep as he needed - doesn’t matter if its 12 hours or a week. You watched him work so hard all these weeks to make the concerts possible, you watched him all those years make all those things possible while also being a sweet and loving husband to you. “I just hope it’s tears of relief. As long as they’re not tears of pain - it doesn’t matter. We could cry all night long, right?“ You tried to give him a little kiss, forgetting all the work space boundaries in your head, landing your lips on his jaw. You patted his nape a few more times, moving your arms lower - you gave his waist a squeeze and rubbed your face against his shoulder - the sobbing man in your arms seemed to calm down at least a little. 

“I love you.“ you breathed out, somehow in unison with Jaebeom and as shocked as you were at the silly little coincidence, Jaebeom moved back a little and looked at you properly, with no tears falling out of his eyes,  beautiful irises focusing on you. 

“That’s silly of us.“ You giggled, moving your fingers to dry out the tears on Jaebeom’s cheeks. 

“But I, definitely love you more.“ He even made a weak attempt to smile and made you feel more at ease yourself. The air suddenly felt lighter and the second time he tried to make that little smile - the smugness on his face, your chest burned with love. Jaebeom covered your palm with his and moved it closer to his mouth. “I wouldn’t be here without your support.“ You knew exactly what he meant by that, how hard it was for both him and you to get his mind to a better place. You weren’t about to shy away and act like you weren’t behind it all. In a great partnership with the man himself, of course. 

“I know.“ You accepted with a playful nod and watched his lips give your palm a kiss with a smile. You were glad you could refer to dark times with a joke and a smile now. Jaebeom let go of your arm and tried to dry his face with the shirt he wore. 

“Ah!“ Jinyoung materialised behind you, his firm palm on your shoulder making you jump in place. “Nothing like a wife’s touch that could calm a man down.“ He teased happily, wrinkles round his eyes as he smiled were the reason for a little upward motion on the corners of your lips. 

“Sh! Shut up, there are strangers in this room.“ you hissed at the man, feigning annoyance. Jinyoung ruffled your hair with a teasing face expression.

“Hey, show some respect.“ you played back, your unending battle of teasing continuing every time you opened your mouths.

“Right, show some respect to my wife!“ Jaebeom chimed in, regret on his face immediate, as the both of you knew the comeback would be explosive. Jaebeom wrapped an arm around your waist, you not being sure whether he was backing you up or wanted you to back him up in this.

Jinyoung, though, already moved on -  looking at the members and then at his leader and giving you nod. 

“Jinyoung isn’t the reason I’m in bed right now, though he wasn’t thrilled I’d be taking a leave of absence.”

“Did you hurt yourself? I told you those heels you insist on wearing are dangerous.”

You rolled your eyes, remembering the multiple times he had removed you out of everything you wore but those heels. “No, I didn’t fall. Though, I guess I better be more careful in the future.”

“I’m not following.”

“What do you think about this house here?” you asked, turning your laptop around to show Jaebum. “It has four bedrooms and a reasonably sized backyard. It could do with some renovations, which we could get done over the next few months before we can’t.”

Jaebum merely stared at you.

“I know when your grandfather asked me to sign up as your wife five years ago that he wanted great-grandchildren, and I almost laughed in his face at the mere concept. And then, when I broke out of the contract and left the firm, he wasn’t thrilled with me at all. Especially since I stole his other favourite candidate to boost my newly purchased law firm. But do you reckon he’ll forgive me for all of that in nine months’ time? Well, more like seven. It turns out that morning sickness doesn’t come as early as—”

Jaebum’s lips crashed down on yours desperately, stealing away your breath and the rest of your sentence.

You had taken the leave of absence for only a week. You knew when it came to actual maternity leave that you would be more concerned about the running of your firm. By then, though, you would have trained up your recent employee to handle your cases as you took a much-needed break from the stresses of other people’s relationships.

You needed to focus on your own a little more carefully now.

“You’re pregnant?” he finally asked when his kisses turned tentative, as if he needed to be careful with you. “I thought you didn’t possess a single maternal bone in your body?”

“Hey! I think I do okay with Mark and Tessa’s triplets, don’t you? If I can babysit three of them for an evening, I’m sure to do fine with just one of our own.”

Jaebum’s mouth tipped up. “You sure it’s just one?”

“Thankfully,” you admitted with a quick exhale that made him laugh. “I had to get it checked immediately as soon as the test came back positive.”

“And to think, you were going to give this all up after a year with me,” Jaebum teased, kissing your temple as he finally joined you on the bed. You watched him soak you in with those bedroom eyes of his, laughing silently at how they had finally gotten you in the predicament you now faced.

“You had your chance to escape back then.”

Jaebum kissed you as he shook his head slowly. “There was no way I could escape you. I was yours long before our marriage of convenience.”

“Conveniently mine?” you wondered as his hands explored your body, eliciting waves of arousal despite the first trimester fatigue you were resting at home with.

“Conveniently yours,” Jaebum agreed, kissing you again.

“I could get used to that. I mean, if this marriage needs to have a reason, it ought to be that I belong to you, right?”

“No modern woman like yourself would belong to anyone.”

“Not anyone else,” you confirmed in a whisper, staring into the eyes of the man who had loved and worshipped you for years. “But for you, I think I can negotiate that into our ongoing contract.”

_________________

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You sat there with your laptop on your lap, and your legs stretched on the couch. With frustration, you closed my laptop, placing it on the coffee table before covering your face with your hands.

           “Hey, you okay?” You heard your boyfriend’s voice, asking you.

           You removed your hands to see him all showered before he could lift your legs up so he could sit on the couch beside you and plopped them on his lap.

           “Just tired… I don’t get how my boss work sometimes, he gave me all these numbers and documents that I know nothing about, and he told me the deadline is in two days.” You complained.

           Jaebum chuckled before he could run his hands on your legs, giving them light massages.

           “Do you want to go out and get some food first?” Jaebum offered. You looked at the clock that was sitting beside the TV and it was showing 5.47 PM in the afternoon.

           “Yeah, we should probably get something to eat since I’m not in the mood to cook myself.” You grumbled getting up from the couch to go over to Jaebum’s bedroom. You just grab his jacket that was hooked on the chair before you went back out to see Jaebum with carkeys in his hands.

           “Let’s go.”

Once you both got into the car, Jaebum asked you what you wanted to eat but you were not sure and you let him choose.

           “Come on, we’re not going to have a debate on what we’re eating for dinner. I’m letting you choose because, you’re having a bad day today.” He said, placing his warm hand on your thigh.

           You let out a breath shaking your head. “I don’t know what I want to eat, I can think—” Your words were cut by the sound of your phone ringing. As you picked your phone, you turn to Jaebum, putting your finger in front of your lips, telling him to keep quiet and Jaebum did shut his lips, focusing on the road.

           “Yes, Mr. Lee ?”

           “(Y/N), I’m sending you documents and files that is due tomorrow, I hope you’re not too busy.” Your boss suddenly said, making you raised your eyebrow.

           “I’m sorry sir, but I have a lot on my plate today, you just sent me numbers and documents last night, that I don’t know about, and I haven’t even finished on that yet, that one still have a long way to go.” You explained to him.

           “No, no,  no, I need you to work on those right now too! I’m sure you can handle all of them.” He said, with a laugh.

           “I can’t! Can I just pass it on to Carter?” You asked, feeling the tears burning in your eyes.

           “No! I want you to work on it! You can handle data like this better than anyone else, so I’m expecting all of them clear by tomorrow noon.” He demands.

           You leaned back on your seat trying to negotiate with your boss.

           “Can I have them all done by 2 days? Please, that’s all I’m asking.” You pleaded.

           You could hear him exhaling, unhappy about what you asked for, but he finally gave in.

           “Fine, I’ll be expecting ALL OF THEM—done by Thursday.” He said.

           “Great… thanks.” You quickly hung up the phone, dropping it between your legs before covering your face with your hands.

           “Everything okay?” Jaebum asked you.

           “I’m sorry Jae, can we just grab something fast and eat back at your place? My boss just gave me another thing that I need to work on.” You moaned, trying your best not to cry.

           “It’s okay, I understand, let’s just get something from the grocery and some other stuff you need—and I’ll cook… sounds like a plan?” He asked you.

           You looked to him giving him a weak smile before kissing his cheek and rest your head on his shoulder.

           “Sounds like plan to me.” You breathed.

You and Jaebum practically bought a lot of food. Ramen packs, meats, sauces, rice, and even some little snacks and other necessary things that you needed. Bottle drinks, canned drink—you both are stocking the fridge and the cabinets in his place.

           When you got back, Jaebum told you to just get to your work and he’ll handle the rest. You insisted on helping him but he didn’t let you. You finally gave up and walked towards the bedroom where some of the papers were placed. You brought it to the coffee table sitting on the floor before you could open your laptop and continue on your work.

           Jaebum put away all the stuff that you both bought into their places. Since he knows you’re already hungry, in advance, he made you a cup ramen. Bringing it over to you with a glss of iced water.

           “Thank you baby.” You thanked Jaebum, holding onto his arm before he could lean down to kiss your forehead.

           “Don’t work too hard on yourself.” He said, before walking back to the kitchen.

           The more you looked at the numbers at the screen the crazier you feel. You looked up to the clock on your laptop screen and you feel like that’s the ticking time bomb of your life.

           “(Y/N)…” You heard Jaebum’s voice calling you.

           “Yeah?” You turn to him, who was moving plates of food onto the table.

           “Come on, dinner’s ready.” He said before he could walk towards you.

           “I’m in the middle of something, can you wait for 5 minutes?” You asked him.

           Jaebum let out a sigh before he could sit right behind you on the couch, placing his lips on your shoulder.

           “Jae…”

           “What?” He asked, his voice sounded gruff.

           “Stop.” You told him.

           “I’m not doing anything, I’m just kissing your shoulder.” He said, before he could trail his lips towards your neck.

           You took a deep breath, feeling his warm lips slowly exploring your neck.

           “If agree on dinner now, will you stop?” You sighed, your hand holding onto the side of his head.

           “Yes…” He answered, looking up to your eyes.

           “Fine, let’s eat then.” You said, giving in, before you could give him a peck on the lips and closed your laptop.

Both of you walked towards the table and your ere surprised on how much he cooked.

           “They look so good!” You complimented, taking a seat on the chair.

           Jaebum opened the fridge taking out a can of coke. “Do you want one?” He asked.

           You nodded your head. “Yes please.” You answered him.

           Jaebum watched you as you gobbled your meal, and that he was actually sad to see stressed like this. He didn’t like that your boss had to make you work on yoru day off all of the sudden and giving you much, more, extra work again just a few moments ago.

           “Jae, you okay?” You asked, taking a drink of your coke.

           “Yeah, I’m okay, I’m just a bit irritated that your boss is giving you so much work.” He confessed, before taking a spoonful of rice.

           “I know… I hate it as much as you do, but I’ll try my best to be done by 9 okay?” you told him

           “Okay.” He smiled warmly extending his hand on the table and you took it. He brought it up to his lips to give it a gentle kiss before you both could enjoy your meal together.

Jaebum cleaned all the dishes while he told you to get back to your work, so you could finish early. You sat back down on the floor in front of the coffee table while Jaebum continued to his office to get into a meeting with his crew. Jaebum finished up his meeting at 9.30 PM as he walked out the room, he saw you still focusing on your laptop, typing something down.

           He let out a sigh before he walk closer to you and sat beside you.

           “Are you done?” He asked you.

           “No… not yet…” You sighed. “If you want to go to bed, it’s fine, you can go ahead.” You told him.

           “No, I’m not sleeping without you.” He pointed, wrapping his arms around your stomach. “Just take a break, leave it for tomorrow.” He whispered on your shoulder.

           “I wish I can, but I don’t know…” You whined, turning to him.

           “Fine, let’s just take a break then, for a while… you can do that right?” He asked and he watched you looking blankly at your laptop screen before you could nod your head.

           “You right, a 10 minute break won’t be so bad right?” You said, closing your laptop before the both of you could move up to the couch.

           You lay your head on his chest as he held you tight in his arms.

           “This feels nice…” You said, closing your eyes as you wrap your arms around him.

           “Yeah, you’ve been on that laptop for a whole day, you deserve a break.” Jaebum told you, and you nodded in agreement.

           “I know what else that can make you feel better.” Jaebum said, a hint of confidence was in his voice.

           “What?” You let out a light giggle, as you shift your position so that you can face him.

           He then slowly leaned his face closer to you, pressing his lips against yours. His kiss was gentle, but deep. You could feel his hand on the side of your hips, tugging your closer before you could move your position so you were straddling on his lap.

           You parted your lips from his lips, catching your breath.

           “Screw my deadlines, I want you for now.” You told him, connecting your lips back with his. Jaebum smiled and he wasted no time changing his position. He placed his hands on your ass before he could stand up, carrying you in his hands.

           “Do you want to move to bed, or should we stay here?” He asked, moving his lips to the corner of your lips then working his way down to your jawline. Your hands traveled up onto his head, getting a grip of him, as you felt his teeth biting your shoulder.

           “Bedroom—I don’t want to love you with my work being its witness.” You grumbled, wrapping your arms around his neck, burying your face on his shoulder.

           He then proceeds to walk towards the bedroom. He kicked the door closed behind him before he could place you slowly on the bed, He hovers on top of you while his lips didn’t part from yours. He lifedt the hem of the t-shirt you were wearing before you could part your lips from his and raise your body slightly so it was easier for him to strip it off of you. You then pushed him lightly, sitting up on the bed, pulling his shirt over his head before he could continue to crash his lips on yours. You let out pleasure moans as he sucked the sweet skin of your neck. His hand moved down between your legs, slipping under the fabric of your shorts and underwear.

           You felt your whole body just became alive as warmth spread throughout your veins.

           “Spread your legs for me baby.” He whispered into your ear, biting your ear lightly.          

           You did what he told you, and once you felt his finger inside you, you let out a whimper, digging your nails onto Jaebum’s back. You felt his finger moving slowly against you. Jaebum then slowly moved his hands away and pulled your pants down before he could pulled his down on his own.

           He connected his lips back onto you but you pulled your lips away, gasping for air. You felt the tip of it against you, before he slowly pushed himself inside you.

           “Jae…”

           “Hold still baby…” He whispered . You nodded your head as you closed your eyes, feeling him inside you.

           At first he moved slowly against you, you then pulled him close to you, moaning. You hid your face on his shoulder before your could feel Jaebum’s movement getting faster against you.

           “Jaebum, don’t stop, please don’t stop.” You moaned against his ear, only to make him move faster. Once he finished, he lets it out outside before he could collapsed on the bed next to you. You try to catch your breath as he tried to catch his. You turn to look at him before you could move yourself to snuggle into him.

           Jaebum let you rest your head onto his chest as he wraps his arms around you. He kissed the top of your head before he could let out a long breath.

           “Well that was a hell of a 10 minute break.” Jaebum commented and you giggled on his chest before you could move yourself so that you were facing him.

           “You didn’t even let me breathe!” You told him and he chuckled.

           “But it was a good break right?” He asked, tucking strands of hair behind your ear.

           “Better than I expected… just wasn’t a break at all.” You rolled your eyes. You looked over to the door, before you could push your hair back with your hand.

           “What?” You want to go back to work?” Jaebum asked, there was a hint of disappointment in his voice.

           You shook your head, giving him a sheepish smile. “Nope, I can’t think straight anymore, all I want is to be in this bed with you right now.” You told him, with a low voice, leaning down to kiss him.

           “Well in that case…” Jaebum suddenly grabbed your hands with his before he could shift his body from the bed, spinning so that he was hovering on top of you as you giggled.

           “Are you up for round 2?” 

Chocolate Eyes - shady business, lyricist JB, ft YG [19.5k]

Dreamin - part of The Firework Series, long distance [15k]

The Leading Lady - making a student film, college [11.6K]

Out of This World - childhood best friends, alien JB [11k]

Mind Over Matter - neighbors, cats, asshole exes [9.7k]

Mistletoe? Oh No! - parasitic plant that steals [6.9k]

Mine - high school, class president, possessive JB [5.9k]

Worth Fighting For - part of Airforce7 - female pilot ✿ [5.7k]

Red Eye - part of D.Soul Cafe, high school reunion [4.2k]

A Little Bit Catastrophic - hiding kittens, “roleplay” [3.4k]

Playing Forward - you get hit by a flying soccer ball [3.3k]

My Girl - fuckboy JB thinks commitment is for wimps [2.5k]

Kaizen - not #1 dad JB needs help wrapping presents [2.4k]

Your Neighbor - “you can’t just sit there all day” [2.3k]

High School Jock - birthday party, ft YG & BB [2.3k]

Friends w Benefits - doctor, no time for dating ✿ [1.8k]

Stranger Things - Banana Republic and late interviews [1.7k]

The Catch - things were going too well with you both [1.6k]

The Morning After - “I’m too sober for this” [1.6k]

Stay Awake - Commander Im, ship amidst a battle [1.5k]

We’re Never Game Over - “did you fall out of love?” [1.5k]

Uncertainty - pregnancy test, graduation, right timing [1.3k]

Stay the Night - he comes over when you’re not well [1.3k]

Thursday Girl - bakery guy, loud cooking at 3am [1.2k]

Soft - how big bad JB is wrapped around your finger [1.2k]

Skinship - bar with the boys, goosebumps [1.2k]

Arranged Marriage AU - “so what do you want?” [1.2k]

The One Where a Bit of Magic Never Hurt Anyone [1.2k]

Fried Rice is Better When Cold - drinking, leftovers [1k]

Soulmate AU - airport, “you have to come back now” [1k]

Don’t You Walk Away From Me - jealousy arguments [1k]

❥ JAEBEOM NAVI

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.