YOONGI
There are more students here than I thought.
And they are loud.
And seemingly everywhere at once. They're delighted by the set up of tables made for the rounds of questions even I'm not sure of. Most of them have joined together in clusters and have taken over the front tables, leaning on the edge of their seats as Namjoon dramatically pauses for effect before deeming the left side table to be correct.
A mixture of applause and outraged cries fill the air, but it's all in the name of good fun. Jin laughs along with them, but I know he's really laughing at his dork of a boyfriend. He tells me this himself, whispering low enough that Namjoon was secretly excited about tonight for a while.
I watch from the snack table as Namjoon asks the questions with a stack of cards in his hands and a striking gleam in his eye. The teams started less than thirty minutes ago and already this is making for an interesting match.
Then Jimin and Hoseok appear.
I'm surprised when they show up, especially now when the games have already started, but they take a seat at an empty table in the back and watch with intense eyes.
At the front, Namjoon notices them and looks to me for a split second before focusing on the question.
I need to play this very carefully. I cannot tell if he's thrown off by them showing up out of nowhere, or if he thinks I had something to do with it. If he's confused, he should really take a look inside my head right now.
Eventually, Namjoon continues reading from his notecards. "In the Disney category, we will start with a question worth twenty points. Which Disney Princess sings "Once Upon a Dream"?"
Before anyone can breathe, Jimin's hand shoots up. "Sleeping Beauty! Otherwise known as Aurora!"
Namjoon's expression flickers, but he regains himself. "That is correct."
Hoseok and Jimin high-five each other, and I can't help my smile as I watch Jimin flash his pearly white teeth and clap his hands, so proud of himself.
Namjoon speaks louder. "What is the name of Belle's father in the movie Beauty and the Beast?"
"Maurice!" Jimin shouts.
"Correct!"
Jin cackles. "Damn, this kid is good."
My chest is tight and I'm clapping along with everyone before I know it. I'm clapping so hard my palms hurt, but it's still not enough to be heard above the cheers. Within seconds, everyone is on their feet watching Jimin answer every question related to Disney.
"Which Disney character sings "Kiss the Girl"?"
"Sebastian!"
"What is the name of Simba's father in The Lion King?"
"Mufasa!"
"The Queen of Hearts wanted her roses what color in Alice in Wonderland?"
"Red!"
His smile widens with every question he gets right, and he results to standing after shooting up out of his seat for the fifth time. He's quick to answer, not even sparing the others a chance at a guess. Hoseok is laughing so hard he's falling out of his seat, but Jimin keeps going.
Namjoon gets down to his last card and Jimin answers just as easily, taking the entire crowd by shock and ending his victory with a bow like he just won a Grammy. I clap along with Jin, who laughs at Namjoon's stunned expression. Some of the competition decide to leave, their egos getting the better of them, and I watch as they roll their eyes, muttering that this was child's play.
It doesn't matter what they think because Jimin is glowing and his cheeks are flushed and he looks really, really cute.
He raises his head and spots me at the snack table. "Hey," he says. "Are these free?" He points down to the snacks laid out. An assortment of chips, cans of soda, and small bags of gummy candy.
"Yes, of course." I slide them all toward him. "You were great," I add and he smiles. The left side of his front tooth is slightly crooked and it makes him look even more youthful. I gesture to the tables where Namjoon is shuffling a new deck of cards with questions. "Will you do an encore?"
"No, we're done for the night," he says, glancing back at Hoseok. "I didn't plan on joining in anyway. We just came to watch, but I had fun."
He stands with me at the snack table, watching the rest of the questions play out while swiping a pack of gummy bears and popping them in his mouth. Every once in a while, he'll look over at my reactions, like he's making sure I'm still there. I want to ask him why he does that, but before I can, Jin taps me on the shoulder. "Hey," he says. "Could you get my phone for me? I don't want to miss Joon's face when this ends."
"Where is it?" I ask.
He slips off the lanyard off his neck and shows me a key hidden under his faculty I.D card. "It's in my classroom on my desk. You'll find it."
I honestly don't want to leave right now, but can't come up with an excuse to stay, so I take his key and begin my walk down the path that leads up to a stairway. The classrooms are quiet with everyone gone for the night, and my feet echo through the hallway. I skip steps and finally reach his classroom, struggling with the key for a moment before I hear the click of the lock.
The door swings open and I immediately find Jin's bubblegum pink phone sitting face down on his desk. I reach to take it when I see a shadow behind me, making me jump and spin around.
Standing in the doorway is Jimin. "I'm sorry!" he says, his pretty eyes widen. "I didn't mean to scare you."
I feel my entire body freeze as I begin to process all of this. First, I'm thrilled to know he's here, but the question of why doesn't leave me. I can feel my cheeks flame, and I do not have the acting skills I need to be professional; he makes that very difficult for me, it seems.
"That's okay." I try to sound casual because I don't want to scare him off. "Is there something I can help you with?"
"No, I'm okay," he says, casting his eyes down. "I, um, I thought you were leaving and wanted to say good-bye."
"That's nice of you," I smile, and then his face satisfyingly brightens. I step closer. "Jin— er—Professor Kim Seokjin needed me to get his phone for him. I'll be heading back to clean up, so it will be late for me."
He nods. "I thought so. I was actually hoping to ask you a favor if you weren't busy, but I don't want to bother you if you have things to do."
"No, it's fine," I interject, not thinking. "What is it?"
Jimin pauses in the act of biting his bottom lip. I'm sensing he's nervous about asking me something, and I want to reassure him that he's free to ask anything of me, but my eyes wander to his plump lip and the slope of his neck where it meets his loose sweater, and I forget what I was about to say.
He raises his eyebrows. "Do you think you could drive me to the dorms again? Hoseok was supposed to walk with me, but he won't be able to time it right with the buses stopping at nine." He sends me a cautious look. "I promise this is the last time I'm asking this of you. I just. . . don't like to be by myself in the dark."
I'm more than pleased with this turn of events. I'm also quite nervous for attempting to sneak past everyone a second time, with a higher level of risk than before, but I cannot say no. "Sure. It might take me a few minutes to get things cleaned up and ready to go. Are you okay with being a few minutes late?"
"I'm okay with that," he smiles. "I can help if you want me to."
As much as the idea of Jimin cleaning up with me brings me feelings of joy and butterflies through my stomach, I shake my head. "Here," I say as I take my key out of my pocket and drop it in his tiny hands. "Go ahead and wait for me in the classroom. It shouldn't take me too long."
He flushes. "Are you sure? I. . . I mean, this is your key. . . "
I give him a grin. "Ever the observant student."
He glances up at me with big eyes. It's cute. He's uncertain for a moment before taking the key and following me out Jin's classroom. I lock the door behind me and we walk down the hallway side by side, our footsteps drumming along.
"Can I ask you something?" Jimin says. "Are we friends?"
I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't that. I glance at him and he's already looking at me with eyes that seem enchanting in the dark. "I would like to hope so," I say. "Otherwise, that friendship bracelet I've made will be all for naught."
He laughs, and suddenly my soul is healed for a thousand years. I share his joy and we exchange smiles.
We smile at one another in a way that does not help our case of being nothing more than friends.