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𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘣𝘢𝘳 ✧ *:･7 PM
Jieun quietly brought her beer to her mouth as her boyfriend shouted, Felix should have scored from first! to one of the men watching the game on the big TV screen.
Not that Jieun disliked sports or was unaware of the famous baseball teams; she had already gone to some in her life thanks to her younger brother, but that night wasn't one of her best.
Her first photoshoot for Luxn was approaching, and her main concern was solely centered on the excuse she would have to give in order to leave work early. Jieun hadn't told her manager about her new job, and she feared his reaction. He had been such a welcoming person in many difficult situations in her life, a father, almost; she hoped he would understand when the time to leave came.
During the commercials, Eunwoo moved his attention back to Jieun, who was leaning against the bar's counter, drawing the rim of her glass with her finger. She was so disconnected from the world that didn't notice when he came closer to her.
"Hey," his arms wrapped around her waist and she smiled. "You're bored, aren't you?"
"Bored?"
"Don't lie to me," he tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. "You get quiet when you're bored. . . or when something is bothering you."
Frowning, Jieun titled her head. "Isn't it a little too soon for you to know so much about me?"
Eunwoo laughed. "It's not my fault if you're easy to read."
"It's not boredom," she shrugged, lowering her eyes. "I'm having fun. . ."
"But?" he raised an eyebrow.
Jieun giggled softly, catching her lower lip between her teeth. She definitely couldn't lie to him, which wasn't a point in favor considering the little relationship time they had. "I'm worried that if I quit my job and things don't go well for me as a model, I'll end up unemployed."
Eunwoo clicked his tongue in annoyance, giving her a gentle tug to show he didn't like what she said. "Stop saying things like that, Jieun. Who said it's not going to work?"
Jieun pursed her lips, not looking at him; she didn't know it herself, but that's what her mind kept telling her.
"My brother has been doing this for ages, and he's not even that pretty," Eunwoo said. It was meant to be a joke, though Jieun couldn't bring herself to laugh.
"I just don't want to get my hopes too high. . . It was what Lee Hyori said, after all."
"Forget what that woman said—you have natural beauty! I feel like it doesn't matter how many times I say it, you'll never believe me."
"I believe you," she muttered, still avoiding his gaze. "I do."
"Then look at me."
Jieun did; her eyes raised to his face and he smiled. She gave one herself, tinged with a hint of sadness. Why was he so caring? Why did he always make such a big deal out of her problems, wanting to make them his own and fix everything with comforting words? She didn't deserve this kind of affection. From anybody.
As if reading her thoughts, Eunwoo lowered his head further to whisper, "You deserve the world."
Jieun's heart shattered as her arms went up to his shoulders. Their moment was interrupted by the loud cheers after another point from the team. Eunwoo stifled a groan as Jieun laughed weakly.
"What are the chances of your parents getting upset if you don't show up at home tonight?"
"None, I guess," she frowned. "Why?"
He grinned. "Wasn't the invitation to my apartment obvious enough?"
Jieun blinked, surprised. It was the first time he had asked her to spend the night with him. "Oh. . . um. . ." she scratched her nose. "What about your brother? Won't he mind?"
"Jungkook is bringing a date," Eunwoo remarked. "Don't expect him to come home anytime soon today—"
"THERE HE IS!" shouted a man across the bar with wide-open arms.
Both glanced at the entrance and saw Jungkook and, apparently, his partner arriving at the bar, holding hands. Jieun's eyes widened a touch in surprise at the brunette. She had seen her the day before at Luxn in the waiting room. Either they already knew each other, or Jungkook was fascinatingly quick in arranging his dates.
Jieun realized how much their sense of fashion resembled in some way. Black was her favorite color and apparently so was his. His date, however, wasn't much of a match for as she wore a very fancy off-shoulder, dark-blue dress.
It seemed that Jungkook was quite popular among the people there. But the way he looked uncomfortable while greeting told her that he didn't share the same fondness for them as they did for him.
She promptly took her glass up, sipping her drink once the couple started to approach.
"A bit crowded for a date," Jungkook joked, scanning around. "Dad's investing well in the structure now, huh. . . the last time I came here, this place was falling apart."
"It wasn't falling apart, it was under construction," Eunwoo corrected, amused. "Aren't you going to introduce your girlfriend?"
"Right—introduce yourself for me, babe," he mumbled, walking towards the bartender to order the drink he wanted.
Eunwoo shook his head as if already expecting the disregard, then turned to the girl, who had been quietly waiting for someone to acknowledge her presence. "I'm Eunwoo, and this is my girlfriend, Lee Jieun."
"Chou Tzuyu," she accepted both hands. "Wait. . . do I know you from somewhere?" Before Jieun could answer, Tzuyu continued, "Oh, yes—you're Luxn's new face!" she grinned.
"Mm," Jieun admitted with a slight blush. "Are you too?"
"Not exactly new. . . I've worked for their cosmetics once," Tzuyu said somewhat proudly. "I'm hoping to be part of something huge this time, like their winter collection. . . what do you think, Jungkook?"
"What do I think?" Jungkook came back with a bottle of beer. "I think no one is more perfect for this job other than you."
Tzuyu instantly smiled after the compliment and he curved a hand around her waist, rubbing the side hip in a comforting gesture, letting her know silently he knew what he was doing.
"Are we eating here or somewhere else?" she asked.
Jungkook sighed, looking over his shoulder at his former drunken friends. "Somewhere else would be fantastic, but that's not happening anytime soon, is it, Eunwoo?"
His brother had his eyes fixedly on the TV screen, trying to get a good sight of the game that he was missing, totally out of the conversation.
"Eunwoo."
"Huh?" he blinked back to them.
"The game," Jungkook stated. "Are you planning on watching? 'Cause I got better stuff to do tonight."
"Yeah, yeah, it's almost over," Eunwoo said, walking past them. "I'll say goodbye to the guys."
Both Jieun and Jungkook wanted to roll their eyes; It was impressive the way Eunwoo could act oblivious whenever a sports game was playing on the television.
"Do you know what you'd be doing, Jieun?" Tzuyu asked.
"Not yet," Jieun said, exchanging a quick glance with Jungkook; he drank from his bottle then let his gaze drop to her exposed legs, purposely allowing her to catch him checking her out. She moistened her lips, forcing a cheerful expression onto her face to Tzuyu. "I'll know soon. . . It's probably nothing big."
"Everything Luxn does is big," Jungkook's eyes returned to her face. "If you're expecting a simple campaign, you looked for the wrong company."
Jieun swallowed against the tightness in her throat and offered a weak smile to him. "Right," she agreed. "That's not what I meant."
Not detecting the tension, Tzuyu turned to her partner. "Where's the bathroom? I'd like to wash my hands first."
Jungkook nodded lazily at the end of some hall on the corner, and she excused herself. Jieun, from a distance, caught her boyfriend stuck in the game along with his friends, and she knew this double date would certainly take a while to start.
"I'll distract myself," she sighed, pushing herself away from the counter.
Jungkook looked around before turning on his heels to follow her. Jieun moved to the dimly lit game room, less crowded, where a pool table was displayed and untouched. She walked towards it when the lights switched fully.
"I don't understand why you don't like coming here," she muttered, brushing her fingers over the table. "It's one of the best bars in the city."
"You got the gist after that dinner," Jungkook answered, taking a ball from inside one of the six pockets.
Jieun scoffed. "Because your father wants you working here?" she folded her arms. "Such a lame excuse."
"I rather not talk about my differences with the owner of this bar with someone I barely know."
"Weren't you the one who said we should get to know each other?" she retorted as he grabbed a pool stick. "I can see that you're even avoiding your friends."
"They are not my friends."
"They were once."
Even though he was surprised to learn that Jieun found this out by herself, Jungkook still decided to ignore her and continued with what he was doing.
"You're one of those people, aren't you?"
He paused to look at her. "One of those people who. . .?'
Jieun took a step back when he crossed the table to rack the balls on it. "Who forgets the important ones after getting drunk with money and fame."
"If that's what you think I am," he mumbled indifferently.
"Well, you also misjudged me at first sight. . . and since I'm not like you, there's still time for you to change my thoughts."
Jungkook straightened up after placing the white ball in the center. He looked at her and she had to raise her chin to return the stare. Keeping his expression completely blank, he held her gaze steadily and asked, "Why don't you stop talking and get a cue so I can start beating your ass?"
There was a moment where all they did was stare at each other, him without a trace of emotion, and she as if he would just say the most nonsensical thing in the world.
Jieun was the first to break the stillness when he moved away. "I'm not good at pool games."
"Really?" Jungkook asked, grabbing the cube of chalk and rubbed it suggestively over the cue. He brought it up to his mouth, then blew the tip, and the dust flew into the air. "Lucky for you, I am."
Jieun watched intently from her spot as he bent over the table, breaking the stack. Balls were launched from all sides, getting three inside the pockets. After other two shots and missing the last one, he walked over to Jieun again, giving her the pool stick.
"Your turn."
"I can't play," she persisted, pushing the object away.
"It won't kill you to try it."
Not one to be intimidated by challenges, Jieun pursed her lips, thought for a moment, then accepted it back. She studied her chances for lingering seconds, wondering which angle would be best to make a good shot. Jungkook's eyes followed her, dropping to her thighs.
Suddenly, there was a warning on the back of his head, and he looked away from her, with a smile still hanging on his lips. Jieun's feet took her to the end of the pool table, and she prepared herself to lean over.
"Hold it at your hip."
With her body bent towards the table, Jieun's eyes lifted to meet Jungkook on the other side; he answered with a smugly smirk. She returned her focus to the white ball, placing the stick between her fingers as she watched him do.
"You really weren't kidding, huh," he commented after her failed shot and suddenly started to remove his jacket, breaking her attention once again. "Get back into the position."
Jieun merely furrowed, trying to figure out what he was doing; but still leaned back over the table. This time, however, Jungkook had stopped behind her and also leaned in, almost on top of her, causing Jieun to nearly jump out of her skin.
"It's fine," he whispered in her ear, his head close to hers. "It's the best way for me to show you."
Jieun swallowed hard, hoping he didn't pick up on the sudden intake of breath. It was far more intimate a demonstration than she'd been requesting, especially when his arms caged her on either side, and she could feel his breath along her neck.
Jungkook wrapped one arm across her back, the fabric of his pants touching the skin where her skirt had ridden up. His hands covered hers as it gripped the larger end of the stick and the other came to light on her fingers that held the smaller end.
"Now," Jungkook said, gently adjusting the cue. "Lighten up a bit; you're holding a bit too tight—there you go," he turned his face towards her, brushing his lips lightly against her cheek. "If you do it like this, it gives you a little more control."
Jieun swallowed another hard lump, trying hard to calm her crazy beating heart. Him, her, this position, his strong, amazing scent; everything seemed so inappropriate, she couldn't begin to describe.
"See?" he squeezed the hand covering hers over the thicker end of the stick for emphasis.
Her heart pounded hard and fast in her chest as he guided the stick slightly back and forth.
"Yes, I see," she breathed.
His hand shifted with hers along the long end of the cue. "Make your moves slow and even. Sorta. . . stroke it as you line it up with the ball," he demonstrated briefly. "As you are, your shot focuses on the right spot to hit it in order to pocket the other where you want it," his voice had grown husky as his heart rate had increased, Jieun felt it.
"You ready to take that shot?" he whispered.
She just nodded.
When his shoulder jerked forward, hers followed. There was the briefest of seconds where his bicep grazed the side of her breast, but that was quickly forgotten when the cue ball connected with the purple one and the chosen rolled neatly into the corner pocket.
Her eyes widened and she almost knocked him over as she straightened up in surprise when it worked. "I did it!"
Jungkook had a hard time reacting at first when she spun to him and he saw her smiling. He nodded, chuckling a little. "You did it."
Jieun twisted her lips when he stepped back, suddenly unable to keep eye contact with him any longer.
"You're not a bad teacher. . ." she murmured. "Just. . . you shouldn't get so close to me this way next time. Your brother, he. . . he might misinterpret things."
Whatever dark thoughts that had appeared behind Jungkook's eyes was gone and he kept his gaze straight and stoic. "Yeah," he took the cue from her hand.
"Sorry. . . I'm not saying that you—that we—"
"Jieun," he cut her off. "I don't get involved with Eunwoo's girlfriends. He had enough disappointments in his life. . . I won't be one of them. We're friends, right? You and I?" his smile was warm and soothed the tight knot that had formed like a lead ball in Jieun's stomach.
"Of course."
"Besides," Jungkook threw the cue from one hand to the other. "I'm not sure you could handle us being any more than that."
Jieun blinked at his words and used the table to steady herself. Couldn't handle what, exactly? She was no inexperienced woman. What did he mean? She folded her arms with a scowl, ready to ask what he truly meant by that.
Jungkook had positioned himself onto the table, hovering for a second over the Eightball, his eyes glinting as he watched Jieun realize what he was about to do, the protest on the tip of her tongue never came when he shot the ball into the hole, winning the game effortlessly.
"You know. . ." she began, staring hard at him. "I've heard boys brag too much about their prowess, and let me tell you, I've also heard from girls the night after. . . It's nothing special."
Jungkook bit his cheek as if mulling over her statement. His fingers started to shove the rest of the balls nonchalantly back into the pockets. "True. . . boys do tend to over exaggerate their abilities," his gaze narrowed just a bit, and the corner of his lips lifted. "But I'm not a boy."
Jieun felt her shoulders sag and all the confidence she had in her argument deflated like a popped balloon. She decided to keep her mouth shut for the rest of the game.
Their time alone didn't last long. Soon they began to hear the steps towards the room. Tzuyu appeared first; panic written all over her face.
"Finally! I was looking for you everywhere when I came from the bathroom!" the brunette scolded Jungkook. "I thought you left me alone in here!"
He grinned, holding her seductively when she came closer. "I could never."
Jieun looked away, somehow uncomfortable. "I'll. . . call Eunwoo and ask if he wants to play."
"Take your time," he answered, already dragging the girl towards the couch.
⋯
As the pool game went on, now with Eunwoo and Tzuyu on it, Jieun felt less interested in keep playing. Watching Jungkook teach his partner how to hold the cue in the same way he taught her was a little frustrating to watch.
Silently glances were exchanged between them through the evening, but Jieun always made a point in focusing on some other spot. The sleepover in Eunwoo's apartment later that night was the only thing that helped her forget about his brother's existence.
"Besides. . . I'm not sure you could handle us being any more than that."
Jieun groaned to herself, sinking her face into Eunwoo's pillow as he slept soundly beside her.