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The message your friend had sent you certainly was not what you hoped for. Currently she was at home, sick in bed, with a flu or something similar while you stood in front of the building of tonight’s event, your phone with your friend on the other end in one hand and two tickets to tonight’s entertainment in the other.
Bachelor auctions weren’t your thing – not that you’d ever been to one to be honest. And the annual auction for charity the city held every year around this time would actually be a first of many tonight. But you didn’t know that yet.
“You think finding your next potential boyfriend at a bachelor auction is the solution to whatever problem you have?” your best friend asked through the receiver.
“It was your idea,” you almost shouted, outraged.
“OK, maybe I was under the influence of pain medication at that time, or something else, but… really? That’s what you actually listened to for once? I make so many smart suggestions each and every day, and the only one you listen to is this one?”
“Um… you bought the tickets?” you said confused.
“Yes, but more in an attempt for a fun girl’s night out. Not to shop for a boyfriend.”
“That sounded very different a few days ago,” you laughed and also complained. This had been her idea after all. And now you were here all by yourself, because your best friend was out sick. Good that she sent the tickets to your address. Or well, if that was good still remained to be seen. Right now you had your doubts.
You heard sighing at the other end of the line. “Look. You just got through a really bad break-up and maybe it is time to just sit things out. I said what I did as a joke, an attempt at making you laugh about the ridiculousness. I didn’t mean for you to actually go and really bid. Or, well, biding is fun, I guess, But, you know, fun bidding. With little money on the line. Not in a ‘I am going to take you home tonight’ kind of way….”
“I don’t think you can actually take anyone home tonight. Not according to the rules. There is dinner at some stage in the future, but that’s it,” you said, turning the information sheet you had gotten with the tickets around. “And also I haven’t just gotten through a really bad breakup. You make it sound like my ex-boyfriend and I split last week. And I have been on dates since then, which you should know, seeing as you set me up with most of them.”
“Okay, so maybe my choice in men wasn’t the very best choice but… you had fun, right?” you friend asked through the phone.
“Define fun! On date his girlfriend showed up. On the other the boyfriend who asked about my interest in a threesome. And let’s not forget the date that was ended by a raid of the police and the guy I was having dinner with was carted away on some outstanding warrants. Or the one who brought his mother along. Yes, dun for sure.”
“Um…” came as only response.
“So you see, it’s either this tonight, or I give upon on men altogether. Take your pick.”
Sighing, followed by the realization that there was no room left for arguments. “Fine, do what you have to do, I guess. But swing by my place afterwards with Chinese and a pint of ice cream and tell me all about the guys. Photos of tonight’s male highlights would be much appreciated.”
You laughed at her suggestion, before finished the phone call. You weren’t sure about the photos, but you definitely could provide the Chinese and the ice cream and probably plenty of gossip judging by the amount of women that seemed to enter the building.
From all the woman making their way towards the entrance someone stood out. She looked the part of being here tonight, the little cute and classy dress she wore that peeked out of her coat was on the posh side and reflected the light every time she moved. Her steps were very tentative and slow, as if she wasn’t quite sure where she was going.
“Are you lost?” you asked when she was in earshot.
She turned around towards you, surprised. “I… don’t know to be honest,” came as a reply with an uneasy laugh at the end. “What is going on here tonight?”
“Bachelor auction,” you said briefly, looking at your phone screen for the time.
“Bachelor auction?” she asked, eyes big, round and wide open. You had never seen so much innocence in a person than you saw in the girl standing in front of you right now.
“Yeah, business owners, minor celebrities, guys people might a general interest in going up for grabs tonight.”
“That is legal?” she asked surprised, stepping closer to you and you needed to laugh. Her innocence and naivety was adorable if you were honest.
“Yes it is. They do it voluntarily. Plus, it is for charity. All the winning bids go to good use.”
Her eyes followed a group of obnoxiously giggling girls that was about to enter and when she looked at you, she had a weird expression on her face. Something that looked like sadness and sorrow.
“You alright?” you asked, looking at the group of girls shortly before they vanished inside.
She nodded, a rueful smile on her face, pulling her coat tighter and turning as if going, regret pretty visible on her face.
“You know, I … have a spare ticket,” you said, holding up the two tickets in your hand and seeing her look at them. “If you are interested….”
“I don’t know. I came just here by… accident really,” she said in a small voice, her eyes going between the tickets in your hand to the building and back.
“Well, since you are already here might want to go and check it out. It’ll be fun, you’ll see. And you already look like you got dressed for the occasion.”
“It’s my birthday,” she admitted a moment later but didn’t look like the usual happy, cheerful birthday girls you were used to seeing.
“Happy Birthday then. Even more reason to take this. See it as my gift. And you can maybe get yourself a gift.” Thrusting the ticket almost in her hand, you wiggled your eyebrows and saw her blush. Maybe a bit uptight, your new friend, but you figured with a bit of time you could loosen her up.
She took a breath and you were almost certain she’d turn down your offer once more, when she actually reached for the ticket in your hand and nodded. “Okay, let’s do this then.”
With raised eyebrows you smiled at her, grabbing her hand and pulling her after you a moment later, making sure to seize the moment before she changed her mind.
Stepping into the foyer the first thing you saw were woman. Masses of woman, which was no surprise, seeing how you had watched most of them enter earlier. All of them were giddy and excited, laughing, giggling and holding onto their drinks the bar provided.
You stirred her towards registration, following the explained steps from the information pamphlet, to get registered and receive your bidding card. A moment later, after having taken care of that and being all set up, you pulled her towards the ball room.
Her eyes grew wider and wider with every step you took and somehow you felt like maybe that was how Alice felt once she made her first few steps in Wonderland.
You found seats quickly and you looked forward to an interesting evening. And interesting it certainly became when your new friend decided surprisingly to join the bidding for one of the baristas of HOT SHOT. You yourself had never been to the rather infamous coffee shop, but your best friend was a huge fan. Whether that was for the coffee or the rather well known fact that the baristas were very insanely hot was yet to be seen.
She’d win the bidding war that ended up being between her and apparently someone she used to call a friend. Who also was in a committed relationship. When she won the auction you felt that with the hammer hitting the wood, announcing her bid the winning one, she had freed herself from something. From something big – and it surely wasn’t the rather big sum she had to fork over for that dinner. She seemed happy, giddy and excited – the complete opposite to how she was at the beginning of the night.
You found it somewhat funny how every time someone from HOT SHOT came up the whole room turned into a buzzing frenzy. They certainly lived up their reputation. That was for sure. Little did you know that only a few moment later, you yourself would fall to the charms of another HOT SHOT barista.
“Jezz, look at him. He is so full of sunshine and happiness. Oh my god, I can’t remember ever having seen someone who was that happy. He is almost bouncing,” you said amazed, looking at the stage to one Jung Hoseok.
You heard snickers coming from your side and saw your sidekick for tonight nod in agreement.
“Imagine if he is that happy right now, how happy he can make you,” you went on, but instead of answering, you only saw her blush, which made you grin. “Not in that way, though that probably as well. But… happy in general. He looks like someone who will give his all to get a smile from you.”
“And I guess happiness is something we all need right now.”
“Well, there is nothing ever wrong with happiness. As a matter of fact one can’t ever be too happy. I mean just look at him on stage. Sure, he doesn’t look like the kind of guy that needs that sort of attention, but he just… is so happy and bouncy and just… a ray of pure sunshine. Imagine dating someone like him!”
She looked at you surprised for a moment. “You already went to dating? Shouldn’t you um… I don’t know, start with bidding and see how that goes?”
“Well, yeah. But… maybe I need to drink more coffee in case bidding doesn’t work so well,” you summoned and maybe you really should. Coffee wasn’t something you actually drank and you never understood the commotion your best friend did whenever she was talking about her favorite coffee shop. But after having witnessed Taehyung and now him, maybe you started seeing the appeal. You remembered the other three that were up earlier, Jim or something along the lines and two more that could be the same age as Taehyung and all of them really looked divine!
Everything about Hoseok screamed life and happiness. His rather red hair, the colorful and yet somehow also slightly mismatched clothes he wore, the few words he gave as introduction, it all indicated he was a generally happy person and not just happy tonight for being here.
And maybe he was exactly the kind of guy you needed in your life – someone who would make you laugh and who was interested in your happiness. Someone who was just a pure ball of sunshine. You assume chances that he would drag his mother to a date with you were slim, and that he girl- or boyfriend made an appearance didn’t seem like his thing. So far things looked good.
“Maybe you need to start bidding first and see how that goes,” she suggested and she had a point, especially seeing how girls around you already went in for the eventual kill.
You held up your card and off you were. This was initially just a joke, even though you had told your friend over the phone that it was either this or you’d give up on men. But then again, you hadn’t really expected to find someone decent here. Come on, this was a bachelor auction. The kind of guys that offered themselves usually were the polar opposite of Jung Hoseok up there. Not that he wasn’t hot, he just lacked the general overconfidence that went with things like that. Confidence that literally screamed ‘I know I’m hot’. He had a subtle gentleness about him that sort of said he knew he was looking good, but didn’t think too much off himself just because of that.
If you’d take a dictionary and look up boyfriend a picture of him would probably pop up with the subtitle ‘perfect boyfriend material’. That was at least your opinion and that was only from looks. You hadn’t even spoken to him yet. Of course when the auctioneer mentioned that he was not only a barista but a dancer as well, you were sold. This was it.
“You do know what that means, don’t you?” you asked to your left and only saw her shaking her head.
“Not really,” she replied confused.
“That he’s got moves and probably knows that very well. Imagine going with him to a club. The dancefloor would be on fire!”
“I don’t really dance. Or go out to clubs for that matter,” she admitted softly and it sort of fit. She didn’t give you any ‘club’-vibes. She looked more the part of someone who stayed home at night, tugged under several dozen blankets with a good book.
“Well… after I scored that dinner with him, I’ll make you. He and I will drag you out to a club. You need a bit of happiness my friend,” you announce, seeing her wrinkle her forehead. “And he seems to be an expert at happiness.”
“I’m not quite sure how you are so certain this all will work out in your favor,” she eventually laughed. “But .. um… okay. If you manage to get dinner with him and then if you end up dating, I’ll come with you to a club. Just… make it not an obnoxious one, okay?”
You weren’t really sure what she meant with obnoxious, but okay, you had a deal. Now you only needed to set everything else in motion to get there!
You threw yourself into the fight, which actually wouldn’t be as bad as previous ones. It still wasn’t easy and the competition was fierce, but at least it went somewhat ok.
From your seats you were close enough to see the stage perfectly and also that whoever was on stage could see you somewhat ok-ish. And when Hoseok spotted you and your eager bidding, the smile he threw your way was all the encouragement you needed that this was the best thing you ever did. He was going to be yours. Or well… that dinner was yours. And then you’d make him yours. Somehow.
“How high do you plan on going?”
“As high as is necessary to score that dinner. And get you out dancing, my friend,” you laughed, holding your card up again, announcing your next bid.
“Is getting me to a club your motivation?” she asked amused and you needed to grin.
“No, he is,” you assured her, pointing towards the stage. “You are just a gift thrown into all of this.”
In between bouts of bidding you managed to text your best friend an update of tonight and that you were in the middle of bidding for someone. She replied back almost immediately, asking you to call her the moment you finished this insanity.
You rolled your eyes. It had been her idea to come here in the first place. And you were almost certain hadn’t she been out sick, she would have gotten herself in some serious bidding wars for one the HOT SHOT guys as well. No doubt about that. You wondered for a moment whether you should tell her that little detail – that the guy you were bidding on was from HOT SHOT – but figured it’d be way more exciting to tell her afterwards.
The fact that he was also a dancer seemed to have fueled on a lot of the girls here tonight. Not that you could blame them really. He knew how to move, probably make you feel all good and was a ray of sunshine. What else could you possibly need? He was the perfect guy to help you regain your faith in men, there was no doubt about that.
Bidding was steady but it quickly became apparent that most of the girls didn’t have the funds to compete with you. Not that you were rich. Or had plenty of money to throw around, but you lived a fairly basic life and were able to put money away. Of course that had always been your fund for times that were harder and you needed money. But you figured, the definition of ‘hard times’ could definitely be applied to the fact that you had lost faith in love and men and Hoseok was there to change that. Call it therapy or something like that! This probably was cheaper than actual therapy anyway.
There wasn’t as much catfights or wars for Hoseok than for previous HOT SHOT guys, not that you minded, thank you. As a matter of fact the whole bidding was fairly ok, not as expensive as you’d have expected and went really smooth. There seemed only a few really seriously interested girls and they actually quickly bowed out, leaving only you to take home the grand prize – figuratively speaking.
You clapped excitedly when the announcement was made that your bid was the winning one, which got you a laugh from Hoseok on stage and an amused giggle from your left.
“You better go home tonight and find your dancing shoes,” you announced happily, watching your guy walk off stage to wherever they all went afterwards. His backside, you decided, would have been another argument for this being the best things had done in a while. Clad in tight jeans, you got a very good impression what exactly was hidden under all the denim.
After that things went became kind of dull. But who could blame you, the highlight clearly had been Hoseok anyway. And with him now gone, what was left?
“Come on, Cinderella. Time to pay for your Prince Charming and to find your carriage back home,” you finally announced, grabbing your coat and purse and pulling your new friend from the left after you.
On the way to the registry there had been a few discussions and last minute second thoughts coming from her, but when you watched her bump into the guy she had bid on, all your worries were gone. He was the charmer you expected him to be and they would be just fine.
“I think I’ve never seen anyone as excited about me then you,” you heard a soft voice coming from your side. Turing towards the sound you found yourself face to face with Hoseok, who still looked as happy now as back on stage. In person he was even more strikingly beautiful then up on stage. And seemed even more happy and bouncy.
“And I think I’ve never seen anyone quite as happy like you. Ever. It’s like looking directly at the sun,” you admitted smiling and which he smiled back.
“I look forward to your dinner.”
“And I look forward to hopefully getting a very good first impression on these dancing skills you possess,” you grinned, seeing him laugh at you.
“So no dinner then?” he asked amused at which you spent a moment thinking.
“How about we start with an early dinner and see what else the night has on offer?” you asked, seeing him grin and nod.
“Let’s do that,” he agreed and was gone a moment later.
With him gone you saw your friend having finished whatever she had been talking about with her guy and making her way towards you now. You did also notice the cold shoulder she gave the girls she had called friends at some stage. Good for her. You didn’t know what exactly happened, but you figured whatever it was that been going on, her kicking them out of her life was only for the better.
“I found my Prince Charming,” she laughed towards you, which made you laugh as well.
“Good,” you nodded, before remembering something. You opened your purse and rummaged through it until you found your phone. “Now all that is left to do is for you to give me your number so we can make sure that date for dancing with me and my guy can get arranged.”
The surprised look she gave you told you she already half forgotten about that. Or didn’t take it seriously. Ha. As if. This would probably turn out to be a fun night when it was arranged. You had no doubt about that.
A moment later she handed you your phone back and you grinned at her.
Now all you had to do was to arrange Chinese and a pint of ice cream. And figure out a way of how to tell your best friend you had just won the bidding for someone from HOT SHOT.
She’d be thrilled, no doubt, and then would probably ask for you to get her the number of someone from there. And that was when you’d tell her, that apparently all of them had gone to their own personal highest bidder tonight!