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When Kim Seokjin decided to open a Korean fusion restaurant of his own, the Silver Spoon, he didn’t expect many things.
First of all, he didn’t expect that it would be as successful as it was. He started off with only a small rented room with no more than ten tables, but eventually he had a whole building for himself—and in Gangnam, even. Even his family didn’t expect that he would come this far in the industry where connection and marketing were the only way to win. Well, he had his management skills and his food was quite alright.
Second, he didn’t think that having the reataurant would lead him to the circle of friends he has. There was a small bakery right next to his building, and its owners were quite close to Seokjin; maybe it was because the owners were quite nice, and their cakes were Seokjin's live. That or it was just that Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung were fun to be around, and they needed Seokjin in their lives for his kimchijigae. There was also a kid from the music store two blocks away who often comes to the bakery during the time that Seokjin is closing his restaurant. He looked like he barely got out from college and was extremely shy at first, but the more they knew him, the more they knew that Jeon Jungkook was quite a unique guy and he loved to tease his hyungs.
Third, Seokjin didn’t think that it would lead him to being on the cover of an issue of a lifestyle and cuisine magazine. He was cleaning the tables—no, he wasn’t the only one in his restaurant, his employees were already exhausted and were cleaning the kitchen—when a man approached him, introduced himself as Shin Hoseok, and told him that the magazine he was working with wished for him to cover for one of its issue and give them a chance to interview him. It was a great experience, but Seokjin was still surprised how good he looked in the cover with a pink apron.
Last but not least, he didn’t expect that his celebrity crush—Kim Namjoon, or mostly known as Rap Monster—would come to his restaurant. It wasn’t that much of a crush, but he couldn’t help getting mental breakdown when he saw the tall blonde walking into his restaurant with his dimpled smile—god bless those dimples—and asked for a table.
Of course, so many well-known people had been to his restaurant before that Seokjin couldn’t find it exciting anymore when he spotted a 2PM member coming to his restaurant with a girl. Even when someone he liked—for example, his favorite actor Choi Seunghyun—came, he treated them as how he treated his other customers: considerately and politely. He had never, ever done unprofessional things like running away or gaping dumbly in awe at one of those people.
However, when it was Rap Monster’s turn, all that Seokjin could do was pointing dumbly at him and said:
“W—wait, but—but you’re Kim Namjoon. You—You’re Rap Monster!”
“Wow, you know about me?” Rap Monster—or should Seokjin call him Namjoon? He didn’t know since the good part of his brain had stopped processing—smiled brightly at the aspect of another person who knew about him. It wasn’t that much of a crush, so if Seokjin was spluttering when he replied, it was because the weather was too cold.
“Yeah, of course! You are a really talented artist. Anyone who likes good quality music must know you, Rap Monster-ssi.”
Seokjin internally cringed at how much of a fanboy he sounded like.
“I’m flattered,” fortunately the rapper didn’t seem to mind about that, since his grin stretched even wider. Seokjin most definitely did not feel butterflies in his stomach. It was definitely the experimental popcorn cake he had at Jimin and Taehyung’s. “Thank you so much, Seokjin-ssi.”
“You’re welcome. Let’s get you to your table, RapMon-ssi.”
After he led the blonde to his table, Seokjin almost flew to the kitchen, but he managed to walk as gracefully as he could to his assistant manager, who was peeling potatoes.
“Hoseok-ah, go out and take the orders instead of me, please,” Seokjin took the knife and the half-peeled potato from the baffled man. “Please, I beg you. I really can’t handle it right now.”
Jung Hoseok, one of the oldest employees Seokjin had with him since his day one, looked at him and his mouth curled into a mischievous smirk.
“What, an ugly girl tried to flirt with you again, hyung?”
“What the heck, Hobi? No!” Seokjin shook his head and groaned out in despair. He plopped on the aluminum counter as he peeled the skin of the potato off, and almost fell when the counter moved from how harsh he landed on it. Seokjin pouted when he saw Hoseok doubling over as he laughed crazily. “You are a really bad friend.”
“Okay, okay, sorry, I couldn’t help it,” Hoseok wiped tears from his eyes, an amused grin was still on his face, and Seokjin really wanted to wipe it away from his face with his fist. But, no thanks, he didn’t want any scar on his perfect skin. “What’s wrong, Jin-hyung?”
Seokjin pondered if he should tell Hoseok the truth or not, but he figured that it wasn’t that much of a crush, so he just shrugged, and said: “I don’t feel like dealing with people right now, Hoseok-ah.”
And how lucky he was that it wasn’t the first time he turned to Hoseok for help when he suddenly felt down, and needed to be in the kitchen instead of dealing with customers. Hoseok nodded in understanding, and he patted his shoulder and muttered a quick don’t worry, hyung before he was out into the dining area.
Only when Seokjin was waiting for the basil sauce for his signature salmon steak dish to simmer hours later did he recognized that Rap Monster knew his name. He told himself that it wasn’t that much of a crush as he bit the inside of his cheeks to hide the wide grin that was going to spill out. He didn’t want the main chef—Jung Yoon-oh, Hoseok’s cousin—to eye him suspiciously any longer.
-----
It really wasn’t that much of a crush. Or celebrity crush, he wasn’t sure any more about that, but he was sure that it wasn’t that much.
Seokjin just happened to like the man’s way of thinking and living: how he encouraged people to chase their dream while it lasts, how he inspired millions of people around the world by his music, how broad-minded he was with people whose thoughts differed from him, how—okay, so he might or might not like everything about the man, but it wasn’t that much.
He was already 25 years old. He wasn’t a hormonal teen who pinned on his favorite group, and dedicated himself—and his whole savings—to the said group whole-heartedly anymore. Not that he was one when he was 10. No, he just happened to need to get rid of his piggy bank, so he decided to just buy the CDs to help the guys out. No big deal.
So, even if the said singers—or rappers, his brain provided and Seokjin told it to shut up and concentrate on the noodle in his bowl instead—visited his restaurant again, and Seokjin retreated to Hoseok to go out and deal with customers again, it wasn’t because he was too scared to slip and be all too creepy to the man—no, men or women he admired so much.
However, after the third time, Hoseok seemed to have figured something out, and decided to ask Seokjin for confirmation. When they were sitting in circle around the small wooden coffee table, digging into the large seafood ramen pot Seokjin made in his apartment during a Friday night. What a great timing.
“Oh, wait, you’re talking about that guy who is a member of that Hip-Hop duo?” Jungkook who was listening quietly throughout their jokes and banters suddenly stopped swirling the noodles, and turned wide eyed to Hoseok. “Whoa, that’s really awesome, hyung! I didn’t know that Jin-hyung likes Hip-Hop, though.”
“More like,” Taehyung said with his mouth full, and Seokjin who was going to confirm that he does like Hip-Hop glared warningly at him. He continued after swallowing the food in his mouth and grinned widely at the younger. “Jin-hyung here likes the person who likes Hip-Hop.”
“Or more specifically,” Hoseok joined in, and shared an evil grin with Taehyung. “The person who made Hip-Hop his bitch while making this hyung fell head over heels for him.”
“No, guys, don’t be like this,” Seokjin protested and flailed his arms around. “I just happen to like his music and philosophy in life, that’s all! It’s just… mild admiration. There really isn’t anything else!”
“Oh, really,” Jungkook said playfully with an equally playful grin, something Seokjin wouldn’t have guessed he had it in him a year ago. “You acted like a schoolgirl whenever he goes to your place. Yeah, totally nothing.”
Seokjin watched with a deep frown as his assholes of friends laughed like maniacs that they were while high-fiving each other before he turned to Jimin who was oddly quiet but was chuckling softly for support. “Jiminie, please tell me why we had become friends with these horrible people again?”
“Oh, hyung, but they were kinda right, weren’t they?” Jimin smiled apologetically at Seokjin when Taehyung whooped loudly and claimed that that was why Jimin was his ultimate BFF. “You gotta admit, hyung. You’re so whipped. But don’t worry! It’s not a bad thing!”
Seokjin looked at Jimin with a betrayed look before he huffed indignantly and pouted. No matter how much he tried to think of a way to one-up their words, Seokjin couldn’t really come up with one.
Lucky for him, Jimin soon changed the subject from Seokjin’s not-that-much-of-a-crush to Taehyung's new idea for a new menu for his and Jimin's place—to which Jimin had immediately declined with horror and a furious hiss of ‘Are you crazy, tae? How could vanilla go well with mung beans!’—and resumed their conversation to the one before Hoseok asked Seokjin about the rapper. He made a mental note to thank him with the juiciest piece of steak next time the younger comes to his restaurant.
As he listened to his friends’ conversation, Seokjin pulled out his phone to check for new notifications. He narrowed his eyes when he saw an email in his inbox.
He yelped and dropped his phone as soon as he tapped it opened, and four pairs of eyes turned to him alarmed.
“Hyung, what happened?” Jungkook asked with his eyes wide, and concern clear on his feature.
“N—Nothing!” Seokjin said all too quickly as he fumbled with his phone. Hoseok eyed him suspiciously. “It's just some chain mail. Aish, someone send me an email saying that the ghost in the picture would kill me—”
Jimin yelped and almost jumped ten meters into the sky at the mention of ghost, and Seokjin was smug when he saw Hoseok paled. “Oh, hyung, I got that too! It still haunts me at night, seriously.”
“You guys are too easily scared, really,” Jungkook wiggled his finger in front of Hoseok who swatted with a huff of annoyance. “We all know that all these things aren't real! Ghost, monster, all those things don't really exist.”
“But there's a monster we know exists, though,” Taehyung said with a smirk, and Seokjin swore he saw Hoseok and Jimin eyed him warily. Jungkook frowned in confusion and pressed for the man to continue. “Rap Monster.”
“What the hell, Tae,” Jimin bursted out a really loud laughter that everyone but Seokjin soon joined in. “Oh, that's only Seokjin-hyung's monster, though.”
“Oh my god, stop it!” Seokjin groaned into his hands. “I told you it's not that much of a deal! I shouldn't have gone to you for help, Hobi.”
Jimin patted his shoulder sympathetically, but he was giggling just like the other guys. Seokjin erased the mental note about Jimin and his extra juicy steak.
Still, he couldn't help but smile into his hands as he thought about how good it would be if Kim Namjoon could actually be his. However, since it wasn't that much of a crush, Seokjin really couldn't care less anyway if the man would be someone else's.
Really.
-----
Okay, so maybe Seokjin cared for a bit, because when the man visited again with a girl, Seokjin couldn't even handle taking the rapper and his companion—or girlfriend, Seokjin thought and if he was more forceful with the tomatoes, it wasn't because it reminded him of the color of the girl's lipstick—to their table.
Hoseok wasn't available, so Seokjin just pushed Jimin—who was there for a lunch, but did as he was told with a grudging okay anyway—to the man as he quickly excused himself to the kitchen with lame excuse like burning jigae.
As he thought back while chopping the tomatoes all too forcefully, he mentally berated himself for acting so unprofessional in front of his customers. All just because the rapper was there with a girl.
He frowned deeply at the chopped tomatoes.
Seokjin didn't understand why he was this pathetic for a man who barely knew him. Kim Namjoon might be a really interesting person, and Seokjin might actually like him a lot, but they could never be a thing. Kim Namjoon was a world-wide music phenomenon, and Seokjin was just a restaurant owner, and even wishing for them to become friends was a really wishful and unwise thing to do. Especially for someone like Seokjin who took pride in himself as someone with great logic and professionalism.
Still, he couldn't help but keep on sulking while making the jigae to the point where Yoon-oh who was making sure that the pasta was perfectly cooked turned to him worriedly.
“Seokjin-hyung, are you okay? You've been oddly upset for a while now.”
“I'm alright, Yoon-oh-yah,” Seokjin let out a long sigh, and smiled tiredly at the chef. “I'm just tired.”
“Oh,” Yoon-oh nodded and gripped Seokjin's shoulder in encouragement as he walked past him to the counter to call for a waiter. “I don't know if I can help that much, but if there's anything you need, don't hesitate to tell me, boss.”
Sometimes Seokjin wondered how this kid in front of him could be related to the loud and social butterfly Hoseok in anyway, since he was much more of a shy and quiet type. Still, he was glad he met both of them, because they had been with him throughout the rise and fall of his business, and never once failed Seokjin when he needed help or company.
Seokjin smiled softly at the chef who was watching him with a worried glance. “Thanks, Yoon-oh. I really am fine.”
“Oh, really?” Hoseok suddenly showed up and he leaned against the arc of the door with his arms crossed and a brow lifted. “Jiminie just told me that you left him to deal with a really confused and worried Kim Namjoon and his older sister after you basically ran here.”
“Oh, so that's why you've been down, hyung?” Yoon-oh suddenly chuckled and Seokjin couldn't feel anymore betrayed. “Ah, you've got quite a love life, Seokjin-hyung.”
“That's my boy,” Hoseok gave Yoon-oh a big thumbs-up. Seokjin just face palmed. “Now, hyung, stop brooding and go out and actually talk to the guy. Jiminie is about to rip his hairs off from how much the guy insisted that he wanted to talk to you.”
Seokjin just groaned as he left the jigae to Yoon-oh. No matter how much he wanted to avoid Kim Namjoon, he couldn’t risk lowering the reputation of his restaurant just to avoid making fool of himself in front of his celebrity crush. It wouldn’t be great if the man wrote in the review that the owner treated him differently from other customers
So, Seokjin put on his best professional smile as he straightened his shirts and the black apron as he walked toward the table where Rap Monster and his older sister—no, Seokjin wasn’t that happy to know that it wasn’t his girlfriend—was sitting, and where Jimin was frantically explaining to the guy.
“I’m so sorry, Namjoon-ssi! I’ve told the assistant manager to go get him already. It won’t be too long before he—Oh, hyung! There you are!”
Jimin rushed to him as soon as he saw him, and whispered to Seokjin. “I don’t know what’s going on—no, scratch that. I do know, but for the love of god, don’t do this anymore hyung. I gotta go back now, Tae’s about to kill me.”
“I’m so sorry, Jimin. Thank you for covering up for me.”
With a final nod and a quick good luck, Jimin walked swiftly out the door, and Seokjin turned toward the table with the most charming and professional smile he could muster. Rap Monster was smiling at him brightly as same as his sister, and Seokjin couldn’t help but felt butterflies in his stomach again. He approached their table and bowed.
“I must apologize for the long wait. It was pretty chaotic in the kitchen.”
“No, no, it’s alright, Seokjin-ssi,” Rap Monster waved his hands dismissively with a big smile on his face. Seokjin tried so hard no to blush. “I’m sorry too for wishing to speak with you when you’re busy.”
“No, no, It’s, um, totally manageable,” Seokjin mentally face palmed when that sounded so awkward even to himself. “So, Rap Monster-ssi, um, what would you like to talk about?”
“You see,” Rap Monster gestured toward his sister, who introduced herself as Kim Jihyun, and said in a serious tone. “This noona right here is going to be married soon, and she has been making me try out every single restaurant in this area for her bachelor party. Your place is the only one she approves so far, so… um, are you interested?”
Seokjin couldn’t possibly believe what he just heard, so he just blinked several time at the Kim siblings, and pointed to himself bewilderedly.
Jihyun giggled, and turned to smirk at her brother. “Oh, brother dear, I kind of understand now why you so proudly present this place.”
“Noona,” Rap Monster whined and pouted at his sister. Seokjin told his heart to stop pounding. “Don’t be like this.”
“Ah, Jihyun-ssi, Rap Monster-ssi, I really am flattered,” Seokjin said after he recovered from the shock, and he almost collapsed when Rap Monster turned to him with a hopeful look. “But, we are kind of short on people right now, so would you mind if I ask you how many guest you are expecting?”
“Oh, not much, actually,” Jihyun smiled at him, and he realized how charming she was. “Just some of me and my fiancé’s best friends and this dork right here.” She pointed to the rapper at the word dork, and Seokjin couldn’t help but chuckle a bit when the said dork turned to his sister with a gasp. “It’s a really small party. Just ten to twenty people would be invited.”
“In that case, I’m sure that we can handle that,” Seokjin nodded, and tried to keep his professionalism intact when Rap Monster pumped his fist into the air with a quiet victory cry. “When do you plan to host the party, Jihyun-ssi?”
“Hmm, I’m not so sure, this idiot’s schedule is packed as hell, but I’m thinking of next month,” Jihyun patted the rapper’s beanie clad head despite his protest toward the claim of him being an idiot. “Is that okay with you, Seokjin-ssi?”
“Oh, yes, that would be absolutely perfect,” Seokjin said and pulled out his wallet and two business cards. He offered it to both of them. “If you would like to discuss further, please don’t hesitate to contact us.”
“Thank you, Seokjin-ssi,” Jihyun received with a huge smile, while her brother was reading the card with great interest. “I’m looking forward to working with you soon.”
“Oh, and before I forget,” Rap Monster said after he looked up from the business card with a wide smile Seokjin was sure would haunt him in his sleep. Really, how could he ever get over his pathetic celebrity crush now? “Your food tastes like heaven, Seokjin-ssi! I don’t think I’ve ever had samgyeopsal this delicious.”
“Thank you, Rap Monster-ssi,” Seokjin smiled and he couldn’t stop himself from adding: “It’s mainly from my mother’s recipe, actually. I just adapted the gireumjang.”
Rap Monster looked like he was going to say anything, but Jihyun’s phone vibrated, and she suddenly stood up.
“I’m sorry, Seokjin-ssi, but I would have to go to an appointment with the pre-wedding studio,” she smiled at Seokjin pleasantly before turning to Rap Monster. “Namjoonie, give Seokjin-ssi my number and discuss the menu for me, please. See you, bro!”
Rap Monster watched his sister gathered her belongings and jogged toward the door before turning to Seokjin with a sheepish smile. To which Seokjin returned with a wide smile. He didn’t know how he manage to start a conversation with his heart beating so vigorously whenever the man in front of him smiled, but he managed to do so nonetheless. “Your sister is really great, Rap Monster-ssi. Her fiancé must be really lucky.”
“Please, call me Namjoon,” Rap Monster—no, Namjoon, and no, Seokjin wasn’t that happy to be able to call the man by his name—said as he slowly stood up from his seat. “Jihyun-noona will be thrilled to hear that, actually.” He chuckled, and Seokjin wished that he could record the sound. “Even her fiancé sometimes says that she’s quite something.”
“Anyway, I guess that now wouldn’t be the right time to talk,” Namjoon pulled out a piece of paper and a sign pen before scribbling something on it and passed it to Seokjin who received the paper with his totally not shaking hand. “That’s my number on the top, and noona’s is right below. I’ll come back here again after the business hours ended, but call me if you’re free. I’m sorry if it seemed too quick, but my sister would kill me if I went home with no progress.”
Seokjin chuckled heartily at the frown on Namjoon’s face, and patted the man’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Namjoon-ssi. You’ll have a list of menu for her by the end of today.”
Only after he said that did Seokjin felt like he had level-upped from a shy school girl to a smooth shy school girl.
“Oh, okay, I guess I’ll see you soon, then,” Namjoon pulled out his wallet and Seokjin guided him to the cashier where Hoseok was leaning against his booth while scrolling his phone. When he saw them approaching, he smiled brightly at Namjoon.
“Hello, RapMon-ssi! Did you enjoy your meal?” Hoseok chirped cheerfully, and Seokjin felt rolls of shudders when he eyed Seokjin with a smirk as Namjoon was signing on the credit card receipt.
“It was superb as usual, Hoseok-ssi,” Namjoon said with a smile as he returned the receipt to Hoseok. “I really want to meet the chef someday.”
“Well, you’re basically standing next to him,” Hoseok gestured to Seokjin before adding. “Nowadays, he rarely ever let the main chef cook, Namjoon-ssi. This hyung here is the type that likes to work when something or someone is on his mi—”
“Oh, I forgot that we need to refill the stock soon,” Seokjin interrupted with a half shout that caused every customer to eye them curiously. After he sheepishly turned to apologize to every one of them, Seokjin turned to Hoseok with a sweet smile that didn’t go all too well with the murderous glint in his eyes. “Hobi, can you go to the kitchen and check with Yoon-oh and Taeyong, please?”
“Yes, boss,” apparently Seokjin wasn’t that scary enough for him—damn him for being too handsome and nice—because Hoseok chuckled as he walked toward the kitchen.
Once he was gone, Seokjin sighed and turned to Namjoon who was looking at him with mirth dancing in his eyes. “Um, yes?”
“You seem to be really close to your employees, Seokjin-ssi,” Namjoon smiled, and began to walk toward the door. Seokjin followed suit. “I’ve never seen any restaurant owner this close to their employees before.”
“Oh, yes, well, we’ve been together in this business for quite some time now,” Seokjin thought back to the days when it was just him and Hoseok—Hoseok was his assistant chef, cashier, waiter, and financial adviser—and couldn’t help but smile at the nostalgia. “Hoseok actually helped me a lot during the hard times.”
“No, no, not only with Hoseok-ssi, I mean with everyone,” Namjoon smiled even wider. “I once saw you talking with your waitress and waiter, and it wasn’t like anything I’ve seen before. You treated them like your equal, which was opposite from how most people treat their employees. I really admire you for that.”
Seokjin was speechless and utterly flattered. He wanted to thank the guy for how he managed to observe things that other people wouldn’t even bat an eyelash on. His admiration for the rapper grew—if it even could from how much of his heart the rapper already owned— but something caught his attention.
“Wait, you had been here after we closed before?” Seokjin asked, and Namjoon’s cheeks reddened as if he had been caught. “Oh, sorry, I—I, um—I really appreciate that. Not many people care about how we treat our employees.”
“I just happened to walk by, really,” Namjoon spluttered. “I pass your place every time I walk home from the company.”
“Oh, really?” Seokjin gasped. He really didn’t expect that Kim Namjoon—the very person who got the manliest man on earth like Seokjin to melt into a puddle of fan-boying mess—was literally at his front door at some point of time. His heart couldn’t possibly handle it anymore, yet Seokjin still said “Please come in next time! I’ll make you something to boost your energy.”
The adorable wide smile Namjoon gave him later before he bid goodbye and went out into the busy street of Seoul stayed in his mind throughout the rest of the day, and even after their meeting later that day.
Namjoon went back home happily with a long list of menu for his sister to choose from, while Seokjin went back home and fell asleep dreaming about adorable smiles and deep voices.
The dream didn’t stop even after weeks had passed, and they had met more often. They somehow got closer and Seokjin fell a little bit more for Namjoon’s philosophical ramblings and his serious face when he was concentrating on writing lyrics. He was living the best time of his life, but the only downside was that his friends and employees would never stop teasing him.
-----
Seokjin considered himself lucky for having such great friends, even though they could be assholes sometime. Nevertheless, they agreed to help him with preparations for the party whole-heartedly, and Seokjin was really thankful of them. If not for them, the party wouldn’t be this much of a success.
As he watched Namjoon’s sister laughed her heart out with her group of best friend, he made a mental note to gather his friends together sometime soon for a special thank you meal.
He was thinking about the menu he should make for his friends when someone whispered into his ear: “What are you thinking about?”
Seokjin yelped and almost fall off from his seat, if not for Namjoon—who was laughing crazily, and Seokjin wondered why people around him consisted mostly of assholes who seek pleasure in his pain, even his celebrity crush wasn’t different—catching him.
“Whoa, you okay there?” Seokjin turned to complain at how inconsiderate of the rapper to scare someone of Seokjin’s age, but the words died from his mouth as soon as he saw how gorgeous the man looked.
Throughout the last whole month, they had seen each other so many times, and most of Namjoon’s attires consisted of dark sweatshirts, jeans, sneakers, beanies, and masks. And the rapper looked great even in those basic casual clothes. However, it couldn’t be compared to the Kim Namjoon who was standing in front of Seokjin at the moment.
He was wearing a crisp black suit with a baby blue shirt, and a black tie. His usually covered bleached blond hair was set making him look like a model. However, there were details that made him looked like the Kim Namjoon Seokjin had come to fall for—yes, he finally admitted, shut up the voice that sounded like Hoseok. Instead of the leather shoe, he was wearing a pair of black sneakers. Instead of the usual crisp black slack, he was wearing tight ripped black jean. Plus, when the light shone toward them, his diamond stud sparkled.
“I’m just tired, Namjoon-ssi,” he smiled tiredly at him after he got back from his musing to strengthen his excuse before the sight of Jihyun dancing with Namjoon’s bestfriend and bandmate, Suga or Min Yoongi, and Jimin while laughing happily caught his eyes. Namjoon let go of him, and Seokjin wasn't a tad bit disappointed. “Ah, it’s great that Jihyun-ssi is having fun, though. I felt like all the work paid off when everyone was enjoying the party we organized.”
“Oh, I’m sure that noona is having the time of her life right now,” Namjoon followed his gaze and he smiled softly. There were only pure adoration and joy in his eyes. “I couldn’t thank you and your team enough for making noona this happy. She has been through a lot.”
“Well, we just prepared the food and the place,” Seokjin fidgeted with the hem of his suit as he moved from feet to feet. “It’s not that much of a deal.”
“No, Seokjin-ssi, it is that much of a deal,” Namjoon turned to him, and his tone was suddenly serious. “It wouldn’t be perfect without your team right here, really. Look at your assistant manager right there, for example.” He pointed to where Hoseok was chatting animatedly with one of Jihyun’s friend about something before he continued. “I’ve never seen anyone brightened up the mood like how he and Jimin-ssi did. Especially Jimin-ssi, because nobody ever successfully made Yoongi-hyung put his feet on the dance floor before.” Then as if on cue, Jimin’s bright laughter boomed from somewhere on the dance floor where Namjoon’s bandmate was dragged to the center. The usually grumpy rapper seemed to soften for a little bit when Jimin was around, yet he didn’t let the younger pulled him toward the dance floor without any protest. He still moved to the rhythm with Jimin nonetheless, and Seokjin wondered since when did they got that close. “As for Taehyung-ssi, Jungkook-ssi, Taeyong-ssi and Yoon-oh-ssi, their performance was really awesome. Even Yoongi-hyung was impressed.” Seokjin thought back to the cover show of his friends and employees, and smiled. Taehyung and Jungkook had been waiting for a chance to perform a cover of Big Bang's songs, and Yoon-oh and Taeyong loved performing on stage as much as they liked cooking. It was a great success. Then, he remembered one thing: he wasn’t mentioned yet.
He looked at Namjoon expectantly, and the guy cleared his throat.
“Well, most of all, if it weren’t for you, all these delicious foods wouldn’t be served, and noona might ended up throwing a party at a hotel where the staffs couldn't give a damn about how important this is,” then he met Seokjin’s eyes, and smiled just like how he smiled at his sister. “Also, you made this a really memorable night for me.”
Some time had passed by, and yet Seokjin was still too shocked to give him a reply. Only when Namjoon's smile began to falter and his brows started to furrow did Seokjin answer genuinely.
“Thank you, Namjoon-ssi,” Seokjin smiled softly. “It was the same for me, too.”
“Namjoon,” the rapper blurted out, and blushed. “Please call me Namjoon, Seokjin-hyung—I can call you that, right?”
Seokjin nodded and was going to reply something—he tried so hard to come up with one through all the shouts in his head that sounded like ‘he called me hyung!’and ‘we’re on the hyung-dongsaeng basis now, oh my gosh!’—but he was interrupted with a loud whistle.
“Wow, Tae, our hyung finally upgraded,” someone said from his left, and Seokjin turned to see Hoseok whose arm was slinging over Taehyung’s shoulder. They had a matching shit eating grin on their faces when they saw how red Seokjin’s face was. Seokjin wished for the ground to swallow him whole. “Oh, wait, did we interrupt anything?”
“No!” Seokjin groaned and face palmed. “Argh, why am I even friends with you guys?”
“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Namjoon threw Hoseok a curious look before turning from the smirking Hoseok to the blushing furiously Seokjin who looked at Hoseok warningly.
“Well, since it seemed like Jin-hyung wanted to tell you himself,” Hoseok drawled, and Taehyung giggled. Seokjin groaned even more when he saw how red the kid’s face was and thought about how he’d get away without having to deal with getting a really drunk Taehyung back home. “We’ll leave you guys to talk. Bye!”
Before Seokjin could even drag the two sneaky bastards back, Hoseok and Taehyung ran to the safety of the crowded dance floor. Seokjin was pondering about his life choice once again, when he felt a hand tugging on his wrist.
Namjoon pulled him toward the secluded area under the stair, and turned to him with his eyes twinkling playfully.
“So, what was that about?”
“Please don’t listen to those idiots,” Seokjin hid his face into his palms. “Oh gosh, this is so awkward. I’m so sorry.”
“No, no, it's fine,” Namjoon peeled his hands out from Seokjin's face and looked right into his eyes like he was searching for something. Then he smiled softly. “I was worried I read the signs wrong.”
“What sign?” Seokjin squinted his eyes in confusion.
“Don't freak out,” Namjoon gnawed on his lower lip. Seokjin was going to freak out, because he felt his heart beating faster from anticipation and he was going to lose it. “I've suspected for a while that you've got a crush on me.”
Seokjin flinched, and he felt heat rushing to his face. Since there was no use in denying, plus Namjoon didn’t look like he was troubled by that fact, Seokjin just whispered back somewhat sheepishly: “Am I that obvious?”
“Well, I’m not complaining though, because you are so damn adorable when you’re being shy around me,” Namjoon grinned at him, and Seokjin didn’t know if he should thank whatever being above that gave him the chance to hear that from the rapper’s mouth or wish for somewhere to hide from the embarrassment. Still, he felt heat creeping to his face. “But yeah, I have known since from the first time I set my foot into the Silver Spoon.”
“Well, you don’t mind, do you?” Seokjin asked quietly.
“Wait, you—wait,” Namjoon looked at him with utter disbelief on his face, and in other situation Seokjin might laugh at how funny it was. Then he laughed and shook his head with an amused smile, and Seokjin frowned. “Yoongi-hyung said that I should try to be subtle, but fuck that.” In a blink, Namjoon’s gaze on him intensified, and Seokjin shuddered at how much of an impact it had on his heart. “Kim Seokjin, I want to know more about you, and maybe go on a movie date, too. Also, um, maybe we can go and chill in my studio after that as well. Are you interested?”
Seokjin gaped at Namjoon, and pulled out his hands from the other man to pinch his wrist so hard he let out a yelp of pain. Namjoon raised a brow at him.
“Holy shit, I’m not dreaming,” his gaping mouth soon morphed into a huge smile, and Seokjin did the thing he had been waiting to do for so, so long. He pulled the rapper into a tight hug, and whispered into his ear. “Yes, only if we’re doing this tonight right after we blackmail Hoseok into taking Taehyung home.”
He heard a soft chuckle and felt Namjoon’s lips stretching into a wide grin on the crook of his neck. A pair of arm tightened around his torso before he felt the timbre of Namjoon’s voice against his skin.
“Deal.”