Ice Prince

The End

"Oh, Jumin." Nari chokes slightly on her sip of water in surprise. Her eyes widen taking in his appearance from her spot on his kitchen stool. "What an interesting tie." 

Jumin had just returned to his kitchen were she was waiting for him to finish changing out of his work clothes. Not much about his clothes had changed. He was still wearing a white pinstriped button up shirt and tightly fit black suit pants, but his usual black tie was replaced with a new bright purple tie with cartoon cats on it. He smooths it down absentmindedly. "Yes. Rika bought it for me. I thought I'd wear it for the occasion."

Nari sets down her glass on his marble counter with a soft clink visibly upset and rolls her eyes. "Of course she did."

"What's the problem?" Jumin sighs, annoyed.

"Nothing. There's never any problem with anything Rika ever does."

"Nari. You're being childish. Do we have to do this now? They're on their way." He fiddles with the button on his wrist while checking his watch.

"No. We'll keep pretending nothing is happening and that I'm too dumb to notice it, or too love struck like V. We'll keep pretending like Rika doesn't make me uncomfortable on purpose and that she's just a wonderful friend to you. I must be crazy." She stands up from her stool at his island counter and begins rinsing her glass.

"The maid will get it." Jumin says with more anger in voice than he meant to let out, a trick only Nari seems capable of.

"I can wash my own damn glass." She slams the glass down in the sink.

Jumin has yet to meet her eye, he pinches the bridge of his nose. "What is it that you want Nari? No matter how many times I tell you nothing is happening with Rika you don't believe me. What can I say?"

"You can acknowledge it! Is that really how you think friendships with females work? If so you're more naive than you're hoping I am. She is your best friend's fiance! She should never say the things she does to you. If it were anyone else you would act disgusted and cold towards them. Jumin Han, the untouchable Ice Prince." He scoffs. "But you never are, no matter how inappropriate she gets. Why? Because she flashes you that fake smile and lights up those green eyes? What it it Jumin? Why is she so much better than me?" Tears brim her eyes.

"I told you I didn't want to do this." He says looking into the empty hallway in an attempt to ignore the situation further.

"Then I can't do this. You're freezing me out. You can't even look at me Jumin! I'm obviously no match for her. It shouldn't even be a competition in the first place. I really did think we could've had something great, but I guess I'm the only one who felt that way. You never tried to make things really official and I was okay with that for your job's sake, for your comfort's sake, to give you that bit of privacy from the public's eye. I wish I would've known it was only because you had a thing for your best friend's girlfriend. Forgive me for ruining the dinner plans." Nari snatches her purse from the counter and rushes to the door to put on her shoes. Jumin never moves, never stops staring coldly into the hallway.

As she struggles with her shoes, a sobbing mess with eyes too blurry to see properly, Jumin's front door opens. "Jumin! We're here. I brought your favorite wine!" Rika's falsely sweet voice echos  through the large  penthouse.

Nari looks up at the  high ceiling and gives a short, angry laugh. "Of fucking course you did." She thinks. "He's in the kitchen." Her voice sounds flat despite her tears and she's thankful to not have shown Rika her moment of weakness.

Rika never even looks at Nari. "Thanks." She mumbles and walks away.

V enters quietly several paces behind her and begins struggling with his boots. He looks up from his shoes and sees the crying mess Nari was. "Nari! Are you okay?"

She smiles warmly through her tears. "I'm really going to miss you Jihyun."

"No!" He says shocked. "What happened?"

"I'll let him tell you. His side is the only one that's going to matter any how." She laughs bitterly and swipes at her wet cheeks. "Just... just watch them okay?I know you don't want to be suspicious of your best friend and your fiance, and you can call me crazy or a bitch... But I'd feel like the worst person if something happened and I at least didn't warn you. I'm so sorry. I've tried to ignore it and convince myself I'm wrong, and I hope I am! Just.. "

They both shake their heads, brushing the thoughts away. "She didn't take her shoes off."  He says staring at the floor.

"Can you promise me something?" He looks up, locking those kind mint eyes with hers. "Can you promise that you'll never let her take art away from you? No matter how 'grown up and responsible' she wants you to be? That in five years, or ten years, or twenty even, when I'm aimlessly walking through town with a coffee in my hands, that I'll pass a gallery and it'll be filled with your work. Photos, paintings, sculptures, sketches, everything that makes you happy, everything you push yourself to do. Promise me you'll never stop trying new things and expressing yourself, no matter what she says." Nari is crying again and V's eyes are glossy. "And I'll walk in and tell a stranger admiring your work 'When we were in our late twenties, I used to tease this guy relentlessly for smoking a pipe and only drinking the hipsterest of beers and expensive wines.' And I'll smile fondly with tears in my eyes and say 'He was one the best friends I've ever had, I really loved him dearly and I miss him even more.'."

V pulls her into a body crushing hug, he smells like pipe tobacco and vanilla, his whole being comforting Nari straight to her bones. "I promise." He whispers. "Thank you Nari. I'll text you later."

"V, honey, where are you?" Rika's yell reaches the foyer where they're standing.

"Go. Thank you for comforting me."

"Hah. I didn't." He rubs his neck. "I think you just comforted me through your break up."

Nari takes a deep breath and opens the door, Jumin's door, for the last time. "Goodbye Jihyun."

"Goodbye Nari." He waves sadly.

The door shuts and she immediately breaks down ugly crying in his stupidly expensive empty hallway. She some how makes it to the elevator and gasps hard the entire ride trying to pull herself together to at least not look like a crazy person on the way home. She exits the large, fancy building and walks across the street, once she's far away enough that can't she see the building anymore she pulls out her phone.

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Hey guys, I've never done an author's note before. I hope you enjoyed this first taste of my Jumin fic. ;] I just kind of wanted to give some clarification of how I'm going to be writing this. I'm going to Tarentino the hell out of it. Meaning the timeline is going to jump all over the place, but always tie in and hopefully I will make it clear enough. Also, there isn't any RFA in this story, just a group of friends. Different I know.  Anywayyyyyy, thanks for reading! <3 Sam