Y / N
It was finally D-Day.
Extremely nervous, I checked my Twitter notifications once again to ensure I had no new messages from Jimin rescheduling the meeting or worse cancelling it.
He was an idol with an extremely hectic schedule and I wouldn't have been surprised if he decided to cancel our meeting altogether.
Still, with only two hours left for our meet-up, my hopes had gotten kind of high—to actually see him for myself... and possibly even convince him to withdraw the lawsuit.
I watched Sa Rin eyes gleam with excitement as she set my newly cut and blow dried hair into place with a medium-hold spray.
"Sa Rin-ah," I gulped, clutching the string of my crossbody purse anxiously. "Please just come with me. Don't you want to see your bias too?"
Sa Rin looked sad for a split-second but then her grimace morphed into a sly grin.
"I'll see him when he becomes your boyfriend. Now won't that be simply perfect?" She winked and my face heated up. She really needed to get out of her fairy tale world.
"I know that I should go there to explain myself," Sa Rin quickly continued, looking a bit solemn. "but I don't think he'd want you to bring anyone along."
"True," I nodded. "And don't smile like that. Nothing weird is going to happen. He probably wants to meet alone because of security issues." I reprimanded her but Sa Rin simply continued to grin cheekily.
"Exactly," Sa Rin added breezily, giving me a quick once-over as she ruffled through my closet.
"What kind of look are you going for?"
"Something modest." I shrugged. "The hair is quite fancy so downplay the outfit a little bit. I don't want to look like I'm on a date."
"Correction." Sa Rin piped up. "You don't want him to think that you're on a date with him." She smiled knowingly. "But I get you. I don't want him to think that you tried too hard either-"
She dropped a pair of skinny jeans and a wrap-around lavender top into my lap.
"Change into these. I have some nude pumps you can wear with these and—maybe some dangling earrin-"
"No!" I exclaimed. "No pumps and no dangling earrings. Did you even listen to me, Sa Rin?" I rolled my eyes, chuckling at her enthusiasm.
Changing my clothes, I slipped on a pair of my comfy sandals and did a final twirl for Sa Rin who nodded satisfied.
"Go get your man, Y/N!" She hollered as I got into a taxi and I smiled.
I was finally going to meet The Park Jimin.
J I M I N
I was so excited, I couldn't stop fidgeting.
The waitress had glanced at me for the fifth time already ever since I'd been sitting here for the last fifteen minutes and there were still ten minutes until Y/N was supposed to arrive.
"I'll take lemon mocktail, please." I tapped the menu distractedly as she rounded my table for the umpteenth time, looking at me suspiciously.
I didn't blame her. This was a high-end restaurant and naturally, she was irked to see me sitting all covered up in a cap, a dark black mask and sunglasses.
Sighing, I decided to take off my mask as she continued to stare at me dubiously. The waitresses eyes widened in recognition but then, she quickly reassembled her features, scribbled down the order professionally and walked away.
Just then, the glass door swung open and I saw Y/N step in.
She looked absolutely stunning in a structured, wrap-around top that ended in a bow-like knot around her slim waist and skinny jeans that hugged her shapely legs like second skin.
As she looked around the restaurant—albeit discreetly—trying to spot me, I noticed that aside from a delicate bracelet around her wrist and a thin chain resting around her throat, she had no other jewellery on... and, her ring finger was empty too.
I held my hand up just as she finally spotted me and walked over.
I expected her to be pleased to see me, maybe even squeal excitedly or rush to hug me but Y/N didn't even crack a smile as she quietly slid into the seat across from me.
"Hi," I held out my hand for her to shake. Surely, she wouldn't decline a handshake with her ultimate bias?
My smile faltered as she glanced at my hand longingly for a second, and then her eyes turned wary. "I'm sorry, I can't do that. If I ever get to go to a fansign, probably then-" She broke off hesitantly as I nodded.
I could play along. For now.
"Right. You don't want me to treat you any differently than the other fans, is that right?"
She nodded. "Yes. Plus, I'm here to talk about the lawsuit. The lawsuit could seriously damage my citizen record and-"She paused, her eyes flitting to mine. "-and I'm barely starting my career as a baker. Can you please just withdraw the lawsuit? I know it might be a lot to ask-"
I blinked to break off the intense eye-contact.
Holy lords, her eyes were the lightest brown I'd ever seen—like beautiful hazel orbs bathed in bright sunshine.
"But why should I withdraw the lawsuit?" I coughed awkwardly as she stared at me pleadingly.
Damn, she was an ARMY—I had a soft spot for my fans—and then her doe-like, innocent eyes... damn, I was in trouble.
"Because-" Y/N searched for words. "Because the lawsuit is against the wrong person." She breathed.
"And I'm not telling you this so you can sue the other person because I don't want to happen either." She lowered her head.
"Then what's the point?" I glanced at her furtively. I already knew her truth.
Some digging around had revealed that what Y/N had told me over text that day was actually completely true.
She had never watched my live and hadn't even been home when that comment was posted.
Moreover, her employer, the owner of Sweet&Sour Temptations had backed up her story and even provided us complete CCTV footage.
Of course, I had never seen that. It was required by the agency because BigHit was kind of paranoid about its artist's safety but the news had gotten to me.
I just wanted to know the complete truth now.
"It was actually my best friend who posted the comment." Y/N continued, looking guilty. "I really am telling the truth." She pleaded softly, her knuckles going white.
Instinctively, I grabbed her hands, caressing her knuckles but before I could withdraw my hand, Y/N pulled hers back, looking slightly shaken.
"I'm sorry-" I sputtered, not wanting her to misunderstand.
"It's alright." She shook her head, grabbing her purse tightly. "I hope you'll consider my words. I really am not lying to you, J-Jimin." Her cheeks coloured ever so slightly as she uttered my name and then, before I could stop her, she was moving.
I noticed she'd left a small folded piece of paper under her plate and could only barely grab it, but by then Y/N was already out the door and across the street... away from me.