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Seokjin doesn't like taking elevators. He doesn't have the patience for it, and he especially despises being trapped in the same little area as about fifteen other people. (Not that he's claustrophobic or anything ー though he would really appreciate it if parents would just leave their babies at home.)
So he almost drops to his knees to thank the heavens above when he enters the elevator to find only himself in it. Despite the presence of the typical crappy music and a very questionable-looking stain on the rug, Seokjin considers this to be one of the best elevator experiences he's ever had. Sure, he hasn't yet reached his designated floor, but at least he's sure that he won't be seeing any children today.
He takes a sip of his coffee, reveling in its warmth and perfect aroma as he presses the button of his desired floor. Ah, yes. Nothing like a beverage as bitter as your enemies to start the day.
He's handling his work just fine, thank God. Being a secretary at a law firm is a lot more stressful than he had expected, and Seokjin had always been warned not to bite off more than he can chew. But in the six months that he has worked here so far, he's established that the dinner rolls they serve in their office canteen is worth all the work.
Min Yoongi, the lawyer he supposedly "works for" (most times it's the other way around), just really cannot manage his own shit. Seokjin will need more hands to count the times he had to buy more file organizers for Yoongi. Losing files is one thing, but losing file organizersー
Ding!
Huh?
The elevator screen shows the number 16, and Seokjin furrows his eyebrows in confusion. Had he pressed the wrong button when he first came in? He checks the button panel just to be sure, but the only floor that had been pressed was the 56th floor. His floor.
There must have been some mistake then. Seokjin shrugs as he keeps a mental note to inform the maintenance crew later when the elevator doors start opening. He jumps in surprise at the sudden movement, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Woah, what the fuー"
A man shuffles into the elevator, an amused expression present among his features upon seeing the other flattened against the wall. He smiles at Seokjin as he enters, and as Seokjin relaxes and smiles back at him, he has only two thoughts in his mind.
One: Right. There are other people in the building, and they all have access to the lift. Of course the doors can open anytime.
Two: That is the hottest guy Seokjin has ever laid his eyes on.
Butterflies ー no, tarantulas ー start crowding in his stomach as if there were a New Year’s Eve party going on. With his starched white polo rolled up to his elbows and those very tight-fitting slacks, plus the fierce look in his eyes, the man might just as well ask Seokjin to bend over.
Seokjin chokes on his saliva, shocked that his very own brain would betray him like that. Seriously ー thirsting over a stranger? He’s only seen him for about two seconds, for fuck’s sake!
Clearing his throat, he brings his cup to his lips, sipping more of his delicious coffee (Yoongi would be pissed) to distract himself from the stranger. Everything is back to its element until the man reaches over and presses a button on the panel.
Both Seokjin and the man had been at each opposite end of the elevator, with Seokjin positioned right in front of the button panel. Pressing a button would mean having to get in front of Seokjin, and once the man did just that, it took only one look at his fairly muscular arms for Seokjin to choke on his coffee.
This is getting old.
He starts coughing all over the place, even almost letting go of his cup before the other man promptly takes it from him.
“Woah, let me take that for you,” the man says as he sets the evil, cursed, god-forsaken cup on the floor. Seokjin nods as he continues coughing, forcing the thought of ‘Both he and his voice are so hot, also why is this happening to me’ into the recycling bin of his mind.
The man starts hitting Seokjin’s back in an attempt to relieve him, occasionally rubbing his hand (he has big hands) over his shoulder to calm him down. Seokjin eventually stops wheezing, looking up at the man.
“That was pretty wild, don’t you think?” the man jokes, and Seokjin flushes as he sheepishly grins. “Are you okay now?”
Seokjin nods. “Yeah. Thank you for… saving my life,” he replies, internally cringing at how awkward he is. ‘And for existing,’ he later adds in his mind.
Handing him his coffee cup, the man chuckles. “Don’t mention it. I’m Namjoon, by the way. Kim Namjoon. And judging from your cup, you are… Seokjin.”
How the fuck can someone so sexy be so adorably dorky at the same time?
“Yes, I think you’re right.”
Oh God.
Seokjin’s eyes widen as Namjoon tilts his head in confusion. “Wait, no. You are right. I’m Kim Seokjin, and I don’t know about you, but us having the same last name must have been what brought us together in this elevator on this fateful day.”
Please just take my mouth away.
Namjoon, bless his pure and probably just-as-sexy heart, only laughs. He leans on his side of the elevator, his hands shoved in his pockets as he smiles warmly at Seokjin. “You’re probably right,” he says.
The end.
No, not really.
Seokjin just doesn’t know how to continue the conversation, and he can feel his time running out as the elevator gets closer and closer to their floors. Namjoon had pressed the 54th floor button earlier, and Seokjin decides that this is now or never.
“So Namjoon-ssiー”
“So Seokjin-ssiー”
Both Seokjin and Namjoon look at each other in surprise before bursting into embarrassed laughter, though Seokjin can feel his face becoming warm.
“You go firstー”
“Go on, thenー”
They spoke at the same time again! This is getting ridiculous. Namjoon shakes his head as he chuckles, his eyes turning into little slits. Feeling a little bolder than before, Seokjin puts on his most nonchalant-looking front and smiles at Namjoon.
“I guess we’ll never know what we both have to say, then,” Seokjin jokes. Thankfully, Namjoon finds this funny and just laughs even more. ‘Ha! Take that, Yoongi,’ Seokjin thinks to himself. ‘My sense of humor isn’t as bad as you say it is, you little shit.’
“That’s too bad,” Namjoon replies as he shifts his stance so that he can face the other properly. “I wanted to knowー”
Namjoon is suddenly cut off by a loud rumbling noise, which seems to be coming from the very elevator they are both in. Seokjin then feels the lift shake, his eyes wide as he grabs the railing and prays to whatever great deity that may be listening.
No, not today. Not now. Not when I’ve just met Namjoon who is so incredibly cute and sweet and hot and I’ll never know what else because I’m going to die if you let me so not today pleaseー
Finally, both the noise and the shaking stop. But then, so does the elevator. And Seokjin’s heart. (Oh, and the lights go out, too. Yippee.)
“Shit,” Namjoon breathes out. Seokjin looks up at the elevator screen, or at least where he remembers it to be. The glowing display shows the number 49, but even after a few seconds, the screen still shows the same number.
This can’t actually be fucking happening. Seokjin had always hated having to take the elevator even if he did have to use it everyday, but he had never thought it would be possible to hate it even more.
“Is this a dream?” Seokjin whispers in no particular direction. He doesn’t know where Namjoon is anymore, so he jumps in surprise when he suddenly feels a hand grasp his forearm.
“Hey, it’s alright,” Namjoon calmly says. “It’s just me.” Seokjin nods, though he internally facepalms as he realizes that Namjoon won’t be able to see it. “And no, I’m afraid this most certainly isn’t a dream.”
Thank God meeting Namjoon hadn’t been a dream all along. Too bad this shitty elevator situation isn’t one either, though. What do they do now?
Seokjin plops on the floor, crossing his legs like how a child would and holding his cup with both of his hands. Namjoon follows suit, sitting right beside him, and Seokjin would have shrieked upon feeling the other’s hand just mere centimeters from his thigh if it weren’t for the fact that they were in a broken elevator.
Sighing, Seokjin takes a sip of his already-cool coffee. “This elevator deserves only 10% on Rotten Tomatoes,” he remarks as he frowns. “I can’t believe I’m stuck here with you!”
Namjoon hums. “Yeah.”
“Wait, no, I didn’t mean it like that at all!” God, he can be so stupid sometimes.
“Whatever you say, Seokjin-ssi,” Namjoon replies in a playfully dismissive tone, and Seokjin feels him cross his arms. “After I helped you unchoke? Really?”
“I was going to say that meeting you today was definitely 200% on Rotten Tomatoes, but ‘unchoke’ isn’t even a word, so go off, I guess.”
Namjoon starts laughing, his body shaking and now slightly leaning against Seokjin’s side, and Seokjin can feel his own face go warm once again.
“You’re too funny for your own good, Seokjin-ssi,” Namjoon says after finally calming down. “But don’t get me wrong. I like that.”
Seokjin’s eyes widen, his heart thumping a little too loudly in his chest now. He’s used to being called handsome, good-looking, attractive, and whatnot, but secretly, he’s afraid that he will only ever be seen as a pretty face and nothing more.
Hearing someone say that they like him for something other than his looks, though, is a whole other experience. It’s a new feeling, but it’s a real good one. Seokjin smiles as he feels warmth bubbling in his chest, and he wishes that he’ll be able to ask for Namjoon’s number by the end of this whole fiasco. Seriously, Namjoon has to stop being so perfect. He hasn’t even added him on Facebook yet.
“Hey, are you okay?” Seokjin feels a hand on his shoulder, and he can clearly hear the concern in Namjoon’s tone. “You suddenly went all silent, so I was afraid that you had somehow turned yourself into a phone.”
Seokjin laughs out loud, shaking his head as he sets down his cup. Namjoon’s joke is so bad, it’s good. Seokjin is now starting to think that they were meant for each other.
“I’m good,” he replies. “And thank you for the compliment, by the way. You’re not so bad either.”
“Yeah?” Namjoon chuckles. “I’m not sure about me, but I really meant what I said about you, Seokjin-ssi. My friends always either leave the room or smack me on the head whenever I make any close attempt to a funny remark.”
“Oh, trust me,” Seokjin counters as he furrows his eyebrows together, “none of that compares to what Yoongi does. That little shit always threatens to fire me whenever I as much as make a pun!”
Namjoon hums, surprised. “Do you mean Min Yoongi?”
Seokjin nods, though he rolls his eyes at his mistake once he realizes that they are, that’s right, in total darkness. “The one and only. You know him or something?”
“Aside from the fact that I do work in the same building as he does, Yoongi-hyung has been my friend since, well, forever. So yes, I guess I do know him or something.”
Seokjin chuckles, rolling his eyes once again. “Okay, Namjoon-ssi. No need to be such a smartass.”
Namjoon just giggles, and Seokjin has to stop himself from clutching his chest because God that is the cutest sound I have ever heard.
“I’m his secretary, if you’re wondering,” Seokjin says after a while, and Namjoon hums.
“Yeah, I figured. Hyung had always mentioned you, and after seeing you a few times and pestering him about it, I finally got him to agree last week to introduce the two of us soon. It’s funny how we beat him to it.”
Seokjin’s heart starts going wild again, but before he can hiss at his chest for it to shut up, he decides to ask something else.
“Is that so?” he asks, raising a brow as he smirks. “What’s funnier is how you asked me if I meant Min Yoongi when you had already known me all along as his secretary. What goes on, Namjoon-ssi?”
Had Namjoon seriously been wanting to meet him for so long? He didn’t even know that such a god of a man had existed until he walked in the same elevator moments ago! And how has Yoongi never mentioned Namjoon to him? He had been missing out on a quality man because of him, that little shit.
Namjoon sputters. “Sh-shut up,” he mumbles. “I just didn’t want to come off as a creepy stalker.”
Seokjin laughs. Is Namjoon actually flustered? He is just too adorable. Seokjin grabs his cup of coffee and holds it in Namjoon’s direction.
“You want some coffee? I still have some in my cup. You’ll find my hands somewhere in front of you, I think.”
To his surprise, a pair of hands wrap around his own, and he almost jumps at the sudden feeling. Oh. His hands are warm. Seokjin feels all his blood rush to his face.
“Oh, um…,” Namjoon mumbles shyly. “I, uh, found them, I guess.”
“Not that I don’t like the feeling of your hands on mine, but this coffee’s getting colder by the second, so I strongly suggest that you stop guessing and just take it.”
Oh, fuck. I can’t believe I’ve done this.
Namjoon clears his throat, taking the cup from Seokjin. “Right. Thanks.” Seokjin nods, once again forgetting that they’re enveloped in total darkness.
“Yeah, it’s no problem. Drink as much as you want.”
“Right.”
“I know I’m right.”
Namjoon laughs, and Seokjin finds that this is probably one of his favorite things about the other. Damn, they haven’t even gotten out of the elevator yet.
After a few seconds pass, Seokjin realizes that they never actually tried to get out of the elevator. He may hate elevators, but he was pretty sure that there is an emergency button on the panel for situations like this. They hadn’t even attempted to use their phones’ flashlights to illuminate the lift. What the fuck.
“Namjoon-ssi.”
“Yeah?”
“How could we have been so stupid?”
“What do you mean?”
“Elevator emergency button. Our phones.”
Namjoon groans. “Oh, fuck, that’s right. And I have a meeting at 10 AM.” Seokjin tries not to focus on how hot Namjoon sounded when he swore and takes out his god-forsaken phone.
The time reads 9:56. Great.
“Hold on, let me call the maintenance.” But just as Seokjin is about to open his Contacts, another rumbling sound is heard, the elevator shakes, and the lights turn back on. Seokjin raises a brow.
“Huh,” Seokjin mutters as he shoves his phone back into his pocket. “I didn’t know ‘maintenance’ was the magic word. Noted.”
Namjoon laughs and hands the cup back to him. They both scramble to stand, but Namjoon is the first of the two. He offers his hand to Seokjin to help him up, and Seokjin shyly takes it, avoiding meeting the other’s eyes.
As they’re both patting their respective clothes to rid them of any dust and dirt, Namjoon clears his throat.
“Well, I must say that that was certainly some experience,” he says as he smiles at Seokjin. Seokjin chuckles, shaking his head. “Yeah, definitely,” he replies. He looks up and meets Namjoon’s gaze.
“Thank you again,” Seokjin starts, his cheeks starting to feel like they’re on fire. “I really, seriously, absolutely hate elevators, but having you here with me made things a lot less worse.”
Namjoon nods, smiling as well, and if Seokjin didn’t know better, he would think that the other was blushing as well. No, it was probably just because it was starting to get pretty stuffy in this lift.
“Thank you too, Seokjin-ssi,” Namjoon replies as he edges near the elevator doors. “I look forward to seeing you around, and I’d love to get to know you better.”
Seokjin nods, smiling at the other. Yep, his face is definitely on fire now. “Good luck on your meeting, Namjoon-ssi!” Just as he says this, the elevator dings, signaling that they have already reached Namjoon’s floor.
As the doors open, Namjoon nods at Seokjin. “Thank you,” he says as he grins. “Oh yeah, and don’t throw the cup just yet, alright?” He then winks as he steps out of the elevator and onto his floor.
Seokjin wordlessly nods, watching Namjoon walk away as the doors close in front of him. Did Namjoon actually just wink at him? Oh, his poor, poor heart.
Wait. What did Namjoon say about his cup? Why shouldn't he throw it away yet?
The elevator dings, signalling that he has already reached his own floor. As he steps out of the elevator, Seokjin peers down at his cup to see what might possibly be wrong with it. His eyes widen for what must be the fifteenth time that morning, his mouth dropping open in surprise, before he finally walks towards his office with a big smile on his face.
Oh, Namjoon.
***
“Oh, Yoongi-hyung! I forgot to tell you that I met Seokjin-ssi earlier.”
“Yeah, I know. He told me about it, even the your-number-on-his-cup-of-coffee thing. So, was that enough to satisfy your huge crush on him? Will you finally stop bothering me about it? Do I still have toー?”
“Shut up, hyung.”