Archive of Our Own

Gold Rush  

"And you’re absolutely sure that this will work?" your coworker whispered to another. 

"Of course! The etsy shop owner said her hexes always work. Soon, he will be my boyfriend!" the other woman said, a long sigh ending her sentence. Both of them shared a look before they started to squeal and giggle. You almost dropped your coffee mug at the shrill sound. "Sorry!" They apologized when they noticed you hovering in the kitchen. They shared a knowing look and left the office kitchen giggling. 

The number one topic of the past few months in the office had been the newest addition to the team: Seokjin Kim. Thanks to his gorgeous face, there were women and men all over your company that were head over heels for that man. 

People would regularly ask Seokjin out. But he’d decline each and every one, rejecting them ever so softly that nobody held a grudge. You were walking past a meeting room one day when you accidentally eavesdropped on Seokjin with another person from Sales. “I really appreciate that you asked me out but I have my eyes set on another very special person. I am truly sorry that I am not able to go out with you but my heart is only set on them.” A short sniff and then you heard him offering a hug. Shaking your head you decided to go further and no longer be a witness to that scene. 

Soon, even a Slack channel was opened for all fans of Seokjin. People would praise his daily looks and occasionally post photos of him. Of course, HR tried to step in and undermine this, but Seokjin’s magnetic force was stronger than any HR rule. So, the Slack Channel “Worldwide Handsome” stayed.

It’s not like you were not attracted to him. Quite the contrary, with his tall physique and athletic form he reminded you quite a bit of your childhood crush Tuxedo Mask. 

Seokjin always looked like an idol or drama actor. If anyone had asked you, you would bet your life on it that he would look even more devastating in a historical K-Drama costume (but you kept that thought for yourself since you didn’t want to join the slack channel). He usually wore pants with button down shirts in various shades of pale blue and occasionally a blush pink. For serious business meetings he would wear glasses, claiming he’d be able to see the facts better (he always claims that the pun is 100% intended). 

Seokjin was always friendly and polite. His lips always carried a friendly smile, and he was known for his, sometimes terrible, jokes in the office but still everyone loved them. He held open doors for others and brought snacks regularly for everyone. He loved to chat in the breakroom whenever his calendar was free. Everyone was greeted with a smile and a friendly hello when he walked around in the morning. Seokjin was any mother’s dream son-in-law. 

In short: Everyone in the office had a crush on him. Except you.

♡

The first time you had really talked to Seokjin had been a very hectic and chaotic day for you. Your coworker Yoongi and you had been swamped in a pool of neverending tickets, all marked high priority.

Seokjin had stopped by your tiny and cramped office to say hello. You threw him only a quick smile and a “Welcome aboard” and had gotten back to your tickets. You tucked a stray strand of hair behind your hair, a nervous habit of yours. Seokjin’s eyes seemed to hover on you for a few seconds longer than usual, his body stuck in a weird tango of taking a step forward and backwards. “Hi,” he breathed before turning his head back to Yoongi. 

“Sorry, we’re kinda swamped today. Come by next time, okay?” Yoongi said, his eyes not leaving the desktop in front of him.

 “Sure, no problem. See you, Yoongi. ___.”  

Unsure what to make of the way he said your name, you smiled back and got back to work. You didn’t think anything of it, anyway. 

♡

The second time you talked to Seokjin was on a lunch break. Yoongi was working from home which left you alone in your 2-person office. Forced to spend your break alone, you took a seat at one of the communal tables. 

In your peripheral vision, you saw someone putting their lunch box across from you on the table. You looked up and looked straight into Seokjin’s face. He was smiling shyly, but there was a spark in his eyes. It was odd to you that a person’s eyes could sparkle that much but you found it oddly charming.

“Hi. Can I join you for lunch?” Seokjin said as he opened his lunch box. “Uh… sure.” you answered, eyeing what the office heartthrob would bring to lunch. He noticed you staring and smiled again. The content of that box was full of all kinds of side dishes and something you couldn’t recognise. “Good. Would be a shame if we had to have our lunch all alone.” he said and started to dig into his food. 

You were just about to say that Seokjin most definitely wouldn’t have the problem of spending a lunch alone ever but then you saw him stuff his face with food. It was not elegant in any way and you got the impression that he would unhinge his jaw if he had to. He was shoving a piece of mango vertically into his mouth when he caught you looking and he stopped. Seokjin coughed in embarassement and tried to take a smaller bite of that piece. 

“Sorry. I just love to eat, especially when it’s delicious.” he said, clearly flustered. You blinked to take your eyes from that rose coloured blush on his cheeks. “No, I get it. I’d be the same if the food was delicious.” you said and dug your fork into the pasta salad. Seokjin watched you and then looked at your lunch. 

He pushed his lunch box into the middle of the table, easy for him and you to reach.  “I made way too much. Care to share?” he asked, leaning slightly forward, as if he were to share a secret with you. “Why would you share your lunch with me?” you met his eyes. “Because you haven’t eaten a single piece since I’ve joined you and something tells me your food is not delicious. So… dig in.” He nudged the food towards you. 

You tried to ignore the tiny flicker of excitement in your chest. Seokjin was probably just nice to you, because he was right. Your salad was shit. He nudged the lunchbox another centimeter closer to you. Beckoning you. Inviting you. You tucked a strand of hair behind your ear and hesitantly picked up your fork again and went for what seemed to be glazed sweet potatoes. 

With his disarming smile and charm, how were you able to say no to food? You pretended not to notice Seokjin casting glances at you and smiling whenever you said that the food was delicious. 

Help

From your peripheral vision a flash drive appeared right under your nose. Long, slightly crooked fingers were wrapped around it. 

You looked up, from the screen and the never ending backlog of tickets. Seokjin was standing in front of your desk, smiling slightly at you. It was a sight for your (work) sore eyes. 

For a second you just stared at each other, before he cleared his throat and quickly looked away. Out of habit, your fingers found a strand of hair and tucked it behind your ear. “I need your help.” Seokjin said, voice cracking at the end. You had to do some very quick meditation in order not to laugh because that voice crack had been funny. You didn’t want to spook Seokjin in front of you and most of all you didn’t want to laugh at him.  

His reaction to his voice crack was endearing. His neck, face and ears turned all bright pink. Lips pressed together, head ducked, eyes focused on the ground, hands fisted together. He looked like he wanted the floor to open up and devour him.

You managed to mask your rising laugh into a cough. “What can I do for you?” you asked, eyeing the flash drive in his hands. 

“My presentation for this quarterly meeting was on it and I deleted it and all my work is gone and I have to present this on Thursday.” 

He was speaking fast, almost rambling, not meeting your eye. He was probably still embarrassed. But the sight of him, this shy, was kind of endearing. 

You blew air into your cheeks, looking like a pufferfish for a second, before releasing the air. 

“Why don’t you use the company sharepoint?” you asked straight to the point. It may have sounded more forward than you intended to. Finally, Seokjin managed to look at you, again. The flush in his skin had vanished, for the most part. 

To be frank, you didn’t feel like restoring deleted stuff from a flash drive. It had nothing to do with Seokjin himself, but the task itself was … just annoying. Secretly, you hoped Yoongi would barge in every second, so he could take over. 

“I’ll never find my stuff on there, it’s vanishing like magic, poof! And I kind of like using reliable technology.“ The last sentence he uttered more quietly. Probably because he had realized that his so called reliable technology had failed him. 

You just stared at him, trying to manifest Yoongi on your office doorstep for the last time. To no avail, your coworker would not magically appear to take over tasks you didn’t feel like doing.  

“You should take another sharepoint training. It’s not that hard, you know? And I’m pretty sure you’re smart enough. I mean you work in Business Dev, right?” you asked, holding out your hand for the small device in Seokjin’s hand.  Seokjin’s chest puffed out with pride with your hidden compliment. He didn’t care that you didn’t seem to notice what you said meant to him. He liked that you seemed to mean it. 

“I need your flash drive.” Your arm was still stretched out towards Seokjin, your hand opening and closing in a beckoning move. 

With your other arm you searched for the recovery program on your laptop. You felt the weight of the flash drive on your hand, Seokjin’s fingers grazing your skin for the slightest of seconds. At the contact you looked up and he looked like a deer in headlights. 

“Thank you. This will take only a couple of minutes. You can either sit on Yoongi’s chair or you can get yourself a coffee and come back.” you said, as you started the process. 

“I guess I’ll get a coffee. Do you want something, too?” 

Your eyes flickered back up. When people usually came in for Yoongi’s or your help, they’d decide to get a coffee. But Seokjin was the first one to ask if you’d like one too. You gave him a smile and nodded. “Sure. I have a cappuccino please.” With a slightly improved mood you started to recover the file. 

♡

The door to your office opened. Without looking up from your screen you already knew who it was. You had recognized his silhouette through the milky glass panels that separated your office from the others. 

„Can you help me again?“ Seokjin stood by the door, his signature alpaca smile on his face. You noticed it a couple weeks ago. Down to the curve of his lips as well as the slightly puffed cheeks and crinkled eyes - he looked like an alpaca to you when he smiled like that. 

“Do you know that you look like an alpaca when you smile like that?” The words were out of your mouth before you had any time to think. Seokjin blinked and the only reaction you were able to show was to clap your hand in front of your mouth before you spilled more nonsense. 

“I … what? Alpaca?!” Seokjin was more than confused. 

“Sorry, that was really out of line as a coworker. Please ignore what I said.” you quickly apologized. “O-Okay.” 

 “Did you delete your flash drive again?” You were desparate to change the topic. Seokjin chuckled. “No, since you showed me how to use the sharepoint I had no problems with deleted files.” 

You remembered how Seokjin had hung at your lips as you showed him how to use the company sharepoint. Seokjin noticed a small smile creeping up your lips. “What did you do this time, then?” The smile on your face vanished as soon as you began to speak again, making place for an expectant expression. 

Seokjin tried to stall for some time, the matter somewhat embarrassing for him. But the longer he just stood there, fumbling with his laptop in his lands, the more awkward this whole situation would become. 

“IhadtoomanyloginattemptsandnowitsaysImlockedout.” He sounded breathless with how quickly he spoke. The only words you could make out were login and locked. Your brows furrowed slightly as you tried to interpret Seokjin’s impromptu rap.

“You’re locked out of your laptop, did I get this right?” you asked for better understanding.

Seokjin sighed and nodded. 

“Did you forget your password?” you asked. 

Seokjin nodded again.

“It said I should reset it due to company rules but I forgot to write it down and well … you know the rest. I am just a man standing in front of his favourite IT coworker asking her to restore his laptop login.” 

You tried to not to give too much significance to Seokjin admitting you were his favourite IT coworker. Not that he had too much choice between you and Yoongi, but still. 

“Did you just Anna Scott me?” 

Seokjin’s lips curved into a shy smile. “Maybe?”

His eyes were watching your reaction, delighted, as he saw you chuckling to yourself. You had to give it to Seokjin. He could be really charming if he wanted to.  “Wow, okay, Julia Roberts. I would very much like to help you, but this is actually one of Yoongi’s responsibilities. He will kill me if I do this instead of him. He loves restoring laptop logins.”

The smile on Seokjin’s face faltered.  “You won’t make an exception?” he asked, eyes like a puppy, his lips in a small pout.

“And risk Yoongi giving me all the shit tasks for the rest of the month? No. Not even for you.” 

Speaking of the devil, Yoongi stepped into the office, two cups of coffee in his hands, hair slightly disheveled from his typical brisk walk. Wordlessly, he placed a cup on your desk, just nodding at Seokjin, before sitting down at his own desk. “Sorry, didn’t know you’re here, hyung, otherwise I would’ve brought you also a coffee.” He didn’t even look at him, but started clicking around to wake up his laptop. 

You were slightly flabbergasted at Yoongi’s choice of words.

“Why are you calling him hung, Yoongi? I don’t need to know that!” You complained.  

Seokjin and Yoongi started to cough, both of them turning red. 

“Not hung, but hyung. But I guess it’s only fair to call him both-”

“NO! Stop it right here, Yoongi! Or I’ll report you to HR!” you quickly intervened, but Yoongi just started to laugh.

“Hyung is a male honorific we use for someone older than us. I am older than Yoongi, so he calls me hyung.” Seokjin explained, still deep red.

“Okay. I see. Would I call you that, too?” you asked, genuinely curious about this honorific system. 

“No. But you can call me oppa, if you’d like.” Seokjin said with a mischievous grin. 

“Yeah, you would like that, wouldn’t you!” Yoongi huffed and rolled over in his chair to your desk.

“Actually, I’d prefer princess-” 

“Don’t call him any of that. It will all get to his head.” Yoongi interrupted Seokjin, nudging the cup of coffee towards you. 

“Why?” you asked, confused.

“Look it up and you’ll know.” was all Yoongi said as he gave Seokjin a pointed look.

Seokjin snorted. 

“Why are you even here?” Yoongi asked, sipping his hot coffee like it was an iced americano. 

“She won’t restore my laptop login because she said it’s your favourite task.” Seokjin said before you could even open your mouth. Yoongi looked between Seokjin and you. He shrugged his shoulders.

“You said no?” he asked you. 

“Of course, I’m not crazy. Also I don’t want to do the shit tasks.” you explained your reasoning.

Yoongi shrugged his shoulders again. “You can do it. I have some other stuff I need to focus on.” he said, rolling back to his desk. 

You just stared at Yoongi. He never let you restore laptop logins. But now, he was non-chalantly sliding his headphones over his ears, blocking out whatever noise was around him. He didn’t pay you any attention at all anymore.

You swivelled your chair to face Seokjin, who was grinning at you. 

“___. HELP!” he held out his laptop to you. 

Seokjin was peeking over at the screen as he  watched you work. You didn’t realize how close he came until your shoulders nearly brushed. You turned your head, almost face to face with him. Seokjin pulled back slightly, mumbling an apology. 

Seokjin liked how focused you were and how everything else seemed to vanish around you. Carefully, he mapped how your brows slightly furrowed as you typed. The way your lips pressed together as you waited for something to boot up. How you would stretch your neck slightly when you waited for the laptop to do its work. 

An interface popped up and you looked for the assigned laptop number. It was silent in your office, except for the quiet sound of you typing and Yoongi*s occasional clicking. 

„You look like a hacker.“ Seokjin interrupted the silence in a whisper.

Broken from your spell,. you turned to look at him. 

„Technically, I am hacking your account.“ A gleeful smirk appeared on your lips. 

Would you smirk at him like this when you’d beat him at Mario Kart? For a shocking second, he thought he wouldn’t even cheat to win. Just to see that smirk again. Seokjin‘s eyes followed the corner of your mouth going up and stayed there for longer than a second. Your eyes followed his line of sight. His eyes flickered right back up, meeting yours. Instead of looking away, neither of you did. He was clearly flustered and tried to cover it up with a cough. 

Silently, you went back to work and Seokjin was trying hard to keep his eyes on the screen. 

It looked all so complicated to him as he watched you type in several commands and click different fields. After what felt like an eternity for Seokjin but in reality was just a couple of clicks for you, you nudged the laptop back to him, the stoppers on the bottom making a squeaking sound. 

„You will need to set a new password“ was all you said. 

Seokjin pulled the laptop over to him and set up a new password.

“Don’t forget to write it down or you’ll be here again in 5 minutes.” you reminded him. You were resting your head on your hand, watching him. Seokjin felt like he was under a magnifying glass under your attention.  Seokjin nodded. “Yes; I’ll do that. O-okay, bye. Thank you, bye!” Seokjin stammered and left your office. 

Just as the door closed, Yoongi slid down his headphones and swivelled the chair over to face you. 

"He's so into you." Yoongi said with a shit-eating grin.

“Were you listening to us the whole time?!” you swivelled too, giving him an eyeful. 

“No, just the last few bits. My music went out. You know he’s into you, right?” Yoongi took another sip of his almost finished coffee. 

“Who? Seokjin? I think you need a new prescription, dude.” you huffed and turned back to your laptop. 

“I don’t think so. He has been to our office how many times this month asking for your help?” Yoongi looked at the calendar and began to grin. 

“4 times and it’s not even the middle of the month. It was the second time this week. What was it this time? I bet he destroys stuff just to have an excuse to come and see you.” 

You were trying to ignore him but Yoongi just kept on talking. 

“You should see how he looks at you when he cracks a joke. Like he’s trying to gauge if you have the same humour. Or that his eyes never leave you when we’re in the lunch room. Let me tell you, the guy is into you. He was even asking about you when I saw him at Korean School.” Yoongi’s eyes bore into you, smile still smug. 

“Why were you in Korean School?” you asked, surprised by this tidbit of information. Yoongi rolled his eyes. “To teach Korean, duh. Seokjin is also a teacher there. This is where I know him from.” 

“Huh. But asking about me does not mean he’s into me.” you said, turning back to focus on your work again. 

“I think it does.” Yoongi countered and turned back to his computer as well. For a moment you said nothing. It was better not to feed into Yoongi’s deranged fantasy. 

Maybe Yoongi was right. You had noticed Seokjin hovering around you. Whenever he needed your department’s help, he always came to you and not Yoongi. You noticed him staring at you. 

“Don’t you have work to do?” you asked annoyed, trying not to give him any more attention than needed. 

“Sure. But it doesn't change the fact that the office heartthrob is pining for you.” He rested his head in his hands, fluttering eyes at you just to annoy you. 

“Can you just … stop, please? I’m not in the mood for this right now.” you tried to deflect the topic all-together. 

“I’ll bet he’s gonna make a move soon. Just wait and see.” Yoongi said, still grinning. You stared at him and he held up his hands. 

You sighed in annoyance.  “I bet he’s writing your name with his last name in his notebook, or the other way around. I bet he draws hearts around your names. I’m wondering if you’re the last thing on his mind before he goes to sleep…” 

“Stop. It.” you gritted out. 

“Who? Me? No. I’m having too much fun right now. Oh, look! Is that a blush on your face? Are you … in love?“ Yoongi sing-sang as he wriggled his brows, again sliding over to you in his chair.  You grabbed the next best thing on your desk and threw it at him.

“Ow!” Yoongi complained as he picked up the post-it stack and placed it back on your desk. 

"You owe me lunch." was all you said instead of apologizing. 

"It still doesn't change the fact that Seokjin, office heartthrob, has only eyes for you." 

"Move your bony ass. I’m getting hangry." You tried to dismiss his comment about Seokjin's crush. As if.

"If you go to the second floor and the 3rd office on your right, I bet there is someone who would love to take you out for lunch." Yoongi teased as he wriggled his eyebrows. You huffed.

"Too bad you're the one who's already buying me one. Now move. I am hungry." you shook his chair, again, this time harder, just to annoy Yoongi and he whined. 

"Fine, fine! I'll buy you the damn lunch." he got up and tucked his wallet into his pocket. 

"We're going to Casa Portugese." 

Yoongi groaned, but got up.

"But it’s so expensive!" 

“Good. Serves you just right for making fun of me."

Pretty 

It was a quiet Friday in the office and only a handful of people ever came in. Today was no exception. You were craving a snack, so you walked to the kitchen, currently in search of a plate for the tangerines Yoongi had brought to share. 

At first, you didn’t notice anyone entering the kitchen. But then the shrill sound of coffee grounds grinding filled the kitchen and you almost jumped in surprise. “God!” you exclaimed and as soon as you saw who was in front of you, grinning, you’d regretted those words.

“No, just me.” Seokjin said, with a grin. He stepped closer, grabbing the stack of plates you were just reaching for. 

You snorted and looked at the plates.

“I could’ve gotten those myself.” you said, not really annoyed, but you wanted to prove a point.

“I don’t doubt it. But the stack was peculiarly high and I didn’t want any of them to fall on you.” 

“That’s too kind of you. But … thanks.” you turned to the stack of plates, looking through them. Seokjin watched you for a second, his coffee still brewing from the machine. 

“Why are you looking through them?” he asked, genuinely curious.

He liked that you took each plate into your hand and looked at them for a second before deciding that it was not the one you were looking for.

“Yoongi brought tangerines for us. And I want to avoid any chips or broken dishes.” you answered, matter-of-factly, as you took another plate. 

It was plain, just big enough to host a couple of tangerines. You deemed it good enough.

“Why not this one?” Seokjin asked, holding up a dish that looked more frail but had a beautiful intricate design on it. 

You looked at it, but said nothing.

Seokjin held up the plate, searching for any marks.

“My mom always says that a pretty plate alone won’t feed you.” you answered, disregarding the dish in Jin’s hand for the one in yours.

“Well, I’d say it depends on you, right? And what you put on it.” Seokjin met your eyes, holding out the plate to you. 

You looked at the plate and then at Seokjin. He was still holding out the fancy porcelaine to you. Gently, you placed the plate in your hand back on the stash. 

“It’s not too fancy, right?” you asked, hand hesitantly reaching out to take it. 

Seokjin smiled and shook his hand.

“No. It will be just fine.” 

♡

Being pretty was a double sided sword for Seokjin. 

Of course he loved the attention and being called handsome. People fluttered to his side and for his company like moths to the flame. They loved being around him, being near him. But that’s where it ended for most of the time. Him, being a pretty accessoire at someone’s side. 

Being pretty, opened doors for him. 

But just not the ones he seeked out the most. 

People would assume his good grades came from his handsome face and from the fact that the teacher liked him because of it. What they didn’t see was Seokjin staying up until late in the night to study hard so he continued to get good grades.

What annoyed Seokjin the most was that people just assumed. 

Whatever he accomplished in life, it was always due to his good looks. Not because he worked hard, not because he was actually smart or because he fought for it. 

To most people, he was just a pretty shell with a liking for terrible jokes. They didn’t bother to look past his pretty shell. When he was younger, he didn’t mind so much. He reveled in this attention, helping him to overcome some of his shyness.  

But as Seokjin got older, it became frustrating for him. 

Most people didn’t see who he really was.  

They didn’t see that he was caring - when he went to bingo night every week with his grandmother, since she had moved into a retirement home. 

They didn’t see that he loved to play games and actually excelled at them - here, only his skills and his cleverness was the only thing that counted. 

They didn’t see him trying to be a good son, calling his parents every Sunday, to catch up with them. 

They didn’t see him babysitting his nephew, playing with him all afternoon until the little one was sleeping on his lap, exhausted but happy. He called him his favourite funny uncle.

They didn’t see him helping children read and write hangul in Korean School and how to make it fun for them instead of a chore. 

They didn’t see that he had been struggling to find friends that liked him for him and not just his looks. The ones he met through the years and who stayed, he kept close to his heart. 

They didn’t see the girlfriends who had left him because they got bored with him. Unbothered to get to know the real Seokjin no matter how hard he tried. He particularly remembered one time how one of his ex-girlfriends mother told her she won’t be fed by a pretty dish. She said it right in front of Seokjin, thinking he would not get its meaning. 

Nobody, but himself, heard Seokjin’s thoughts spiraling at night because all he wanted was for people to see him for what he really is and not for what he just seems. 

People around him used to say how blessed he was - but for Seokjin, it felt like a curse most of the time. 

Favour

You regretted walking into the office once you saw Yoongi’s smirk. “What?” you asked as you dropped your bags on your desk. Yoongi just shrugged and turned back to his computer. “A certain someone walked past our office 3 times today. I caught him peeking through the door.” You could hear the cheeky grin in his voice. 

“Maybe this certain someone had business to discuss with someone else.” You replied, teeth gritted. “With Network Security? I highly doubt it. I bet he needs your help again.” Yoongi underlined his words with the use of quotation marks. You sighed. 

“Stop reading into things, Yoongi.”  He lifted his hands and shrugged again. “I am not. You should see the way he looks at you. It’s like a history romance movie. I’ve got to say, he has a great yearning gaze..” You huffed. 

“Will you please stop?“ you stopped talking when you saw a familiar face standing in the office. Seokjin had lifted one of his hands in greeting and his mouth was turned into a sheepish smile. Yoongi didn’t even pretend to work this time. 

“Hi Seokjin, how can I help you today?” you tried to say as politely as you could muster. He looked devastatingly handsome today. Baby blue button up and thin wire-frame glasses. Hair swept up. The sight would probably haunt you for the rest of the day.

“Am I … interrupting?” Seokjin stammered and dropped his hand. Yoongi turned back to his computer, throwing you a “told you so” as he coughed. “No, you’re actually saving Yoongi’s life. I was very close to throttle him.” you said as you threw a saccharine smile at your coworker. 

“O-okay.” Seokjin said uncomfortably, his gaze darting back and forth between you and Yoongi.  “Need my help again?” you asked and sat down. Your computer was still booting up, but you already worked through some tickets this morning when you were working from home. 

Seokjin turned pink. Everywhere. 

“I have a favour to ask.”

“Oh?” 

“Can we talk somewhere in private?” Seokjin was actively not looking at you, but the floor as he spoke. Every two seconds his hands found his neck, rubbing, in a nervous habit. 

“In private?” 

“If you don’t mind? It’s not really work-related.” 

Yoongi’s head shot up so fast, he almost lost balance on his chair. 

“Stop eavesdropping.” you snipped Yoongi’s cheek with your fingers and he let out a whiny ow.

“Uhm, okay. How about we go to the café downstairs? Let me grab my jacket real quick.” 

Yoongi was still rubbing his cheek where your finger had hit him, observing the scene in front of him. His eyebrows were up, posing a silent question to Seokjin.

For a second, Seokjin said nothing. But then, “It’s not what you think, it is.”

Seokjin opened the door. 

“See you later, Yoongi.”  

♡

Seokjin was sitting right across from you, his hands on the iced latte in front of him. He still wasn’t looking at you.

You, on the other hand, were enjoying your iced vanilla latte, your eyes most certainly on Seokjin.

You took another sip before you put the glass down, the ice cubes clinking cheerfully. 

“So, what is it that you wanted to ask me?” Your foot gently nudged his leg under the table to get his attention. 

When Seokjin looked up, he saw you resting your head on your hand, your focus all on him. A few strands had escaped from your ponytail due to the light wind outside, but it made you look cute. He noticed you wearing the pink scrunchie again. It seemed to be your favourite one. 

“Is pink your favourite colour?” Seokjin asked instead, too occupied to map your facial features. 

“That’s what you wanted to ask me?” your brows slightly furrowed.

“Uh, no sorry. I just see you wearing that scrunchie a lot, I don’t know why I asked you that. Sorry.” he was trying hard to not look as flustered as he felt. Somehow, his brain and mouth weren’t capable of forming proper sentences and questions when he was in front of you. 

It was endearing to see Seokjin overwhelmed with the whole situation. When you first had talked to him you found it strange that he almost never looked at you when he spoke to you. But with time, you grew accustomed to it. Yoongi later told you that Seokjin had always been like that around girls and women. 

“But if you really like to know, yes, it’s one of my favourite colours. But since we’re not here to talk about my favourites colours but something else …” you answered, taking another sip.

“Yes! Uhm - has Yoongi told you about the sports festival?” 

You thought for a second but then shook your head.

“No, I don’t think so.” 

“Okay. Uhm, so Yoongi and I actually go way back. We met in Korean School, but we had been in the same elementary school, as well. They organise a sports festival each year and our group volunteers every year as team captains for the different activities.” Seokjin began to tell. His hands were all around gesturing this and that way, eyes sparkling.

“That’s very sweet of you. How do I come into this picture then?” you asked, genuinely curious.

“Usually, my brother would join us. But my sister-in-law is expecting another baby soon and he has decided to step down for this year and be at her side, just in case she goes into labour earlier.” 

You nodded.

“And I thought maybe you would like to join us this year? I promise it’s a lot of fun and the kids are actually really cute and the sports are not that hard. There’s dodgeball, some tennis matches, sprints and other activities.” Seokjin took a breath. You let his words sink for a moment.

“And I would be a team captain for a group of kids? They let strangers do that?” 

“One of my friends, Jungkook, is the PE teacher who organises the event. He is fine with it, but we’d have to tell the parents you’re my girlfriend.”

You almost choked on your coffee, “I’m sorry, what?!” 

“Listen, I’m more than aware that this is super weird, but Yoongi said you might have fun joining for the day. He said you like to volunteer from time to time and I thought this might be a good fit. Just … think about it? I don’t need an answer today, but I need to register by the end of next week. If you decide to join, I’ll owe you, I promise.” 

“For volunteering or pretending to be your girlfriend?” you asked, confused. Seokjin shrugged.

“Both, I guess.” He paused for a second before he spoke again “Look, maybe we will hold hands but maybe we don’t have to do anything.”

“Okay…” you were still unsure and Seokjin could see that in your face. It was time to bring out the winning argument.

“And of course, after the sports festival, my friends and I always go out to get some K-BBQ. It would be my treat, of course.” 

Now your ears perked up.

“I can eat whatever I like? No limits?" you leaned forward. 

Seokjin chuckled.

“No limits, whatever you like.” He confirmed. 

You thought for another second.

“Okay.” 

“O-okay?” Seokjin asked.

You nodded.

“Yeah, I do it. It sounds fun and if your other friends are like Yoongi, it could be a fun day, too. Also I can never say no to K-BBQ.” you shrugged your shoulders, smiling at Seokjin.

“Okay. I’ll let you know when the teams are announced, and you can take your pick.” 

He held out his hand, shaking yours when you took it.

Dodgeball

“It’s really cool that you agreed to do that!” one of Seokjin and Yoongi’s friends smiled brightly at you. You think his name was Hoseok or Hobi or Hoba. It was confusing because Seokjin’s group of friends was bigger than you expected. Yoongi had tried to give you a heads up on who’s who, but it was a little bit overwhelming still.

It was the day of the sports festival and the weather was on your side. It was sunny but slightly breezy, a perfect early summer’s day. 

Seokjin was still on his way due to traffic, so Yoongi and you agreed to go ahead and meet everyone. 

“Well, he said he’d pay for my food later, so…” you answered, smiling back.

“Oh, that’s nice! Hyungie is always generous when he says he pays for us. He’s like our dad!” one of the younger friends said. 

Hadn’t it been for the tattoo sleeve and tattooed arm, you would have guessed that this one was still in high school. Turns out, he was one of the PE teachers in this elementary school and organizer of the sports festival. 

“Jungkook always tries to get Seokjinnie-hyung to pay.” the ethereal blonde friend said. When you first saw him, you thought it was impossible to look this angelic in person. The one who looks like a fairy is Jimin. Don’t be fooled by his angelic look, he’s smart and knows how to use his assets - Yoongi’s words came into your mind.

“You are Jimin.” you said, pointing at the blonde. 

He put a hand to his chest, a bright smile on his face and looking obviously charmed.

“She knows my name. I like her already.” he said to no one in particular.  

Yoongi was right about Jimin. 

Jungkook came back with a clipboard in his hands, looking important.

“Okay, so we had to do some changes on the schedule.” he announced, looking around your  circle, “Namjoon and Jimin, you will be timing the sprints on the track field.” 

Both of them nodded and clapped their hands in a high five.

“Hobi-hyung, you will be in charge of the tennis matches, like always.” 

Hoseok pumped his fist in the air. 

“Yoongi-hyung and Tae, you will be overseeing the tug-of-war.” Jungkook announced.

Tae tried to give Yoongi a celebratory hug, but he dodged it more or less gracefully.

“___ - you and Seokjinnie-hyung will be team captains for dodgeball, is that okay with you?” Jungkook asked, looking at you. 

You heard someone running. When you turned you saw Seokjin running up to you. 

“Sorry I’m late, the traffic was crazy!” Seokjin called out, as he sprinted to your group and stopped right next to you. 

“No worries, I was just going through your assignments. Yoongi already introduced us to __.” Jungkook said, looking at his clipboard again.

You, on the other hand, didn’t really listen to what Jungkook had said or done. Your eyes were glued on Seokjin. 

You knew he looked good in his daily office clothes. However, nothing had prepared you for how good he looked in athletic wear.

The light jacket on top hid most of his broad shoulders and slim torso, but the shorts and high socks did nothing to hide his very beautiful legs. 

You could see a smile on Seokjin’s face, most of it was covered by a cap. He was still not looking at you but the ground. 

“You and ___ are on the dodgeball team, hyungie. ___, do you know the rules?” Jungkook asked, getting you out of your Seokjin-shaped daze.

“Uh, yes! I think so! It’s been a while since I played, but I should be fine in no time.” you quickly said, trying to avoid looking at Seokjin next to you. 

“Okay. I’ll talk to the other volunteers and then we can get started. Once the festival is over, it would be nice if you could help clean up. I hope it’s not too much to ask for.” Jungkook said, looking into the round.

“No, of course we’ll help you.” you said, before anyone else could butt in.

“Great, that’s the spirit. Hyungie, she’s cool!”, Jungkook said and held out his hand for a high five. You clapped in.

“Okay, one last thing before we start. Place your bets!” Jimin suddenly announced with gravitas and all hell broke loose.

Seven men were screaming and yelling over each other.

You flinched at the sudden noise and were amazed how Jungkook was able to hear anything. He was screaming as well as he took notes.

“Jimin will fight with Namjoon over sprinting times!” Tae screamed.

“Hobi-hyung will be too nice and will let everyone win!” Namjoon said with a laugh.

“Seokjinnie-hyung will cheat the most, he always does!” Yoongi said, with a playful grin.

“Yoongi-ssi will cheat, too!” Seokjin yelled out of the sudden, the two of them suddenly pointing fingers at each other accusingly.

Jungkook was still scribbling all of it down, giggling in delight at the pure chaos. 

You observed the scene in front of you with bewilderment and amazement. 

“Is it always like this?” you asked Namjoon, after he had his share of chaos, and  who had now taken a spot next to you, watching the other men still yelling. 

He crossed his arms and shrugged.

“Pretty much all of the time. They’re all competitive, but it’s all very brotherly, as well. They love each other to pieces but they will rip each other apart for a rice cooker.” he mused, looking at you.

“What happens if one of the bets wins?” you asked.

Namjoon chuckled. 

“They don’t have to pay for their food this evening,” he said. 

The two of you continued watching.

♡

The matches were currently on a break for everyone to get something to eat and have some water. You sat next to Seokjin on the grass, watching the kids line up for hotdogs. You let your mind wander for a bit.

“So, are we a convincing couple or not?” you asked, looking at Seokjin.

His focus was on the grass, he was currently ripping out.

Then he shrugged his shoulders.

“Kids are always easy to convince.”

“Yeah, you think so?” you held out your water bottle.

Seokjin eyed it for a second.

“Just take a sip from it. One of the mothers is watching, it’d be weird if you wouldn’t take water from your girlfriend.” you whispered. You made a small movement to your right, indicating where the said mother was. 

Seokjin chuckled and took the bottle. You watched his Adam's apple bob as he drank. The water bottle was placed on the grass with a dull thud.  “One of the girls of the fourth grade said to me I’m the first girlfriend to actively participate. The others usually just watched.” you said, waiting for Seokjin to answer. He chuckled, arms resting on his bent knees.

“Yeah, most of them never were a fan of this. None of them wanted to participate.” 

“But why? It’s a lot of fun and the kids are actually cute.” 

He shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t know. Maybe they found it weird that I do this. They usually wouldn’t stay around for long anyway” he answered, looking pensive. He didn’t clarify that he not only meant the sports festival.

“Sorry to say this, but they were dumb.” You meant it.  Seokjin turned to look at you, slightly smiling. 

“No, I think you’re right.” he said quietly, sharing a smile with you. 

♡

A couple of hours later, all the exhausted kids had gone home with their parents. Only a couple of volunteers stayed to clean up. Seokjin’s friends and you had stayed as well.  You were taking down streamers together with Seokjin. He was holding the trash bag and you would rip them down and put them in the bag. 

Seokjin could see that something was on your mind.

“Hey, is everything good?” he asked softly, hoping he would not overstep something.

You stopped ripping down a streamer and looked at Seokjin.

His eyes met yours.

“Why did you let me win?” you asked.

Seokjin failed to hide a smile.

“Huh, I did?” he asked back, trying to hide his face with his cap. 

You were quick enough to tip it slightly off his head, giving you a full view of his face. 

His hair was sticking to his forehead and he was still ever so slightly flushed from the sun. 

You leaned forward to face him, the ladder giving you more height. 

Seokjin seemed flustered and pulled back for a millisecond. 

“Why didn’t you cheat today?” you asked, eyeing Seokjin.

He had a hard time looking at you and not looking at you. 

“I’m not always cheating.” he said, eyes flitting down to the floor.

“Kenny from third grade begs to differ. I found him crying at the hot dog stand. He said that there hasn't been a single year which your team has lost since you decided to volunteer. It’s been passed down to all other grades of this school that Team Kim Seokjin always wins. So, tell me… why didn’t you cheat this year?” you asked again, coming closer to Seokjin. 

This close, you were able to count all his eyelashes. You noticed the tiny moles speckled around on his face. 

He said nothing for a second, gnawing his bottom lip.

For a second, your eyes flickered and stayed on his lips. Then, you forced yourself to look back up. Seokjin’s eyes seemed to have traced your movement, because he was blushing.

“It was nice to see you happy and smile whenever you won, I guess. And the kids were so excited around you. They loved that you matched their energy.” he suddenly admitted.

This time, he didn’t look away but he tried hard to keep looking at you. 

“I could say the same thing about you. They absolutely reveled every time they scored a point and you made a show of how much you loved winning. They loved your shenanigans.” you said softly, noticing how soft his facial expression got.

“I like to put them at ease and I love making them happy. Kids are usually reserved if they don’t know me so I try to put them at ease. Goofe around, be silly, make jokes and match their excitement.” he explained with a fond smile.

“Yeah, I can see that. It was actually quite endearing seeing you like that.” you said, without thinking. However, you wouldn’t let Jin off the hook. 

“So, why did you do this for me?” It didn’t make sense for you when he loved to make the kids happy. 

Seokjin shrugged his shoulders.

“I owed you one, so I had to go easy on you.” 

“You just said you loved making the kids happier?! Was this a lie?!” You exclaimed, somewhat irritated. Your image of a gentle and benign Seokjin shattered, but he just laughed out loud. 

“No, that was not a lie. They still had fun and I got them ice cream as an apology for losing.”

“How nice of you. Having me win just because you owed me one.” you said, though still a little bit gritted. It was hard for you to put a finger on why this tidbit of information annoyed you so much suddenly. You ripped that streamer down with more force than necessary.

“Hey, I should be the one pouting, not you.” He poked your arm, giving you a playful smile.

“Yeah, but you let me win. Now I feel like a fluke!” 

“Come on, you know you’re not a fluke. Your dodgeball skills are really impressive.” he tried to console you.

“Uh, duuh! I was one of the best players back in my school time!” you remarked matter-of-factly.

“See? I had no chance from the beginning against a former dodgeball champion.” Another streamer found its way into the trash bag.

“Now you’re making fun of me.” you noticed, but your face immediately split into a grin when you beld Seokjin trying to act cute just so you’d forgive him. He knew too well how to work with his charm. You couldn’t hold your pout for too long, Seokjin’s flower cup pose proved too powerful. He saw the change in your mood, too, laughing along with you. 

“I am way too old for this shit.” he muttered under his breath but glad that it worked it’s charm with you. 

You said nothing, trying to imprint the picture of flower-cup pose Jin into your mind. 

“Come on, we’re done here. Let’s go and get that K-BBQ. I could eat a horse!” Seokjin announced, holding out his hand to help you down the ladder.

He didn’t let go of you when your feet touched the ground. 

He turned around, winking at you and then pulled you along as he sped towards his group of friends already waiting for you. 

Your laughter filled the empty field.

Soup  

You hadn’t felt this sick in a long time. It was a kind of sickness where it hits you like a brick out of nowhere, rendering you helpless and shivering in your bed, feeling too hot and too cold at the same time. Everything ached. Even your hair and your skin felt just too tight. Getting comfortable was impossible. But somehow you managed to call your supervisor to call in sick and inform Yoongi that you were not available today.

You tossed and turned on your couch, as you tried to get some sleep but you couldn’t fall asleep. You tried napping but failed, too. In the end, you gave up, and put on a sitcom you always watched when you needed to turn off your brain.

Your door bell rang. You tried to ignore it. 

It ran again. 

Then again. 

Slowly, you got up and shuffled to the door. Someone knocked on your door. You peeked through the little looking glass and saw Seokjin in front of your door. Stunned and surprised, you opened the door. “What are you doing here?” your voice sounded so unfamiliar to you. Scratchy and pitchy. 

“I came to check on you. Yoongi asked me to because he can’t. He told me you called in sick.” His concerned gaze flickered all over you. 

“Oh, ___.” he said, voice full of concern.

Suddenly, you felt self-conscious. You must look horrible. You knew you had soaked through your bedsheets this night with what was probably a fever. Your hair was a bird's nest and a small glimpse in the mirror to your right confirmed you looked like a ghost. 

You just stared at Seokjin and Seokjin just stared back for a second. “You look … really unwell.” he finally stated. “Hm. I don’t feel well..” you just mumbled, slumping against the door frame.

„Who‘s taking care of you?“ he asked, concerned, nudging more and more into your flat. You groaned as he had finally shouldered open the door and took off his shoes as if he‘s a regular visitor. „Me, myself and I.“ you answered and shuffled back to your couch in defeat. „Wrong answer, I do. I made you some soup and brought some groceries. I’ll cook you some meals that you can just warm up if I can‘t come over.“

„Who said I‘ll let you in again?“ you asked, as you eyed the bags in his hands. He held up one of the bags. „I asked Yoongi for your favourites. They‘ll grant me access to your house.“ he said triumphantly. „Can‘t you just leave them here and go?“ you asked, more aggravated. Jin set down the bags, not one bit affected by your tone. 

„No. I do it, if you like it or not.“ he said with a pointed look. Then he proceeded to take all the things out of the bags and organize them in the fridge. „But why?“ you asked, shuffling closer, tone softer. You just didn‘t understand why he‘d do it even more so because you‘d been so gruff with him. 

„You‘re sick. And you can’t do it all by yourself.“ he answered, his tone soft. He was rummaging around your kitchen, looking for something. Soup. He had mentioned soup. „Pots are in the cabinet over there.“ you pointed to said cabinet and Jin opened it with a quiet ahh.

You watched him heat up your meal. You hadn‘t had anything nutritious for days. You couldn‘t muster the energy for cooking. So it had been untoasted bread and butter for days. Watching Jin preparing you soup made you choke up. 

He had cooked something for you and promised to make even more meals without you asking. You couldn‘t remember the last time someone had done something like this for you. Your eyes became blurry and a sniffle escaped you. Quickly, you wiped away your tears when Jin looked up. „Thank you.“ you muttered and Jin smiled at you. He was nothing but kindness. 

„Here, let me tie your hair so you don‘t get any into your food.“ he pulled your favourite pink scrunchie from your wrist. You turned as his hands scrambled up your hair and tied it gently together. „Too tight?“ he asked and you shook your head. „No, it‘s good. Thank you.“ You felt another wave of tears welling up, Being sick always made you so emotional and vulnerable. One kind thing away from tears spilling out of your eyes. 

Seokjin slowly spun you around, so you’d face him. If he’d notice the tears in your eyes, he didn’t let you know. He gave you a reaffirming smile and rubbed your arms. „Okay. Just a couple more minutes. You can sit down, I‘ll bring everything over.“ 

You nodded. “Okay, I’ll get some new tissues. I feel like my nose is going to explode any second.” You slowly padded to the bathroom. As you grabbed the new box of tissues you caught yourself in the mirror.

„What the fuck, Seokjin!“ you stamped out of the bathroom. He was on his phone, reading something as he stirred the soup, but looked up puzzled with your cry. „Hm? What is it?“ he looked genuinely surprised, putting his phone away. „I look like a fucking egg.“ you cried pointing to your hair. 

For a second, Jin said nothing. He tilted his head as he looked at you and hummed. „Well, if you say it like that… yeah, you kinda do.“ he said, mumbling, hand over his mouth. 

„You‘re supposed to say no!“ you cried even louder which made Jin chuckle. „It‘s not funny! Why didn‘t you tell me I look this bad?!“ you whined as you threw yourself on the couch next to him. You tried to ignore the wave of dizziness that came with it. For dramatics, theme matters. You felt the couch dip with his weight and the sound of a plate being put down on the couch table. 

„You know, you can‘t be that sick, if you care about your appearance this much.“ Jin simply answered, eyeing you. „Yeah well, I kinda do because I‘m looking like a founding father.“ you huffed and crossed your arms. Jin sighed and leaned back to face you. „It‘s not that bad. You‘re sick. Even someone as handsome as me looks bad when they‘re sick.“ he tried to calm you down.

„I bet you still look fucking gorgeous when you‘re sick.“ you side eyed him. The corners of his lips crept up as he said nothing. „Oh my gosh, you do, don‘t you?! Why is life so unfair!“ you complained and trampled your legs. Jin laughed. „No, I look horrible when I‘m ill. But you don‘t look bad - you had just a rough few days.“ he patted your head. 

„Now you‘re sugarcoating.“ you huffed and looked away. „Maybe a little. But you look like a cute egg if it helps.“ he poked your arm to get your attention back. „Not helping.“ you grumbled. „Do you want me to wash your hair?“ he asked softly. You turned in surprise only to see Jin was earnest about his question. The gesture felt too intimate for whatever you two were. Co-workers. Upgraded co-workers. Acquaintances. Maybe even the beginning of friends?

„No. But thanks for the offer.“ you said. Jin nodded and pointed to the soup in front of you. „Okay. But the offer still stands, if you‘d like. Now, let‘s eat some soup, hm?“ He nudged the plate more towards you. It looked delicious. 

♡

You woke up to the sound of someone padding around your flat. Confused and still in a daze, you shot up so you could defend yourself against the intruder. 

“Hey.” a soft voice said. You turned and saw Seokjin crouching in front of you on the sofa. “Did I wake you?” he asked, one hand on your shoulder.

“Tuxedo Mask?” you mumbled, still half-asleep, rubbing your eyes. 

Seokjin chuckled. 

“Not quite, it’s me, Seokjin.” 

You shook your head.

“I’m pretty sure you’re Tuxedo Mask pretending to be Seokjin.” you said, your voice determined.

He laughed again, brushing gently a strand of your hair back. 

“Go back to sleep, sailor moon. I’ve already done the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. I also put on some new bedsheets for you. The others are already in the laundry.” he gently rubbed your arm and you looked at him. You blinked and looked at him.  

Dazed. Confused. Maybe even a little bit in love.  

Your current state made you feel weird things about Seokjin. 

His expression was soft and fond. 

“Can you tuck me in?” you managed to scramble out. 

Seokjin smiled at you. “Of course.” he said, ever so gently and he helped you lie down again. 

He put a hand on your forehead and hummed. 

“You feel a bit feverish - do you feel worse?” 

You shook your head but the movement made you dizzy. 

Seokjin gnawed on his lip as he evaluated the situation. 

“Wait a second. Let me grab that medicine I’ve got for you. You will feel better after taking it.” he said and walked back to the mountain of bags on your kitchen counters.

“Here, take this.” He came back, with some tablets and a glass of water in his hands.

“Drink it all up.” Seokjin said as he moved your hand back to you with the still almost full glass of water.

You were too weak to say anything, so you just obliged. Wordlessly, you handed him back the empty glass.

“Now, back to sleep. You will feel better when you wake up.” he said, helping you lie down again. When you finally found a comfortable position, he tucked you in. 

“Will you still be there?” you mumbled quietly.

Seokjin stopped and caressed your cheek.

“Of course, I’ll be there.” 

Then, sleep hit you again like a wall.

Two

It was another weekend and you were deep into your regular Saturday night routine. Greedily, you eyed the plate of sushi you had ordered, thinking about which roll to devour first. A selection of packs of facemasks were already chilling in the fridge. You had planned to pamper yourself after your dinner. You were flipping through the movie selection of your streaming provider when the door bell rang. 

Confused, you looked at your door. You didn’t expect anyone, most of all not on a Saturday night. The door bell rang again, a familiar ringing pattern. Only one person rang in this odd rhythm. 

You buzzed the door open. You heard footsteps shuffling up, heavy and uneven. You opened your door and just said “Yoongi.” only to be met with two pairs of eyes, one glassier than the other. Yoongi snickered and patted Seokjin’s head, who seemed to be more drunk than Yoongi.

“Hello ___. I brought you a gift.” Yoongi lulled, pushing poor Seokjin more towards you. Seokjin stumbled forward, almost losing his balance.

You caught his shoulder and luckily Yoongi was clear enough in his head to catch Seokjin again, too. 

“What happened?” You eyed Seokjin, who looked flushed and had an ever-present grin on his face. 

“Hiii-” he mumbled, and grinned like an idiot. A cute idiot. He put his head in the crook of your neck, holding on to you for dear life as it seemed.

“We went out for drinks. He said he could keep up with me, but I guess that is still a lie.” Yoongi stated, grinning from ear to ear. You gave Yoongi a side eye and he snickered again. “Why are you here though?” you asked again. Seokjin’s eyes were still closed. 

“Your place is closer to mine.” Yoongi answered and made a turn as if to walk away.

“Uhm, take him with you?” you motioned to Seokjin, who pried his eyes open just a tiny bit. “No, I can’t. Namjoon is crashing on my couch today, he had a fight with Hobi. So, byeee!” Yoongi gave you another smirk and then practically ran down the stairs. 

You sighed and eyed Seokjin, who silently watched you. 

“Come in, I guess.” you said to him and tugged him into your flat by the sleeve of his jacket. Seokjin followed you like a lost puppy.

After a coffee, some glasses of water and some shared sushi, Seokjin sobered up a bit. His eyes were not glassy anymore but the more time slipped by, the more it was evident that he would have to stay the night on your couch. 

“You want a facemask?” you asked as you padded to your fridge, taking the packs in your hands. 

“Mhm, yes please.” he sat up again, eyeing the masks in your hand. 

“You choose first. I don’t want to take your pick.” he said quietly. You decided for a mask and held out the others to him.

He contemplated for a while before hesitantly taking one. “Sorry for crashing your night.” he mumbled, visibly ashamed. “Don’t be. Yoongi crashes a lot of times here, so I’m actually used to it.” you tried to console him. 

Seokjin stayed silent for a minute. 

“Is- is he your boyfriend?” Seokjin asked, not meeting your eyes. You laughed out at the thought. “God, no! We’re just really good friends. He’s more like an annoying brother than anything else to me. You should know this, you’re his friend!” you answered, slapping his arm, still chuckling at the sheer thought. 

Seokjin smiled a little bit. “Sorry. You seem pretty close and Yoongi never talks about … well this.” he apologized. “Why? Would you be jealous?” you asked, more as a joke than in earnest.

Seokjin leant back, looking thoughtful for a second.

“I mean… maybe. No, I mean yes! Well, most probably.” he said, still his answer confused you. However, you decided not to inquire further. 

He looked around your flat. It hadn’t changed from the time he was here when he took care of you.

“Is… anyone else… your boyfriend?” he asked, his head lolling to your side. He looked up at you like a puppy, all big eyes and pouty lips.  

“Why do you want to know that?” you asked, still puzzled why out of the sudden he decided to be this forward with you.

Maybe Yoongi had been right about Seokjin liking you. 

Seokjin chuckled and lolled his head back to face the TV. 

“Come on, you know why people ask if they’re single, don’t you?” he whispered. His fingers were fiddling with the facemask in his hands. 

You were watching the muted TV, as he spoke. It was hard to deny that his words stirred something in you. You noticed him watching you, so you tried hard not to meet his gaze. He softly poked your cheek and you finally caved in. You looked at him. You watched his eyes map your face and you felt the flutter in your stomach again. 

You broke eye contact with Seokjin, as you scrambled for words, your eyes looking frantically everywhere but at him. “I don’t.” you said softly, your gaze trained on your hands. Seokjin hummed in surprise. “They’re all idiots.” he whispered to himself, shifting on the couch. “Huh?” you looked up again to him shifting closer to you. 

“If I had my way…” he began, still whispering, not looking at you as he was playing with the blanket on his lap. He thought about how to phrase his next sentence but was interrupted by your face. The arch of your brows. The little patch of freckles on your left side of the face that looked like a constellation of stars to him. The soft shade of pink of your lips. The small frown between your brows when you think too hard. His fingers moved up and smoothed the wrinkle there. You swallowed. “Y-yes?” 

He took a breath but then he shook his head. “No. Nevermind.” he said, eyes downcast. 

“You’re really not finishing your sentence?” you asked in disbelief. 

Your heart was racing and you prayed Seokjin wouldn’t notice that you breathed deeper in hopes to get it back to its normal beating. 

However, there was a gorgeous man right in front of you and you felt his magnetic pull more and more. And with time, you noticed, it became harder and harder for you to not get into this magnetic field. 

Seokjin took another moment before he spoke again. 

“I’d do anything to call you my girlfriend.” 

Your eyes met with his last word. 

It was almost comical with how wide your eyes were just now and your mouth hung open.

Then, you blinked. And blinked again. 

“Sorry, that was creepy.” Seokjin tried to back pedal and looked away. 

“N-no, it’s okay. I was just a bit surprised at your words, to be honest.” you told him. 

“Why?”

“Why? I mean, look at you! You’re gorgeous!” your hand motioned all over him. 

Seokjin smiled but then his expression turned serious.

“But you’re gorgeous, too.” he said quietly, but with all the honesty he had to offer. 

His hand found your cheek, his thumb caressing the skin. Your heart picked up again. 

He wasn’t going to kiss you, was he? You became super aware of all the points where he touched you. Your cheek. His knee against yours on the couch. Your eyes flicked to his lips. In the dim light they looked even more alluring than in the daylight - plump and light pink. They were slightly opened. Seokjin’s eyes flicked to your lips, too and he swallowed again. Your eyes flicked back up, only to meet his gaze. You didn’t even notice when he had come this close to you. 

He hesitated for a second and then he leaned back again on the couch. You leaned back as well, slightly… disappointed. You were so sure he was about to kiss you. 

“Sorry - I… uhm. I think I’m still a bit drunk. I - we shouldn’t do this.” Seokjin tried to laugh it off. 

In truth, it was the hardest thing Seokjin ever had to do. He was this close to kissing you. So, so close. But somehow it was not the right place. He was afraid that you would think he only meant it for fun given his still slightly intoxicated state. No, he wanted to show you that he was earnest about what he said. 

So, he pulled back. Pulled himself together before he would get lost in you. 

You tried not to show your disappointment. 

“Sure, no, it’s fine. It’s getting late, we should get some sleep. Let me prepare the couch for you.”

♡

Some time, in the next foreseeable future, you were sure you’d strangle Yoongi. Initially, he was the one supposed to go with Seokjin to a conference. But then, he called in sick, unable to accompany Seokjin.  Instead, he proposed that you should go with Seokjin given your friendly relationship. Network together and get some new and useful insights for your company. 

To your supervisor, you smiled when you heard all this, when she had called you into her office. Of course, you’d come with Seokjin, as the ticket was already paid as well as transportation and everything else. It was more cost-effective to just overwrite Yoongi’s name with yours instead of cancelling all of it. So, it was decided that you’d go together with Seokjin, to some fancy city you never had been to before and try to come up with some silly small talk topics you could discuss with new people. 

♡

You were looking forward to the second you could enter your hotel room and finally have some peace of mind because Seokjin would not stop yapping for a second on your flight, even as he was playing something on his Switch. Neither did he stop talking in your Uber to the hotel. Only when you had reached the reception did he take a break and you wondered how he could find this much stuff to talk about.

The receptionist gave you a warm smile as you handed her your reservation number. She nodded and started clicking around. "Okay, so two guests for three nights. I see that you had initially booked two rooms, but unfortunately we're overbooked. As a consolation we will give you an upgrade to the Junior Suite." She looked at you expectantly. 

Your mind skidded to a halt. Overbooked? One room? You saw your quiet evening puff into the air like magic. For a second you just stared at her. "A Junior Suite?" you asked. She nodded again. "Yes, our Junior Suites are a little bit more comfortable and very nice." she answered, her smile never faltering. “Can you please check again?” you asked, mildly panicked. 

You were fine with spending a couple of days with just Jin. You were fine with having him around most of the days. But sharing a room? Hell to the no. After him almost kissing you on your couch and suddenly pulling back, you had decided to get over this stupid little crush you had on him by keeping your distance. A girl with a broken pride could only take so much. 

The receptionist’s smile faltered for just a second before she beamed again. “Of course, I can check again but I’m pretty sure-” she clicked around and then stopped talking for a second. “My mistake. There was a slip in the booking tool, we do have two rooms available for you. Would you like them instead of the upgrade?” You almost screamed the yes in her face but decided to keep your decorum instead.

 “Yes, please." And thank you for checking again.” Jin piped up, not without a chuckle.

"Okay. Your rooms will be next to each other, I hope that’s okay. Let me prepare your key cards, this will take just a few seconds." You nodded and smiled at her. She hummed in approval and got to work. 

Seokjin was still laughing, covering his mouth. 

"What?!" you whisper-yelled at him, slightly annoyed. 

"Nothing," a giggle escaped from him. You gave him another side eye and Seokjin tried to calm down.

The receptionist handed you your keys and after signing you were dismissed. You exhaled deeply and tried to relax your shoulders. 

„What? Did you think there was gonna be just one room with just one bed? Like in those smutty stories you were secretly reading on the way here?“ Seokjin leant over and whispered in your ear. 

You gripped the counter in front of you - your knuckles almost white. 

„I saw those - honestly, you really read this stuff out in public? Especially, when you have me, the most handsome man in your life, sitting next to you?“ Seokjin joked and started laughing when he saw the effects of his words. You felt your face burning. The audacity he had to call him the most handsome man in your life! 

„But… if you‘re nice, we can happily ignore this and pretend there‘s just one room.“ he flicked your ear, smirked and strolled to the elevator. 

The hotel employee looked at you, amused. „Boyfriends, right? They can be such an annoying pain in the butt, but at least yours is a handsome one.“ She rested her head on one hand as you two watched Seokjin stride away. 

„When is it my turn?“ you heard her mutter to herself as you reluctantly followed Seokjin. You didn‘t even bother to correct her. 

♡

Seokjin was a hit with all the women at the networking event today. Pretty much all of them had flung themselves at his neck and pretty much every time he dodged them, shooting you apologetic looks across the room where you were standing. You observed the scene, with a glass of wine in your hand, giving in on almost all occasions someone came to talk with you, just so you wouldn’t have to bear witness to Seokjin and his harem. 

You couldn’t be jealous, you told yourself. You’re just friends, you had to repeat this to yourself, over and over. Just. Friends. 

“Do you want to eat some ramen?” Seokjin asked you as soon as the elevator door shut. You shot him a confused look. “I don’t think that’s appropriate Jin.” you tried to shut him down. He leant against the railing with his hands in the pockets of his slacks. His brows were furrowed for a second when he finally caught on. “Oh no, I’m not asking you to … stay the night! I meant it quite literally! I have brought some ramen with me, just in case!” his eyes were wide, trying to clear up his intentions. You crossed your arms and just looked at him. 

“I really didn’t think about it. I’m sorry.” His eyes shut in embarrassment and across his face a faint blush was rising. He tried to hide it with a hand across his face, but it was too late.  For a second you didn’t say anything but just looked at Jin blushing because of a sexual innuendo. The elevator bell made a sound, announcing your arrival at your floor. Smoothly, the doors opened and you stepped out. “Sure, I could eat some ramen. But only if you got the good stuff.” you said, looking back, eyeing Jin as he followed you. 

♡

When you saw the selection of ramen on the bed, you snorted. 

“Really?!” you asked, turning around to Jin, who just set up the water kettle.

His eyes followed your pointed fingers to the Jin ramen in front of you and he gave you a smug grin. 

“It’s the best.” His answer was shortcut and simple. But you could hear the smug undertone. “You’re really something.” You chuckled and made your pick across the different flavours. Jin’s bag must have been made half of just the ramen packets in his room. 

You sat down on the bed and watched Jin quietly preparing your food. The sleeves of his button up were rolled up. He wore the baby blue button down today. 

Your favourite besides the pale pink one he sometimes wore in the office. 

“Stop drooling.” Jin flicked your nose again and let himself fall on the bed next to you. “Hey! What was that for?” you cried, coming out of your gaze. 

“Geez, you couldn’t stop staring at my arms. I mean they’re nice, but my eyes are up here, you know.” he said smugly, putting his hands behind his head. 

It was as if he was presenting himself to you, all broad shoulders and tiny waist. The tucked in shirt didn’t really help either. The visual had been burned into your mind and instead of vanishing, you felt your crush on him growing again. You tried not too hard to think about what it would feel like to have him on top of you. 

“Pfft. Dream on.” you countered and got up to check on the ramen. 

“They need a couple more minutes. Come back, I don’t bite.” Jin sat up, laughing. 

His hand was patting the spot where you had just been sitting. 

“Yeah, but who knows what else you’re up to.” you remarked, turning back, eyebrow arched. Your words bore meaning and Jin seemed to understand what you were hinting at. He chuckled, opening the top button of his shirt and then leant back on his arms. 

“I’m well behaved, I promise.” He patted the spot again, beckoning you with a sweet smile and crinkled eyes. It was hard not to just fling yourself at him like all the other women did in the room below. 

“You’re too gorgeous for your own good.” you sighed and sat down again. Jin looked at you with an amused smile, head and upper body  turned towards you. “I try not to get that into my head.” he admitted, still smiling. You just rolled your eyes, crossing your arms. 

“I’m afraid it’s too late for that. You’re telling me every five seconds how handsome you are” you said, just to have the last word. 

Jin laughed out loud. It sounded different from what you were used to from him. Less rich men laugh, this one was more infectious. It bubbled up, turning high pitched. He was slapping his leg, face all crunched up. His shoulders moved up and down with every laugh and in this second you thought that this was your favourite version of Jin. Not the poised office persona Jin. But this one right in front of you. The one who maybe still was too much into his own looks but was so damn charming and endearingly cute. 

Jin stilled when he saw you looking at him, a smile on your lips. “What?” he asked, unsure how to read you at that moment. You smiled a bit brighter before answering him, turning a little bit shy. 

“I like that laugh more than the rich men laugh you sometimes have. This one sounds really genuine.” you admitted, not without blushing a little bit. 

Eyes crinkling, a soft smile grew on his face. “Yeah?” he asked, quietly into the room. Instead of answering, you just nodded. His fingertips were reaching for yours. You watched as they barely touched yours. 

The whole scene felt too intimate for what you were. But it felt like so much more in this moment. 

So, so much more.  

♡

A look on your watch told you what you needed to know.

“It’s 2am already??” Seokjin noticed with surprise as he peeked at your watch as well.

“I better get back to my room, the conference starts early tomorrow.” you said, getting up from the bed. 

After ramen, naturally, Jin had taken out several snacks and drinks from his luggage, like a magician trying to entice his audience. Needless to say, he had been successful with you.

You stayed, trying all snacks together with him, allotting points for each of them. Jin would use the hotel-issued notepads to write any notes down, so you would have a clear ranking by the end. During all this time, you had talked nonstop. You tried to ignore that you were sitting so close to Seokjin that your shoulders brushed every time you laughed about something. You didn’t mind it at all. Whenever something funny was said you two ducked together, faces just inches apart as you giggled together. 

You didn’t mind his hand that found excuses to sneak its way on your arm. Your shoulder. Or how you tried to come up with excuses to do the same to him. You tried not to think about the second where his fingers hovered above your knee, the suspense exhilarating. But Jin pulled back. Again. 

Maybe it was your blurry vision due to sleepiness but Seokjin looked slightly disappointed.

“Yeah, sure. I’m sorry, I kept you up that long.” he apologized, brushing away crumbles from his pants before he got up. 

Putting on your shoes and grabbing your small handbag, you padded to the door, Seokjin right behind you.

“Are you really walking me to the door?” you asked, turning back.

“Well, my mother made sure to raise a gentleman.” he countered, hands in his pockets and a smile on his face. 

“Give her my compliments, I dare say she excelled.” you smirked. 

Seokjin’s eyes flickered to your lips and stayed there.

You faltered but then they flickered back up, to your eyes. 

“Good night, Jin.” you said, quietly, as you opened the night.

“Good night,___. Sweet dreams.” 

He watched you open your hotel room door and only went back inside, once your door had fallen shut. 

“Get a grip on yourself, Jin!.” Jin sighed, as he leant on the door and heard your footsteps in the room next to his. 

Bingo 

It was a rare occasion when your cousin called you. And when she did it meant only one thing …

“Can you take Auntie to bingo tonight? Georgie is sick and I need to take care of him.” Your cousin sounded concerned over the phone. 

“Uh… sure. I hope she is feeling better soon.” 

“Oh my god, THANK YOU! You’re a real life saver! Just pick Auntie up at 5:30, like usual. She will be waiting for you.” With that, your cousin hung up the phone.

♡

As promised, Auntie waited for you already by the door. Just like her, you had the genes to be punctual like a clock and you pulled up in her driveway at 5:30 on the spot. Your aunt shuffled to your car and gave you a peck on the cheek as a hello. “Thanks for going with me today. I couldn’t miss bingo night tonight.” she greeted you, as she patted your arm.

“Still have your challenge going on with Bert?” you asked, helping her to buckle in. Your aunt huffed. “Don’t say his name! But I’ve been on a winning streak the past few weeks and I can’t let it slide.” she answered. You tried to hide your laugh. Ever since Auntie had been going to bingo night, she had been in rivalry with another attendant called Bert. Usually, the winning champion of the week switched between her and her nemesis, with the occasional disruption of another winner. Whenever that happened, it seemed to motivate your aunt even more to win next time. 

“You’ve been practising your speed?” She asked you, as you pulled out onto the street.

“Of course. I can’t disappoint you.” you answered dutifully. Hopefully, she wouldn’t look through your white lie. She hummed. “Good. We have a new addition to the club, some lady called Ye-Soon. She’s a firecracker. Usually, her grandchild comes with her. I think you’re the same age.” she tells you, as she looks out of the window while you are driving.

“Yeah? But is she a competition for you?” you asked, trying to redirect the topic. Auntie huffed. “As if!” she said and looked back at you. You could feel her sharp eyes on you and, as you two stayed silent, you could hear her thinking. 

“You still have no boyfriend?” There it was. You loved Auntie, but her constant questions about your relationship status was one of the reasons why your cousin would take her to bingo and not you. Auntie loved to meddle, more so, when it came to set you up with several of her acquaintances' grandchildren or nephews. “No, Auntie. I don’t.” you answered her softly, trying to hide the tears in your eyes.

It was a touchy subject for you. But the last time you had asked her to drop the topic, she saw it as a personal attack on her and it left you both screaming and crying. Eventually, you made up but it was then when you knew that it was best for her and you, if you just endured her ongoing questioning.

“Why?” she asked, eyeing you suspiciously. 

“I just haven’t met someone yet that I like enough.” you answered, more a white lie than anything else. If your auntie knew that you liked someone she would start interrogating you even more. 

You hoped she would take your white lie. In all matters of love, she was like a bloodhound. 

“Maybe you should put more effort into it. Into you.” she eyed you from top to bottom. You bit your lip, trying to hide the hurt her comment caused. “You’re a nice girl, but nobody will pay attention to you if you walk around like this.” She motioned to your comfortable leggings and the oversized hoodie you had picked for tonight. 

“I’m not wearing this all the time-” you started but stopped talking when you saw her pointed look, not really believing you. “I’ll try, okay?” you said softly, voice slightly wavering, as you pulled into the parking lot. 

Neither of you said anything when you parked. 

“I just don’t want you to be alone, you know.” she said and patted your hand in consolation, with a concerned expression on her face. 

“I know. I love you, Auntie.” 

“I love you, too, Sweetie.” She patted your hand again and gave you an encouraging smile. “Now, let’s go and kick Bert’s butt!” 

♡

It had been some time since you last went with Auntie to Bingo. It could be a failure of your memory, but you didn’t remember the room being this full and the table full of prizes this big and full. Confidently, she took up a spot in the first rows and pointed for you to take a seat next to her. Bert was also already there, acknowledging you and your aunt with a curt nod before he went to his preferred table. 

It was still a couple of minutes early and there were a lot of people still flowing in and out of the room. When your aunt prepared everything, she turned around to take a look at who’s already there. You followed her gaze, spotting a familiar figure entering the room. You tried to hide your surprise. 

At the same time, your aunt lit up and waved to the person next to Seokjin. “Ye-Soon! Here, I’ve saved you two tables!” Auntie waved them over. You tried to hide behind her, but to no avail. She turned back to you but her expression was confused when she saw what you were doing. 

“What are you doing? Say hello to my new friend and her grandson!” She nudged you to stand up. Hesitantly, you stood up, just as Seokjin and his grandmother came to a stop before you. 

Seokjin bowed to your Auntie and greeted her politely. You did the same to his grandmother. She smiled kindly at you. “You didn’t tell me your niece was this pretty.” she said, touching your arm gently as she let her soft and warm gaze wash over you. She just waved Ye-Soon off with a comment. “Not as pretty as your Seokjinnie, I’m afraid.” 

You flinched and you could swear you saw Seokjin flinch, too. Ye-Soon turned back to you, still with a kind expression on her face. “Don’t be so harsh. She’s very pretty, don’t you think so, too, Nini?” she turned to Seokjin, who was turning beet-red. Your heart warmed at the fond nickname his grandmother called him.

“Mhm,” was all he could wring out. “What was your name again?” she asked. When you told her, her expression shifted into surprise. “Nini, she has the same name as the girl you told me about!” she exclaimed. 

Your mouth fell open and you witnessed Seokjin wishing for the floor to consume him. His eyes were shifting frantically, as he was looking for words. Your auntie looked between you and Seokjin, eyebrows raised. Finally, Seokjin spoke. “Uhm, this is weird. It is her, halmeoni.” he said, looking down at his feet. He was still flushed all over his face and neck. “Oh. In that case, why don’t you sit next to her.” Ye-Soon said and pushed him down onto the chair next to you. She gave you a wink as she did so. Then, she gracefully took a spot next to your Auntie who looked also very smug. 

Seokjin was hiding his face in his hands and not saying anything. You decided that any further teasing might be too much, so you just let him bathe in the embarrassment alone. Your aunt leaned over to you. “You didn’t tell me that you co-workers are so handsome. Now you don’t have any excuses left to be single.” she whispered, loud enough for Ye-Soon and Seokjin to hear. Ye-Soon nudged your auntie and both started to giggle, as they fondly watched Seokjin and you trying to hide your embarrassment from each other. 

“So, you have your eye on a prize?” you tried to break the awkward tension between Seokjin and you. He pulled up again and eyed the prizes on the table. “The rice cooker.” he said and eyed you. “Really? Not the giftcard over 100 bucks over there?” you pointed to where the giftcard was laying. He followed your movement but then looked back at you. He looked at you for a second, then he swallowed. “Actually, that was a lie. I do have my eyes on a prize.” he said, not looking away from you. You moved in surprise. “Oh. And what would that be?” you asked, leaning further and he mirrored your posture. 

You heard the two ladies next to you squeal in excitement. “The winner gets a wish.” Seokjin said quietly, only for you to hear. Then he held out his hand to you, eyebrows arched. You looked from his hand to his eyes. Your gazes never left, as you shook hands on your deal. Seokjin smirked and got ready for the first round of bingo. 

♡

“I can’t believe that Bert beat me today!” 

Auntie huffed as she was waiting for you to start the car. You put on your seatbelt and gave her a side eye. 

“Maybe you should have paid more attention to the bingo sheet than to Seokjin and me.” you said deadpan. Your aunt tssked. 

“I will beat his bony ass next week.” she just said with a sniff and looked straight ahead. “Did you just cuss?!” you exclaimed, surprised by her choice of words. Your aunt looked back at you. “Yes. Yes, I did. Do you have a problem with that?” She didn’t do anything to hide her sassy tone. You shook your head in disbelief.

“No. It’s just … I never heard you cuss like that, that’s all.”  

“Well, maybe you would, if you’d come with me more to bingo. Seokjin is there every week, too, if you need a better reason than spending time with me.”  

You shared a look and your aunt smirked. “He is really easy on the eyes, isn’t he.” she pointed out the obvious, waiting for you to agree. You gnawed on your lip and because you know that your aunt would not let go of that topic  so easily you nodded. 

“Yeah, he is. But he’s also very sweet, actually. He actually took care of me when I was sick a couple of weeks ago.” you said softly, not meeting her eye. Your aunt leant back, a knowing smile on her face. 

“I wonder what his wish will be. He was really eager to beat you today. He seems to like you” she stated, her eyes on you. “You seem to like him, too. Am I wrong?” Damn Auntie and her eagle eyes. There was nothing you were able to hide from her. She hummed in content. 

You smiled shyly and shrugged your shoulders. “I guess..” you admitted. 

It was funny, how this feeling had crept slowly into your life and decided to stay. You didn’t have the heart to tell Auntie that you and Jin were just friends. 

She gave you another fond smile when you looked over at her. She placed her hand on your arm, patting slowly. “Do me one favour, okay? Tell him sooner than later. This boy is going crazy over you.” You didn’t indulge her comment. 

Instead, you pulled out of the parking lot and drove your aunt back home.  

Moon 

“Have dinner with me. I’ll cook.” These were the only words Jin had uttered to you when he stopped you outside your office. Quiet, almost spoken too quickly for you to understand. You turned to see him just standing there, relaxed, hands in the pockets of his trousers.

You just looked at him, perplexed, the words not yet fully sinking into your mind. His lips quirked. “Dinner?” you asked, eyeing around to see if any of your other co-workers were in proximity. Jin nodded and stepped closer. “Yeah. I still have a wish open from Bingo night, remember?” he said, swallowing. Jin’s eyes were only set on you. You just stared back. 

“Okay.”  Jin blinked.

“Okay?” he parroted.

“I’ll have dinner with you.” 

Jin opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, before speaking again. A smile was trying to steal its way onto his face and he was trying hard to hide it. “Okay. Is there something you don’t like?”  

“Nothing too squishy or jellylike.” 

“Okay, noted.” Jin nodded. He took a step and halted again, turning back to you. 

“This Friday at 7pm? I’ll send you the address.” 

“Sure.” you smiled at him and he waved you goodbye. It was only fair to fulfill his wish after your bet at bingo night. Jin most certainly wouldn’t have invited you over to his place for a date, right?

Right?

♡

Nervously, you rang the bell in Jin's apartment building. You hadn’t expected him in such a nice neighbourhood but you were surprised when the taxi driver dropped you off here. All buildings were newly constructed but without giving off the clinical overly modern vibes. It didn’t scream rich but you wondered what kind of tax bracket was necessary to afford an apartment in this part of town. 

The door was buzzed open. An elevator was already waiting for you and you stepped in. You caught yourself staring back at you in the mirror. Why were you so nervous? It was just a dinner and a bet you had to settle. 

The elevator smoothly rode up and up and up, like your heart, with every level you passed. You exhaled noisily, brushing down the fabric of your top. In a fit of nervousness, you had gotten out for an impromptu shopping trip. Whatever you had tried on from your wardrobe was deemed not good enough for today. 

For whatever this was.

In the end, you found something nice and which you felt good in. You put your hair up, so most of it would be out of your way. You tended to play with its strands when you got too nervous. It felt wrong not to put in a little effort, especially when Jin always looked so well put together. You thought you looked nice. 

Nice, but not too over-dressed for a casual dinner with your co-worker.  Casual date nice - the words sprung up in your mind when you looked at yourself in the elevator mirror.

The elevator doors sprang open and you stepped out. Jin’s head was popping out of one of the doors, looking like he was just a floating head. You chuckled at the funny sight and Jin’s expression broke into a giddy smile as well. “What is it?” he asked, as he stepped out into your sight. You were glad, the style demons had possessed you earlier. 

Although he was wearing just a basic white t-shirt and taupe trousers with a dark belt, he looked like he stepped out of the pages of Vogue. You noticed he was wearing the same necklace he was usually wearing in the office, too. You saw it sometimes peeking out of the collar of his shirt when he chatted you up in the break room over coffee. His hair was swept out of his face, accentuating his strong brows. 

You came to halt before him and he smiled at you. He was casually leaning against the doorframe. “Why were you laughing, hm?” he poked your shoulder. “You looked like a floating head from this side.” you answered truthfully, a fit of giggles overcoming you again as you relived the image again. His mouth opened for a toneless aaah but his expression showed amusement, as his eyes crinkled. “I see.” he said not without a smirk and he beckoned you in.

You followed him, dutifully taking off your shoes the second you crossed the threshold. Jin was placing a pair of slippers in front of you as you still wrestled with your boots. “Here - so your feet don’t get cold,” he said. He waited and watched as you slipped into the slippers, a soft thank you leaving your lips. 

You followed him into the apartment. “Can I offer you something to drink?” Jin asked, leaning on his hands on the counter in front of him. Your gaze was still lingering on all the different details of his flat. It was a great size for someone living alone or for a couple to live in. The living room had an open layout that ebbed into a spacious kitchen. You had wondered before how Jin lived but you didn’t expect his apartment to look like this.

“Your home looks like a newly-wed home.” you commented as you eyed the mostly white furniture. Jin laughed at your comment. “My mom said the same when she came over the first time.” he mused. “Don’t get me wrong - it’s really nice. I was expecting … something more like a bachelor pad?” you said as you joined him at the counter. You leant your elbows on the smooth and cold marble. Jin followed your gaze.

“Don’t be fooled by it. I have a whole gaming room.” he said, facing you. You looked up at him. “You game?” you asked, a bit surprised. Jin chuckled. “Yeah. We can play something, if you like. But first - can I offer something to drink?” he mimicked your position, coming down to his elbows, leaning closer to you. 

“Sparkling water, please.” The words came out more stumbling, flustered by the sudden closeness. Jin watched your fluster with amusement and something akin to fondness. 

“As you wish.” he said softly. 

You eyed the ingredients on the opposing counter, trying to make out the menu for today. Jin joined you again, with two glasses of water in his hands. One, he placed it just in front of you. 

“So, what’s for dinner?” you asked, nudging your chin in the direction of the ingredients. Jin’s head followed your gesture. “Steak with roasted potatoes and some greens.”

“Wow, that’s … classy.” you remarked, feeling a bit shy about this fancy choice. 

“Well, I could have served some noodles but I wanted to make something nice for you.” Jin explained. You nodded and took a sip from your water.

“Okay, should we get started?” Jin clapped his hands. 

You looked at him, confused.

“We? I thought you said you’ll cook,” you arched an eyebrow at him. Jin shrugged his shoulders non-chalantly. 

“I actually like cooking together.” he explained, as he opened one of the many drawers in the kitchen. He took two aprons out, holding out one for you. 

“I’ll still do the main cooking. You can cut the vegetables.” He unfolded the apron and placed it over your head. 

“You’re totally making me do all the work, Jin! Cutting the vegetables is the main work” you complained. Jin laughed heartily, when he noticed your pout. 

“Turn over.” His hands hovered close to your waist. When you didn’t turn, he looked at you and made a gesture for you to spin. You rolled your eyes. “I can fix my apron myself.” you said grumbly, as you felt Jin’s hand twisting the fabric at your back. “I know.” he said but didn’t stop with his fussing. 

Instead of tying the apron in the back, Jin’s hand brought the strings in front of your stomach. With a tug, he tied the knot there, taking a half step back. “Too tight?” he asked, eyes on you. “N-no. Thank you.” you quickly turned back to the counter so he wouldn’t see the blush on your face. This evening was already going so differently from what you had imagined. This felt more intimate than just a casual dinner. This - this really felt like a date. You swallowed and you heard Jin tying his apron next to you.

“Okay, you’re my sous-chef for today. Can you slice the green veggies, please? I’ll take care of the steak and potatoes.” Jin took his place next to you, arms slightly brushing yours as he placed a cutting board in front of you. “Be careful, the knives are really sharp.” he handed you a very expensive looking knife. Carefully, you took it from him, your fingers brushing for a second. You tried to ignore the tingly feeling as you looked at the beautiful intricate design on the knife handle. 

You hadn’t noticed Jin going to the fridge. “Do you want a glass of cooking wine?” he held out a glass of white wine in front of you. “You didn’t drive here, right?” he asked after you didn’t immediately take it from him. “I took a taxi.” you answered and grabbed the glass from him. “Though I’m not sure if the recipe calls for cooking wine.” you mumbled more to yourself than to Jin. “This is for drinking while we’re cooking, duh.” Jin rolled his eyes, as he nudged his glass towards you. He was wearing a mischievous smirk on his face, but you toasted him anyway. “Are you sure you’re not trying to get me drunk?” you asked, half-joking.

“So, no cooking wine?” he asked, holding up a bottle of a white wine with a fancy label. You thought for a second. It’s not like you’d be getting drunk tonight. 

“Okay, I’ll have some.” you said with a smile and Jin nodded, pouring you and himself a glass. 

♡

There was something special about watching Jin cook. You had experienced serious, business-like Jin in many work meetings and you had experienced silly Jin when he was cracking his awful jokes. But the Jin you saw now felt different. More at ease. He was still very silly, cracking his jokes from time to time. But he was also calm and patient. He was so deeply rooted in himself that it put you at ease, too. You had noticed that Jin liked to break the ice by letting others teach him something. He did the same as you were slicing the green onions. Maybe he sensed your nervousness, but his smiling face popped up next to you when he asked for your technique (there was really no technique at all, just you wildly chopping the broccoli with a very sharp knife). 

When you were done, you watched him take over all the cooking, handing him things from time to time. He let you taste the food, letting him spoon-feed you. Once it got to your liking, he nodded in content and declared the food ready. When you asked about his preference, he just waved it off with a simple “I trust your taste buds.” 

That was the end of the discussion. 

♡

After dinner, Jin suggested to get ice cream in a shop around the corner. You were slowly walking side by side talking about your favourite flavours. “I am sorry, but I won’t accept anything else but chocolate.” Jin tried to make his point strong which earned him a surprised yell from you.

“What?! Noo! You have to balance the chocolate with something tangy, like lemon!” you tried to argue but Jin was shaking his head. “It’s chocolate. Or nothing.” he said gravely.  

„Try.“ you held out your cone to him.

Jin stared at the ice cream in front of him and then back to you. You gestured, again. Hestitantly, Jin‘s fingers wrapped around yours, bringing the cone to his lips. 

You couldn‘t take your eyes off of him as he scooped a bit with his tongue. His eyes met yours. 

His lips turned into a small smile and he nodded. „It‘s good.“ he hummed, bringing the cone back up again and taking another, even bigger, bite. He was still holding the cone, and thus, technically holding your hand. You started to protest but Jin still held on and laughed as he devoured your ice cream.

„Jiiiin, I said try, not eat it all up!“ you whined, trying  to wrestle your ice cream back. „Only one more bite!“ he laughed and almost ate the whole ice cream. „Jiiin!“ you cried out again and finally got your, somewhat, sad rest of ice cream back. His eyes sparkled with mischief and his cheeks were round with his cheeky smile. His tongue swooped over his lips as he hummed a content „that was delicious“. 

You pouted and looked at the tiny rest of your ice cream. Jin chuckled and poked your shoulder. „Aw come on, I thought you wanted to share! Do you want me to buy you a new one?“ He slung his arm around you, dipping his head so he was almost at the same height as you. 

„No.“ you pouted, avoiding his eyes. He snorted. “You’re really cute when you’re like that, do you know that?” he said, tapping your nose and smiling fondly at you. You huffed in fake  annoyance. 

He held out his forgotten cone with the chocolate ice cream out to you. It was already starting to drip over his hand. 

„Do you want to have some of mine? I’ll share with you.“ 

♡

The early night was too nice to go back home, so you two walked along the river for a while whilst sharing the remainder of Jin’s ice cream. Every once in a while, he would hold his ice cream out to you and you’d take a bite, careful not to drip anything on yourself or him. You found an empty park bench at a particular nice spot by the river and sat down. 

The two of you sat next to each other in silence, when you felt Jin’s hand reaching out for yours. He was playing with your fingers. You looked over at him. His eyes were on your intertwined hands, a small smile on his lips. You found Jin even more beautiful in the moon light with the way the gentle and subdued light hit him. 

It enhanced his softness - the fondness in his eyes when they looked at you, the softness in his smile and with the gentle and calm voice he was talking to you. 

You were just taking Jin in, just looking at him when he finally looked up and at you. His eyes were sparkling, the tips of his mouth rising up a little more when he noticed your gaze on him. 

“What is it?” he asked, softly and quietly when he noticed the silver linings in your eyes. You blinked a couple of times until your blurry vision faded. 

“I guess I was just very stupid.” you laughed. Mild panic seized Jin’s face and he let go of your hands to place them on your cheeks. “Will you tell me?” His thumb was busy wiping away a tear.

“I... uhm … I didn’t know that I could feel like this again. For anyone. For you.” you said quietly, feeling stupid for not being able to articulate yourself better. Jin stayed silent, just listening to you. You sniffed and enjoyed the feeling of his hands on your cheeks. “I think I like you more than I thought.” you finally said out loud. 

Jin’s gentle smile split into a bigger one. “Yeah? How much?” he asked, unable to hide his joy. “Like a lot.” You think you heard Jin giggle to himself, as his eyes flickered shut for a second before they met yours again.

“Hmm. That sounds really good.” he muttered, keeping you close, as he rested his head against yours. Your hand sneaked up and you placed it over his. “It does?” you asked, almost breathless. Your whole body felt like fizzy soda. “As cheesy as it sounds, I was dreaming of this. From the very moment I saw you. Gosh, you have no idea how much I liked you from the start.” he pulled you into an embrace. 

“Remember what I said?” he whispered into the tiny space left between you. You nodded. “First, I will ask you out for a proper date. I will give you flowers. And then … I’ll tell you how much I like you and ask you to be my girlfriend.” he explained, his voice as gentle as ever. “And then… if you say yes…” he whispered again, moving a little bit, so he could whisper into your ear. His lips touched your ear the slightest when he spoke, “then I will show you just how much I adore you.” Goosebumps spread all over your body at the promise. 

“I can’t wait.” you whispered back and placed a soft kiss on his lips.

♡

When you opened the door, there was Jin standing with his back to you. But as soon as he heard you coming closer, he turned around, a smile on his face, eyes sparkling. You swear the whole scene was unfolding in slow-motion for you. 

Instead of his usual office attire he was wearing a loose denim jacket over a simple t-shirt paired with matching denim jeans. In his hands was a pretty bouquet of various flowers in pale shades of pink that so often crept into his cheeks. Your favourite colour. And his, too. 

“Hi.” You did little to hide the wide grin from your face. Jin’s smile matched yours, his cheeks almost double their size from smiling. “Hi.” he said back and held out the flowers to you. “These are for you,” he said shyly. Gently, you took the flowers from him and smelled them. “Thank you, that’s very sweet of you.” Jin looked pleased at your reaction and held out his hand for you.

“Ready?” he was giving you a mischievous grin and wriggling his brows. You scrunched your brows, suspicious of his question. “Ready for what?” you asked, as your fingers intertwined with his. 

He rolled his eyes.

“For me to be your boyfriend, duh.”