Friends (kinda) to lovers, Idol!Seokjin, Makeup artist!Reader, PWP, fluff and smut, penetrative sex, oral sex (m receiving), cum shot, cum play, dirty talk
Summary: What happens when Kim Seokjin shows up at your hotel room after the concert one night and tells you that you are all he’s ever able to think about?
You had been the makeup artist for BTS since their recent tour started up, which was months ago now. The entire team, including the guys themselves were all incredibly friendly, which made the job a breeze for you. The pay was worth it, and being able to travel the world while doing makeup? A bonus. You prided yourself in your skills, and you were completely thankful that the members all took your ideas in stride.
Now, you knew who they were prior to getting the job, almost everyone did, and you even enjoyed a lot of their music, but getting this job; you were never expecting anything to happen. This was a job, like any other, and you took work seriously.
There was only one problem, in the form of Kim Seokjin. He made your job that much harder in your months of knowing him. It was unintentional, of course, but no less true.
You were attracted to him from the moment you met him, how could you not be? Though, it wasn’t just his looks that drew you in, because all of the guys were attractive. It was just something about Seokjin that just screamed, entirely your type. He was charming and really talkative when he got on a subject about something he enjoyed, yet shy and introverted in the same respect. He was funny in a way that made you know he just enjoyed making others laugh, but beneath the surface, he was very serious, and also incredibly smart. He was like an enigma waiting to be unraveled.
Right now, he was playing on his switch with furrowed eyebrows while he waited on his turn for whatever came next. Be it, hair, makeup, or styling. It made you laugh. You hated being the one to interrupt his gaming session, so you secretly decided you would let someone else do it. You would do his makeup last, even though everything inside you told you not to because working on him last meant that you would be spending whatever extra time was left with him, and that was not good for your heart.
You were fine. You never once crossed the line of professionalism, but sometimes he would look at you in a way that told you that he wanted to. The other members even often times insinuated that there was something between you and Jin. You ignored it. Friendly, yet professional. You could do that, you could. You’ve been doing good so far.
“Tae! Just the person I was looking for.” You caught his arm gently, giving him a grin. “It’s makeup time.”
“Hey Y/n, I thought you were working on Jin hyung first?” Taehyung asked in confusion, his eyes flicking over to where Seokjin was still sitting on the couch with his eyes glued to the screen, bare face still untouched. Honestly, his bare face was a sight of its own. He was beautiful.
“I was, but…” You trailed off, because, you had specifically chose to work on Jin first just so you could spend the least amount of time with him. “I didn’t want to interrupt him.”
“Cute.” You didn’t like the smirk that rose to Taehyung’s lips. “Well perhaps you could just work on him last then.”
You blinked. “Right… So contacts or no contacts today?” You barreled on.
Tae chuckled as he took in your flustered tone, the menace that he was. “You tell me.”
“Hmm, let’s go without for today. I have an idea.” And then, you got to work.
Hobi was next, and he didn’t tease you, bless his heart, but he did give you a signature judgmental look when he found out you hadn’t wanted to interrupt Seokjin’s gaming.
“Y/n, Y/n, Y/n… He’s doing it on purpose.” It seemed you spoke to soon about Hoseok not teasing you.
“What do you mean it’s on purpose?” You asked, surprised.
The other man just grinned like he knew something you didn’t, and you decided to not question it anymore.
Yoongi was the one who didn’t tease you at all, but you did get a knowing look out of him that you ignored.
Namjoon teased you, and so did Jungkook, but they also were teasing about Seokjin even more than they teased you.
Jimin, he would tease you, but you knew he would also be real with you at the same time, so you decided it would be safest to question him. “Hobi said that Seokjin is gaming on purpose…”
Jimin shrugged with a smile. “Yes, so you could work on his makeup last, that way he could talk to you more. He mentioned barely being able to talk to you these days because you always work on him first and then move straight on.”
“Why does he… Um, nevermind.” You shook your head as you finished up with his makeup. “Thanks, Jimin.”
When you made it to Seokjin, he was no longer on his switch. Instead, he was now smirking up at you from his position on the couch as you approached him, and you came to the conclusion that he was the real menace here.
“How were your first couple of days here?” He asked you once he was settled on the chair, and you started on his face before his eyes, which were now settled on you intently.
You knew he was curious because you were in Paris, and you had told him at the previous stop how excited you were to check out the city. How you always wanted to.
“It was really nice. I just did some exploring, tried some good food with an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower. It was nice watching the sunset.” You smiled as you thought about your time here. You tried to not think about how romantic it would be to spend that time with a certain someone.
Seokjin smiled in response, closing his eyes when you lined his lid with a smoky look. “I saw you. Well, me and the members, at one of the restaurants. I wanted to say hi, but I wasn’t sure if- I didn’t want to bother you during your time off.”
“I wouldn’t have minded. You could have said hi.” You responded, trying to not let your hand shake as you lined his lips.
“I’ll remember that next time then.” He said, looking up at you through his lashes. Damn it. He was so beautiful, it hurt.
You cleared your throat, breaking eye contact. “All set.”
He wasn’t deterred by your dismissal. “No matter how many times I do this… I still get nervous.”
“You’ll do amazing, Jin. You always do.” You didn’t say that just to make him feel better. You meant it, and you said it in a way that made sure he knew that.
“Thank you, Y/n.” His smile was breathtaking, causing your heart to start racing, but luckily it was now his cue to head out on stage.
He gave you a wink before backing away, telling you he would see you in a bit. It’s something he has done countless of times, but it continued doing things to your insides, and you felt like he knew that. You watched as Jungkook whispered something to Seokjin that had his face turning red, and you shook your head, wondering what on earth he could have said, but you didn’t have to wonder to hard. Somehow you knew it had something to do with you.
You picked up Seokjin’s switch while you waited for them to come back for the first intermission. He had told you that you were free to play it anytime, and you graciously accepted that offer. He had a lot of pretty fun games on this one, and you got so engrossed that you didn’t notice Jin until he plopped down beside you to see what you were playing.
The first time they came backstage, it was an easy breeze, but the second time, your brain short circuited when he walked up to you for a refresh wearing only a white tank top. Of course, you had seen him in a tank top before. He usually would wear it before throwing a jacket on over it, but it never ceased to amaze you how wide his shoulders were.
Your eyebrows rose with an amused smile at noticing the cup of beer he was holding in his hand that was almost finished. “Enjoying yourself?”
“Yes, it’s very refreshing.” He plopped down on the chair with a smile, sweat beading on his forehead that you dabbed away with a cloth.
“Refreshing and hydrating are two very different things.” You reminded him with a teasing smirk as you worked on freshening up his makeup.
“Worrying about me?” His question had your face flushing, but before you could respond, he continued talking. “Don’t worry, Y/n. I’ve been hydrating myself.”
“Good. Have a fun encore out there, Jin.” You gave him a smile as you finished up, not leaving much room to talk this time since he still needed to go for an outfit change. Your job ended here for the night, but little did you know; you’d be seeing Seokjin well before tomorrow’s concert.
You were relaxing in your hotel room with a glass of wine once you made it back, scrolling on your phone when there was a knock on your door about an hour later. You frowned. You weren’t expecting anyone, so you hadn’t had the slightest clue to who it could be. Room service came in the mornings, not the evenings. Maybe someone got their room numbers mixed up?
You got out of the bed before making your way to the door, but you didn’t move to open it. “Who is it?”
The familiar voice answered right away. “It’s me… Jin.”
Your eyes widened in shock before unlatching the lock to open the door, and it was indeed Seokjin standing there in a grey zip up hoodie and grey sweatpants, a black hat hanging down his forehead, but you could tell that all of his makeup had already been washed off. His hair even looked damp as if he had freshly showered. He looked delectable even in casual wear. It was truly unfair.
“Hey, um… What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be resting up for tomorrow?” You asked, feeling nervous because you had never been alone with the man. Never met with him outside of your job, even though nothing stated that you couldn’t be friends, or even more than that if you wanted.
“I can never sleep right away. I don’t want to intrude, or… If you are trying to get some rest, I can leave.” He said kindly, but you shook your head.
“I’m not sleeping quite yet either, and you’re not intruding. Um, come in.” You stepped aside so he could walk in. “Did you forget to tell me something back at the venue?”
“No.” Was his response, and you swallowed when he took a step closer to you.
“O-oh, I see. Would you like some wine?” You squeaked out, immediately embarrassed.
“No, thank you.” His lips rose up into a smile, and the way he was just staring at you made it physically hard not to run away.
“So…” You trailed off.
“So.” He shot back, his smile forming into a grin.
“Are you going to tell me what you’re doing here, or are you just going to stare at me?” You challenged, a light laugh escaping you.
“I came because… I wanted to see you. Actually… I’ve been working up the nerve for a couple of months now to ask you if you would want to spend time together outside of work? And not just that… I wanted to tell you that I think about you all of the time, and it drove me crazy seeing how sexy you looked in that black dress today.” With each word that left his lips, the more your eyes widened.
“Seokjin…”
“I understand if you don’t feel the same way, I just wanted you to know how I feel.” He added softly, the tips of his ears red.
“I- I do… I do feel the same way, but wait… You said you think about me all of the time?” You couldn’t help but ask, stunned.
“Yes, I think about you so much.”
“What do you think about, of me?”
“Everything… I think about what it would be like to go out on a date with you, I think about what it would be like if we cooked together. I imagine often what it would be like spending time with you. I imagine how it would feel to kiss you, and how it would feel to have you underneath me while I…” He trailed off.
“While you…” You encouraged.
“While I bury myself deep inside you… How you would sound calling out my name. If you would like the way my cock would fill you…” He finished, his eyes turning dark.
You were embarrassed to admit how fast his words had you wet. You could feel it, the dampening of your panties. “Jin, how many drinks have you had? I don’t want you to do anything you might regret the next morning.”
“Just the one beer, that’s it, and that’s already worn off. My head is completely clear. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t.” He said seriously, his eyes moving to your wine glass. “What about you?”
“I only had one small glass, so I’m good as well.”
“Good.” He nodded, his gaze dropping down to your lips before settling back on your eyes. “Can I kiss you?”
You swallowed noticeably, giving him a slow nod of you head. “Yes, Seokjin... Kiss me.”
Your eyes fluttered closed when he leaned in, and the moment his lips met yours, his hands settled at your hips to drag you flush against him. A gasp escaped you unbidden, and he used that moment to search out your tongue with his own appendage, letting out a pleasured hum that reverberated through you when they danced together in a passionate kiss.
You could feel a hardness poking at your stomach and you broke the kiss to look down between your bodies, taking in the rather large bulge tenting the front of his sweatpants. “No underwear, and you’re already this hard, all because of me?”
You got a smirk in response, and then he was lowering the hem of those damn grey sweatpants to free his cock, fully erect and leaking precum at the mushroom tip. “Do you like what you do to me, Y/n? You should know that I almost made myself cum in the shower before coming here because I couldn’t get the thought of you in that black dress out of my head. I imagined hiking that dress up so you could sit on my cock backstage.”
“Jesus, Seokjin.” Your mouth watered at the sight of him. His cock was huge, and you couldn’t wait to stretch yourself out on it. It was a wonder he was even able to fit that thing in his pants. You wrapped a hand around him, dipping your thumb in the slit before spreading the precum down his length, giving him a few languid pumps, reveling in the whine that left his lips, rocking his hips into your fist. “So why stop yourself?”
“I- ah- I’ve came to the thought of you many times. I want the real thing so badly… I want you.” He panted as you started jerking him, resting his forehead against your shoulder. He was so wound up, like putty in your hand. It turned you on beyond belief.
“You’re so fucking hot. I want to suck your cock, can I?” At your question, you could feel his dick jumping in your hand.
“Fuck… Yes. I’ve imagined it so many times, you have no idea.”
You dropped to your knees before looking up at him seductively. “Let’s see if I can make it live up to your fantasies.”
“I’m sure that won’t be a prob- Ah… Shit.” His words got swallowed up in a groan as the hot, wet heat of your mouth enveloped his cock.
You moaned as the earthy, musky taste of him, mixed with his fruity body wash invaded your senses, swirling your tongue around the angry head, giving the tip little kitten licks to coax out a fresh spurt of precum that made him groan out your name before swallowing down as much of his length as you could, which ended up being only half, your hand wrapping around the rest of him that wouldn’t fit inside your mouth.
“So good, Y/n… Look so pretty with my cock in your mouth. Can you take more for me sweetheart?” His words caused another moan to escape you because fuck, for him you would try. You wanted to make him feel good.
You relaxed as best as you could, taking in more of him until the tip hit the back of your throat, activating your gag reflex, and you then you were gripping his ass to press him against you, indicating that you wanted him to fuck for your face, which he did, a grunt escaping him as he started rocking his hips, slow at first, and then he began picking up pace until spit leaked out from you gagging around him, tears filling in your eyes as his cock filled your mouth over and over.
“Ahh- fuck, Y/n… Take it all. Such a dirty slut for my cock, hm?” He growled out as he held your hair back, fisting it into a ponytail as his thrusts grew rough, his eyes clouding over in lust as he watched himself fuck your throat raw, and you just looked up at him so lost in pleasure as you just took what he gave you, humming and gagging noises escaping your lips.
It was when he watched you start to rub your clit through your pajama shorts that he lost it, a growl escaping him as he yanked you off of his cock, and you couldn’t stop the whine from making its way out of your lips.
“Sorry, beautiful. You were going to make me cum, and as heavenly as your mouth felt, that’s not how I want to finish tonight.” He held out a hand to help you stand up, his cock jutting up toward his stomach. He was so, so hard. It made you feel satisfied.
“Did it live up to your expectations?” Your voice came out raw from your throat being fucked.
“It was even better than I imagined. Everything I’ve done with you so far is way better than what my fantasies could muster up.” He drew you in for a kiss, his hand moving between you to cup your clothed pussy, a feral growl leaving him at what he felt.
“Did you get that wet from sucking me? I can feel you through these shorts. I need to be inside you, now. Strip.” He ordered, voice dripped in dominance, and you scrambled to obey, watching as he finished undressing himself before making himself at home on the bed, pumping his cock as you removed each item of clothing until you were standing bare before him, and then he was beckoning you to him with a finger.
“You’re so pretty, Y/n… Come here.” His voice came out husky, and you crawled onto the bed until you were straddling his thighs, his eyes drawn to the sight of your core nestled over his cock, the way you started humping his lap, a moan escaping the both of you when the tip of his cock caught on your entrance.
“Fuck… Can’t wait to feel you around me.” He lifted your hips before circling a finger at your entrance, pressing it inside of you before crooking it expertly, causing you to fall forward against his chest.
“Ah, Seokjin!” You gasped out, feeling a second finger insert you shortly after the first one.
“So tight… So wet for me. I want to take my time eating you out, bet you taste as good as you feel, but the need to be inside you right now is too much.” He growled out, punctuating his words with the pad of his fingers jabbing against that spongy spot inside of you, making you see stars.
“Ah- Seokjin… Gonna cum-“ You let out a whine when he withdrew his fingers right as you were against the edge, your pussy clamping around nothing. “Why-“
“The only way you are going to cum is around my cock, Y/n.” The sight of him licking your essence off his fingers with a pleasured moan almost had you coming untouched. “I was right. You taste divine.”
“Jin, please… I need you.” You shuddered, your cunt pulsing with the need to be filled, and he let out another feral growl as he flipped you onto your back.
Reaching for the condom at the edge of the bed, he sheathed it over his throbbing cock before pressing inside of you in one smooth thrust, not stopping until he was fully seated inside of you, your mouth hanging open in half pleasure, half pain.
“Fuck, you’re so big- I-“ A gasp turned into a moan as your walls tried to accommodate his thickness, feeling completely and utterly full.
He folded you in half so he could get deeper on his next thrust, and so he could rest his forehead against yours as he fucked you slow and deep.
“Seokjin…”
“That’s it, baby. Say my name.” He rasped out, trailing kisses along your jaw down to you neck, adding suction, and he… Was he sucking a mark on your neck? He knew damn well you would have to hide that.
You let out another moan as his thrusts picked up pace, and he didn’t let up on your neck until there was indeed a purple bruise forming on your skin. It made you want to return the favor.
“How does it feel, sweetheart? Do you like feeling my cock inside you?” The way he asked it was even filthier than the words in itself, punctuated with a hard thrust that had the tip of his cock ramming against your cervix.
“So good, so full, Jinnie… Love your cock. Want it harder.” You challenged, receiving a smirk in response.
“Oh yeah?” He responded by pulling out until just the head was inside of you before slamming back in, his hips smacking against your ass, and he repeated the action, over and over until you were screaming his name. “Is this what you wanted, baby? Fuck… take my cock so well… Your cunt feels fucking amazing. Clench around me, Y/n.”
You did, letting your walls tighten up, gripping his cock tight, causing him to let out a keen as he threw his head back in pleasure, exposing the long line of his flushed neck, sweat beading on the skin. Oh yeah, you needed to marr up his pretty skin. It would be fine. You were a pro at makeup. You could hide it well, but the thought that you knew what would be underneath that concealer had your cunt fluttering once more, slick gushing out around you.
“Oh shit- M’ close.” His cock gave a harsh throb inside you, hips stuttering.
“Me too… Kiss me, please.” As soon as the words left your lips, he was leaning down to capture your lips with his own, and you immediately sucked on that plush lower lip before sucking his tongue into your mouth, the moan spilling from him sounding lewd along with the slick sounds of skin slapping against skin. He was loud, letting you know how good you felt, and you fucking loved it.
You trailed your lips down his neck, temptation too strong, and you began sucking a mark on his pulse point, and he growled in response, fucking you impossibly deeper, his thumb moving down to rub at your engorged clit.
“Cum on my cock, Y/n… Wanna feel you soak me, baby.” You let out a whine at his words, the pleasure to much, and you could feel it building and building until you could feel that coil inside you snap, and then you were clamping around his cock as you squirted around him, forcing his dick out from the intense rush of it. All you could do was call out his name in ecstasy. “Holy shit… You’re so fucking hot. Can I cum on your tits, baby? Wanna mark you so bad…”’
His yanked off the condom before the room was filled with the slick sounds of him jerking his cock roughly, and you just squeezed your breast together in response, and he let out a euphoric roar of your name as thick ropes of his cum hit your tits, some of his spurts so intense it landed right on your lips, and you moaned as you licked them clean, the salty taste of him hitting your taste buds, and he cursed when you ran your thumb through a glob that landed on a nipple before bringing it up to your lips, sucking the digit in your mouth as your eyes closed, letting out a hum.
“Shi-shit. You’ll be the death of me.” He let out a half moan, half chuckle before leaning down to lick a long stripe through your folds, moaning at your taste, and then he was moving up your body to kiss you reverently, letting both of your releases mix, so you could taste him, and yourself, together.
The way he cleaned you up delicately afterward had your heart swelling with warm, and you didn’t have time to question if this was a one off, or to feel bone deep disappointment, because he was there to reassure you, dragging you in against his warm chest, letting you nuzzle into him.
“I want to try this… I want a relationship with you. I mean, only if you want that with me too.” He said seriously, pressing a kiss to the top of your head, his nose buried in your hair. The both of you were cuddled together naked, and it felt so nice, just feeling close to him like this.
“I do… I want that with you. I’m just…” You trailed off.
“Scared?” He finished for you, no judgment, only understanding, and you nodded.
“We’ll take it slow?” He added in question, tilting your head up with a finger underneath your chin.
“Yes, I’d love that.” You responded with a smile, and then he was leaning in to kiss you, his lips moving against yours in a way that made you want it to never end.
You would find out that falling in love with Seokjin would not happen slowly. It would happen suddenly, and soon, but it would be okay because he would fall just as hard, and you would figure it all out, together. And the day he would ask you to marry him, would be the day that he would show everyone just how much he loved you, and how incredibly happy you made him.
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Summary: You needed to get away from your abusive husband, and if starting fresh in a completely new town was the answer, then you would do it. The last thing you expected was for someone like Seokjin to enter your life.
There was one thing that changed the coarse of your life. Your sweet boyfriend, turned husband, was no longer than man you fell in love with. He wasn’t even someone you felt like you knew, or maybe… You hadn’t known him all along. Maybe this version of him was who he always was deep down. The one who got angry at the smallest things and took it out on you, to the point where you could only do so much to cover the physical wounds he left you with. He rarely ever hit your face, only because that would be the hardest to hide, but sometimes, when he got really mad, he would forget. Then, he would threaten you, saying that you had better come up with another story about how the bruises got there if you didn’t hide them well enough.
At first, his apologies meant something. You thought that maybe, when he cried to you minutes afterwards, letting you know how sorry he was and that it would never happen again, that he was serious… That he was only angry. That he didn’t mean it. That he didn’t want to lose you, and that you were the best thing that ever happened to him.
Now, his apologies and crying meant nothing other than a manipulation tactic. Still, there was a tiny little pathetic part inside of you that hoped he could still change, even though you knew it was false hope. Being married to the man made things one thousand times worse, too. If you gave him divorce papers, it would make him furious. You didn’t know what to do. You weren’t in love with him anymore. How could you be, when all he did was hurt you? You just wanted out. You wanted to feel safe again.
Your only option was to run far, far away, and that’s exactly what you did. Running home to where your parents lived was far too dangerous. Instead, you fled the country, changed your entire name, dyed your hair the complete opposite color of what it was before, got a new phone and changed your number, paid off your credit cards so you could cancel them, and withdrew all the cash you had in your savings before canceling your bank card as well, hoping that your husband Michael would never be able to find you here. You took every precaution needed to insure that would never happen.
Back home, you were in business, but here… with this new life; you needed something unsuspecting. It would be a change for you, less money, but you would make it work. It was a quiet, small town, complete opposite to the big city you lived in before. Completely unlike what you were used to, but it didn’t bother you. Everyone in this town was incredibly friendly.
You happened upon a coffee shop in the heart of the town searching for work. There was a nice girl at the counter when you walked in, which was perfect. You didn’t feel comfortable around men right now. Of course, you knew not every man was like Michael, but that didn’t shake the trauma you went through. It didn’t make trust come easily. You didn’t think you could trust another again. You’d probably end up a single old lady, but then; anything was better than being abused.
The girl, Meg, her nametag read, did indeed let you know the owner was looking for someone since she would be moving in the next couple weeks.
It was when a blonde man with hair extensions and a braid came out that you were filled with nerves once more. Why couldn’t she be the owner?
“Hi, I’m Jimin. Meg was telling me you were looking for work?” He asked with a bright smile. He looked friendly, almost angelic looking, but you knew now that looks could be deceiving. You learned that the hard way, but you needed a job. You couldn’t just decline every place only because a man was the boss. You only needed to be cautious. You would be here for work, and that was it.
“Hi.” You forced yourself to smile back, and you didn’t give him your real name. You gave him your fake one. The one on your new id. Sara. No one was to know your actual name.
“I am. I’ve worked in business for a while now, but my very first job was at a cafe, so I do have some experience.” You explained.
“Glad to hear it. Although, it’s a small town, so I’m desperately hiring right now.” He said with a chuckle. “Even if you didn’t have experience, we could train you easily. Meg is really good, so you can learn everything from her before she leaves.”
“I would really appreciate the chance. I just moved here, found a nice little place. Now I just need a job.” You responded, tone hopeful.
“I figured you were new to town. Everyone kinda knows everybody here, so we know when we see a new face. Welcome.” He gave you a bow, and a bright smile once more.
“Oh, thank you. Honestly… That’s refreshing. I think a small town is exactly what I need.” The breath of relief you let out told Jimin that you had a story, but he didn’t push for details, and you appreciated that. He seemed like a kind person. It didn’t mean you trusted him yet, but you appreciated his warmness.
“You picked the right place. Anytime you need a lending hand, or just someone to talk to, there’s someone there.” He really had a lot of praise for this town. His next words surprised you, though.
“Just… I mean, you can do what you want, but if I may, can I give you some advice?”
Your eyes widened in confusion, but you gave a slow nod, gesturing for him to go on.
“I would stay away from Seokjin. He’s bad news. I don’t know if you’ve met him already, but you’re bound to run into eachother sometime because like I said, everyone knows everyone in this town. Plus, he comes here often. No one can resist my coffee and baked treats.”
The color drained from your face completely at Jimin’s words. Bad news? What kind of bad news? What if you ran into him and didn’t know it was him?
The owner of Park’s hurriedly went to explain himself at sensing your obvious panic.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s nothing like- He won’t hurt you.”
You didn’t know how Jimin could know that’s where your train of thought was going. Were you that easy to read?
“I meant; he participates in illegal street races on the country roads, sometimes with shady people. What he does is dangerous, it’s a wonder he’s still alive. He wins every race because he knows vehicles like the back of his hand. He restores cars for a living. He knows what he is doing, and he uses it to his advantage. For someone who does dumb things, he’s really smart. He’s also charmed his way into most of the women pants who live in this town, so don’t be surprised if he tries it with you.” He explained.
That sounded so unlike you and not someone you would be at all interested in getting to know. You would make sure to stay as far away as possible from this Seokjin guy. Well… As far away as you could in a small town like this one.
“Thank you for telling me. I appreciate it.” You said quietly.
“Don’t mention it. So, would you like to start today?”
“Wow, I - really, can I?” You asked in shock.
“Of course, that way Meg can show you everything. I can pay you personally for today, and then we can get you in the system next time.” Jimin gave you a reassuring smile, and just like that, you had a job in this small town.
It was almost closing time when Jimin left for the day, and it was just you and Meg since he apparently trusted the two of you. You didn’t know how he could trust you with his shop when he just met you, but either way it meant a lot to you.
“I’m gonna take stock of everything in the back since it’s slow now. Will you be okay out here for a bit?” Meg checked.
“Yeah, I should be good.” You nodded.
“Call for me if an unexpected rush comes in.” She added, and when you gave her another nod and smile, she took off toward the back.
Since there were no customers in here at the moment, you took some time to admire Jimin’s coffee shop. It was a cute little place he owned here, and you imagined he was proud of it. It was crazy to think that you had run away from home, and now you were here in a small town in the countryside. The only piece of that city you carried with you was your broken arm from the last time you saw Michael, and your eyes drifted down to the cast you were wearing. You remembered the doctors look of concern and disbelief as you stumbled your way through an excuse, but no matter how many times they asked, you didn’t give them the truth of how it happened. You were too scared of what could happen if you had.
You were so lost in your thoughts that you hadn’t even noticed the ding indicating that someone had just walked in, and it wasn’t until they cleared their throat that you jumped, shaking off your thoughts to find a man… a rather tall man, standing in front of the counter. His jeans were black denim with plenty of rips in them, and his tank top was also black, and he wore a black see-through jacket over it. His eyes were smoky, dark; intimidating. If you had paid any attention to his lips, you would have noticed that they were full, plush, but you hadn’t. His hair was slicked to the side intentionally, the exposure of his forehead lethal. He was handsome, extremely so. You would be an idiot to not notice that fact. That’s all it was though, a fact.
No fluttering of your heart. No immediate crush. You couldn’t feel those things after everything you went through with Michael. He ruined you. The only thing that you felt right now was distrust.
“Hello, welcome in.” You put on a friendly face despite the discomfort thrumming through you. You needed to get a grip. You couldn’t get scared like this anytime you were alone in the presence of another man. You would need to conversate with customers if you wanted to keep this job.
“Hello. You’re new.” He greeted you back, his gaze curious now, or more so; intrigued.
“Oh, yes. I just started today.” You were glad that your voice came out steady.
“No, I mean… I’ve never seen you before. And trust me, I would remember you if I had.” The smirk on his face told you that he was flirting with you, and your face flushed scarlet. You couldn’t do this.
“I just moved here, and um- what can…” You trailed off, voice laced with fear, and tears immediately filled your eyes. How embarrassing. He was only flirting. Why did that have to trigger you?
“Hey… are you alright?” His voice cut in through your thoughts. He sounded startled and confused now. You wanted to call for Meg, but the words wouldn’t come out. Jimin would surely fire you for scaring off a customer. On your first day too.
“Seokjin.” Meg’s sharp voice interrupted as she walked in from the back. She sounded pissed. “What did you say to her?”
“I didn’t- All I said was that I would remember if I ever seen her before. I didn’t mean to scare her.” He still sounded taken aback, and you actually couldn’t blame him for that. Then, you realized what she had called him. So, this was the famous Seokjin?
She was about to yell at him some more, but you finally found your voice to cut in, not wanting to stir up any trouble. “It’s fine. I was just… It had nothing to do with you.”
Meg was still unimpressed. “Not everyone wants to get in your pants, Kim. Sara is a nice girl, and I won’t let you do to her what you did to my best friend.”
It took you a minute to realize she was talking about you. You needed to get used to your new fake name and stop looking confused when someone said it.
“Minhee knew what we were, Meg. She knew it was just sex. I never once led her on or made her think that it could be anything more than that.” Seokjin sounded exasperated, like this was something he’s already explained multiple times.
“Yeah, well she still fell for your bitch ass anyway. She still hoped. She was still heartbroken that you didn’t feel the same. When will you stop being such a man whore? Minhee could have been the one you finally settled down with.” Meg grit out through her teeth.
“Not that it’s any of your business, but if Minhee were ‘the one’, I would have felt it, but I didn’t, and I never once lied or made her believe otherwise. She knew where I stood. She always knew. I didn’t come here to defend myself to you Megan, or to argue. I came to get my coffee.” He bit back.
Your eyes widened because, in the short amount of time you knew Meg, you knew that she didn’t like being called Megan. He clearly knew that too.
“I can make your coffee, Seokjin. What would you like?” You cut in to avoid any further conflict. You wanted to do your job here, and that was it.
You were glad Meg didn’t seem upset at you for interrupting, or for offering to make the drink, which you were relieved for. Instead she gave a small nod, and when she asked if you were okay to help him out, you gave her a nod in return, and with that, she went to the back again. This time to probably cool down. Truthfully, you could understand both sides. Meg was just trying to defend her best friend who got her heart broken, but Seokjin hadn’t actually done anything wrong either, not if he was always honest about what things were, but this entire situation was none of your business.
His eyes flitted back over to you where you stood behind the counter, all annoyance leaving his face as soon as Meg left to the stock room. “I honestly wasn’t trying to scare you. I’m sorry.”
You weren’t expecting an apology. You hadn’t meant to get scared the way you did; it just happened.
“It’s okay. No need to apologize.” You shook your head.
“I’ll take the snickerdoodle coffee. Extra sweet.” He said.
Your eyes widened. It made him laugh. It wasn’t an unpleasant sound.
“Does it surprise you that I like sweet coffee?”
Your face flushed once more. You were scared of being honest, though. “N-no, not at all. I - “
“I’m only teasing you. I know I don’t seem like the type.” He gestured to his look with a grin. “But I do enjoy them. I don’t like bitter coffee.”
You felt a little bit more relaxed after that, and you got to work on his coffee, making it extra sweet like he wanted. He handed you the money for the coffee with an extra tip, and you thanked him before handing him his coffee.
“Enjoy.” You smiled, and you thought that would be that.
He took a sip of his coffee and hummed. “So when do I get to take you out?”
You fumbled, almost dropping the paper towel roll, but you didn’t get scared this time. That was always a plus. “Um, you don’t.”
He clutched his chest as if you wounded him and he was in pain, but you could tell from the grin he sported that he was joking. “Ouch.”
“I’m just- I’m not interested in casual sex right now, or a relationship. I went through a bad break up recently.” You didn’t say that you were still technically married, but you ran away from your abusive husband. You were done with Michael, still married or not. He wouldn’t let you divorce him, so you had no choice but to run. You didn’t say any of that, but you didn’t have to.
His gaze drifted down to your broken arm, and he thought about how scared you had gotten of him when he first came in. You were new in town, and you had gone through a bad break up.
“How did you break your arm?” The question had you taken aback, your eyes widening into saucers.
“I- I fell.” The lie came out weak.
Seokjin shook his head. “No, you didn’t.”
“I don’t want to talk about this here.” You looked around, paranoid. Nobody was supposed to know the truth.
“Park’s closes soon. I’ll pick you up when you’re off.”
“I-“
“I’ll see you then.” He gave you a wave, and then he was backing out of Park’s.
You should’ve yelled no. You should have refused, but you hadn’t, and you didn’t know why.
It was when you locked up behind you that Meg spotted Seokjin’s vehicle waiting in the parking lot. It was clear why he was there.
“You’re making a mistake.” Her voice came out disappointed, and your face fell.
“I - he - it’s not like that. I already told him I wasn’t interested in anything.” You defended yourself. Not that you needed to do so. You were allowed to hang out with whoever you wanted to.
“We’ll see.” She shrugged. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Then she was walking to her car.
You sighed, knowing that she was leaving town in a few days, but that didn’t mean you wanted her to dislike you, and you sincerely hoped Jimin wouldn’t be upset with you.
Seokjin opened the door for you, shutting it once you were inside before getting back into the driver’s seat, and then he was speeding off in his sleek blue sports car.
“You’re making me enemies, and I just got here.” You crossed your arms over your chest, leaning back against the headrest.
“Meg is leaving town.” He brought up.
“That’s besides the point. I just started this job. I don’t want to lose it. I don’t want Jimin to fire me-“
“Woah, Jimin is not going to fire you because you’re hanging out with me.”
“How would you know that?” You asked.
“Because I’ve known Jimin since we were kids. We both grew up here. He will warn you about me, but that’s it. Your job is completely safe. He’s a nice person, through and through. He won’t treat you differently.” He seemed to be confident in his words, and you had no choice but to believe him, because he knew Park Jimin better than you did.
The trees whipped by you as he drove off. Where he was driving to, you had no clue.
“Jimin said you race, but do you always drive this fast?” You swallowed.
He shrugged. “Not always, but especially when I’m mad.”
“What-“
“There is nothing that makes me more furious than a woman being beaten on. Who did that to you?” His fingers were a death grip on the steering wheel, his hands red from how hard he was clenching it.
“How did you know?” You croaked out.
“I wasn’t sure at first, but your first reaction to me. You looked so small and scared. Then, the way you cradled your arm when you said you had a bad breakup.” He said.
“It… was my husband.” You admitted the words you had never told anyone.
“Husband?” Seokjin’s smoky eyes were wide in shock.
Tears gathered in your eyes. “I was terrified of what he might do if I asked for a divorce. Would he get too angry and kill me? He’s threatened to before. I was scared of reporting him, because… What if they don’t believe me? Or they do, but he gets away with it and comes back. I couldn’t just stay there with him either though, because I still might have ended up dead. So… I fled the country. I ran away.”
“Sara-“
“My name isn’t Sara… It’s Y/n.” You whispered.
“Y/n…”
“Please don’t tell anyone here. Please, promise me you won’t… I’m begging you.” You choked out, tears falling freely now.
“I won’t. I promise, I won’t.” He gave you his word, and you hoped with everything in you that you could trust him. You were warned about him being bad news, but with something like this; you felt like he took it pretty serious. You felt relieved you could atleast be honest with someone here.
“You’re positive he won’t find you here?” He asked after a moment of silence. He was driving back to Park’s, but shockingly, you didn’t want to be alone right now with your thoughts. There was always that what if? What if he found you?
“I’m positive. I dyed my hair, changed my name and everything. Canceled my cards. Ditched my phone and got a new one with a new number. I fled to a whole new country far, far away from where I came from. There’s no way he will find me. I just need to buy a car now that I’m here. I mean, once my arm heals.” His eyes darkened at your last words, and he was silent for a few moments before he spoke again.
“Do you like sports cars?” His question had you furrowing your brows.
“I mean… They’re nice. I like your car.” You said quietly.
A smirk rose to his lips. “Ain’t she a beauty? This… This car right here is my baby.” He caressed his steering wheel.
“No wonder you don’t do relationships. You’re already lovingly committed to your car.” The joke came out before you even realized what you were saying, and you froze, but relaxed once more when Seokjin just laughed.
“That’s a good one.” He was still chuckling, and you couldn’t help but smile along.
He gave you a ride home, and didn’t drive off until you made it safely into your home.
The next day at work, Meg didn’t talk to you much, other than teaching you the ropes, but you weren’t going to give up your new found unexpected friendship with Seokjin, or apologize for it. He was the only one who knew the truth, and you had no reason to feel bad for hanging out with him.
“So, Meg said Seokjin picked you up from work yesterday.” Your new boss spoke up after getting you set up in the system. He didn’t sound mad, only curious.
“Yes, I- I hope that doesn’t upset you or make you not want to hire me…” You looked down at your shoes.
“Sara, I just hired you, silly. Like I told you before, it’s your decision. I was only trying to warn you. Seokjin isn’t a bad guy, he’s just involved in dangerous activities.” Jimin said kindly. “I was also trying to protect you from Minhee’s wrath. You seem nice, and you’re new here. I didn’t want you to get subjected to hate from her right off the bat. That girl is obsessed with Seokjin, and she hates not getting what she wants. She thinks they’re meant for eachother and that he’ll come around one day. I’ve known him my whole life. If he wanted to be with her, he would be with her. She can’t seem to grasp that.”
“I see. Well, I appreciate you looking out for me, Jimin. I told Seokjin I wasn’t looking for anything anyway, but we’re friends. Atleast… I think we’re friends now.” You didn’t mention the secret you shared with the other man.
“Yeah… She won’t even like you being his friend, but don’t let it deter you.” He reassured you, and you gave him a small nod in response.
You hadn’t seen Seokjin in a week now. He hadn’t come by to the coffee shop since the day you met him, and you began to wonder why you even thought the two of you had become friends at all. Just because you shared a huge secret with him, didn’t mean he wanted to be your friend.
When you asked Jimin one day if he had seen him, your boss had just given you a sympathetic look and told you he hadn’t. One person you did see though, was Minhee. She must have heard from Meg, because here she was at Park’s coffee and baked goods shop.
“Hello, what can I get for you?” Was how you greeted her when she walked in.
“I came here to tell you to stay away from Seokjin. I’ll give you a free pass just this once since you’re new to town, but consider this your warning. Stay away from him.” She gave you a displeased look, and you wanted to tell her that she didn’t need to worry. That Seokjin hasn’t even been by here. That he probably didn’t even want to talk to you, but before you could say anything, Jimin beat you to it, coming in from the back.
“Minhee, get out of my shop. I won’t have you in here harassing my employees.” His usual friendly demeanor was gone, replaced by annoyance.
“Remember what I said.” She gave you one final glare before leaving the shop.
“Don’t listen to her.” Jimin had told you.
“It doesn’t matter anyways.” You shrugged, but you gave him a small smile, because you did appreciate him.
It wasn’t until a day later that there was a knock on your door. It was your day off, and you certainly hadn’t been expecting anyone. Panic crept in before you could stop it. What if he found you?
You got up from the couch before lightly padding your way to the front door, careful not to make a sound as you looked through the peephole. Seeing who it was had you let out a breath of relief. It wasn’t Michael. Instead, you opened the door to reveal Seokjin standing there.
“Hi… Um, what are you doing here?” You asked anxiously.
“I just got back into town. I just came to see how you were doing.”
His words made you blink.
“I didn’t even know you left town.” You said softly.
“Yeah, I had to drive a few towns out. My mother had a surgery.” He explained.
“Oh wow, is she okay?” You asked in shock, feeling guilty for assuming he just didn’t want to be your friend.
“Yeah, she’s okay now, better than okay. I just wanted to stay with her while she recovered.”
“I’m glad.” You let out a sigh of relief.
“I wanted to text you and let you know, but I never got your number.” His words made your insides go warm. “That’s why I came here first thing actually. I was worried, and wanted to make sure you were okay here.”
“I’m okay. He won’t find me here.” You reassured him.
He didn’t look convinced. “You can never be too sure. You should have an alarm system set up here.”
“I thought the same thing, and I actually called someone about that and they’re gonna set it up either tomorrow or the next day.”
“Good, that’s good.” He responded in relief.
“I got a warning, by the way.” You spoke up.
“Another warning about me, huh? What can I say, I’m the talk of the town.” He smirked, clearly amused.
“Not that kind of warning this time. I was told to stay away from you, by Minhee.”
The smirk was wiped off his face faster than you could blink, now in its place a frown.
“I’m sorry she bothered you. I hope you aren’t actually threatened by her...” He trailed off.
“No, I’m not. You’re the only person who knows the truth about me. I like being able to have someone I can talk to.” You admitted.
“Do you want to?” He suddenly asked.
“Huh?”
“Talk about it.”
You thought about it for a moment, breathing in deeply and letting it out again. Did you, want to talk about it?
“Let’s sit down. Oh, did you want something to drink?” You asked before you could forget.
“Water’s fine.” He nodded, and he thanked you when you came back with a glass, sitting down next to you on your couch.
“I feel like a fool… I feel like there were signs there, and I was just too blind to see them.”
Seokjin tilted his head. “You’re not a fool. You aren’t the one who did anything wrong.”
“It didn’t start until after we got married. Which, we got married way too soon. I should have gave it more time, but I thought I loved him. The person I loved was a lie. The first time he laid a hand on me was a few months after we got married. Something made him upset at work and he took it out on me, and when I defended myself, he shoved me into the counter. I fell, hit my head against the corner of it and ended up with a concussion. He apologized over and over again. He even cried, like he really didn’t mean it. He was so convincing, and I forgave him. It was like he tried for a while. A whole year passed by without an incident, but then when it happened again. It happened over and over to the point his apologies didn’t mean anything anymore. Until I was terrified of him. When he threatened to kill me, it was it. I had to run away, and that’s how I got here. I don’t want to be stuck married to him, but I had no way of divorcing him. I was scared.” A few tears fell from your eyes as you spoke, and you wiped them away, embarrassed for crying in front of Seokjin.
You were surprised when he pulled you into his arms, wrapping them around you in a hug. You were also surprised you didn’t flinch away, but you did freeze up before relaxing in his hold.
“What’s most important, is that you were able to get away from him. You don’t have to be afraid anymore. You’re safe here.” He said, his voice rumbling atop your head.
“Thank you… for letting me vent.” You finally lifted your arms to return his hug.
He ended up staying for a while longer, just to talk, and this time; he did get your number before he left.
—— —— —— —— ——
Months had passed, and you had grown closer to Seokjin since that night you opened up to him about your past. You didn’t know how to define what you were to eachother, but you spent a lot of time with him, more than anyone else in this town. You made other friends as well, like Jimin. As your boss, he also became a good friend to you, along with a few others in town. Your friendship with Seokjin though, seemed deeper. Maybe because he was the only one who truly knew you.
He had even caught you trying to pick up on writing again, something that was a hobby of yours before you got into business and met Michael. Where as Michael told you writing was a pointless hobby that would lead you no where, Seokjin actually encouraged you to pursue it, and when you showed him a snippet of your work, he had seemed impressed. It was refreshing, to have a friend who was so supportive.
There were other feelings that had festered inside of you throughout the months, unbidden. You felt an uncomfortable jolt in the pit of your stomach whenever countless numbers of women would flirt with Seokjin. Some of them being women he had slept with in the past. They clearly wanted to try and shoot their shot again, and you couldn’t blame them. The man was blessed with good looks and charm.
In the beginning months of knowing him, he had flirted back with those women. Did he sleep with them again? That, you didn’t know. You had no reason to be jealous. He was only your friend, and you already knew that he was someone who was sexually active.
What scared you the most though, was the fact that, as the months went by, he didn’t flirt back with women anymore. You also knew that he wasn’t hooking up with anyone either because he spent all of his free time with you, and it was terrifying because you didn’t know what that meant, or what you even wanted it to mean. You didn’t know if you could do that again, put your complete trust in someone that way, but then; just because Seokjin ceased sexual activities didn’t mean that he was interested in you that way. Maybe he had just grown tired of it?
Another problem was Minhee. She hated how close you had grown to her obsession, and everytime you and him went somewhere together, she would find out about it and try to invade on your plans. Most things you actually loved about living in a small town, but the fact that everyone somehow knew everything was not one of those things. She had come into your work multiple times to harass you, to the point where Jimin decided to permanently ban her from the property. You had told him he didn’t have to do that, but he had said it wasn’t right, that he wouldn’t have anyone harassing his employees. That was in the beginning, yet she still found ways to invade your space.
“Are you going to watch Seokjin’s big race this evening?” Jimin’s question distracted you out of your thoughts at the end of your shift, and your eyebrows scrunched together in confusion.
“He has a big race today?” You stuttered out. He never told you. You knew about his smaller races, but the fact of him having an important one and not telling you about it… Well, it kinda hurt.
Jimin even seemed shocked that you didn’t know. “He has a major one at this time every year.”
“I see.” You were embarrassed now, because you thought that the two of you were close enough friends that he would have told you. “Where?”
“Usual place. Up the mountain.” You didn’t want to look at the sympathy displaced on Jimin’s face any longer, so you wished him a good day and let him know you would see him tomorrow before taking off. You headed for the mountains.
You didn’t see Seokjin when you first arrived, but Minhee was there. Of course she was, and she headed straight for you.
“What are you doing here?” Her question was laced with venom that you didn’t back down from.
“I’m here to see my friend race.” Your voice was clear.
She rolled her eyes. “How sad. You follow him around like a lost puppy, and yet all you get in the months of knowing him is a mere friendship. How does it feel being the only girl in town he doesn’t want?”
Her words stung. She knew nothing about you, nothing about your past, and certainly not about your friendship with Seokjin. “Follow him around? I think you have me mistaken with yourself. He comes to me. He comes to visit me at work. He asks me to go places with him. He instigated our friendship. You are in fact the one who follows him around, Minhee.”
Minhee’s nostrils flared at your words, and when you went to turn away from her, she gripped your wrist, hard, yanking you back. “Listen here you little bitch. I don’t know who you think you are, but it’s clear he didn’t invite you because his race already started, and you’re late, so leave-“
“Minhee, leave her the fuck alone and get lost for once in your life.” A man with a sleeve full of tattoos and a lip piercing yanked her away from you. You noticed him as Seokjin’s best friend, Jungkook.
“Don’t touch me, Kook.” She seethed before stalking off to where the others were.
“You didn’t have to do that. I could have handled her…” You trailed off quietly, rubbing the spot where a bruise was blossoming on your wrist.
“I know, but you shouldn’t have to handle her.” Jungkook responded. “She-“
“Y- Sara, what are you doing here?” Seokjin stopped himself before he accidentally slipped your name, his eyes round in shock. Jungkook took that as his cue to leave you two alone. Minhee said his race already started, clearly a lie to get you to leave before he saw you.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what I’m doing here, Seokjin. You didn’t invite me. I just- I’ll leave.” You turned away from him, not wanting him to see you cry, and when he reached for your wrist, you winced in pain. His grip was gentle, but it was the hand that Minhee had grabbed, and he unknowingly reached for that one, but he immediately pulled away when he sensed your discomfort.
“Are you-“ His words cut off when his eyes dotted to the bruise that was already forming on the wrist he reached for, and you watched as his eyes immediately darkened, his fists now clenched to his sides.
“Seokjin, it’s fine, I’m-“
Instead of listening, he stalked off to where Minhee was standing with a group of people, chatting happily as if nothing had happened.
“Leave, now.” His voice was laced with well contained fury. It was terrifying. A voice you did not want to be on the receding end of.
“Why would I leave, Jinnie? I’m here for you. I-“
“Don’t call me that. I don’t care why you’re here, but I didn’t invite you, and I want you to leave, right now. I mean it, and if you lay a hand on her again, I won’t be so generous next time.”
Minhee balked in response. “What is that supposed to mean?”
“Exactly what I said. If you hurt her, you will regret it. I don’t care who you are. I will make sure you suffer.”
“Is that a threat?” She was glowering at him now.
“It’s a promise.” He said vehemently.
She scoffed. “So, what, do you love her? Is that it?”
“Yes.” His words caused her to stiffen, clearly not expecting that, and neither were you. You froze in your spot. He loved you?
Her laughter rung out so sharp it could cut glass. “She’s nothing though. You’re out of her league. She doesn’t belong in your world. If you give me a chance, I can be-“
“No. She is everything. I am the one who doesn’t belong in hers. Now get lost. I won’t ask you again.” His voice was hard, unforgiving.
What she did next shook you to your core. A resounding smack filled the air as her open palm came into contact with his cheek. She slapped him, hard. “You’ll regret this, Jin. I hope you tank the race.”
You ignored the fierce glare she sent your way as she left, and you ran up to Seokjin, throwing your arms around him, wrapping him up in a firm embrace. “You got this, Seokjin. I love you, too. You got this.”
His own arms immediately came around your smaller form, his broad shoulders practically engulfing you, but you felt safer than you’d ever been. “That’s the reason I didn’t invite you here, because I love you. There are not very good people who attend these races, and I never want you to- It’s not that I don’t want you here. I just want you safe.”
“I understand, but I- I would really like to be here for you. I want to support you.” You murmured against his chest before looking up at him, and it was at that moment that he, very delicately, reached for your wrist.
“Are you okay, Y/n?” He asked, lifting your wrist up to his lips to press a kiss to the inside of it.
“I’m alright, and you?” You asked in return, lifting your free hand to brush your fingers lightly over his burning red cheek.
“Yes, I’m okay.” He responded, leaning forward to press his forehead to yours. “I’ll be even better if I can get a kiss for good luck.”
A chuckle escaped you, and then you were leaning forward to press your lips to Seokjin’s, his plump ones feeling soft against your own.
“How’s that?” You whispered the question into the kiss.
“Mm, very nice. Thank you.” He nudged his nose against yours before stealing another kiss.
“Be safe.” You said a moment later, your heart hammering against your rib cage.
“I will, promise. Stay with Jungkook for me, please?”
“I will, promise.” You returned his words with one more kiss before letting him go with a gentle squeeze to his hand.
You were by Jungkook’s side once the race started, and while you were filled with nerves, you were also full of excitement as well. It was your first time being here for one of Seokjin’s races, and this was his first major one in your months of knowing him. You wanted to watch him win this one, the way he always had.
“He’s in love with you, you know?” Jungkook turned to look at you once the cars took off up the mountain, a smile on his face. You hadn’t noticed who his opponent was. Just a man with gear and a helmet over his head. You certainly hadn’t noticed said man watching you and Seokjin kiss with fury hidden behind that helmet.
You were about to respond, but Seokjin’s best friend continued talking. “I’ve never seen hyung in love until now. You’re good for him.”
You returned Jungkook’s smile, your insides feeling all warm. “I feel the same way. I’ve had… quite a past. I never thought I would love again, let alone trust another man, but…”
“I’ve known him my whole life. He’s a good guy. When he loves someone, he’ll do anything for them. He’s always been there for me. I consider him like a brother.” His response made you smile.
“I believe it.” You said fondly. “So, who is his opponent for the race?”
“Some new guy, names Michael. Jin hyung’s got this in the bag.” Jungkook grinned.
All the color drained from your face at the same time your smile dropped, fear gripping your heart. No, it couldn’t be. There was no way. It had to be someone with the same name.
“What does he look like? Do you have a picture of him?” Your hands were starting to shake.
“Woah, you oka-“
You shook your head, cutting him off. “Jungkook, please. I need to know what he looks like. This is important. We need to stop this race.”
“I don’t have a picture of him, but um, he’s white, dark brown hair, green eyes, a little bit of scruff on his face-“
“Stop the race! You need to stop it right now.”
“I can’t! I can’t stop it when it’s already started. What is going on?!” His voice came out stressed.
“No time. I don’t have time to explain. We have to follow them, please Jungkook!” You insisted.
Jungkook was about to respond, but you barreled on.
“He’ll hurt him! I know this man, and he’ll try to hurt him. You have to trust me.” Tears formed in your eyes, distressed. “We have to call the poli-“
“No, we can’t do that. Jin hyung- he wouldn’t want us to call the police. Let’s go handle this ourselves.” Jungkook led you to his vehicle, and once you were both buckled up, he sped up the mountain.
“Who is this man?” He asked.
“He’s- he’s my husband.” You continued speaking on, even as the other man’s eyes widened. “Seokjin knows about it. He knows everything. I ran away because I couldn’t divorce him, but as far as I’m concerned, the marriage is over. He hurt me, over and over, and when he threatened to kill me, I knew I had to get away. I did- I took every single precaution. There is no way he should have been able to find me here. This means that he knows someone in the system, or some kind of tracker that I don’t know about. There’s just no way… This is all my fault, if something happens to Seokjin…” You sobbed.
“Hey… this isn’t your fault. Jin would be furious if you were blaming yourself for this. He’s gonna be okay. He’s extremely smart. He’s also the strongest man I know, and he is a pro at maneuvering cars. He’ll know that something is up. This isn’t the first time someone has tried to hurt him, although for different reasons.” Jungkook explained, his foot pressing down on the gas.
He was right, Seokjin was incredibly smart. Michael didn’t know cars like he did. There was no way he would be able to hurt him. You had to believe that.
“As a matter of fact; If Jin hyung figures out who his opponent is, then I guarantee you that Michael will end up being the one who gets hurt. Like I said before, He’ll do anything for the people he cares about.” He added, and that you did believe, one hundred percent.
As Jungkook drove on, you spotted a vehicle in the distance, and upon closer inspection, you realized it was Seokjin’s vehicle, and only his vehicle. There was no one else. He was parked near the edge of the cliff.
His best friend parked right behind him before the both of you were racing out of the car, and Seokjin must have spotted the car behind him, because next thing you knew, he was getting out of his own vehicle. You ran the rest of the way, throwing your arms around the man you loved, and he caught you, burrowing his nose in your hair to breathe you in.
He knew exactly what your first question was going to be. “I’m okay.”
You cried in relief, tightening your arms around him, and you never wanted to let him go. “Where-“
“He’s gone. He can’t hurt you anymore. You’re safe.” A kiss was pressed to the top of your head.
You looked up into his eyes, and it was then you noticed that he was shaking. “I - he was trying to kill me, and he- he was going to kill you, and I couldn’t let that happen… I had no choice, but that… That’s not what scares me the most.”
You cupped his cheek, and the way he leaned into your touch was instantaneous. “What do you mean?”
He took a deep, shuddering breath before he spoke. “It wasn’t just about self defense… I- I wanted to kill him. I wanted to see him dead for the way he hurt you. For the fact that… I don’t care that he’s dead at all. All I feel is relief that he can’t hurt you anymore. For the fact that, I also know that I would do it again if it meant protecting you. Does that- does that make me a monster? I - I don’t want you to be scared of me, but in this moment, I’m even scared of myself. Are you- are you afraid of me?” He asked it like he was dreading the answer.
This time, you cupped both of his cheeks in your hands, your thumb tracing lightly along his jaw. “No, Seokjin. I’m not afraid of you. All I feel when I’m with you is safety, even now. The fact that you are even questioning this tells me everything I need to know. You are not a monster, far from it. If someone ever hurt you… I know I would feel the exact same way as you are right now.”
He nodded, but he was still shaking, and Jungkook was walking over to the edge of the cliff to look down at the crumpled up vehicle at the bottom of the landing.
“She’s right, hyung. That man is the monster. We better get out of here, now. I’ll talk to everyone else.” His best friend spoke up, and that seemed to snap his best friend out of it.
“How did you know it was him?” You asked as soon as you walked into the door of Seokjin’s home, and you went willingly when he reached for you.
“Right before the race, when we shook hands… He whispered that he was going to kill me, and then afterwards, he would kill you, but that… That he would make sure you suffered immensely before taking your life. He meant it… He meant every word, and the thought of what he might do to you…” He shook his head with a shudder.
“I was so worried about you when I found out who your opponent was. I was scared… All I wanted was to make sure you were okay.” You whispered, pressing your forehead against his own, your arms wrapped around his neck. “I love you, Seokjin.”
“I love you too.” He responded right away, closing his eyes.
“Can I show you then? How much I trust you… How safe I feel with you.” You murmured softly, and you felt him nod his head yes.
“I want to be with you. I want you.” You leaned in to press a delicate kiss to his jaw.
“I want you too, more than anything.” He whispered, chasing your lips, and when his luscious ones pressed against your own, you let out a soft sound of content.
“Take me then. Make me yours.” The words were pressed against his lips, and he let out a needy groan before lifting you up off the ground to carry you to his bedroom.
“Yeah? Is that what you want?” His voice came out husky as he deposited you onto his bedsheets, and then he was lifting your shirt over your head, his fingers working to unclasp your bra before stripping that off of you as well. He fell to his knees before burying his face in your chest, practically nuzzling his face between your breasts before his lips closed around a nipple, sucking the hard bud between his teeth.
Letting out a gasp of his name, your fingers tangled in his hair as he lavished attention to your other breast. “I asked you a question, Y/n. I want to make sure I’m giving you everything you want.”
“I- yes, that’s what I want, but I also want you to be mine… I want to make you mine.” You flushed at your own words. You knew that he loved you, but that didn’t you knew what he wanted with you.
“Baby, I am yours, don’t you know? You have occupied my every thought. I’ve wanted you, but I wanted to wait until you were ready for me.” He moved his fingers over your hips soothingly, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to a scar on your stomach.
His words made your insides flutter with happiness. “I’m ready for everything with you…”
“Are you sure?”
You smiled. “Yes, I’m sure.”
“Then, I’m going to make you mine.” He whispered, and then he was unbuttoning your shorts before pulling them down and off of your legs, along with your panties, revealing that you were already wet for him.
The way he had you falling apart so quickly on his tongue was unlike anything you had ever felt. It was like his sole intent was to make you feel euphoric. The orgasm he gave you was the best you ever had, and you didn’t even care that you could taste yourself on his tongue when crawled up your body to kiss you, his tongue plowing into your mouth like he was claiming you.
“I want to see you too.” You said the words into the kiss, and he only broke away for a second to lift his t-shirt over his head, and then he was leaning in to kiss you once more, so intensely, as if he needed to have his lips on yours until they were swollen and bitten maroon.
“I need you, Seokjin.” You moaned into the kiss when you felt his bulge pressing insistently against your thigh through the denim of his jeans.
“Take what you need, beautiful.” He gestured down to his covered cock, and you let out a needy whine as your fingers worked to pop open the button of his jeans before dragging the zipper down.
His boxers came off next, his dick springing free to slap against his stomach. Your mouth watered at the sight of him, because what a cock that was. He was fully hard, and the thought filled you with pride, because you were the one who got him that worked up, all from eating you out. He was steadily leaking pre cum from the slit, and when your thumb swiped over to collect the next bead that oozed out, he released a full body shudder, his knees buckling.
“Fuck baby, you drive me crazy. It’s been a while for me, so…” He trailed off with a groan as you began stroking him, your fingers barely even able to wrap around the sheer thickness of him. He was going to feel so good inside of you. You wanted to have him, bare.
“I want to make you feel good, Seokjin. Just like you did for me.” You swiped your finger over the most the most sensitive part of him, causing him to let out a needy whine as clear liquid spurted out. He was leaking like crazy. It had a possessive thrill running through you.
“Fuck, I swear, Y/n… You’re gonna make me cum.” His hips bucked into your hand, and the groan he let out when you pulled away sounded wounded.
“Fuck me, Jin. Make me yours. Want to be yours, please…” You were starting to get turned on again, wetness seeping down the insides of your thighs.
“Sh-shit… Gotta- Condom.” He got out, but you reached a hand out to stop him when he started to move.
“Are you clean?” You asked, and he blinked.
“Yes, I’m clean.” He promised, and you trusted him. You knew you could trust him.
“Me too, and I’m on the pill. I want to feel you, all of you, please, Jin.” You reached a hand down between you to wrap your fingers around his cock once more, giving it a languid stroke. You could feel it jump in your fist at your words.
“Oh god… I need- I need to be inside you now.” He replaced your hand with his own, guiding his cock to your wet entrance, running the length of him through your folds, and you let out a whine when the head of his dick caught on your clit.
“Yes, take what’s yours, Jin.” As soon as the words left your lips, he was sinking inside of you, your mouth hanging open at the way he was splitting you open, filling you with his cock.
It hurt at first, but once the pain subsided into a feeling of being completely and utterly full, you lifted your hips to bury him to the hilt, encouraging him to move.
“So fucking tight… You feel so good.” Seokjin grunted out, your name spilling from his lips as he slammed into you forcefully, expertly hitting your sweet spot with every thrust until all you could do was cry out his name in pleasure.
You could feel every inch of him, every ridge on his cock as it filled you to the brim, stretching you out so obscenely, so good. It was game over for you when his thumb found your clit, rubbing the pad of it over your engorged nub in time with his thrusts. Your orgasm washed over you in waves, and you moved your fingers around the back of his head to drag him down for a kiss, lips trailing down to his neck to suck at his pulse point until blood rose to the surface with your mark, a pleasured whine leaving his lips in response as your walls clenched around him.
“Are you alright? Can you take more?” He asked, his voice husky and filled with so much lust.
You nodded, gripping his ass to bury him impossibly deeper. “Yes, want you to finish inside me, Jin…”
“Fuck… turn over.” You obeyed as he slid his dick out of you momentarily, moving onto your hands and knees before sticking your ass up for him enticingly.
A feral growl left him as he slammed his cock back inside of you in one smooth thrust, and he felt deeper this way somehow, his thrusts picking up again. You knew it when he was close by the way he started losing rhythm, fucking into you with hard little jabs.
“Fuck, Y/n… gonna cum… this perfect cunt takes my cock so well. Gonna fill it up with my cum, mark you from the inside… Is that what you want? Want me to make you mine?” He reached beneath your stomach to drag you up with him so he could bury his face in your neck, and you knew he was giving you a matching mark in the same spot you gave him one.
“Yes, yes, please, make me yours, Jin… Fill me up. Wanna feel you…” As soon as the words left you, Seokjin let out a keening sound of your name as his cock throbbed, spurting out ropes of his cum deep inside of you, his body pressed flush against yours as he held you to him, and then you were both collapsing onto his bed, his dick eventually softening before slipping out of you, a gush of his semen following.
After a pee break, you settled into bed beside Seokjin on fresh sheets that he changed while you were in the bathroom. You smiled softly when he slipped closer to you to drag you against his body, an arm draped over your side as a kiss was placed to the back of your neck.
“Was that okay?” He asked, tone worried, as if you could regret being with him like this.
“Seokjin, it was perfect. I loved every minute of it.” You reassured him, placing your hand over his where it was resting over your stomach.
“Mm, good. I did too. I love feeling close to you. I love you.” He murmured, his voice holding an edge of sleepiness, your heart expanding.
“I love you too.” You whispered in content, closing your eyes, and you fell asleep feeling nothing but safety with the incredible man surrounding you.
—— —— —— —— —— ——
Six years later….
You had your first ever book signing today after your book did so well; you were officially a published author, and it brought tears to your eyes that there were so many people who wanted to come meet you and have you sign a copy of your work. It felt surreal…
You loved getting feedback from your readers, listening to their thoughts on the story, and they even wondered when your next one would be. The answer to that question, was actually soon.
When you looked up at the next person to greet them, the smile on your face grew fond, amusement dancing in your eyes. “What can I do for you, handsome?”
You got a playful smirk in response. “I came to see if my wife would sign my book? I’m her number one fan. Do you think she will?”
You returned his smirk tenfold. “Hmm, I think she could work that out if her husband admits that he came here because he’s clingy and didn’t want to be away from her for a few days.”
“You like it, and you’re just as bad as me.” His face split into a grin.
You just smiled as you signed the book, even though he already had a very special copy at home. He was right, of course. After glancing around, you stood up to drape your arms around your husband, dragging him in for a slow kiss.
He hummed into it, all of his attention on you, only ever you. You were so incredibly happy that you met this beautiful man. He was your safety net. He was your home… Your everything.
“Can I stay for the rest of the signing?” Seokjin asked hopefully. “I want to see my amazing wife get all the support she deserves.”
“You don’t even have to ask. I’m really happy you’re here beside me.” You held his hand the entire time.
He was, and always would be your biggest supporter, as you were his.
pairing: fashion pr! fem reader x idol! kim seokjin
summary: It all started as a silly joke between friends. One harmless unimportant conversation, one name thrown into the mix, and one boring late-night search that should’ve ended after a single Instagram post and not in thousand of hours stalking a famous idol. Looking back, maybe your feminine intuition already knew that the story wouldn’t stop there… because once Kim Seokjin crossed your mind, it seemed impossible for the universe to keep him out of your life.
warning! ── reader is obsessively and stupidly in love makes you want to puke. mentions of stalking. mentions of anxiety. nonchalant jin era but not really. he’s very shy and cute. a real man. this is very much inspired by candace and jeremy’s relationship (phineas & ferb) — literally like she will gaslight you into thinking he doesn’t like her.
author’s note: okay so i had to delete the smut part because when i paste the story here i realized i reached the limit and i didn’t want to make it a two-part one shot (i do love the smut and the original final i wrote so if u ever wanna see it lmk) i hope u still fuck with it tho i’ve been really excited about this one and i really like how it turned out without the smut too so i hope u enjoy it:( HI guys let’s pretend is the first of august okay?? happy first of the month yay!!!!!!
word count: +20k words.
──── pretty sad for a girl so in love (series)
The first thing you noticed when you stepped into Mina’s apartment was that she had definitely invited more people than her dining table could fit.
There were already six pairs of shoes scattered by the front door, music playing quietly from a speaker somewhere in the living room, and at least three different conversations happening before you’d even taken your jacket off. Someone waved at you from the kitchen, another person you vaguely recognized from college smiled in your direction before going back to whatever story they were telling, and the smell of garlic and takeout filled the apartment.
“She’s here!” Mina called the second she spotted you. She was balancing two bowls in her hands, somehow managing not to drop either of them as she crossed the room. “Finally. I was about to tell everyone you bailed.”
“I said I’d be late,” you laughed, slipping your shoes off. “Some people have actual jobs.”
“So do I.”
“Then act like it,” you joked harshly. “I have you at 10am on a Wednesday asking me to bring ice cream. Sounds very unemployed to me.”
“It was an emergency.” You raised an eyebrow. “The convenience store only had one tub left and you know I need to host perfect hangouts, okay?”
“Yeah, I know you’re a control freak.”
“See?” Mina pointed at you before turning to the rest of the room. “She gets me.”
Haeun looked up from where she was sitting on the floor beside the coffee table, her legs crossed underneath her. “No,” she said, completely unimpressed. “She enables you.”
You laughed as you walked over, dropping onto the empty spot beside her before kissing her cheek.
“That’s what real love means,” Mina said like it was obvious.
“It’s definitely not what it means.” Haeun rolled her yes. Mina disappeared back into the kitchen, already distracted by someone asking where the serving spoons were. “You came empty-handed?” Haeun asked.
“I brought dessert.”
“Where?”
You reached into your tote bag and pulled out two tubs of ice cream, probably already melted. Mina immediately reappeared. “I KNEW I invited the right people.”
“You invited everyone,” you looked around to your friends who all raised an eyebrow. “What? It’s true, I love you guys but really I can’t believe everyone agreed to hangout a Wednesday night. Do you guys need a job or a reference? I can help you with…”
“This is why we leave early when you come to the hangouts.”
“Hey!”
“Agreed.”
An hour later, dinner had turned int a bit of a mess. Half the food and dessert were empty and every plate on the table was being shared whether the person who ordered it liked it or not. You’d barely managed to keep more than three fries on your own plate before Mina reached over to steal another one. She had always being a pain in the ass, specially the days you met her in college together with Haeun— at least the one was more generous and didn’t steal your fries.
“I don’t know why I even bother ordering food for myself.”
“You don’t,” she answered easily, popping the fry into her mouth. “You order food for the community.”
“The community can buy its own.”
“It could.”
“It should.”
“It won’t.” Haeun smiled into her drink. “You promised once you’d became rich you were always going to invite dinner.”
“I’m not rich, even Mina makes more money than me.”
“Doubtful,” your friend smiled.
“You manage the biggest singer in Korea right now, I know you’re making bank.” You pointed at her accusatory.
“I’ve never said I wasn’t making bank,” she said immediately. “I’m just saying probably not as much as you. You had been making big deals later.”
“That’s true,” Jiho said— another close friends of yours— suddenly everyone was having interest in the same conversation. He leaned back in his chair, “how’s work? The glamorous fashion world.”
You laughed. “Doesn’t feel glamorous at all. I spend more time looking at calendars than clothes.”
“What were you working on this week?” Haeun asked.
“A campaign for a luxury brand. I’m working now with some actor I’m not legally allowed to tell yet.”
Mina immediately leaned forward with interest. “I love hearing about celebrity gossip.”
“You literally work for IU. That’s the biggest it can get.”
“She’s too nice, she never reveals anything,” she pouted.
“Maybe because there’s no actual gossip going around,” you tried again.
“You work with more celebrities than me you have to have some.” She insisted.
“I work with their managers,” you corrected. “Literally I’m mostly coordinating schedules between the brand, photographers, stylists, management… making sure everyone’s available on the same day.”
“That sounds significantly less fun.” One of your other friends said. “I thought you just picked pretty outfits.”
“I wish.”
“You don’t even get free clothes?”
“I get emails.”
“I’d rather have the clothes.”
“So would I,” you sighed dramatically and everyone laughed. “But it’s still fun,” you admitted after a moment. “I get to see campaigns come together from the beginning, and when everything actually works it’s really satisfying.”
“You always sound happier talking about work than dating,” Mina pointed at you.
“Maybe because work doesn’t suck as much as dating,” you stated.
“I don’t know what that says about you.”
“Probably something concerning,” Haeun nodded.
Before you could answer, Soomin let out the longest sigh you’d ever heard. “Speaking of dating…” Everyone turned toward her. “I finally went out with that guy from Hinge.”
“The accountant?”
“The accountant.”
“And?”
Soomin stared into the distance for a second. “I don’t think he asked me a single question.”
Haeun frowned. “What do you mean?”
“I mean he spent an hour talking about himself.”
“That’s annoying,” you commented.
“He showed me a spreadsheet.”
There was a beat of silence. “A what?”
“A spreadsheet.”
“For work?”
“No. He tracks every restaurant he’s ever been to.”
Mina blinked and you tried not to laughed with Haeun “Actually…”
“No,” Soomin interrupted before she could finish. “Don’t even start.”
“I was going to say that’s kind of organized.”
“There was a section for him to rate the lighting!” she exclaimed frustrated.
“…Never mind.”
“I spent forty minutes pretending I cared about overhead lighting.”
You couldn’t help laughing. “I’m sorry.”
“No, you’re not.”
“It’s a good story.”
The table dissolved into laughter, and once everyone had recovered, the stories started coming one after another. One date had ended with someone accidentally running into their ex halfway through dinner. Another had spent the entire evening talking about cryptocurrency. Someone else admitted they’d been ghosted after what they thought had been the most amazing date ever.
“It feels impossible lately,” Soomin complained, reaching for another slice of pizza. “Either they’re creepy, they just wanna fuck or they’re trying to use you to make their ex jealous.”
“Usually all at once,” Jiho added.
“What about you?” Mina looked over at you. “Any exciting romantic developments?”
You looked up from your plate. “Not really.”
“None?”
“I’ve been on exactly one date this year.”
“The guy from the bookstore?” You nodded. “What happened to him?”
“He was nice but… I don’t know,” you thought about it for a second before shrugging. “He didn’t made me nervous or excited. I guess… he just wasn’t my person.”
“How do you know after one date?” Jiho asked.
“I don’t know.” You smiled a little. “You can usually tell if you actually want to see someone again and I didn’t.”
“So you’re taking a break from dating?” Haeun asked.
“I think so.”
“For how long?” she asked curious.
“I don’t know,” you said simply.
Mina rested her chin in her hand. “I’ve been saying this for years.”
“What?”
“You expect too much for a first date.”
You laughed. “I really don’t.”
“You do.”
“I have standards.”
“You have requirements.”
“I have normal requirements.”
“You eliminated a guy because you thought he was checking his reflection in every window you walked past.”
“He was.”
“You eliminated another one because he called every woman ‘female.’”
“That one was justified.”
“Okay, fair.” She frowned. “But one time you left a date because he was too perfect.”
“He was. He could definitely do better,” you nodded thoughtful.
“You know what?” Haeun grinned. “I support you for that one.”
“But,” Mina continued, refusing to give up, “my point still stands.”
“What point?”
“You’ve built this perfect imaginary man in your head,” she pointed at you. “After your ex boyfriend you’ve just put excuses for every new guy.”
“Not true and I really haven’t.”
“You have.”
“I just don’t want to date someone for the sake of dating.” The room quieted a little, everyone listening now. “I’ve done that before,” you admitted. “You convince yourself maybe the attraction will grow or maybe you’ll eventually have more in common, and then three months later you’re wondering why you stayed. I’d rather be single than settle because everyone thinks I should have a boyfriend.”
Haeun nodded. “I actually agree.”
“You always agree with her.”
“Because she’s right.”
Mina rolled her eyes dramatically. “Fine. I support healthy standards.”
“Thank you.”
“But you need to be a little more open,” she accused you.
“Sure, I’ll try.” You said without making it a big deal.
“I can help if you want me to. I can put you out with some friends.” Her smile started getting bigger.
You already knew where this was going. “No, thank you.”
“I absolutely can. I’m great at matchmaking...”
“Mina.”
“I know a lot of people who would be perfect for you,” she insisted.
“You know people who you think would be perfect for me.” You corrected her.
She ignored you completely. “What about my coworker?”
“No.”
“My cousin’s friend?”
“No.”
“The photographer I met last month?”
“You’ve run out of people already?”
She frowned, pretending to think. “Hm…” Then her face lit up. “Oh.”
“No.”
“What about Jin?”
You looked at her blankly. “…Which Jin?”
“Kim Seokjin.”
You stared at her for a second before laughing. “The idol?”
“Yes, the idol.” She said obvious.
“Mina,” you looked at her incredulous.
“What?”
“I’ve said hello to him, like… three times.”
“So you’ve met,” Mina took it as a win.
“I’ve greeted him.”
“Close enough.”
“It’s really not.”
“You literally worked with Taehyung,” she reminded you.
“I work with brands that hire Taehyung,” you corrected. “Those are two very different things.”
“But you’ve met Jin.”
“I’ve been in the same room as Seokjin.”
“And?”
“And that’s it.”
Haeun smiled, shaking her head. “I don’t even think he’s spoken more than five words to her.”
“He made me show him where the coffee station was once,” you told her. “And I think one time I probably bumped into him accidentally.”
“There you go,” Mina replied triumphantly. “You’re basically family.”
You laughed so hard you nearly spilled your drink. “I don’t even think he’d recognize me if we crossed paths tomorrow.”
“He might.”
“He absolutely would not.”
Mina insisted. “He’s a really nice person. Very shy but I know he would be perfect for you!. Ugh, I need to find an excuse to invite him to some hangouts now…”
“I’ll pass. Thank you.”
Your friend sighed dramatically. Like she had lost the war. “Fine. I tried.”
“You really did,” you said sarcastically.
“I’ll keep looking.”
“Please don’t.”
“Too late.”
By the time someone suggested opening another bottle of wine, the conversation had already moved on to something completely different. Jin’s name disappeared from the room as quickly as it’d come up, buried beneath complaints about work, arguments over which movie they should watch after finishing the dinner and if the next hangout would be this same month or the next one, trying to match schedules.
You didn’t think about him again that night. There wasn’t any reason to. After all, he was just someone you’d crossed paths with a handful of times through work— a polite face attached to brief greetings backstage or at brand events before you both disappeared back into your own schedules. The joke was exactly that: a joke. One of dozens exchanged over dinner that evening, forgotten almost as quickly as it had been said.
At least, that’s what you thought then.
——————————
Your apartment was completely dead by the time you arrived there. You dropped your keys into the ceramic bowl by the front door out of habit, kicked your shoes off somewhere behind you, and stood there for a second, stretching and feeling the weight of the day finally catching up to your body. After spending the last five hours surrounded by people talking over one another, laughing across the dinner table and arguing about movies nobody was actually going to watch, your own apartment almost felt unnaturally still. But you weren’t tired yet. Comfortably full, maybe. Socially exhausted definitely.
You changed into an oversized T-shirt, took your makeup off, tied your hair into a messy bun and wandered into the kitchen for a glass of water, your phone tucked underneath one arm. There were already three new messages in the group chat but you were too lazy to check, maybe it was just Mina planning the next hangout already.
By the time you crawled into bed, the digital clock on your nightstand had already slipped past one in the morning. You should definitely needed to sleep, however, sleep didn’t seem nearly as interested in finding you. You rolled onto your back, staring at the ceiling, thinking about some words that didn’t left your mind the entirely night after the conversation. Mina wasn’t entirely wrong, probably that was the most annoying part.
You really hadn’t been trying. For a while, you’d blamed it on work. Luxury fashion PR wasn’t exactly a nine-to-five job, especially once campaign season picked up. Some weeks you barely had time to eat lunch before someone called to tell you a fitting had been moved, a photographer had cancelled, or a celebrity’s schedule had changed for the third time in two days. It was easier to tell people you were busy than admit dating had quietly slipped to the bottom of your priorities.
But work wasn’t the real reason… or at least not completely. If you were honest with yourself, it had started long before your calendar became impossible. Your last relationship had ended almost two years ago. It didn’t really end in a dramatic way, nobody cheated and nobody threw plates across the room or begged anyone to stay, it had simply stopped working. Between different priorities, missed conversations and the slow realization spending time with someone was actually a big part for it to work, the relationship had quietly unraveled until one day you both admitted what you’d been avoiding for months.
Of course it hurt but the worst part hadn’t even been the breakup itself, it was everything that came after. Friends insisting you “just needed to get back out there,” blind dates, dating apps, conversations that felt more like interviews than actual conversations. Men who spent the entire evening talking about themselves. Men who seemed offended that you actually liked your career. Men who confused confidence with arrogance… Eventually, somewhere along the way, you’d stopped opening the apps, stopped agreeing to dates, stopped looking altogether.
It wasn’t that you’d decided to stay single forever. You’d simply gotten… comfortable in your own world, comfortable with your own routines, comfortable with dinners by yourself, comfortable enough that dating started feeling like another task to squeeze into an already busy week…. But Mina had been right, maybe you had checked out.
You reached for your phone on the bedside table and almost without thinking, you opened Hinge. Your profile was still there with the same pictures of months ago, the same prompts and a handful of likes waiting from weeks ago. You stared at the screen for maybe ten seconds before quietly laughing to yourself.
“Fuck no.” You closed the app.
You turned your phone over in your hands before another thought floated back into your head.
What about Jin? You actually laughed out loud this time. Mina’s ridiculous, you thought.
Of all the people she could’ve named… It wasn’t even that the suggestion was impossible— although it obviously was— it was just… random. You’d met him before… technically. The same way you’d “met” dozens of celebrities through work. A greeting backstage before a fitting, a polite nod while waiting for a meeting room to open, someone introducing you in passing before both of you were immediately pulled in opposite directions.
If you passed each other on the street tomorrow, you doubted he’d recognize you. You weren’t even sure you’d recognize him immediately either. Celebrities always looked different once they were standing three feet away instead of behind professionally edited photos.
Still… Why Seokjin?
You frowned slightly, unlocking your phone again. Purely out of curiosity you typed his name into Instagram. His account appeared immediately. Millions of followers and likes. Well, you couldn’t exactly say Mina had terrible taste. He was ridiculously handsome, that much was obvious.
You spent a minute absentmindedly scrolling through his feed, expecting to lose interest almost immediately. Instead… there wasn’t actually that much to see. A few campaign photos, brand collaborations, professional shoots, some travel and some silly pictures on tour. He looked exactly how you’d expect someone like Kim Seokjin to look. Polished, expensive and almost intimidatingly good-looking.
You were just about to close the app when your thumb drifted to the side to see his tagged posts. There were dozens of pictures and videos he was tagged from fans… One clip couldn’t hurt. It was only twenty seconds. A compilation of him throwing flower petals over him in award shows. You chuckled at his confidence and attitude, he was pretty funny.
“Cute,” you mumbled before catching yourself.
No, not cure. Funny. Endearing. There was a difference.
You scrolled a bit and another reel played. One that looked like it came from some variety show. He was laughing so hard he had both hands over his face, shoulders shaking as someone off-camera kept teasing him about something you didn’t understand. But he was so red and he laughed so loud it was really annoying.
You smiled. Then watched another… and another. One where he was stubbornly refusing to lose a game. One edit where he was winning a game and looked really hot. Another where he somehow managed to make everyone around him laugh within thirty seconds. One where he was confidently explaining something before immediately proving himself wrong.
Your eyebrows lifted slightly. He was… really funny. Not in the polished, media-trained way celebrities sometimes were, just naturally funny, comfortable in his own skin, a little too dramatic. The kind of person who didn’t seem embarrassed about laughing at himself or do something cringe just for the fun of it.
Later you were lying in the exact same position, phone balanced against your knees, smiling at a man you’d exchanged maybe three greetings with over the course of your entire career. You hadn’t even noticed how much time had passed until Instagram reminded you you’d reached your three hours of the day. Your thumb hovered over the screen.
“Holy shit.” You’ve spent three hours watching videos of Kim Seokjin. You lowered the phone onto your chest and stared at the ceiling. “Ah, fuck.”
Now you understood why Mina had said it. Not because he was famous or because he was objectively attractive. From the little you’d seen… He actually seemed exactly like the kind of person you would’ve liked if he’d been anyone else.
Shit.
——————————
The next time you saw Seokjin was not really your doing. It was, for once, the universe deciding to be surprisingly generous. Well… generous was probably a strong word. Convenient, that sounded way better.
The invitation had landed in your inbox earlier that week, forwarded by one of the stylists your agency worked with every few months. It wasn’t a launch party or a brand event, nothing that required speeches, photographers or carefully prepared guest lists. Someone had wrapped up a successful campaign, someone else had just gotten back from a tour overseas, and somewhere along the way the excuse had turned into come over, bring whoever you want and let’s have a drink. Half the people attending knew each other from the entertainment industry, the other half from fashion, and after working in luxury fashion PR for long enough, you’d realized the two worlds overlapped far more than most people imagined. So you decided to attend for once since Mina was going too.
By the time you arrived, the apartment was already buzzing with conversation. Music drifted through the open balcony doors, low enough that people didn’t have to raise their voices over it, and every surface seemed to be covered in bottles, half-empty glasses and small plates of food that everyone kept picking at without remembering what was theirs. Someone from a magazine you occasionally coordinated shoots with greeted you on your way in, another stylist pulled you into a quick conversation about Paris Fashion Week before disappearing again, and not five minutes later you spotted Mina standing near the dining table with a wine glass in one hand, laughing at something a singer beside her had just said.
She noticed you almost immediately. “There you are,” she said, reaching over to squeeze your arm as you walked up. “I was starting to think you weren’t coming.”
“I almost didn’t,” you admitted with a smile. “I spent all afternoon fixing a schedule because one actor suddenly decided he’d rather shoot in Milan than Seoul.”
Mina winced sympathetically. “Please don’t remind me what was working with actors. I still have PTSD.”
“You’re lucky you got yourself a nice boss.”
“Still stressful sometimes,” she grimaced. “Today I’ve answered twenty-five phone calls since six o’clock.”
“You counted?” You raised your eyebrows, not really surprised.
“I was angry enough to.”
You laughed, taking the glass she silently offered you.“Everything okay?”
She nodded. “Fine now. Everyone was losing their minds because they thought she wasn’t making it in time to a big event after a rehearsal fit. Bitch, I did her schedule, she was going to make it on time.”
“Only took twenty calls.”
“Twenty-five,” she corrected, like it was something it needed to be remembered.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” she sighed dramatically before taking a sip of her wine. “I’ve accepted that this is my life now.”
The two of you stayed where you were for a while, talking about work the way people only could when they understood each other’s jobs. Mina complained about artists changing their minds at the last minute, you complained about luxury brands insisting every campaign was somehow the most important project of the year, and somewhere between those conversations someone joined in to tell a story about a photographer who’d accidentally shown up to a shoot in the wrong country. You weren’t sure if he was joking. With this industry, it was genuinely difficult to tell.
At some point your conversation broke apart naturally as people wandered off into smaller groups, and you found yourself listening more than talking, occasionally adding a comment before someone else picked up the thread. It was comfortable, you liked those kinds of gatherings, nobody expected anything from anyone. People drifted between conversations, disappeared onto the balcony, returned twenty minutes later carrying dessert as if they’d never left. People knew each other.
You were halfway through listening to a stylist passionately explain why silver jewelry was making a comeback when the front door opened again. Someone greeted the newcomers loudly enough for half the apartment to glance over.
You looked up too. And there he was.
Kim Seokjin stepped inside with an easy smile, greeting the host before taking a moment to shake hands with someone near the entrance. He looked almost exactly the way you remembered him from the handful of events where your paths had crossed over the years, except this time your brain supplied far more information than it had any right to.
He really giggles like that. The thought appeared before you could stop it… But he really did.
The laugh you’d heard through your phone speakers more times that you would ever admit out loud, it was unmistakable, warm enough that it carried across the room for being too loud. It was strangely disorienting, recognizing something so familiar about someone you barely knew.
You looked away almost immediately. Not because you’d been caught staring— he hadn’t even looked in your direction yet— but because it suddenly felt ridiculous that your first instinct had been to compare him to internet clips.
Get a grip.
You took another sip of your drink and forced yourself back into the conversation happening beside you, although it lasted all of three minutes before your attention wandered again. It wasn’t intentional, not that you would admit anyway. You simply… noticed him more this time.
You noticed that he never interrupted people when they were speaking, even if they were telling a story that was clearly going nowhere. That when someone walked over to say hello, he turned his whole body toward them instead of trying to keep talking to someone else at the same time. Every now and then someone would laugh at something he’d said, but he never seemed interested in becoming the center of the room. If anything, he looked happiest standing slightly off to the side, listening.
It was odd. A month ago you probably wouldn’t have registered any of it. Now every little habit felt strangely familiar, as though you’d skipped several chapters of a book and were only now catching up.
You were still mentally scolding yourself for finding this amusing when someone asked if anybody wanted another drink. You looked down at your empty glass. “I’ll grab one,” you said.
The kitchen was thankfully quieter than the living room. Someone had left the balcony door open just enough for the cool evening air to drift inside, carrying the faint sound of conversation from outside. You set your empty glass beside the sink and reached for one of the bottles lined up along the counter, only realizing someone else was doing exactly the same thing from the opposite side. Your hands bumping into each other a little hard.
You looked up. “So, you finally found your way to the beverage station without any help?.”
The words slipped out before you thought about them. For a second Jin looked almost confused. Then recognition settled across his face and he laughed softly as he blushed slightly.
“I did it all alone.”
“So I’m not imagining it.”
“No,” he smiled, reaching for another glass. “The first time was over coffee, right?.”
“Oh.” You pointed at him. “You asked where it was and then your manager made me guide you to the station.”
“Yeah… that happened.” He chuckled nervously.
“Don’t worry, I know the importance of coffee in the morning.”
Jin nodded in complete agreement. “Thank you. Coffee is the most important thing to survive.”
“And now alcohol. We’re upgrading.” You joked and he smiled.
For a brief moment the conversation settled into a comfortable silence while the two of you poured your drinks. It wasn’t really awkward, just a bit weird.
He glanced toward the living room before looking back at you. “You still work at Étoile?”
The question caught you pleasantly off guard. He knew that?. Maybe he remembered you working with Taehyung a lot. “I do.”
“I wasn’t sure. I thought I recognized you at the Cartier event a few months ago. I wasn’t completely certain.”
“I spend most of those events trying not to look stressed so I probably had a completely different face.” You said truthfully and Jin chuckled.
“You hide it well.”
“I absolutely don’t.”
“You do.”
“I promise I don’t.”
“I’ve only ever seen you looking very calm.”
You laughed. “That’s because if I panic, everyone else starts panicking.”
“So you’re secretly panicking,” he hummed.
“Almost constantly.”
“That actually makes me feel better. I thought everyone in fashion had their lives together.”
You stared at him for a second before bursting into laughter. “I’m sorry… Who told you that?”
“A lot of people?” He obviously lied.
“They lied.”
“So none of you know what you’re doing?” He asked jokingly.
“Oh, we know what we’re doing.” You leaned against the counter with an amused smile. “We just happen to be doing it while answering twelve phone calls, rewriting schedules and praying nobody changes their outfit thirty minutes before a campaign. So we are always panicking while making everything work.”
“That sounds exhausting.”
“It is.”
“What keeps you there then?”
You thought about it for a moment. “I like watching everything come together.”
“The campaigns?”
You nodded. “People only ever see the finished product, but there are so many people behind them. Stylists, assistants, lighting teams, producers, makeup artists… I like being part of that.” He listened without interrupting, his attention resting entirely on you in a way that felt unexpectedly rare. “I don’t know,” you continued with a small shrug. “When something goes well, it’s satisfying.”
“I get that.”
“I would thought so,” you smiled slightly. “Fashion it’s a performance so you should know about that.”
He smiled at that. You liked his smile. “I do. And I know the feeling when people assume performing is only the two hours you’re on stage.”
“But it isn’t.”
He shook his head. “It’s months before that. Rehearsals, meetings, recordings, planning… by the time people finally see something, you’ve been living with it for a long time.”
“I never really thought about it like that,” you hummed.
“I guess we’re both in jobs where everyone only notices the finished product.”
You smiled. “I like that.”
“So do I.”
The conversation wandered from there almost effortlessly. Somehow it turned into travel after he mentioned how often work had him living out of a suitcase, which became a debate over whether airport coffee was actually drinkable, which then led to food recommendations in different cities and also about what was the best dessert to have after a big dinner, and before either of you realized it, the glasses you’d filled at the beginning of the conversation were nearly empty.
You found yourself laughing far more than you’d expected to. Not because he was trying particularly hard to be funny, but because talking to him felt very easy and comfortable.
He listened just as much as he spoke, asked questions that made it obvious he was genuinely interested in the answers, and had a habit of smiling halfway through your stories that somehow encouraged you to keep talking. Every now and then he’d tell one of his own, usually ending it with an expression that suggested he still couldn’t believe it had happened, and you understood almost immediately why people seemed so comfortable around him.
“Hey.” Both of you turned at the sound of Mina’s voice. She was standing in the doorway with an amused smile, looking between the two of you before raising an eyebrow. “I’ve been looking for you,” she said, directing the comment at you. “Apparently someone wants to talk to you about a campaign you did last year. Hey Jin,” she greeted him with a smile he returned.
You blinked a bit confused. “How long have I been in here?”
“I don’t know.” Mina glanced at Jin before looking back at you. “Long enough that I assumed you’d gone home already.”
You laughed, setting your empty glass on the counter. “I should probably go save my professional reputation.”
“Probably.”
You looked back at Jin. “It was really nice talking to you.”
“You too,” he said with an easy smile. “Hopefully next time it won’t be around coffee or water.”
“I can’t promise anything. I like drinks.”
“I guess we’ll find out then.”
You smiled once before following Mina back toward the living room, already letting yourself get pulled into another conversation before you’d made it halfway across the apartment.
The rest of the evening passed with too many conversations happening at once, people arriving and leaving whenever they pleased, someone ordering late-night food nobody needed but everyone ate anyway. You spoke to Seokjin once more before leaving, nothing more than a quick goodbye as people gathered near the front door, and by the time you stepped into the elevator you were convinced that was all the night would become.
It wasn’t until you were driving home with the windows cracked open and the music playing quietly in the background that you realized something had changed. It wasn’t that you’d spent the evening talking to someone super famous, that part genuinely didn’t matter. It was that, somewhere between discussing airport coffee, impossible work schedules and the strange satisfaction of seeing a project finally come together, you’d completely lost track of time.
You couldn’t remember the last conversation you’d had with someone new that had felt so effortless.
And, much to your own surprise, you caught yourself wondering what the two of you would’ve talked about if someone hadn’t interrupted. That thought stayed with you all the way home, quietly settling into the back of your mind.
For the first time in a long while, you found yourself hoping your paths crossed again. And, for the first time ever, you just knew it will happen again.
——————————
You could dress it up however you wanted, tell yourself you were simply becoming more social or that it had been nice meeting new people outside of work, but somewhere between leaving that apartment three weeks ago and accepting yet another invitation you normally would’ve declined, you’d become painfully aware of one very embarrassing fact.
You were trying to see him again. Not in a creepy way, of course… At least, that’s what you insisted every time the thought crossed your mind.
It just so happened that after that night you’d kept in touch with a few of the people you’d met. One of the photographers had sent you a meme after discovering you shared the same hatred for some kind of food, a stylist had invited you to lunch with a couple of mutual friends, and before long you found yourself in a group chat that seemed to organize dinners, birthdays and last-minute gatherings every other weekend.
You said yes to all of them.
Was it because you’d genuinely enjoyed everyone’s company? Absolutely. Was it also because every invitation carried the tiny possibility that Jin might be there? …That part didn’t need to be examined too closely.
By the third invitation you had accepted, even Mina had started looking at you suspiciously. “You’ve become weirdly available lately.”
You looked up from where you were digging through your wardrobe. “I’ve always been available.”
“You canceled dinner with me two weeks ago,” she reminded you.
“I had work.”
“You left work at six.”
“Then I was tired.”
Mina crossed her arms, watching as you held two nearly identical sweaters up against yourself before putting one back on the hanger. “And yet,” she continued slowly, “you’re apparently not too tired to drive forty-five minutes across the city for a casual hangout hosted by people you’ve known for…” She pretended to count on her fingers. “…Roughly three weeks?”
You didn’t even bother turning around. “I’ve known them more time, silly. We just started talking more since the hangout. We connected.”
“Right. I’m sure you did.” She said suspiciously.
“They’re fun.”
“Mhm.”
“And it’s good to make new friends.”
“Mhm.”
You sighed, finally looking at her. “Okay, what? What are you implying?”
“I’m not implying anything.”
“You’re humming like a bitch, just say it.”
Mina smiled into her coffee before taking a sip. “I just think it’s interesting.”
“What is?”
“That you suddenly have a thriving social life.”
“I’ve always had a social life.”
“You absolutely have not.”
“I did.”
“You’ve spent the last year declining every invitation that wasn’t work-related.”
You opened your mouth to argue before stopping halfway through. “…Okay, you’re right. But I’m just trying something different now.”
“I think that’s great.”
“I knew you’d understand,” you pointed at her with a cheeky smiled, turning around to keep looking for an outfit.
“I do.” She smiled sweetly. “I also think it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that a certain someone might be there tonight.”
You froze for a second before reaching for the nearest cushion and threw it at her. “Shut up.”
She caught it without much effort. “I knew it”
“You don’t know shit.”
You rolled your eyes, but the smile tugging at the corner of your mouth ruined whatever annoyance you were trying to perform. “I cant believe I was right. Do you like Seokjin?”
“Of course not!” You laughed despite yourself, dropping onto the edge of your bed. “I barely know him.”
“But you wanna see him again,” she pointed out.
“… Yeah.” You couldn’t lie. “I don’t even know him enough to know if I like him but… I don’t know. He’s cute.”
“I haven’t see you interested in someone in so long!” She said excitedly. “I’m so happy. I’m sure he’s interested in you too.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I can feel a vibe.”
“I bet he barely remembers our conversation. He was probably being just polite.” You shook your head.
“Nah, people usually remember conversations. At least he had to remember a word or something.”
You groaned dramatically, burying your face in your hands. “You’re the worst person to ask for reassurance.”
“I don’t think he dislikes you.”
“That’s not reassuring at all!.”
“Okay, okay. I’m serious.” She set her coffee down before looking at you properly. “From what I saw that night, he looked comfortable talking to you.”
“He also looked comfortable talking to literally everyone.”
“Thats true but because he knew everyone. Usually with new people he’s very shy. So the fact that he was talking to you comfortably I think it says a lot.”
“So?”
“So go and find out. Talk to him more, see if you actually like him.”
You chuckled. “Okay, sure. Whatever I’ll just go. Worst-case scenario, I spend an evening with nice people.”
“And best-case scenario?” She raised an eyebrow.
“I’ll tell you about it if it happens,” you said with a smirk.
Mina groaned so loudly that she nearly spilled her coffee laughing.
——————————
The gathering was even smaller than the last one. Someone had volunteered their apartment, someone else had ordered enough food to feed twice the number of guests, and by the time you arrived most people were already spread around the living room, talking over one another while music played quietly from the speakers. You recognized almost everyone this time. Not well enough to call them close friends, but enough that conversations started easily
The photographer from the previous party greeted you with a hug before immediately pulling you into a discussion about an impossible decision he had to make for his career, an stylist insisted you try whatever dessert she’d brought, and before long you found yourself laughing at stories from a recent campaign shoot that had apparently gone catastrophically wrong. It felt surprisingly natural and comfortable being with these people you never really had the chance to get closer to.
You were halfway through telling someone about a model who’d accidentally boarded the wrong train during Milan Fashion Week when the apartment door opened. You didn’t look immediately because you obviously weren’t waiting for anyone.
Then someone near the entrance said, “Jin!”
Your head turned so fast you almost broke your beck… Very subtle.
He stepped inside carrying a paper bag from a bakery, apologizing for being late before greeting the host. There was something oddly familiar about watching him move through the room now. A month ago he would’ve blended into the evening like everyone else. Now you found yourself recognizing little things almost unconsciously— the way he smiled before saying hello, the habit of slightly bowing his head when someone older greeted him, how he always seemed to listen before speaking.
You hated that your brain had memorized all of it.
He spotted you a few moments later. There was the smallest pause before recognition crossed his face, followed by an easy smile. “Hey.”
“Hi.”
“You made it.”
The words were so ordinary that you almost laughed. “So did you.”
“I almost didn’t. Work really keeps you busy.”
“Were you actually working, or is that the excuse everyone in our industry uses?”
He smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. “…Both.”
“Fair enough.”
Someone called his name before either of you could continue. “I’ll talk to you later,” he said apologetically, nodding toward the group waiting for him.
“Yeah, of course.”
He disappeared almost immediately and you watched him walk away before frowning slightly. You weren’t entirely convinced if he was just being nice of if he also felt that weird vibe going between you two. Maybe you were just too delusional.
Over the next hour your paths kept crossing in the strangest ways. Every time you thought maybe you should walk over, someone else was already talking to him. When he finally looked free, another friend dragged you into a conversation on the balcony. Then, just as you managed to excuse yourself, Jin was helping someone carry drinks into the kitchen.
It was becoming almost comical.
You couldn’t help smiling when he finally made his way over, balancing two glasses in one hand after what felt like an entire evening of narrowly missing each other. It had almost become a running joke in your own head; every time one of you looked free, someone else inevitably appeared to steal the other’s attention. By now it was honestly impressive.
“I was starting to think this apartment was cursed,” you said as he stopped beside you, accepting the glass he held out. “Every single time I thought about coming over to talk to you, somebody got there first.”
“You wanted to talk to me?”
“Of course,” you didn’t shy away, trying not to make the situation uncomfortable. “We had a nice chat last time.”
A laugh escaped him, quieter than the ones you’d heard from across the room but just as genuine, and he shook his head before taking a sip of his drink. “Me too. And I thought that was only happening to me,” he admitted. “Twice I walked over because I figured everyone was finally done talking to you, and then someone else started another conversation before I made it halfway across the room.”
“Seriously?”
“Mhm.” He smiled, looking almost sheepish. “At one point I thought maybe you were avoiding me.”
You looked at him for a second before laughing “I thought you were avoiding me.”
For a moment he simply stared at you, almost as if he was trying to decide whether you were joking, before the corners of his mouth lifted again. “So we’ve both spent the last hour being wrong.”
“I guess we have.”
Whatever awkwardness had followed you around since he’d arrived seemed to disappear with that exchange. It wasn’t some magical shift where suddenly everything became effortless, but the uncertainty you’d both apparently been carrying dissolved enough that the conversation no longer felt like something either of you had to force. Instead of wondering whether you were interrupting him or whether he was only being polite, you found yourselves walking toward the quieter side of the balcony almost without thinking, making room for another group squeezing through the doorway while continuing exactly where you’d left off.
“So, what do you do for work?” You said almost jokingly.
He looked genuinely caught off guard by the question. “What do you mean? You already know.”
“I don’t know,” you laughed. “Everybody always asks what you do for work, but work is only part of your life. So I don’t know, maybe tell me something you like to do that is not working.”
He thought about it for a second, absentmindedly turning his glass in his hands. “I sleep.”
You looked at him. “That cannot be your final answer.”
“I’m serious.”
“I believe you. I just refuse to accept it.”
“It takes up a surprising amount of my free time.”
“I’m trying to discover your hobbies, Seokjin.”
Jin smiled to himself before giving in. “I play video-games.”
“You play video games?”
“I do,” he nodded confidently even when his neck started getting red. “And I’m really good at them. Computer games, play station. Everything.”
“That’s nice,” you nodded with a little chuckle trying to scape out of your lips. “I don’t know anything about that.”
“It’s pretty fun.”
“Yeah, I can tell by the way you talk about it.”
He laughed quietly, and there was something strangely endearing about how easily he laughed at himself. Most people, especially in your line of work, had a habit of polishing every story until they sounded impressive. Jin seemed to do the opposite. Every time he talked about something he’d done well, he somehow ended up mentioning the part that had gone wrong too, as though he didn’t really see the point in pretending otherwise.
“So what about you?” he asked. “What do you like to do?”
You smiled. “I like to read.”
“What kind of books?”
“Anything that makes me forget to check my phone.”
He nodded thoughtfully. “I like movies like that.”
“The ones where you forget you’re watching one?”
“Exactly.”
“Oh my god. I actually have a section in my Letterbox like that. ‘Movies that feel like movies.’” You said excited.
“I’m gonna need you to send me your account then,” he said seriously.
The two of you ended up lingering near the balcony more minutes, just talking. Around you, people drifted in and out of the apartment with the same relaxed rhythm the evening had carried from the beginning. Someone stepped outside to answer a phone call, another group squeezed past on their way to refill drinks, music floated faintly from the living room, but none of it seemed to interrupt the conversation anymore. It simply became part of the background.
“I know this is going to sounds ridiculous.” He looked almost embarrassed. “But I’m not great with new people,” he admitted. “So I’m glad you’re easy to talk to.”
“Really? You said, shaking your head as you leaned against the railing. “You seem so in ease.”
“Nah. Two years ago you probably would’ve had to carry the conversation by yourself.”
“I feel like I already do that sometimes.”
He looked at you, amused. “You?”
“I overshare when I’m nervous.”
“I would’ve never guessed.”
“Exactly. That’s the problem, I just talk to much.”
Jin smiled to himself before taking another sip of his drink. “I get quieter.”
“So we’re opposites.”
“Maybe.”
“I fill every silence.”
“I wait for the other person to.”
“So we are a match made in heaven.”
“Exactly.”
You both laughed, and for a second you simply watched the people inside the apartment. Someone had convinced half the room to play some card game that looked increasingly chaotic with every passing minute. A girl was already arguing about the rules despite the game having barely started.
“You know,” you said, “It’s kind of funny. I would’ve guessed the complete opposite.”
“About me?”
You nodded. “I don’t know… I think because you’re around people all the time, I just assumed talking to strangers came naturally.”
“It doesn’t, at all.” He shook his head. “I still overthink almost every conversation.”
You frowned. “Seriously?”
“Mhm.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It’s true.”
“But you seem…” You searched for the right word. “…Comfortable.”
“I pretend.”
“So you’re acting?”
He laughed. “I don’t know if I’d call it acting.”
“What would you call it?”
“I just… remind myself that nobody else knows I’m nervous.”
You looked at him for a moment, surprised by how simple the answer was. “I’ve never thought about it like that.
“It helps.”
“I usually assume everyone can tell.”
“I think everyone assumes that.”
You smiled. “I’ve spent half my career convinced people can see me panicking.”
He looked genuinely confused. “I thought you were one of those people who had everything under control.”
You laughed so suddenly you nearly spilled your drink. “I don’t think anyone who’s worked with me would describe me that way.”
“They would.”
“They absolutely wouldn’t.”
“They would.”
“Seokjin.”
“I’m serious.”
You raised an eyebrow. “You’ve only talked to me like twice.”
“I would say more.”
“Mm, not really.”
He nodded. “There was a campaign dinner last winter where we talked a bit.”
You blinked a little taken aback. “You remember that?”
“You were trying to find someone’s assistant. I remember because in that event you were working with Taehyung too.”
“Ah, yes. I was trying to find a missing garment bag.” You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing. “I can’t believe you remember that.”
He shrugged almost apologetically. “I remember weird things.”
“Apparently.”
There was something about that answer that stayed with you. Not because he’d remembered the event itself— that wasn’t impossible— but because he’d remembered you in it. You hadn’t been the client, you hadn’t been the center of the evening. You’d simply been another person running around making sure everything worked. Most people never noticed those things.
“You know what’s strange?” you asked after a moment. “I’ve spent years assuming nobody notices the people behind events.”
Jin tilted his head. “Some do.”
“You do.”
“People behind the scene make everything happen. It’s impossible not to notice.”
You smiled, a little uncertainly. “Most people only remember the face wearing the clothes.”
“I think that’s normal.”
“I know.”
“But…” He paused for a second, as though trying to explain something he hadn’t really put into words before. “I think once you’ve worked around enough productions, you start noticing the people who keep everything moving. You can usually tell who’s solving problems. I guess that’s why I noticed you.”
You looked down at your glass for a second before smiling. “I don’t think anyone’s ever complimented me like that.”
He looked almost surprised. “It was a compliment?”
“Yeah. For me it is.”
“I was just telling the truth.”
The conversation wandered somewhere else after that, not because either of you tried to change the subject but because that seemed to be how talking to him worked. One thought naturally led to another. You ended up discussing the strange satisfaction of crossing things off handwritten to-do lists, the fact that both of you still preferred carrying notebooks despite having every reminder imaginable on your phones, how much you hated the smell of beer, how much he loved snowboarding and the ridiculous amount of time people spent pretending to enjoy networking events.
“So you don’t like them either?” you asked.
“I like leaving them.”
You laughed out loud. “That’s such an honest answer.”
“I always tell myself I’ll stay for an hour. Then I look at the time and it’s three hours later.” He shook his head. “Every time.”
“Why don’t you leave?”
Jin smiled. “Because then I meet someone interesting.”
You felt your heart give one annoyingly noticeable beat. “Does that happen often to you?.”
“It doesn’t.” Before you could think of a response, someone called his name from inside. He turned instinctively. “What?”
“Your food is getting cold! Are you eating?”
“I’ll be there!” He looked back at you almost immediately. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay.”
“You were saying?”
The fact that he’d come back to the conversation instead of letting it die made something warm settle somewhere in your chest.
“I honestly don’t even remember.”
“You were probably making fun of me.”
“I probably was.”
“I think you were.”
“I’ll continue after you get food.”
He smiled. “Deal.”
And he did.
Five minutes later, after grabbing two slices of pizza and somehow convincing someone else to stop stealing olives off his plate, he walked right back over and picked up the conversation as though nobody had interrupted it in the first place. It happened again later. Someone asked him to settle an argument in the kitchen, another friend pulled him into a group photo. Every single time, he came back. Not tired or with some grand excuse, just quietly returning to where you’d been standing before asking, “Where were we?”
By the end of the night you realized you’d talked about almost everything and almost nothing. Childhood hobbies, the fact that both of you hated talking on the phone but would happily send ten-minute voice notes, how neither of you understood people who enjoyed going out every weekend to party, the weird satisfaction of grocery shopping late at night. You talked about the best convenience store snacks, whether pineapple belonged on pizza and more. The conversation never felt like it needed to impress the other person, it just kept going.
When people finally started putting on their jackets, you were genuinely surprised to see the apartment had emptied without you noticing. “I should head out too,” you said, slipping your phone into your bag.
Seokjin nodded. “Me too.” For a second neither of you moved. “I had a really good time,” he said, smiling in that same quiet way he always seemed to.
“Me too.” You stayed in your place, waiting for him to ask for your number.
“I’ll…” He hesitated just enough for you to notice it. “…I’m sure we’ll see each other again.”
“Right,” you said, almost disappointed. “Yeah, I hope so.”
He smiled once more before following his friends toward the door. You watched him leave, waiting until the apartment had almost emptied before saying your own goodbyes.
The drive home was spent replaying conversations you hadn’t meant to memorize. Not because anything extraordinary had happened. He hadn’t flirted with you, he hadn’t asked for your goddamn number. Seokjin hadn’t looked at you in some life-changing, movie-worthy way. If anything, the evening had been remarkably ordinary. And maybe that was exactly why you couldn’t stop thinking about it.
You liked talking to him, like a lot. There had been no awkward pauses to fill, no pressure to sound clever, no moments where you found yourself wondering what you should say next. Somehow the two of you had managed to spend hours discussing the most ridiculous, everyday things, and you’d still walked away feeling like there were another hundred conversations left to have. That should have been exciting. Instead, it left you hopelessly confused. Because Jin was nice. Painfully, consistently nice. He listened to everyone, he smiled at everyone, he remembered details about people that most would’ve forgotten. So how were you supposed to tell whether any of tonight had actually meant something?
Maybe he talked to everybody like that, maybe every person who left one of his conversations went home thinking they’d been understood, maybe this was just who he was. You couldn’t read him. Every time you thought he’d given you a sign, your brain immediately found another explanation for it, and by the time you pulled into your apartment building you were somehow even more confused than when the evening had started.
The only thing that wasn’t confusing anymore was yourself. There wasn’t any point pretending this was simple curiosity, that excuse had expired somewhere around the conversation about how much you loved strawberry cheesecake.
You liked him. Entirely, inconveniently and undeniably.
You smiled all the way upstairs because the realization was somehow equal parts embarrassing and exciting. And later, before you’d even finished getting ready for bed, you found yourself opening the group chat from the party. Your thumb hovered over the upcoming plans someone had mentioned earlier. A birthday dinner next week. A movie night the weekend after. A barbecue if the weather stayed nice. You stared at the messages for a moment before smiling to yourself. A month ago, you would’ve checked your calendar first or invent another excuse to not show up. Tonight, you were already trying to figure out how to make sure you didn’t have any plans at all so you could see him again.
——————————
Monday mornings at HYBE building looked exactly the way you imagined a music company would. Stylists hurried down the hall balancing garment bags over one shoulder while trying to answer phone calls at the same time, assistants walked briskly between meeting rooms carrying stacks of documents that somehow looked urgent regardless of what was inside them, and every few minutes someone you vaguely recognized from a campaign, a magazine shoot or an awards show passed by with a polite nod before disappearing around another corner. It was organized chaos, the kind that somehow managed to function despite looking as though everything was happening at once.
You’d been there often enough over the years that the receptionist greeted you by name before you’d even reached the desk. “Good morning.”
“Morning,” you smiled, accepting the visitor’s badge she handed over. “I’m here for the ten o’clock.”
“They’re already waiting for you.”
“Perfect. Thank you.”
Luxury fashion PR had a funny way of making every company building start to feel familiar. One month you were spending every afternoon at a magazine headquarters preparing a campaign, the next you were coordinating fittings at a fashion house, and then suddenly you were sitting in entertainment agencies discussing contracts between artists and brands. It meant learning hundreds of names, remembering dozens of schedules and somehow keeping track of who was available on which side of the world.
By the time you reached the conference room, three people from HYBE’s partnership team were already seated around the table, laptops open and coffees untouched.
The meeting itself was surprisingly straightforward. The agency had recently signed a new rookie group whose first luxury campaign was already attracting attention from several international brands, and your company had been hired to coordinate the negotiations and oversee the campaign schedule. Most of the creative decisions had already been approved weeks earlier, which meant your morning was spent going over travel dates, confirming fitting appointments, discussing possible magazine covers and making sure nobody had accidentally scheduled three different events in three different countries on the same day… It happened more often than people realized.
“I’ll send over the updated timeline this afternoon,” you said, closing your notebook once everyone seemed satisfied. “As long as the group’s comeback date doesn’t move again, everything should stay on schedule.”
One of the managers laughed. “Please don’t say that out loud.”
“I’m choosing optimism.”
“We’ve learned not to.”
You smiled. “Fair enough.”
Another hour disappeared into emails and final revisions before the meeting finally wrapped up. By the time you stepped back into the hallway, your shoulders already felt lighter. There were still a dozen things waiting for you back at the office, but the most complicated part of your week had gone considerably smoother than you’d expected.
You had just slipped your notebook and laptop into your bag when a familiar voice called your name from the other end of the corridor. You turned just in time to see Taehyung walking toward you, sunglasses hooked onto the collar of his T-shirt despite being indoors. For a second you simply stared.
“Well, that’s a face I haven’t seen in forever.”
He laughed. “I was about to say the same thing.” The two of you met halfway down the hallway, exchanging a quick hug before stepping back. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “I thought your office was like 3 hours away.”
“It is. We were meeting with the partnership team.”
“For the rookie group?” You nodded. “Please tell me they’re behaving.”
“So far.”
“So they haven’t started changing schedules every six hours yet?”
“It’s only Monday.”
“There’s still time to run.”
You laughed. “You sound like you’ve been traumatized.”
“I’ve worked in this building long enough. Rookie groups are starting to be a nightmare.”
“That’s fair. I’ve seen some news.”
The conversation slipped back into familiarity almost immediately. You hadn’t worked together in nearly two years, but spending months coordinating the promotional aesthetic campaign for his first solo album had a way of making people remember each other. After that there had been fashion events, magazine dinners, a handful of award shows and enough passing greetings over the years that seeing him now felt less like bumping into an old client and more like running into an old coworker.
“So,” he asked, leaning casually against the wall, “how’s life?”
“Busy.”
“I expected a more exciting answer.”
“I coordinate luxury campaigns.”
“So… busy.”
“Exactly.” You chuckled. “What about you?”
Taehyung sighed dramatically. “We start rehearsals again next week.”
“For the tour?” He hummed in agreement. “I saw the dates.” You mentioned. “They look impossible. You have, what…” You frowned, trying to remember. “Three countries in a week and then another one next week in another continent?”
“Yeah.. I’ve stopped looking.”
“I don’t blame you.”
“You learn not to pay attention,” he smiled cheekily.
Before either of you could continue, another voice joined the conversation.
“I had a feeling I’d find you here hiding.” You looked up instinctively. Jin had just stepped out of one of the rehearsal studios further down the hallway, a black hoodie thrown over his shoulders. He slowed as he reached the two of you, smiling in quiet surprise when he noticed you standing there. “Oh.” His smile widened just slightly. “Hi.”
“Hi,” you smiled slightly, heart starting to beat a little faster.
“What are you doing here?” he asked.
You lifted the visitor’s badge hanging around your neck. “Work.”
“That makes more sense.” He nodded knowingly.
“Lucky for her,” Taehyung interrupted, “she gets to leave.”
You smiled. “I do.”
“I’ve still got vocal rehearsal.”
Jin looked at him. “I thought you were eating first.”
“I was.” Taehyung glanced down at his phone before groaning. “…Actually, no, apparently I’m not. They just moved my reservation.”
“Again?”
He held up his screen dramatically. “I’ve officially given up questioning management.”
You laughed. “Some things never change.”
“They really don’t.”
He pushed himself away from the wall before pointing between the two of you. “I’m leaving you to catch up because if I’m late one more time they’ll start pretending I’m difficult.”
“You are difficult,” Jin said.
“But you love me anyway”
“Ew, don’t say that.”
“You do!” Taehyung looked back at you. “It was good seeing you again.”
“You too.”
“Don’t disappear for another two years.”
“I’ll do my best.” With one last wave, he disappeared around the corner, leaving the hallway noticeably quieter. For a moment you and Jin simply watched him go. “He hasn’t changed,” you said eventually.
“Not even a little.”
“I think that’s impressive.”
“I think it’s exhausting.”
You laughed. “I can imagine.”
The two of you started walking almost without discussing it, heading slowly toward the elevators at the end of the hallway. Neither of you seemed particularly rushed, and after the last few times you’d talked, it no longer felt strange to fall into conversation so easily.
“So,” he asked, glancing over at you, “how did the meeting go?”
“Better than I expected. I was preparing for at least one scheduling disaster but everything went well.”
“You sound disappointed.”
“Nah. I like being pleasantly surprised. You shrugged. “What about you?” you asked. “Taehyung mentioned rehearsals.”
He nodded. “We leave in a few weeks.”
“You excited?”
“I am.” He smiled to himself before looking ahead again. “I think the rehearsals are always the hardest part.”
“Really?”
“I like performing but I don’t like preparing to perform.”
You laughed softly. “I don’t know why that makes perfect sense.”
“I spend weeks wondering if we’re ready. And then the first show starts and I stop worrying for about two hours.” He told you, a little exhausted. “Then I start worrying about the next one.”
You smiled. “I feel like that’s every job.”
“It probably is.”
By the time you reached the elevators, the conversation had wandered somewhere entirely different. Somehow you’d ended up talking about travel again, comparing favorite cities from work trips, complaining about airports, laughing over the fact that neither of you had figured out how people managed to sleep comfortably on planes.
The elevator arrived with a quiet chime. You both stepped inside. “Oh, I forgot to ask,” he said as the doors closed. “What are you doing this weekend?”
You looked at him, a little excited. “This weekend? I don’t really have plans. Why?”
“You wanna have dinner?.” He hesitated for a second before clarifying. “Everyone’s getting together on Saturday. Some close friends, Taehyung is also included. We’re going to a nice restaurant. I thought maybe you would like to come.”
“Oh.” You smiled. An invitation, as friends. Great. “Yeah, of course. I’ll be there.”
“Great,” he said with a smile. “Nice.” There was a small pause, comfortable rather than awkward, before he looked at you again with the same thoughtful expression you’d started recognizing over the past few weeks. “Actually…” He rubbed the back of his neck almost absentmindedly. “I just realized I don’t have your number.”
You hummed. “Yeah… You don’t.”
“I probably should.”
“That would make things easier. You know, for the address of the restaurant and all.”
“It would. Yes.”
You unlocked your phone and handed it to him. “Here.”
Seokjin smiled as he typed his contact into it before giving it back. “I’ll text you,” he said simply. “To let you know it’s me and send you the address”
You nodded. “Right.” The elevator doors opened onto the lobby. You stepped out together before stopping near the entrance, where your paths naturally split in opposite directions. “I should let you get back to work,” you said before smiling. “I’ll see you Saturday.”
He nodded. “See you Saturday.”
You watched him disappear back toward the elevators before pushing through the glass doors into the afternoon sun. Halfway across the parking lot, your phone vibrated.
Unknown Number. You opened the message before you’d even reached your car.
Seokjin: Just proving it’s actually me.
A second message appeared almost immediately.
Seokjin: Don’t be late on Saturday. Taehyung will absolutely blame someone else if he is, and I’d rather it not be you.
Seokjin: [address]
You: Noted. I’ll arrive early just to preserve my reputation.
His reply came less than a minute later.
Seokjin: Smart girl
Okay, that was hot.
You know it wasn’t flirtatious, it wasn’t even particularly memorable. But as you slid your phone back into your bag, you couldn’t stop smiling. In all the times you had spent talking for hours at a friend’s apartment and now exchanging numbers in an elevator, things had quietly become very comfortable with him. You still had absolutely no idea whether Jin saw you as anything more than someone he enjoyed talking to. If anything, getting to know him had only made him harder to read. He was attentive with everyone, kind without making a performance of it, and thoughtful in a way that could easily be mistaken for interest if you weren’t careful.
Which was exactly the problem. You couldn’t tell whether he liked you like that. The uncertainty was still there, lingering in the back of your mind every time you replayed one of your conversations, but it didn’t bother you quite as much anymore. Because one thing, at least, had become impossible to deny. He liked spending time with you.
Saturday suddenly felt very, very far away.
——————————
The restaurant wasn’t particularly fancy, which somehow suited the group better than any upscale place ever could have. It was tucked away on a quiet street a little outside the city center, the kind of place people only seemed to know about through recommendations rather than advertisements. Warm lights hung above the terrace, the windows were thrown open to let the late summer air drift inside, and the steady murmur of conversations mixed with clinking glasses and the occasional burst of laughter from another table.
You spotted everyone almost immediately. There couldn’t have been more than ten people, already gathered around a long wooden table near the back of the restaurant. Someone waved the second you stepped through the door, and within moments three different voices were greeting you at once.
“There she is.”
“I told you she’d be late.”
“I am three minutes early,” you protested, laughing as you slipped your bag off your shoulder.
“You’re ten minutes late.”
“That’s early for her.”
You smiled, making your way around the table to greet everyone properly. A couple of faces were still relatively new, people you’d only met once or twice over the last month, while others already felt strangely familiar despite how recently they’d come into your life. It was funny how quickly comfort formed when everyone shared the same chaotic industry. Then your eyes found Jin. He was already seated halfway down the table, listening to something Taehyung was saying with that small smile you were becoming increasingly familiar with. When he noticed you looking over, he gave you an easy wave.
“Hey.” He smiled. “You finally found the place.”
“Barely,” you admitted. “Your directions were significantly better than my navigation.”
“I knew I should’ve sent more landmarks.”
“I still would’ve gotten lost.”
“I believe that.”
You caught yourself smiling at the quick exchange before you’d even reached your chair. When you looked around for somewhere to sit you noticed there was only one empty seat left. To the other corner of the table, directly across from him, not close at all. You stared at it for a second. “…Seriously?”
Someone looked up. “What?”
“Nothing.” You smiled, sliding into the chair. “I just thought I’d made it before everyone else.”
“Why?”
“No reason.”
You reached for the menu before anyone could ask another question. Across the table, Jin looked briefly amused, though he didn’t comment, instead returning to whatever story Taehyung had been telling before you’d arrived. You tried very hard not to let the tiny disappointment bother you. It was ridiculous, really ridiculous. You weren’t in middle school. You weren’t twelve years old trying to sit beside your crush in class. You were a grown woman who coordinated campaigns worth more money than most people made in a year. You could survive sitting far from this guy …Probably.
Dinner started slowly, with everyone ordering drinks while waiting for the last two people to arrive. Once they did, the conversation settled into that familiar rhythm you’d started associating with this group. Nobody stuck to one topic for very long. One person would mention work, someone else would remember a completely unrelated story, and twenty minutes later everyone would somehow be debating whether overnight flights were worse than six a.m. call times.
Laughter rippled around the table. You found yourself joining in easily, adding comments here and there whenever the conversation naturally drifted your way. It felt comfortable, and yet every now and then your attention wandered somewhere it probably shouldn’t. Across from you, Jin was talking to one of the producers about the upcoming tour. You couldn’t hear everything they were saying, but every so often he’d laugh quietly or shake his head at something someone else had said, and despite telling yourself not to, your eyes kept finding him. Once and then again. Then another time. It was becoming embarrassingly automatic. At one point he happened to glance up while reaching for his water. Your eyes met for barely a second and he gave you just a small smile. Then the conversation beside him continued, and he turned back toward it. You did the same.
See? He’s talking to everyone.
You forced yourself to pay attention to the conversation happening on your side of the table instead. For the next hour that became the pattern of the evening. Whenever everyone spoke together, it felt easy. You’d catch each other’s eye occasionally across the table, laugh at the same stories, tease Taehyung whenever he exaggerated something, but there wasn’t really an opportunity for the kind of conversation you’d secretly been hoping for.
The distance of a table suddenly felt much larger than it actually was. You hated yourself a little for caring. There were at least eight other people there and you liked all of them. You were having a genuinely good time. And yet some stubborn, irritating part of your brain kept thinking… I haven’t actually talked to him. Every now and then someone beside him would ask him something directly, another person would join in, and before long he’d be caught in another conversation while you were doing exactly the same thing at your end of the table.
Maybe this was normal, maybe you’d built up the last few weeks too much in your own head. Maybe they had felt significant because they’d happened one-on-one and your brain had made the situations feel extra intimate only becuase you liked him like that. Here, surrounded by everyone else, he seemed exactly the way he always had. Kind, relaxed and happy to talk to whoever happened to be nearby.
It occurred to you, not for the first time, that maybe this was simply who he was.
You were halfway through telling the photographer beside you about a campaign that had nearly fallen apart because a shipment had been sent to the wrong country when another burst of laughter echoed from Jin’s side of the table. Almost instinctively, you looked over. He was smiling at something a friend had just said. Nothing unusual, nothing you hadn’t already seen a hundred times. Still… A tiny, childish part of you felt oddly deflated.
You took another sip of your drink. Get over yourself. The evening wasn’t about you. You’d barely known him for a month. There was no reason to expect him to spend the entire dinner talking to you. Honestly, if someone else described this situation to you, you’d probably tell them they were overthinking it. Which, unfortunately, meant you were almost certainly overthinking it.
“You’ve gone quiet.”
You looked back toward the woman sitting beside you. “Hm?”
“I was asking if you’re coming to Milan next month.”
“Oh.” You laughed softly. “Sorry. I got distracted.”
“I noticed.”
“I probably am.”
“You probably?”
“My calendar changes every three days.”
“That’s the most PR answer I’ve ever heard.”
“It’s also the only honest one.”
The conversation picked back up, and eventually you stopped checking the other end of the table quite so often. Or at least, you convinced yourself you had.
Dinner stretched comfortably into the evening. Plates gradually disappeared, dessert menus appeared almost without anyone noticing, and one by one people started glancing at their phones, remembering early schedules or long drives home.
“I should probably go,” one of the producers sighed eventually, pushing his chair back. “I have a seven a.m. meeting tomorrow.”
“On a Sunday?”
“I know.”
“My condolences.”
Another person stood and some of them followed. Goodbyes started overlapping with fresh conversations, people lingering by the table while putting on jackets because nobody ever managed to leave immediately. You’d barely noticed how many people had already gone when the friend beside you launched into a story about their parents divorce.
By the time she’d finally reached the end of the story, probably regretting saying too much, the restaurant had become noticeably quieter. You looked around almost absentmindedly. The table that had been full less than fifteen minutes earlier was almost empty. Taehyung had already left, your photographer friend was gone, one stylist had disappeared after hugging everyone goodbye. Only one chair across from you was still occupied.
Jin looked up from the beer he’d been absentmindedly nursing for the better part of an hour and smiled. “I think everyone abandoned us.”
You blinked before looking around once more. “They actually did.”
He laughed quietly. “I didn’t even notice.” Neither had you. Jin glanced toward the front of the restaurant, where the last of your friends were saying their goodbyes near the entrance, then looked back at you with an expression that suggested he was just as surprised as you were. “I guess we were really invested in our conversations.”
You laughed, still looking around as if someone else might suddenly reappear. “I feel like there were ten people here five minutes ago.”
“There were. But I think they slowly escaped while we weren’t paying attention.”
“So we’re the last ones here.”
“I don’t think the staff minds.”
As if on cue, one of the waiters walked past carrying a stack of empty plates, offering the two of you a polite smile before disappearing into the kitchen. You glanced back toward the entrance. “I should probably head out too.”
Jin looked down at the beer still sitting in front of him before looking back up. “I mean…” He hesitated for a second, almost like he was debating whether to ask. “Would you mind staying for a bit? I haven’t finished this yet.”
You followed his gaze to the glass. It was still almost half full. “…Of course.”
“I don’t want to keep you if you have plans.”
“I don’t.”
“You sure?”
You smiled. “I’m sure.”
He smiled back, a little relieved. “Okay.”
Neither of you spoke for a moment, but unlike before, the silence wasn’t searching for a conversation. It simply existed while the restaurant slowly emptied around you. Someone in the kitchen dropped a tray, a waiter laughed at something another employee had said, and outside the windows the street had grown noticeably quieter than it had been when everyone first arrived.
Jin took another sip of his beer. You were almost certain it had to be warm by now. “So,” he said eventually, moving to seat next to you before resting his forearms against the table, “did you have a good time tonight?”
“I did.” You smiled. “I actually like this group a lot.” You thought about it for a second. “I feel like everyone already knows everyone else’s schedules are a mess.” He laughed. “So nobody gets offended when someone cancels.”
“They know what life is like this.”
“What about you?”
Seokjin shrugged. “I like that they remember you’re also a person.”
You looked at him curiously. “What do you mean?”
He smiled as he said it, but there was something thoughtful underneath the smile that made you think he wasn’t entirely joking. “I think when people see someone whose job is public, they forget that the rest of your life still exists.”
You nodded slowly. “That makes sense.”
“They just assume you’re always in your performing mood.”
You rested your chin lightly against your hand. “I prefer the honest side of people.”
“That’s even better then.”
The conversation drifted naturally from there, taking the same shape all of your conversations seemed to take. One topic quietly became another without either of you trying to steer it anywhere in particular. Somehow you ended up talking about childhood, about the strange jobs you’d imagined yourselves having when you were ten years old, laughing when he admitted he’d once been absolutely convinced he’d become a veterinarian despite fainting the first time he watched blood being drawn.
“You fainted?”
“I was twelve.”
“I don’t think age helps your case.” You laughed silently. “So what happened to becoming a veterinarian?”
“I realized animals deserved someone much braver.”
“I think that’s fair.”
“What about you?”
“I wanted to be a librarian or own a bookstore.”
His eyebrows lifted. “Really?” You hummed. “I can actually picture that. I feel like you’re the kind of person who probably organize everything alphabetically.”
You gasped dramatically. “I’m not. I’d organize them by genre!”
He snorted, blinking a little slow before biting his lower lip to not smile. You thought he was really handsome like that. “Of course you would.”
“Shut up, you don’t know me.” You said like a kid.
Seokjin looked down at his beer with the faintest hint of a smile before quietly saying, “I’m getting there.”
A waiter stopped beside the table before you could say anything. “Can I get you two anything else? Dessert, maybe?”
You instinctively shook your head. “I’m okay.” You glanced at Jin and he looked at you.
“You sure?”
“I don’t really have a sweet tooth.”
“I do.” He looked back at the waiter. “We’ll share one.”
You blinked. “You don’t have to—”
“I know.” He smiled. “But I want cheesecake. You said you like the strawberry one, right?”
“Yeah, but—”
“I think dessert is always better with company.”
You laughed, accepting defeat. “I can’t argue with that.”
“Good.”
The cheesecake arrived a few minutes later with two forks. Seokjin ended up stealing exactly two small bites while you finished the rest while he insisted that if he was ordering dessert anyway, someone should help him justify it.
And by the time the plates had been cleared away, neither of you had noticed that the music inside the restaurant had grown quieter. It wasn’t until a chair scraped across the floor nearby that you looked around. The staff had started stacking the empty tables near the windows. Someone was wiping down the counter, another waiter was rolling silverware into napkins. You checked your phone. 10:54 p.m.
“We’ve been here for a while.”
Seokjin followed your gaze before looking down at the beer still sitting in front of him. He laughed. “I don’t think I’ve touched this in twenty minutes.”
You looked at the glass. “Longer. It’s definitely warm.”
“It probably is.”
“You should finish it.”
“I probably should.” Instead, he took the smallest sip imaginable before setting it back down exactly where it’d been.
You smiled to yourself. He wasn’t trying very hard but you weren’t about to complain. You were hoping he never finished that beer. You wanted to stay longer with him either way. Even if the restaurant closed at 11pm…. But the fantasy broke because few minutes later one of the waiters approached with the bill tucked neatly inside a black folder.
Seokjin reached for it before you even realized it had been set on the table. “I’ve got it.”
You looked up. “I took most of the dessert so I definitely should—” You reached for your wallet.
He shook his head. “You can get the next one.” The words came out so naturally that neither of you reacted immediately. He paid quickly with his card before looking at you with a small smile. “Although I’ll fight you again next time.”
Something warm settled somewhere beneath your ribs. “I can live with that.”
As you walked toward the door together, he stopped briefly near the counter where a small glass bowl filled with individually wrapped mints sat beside the register. He picked one up, unwrapped it as the two of you stepped outside and laughed quietly when he caught you watching him. “What?”
“Nothing.”
He smiled, shaking his head as he popped it into his mouth. “I just don’t like leaving restaurants smelling like beer.”
You stared at him for a second. “That’s oddly considerate.”
Did he really remember all you said? You were definitely making him up. He couldn’t be real.
“I’ve always done it.” He slipped his hands into the pockets of his jacket as the two of you started walking down the quiet street. “Which way are you parked?”
“I’m not.”
“You took a taxi?”
“I walked. Its only about twenty minutes.”
Jin looked ahead for a second before nodding once. “Then I’ll walk you.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know,” he shrugged. His answer was immediate, almost matter-of-fact. “I’d like to. I live close this neighborhood anyway.”
You smiled despite yourself. “Okay.”
The streets had quieted considerably by then, the warmth of the evening lingering even as the city settled into the slower rhythm that only seemed to exist after ten o’clock. You walked side by side without rushing, continuing the same conversation you’d been having inside as though leaving the restaurant hadn’t interrupted it at all. You realized, somewhere between laughing about the worst movies either of you had ever paid to see and debating whether breakfast food should be acceptable at any hour of the day, that talking to him never felt like work.
By the time your apartment building came into view, you almost wished it were another ten minutes away. “So…” you said, slowing to a stop outside the entrance. “Thanks for walking me home.”
“Of course.”
“And thanks for dinner.”
“Don’t even mention it.” For a brief second, neither of you moved. Then he smiled. “I’ll see you soon.”
“I hope so.”
“You will.”
He said it with such quiet certainty that it didn’t even occur to you to question it. You watched him disappear back down the street before finally heading upstairs. It wasn’t until you were brushing your teeth later that night that the entire evening replayed itself in your mind.
The conversation. The strawberry cheesecake, the warm beer he’d barely touched because he’d been too busy talking to you. The mint he took after. The way he’d said the next one as though another dinner between the two of you was already the most obvious thing in the world.
You still couldn’t tell if Jin liked you. Not in the way you wanted him to. He was still frustratingly impossible to read, still so effortlessly kind that every thoughtful gesture came with another explanation you could use to convince yourself not to overthink it. Maybe he walked everyone home, maybe he paid for everyone when he was feeling generous. Maybe he remembered everyone’s favorite dessert, maybe he was gentle enough to know what the other person dislike. Maybe this was simply who he was. But lying in bed that night, staring at the ceiling with a smile you couldn’t quite get rid of, you admitted something to yourself that you hadn’t been brave enough to say out loud before.
Whether he liked you or not had almost become secondary. Because somewhere along the way, without even noticing exactly when it had happened, you’d stopped looking forward to seeing him but you started missing him.
——————————
By the time May rolled around, seeing Jin had stopped feeling like an event. It had happened so gradually that neither of you could have pointed to the exact moment things changed. One dinner became another, then someone suggested drinks after work one Thursday, a birthday turned into brunch the following weekend, and before long your names simply started appearing together in plans without either of you having to ask. If someone created a group chat to organize something, you already knew there was a good chance the other person’s profile picture would be somewhere near the top.
Somewhere in between all of that, phone calls had quietly become part of your routine too. It had started innocently enough. One evening he’d called because he couldn’t remember the name of a restaurant you’d recommended a few weeks earlier. Another time you rang him while walking home because you’d spent twenty minutes trying to decide between two birthday gifts for a friend and wanted a second opinion. Then, somehow, those practical conversations turned into hour-long calls that had very little to do with why either of you had picked up the phone in the first place.
You’d tell yourself you only had five minutes. An hour later you were somehow debating whether cereal counted as dinner, arguing over which city had the worst airports in Europe or listening to Jin explain, in alarming detail, why he believed every household should own at least three different frying pans.
“You don’t need three,” you’d laughed one night, curled up on your sofa with your laptop forgotten beside you. “No normal person owns three.”
“You own twelve mugs,” he fought back.
“Mugs are different.”
“How?”
“Each one has a purpose. They hold memories.”
He’d been quiet for exactly two seconds before laughing so hard you could barely understand what he was trying to say. “They hold coffee.”
“And memories.”
“I’ll pray for whoever has to move house with you one day.”
“I’ll make them carry the mugs.”
“You’ll have to marry someone very patient.”
“I know.”
There had been a tiny pause after that, neither of you had acknowledged it. Then the conversation had simply moved on. Moments like that happened more often now, little sentences that accidentally wandered somewhere dangerously close to something bigger before one of you quietly steered them back toward safer ground.
It was strangely comfortable, enough that, when one of your friends suggested meeting for drinks after work on Friday, you didn’t even think twice before sending Jin the details.
You: we’re at Kaqwi bar around 8 if ur free
Jin: I’ll be there :)
The smiley face shouldn’t have made your heart react the way it did.
The bar wasn’t particularly busy when you arrived, but it filled quickly as the evening went on. Music hummed softly beneath conversations, the terrace outside was crowded with people escaping the lingering starting of summer heat, and inside your group had somehow managed to claim one of the larger booths before anyone else could steal it.
You were already halfway through telling a story about one of your clients showing up to a fitting wearing two completely different shoes when Jin finally appeared. He apologized to everyone for being late before sliding into the empty space beside you like it was second nature. “Traffic?”
You looked at him. He nodded dramatically. “And one very determined taxi driver.”
“Well, you survived.”
“Barely.”
“You look alright.”
“I’ve been through a lot.”
“Oh, please.” You rolled your eyes. “You texted me from the car saying you were buying chips because you were hungry.”
Jin looked genuinely offended. “I can have two problems at once.”
The people sitting across from you laughed. You glanced at Jin, unable to stop smiling. Three months ago you would’ve hesitated before teasing him. Now it came naturally. He teased you back just as easily too. He looked at everyone else. “Do you see what I deal with?”
One of your friends laughed. “You two sound married.”
You nearly choked on your drink, trying really miserably not to blush. Jin, somehow, stayed completely composed. “I think married people argue less.”
“Oh, definitely less,” you agreed.
“They eventually get tired.”
“We’re nowhere near that stage.”
“I wasn’t aware there were stages.”
“There are.” You nodded thoughtfully. Nobody took the conversation seriously and neither did you, moving to the next subject and pretending that you haven’t been daydreaming about him for the last couple weeks…. At least until you noticed that he’d stolen three fries from your plate while arguing. “You’ve been eating my fries this entire time?!”
“…Have I?” He said while grabbing another one.
“Yes. You’ve eaten half my fries. You didn’t even order anything!.”
“I genuinely didn’t notice,” he lied. “I thought they were ours.”
“There is no ‘ours. You owe me fries.”
“I’ll buy you fries.”
“I don’t want replacement fries.”
“Do you want me to throw up and give them to you then?”
“You’re disgusting.”
He smiled to himself. “I know.”
You stared at him for a second. It was becoming a problem. A genuine, actual problem. Because somewhere over the last few weeks you’d become frighteningly good at recognizing all the tiny expressions nobody else seemed to notice. The smile he did when he was trying not to laugh, the one where he ducked his head slightly whenever someone complimented him. The way he’d absentmindedly roll up the sleeves of his shirt whenever he got comfortable somewhere. How he listened with his entire attention, never looking over someone’s shoulder to see if another conversation was more interesting.
None of those things should’ve been attractive. And yet your brain had apparently decided they were the most charming habits any human being had ever possessed. It was honestly becoming ridiculous. You caught yourself watching him while someone else spoke, noticing the way he laughed with his whole face, the little crease that appeared beside one eye, the way he always pushed his empty glass a few centimeters away before leaning forward whenever he got interested in a conversation.
He wasn’t even doing anything, he was just existing. There were moments— small, completely insignificant moments— when you’d look at him and genuinely wonder if your body was capable of handling much more of this before simply giving up altogether. He was just so handsome and he got more prettier everytime you looked at him. He’d looked at you across a crowded table while stealing your fries and smiled like he already knew you’d forgive him. It was embarrassing, you’d never been this gone over anyone before.
The worst part was that nothing about it felt obsessive in the loud, dramatic way people usually described crushes. It was quieter than that. It lived in all the little things. You wanted to see him everyday, you wanted to spend time with him and talk to him almost every second. You liked seeing him even if your body went immediately into an intolerable nervous breakdown because he was so annoyingly handsome. It was frustrating.
As the evening stretched on, people naturally split into smaller conversations, the table growing louder without ever becoming chaotic. Someone suggested another round of drinks, someone else started planning a weekend trip that would almost certainly never happen, and at some point you found yourself sitting slightly turned toward Jin, the two of you talking while the rest of the table carried on around you.
“So…” you said, tracing absentminded circles through the condensation on your glass, “next month.”
He nodded slowly. “Next month.”
“The tour.”
“Yeah.”
“You finally sound excited.” You pushed him slightly with your shoulder. “How’s it going?”
He let out a quiet breath through his nose. “My legs hurt.”
You laughed. “That’s your review? I expected something more profound, Seokjin.”
“I’ll save the profound thoughts for next week.”
“You don’t have any.”
“I probably don’t.” For a moment, he watched the people around the table before looking back at you. “I am looking forward to it, though. I just…” He searched for the words. “It’s strange.”
“What is?”
“I’ve gotten used to being here.”
You tilted your head slightly. “Home?”
He nodded. “And…” He smiled. “…To seeing everyone.”
You knew he meant the group, even if he was only looking at you. So why did your stomach still flip? Well, you couldn’t control your reaction very easily. “Well,” you said lightly, “we’ll survive. You’ll be back before you know it.”
“I hope so.”
“You’ll call?”
“I will.”
“You better.”
“I was planning to.”
“You can tell me all about your glamorous airport meals.”
“They’re never glamorous.”
“I know.”
“And you can complain about work.”
“I always complain about work.”
“I know.”
You smiled. “See? Nothing changes.”
He smiled back, though there was something softer about it this time. “I guess not.”
Even surrounded by everyone else, the thought settled quietly between you. Next month would be different. And for the first time since meeting him, you realized there would soon be weeks where seeing Jin wouldn’t simply be a matter of waiting until the next weekend hangout. You’d actually have to miss him. The realization sat surprisingly heavy in your chest. You hid it behind another joke, another laugh, another stolen fry from his plate this time, but as you watched him throw his head back laughing because you’d finally managed to get revenge, one completely unhelpful thought echoed through your mind.
You’re in so much trouble. Because if you already felt like this now… You couldn’t imagine what a month apart was going to do to you.
——————————
The strange thing about missing someone wasn’t that one dramatic morning you woke up and suddenly realized two months had felt unbearably long. Instead, it settled quietly into your routine until one day you noticed you were reaching for your phone before anything interesting happened because you already knew who you’d want to tell first.
The first week after Jin left for tour had been easier than you’d expected. You’d both been busy enough that the time difference and impossible schedules almost worked in your favor. If he finished a show just as you were leaving the office, you’d call while walking home. If you happened to be awake when he landed somewhere new, he’d send you a blurry photo from the airport with a single complaint about the coffee. There were days when your conversations lasted forty minutes and others when they barely stretched past five, but somehow neither of you seemed bothered by it. The expectation wasn’t that you’d always have time; it was simply that, sooner or later, one of you would hear from the other.
Then Fashion Week arrived with its usual lack of mercy.
Your calendar became a wall of color-coded appointments, garment fittings, showroom visits and dinners with clients that somehow always ran longer than anyone intended. You spent more time inside black cars than in your own apartment, learned to survive on coffee and protein bars tucked into your handbag, and answered emails in elevators because they were sometimes the only quiet place you could find.
One evening, somewhere between a fitting that had overrun by an hour and a last-minute venue change for a presentation, your phone buzzed in the pocket of your blazer.
Jin: Are you alive?
You: Debatable.
His reply came almost immediately.
Jin: That’s not very reassuring.
You: Fashion Week.
Jin: Good point.
You laughed softly to yourself while stepping into the back of a waiting car.
You: What are you doing awake?
Jin: Airport
You: Again?
Jin: Again
The conversation drifted from there, as it always seemed to. He complained about delayed boarding, you complained about a designer deciding fifteen minutes before a campaign shoot that he no longer liked the original styling direction, and somehow twenty minutes disappeared before either of you realized you’d both reached your destinations.
That became the rhythm of the following weeks. He called from hotel rooms that all looked vaguely identical no matter which country he happened to be in. You answered from backstage corridors, quiet taxis or empty office kitchens long after everyone else had gone home. Sometimes you talked about work. More often you talked about absolutely nothing.
One night he spent almost fifteen minutes trying to convince you that cereal counted as a perfectly acceptable dinner after ten o’clock. “It absolutely doesn’t,” you insisted, balancing your phone between your shoulder and your ear while searching your apartment for clean pajamas.
“It does if you’re tired.”
“That’s not how nutrition works.”
“It does for me.”
There was something strangely comforting about those conversations. You’d never imagined that spending so much time talking to someone who wasn’t physically there could make them feel even more present in your everyday life. You started recognizing the sounds in the background before he mentioned where he was, could tell whether he was tired just from the way he said hello, and without consciously trying, both of you began remembering the smallest details about each other’s days.
By the middle of the second month, it felt unusual not to hear his voice. Which was precisely why your eyebrows lifted when his name appeared on your screen one Tuesday afternoon while you were standing outside a showroom in Paris. You answered almost immediately. “Hi.”
“Hi.” There was a pause. “Are you busy?.”
“I little.”
“So am I.”
You smiled. “Then why did you call?”
“Why did you answer?”
“Touché,” you giggled a little. “I’ve been working nonstop for this fashion week events. But I don’t know what’s worse the people or the heat in Paris—”
“Wait, wait…” His voice changed completely, a little hurried and surprised. “You’re where?”
“Paris.”
“Right now?”
You frowned. “…Yes?”
He stumbled into his words. “I’m in Paris.”
You stopped walking. “…No, you’re not.” You blinked at absolutely nothing. “I thought you were in Amsterdam.”
“That was yesterday.”
“I’ve completely lost track of your schedule.”
“I think I have too.”
You laughed. “So you’re actually here?”
“I’m literally looking at the Eiffel Tower.”
“No way.”
“What about you?”
“I’m near Place Vendôme.”
He laughed, he sounded happy. “I can’t believe we didn’t know. How long are you going to be here?”
“I leave the night after tomorrow.”
“So do I.” There was a small pause, one that somehow felt different. “Do you have any free time?”
You smiled before he had even finished asking. “I actually do.” You checked your calendar. “I’ve got one meeting tomorrow morning, then I’m free after lunch.”
“So am I.”
“…Seriously?” You laughed. “That’s almost suspicious.”
“I know.” He hesitated for just a second. “So… Do you want to hang out?”
Your answer came so quickly that it surprised even you. “Yeah.”
“I was thinking maybe Versailles?”
You looked down the street, smiling to yourself. “I haven’t been since I was seventeen.”
“Perfect. I’ll meet you there then
The rest of the afternoon disappeared in a blur of meetings you barely remembered.
The following day was one of those rare Paris afternoons where the sky seemed almost impossibly blue, the late summer sun soft enough that walking outside actually felt pleasant instead of exhausting. By the time your train pulled into Versailles, you had changed out of your work clothes and into something far more comfortable— a simple summer dress, comfortable enough for hours of walking but still presentable enough that your professional instincts didn’t entirely panic.
You arrived first, for the first time ever. You wandered toward the entrance, watching groups of tourists gather beneath colorful umbrellas held high by guides speaking half a dozen different languages. Families posed for photos in front of the gates, children complained about the heat, and somewhere nearby someone was playing violin badly enough that it somehow added to the charm rather than taking away from it. You checked your phone.
Jin: Two minutes.
You smiled. Exactly three minutes later, you spotted him. He was walking across the courtyard with one hand tucked into the pocket of a pair o white summer linen pants, an oversized white linen shirt shifting gently in the breeze as he looked around searching for you. A pair of sunglasses rested on top of his head, pushing his dark hair back from his forehead, and for one completely unfair moment you simply stood there watching him weave through the crowd. He was just so pretty you wanted to eat him whole.
It wasn’t until he caught sight of you that you started walking again. His face brightened immediately.
“There you are.” You both laughed at saying exactly the same thing.
For a second, neither of you seemed entirely sure what people who had spent two months talking almost every day but hadn’t actually seen each other in person were supposed to do. Then you stepped forward first and hug him, he held you back with easy, his hands wrapping around your shoulders and pushing you a little too hard to his chest. You giggle a little from the action, his broad shoulders and back feeling too good against your body and arms.
The hug lasted just a fraction longer than a polite greeting without either of you acknowledging it. “You look tired,” he said as you pulled away, taking his time to look at your face without fully taking his arms off of you.
“I was going to say the same thing.”
“I’ve been rehearsing.”
“I’ve been surviving Fashion Week.”
“So we’re both victims.”
“I think we are.”
You smiled. “I’ve missed you.”
The words were so simple that they slipped past you very easily. Your heart gave one completely unreasonable thud when he answered immediately. “I’ve missed you too.” For a second, all the noise around you seemed to fade into the background. Then someone brushed past with a stroller, breaking whatever strange little bubble you’d accidentally stepped into. Jin cleared his throat lightly. “So…” He held up two tickets. “I may have already bought the audio guides with translation.”
You laughed. “You came prepared”
“You said one time that you actually like listening to museum tours.”
“I do,” you smiled softly, your heart beating so loud you almost thought he would be able to hear it. “Thanks for remembering.”
“Of course.” He handed you one of the devices. “Although I figured we’d probably spend half the time talking anyway.”
“You know us surprisingly well.”
He rubbed the back of his neck, smiling sheepishly. “I would hope so.”
And somehow, within less than five minutes of seeing each other, it already felt like no time had passed at all.
The palace unfolded around you one room at a time, each grander than the last, but after the first few minutes you realized you were paying remarkably little attention to the gold ceilings or painted frescoes the audio guide seemed so determined to explain. Not because they weren’t beautiful, they absolutely were. It was simply difficult to concentrate on eighteenth-century French history when Jin was walking beside you after two months apart, occasionally stopping to look at a painting with the kind of genuine curiosity that always made him tilt his head ever so slightly, as though he was trying to understand not just what he was looking at, but why someone had chosen to create it in the first place. He looked like an angel every time your eyes wandered to his figure.
“Do you understand what they’re saying or I’m just that bad at the language?” he asked after removing one side of his headset.
You looked at him with amusement. “I’ve listened to several words… I heard ‘Louis.’”
He laughed. “I don’t think that narrows it down.”
“There were numbers too.”
“You’ve learned nothing.”
“I’ve learned the ceilings are expensive.”
You smiled to yourself. Talking to him still felt exactly the way it had over the phone, except somehow easier. There was no delay before one of you answered, no crackling signal, no wondering whether the other person had gotten distracted by work or simply lost reception. Every joke landed immediately, every smile came without having to imagine it on the other end of the line, and every now and then one of you would point at something entirely ridiculous just to hear what the other would say about it.
“I think I’d get lost in here,” you said as you stepped into another enormous gallery.
“You absolutely would.”
“You agreed with that a little too quickly.”
He laughed at you but didn’t say anything else, and the sound echoed faintly through the room before dissolving beneath the quiet voices of the other visitors. The more you walked, the more obvious it became that something had shifted between you over the last two months. The conversation no longer needed a beginning. There was no catching up in the traditional sense because neither of you had really disappeared from the other’s life. You already knew how rehearsals had been going, which city had unexpectedly become his favorite stop on tour, how exhausted you’d been during Milan Fashion Week and even what you ate last week. Instead, you filled in the little gaps. The expressions that texts couldn’t capture, the stories that were funnier in person, the tiny details that somehow never made it into phone calls. And at one time you laughed so hard you had to steady yourself against his arm for a second before realizing what you’d done. Your hand lingered for the briefest moment against the fabric of his sleeve. His bicep was surprisingly strong and warm. You pulled it back almost immediately.
“Sorry.”
“For what?”
“I practically used you as furniture.”
“I don’t mind.”
He said it so casually that it almost made it worse. You nodded once, pretending to be far more interested in the next doorway than in the fact your pulse had suddenly become embarrassingly noticeable.
The palace gradually gave way to the gardens, where the afternoon sun spread across endless stretches of perfectly trimmed hedges and fountains that glittered beneath the light. Compared to the crowded galleries inside, everything outside felt slower. There was more space between people, more room to wander without constantly stepping aside for another tour group. You fell into step beside him and somewhere along the gravel path your shoulders brushed. Neither of you moved away. You kept talking and he did too. It happened again a few minutes later when the path narrowed between two rows of hedges, your fingers moved a little trying weakly to catch his so he would take the hint. But again, nobody acknowledged it.
It was ridiculous how aware you had become of every tiny point of contact. You wondered if he noticed, and you also wondered if he didn’t. He had made time for you despite living on the opposite side of the world half the year. He called, he listened, he laughed at jokes that weren’t particularly funny simply because you were the one telling them. And yet… He’d never crossed that invisible line, not once. Which left you trapped in the world’s most exhausting guessing game. Maybe he was just wonderful and charming with all people... which, honestly, you didn’t like.
As you rounded another corner, he reached out without thinking and lightly touched the middle of your back, guiding you aside as a large tour group swept past in the opposite direction. “There you go.”His hand disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived. You tried not to think about the fact you could still feel it. You thought how his fingers would feel around your waist or touching your bare skin.
“This place is busier than I remembered,” you managed.
“It’s because everyone had the same idea we did and decided to come on the nicest afternoon of the week.”
“This was poor planning.”
“It was.”
You smiled. “I’d still choose today.”
He looked at you. “Me too.”
You looked away before your face had the chance to betray you.
By late afternoon the palace had begun to empty, the crowds thinning just enough that you could finally stop lingering behind slower groups. You’d walked for hours without really noticing it, your conversations interrupted only occasionally by the audio guide insisting on explaining another room or another portrait neither of you had been paying enough attention to appreciate.
Your feet, however, had started protesting. “I need five minutes,” you admitted with a laugh as you sat down on a stone bench overlooking one of the fountains.
“Tired?”
“I’ve been standing in heels for all week.”
“You’re wearing sandals.”
“For the first time all week.” Jin smiled quietly before sitting beside you. For a few moments neither of you said anything. Not because there wasn’t anything left to say, quite the opposite, the silence had simply stopped needing to be filled. You watched families wander through the gardens, children racing one another across the paths while parents unsuccessfully attempted to keep up. “I forgot how nice this is,” you said. “I’m glad we came.”
He turned slightly toward you. “So am I.”
Something about the way he said it settled softly in your chest. He looked at you for a second longer in silence and you wondered if he was really thinking the same as you. Eventually you stood again, deciding to make your way back through the palace before heading toward the station. But halfway there you stopped abruptly.
“I need the bathroom.”
He nodded immediately. “I think there was one near the entrance.”
“There was.” You looked ahead. “Okay seemed like everyone else also wanted to use the bathroom.” The line stretched embarrassingly far down the corridor. You sighed. “Of course.”
“I’ll wait.”
You glanced at the queue again before groaning. “This is going to take forever.” Jin looked around thoughtfully, his eyes wandering down a quieter side hallway. “What?”
“I might know another one.”
“You do?”
“I saw a staff sign earlier.”
“You think you saw one?”
He smiled. “Come on.”
Before you had the chance to question him further, he reached for your hand almost absentmindedly, weaving your fingers together with his as he led you down the quieter corridor. Your entire brain stopped functioning. He was holding your hand. Just like that. As though it were the most natural thing in the world. As if you hadn’t been throwing hints all those hours so he would do it.
You stared at your joined hands for half a second before looking back up, praying he couldn’t somehow hear your heartbeat. “You realize,” you said, trying very hard to sound normal, “if we get caught wandering through staff corridors, we’ll be in big problems.”
“Isn’t that more fun?”
You both started giggling out of nowhere, trying —and failing— to keep your voices down as you wandered through the quiet hallway. He checked one door that was locked. Then another one that was a storage. “This is going well.”
“Just trust me.” He looked at you with a grin that made it impossible not smile. A few steps later he stopped in front of another door. “This has to be it.”
“You’ve said that twice.”
“I feel better about this one.”
“You’ve become overconfident.” He reached for the handle, still locked. You shook your head before laying back in the door. “I would be already in the front of the line.”
“I was close with this one.”
“You were nowhere near.”
You were still smiling when he looked back at you. His smile slowly fading as he saw you against that door. Suddenly you were seeing a face of him that you haven’t seen ever. Your smile slowly faded too as he took a step closer. The hallway around you had gone unexpectedly quiet, the distant sounds of the palace reduced to little more than an indistinct murmur somewhere beyond the walls. Neither of you spoke. “I’ve missed your face,” Seokjin admitted in a low voice.
The words were so quiet that, for a second, you almost wondered if you’d imagined them. You looked up at him, and for the first time since you’d met him, you weren’t trying to figure him out anymore. It was all there, written across his face so plainly that you almost laughed at yourself for every hour you’d spent wondering whether he liked you or whether he was simply the nicest man alive. He looked at you the way you’d been looking at him for months. Like you were the only person in the room, like he couldn’t quite believe you were standing there. His thumb absentmindedly brushed against the back of your hand, still intertwined with his, as he took another small step closer until there was barely any space left between you. “I’ve…” He smiled to himself, almost embarrassed by what he was about to admit. “I’ve been dreaming about doing something all day after months of not seeing you.”
You tilted your head. “What?”
His eyes dropped, just for a second, to your mouth. Then back to your eyes. Your entire body forgot how to function. “…This.” Your heart lurched so violently you were convinced he had to hear it. It wasn’t beating anymore, it was galloping. Somewhere in the back of your mind you thought, completely irrationally, this is it. This is actually how you’re gonna die. You’re gonna drop dead if he kissed you.
He hesitated for only a heartbeat, giving you every opportunity to move away. Instead, you found yourself closing the last inch between you. His lips met yours softly, almost carefully, as though he’d imagined this moment so many times that he was afraid reality wouldn’t live up to it. But it did, it definitely did. The second you kissed him, every thought that had been racing through your head for the last two months simply… disappeared. There was no overthinking, no wondering if he liked you anymore, not trying to read between the lines of every text message or every smile. There was only him, his warm hands sliding from your cheeks to every part of your body until they settled on your waist. The man you’d spent months convincing yourself not to fall too hard for was kissing you back with the same certainty, pressing you against a bathroom door that couldn’t be open. Like he wanted nothing else to do that for the rest of his life.
When you finally pulled away, it was only enough to catch your breath before he smiled— that same shy smile you’d loved from the very beginning. You didn’t say much, you giggled into each others mouth, the sound echoing softly through the empty corridor, before he kissed you again. This one was slower and less hesitant. As though the first kiss had answered every question either of you had been too afraid to ask.
Your fingers found the front of his linen shirt almost without thinking, bunching the fabric lightly as he smiled against your lips. His hand romearirng around your body like he couldn’t push you any closer to him. “I think,” you whispered while he kissed your jaw, “we should— we should probably leave before someone catches us.”
“Probably.” Neither of you moved. “…Definitely.” Still neither of you moved. Seokjin laughed quietly. “I don’t really want to.”
“Neither do I.”
He bit down your neck and your hands sinked into his hair to push him a little so you could see his pretty face. You gave him little pecks on his big lips as his eyes narrowed, dark pupils looking at you brightly. But he still looked at you with that same soft expression he’d been wearing all afternoon.
“You should come back to the hotel with me.” Your stomach immediately filled with butterflies. He continued before you had the chance to answer. “You don’t have to leave tonight if you don’t want to.” His smile widened just a little. “Honestly… you should spend the night there.” He paused, looking almost amused by his own train of thought. “And the next hotel if you want.” You raised an eyebrow. “And the one after that.”
You couldn’t help laughing. “Jin…”
“I’m serious.” He kissed your lips again. “I like having you around.” He shrugged as though that explained everything. “I think I’d like having you around in every city.”
For a moment, you simply stared at him. If he kept talking like that, you really were going to end up following him across Europe and staying with him… well, forever. You forced yourself to recover just enough to tease him. “Hm…” You pretended to think about it. “I don’t know.”
He frowned slightly. “No? Too fast?”
“I think…” You smiled innocently. “you’d have to ask me on a date first.”
He looked genuinely confused. “…A date?” You hummed and for the first time he took a little step back to looked better at your face, hands still over your sides. There was a beat of silence before he blinked, really unsure. “I thought we were dating.”
You stared at him confused. “What?”
“I mean…” He rubbed the back of his neck, suddenly looking adorably uncertain. “We call each other every day.”
“I call my friends all the time .”
“We’ve been having dinner together.”
“With friends.”
“I’vewalked you home thousand of times.”
“I thought you liked to walk.”
“I really don’t.” He looked at you as though the conclusion was obvious. “I thought we’d been dating for weeks… Or, at least, I don’t know, seeing each other.”
You looked at him so deadpan your face almost froze. “Are you stupid?”
His expression softened into a grin. He took your hand again, squeezing it gently. “Okay, okay. My bad. Let me start again… Would you like to go on a date with me?”
You looked at him, at the man who had somehow turned months of stolen conversations and phone calls into the easiest love you’d ever known, even when distance could have been an end. So you just smiled so widely your cheeks already hurt.
He was actually really stupid. “I thought we already were in one.”
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Summary: Hollow and heartbroken after Jungkook’s departure, you are walked down the aisle to a man you barely know ,Seokjin. Jin demands nothing, respects your boundaries, and quietly protects you with a love so selfless it aches. When a sudden discovery pushes Jin to make a shocking decision, you both head to London only to face a dangerous situation that changes everything.
Genre:- Romance, Smut, Arranged Marriage, Love Triangle, Slow Burn, Angst, Family Drama, Emotional Romance.
Pairing: You × Jungkook , You × Seokjin.
Warning: Force marriage, Neck kisses , intimate touches, yelling, crying, stripping, misunderstanding, scolding, love letters, Heartbreak, betrayal, cheating, dragging , Humiliation, makeout, Gun hit , blood.
Masterlist
Part 2 : The Shattered Vows.
A full month had crawled by since they tore your soul away from the estate. You didn't cry anymore, your tears had completely dried up . Today, the grand mansion was decorated because the Kim family had officially arrived to seal the final engagement .
The courtyard was packed with chatting aunts and nosy cousins, all gathering around your father, who looked deeply satisfied. Sitting right at the center of the room was Kim Seokjin, looking breathtakingly elegant.
"Y/n, Seokjin," your mother called, gesturing toward the staircase "Why don't you two go up to the balcony? Have a quiet chat together before dinner is served." You stood up robotically, Jin stood up immediately, stepping back to let you lead the way with the utmost respect.
You stepped out onto the balcony the very place where your heart used to breathe. Jin stopped a polite distance away from you, he noticed your stillness, but he completely mistook it as shyness "Y/n," He took a slow step closer, his handsome face softening "I know our families have arranged this, and I don't want you to feel forced into anything. I need to hear it from you directly. Do you.....do you actually want this marriage?"
You turned your head slightly, looking at his handsome face with an expression that was completely blank. "Yes," you whispered softly, a deep blush instantly rushed up his neck, "Thank you," Jin replied breathlessly, a shy gorgeous smile touching his lips "I was so worried I would disappoint you, or that I wouldn't be enough. I promise to hold your happiness above my own, I will keel you happy." You gave a stiff, empty nod, quickly looking away.
The grand arches of the stone cathedral were bathed in the soft, ethereal glow of a thousand white candles . You were draped in a heavy, pristine white lace bridal gown, your face hidden behind a veil, you felt entirely hollow. You and Kim Seokjin stood side by side at the grand altar, surrounded by hundreds of cheering guests from the country's elite circles. Jin looked unimaginably handsome, dressed in a sleek, tailored black tuxedo with a white rose pinned to his lapel, his broad shoulders squared. As you both turned to face the Archbishop. He slipped his large hand into yours to repeat the vows. You were forcing every single movement. You forcing your voice to be steady as you murmured the words.
"I do." Jin noticed the slight trembling of your fingers a flicker of concern crossed his face, but he quickly brushed it away, She's just nervous, he thought to himself. Finally, the ring was slid onto your finger, and the Archbishop smiled warmly at the newlyweds.
"The vows are complete. Seokjin, you may now kiss your bride." Jin turned to face you fully, as his large gentle hands reached up, slowly lifting the delicate veil over your head. He leaned down slowly, and pressed his lips to yours, but you didn't even look at him. Your eyes remained wide fixed on the empty space behind his shoulder .
The bedroom was silent, the door clicked shut, and Jin walked in, having changed into a loose, comfortable white silk shirt. He walked over and sat down right beside you on the mattress. His large, warm hands reached up carefully untangling the necklace from your throat. He took his time, his touch incredibly light and respectful as he set the jewelry onto the nightstand.
"You look absolutely beautiful tonight, Y/n" Jin murmured softly. He leaned closer, gently cupped your cheek, his thumb tracing your jawline, leaning down to press a lingering kiss against your neck. The sudden warmth of his lips on your skin flashbacks the memory of Jungkook’s rough, passionate kisses making your stomach twist painfully. You placed your hands firmly against Jin's chest, pushing him away.
"I sleep early," you blurted out, "It’s a habit of mine. I'm exhausted." Jin froze for a split second, a flicker of hurt and confusion flashed through his eyes, but he quickly masked it with his understanding calm. He gave a slow nod, "Of course. It has been a very long day for you. Get some rest."
He lie down on the far side of the mattress, giving you all the physical space you needed. Hours crawled by, he lay awake, his eyes fixed on your profile. He noticed you hadn't moved an inch. Your eyes were wide open, staring blankly at the ceiling, he shifted closer.
He mistook your stiffness for a bride waiting for her husband to take the first step. He leaned over you gently, his hand reaching out to softly trace your shoulder. "Love" he murmured.
"Why are you touching me?!"Your voice cut , you violently push his hand away, scrambling backward against the headboard, he froze, his hand remaining empty in the air, he forced his voice to remain calm. "Look at me. We just got married today. I am your husband." A bitter laugh escaped your lips. "Oh, I see. So marriage just means lust to you? That's all this is?" Before he could even process the cruelty of your words, you grabbed the strap of your silk nightgown you aggressively began to rip the fabric open
"Is this what you want? Fine! Take it! If this is what a marriage means to you, go ahead!"
"Stop it! stop!" Jin lunged forward, he grabbed your wrists, forcing your hands away from your clothes to stop you, his hands trembling with a mix of shock and devastating heartbreak.
"What happened to you, Y/n?" Jin whispered, "I've been noticing it since the moment we stood at the altar. Your behavior, it's completely changed. You are not the girl I met that night when you sang. You look at me like I'm a jailer." You bit your lip, refusing to speak, a single tear slipping down your cheek.
"Is this marriage forced on you? Tell me, please. Did your family force you into this? Just tell me the truth." Before the truth could rip from your throat, three sharp knocks suddenly came to the bedroom door. "Oppa? Y/n? Are you guys still awake?" It was Alice. You wiped your cheeks with the back of your hands, forcing your breathing to slow down. You threw the bedroom door open, trying to mask your trembling lower lip with a tired smile. Alice was standing holding your suitcase. The moment she looked up and saw your face, her eyes traveled down to your bare shoulder where the nightgown strap had fallen.
Alice’s jaw dropped slightly, "Oh! Oh" Alice stammered, awkwardly lifting the heavy suitcase forward while stepping back . A playful giggle escaped her lips. "I am so sorry! I shouldn't have disturbed you two at this hour!"
"Alice, it's not" you tried to speak, your voice tight. "No, no, don't worry!" Alice interrupted quickly, "Mom said, you might not have your proper dresses unpacked for tomorrow morning. She insisted I bring this up. But clearly you two were a bit busy. I'll just leave this here and run along! Congrats again, sister!" She shoved the handle of the suitcase into your hands, gave another teasing salute, and practically sprinted down the hallway.
A whole week passed like a perfectly rehearsed play, with you wearing a beautiful smile every single morning. You spoke to Jin's mother with respect and laughed at Alice’s jokes, completely fooling the entire Kim family with your flawless act.
One night, Jin walked into the bedroom, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes softening instantly as he looked toward the vanity mirror where you were sitting on the stool with your back turned to him. You were holding your left shoulder with a tight, pained grip, your fingers kneading the tense muscle , Jin quietly set his briefcase down, shedding his heavy coat, and walked over with slow footsteps until he sat down right behind you on the edge of the mattress.
Without saying a single word, his hands reached out, gently pulling your fingers away so he could replace them with his own, beginning to massage your shoulder, heleaned forward, resting his forehead directly against the curve of your bare neck, his breathing a gentle, ."Why is it hurting so much, love?" Jin murmured softly, "It’s nothing," you saud "I just lifted some heavy bags earlier today when I went out with Alice."
Jin let out a low, breathy chuckle against your neck, his lips brushing your skin ever so slightly with the movement, before he lifted his head to catch your eyes in the glass reflection his hands slid down to gently squeeze your upper arms. "You shouldn't be carrying heavy things, You're so fragile, m'love."
The next morning in kitchen you stood in front of the cabinets, stretching on your tippes as you tried to reach a coffee box on the topmost rack, your fingers grazing the edge but failing to grip it. Just as you were about to give up in frustration, but Jin reached up effortlessly over your head,his chest brushing lightly against your back. He handed you the box.
"You know, if you spent less time carrying ego and more time asking your husband for help, you wouldn't have to strain yourself so much," he murmured, but the casual comment hit your nerves instantly, you spun around violently to snap at him, your faces ended up just inches apart. His gaze dropped to your mouth before snapping back up to lock with your eyes, a smile touched his lips. He tilted his head slightly, his hand resting gently on the counter right beside your waist, completely trapping you in his warmth.
"Always angry with me, huh?" Jin whispered softly, he reached up, his thumb lightly brushing against your jawline. "Please, sweetheart, if there is something bothering you, if there is a burden you are carrying, just tell me. I promise you, I will understand whatever it is. But never lie to me. I can handle anything, but I can't handle you hiding from me."
Later that afternoon, the quiet elegance of the manor was interrupted by the arrival of your mother, who stepped through the front doors with Lily, whose arms were piled with beautifully wrapped gift boxes for the entire family. Jin’s mother hurried down the stairs, her face lit up with surprise as she gestured toward the boxes, exclaiming, "Oh, my dear, all of this really wasn't required! You shouldn't have troubled yourself." Your mother smiled warmly, as she replied, "It is no trouble at all. I just wanted to see how everyone is doing here." Jin’s mother let out a gentle, contented laugh, "We are doing wonderfully well. Honestly, since your daughter stepped into this house, the entire home has become so bright and full of life."
Just then, you walked into the drawing room, your posture stiffening instantly as you caught sight of your mother. Sensing that you two needed a private moment, Jin’s mother gave a knowing smile and patted your arm gently, saying, "Why don't you two sit and talk? I’ll go check on snacks and be right back"
The moment you were left entirely alone, your mother stepped forward, her eyes filling with a mixture of worry and relief as she cupped your face in her warm palms. "How are you, my child? Your father was deeply anxious and specifically asked me to visit you today," she murmured. You let out a bitter chuckle, stepping back out of her touch as your voice hardened into a sharp blade.
"Why did he send you? To check if I’m still alive, or to see if I’ve finally died inside this cage?" Your mother gasped, her face turning pale as she looked around the room in a panic. "Y/n! Are you still thinking about that boy? That Jungkook?" You glared straight at her, "I never forgot about him, Mom. Not for a single second." Your mother’s expression twisted into a furious scowl, and she grabbed your arm, scolding you in a harsh.
"Be quiet! You must focus on your new family now! Look at how nice these people are to you. Your husband, Seokjin, is a gem of a man , he is so good, so devoted to your happiness. Why can't you just open your eyes and see what is right in front of you?" Tears of frustration burned your eyes as you violently pulled your arm away from her grip, "Because I don't love him, Mom! You and Dad can force me into this house, but you know exactly where my heart belongs, and it will never belong to Jin!" Your mother raised her hand to scold you again, her lips parting to deliver a harsh lecture, but her eyes suddenly caught the shadow of Jin’s mother returning down the hallway. In a fraction of a second, her strict expression completely dissolved into a bright, cheerful smile as she smoothly changed the topic.
You quickly blinked away your tears, forcing a smile onto your face as you nodded and chatted warmly with your mother. His mother clapped her hands together "Come, let’s go to the dining hall and eat something before you leave!"
Your mother smiled warmly, but your mother quickly held up a hand, "Oh, no, please don’t trouble yourself, my dear. I actually have some urgent work to attend to today, so I must head back. I'll come over some other day for a proper meal." With that, she began walking toward the main gates, chatting with Jin’s mother about the lovely weather and the beautiful garden outside.
As the two older women moved further, Lily suddenly gripped your wrist, as she dragged you behind the thick marble pillar on the side. "Y/n, take this, quickly," Lily whispered breathlessly, her hands shaking violently as she handed you bundle of thick paper sheets. You stared at the white pages, your heart doing a violent, terrified thud against your ribs as your breathing instantly turned shallow. "What is this, Lily?" you whispered back.
Lily looked at you with eyes full of pure, pity, tears welling up in her lower lids as she pressed the papers firmly into your palms. "Jungkook sent them, He sent all of them from London, some arrived right before your wedding day, and some arrived just a few days after. Your father intercepted them, but I managed to steal them from his desk before he could burn them." The name hit your chest you looked down at the paper sheets, your vision instantly blurring as heavy tears finally spilled over your eyelashes, cascading down your cheeks. Without caring if anyone from the mansion was watching, you lunged forward and threw your arms violently around Lily’s neck, hugging her tightly as you wept into her shoulder.
You sprinted up the grand marble staircase, clutching the sheets of paper against your chest as if they were a lifeline. The second stepped on your bedroom, you slammed the heavy door shut and slid the lock into place. With shaking hands and tears blurring your vision, you smoothed out the first page, your chest aching with a sudden, overwhelming rush of happiness at the sight of his messy, familiar handwriting. The first letter, dated just days before your wedding..
“Y/n, please tell me you haven’t given up on us, They forced me to leave, they made me promise to walk away, but my soul is still trapped in that courtyard with you. I love you so much, I miss you so much, sleep on my bed , If you tell me to come back, I’ll fight your father, I’ll fight the whole bloody world, but I need to know you are still waiting for your Koo.”
The second letter, sent a week after the ceremony, “ Baby why you're not replying, i die everyday missing you , i told my each friends about you , You know they use to call my eye , boba eye but since i told them my princess call them sour leamon they tease me do. I am drowning in the grey London rain, i want to run back to you take you away from that cage , make our cute little home wirh me you and our sweet sour leamons , I love you my princess, my devotion to you will never die.”
You pressed the pages against your lips, letting out a broken, choked sob as your tears soaked the paper, You were so entirely consumed by Jungkook’s words that you didn’t hear the subtle sound of the bathroom door clicking open across the room.
Jin had been inside the whole time, he stepped, his entire posture froze the exact second his eyes landed on you. Before you could even sense the sudden shift in the air or realize his presence in the room, it was already too late. Jin walked over, he leaned down and slipped one of the loose sheets straight out of your trembling fingers. You gasped sharply, your entire body turning completely to ice as your eyes locked onto your husband's towering figure. Jin didn't look at you as he finished reading the final line, he aggressively crushed the letter in his fist,
"Why did you hide this from me?!" Jin’s voice ripped through the quiet bedroom. You scrambled backward, your hands shaking as you gasped for air through your tears. "Jin, please.....I can explain, please just listen to me!" you begged.
He lunged forward, his breath hot against your face as his large hand shot out, locking around your wrist, he violently yanked you up from the floor, his jaw clenched . He dragged you out of the bedroom, your bare feet slipping against the floor. "Jin, stop! You're hurting me! Please, let me go!" you sobbed. He completely ignored your pleas as he forcefully pulled you down the staircase.
"Seokjin! Release her hand " Jin’s father stepped into the grand hall, his grip loosen around your arm.
Hours later, jin and his father sat in the study. Jin slowly lifted his head, "She loves someone else, Father," he whispered, "She loves a boy named Jungkook. Her body is in my house, but her soul....her soul is still trapped with him. She can never be mine. No matter how much I adore her, she will never look at me that way."
His father slammed his palm onto the desk. "Bullshit, Seokjin! You are her husband now! You should know how to handle your own wife. You're a man, for God's sake act like one and claim what is yours!" Jin shot up from his chair, his jaw clenching as his own principles cut right through his father's words. "I can never force her, Father!" Jin thundered back, "Being a man doesn't give me the right to force her into a loveless bed or demand an affection she cannot give. I made a disgusting mistake downstairs, dragging her by the wrist like that. I let my anger blind me, and I will regret hurting her for the rest of my life. But she is miserable here, Father. She is dying inside this house and when I took her hand at the altar, I promised her family I would keep her happy. If her happiness lives with that boy...then I will fulfill my promise."
He took a deep breath, as he made the ultimate, most devastating decision of his life. "I am going to book tickets. I will take her to London myself, and I will help her find him." His father stared at him, his anger completely melting away into a profound, sorrowful disbelief . He stepped forward, gently placing a heavy hand on Jin's trembling shoulder, his voice softening into a heartbreaking murmur. "You're too good for this world, Seokjin. You really are."
London~
The freezing fog pressed heavily against the glass windows of the hotel suite, You stood near the luggage racks, your mind still entirely numb from the fact that your husband had actually crossed an ocean just to give you away. Jin quietly closed the door behind him, shedding his wool coat. He turned eyes toward your tense figure.
"Don't worry, Y/n," Jin murmured softly, walking over to pour a glass of warm water. "I will find him for you. London is massive, and it’s going to be incredibly hard to track him down without an address and on top of that i have not even seen his picture, but I give you my word , I will find Jungkook." You didn't reply. You kept your lips pressed into a tight line because the weight of his selflessness felt like its own kind of suffocating torture.
You reached up to undo the zipper of your jacket, the metal teeth caught sharply on the inner lining of the fabric, jamming the chain completely shut right at the base of your throat. You tugged at it aggressively, a soft gasp of frustration escaping your lips as the zipper refused to budge.
"Hold on, let me help you with that," Jin said gently, stepping closer and reaching out toward your collar. "Don't touch me! I can do it myself!" you snapped, violently pushing his chest away to break his hold. Jin didn't back down this time. He stepped right back, instead he gently locked around your wrists, pinning them down to your sides so you couldn't thrash against him.
"Stop being stubborn." he scolded softly, he ignored your glares and used his free hand to unzip as the zipper slid down smoothly, baring your neck to the warm room air. He slowly released your wrists, stepping back. You stared up at him, the unanswered question inside your soul finally exploded from your lips. "Why are you doing this for me, Jin?! Why the hell are you dragging me across the world to find another man? What are you going to get out of this?"
He froze for a split second, his dark eyes locking onto yours with an intensity. A sad, profoundly beautiful smile touched his lips, "I keep happy whom I love, Y/n," Jin whispered softly, his rich voice thick with an absolute, terrifyingly pure sincerity. "That's all I want. Your happiness." The words hit your chest, you froze completely to the spot. You wanted to scream, you wanted to tell him he was mad, but you turned your head away, unable to look into his eyes anymore.
The next morning, the harsh sun did nothing to warm the snowy, crowded streets of London as you and Jin began the desperate hunt for a ghost. You walked side by side. Your first stop was a famous, neon lit recording studio in Soho. Jin walked inside approaching the owner behind the glass booth to ask if a Korean musician named Jeon Jungkook had recorded any tracks there. The owner simply shrugged, chewing his gum carelessly as he replied that they had absolutely no idea who that was.
Jin led you through three different vintage vinyl and cassette shops across the city, his fingers tracking through hundreds of album sleeves, but there wasn't a single trace of Jungkook’s music anywhere. The silence of the city was beginning to feel like a crushing weight. Finally, by the afternoon you stumbled upon a grand, old school classical music academy. You walked inside, the beautiful sound of pianos echoing through the corridors. Jin approached a strict looking female instructor asking about Jungkook.
The teacher paused, tapping her chin with her pen. "Jungkook? Ah, yes! We do have a musician named Jungkook here. He just joined our advanced songwriting course. Wait right here, I'll go call him from the practice rooms." A sudden, hope exploded straight through your chest. Your heart began to hammer, and your hands trembled inside your coat pockets. It’s him, your mind screamed. He’s actually here. You looked over at Jin, your breathing shallow, but his face remained a calm, supportive mask, completely ready to hand you over to your past.
A minute later, the doors open. The instructor returned, gesturing proudly to the man walking right behind her. "Here he is. Jungkook, these people were looking for you." You took a breathless step forward. But the moment your eyes locked onto the man you froze. It wasn't your Jungkook. Standing before you was a short, middle aged man with a receding hairline, wearing a ridiculous, oversized neon green velvet jacket that completely clashed with the academy's traditional aesthetic. He looked like an absolute maniac, wearing tinted red sunglasses indoors and aggressively vibing to an imaginary beat, his head bobbing back and forth as he offered you a wildly eccentric, funny salute.
"Allo, mates! Someone calling for the great Jungkook?"
Your eyes filled with hot, frustrated tears of disappointment, and you instantly turned your back, facing your husband instead. But the moment your tearful gaze landed on Jin, your sadness instantly twisted into fury. Jin was standing perfectly still, his hand tightly covering his mouth, his broad shoulders violently shaking as he tried to control his laughter.
"Jin!" you hissed through your teeth, your face flaking red with an intense, burning anger as you slapped his arm hard. "Stop it! This isn't bloody funny!"
You spun on your heel and rushed out of the music academy, " Y/n, wait! Hold on a minute, love!" Jin rush behind you. He reached out, his hand gently but firmly capturing your wrist to stop you, spinning you around to face him. "Let go of me, Jin!" you cried out, your voice cracking as you tried to yank your wrist out of his grip, "You think my pain is a joke, don't you? You think this whole thing is a game!"
"No, no, absolutely not. I am so sorry," Jin apologize as he gently grab your shoulder, forcing you to look at him. "Look at me, dear. I swear to you, I wasn't laughing at your pain. I wasn't laughing at you at all. It’s just...hell, you have to admit that guy was completely ridiculous! The neon jacket, the sunglasses indoors , he looked funny vibing to absolutely nothing!"
You glared at him through your wet eyelashes, he let out a low, comforting chuckle, as his thumb began to trace a slow soothing circle against your skin "Come on, sweetheart," he murmured softly,"We've been walking for hours in the freezing cold. Let's go find a warm cafe and eat something, yeah? My treat."
"No," you blurted out, stubbornly pulling your hand away from his touch and looking down at the snow, "I am not in the mood to eat anything. I just want to go back to the hotel." He didn't get frustrated by your cold rejection. Instead, he stepped an inch closer "Please, Y/n? Just a hot cup of tea and some pastries? For me? If you faint from hunger in the middle of London, your dad will personally fly over here and execute me. Do it to save my life, if nothing else."
The next day Jin led you into a restaurant. He sat across from you, his expression gentle as he carefully poured tea into your cup, trying his best to offer a reassuring smile. But you couldn't focus on his kindness. Your eyes wandered aimlessly toward the large glass window, suddenly, your heart stopped.
Through the crowded sidewalk, a familiar leather jacket cut through the crowd. It was him. It was Jungkook. "Jungkook...." the name tore from your throat in a breathless gasp. Jin blinked in confusion, his hand freezing over the teapot. "Y/N? What is"
Before he could finish, you slammed your chair back, rattling the porcelain on the table. You threw the restaurant door open as you bolted out. "Jungkook! Jungkook!" you shrieked, your voice cracking with a raw, desperate hunger that had been starving for months. You pushed blindly through knocking against shoulders, your eyes frantically scanning the crowd. Tears immediately blurred your vision. You turned in a panicked circle on the edge of the pavement, but the leather jacket was gone. The crowd had completely swallowed him whole. He was gone. Again.
"No, no, please... Jungkook!" you sobbed, collapsing right there in the middle of road. A aggressive blare of a horn pierced your ears. A double-decker bus was coming violently as it slid right toward your frozen figure. You couldn't move. Your body was paralyzed by grief.
In a fraction of a second, a strong pair of arms wrapped around your waist. Jin threw his entire weight into you, tackling you backward just as the massive red bus roared past, missing your heels by a mere fraction of an inch. He grabbed you by your shoulders, shaking you as his voice echoed loudly.
"What are you doing, Y/N?!" Jin yelled, his chest heaving, his eyes wide with a fear you had never seen in him before. "Are you mad?! You walked straight into the traffic! You could have died just now! You could have bloody died.!" Instead of pulling away, you lunged forward, your fists violently raining blows down onto Jin's chest, hitting him over and over again as you let out a broken sob.
"I saw him, Jin! I saw him! He was right there!" you screamed into his face, "He's here! I know it was him!"
"There is no one here, Y/N!" Jin shouted back, he firmly caught your wrists, forcing you to stop hitting him. He looked around the empty street, his grip tight but careful. "Look around you! There is no one here! You are chasing a ghost, and it almost cost you your life!"
"You don't understand!" you cried out, tearing your wrists out of his grip. You stared at him with eyes full of betrayal and an unbearable grief that felt like it was swallowing you whole. "I can't do this anymore, Jin! I just can't!"
At night in hotel room you lay curled on the bed, staring blankly at the wallpaper, your back completely turned to Jin. Your eyes were red and swollen, your body exhausted from the hysterical crying that had consumed your afternoon.
Jin sat quietly in an armchair across the room. He rubbed his temples, he didn't try to touch you or force you to speak. Then sudden, loud shrill of the landline telephone cut through the quiet room. Jin blinked, quickly standing up to answer it.
"Hello?" Jin spoke softly, "Mr. Kim? It's Arthur, your agent, I know it’s late, sir, but you asked me to keep an ear out regarding that guy you were looking for. I did some quiet digging through the local borough registries and immigrant logs." Jin's entire posture went rigid. His eyes immediately flew to your back on the bed. "Go on, Arthur. Did you find anything?"
"Well, I did find an entry for a Jeon family," the agent explained, "They’re currently listed as residing in a small townhouse over on Portobello Road in Notting Hill. It's a long shot, sir, but it's the only lead we have on that surname." Jin gripped the receiver tighter, a heavy weight pressing into his chest as he realized what this meant. If he gave you this information, he might lose you forever.
"How do we get there from the hotel?" Jin asked. "At this hour? The roads are a mess with the storm, sir," Arthur replied. "The quickest way would be to catch the morning train from the underground station just down the street. It'll take you straight toward the west district."
The next morning, the London underground train rattled and swayed along the tracks. You and Jin sat side by side the heavy tension from the night before still hanging quietly between you. Directly across the narrow aisle, a young couple was entirely lost in their own world. They were tangled in each other's arms, completely unbothered by the early hour or the other passengers, engaged in deep, passionate makeout kisses.
Suddenly, the carriage door slid open, and the train ticket collector marched down the aisle. "Tickets, please. Cards and passes out, if you require," he muttered mechanically. Jin quietly reached into his coat pocket, pulling out your travel passes and handing them over. The TT then turned on his heel to face the couple. He stared down at them for a long moment, waiting for them to break apart, but they remained completely locked in their intense kiss, completely oblivious to his presence.
The collector let out an annoyed sigh, rolling his eyes toward the ceiling. "Bloody teenagers," he muttered under his breath but rather than awkward makingly breaking up their moment, he simply shook his head in defeat, stepped right past them, and moved down to the next row of seats.
A sudden, breathless giggle escaped your lips at the scene. To hide your embarrassment, you quickly reached for a fashion magazine resting on the empty seat beside you, raising it high enough to cover the lower half of your face.
"Should I say something, Jin?" you whispered softly from behind the pages, he nod. "You really are a selfless man. No one else would ever do what you are doing for me." Jin looked at you, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips as he leaned in just a fraction closer.
"Should I say something, Y/N?" Jin replied, his voice a calm, teasing murmur. "You're currently holding that magazine upside down." Your eyes widened in realization, and you quickly glanced down at the paper, and you quickly flipped it the right way around.
Jin’s eyes softened as he watched your cheeks flush, a faint, bittersweet smile touching his lips. "Can I tell you one more thing, Y/N?" Jin murmured softly, his voice dropping into a gentle, sincere tone. "You look so much more beautiful when you smile. I haven't seen that expression on your face in a very long time."
Your heart skipped a beat, You lowered the magazine entirely, looking at him with genuine affection. "Jin... I mean it. No matter what happens at the end of this journey, I don’t ever want to lose you as a friend. You mean too much to me now."
A few minutes later, the train hissed to a halt at the station. Together, you stepped out into the crisp, foggy morning air of Notting Hill, navigating the cobblestone paths until you finally reached Portobello Road. The street was lined with colourful, rain slicked townhouses. Just a few doors down, a small group of middle aged women stood huddled together, wrapped in heavy wool cardigans, chattering.
Jin adjusted his coat and walked up to them politely. "Excuse me, ladies," he said. "We are looking for a resident in this area. Would any of you happen to know where we can find a Jeon Jungkook?"
One of the women stepped forward. Her breath hitched as her gaze shifted from Jin directly to your face. She froze, her hands flying up to cover her mouth in utter disbelief.
"Oh my goodness..." she breathed, her voice cracking with emotion as she stepped closer to you. "You're Y/N, aren't you? It's really you. I'm Jungkook’s mother" Tears sprang to your eyes as you nodded slowly. Jungkook's mother reached out, her hands trembling as she gently cupped your face, looking at you with pure maternal warmth. "My koo... my son loves you so much, sweetheart. He misses you every single second of the day. He writes his melodies about you, he cries for you in the dark... he has never forgotten you."
She wiped a stray tear from her own eye, and then her gaze flickered over to Jin, who was standing a step behind you. "And who is this man?" she asked gently. Before you could even open your mouth to explain, Jin stepped forward. "I am her friend, ma'am," Jin stated firmly, "I brought her here to find him." Jungkook’s mother looked at Jin with immense gratitude before turning back to you in a sudden panic.
"Oh, goodness, you just missed him! Koo literally just left for the bus stop. He has a massive classical concert at the Theatre today. If you hurry right now to the main bus stand, you might just catch him before his departs!"
Without wasting a single breath, you and Jin turned and bolted down the high street. But just as the main bus stand came into view, your heart shattered as the large red coach was already pulling away, disappearing into the heavy morning traffic. "Jungkook!" you screamed out, but your voice was instantly swallowed by the roar of the city.
You frantically looked around the crowded street, desperately waving your arm. "Taxi! Please, taxi!" But every black cab that rolled past was already occupied.
Suddenly, an older model sedan came tearing around the corner. Inside sat a young couple. Seeing no other choice, Jin wave his hand to stop them. The car stopped just inches from him. Jin rushed to the driver's window, breathless and desperate.
"Please, we need your help! We need need to catch that bus down the road it’s an absolute emergency. I’ll pay you whatever you want!" The boy at the wheel hesitated, cutting a sharp look over to the girl. She glanced at your tear stained face, slowly nodded her head, and muttered, "Hop in."
You and Jin scrambled into the back seat, the car roared down the slick London streets at a terrifying pace. The high speed made you lose your balance, out of pure reflex, you reached out and tightly clutched Jin’s arm. Sensing your absolute terror, Jin didn't hesitate, he wrapped his arm firmly around your waist, pulling you close to his chest.
But within minutes, something felt completely wrong. The car suddenly took a wrong direction.
Before you could even question them, the car stop. Both the boy and the girl turned around, their expressions completely transformed as they revealed they were robbers.
"Give us all the money," the boy demanded, his voice low and threatening. "Everything you've got, right now."
Frozen in fear, you watched as Jin, trying to keep the situation from escalating, slowly reached into his pocket. He handed over his wallet and a silver bracelet. With trembling hands, you followed suit, removing your earrings and necklace and passing them forward. The girl snatched up the items but then gestured toward your hand. "The ring, too," she insisted.
Seeing them demand the wedding ring was the breaking point for Jin. He grab the guy collar and punch him , the girl pull out a gun and click the hit. You felt a sharp, sudden shock in your arm and looked down to see that you had been hit and started bleeding.
"Y/N!" Jin cried out, his anger instantly replaced by overwhelming concern for your safety. He moved to shield you.
