Chapter Thirteen: "Good kisser."
A/N: bolded name = pov
Jungkook
I look at myself in the mirror. I had decided on something simple and neat, dark jeans and a grey shirt underneath my blue sweater. I glance at my phone, 7:03. Chaeyoung would be here soon. She said 7:15 pm.
I step out of my room after slipping my phone and wallet into my pocket as I accidentally walk into my brother who looks me up and down.
"Where are you going?"
"Dinner." I shrug, heading to the kitchen. "Do you want anything?"
"For my bro to tell me the truth," he says, leaning against the doorframe at the entrance of the kitchen while I drink water. "It's a date isn't it?"
I choke on my water and he laughs as I cough and sputter before calming down. He doesn't stop laughing even while he passes me the tissue box. I roll my eyes as I wipe my mouth, "Yes, very funny."
"Sorry," he chuckles as he calms down. "But I'm right aren't I? There's no way you're dressed this nice to just go and eat."
"Whatever."
"Is it that girl you told me about last time? What's her name? Chaerin?"
"Her name is Chaeyoung." I correct him and he claps his hands together.
"So it is her!"
I sigh. My brother's instincts are almost always spot-on. Sometimes, it's scary.
"Yes, it's her." I give in, not seeing reason to lie. "But it's not that serious. It's like our first date sort of thing."
"Are you picking her up? Guys should pick their dates up. You can head there and walk together to the bus stop." He says but I shake my head.
"Normally yes but she isn't your normal girl. I doubt she has ever taken a bus in her life." My brother looks confused so I explain. "She's the daughter of the family that owns Zeus International."
My brother's eyes widen. "Seriously? Aren't they like one of those generationally wealthy families? They are like their own legacy."
"Yeah," I nod.
"How did you manage to ask such a girl out?"
"I didn't." I admit, turning pink. "She did."
His jaw drops. "What?"
"What? It's the new era of gender equality." I say defensively just as my phone buzzes with a text. Chaeyoung was near.
"Is she picking you up?" My brother asks as he looks at my expression and I nod.
He sighs before placing a hand over my shoulder. "Try to take a bit of initiative. I'm not saying this because you're a boy. I agree with this whole gender equality thing and I'm not judging. But if a girl like her who could have her pick of any guy, decided to ask you out, you can't let her do everything. If you just go with the flow, forget her, any girl would feel like it's too one-sided."
"I-I know," I say, taken aback by the sudden serious advice. "Anyway, it's our first date. It's not like a thing, yet at least."
"Okay, just keep it mind. Go on now, have fun." He pats my back and turns back into his room.
I let out a breath as I slip into my shoes and leave the apartment. I come down in time to see the familiar red Jaguar pulling up into the driveway.
I open the door, greeted by Chaeyoung wide smile. "Hey!"
"Hi," I smile back as I sit in the passenger's seat.
"Ready to go?"
"Yeah."
She nods, driving out into the road. "Yugyeom told me you like seafood so I thought we could go to this restaurant that specialises in it."
"You went to ask him?" I ask surprised she bothered to find out such a detail. It might be small but it felt warm to me.
"Of course, I can't ask you out without having a clue about what you'd like." She shrugs. "I searched a few restaurants up and initially but it was too far and you'd probably want to go back to your revision soon so I picked the one with the best rating around here."
"Thank you," I smile at her. "Really, for considering so much."
She gives me a smile. "Yeah, of course."
When we park at the basement of the restaurant, we exit the car simultaneously. I walk forward but turn back when I notice Chaeyoung still standing there.
"Aren't you coming?"
However, she gazes at me for a second more with a smile on her face. "You look really nice, but of course you always do."
Should I have complimented her first? Would it seem like I was just returning the statement if I did it now?
I decide on a thank you for now.
She seems happy with it and leads the way, unintentionally giving me a chance to take a good look at her. Her low bun is secured with a gemmed pin and she's wearing a knitted cardigan over a black crop top with a pair of high waisted jeans, exposing just a strip of bare skin. A sling handbag crosses her chest and hangs a little below the side of her waist.
She looked breathtaking.
My brother's words linger in my mind. I could tell this would be included in his list of how a guy should treat a girl. I should have told her.
"Welcome, do you have a reservation?" The man at the entrance asks.
"Under Chaeyoung," she replies and he nods.
"Please enter, I'll lead you to your table."
We follow him inside and he shows us to a table that is way inside, the cutlery and menus already set. "When you're ready to order, you may press the button. Someone will attend to you."
"Thank you," Chaeyoung says and he bows before leaving.
"The ambience is nice," I comment as I sit and almost slap myself when I say it. Will she be upset that I took notice of the the damn ambience but not her?
"Yeah, it is." If she was upset, it didn't show in her soft smile at all. Maybe she was not particular about stuff like these. "Take a look, order what you want."
We end up getting their signature platter and a soup, skipping the carbs since the seafood would be filling enough. Chaeyoung kept the conversation up mostly and I could tell it was because I would not have to. She knew well enough I was not good at flowing the conversation.
I notice she doesn't eat much and ask about it but she blames it on some sports diet she's on. "It will be intensive training after the mid-terms because the term after will be the start of the competition season." She tells me.
It was obviously true that she would have a certain diet as an athlete but I had a nagging feeling that she wasn't fond of seafood, that we were here solely because I liked it.
When the check arrives, I offer to pay. "Chaeyoung, let me."
"No, Jungkook. I'll get it."
"Come on, you paid the last time."
"And you offered me food at your house before that." She reminds me of the time I brought her up to share my mother's cooking with her.
"But that doesn't cost me anything."
"It did to your mom," she says. "Don't tell me she got it out of thin air."
"Still," I argue so she comes up with a compromise.
"How about this then? Whoever initiates the date, gets to pay. So today, I'll get the check."
"Chaeyoung."
"Jungkook." She copies me and I end up chuckling.
"Fine, next time I'm paying."
"That means you have to ask me out," she says, passing her card to the waiter. "You think you can do that?"
"Why can't I?" I ask, defensively. "You'll see."
"I guess I will," she gives me a challenging smile as the waiter returns her credit card. "Let's go."
When we exit the restaurant, I stop her from heading to the car. "Do you want to go for a walk?"
"Yeah, sure."
We walk side-by-side along the generally garden at the back of the restaurant which was lit up by fairy lighting along with the lampposts as I pluck up the courage to talk about something that I've been wanting to clear. "So, you said you wanted to go the traditional way, is that what I'm thinking it is?"
"Well I said traditional because asking someone on a dinner date was classic but let's hear your thoughts. What is it you're thinking?
"Oh, it's just this way of dating in Busan. We don't have to go through it." I wave it off but she seems interested in it.
"What is it? We could if you want to."
"Nah, you wouldn't like it."
"Try me," she looks up for a challenge so I decide to give her one.
"Think twice. If I tell you, you'd have to do it." I say. "Oh and personally I don't think you'd be able to."
"Is that a challenge?"
"Clearly."
"Fine. Go on."
I grin as I explain the weird rule to her. "In Busan, there is a structured system of how you're supposed to advance the relationship."
"Example?"
"Like you can only kiss on the fourth date."
"What?" Her reaction is immediate and I burst out laughing. "Wait are you making this up?"
"No," I deny, still laughing. "Ask anyone from Busan. They'll know."
"So you're serious?" She muses. "But it doesn't concern us does it? We've already gone all the way anyway." She asks hopefully but I shake my head.
"Isn't this a start over? We have to go by the rules."
She lets out a sigh. "Fine, what other rules are there?"
"You have to go on at least eight dates before you ask the other person to go steady and call it a relationship. If you ask them to be your girlfriend or boyfriend before that, it would be considered too fast and if you still have not done it after the tenth, the other person would think you don't want to go steady."
"Wow," she looks at me. "Is there a scheduled time for when you can sleep together?"
"Chaeyoung! No." I say, half-astonished at her bluntness and half-amused. It's funny to see her a little annoyed.
She lets out an even more tiring sigh. "Fine, we'll do it your way." But then she extends her hand towards me. "Is holding hands allowed on the first date or do we have to stand five feet apart?"
I chuckle. I was actually not going to ask her to actually follow this because I didn't like to be that structured for stuff like this either but her sulking was cute and I wanted to see it a bit more.
"It's a pass," I tell her.
"Then hold it."
I look at her hand and smile before slipping mine into hers. Her long slender fingers intertwine with mine, our shoulders touching with our close heights due to her shoes.
"Are you shy? You're all pink." She suddenly says into my ear and I feel heat rush to my face, probably making me redder.
"What? No, and why are you whispering?" I ask after denying the obvious.
She shrugs. "No reason." She then holds up our hands, "Why is this making you blush so hard?"
"I-I don't know."
She stops, facing me without letting go of my hand. "You know, you're really cute when you're shy?"
Her voice is low but she's not whispering; I hear her loud and clear. Her tone is sultry a little and my throat goes dry when she takes a step forward. She lets go of my hand, snaking it around my neck and pulling me to her, our faces just an inch apart.
"Are you still shy?"
I don't process her words, my eyes only gazing at the movement of her lips. I was awkward and shy but moments like this bring out my inner confidence that I usually don't know I have.
I want to close the distance and I almost do right when she lets go completely. "Sorry, I forgot the rule." She smirks, enough to tell me she didn't actually forget - she was teasing me with my own play.
When we finally make it back to her car, I keep glancing at her. Maybe I should have just kissed her because right now that was all I could think of.
"Why do you keep looking at me?" She asks, amused.
"Nothing." I say quickly and she doesn't push further.
When we reach the driveway of the block of apartments I lived in, I click my seatbelt open.
"Thank you for today Chaeyoung," I tell her but she shakes her head.
"Don't worry about it."
I almost exit the car but turn back. I take a breath and tell her something I had been wanting to the whole time today.
"Not that I have to tell you but you look beautiful. Really beautiful."
Maybe she didn't expect it or was not the type to make a big deal out of it, but the instant smile on her face was worth it.
"Thank you," she says as a strand of her blonde hair falls from her bun. I don't think as I touch the soft lock between my fingertips, tucking it behind her ear. My eyes meet hers again, locking into her gaze. There are three inches between us but I felt like it should be lesser.
I lean, it's less than three now. Better.
Chaeyoung's fingers touches the side of my face, her thumb caressing my cheekbone. Her face nears mine and I look at her lips which brush against mine tentatively, a spark igniting between them.
"You should back out if you want me to follow the rules."
I inhale the peachy scent wafting from her. "You don't have to." I mumble.
She takes a moment, her finger sliding down to my neck, titling my jaw upwards just a little. I close my eyes when I feel her lips press onto the pillow of skin right below my lips.
"Are you sure?" She whispers.
I look down at her and nod. "Fuck the rules."
Warmth blossoms in my chest when we finally kiss and I feel a sense of relief settle in me, sighing into her mouth. Her lips were soft, almost silken against my own.
Chaeyoung's hand curves at my nape, angling my head to deepen the kiss so I let her take the lead, letting myself immerse into this dreamy feel. I subconsciously pull the pin from her hair, the blonde locks falling like a curtain, exemplifying her beauty.
I could feel the light tickle of her breath beneath my nose, my fingers carding through her hair as we breathed each other in.
When we finally break apart, I heave a little, a light pant caused by the kiss.
"How is it that this is our third time kissing but it still feels so electrifying?" Chaeyoung wonders out loud as she leans back on the seat.
I smile automatically. It felt good to know I was not the only one who felt it. "I don't know, but I agree. It's as exciting as the first one."
"You remember? Weren't you drunk?" She asks and I nod.
"Don't know how I remember either. I can't remember much of the party till now." I reveal.
"I guess I'm a really good kisser." She says cockily and I roll my eyes.
"Sure."
She laughs. "Okay, go on up. I already took a lot of your time."
"I'll see you Chaeyoung." I say and she nods.
**
Jennie
How do you get over a crush?
Any tips?
Anyone?
Because my current crush was probably falling for someone else.
"Jen!" Lisa yells my name from the desk. "Can you get up and eat? You've been staring at the ceiling for god knows how long. The dinner is going cold."
"I'm not hungry. That's why I told you to eat first. Why didn't you?"
"How do I eat when you look like a depressed kid?" She says, closing her book. "At least tell me what's going on. You've been in a daze the whole weekend."
"It's nothing." I shake my head, reluctantly lifting myself to a sitting position. "Let's eat."
She sighs as we both sit across from each other at the table we use for food, or games rarely.
"Are we the only ones with a theory paper this week?" I ask because unlike everyone who started next week, we had a test on Wednesday.
Lisa shakes her head however. "Computer Science has one before us on Tuesday. Bambam told me."
"Oh right, you brought him to your academy. How was it? Is he joining?"
She shrugs. "He said he'd think about it when it ended. Haven't spoken since."
"You're speaking like it's been ages. Wasn't it just yesterday that you guys went together?" I question her attitude but then grin, "Why are you so disappointed that he hasn't contacted you? Do you-"
She flicks a broccoli at me. "Hey!"
"Oh come on, it's a broccoli not a bullet." She tones down my dramatic voice.
"I hope you know it makes it more suspicious when you deny it like that," I sing.
She gives me a curious face, probably questioning my perception of her and Bambam because she says, "Babe, I like Hoseok."
Oh right. I forgot that guy existed.
"Feelings can change," I argue anyway but my brain was taunting me inside. If it could change that easily, I'd be over Yoongi by now.
"Well yeah, but hasn't happened." She says nonchalantly. "How about you? Who do you like? Come to think of it you've never spoken of your crushes before."
"Because I currently don't have one," I lie through my teeth. Don't have one, my ass. Having a crush was the reason I was even sulking the whole weekend. The worst part was that he had no idea.
Lisa rolls her eyes. "Come off of it. There's no way you've never had even the slightest crush on someone. There are so many hot guys in our year."
"No one caught my eye."
Lisa gives me a knowing look. "Are you sure?"
It made me waver a little. Did she fine out? Was I obvious?
I decide to play it dumb. "Yes, what are you implying?"
"Nothing," she says innocently. "Nothing at all."
A/N: Rosékook finally go on a date hehe and Jennie is sulking. Vmin coming up next chapter (finally😭) coz vmin is like my comfort relationship to write. Okie I'll stop here. Toodles💋