Maybe it was due to the fact that their bodies were already so used to waking up early or maybe it was due to the excitement they all had. Whatever it was, majority of them were awake at 7am.
Jin and Yoongi wasted no time in heading to the kitchen, Yoo-rim coming along with them although they told her to go back to sleep. They fooled around in the kitchen a bit before they decided to make whatever came to mind. In the living room, Namjoon, Taehyung and Jungkook were sleeping in while Jimin and Hoseok went in to brush their teeth and maybe shower.
They hadn't planned on cooking so much but as they set the table, the trio couldn't stop themselves from laughing; they had gone all out. What should have been a small meal ended up being a combination of dishes; egg rolls (gyeranmari), rice, kimchi, a bowl of soybean stew and salted fish (courtesy of Yoo-rim) and somehow, Jin had ended up making Korean street toast which also had everything to do with Yoo-rim as she was the little witch that wouldn't stop whispering in his ear.
Yoongi made coffee while Jin made hot chocolate for Yoo-rim and Taehyung. Yoo-rim, on the other hand, proceeded to wake up the three men still fast asleep, a pillow tightly held by Taehyung.
She woke Jungkook first, groaning as she had to pull him up to a sitting position just so he could keep his eyes open. Taehyung was tricky but she succeeded in waking him up. He pouted as she pulled his pillows away, causing her to laugh and say "Come on, oppa, it's time to get up."
The both of them –Taehyung and Jungkook – were on their feet once Yoongi told them that breakfast was ready. Waking up Namjoon was pretty easy. He lay on his back and so she knelt by his head and leaned in to peck his lips, his eyes opening as she pulled back with a small smile on her face.
His sleepy face was one she loved each time she saw it. "Good morning."
Namjoon sleepily smiled back, feeling nothing short of blessed with her face as the first thing he was waking up to. "Good morning."
"You might wanna get up now. Breakfast's ready."
He sat up, stretching. "You're up early."
"Yeah, I couldn't help it."
"Did you sleep well?"
She nodded. "I did. Did you?"
He leaned in to kiss her softly yet briefly before replying. "I sure did."
They all joined hands in clearing up the living room and moving the furniture back. The men moved the furniture actually. Yoo-rim gladly sat and watched. They brushed their teeth and majorly splashed water on their faces before making their way back to the dining table.
Yoo-rim picked up her mug of hot chocolate, a small pout on her face as she watched the others – except Taehyung – sip their coffees. "I didn't think Yoongi oppa's coffee would look this good"
"You're not drinking caffeine this morning, sweetheart." Jin said, occupying the seat on her left as Namjoon was on her right. "We're doing our best to cut down on that, remember?"
"I haven't had coffee in nearly a week!"
"Another day of not having coffee won't kill you." Yoongi said, pushing a bowl of rice towards her. He cracked a small smile as she warily eyed the bowl. "You know the drill, Yoo-rim."
She nodded with a dramatic sigh. "Yes, I do."
They mostly watched her eat, Hoseok stating that it made them feel full because she ate well and appreciated everything. Although Jin wasn't saying it, everyone knew he and Yoongi hated that she had lost a bit of weight with everything that had been happening, and they were all determined to have her gain it back.
"Most people are dying to lose that amount of weight." She said after a long moment of them watching her.
Jimin shook his head. "Not us. You were perfect."
She made a face. "So, I'm not perfect now?"
Jimin laughed, shaking his head. "You are, Yoo-rim. You're always perfect."
That caused her to smile widely. Beside her, Namjoon also had a smile on his face as he brought the coffee mug to his lips. Breakfast was a very hearty affair and they all ended up laughing. She tried to get information out of them for what they had planned for the day but no one budged so she eventually gave up, finally understanding how they felt when she and Namjoon had not given any hint about their decision to get married.
She and Namjoon showered together, the bathroom filled with her giggles even when his lips were against hers. He picked out her outfit a little later and she raised a brow at his choice. "All black? That's a first."
He nodded. "We're trying to stay low."
She nodded; that made sense. He had her dressed in a pair of loose black trousers and a long sleeved black top which she gladly tucked into the band of the trousers. She brushed her hair out and pulled it into a low ponytail before she put on the black sneakers she had sighted the night before. Namjoon, on the other hand, wore really comfortable trousers that nearly matched hers and a champagne coloured shirt, opting for black sneakers as well. He put on his cap as they headed back to the living room to join the others who had dressed really comfortably.
Jungkook grinned at her, bunny teeth on full display. "You'll have a lot of fun."
She tried the innocent look, hoping he fell for it. "Can you now tell me where we're going?"
He shook his head, still smiling. "No."
Her face soured and it caused him to laugh. They headed down a bit later, faces covered with black facemasks. Each person had their car and Yoo-rim obviously rode with Namjoon. She secured her seatbelt before facing him. "You better not drive as daringly as you've been doing."
Namjoon smiled at that, turning the key in ignition which brought the engine to life. "I make no promises."
One after the other, they pulled out of the parking lot and out of the entire area, heading towards Songpa-gu. She blinked, taking it all in and then she asked "You're taking me to Lotte World!?"
Namjoon nodded. "Yes, that's our first stop."
Lotte World, located at the Songpa-gu district of Seoul, was the world's largest indoor amusement park, surrounded by a large shopping complex and a hotel. There were people present and as she looked around, Yoo-rim noticed the Hybe security team that blended in perfectly with the visitors of the park.
The members blended in well too and although Yoo-rim didn't want to care about anything, she was still paranoid, fearing that they might get recognized and be mobbed. As if sensing her worries, Namjoon took her hand in his and smiled at her when she looked up at him; a tiny gesture that gave a lot of reassurance
The Adventure part of the park was divided into four floors and, wanting to be daring, Yoo-rim asked to see all. The members didn't argue and they pulled her along. They went on a boat ride through the underground waterway on the first floor and then rode on The Conquistador which was an intamin-made Viking ship that swung back and forth, nearly reaching the ceiling of the park when it was at its maximum height.
When they got off, Yoo-rim wobbled for a moment and then she queasily gritted out "I'm never doing that again."
She didn't have to tell the members twice.
They went from attraction to attraction; Yoo-rim's eyes as wide as saucers more than half the time. They went on different rides and fooled around before they moved to explore the Magic Island that the amusement park had to offer.
They had lunch at the Signiel Lounge – a restaurant that served French food, Korean food and also doubled as a café – which was at the Lotte World Tower. Once they had eaten, they took her snack shopping at the Lotte Mart.
Yoo-rim tried to hide a smile as she smugly said "You know this is bad for my health..."
Jin turned around. "Let's go home then."
She glared at him and they all laughed. They followed her with a shopping basket, saying nothing as she put in snack after snack; different sizes and different brands. After everything that had happened, she deserved it and they were ready to be part of her indulgence. She paid (something she fought for) and Namjoon couldn't stop himself from smiling as he watched her pay with the black card of his that he'd refused to take back from her time and time again.
Once she was done, she faced him and held up the card with a grin. "This came in handy."
He nodded, smiling wider. "It sure did."
Yoongi faked a cough. "Love."
They ignored it but it was obvious that Jin wanted to laugh as loudly as he could.
They didn't allow her carry anything and she got comfortable with it. Their next stop was the Bukchon Hanok village where there were actual hanok houses that could be dated all the way back to the Joseon Dynasty. The village was nestled between the Gyeongbokgung Palace and the Changdeokgung Palace (two more places they visited) and from the top of the hill in the area, they could see the modern landscape of Seoul.
They then took a cable car up Mount Namsan as they were too tired to try climbing. The last stop was the Namsan Tower and they ate dinner at a nearby restaurant. As Jin settled the bills once they were done (something they had played rock, paper, scissors to settle), Taehyung faced Yoo-rim with his signature boxy grin. "So, did you enjoy today?"
She nodded. "I did." Her smile was so pretty. "Thank you."
He smiled back. "You're welcome."
They all left the restaurant and she thought they'd head straight back to the dorm with the others but Namjoon had other plans. He drove them straight to the bank of the Han River and then pulled over.
She unbuckled her seatbelt. "We're coming here a lot these days."
He unbuckled his seatbelt as well. "You aren't complaining so..."
They got out of the car and like every other time they had been there, they walked along the river bank hand in hand, a comfortable silence between them. She sniffled after a while, speaking slowly. "I know all of this was your idea. The sleepover, the day out...Everything was your idea."
He didn't bother denying it. "Yeah, it was. I didn't think you'd know. And it would have been more meaningful if the members were here so I reached out and they agreed to help."
She came to a stop and turned to face him as he had stopped too. For the first time in the week (maybe longer), her smile was so sincere. "Thank you, Joonie."
"I think I prefer when you called me a Koala bear."
She laughed. "I have no idea where that came from."
"I liked it though... I still haven't come up with a nickname for you."
Her smile wouldn't go away. "Take your time, I'm not going anywhere."
Namjoon could only stare at her and she blinked. "What?"
"Nothing." He replied. "You just amaze me every single time."
She laughed again. "Stop it!"
"I'm being very honest."
She kept laughing and she had no idea what it did to him. "You're honestly going to make me keep laughing. Stop!"
He didn't want to stop. He wanted her to keep laughing. He wanted her to keep being like that; so carefree and really happy. He wanted her books to be on very single shelf and all the manuscripts she wanted as movies being aired on every major channel and maybe even Netflix too. He wanted everything she wanted for herself and he wanted so much more. It wasn't just him. The members did too.
He exhaled. "So, I got in touch with the writer of Vincenzo."
Her smile slowly faded away and she blinked, sobering up. "You did?"
He nodded. "I did, and I didn't tell you but I sent him a copy of your manuscript so he could look at it and tell me what it needed to be turned into a drama just like you wanted."
Her face softened. "Joonie..."
"He got back to me this morning while we were at Lotte World. He had sent it to another writer; Jeong Dae Yun. He wants to meet you tomorrow evening."
Tears were welling up in her eyes. She told herself – once again – that she didn't deserve him. He had a smile on his face as he continued. "Apparently, he was writing a similar story that is to be turned into a drama that should be on air by the first half of 2022 or so but he was having issue with some areas and your story fit perfectly. So he wants the both of you to write it together and you'll get equal credit."
"You..." She slowly exhaled. "God, I love you so much."
He smiled sheepishly. "I love you too."
She wiped away the stray tears. "Do you have any idea how happy this made me? You always do so much, Joonie and I don't even do so much."
"You're here." He said without missing a beat. "That so much more than enough for me."
She simply hugged him and he wasted no time in hugging her back.
"So," He asked. "Are you going to meet him?"
"Are you crazy!? Why will I refuse?"
He laughed over her shoulder. "I just had to be sure."
"Thank you, for everything."
"You're welcome."
♣
Jeong Dae Yun was known for being the writer of famous Korean dramas such as I'm Not A Robot, W, She Was Pretty, Cunning Single Lady, Goddess of Fire, King2Hearts, Arang and The Magistrate and Queen of Reversals.
He had requested that they spoke over lunch at a traditional style restaurant that offered so much privacy and Yoo-rim ended up being a nervous wreck. Once she arrived and gave her name, she was led to one of the private rooms and she had to exhale for the longest time before she braced herself and stepped in.
Dae Yun was more than happy to see her and he was really polite which only increased her respect for him. Their orders were taken, Dae Yun placing her order for her as she had never been to the restaurant while he was a very regular face.
"I hope you like what I have chosen." He said, laughing heartily. "It was the first thing I tried when I came here and I never looked back."
"I think I will." She replied, smiling warmly. "Thank you so much for having me."
"No, Yoo-rim, I should be the one thanking you. You have no idea how beautiful your story is. You can imagine how surprised I was when Namjoon told me you didn't like it at first."
Her cheeks burned. "Well, it didn't seem like much but when I took some time off work, it was nice to work on and with Namjoon's help, it seemed really beautiful."
The man's facial expression went soft. "It's a really beautiful work. Also, congratulations. Namjoon told me the both of you were getting married soon."
Yoo-rim made a face but it was cute. "I can see he's telling everyone now that we're getting married."
He laughed. "I was really curious as to why he was going such lengths for someone I wasn't so familiar with so he had to tell me everything."
"Right..."
"Let's talk about the story?"
She nodded excitedly. "Yes, please."
Their lunch arrived and they spoke over the meal. She loved the food, savouring the taste and making a mental note to try them out when she had the time. Both stories –hers and his – came together perfectly like missing pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. His story flowed into hers and her story created the perfect ending.
Once they were done combining both stories to form one, they got into prospective candidates for casting as JTBC was to air the drama. She went through the list of actors he had for the main lead and after a long time, she tapped on Song Joon-ki's photo.
"It has to be him. It'll be perfect. He's completing Vincenzo right now and then he'll be going into another revenge drama. It'll be perfect!"
Dae Yun was smiling widely. "I picked him too. I'll convince him to take on the role. I'll get in touch with the agent as soon as details have been confirmed."
"Please do."
"So, what will the title be?"
She thought about it for a moment before she spoke. "The Conglomerate's Youngest Son."
"Or the Chaebol Family's Youngest Son. Maybe even Reborn Rich? We are dealing with a reincarnation after all."
"Yes, anyone's fine honestly. They all sound good." She then glanced at the text that came in on her phone and smiled. "I should start heading back."
He got the message, smiling easily. "Of course. Thank you so much, Yoo-rim. I'm so grateful."
"I'm more than grateful. Thank you for wanting to do this with me."
They said their goodbyes and she smiled throughout the ride home. Once she stepped into the dorm, they all faced her and she grinned. "I did it!"
They cheered and took turns hugging her, saying their congratulations. Namjoon hugged her for the longest period and before he pulled back, he uttered the nickname he had gotten for her; the Italian word Tesoro rolling off his tongue with so much ease.
She could only stare at him with wide eyes while he smiled and even risked a wink. They had her in his room in no time, leaving her to shower, get changed and meet them in the kitchen which she did, and she was more than excited to tell them everything that had happened.
In that excitement, she didn't even take note of the fact that they were feeding her more food than normal and she finished every single thing, Jin's smile being the widest. She felt the fullness when the excitement wore off and she made a face, attempting to glare at all of them. "This is considered blackmail in the court of law."
"It was worth it," Hoseok said, watching her with a fond smile. "It was really worth it."
They then spoke about the show she was to host; the final show of hers that they would appear on.
"I'll have to ask you about dating." She told them. "And I'm not asking for a lot but I just want you to put it out there that you are humans too who also deserve to be happy. Also, I guess I want you to tell them that you hope nearly everyone is supportive when you eventually step out to say that you're in relationships."
She saw how their faces softened and she knew they understood. She just wanted it to be out there as some sort of protection so that in case anything happened, she could rely on the fact that there were going to be a few people who would support she and Namjoon's relationship.
Jin reached across the table and placed his hand on hers. "We got you, I promise."
She smiled at him, relieved. "Thank you, oppa."
His smile was wide. "You're welcome."
"We love you." Yoongi said, folding his arms on the table and leaning forward. "And we'll always be there for you."
She made a face. "Don't make me cry."
They all laughed and so did she, her heart light because she knew they meant every single word. Outside, Seoul was just as busy, and in the detention center, Young Do sat in a corner of the cell, chewing at his nails.
***
[A/N]
Hi! It has been forever, has it not? I apologise, adulting hasn't been my best friend and I'm currently finishing up a master's degree so I haven't been in the best of places. We thank God for the little blessings though.
As much as I didn't want it to come to this, I'm going to state it here that updates for this book are going to be slow and random. It's not my usual style and I'm sorry. When I'm done with all that's preoccupying my time right now, by God's grace, I'll do my best to make up for everything.
Until then, please scroll down for the next chapter(s).
Before I forget to ask, how are you? Eid Mubarak in arrears to those who celebrate. I hope your celebrations were beautiful.
Also, Yoo-rim and Namjoon are cute. I'm saying that for the thousandth time.
Bye!