Taehyung stood by the back door scrolling lazily through his phone while leaning against the wall. He was jolted from his idle moments by a soft knock on the door. He looked through the small window and saw Nari waving happily at him. Grinning, he pushed open the door, holding it while she slid past him and into the hallway.
Nari waited till he secured the door, and then looked at him with a confused expression.
"I'm not the one you were expecting to meet you, was I?" He laughed as she shook her head.
"No, I thought I was meeting Jimin here." She leaned a little closer to Taehyung and whispered, "This isn't one of those switcheroo dates is it?"
Taehyung leaned back and laughed loudly. "No! No. You're here for Jimin. He just asked me to escort you to our practice room where he's waiting for you."
"In the practice room? You mean we aren't going out?" Nari walked alongside Taehyung and allowed him to guide her down a series of hallways, turning this way and that.
"Hm...I'm not sure? Anyway, how have you been?" He glanced at her and noticed she looked a little tired.
"I'm good! I've been working a lot and doing a lot of classwork. Just staying busy."
Taehyung cleared his throat and paused, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. Nari paused ahead of him a few steps then she quickly stopped and turned slightly.
"Why did we stop?"
Taehyung smiled a small smile and took a deep breath. "He's really smitten with you, Nari," he said in his low, soft voice.
Nari looked away and shook her head. "I don't know how that's possible when he doesn't even really know me."
Taehyung shrugged and took a few steps toward her slowly. "Sometimes you just know the other person is right for you."
Nari laughed and shook her head once more. "I don't think that kind of thing exists."
"It definitely does," smiled Taehyung, eventually catching up to her. He continued to slowly walk the hallways with Nari by his side. She was very nice to look at. Her voice was calm and sweet. She had a spunky disposition as well. He could totally get why Jimin would be attracted to her.
The pair finally reached their destination and stood outside a nondescript white door. Music could be heard playing on the other side of it and Taehyung stood back, holding his hand out towards the door.
"I leave you in good hands." He smiled warmly, and with a slight nod and a wink, he sauntered back down the hallway, disappearing around a corner.
Nari swallowed as she watched him leave. She liked Taehyung. He seemed like he would be a good friend. She didn't feel intimidated by him at all. She wasn't nervous around him either, unlike Jimin. She felt nervous around him all the time now. Placing a trembling hand on the door handle, she slowly pushed it down. The door opened slightly and she peeked into the dim room.
The music paired with the lighting, gave off a cozy vibe. As she slowly roamed her eyes around the room, they finally came to rest on a dancing figure in front of the wall of mirrors. She slowly stepped in and quietly shut the door behind her. She watched from her position up against the wall as Jimin danced, his arms and legs moving in fluid motions, his whole body conveying the message and feel of the song.
When the song had finished, the room became silent except for the heavy breathing coming from the dancer. Nari realized she too had a problem breathing and quickly took in a deep breath. The sound caused Jimin to spin around, suddenly facing her.
"You're here," he said softly, a warm smile spreading across his face.
"Yep," she mumbled, now unsure of what to do next. She looked around at the candles and felt at ease. She loved candles. She felt bad that he really didn't know that but had just stumbled upon it.
Jimin held his hand out and encouraged her to join him, which she did. She set her things down by the wall next to the door and moved to his side.
"Hi," he smiled.
"Hey," she said in return.
Jimin stared at her for just a moment before taking a deep breath and waving his arms in a wide circle around the room. "Welcome to the BTS practice room! This is where the magic happens," he said, giggling softly.
"I've seen this room in a lot of your videos," Nari said, smiling widely.
"You've seen our videos?"
"You could say I've been doing a little research." Nari giggled and continued moving her head to get a good view of this iconic room.
Jimin grinned and clicked on the music again with a small remote. He walked slowly back over to Nari and held out his hand. "Like I said, magic happens here," he murmured, his hand outstretched towards her.
Nari looked down at it, unsure of what he wanted her to do. She finally reached out and laid her hand on his. She felt him tug her hand gently and she allowed herself to be pulled into his arms.
Jimin took a deep breath as she entered his arms. Her scent intoxicated him. She smelled a bit like coffee, and a bit like coconut. He loved it. Her slender body fit against him like a puzzle piece. The music kicked into full swing and he looked down into her wide eyes and smiled. "Do you know how to dance?"
"A-a l-little," she stammered.
Jimin slowly wrapped his left arm around her waist and held her other hand with his right. He adjusted her free hand to rest up on his shoulder. He loved this. Matter of fact, he had dreamed about this. Just holding her made him the happiest man alive.
Nari allowed him to guide her around the room as she stumbled a bit and basically embarrassed herself. She felt heady from the smell of his cologne and the feel of his arms around her. If felt like she fit perfectly with him.
Jimin loved her flushed cheeks, as she was embarrassed from stumbling so much. "Here, just relax," he said softly, relocating her hand he had been holding to his other shoulder. He carefully placed his now empty hand on her waist. He was trying to control his nervousness but he felt like his hands must be shaking. He tried to calm his nerves but having her so close was sending his stomach into knots. He smiled as he stared down at the top of her head. She was so focused on not stepping on his feet. He thought it was adorable. "Don't worry about my feet," he said, softly laughing.
Her head slowly lifted a bit and she nodded slightly. "Sorry, its just that I'm used to playing for dancers, not really participating in the dance."
Jimin felt her hands grip his shoulders a bit more firmly and he grinned. "Nari," he said, calling her name quietly.
"Hm," she murmured, finally looking up at him.
"Thank you for coming. I'm sorry it's not an actual date."
"Jimin, this is just perfect as far as I am concerned. I love candles. I love music like this. The company isn't so bad either," she finished, a sly smile spreading across her lips.
The couple slow danced around the room. Jimin had created a playlist that he had put on repeat so it would be one less thing he would have to worry about. He hoped his music choice would be okay for her. He knew she liked piano music but he wasn't sure what else she liked. As a matter of fact he didn't know much of what she liked at all.
"Nari?"
"Yes?"
"It just occurred to me..." He paused and looked away shyly. "I...uh...well, I really don't know a lot about you." He cleared his throat. "You know...what you like and stuff." He watched as she grinned, her eyes taking on a certain sparkle. He wasn't sure if it was the candle light or just being together. Either way, he just wanted to stare into her eyes for as long as possible.
"Well, ask me whatever you want to know."
Jimin chewed on his bottom lip as he thought long and hard about what his question should be. "What's your favorite color?"
Nari giggled but humored him. "Blue. All shades of it. Next?" Her hands seemed to be creeping further up and before she knew it her fingers were laced at the back of his neck.
"Who are your favorite musicians?" He smirked as she seemed to ponder her answer.
"You already know I love Jim Brickman and Yiruma."
"But do you only like piano music?" asked Jimin, hoping she didn't hate the music BTS made.
"Only? No way! I like a lot of different styles."
"Oh yeah? Like what?"
Nari could tell he was fishing for a compliment and she wasn't going to make it easy for him in the least. "Oh...I like some K-Pop."
Jimin swallowed. "Oh really? Who's your favorite group?"
"Oh, I am a diehard Super Junior fan. I know I'm a bit young, but those guys...wow." She smirked as his expression fell.
"Oh," he muttered, still swaying her to the music.
Nari almost giggled but held it back. He was clearly disappointed that his group was not the one she mentioned. She watched as the candles nearest them cast a soft, yellow glow on his handsome face. She recalled all the videos she had watched recently and how she loved seeing him smile for whatever the reason may be. He was not smiling right now and she desperately wanted to see it. "I'm kidding," she whispered.
"Hm? Kidding?"
"Yeah. To be honest, your group is the first K-Pop I've really listened to. I only know Super Junior because my mom really likes them." She giggled softly as his expression seemed to perk up a bit. "But if I were to be completely honest, I would say that BTS is my favorite group." She kept her voice low and watched his face intently. She wasn't disappointed when his lips twitched and a small smile played on them. His eyes began to crinkle and he was struggling to hold his grin in check.
"Oh really now," he said smoothly. "So...like...who your bias?" He was looking a bit smug and Nari suddenly felt like toying with him again.
"Definitely Taehyung," she answered assuredly and without hesitation.
Jimin halted and dropped his hands, staring at her in disbelief. "Really," he said incredulously. "Tae?!"
Nari doubled over and giggled.
"That's not even funny, Nari," protested Jimin.
Nari regained her composure and came back over to him. "I joking," she said, her eyes glassy with tears from laughing so hard. "But I just wanted to mess with you a little bit. I'm sorry, Jimin." She smiled sweetly up at him and gently reached for his hands. "You want to know who my bias really is?" She slowly placed his hands back on her waist and repositioned her hands on his shoulders once more.
Jimin found it difficult to speak and tried to swallow the dry sand his throat seemed to be filled with at the moment. "Who?" he croaked.
Nari stifled her giggle, knowing she was making him increasingly nervous. She enjoyed the little power she held right now but she didn't want to string him along too much and make him feel like less of a man. Leaning in a little closer, she smiled and sighed. "You know who my bias is."
"No, I don't actually," he said, a twinkle appearing in his eyes.
"It's you," she whispered.
Jimin realized she had been playing with him but he didn't care. This girl could kick him to the ground and step on his face and as far as he was concerned it would be an honor.
"I'm really not surprised," he said smugly. "I mean, with my rugged good looks and insane dance moves, you would have to be crazy to not have me as your bias." He giggled as she expressed her amazement at his arrogant cockiness.
"Speaking of those dance moves, can you show me some?" she asked, her hands still wrapped around his neck.
Jimin's breath hitched as he stared down into her face. He was now convinced he had set the wrong mood for the room and the date because all he wanted to do right now was kiss her. He worried it was too soon in the relationship for such things but his rational thoughts were being drowned out by his intense desire to feel her lips under his. He felt a cold sweat break out on his back. His eyes focused on her lips and before he knew it he was inching closer.
Nari blinked a few times as she realized what was happening but by that time it was already too late. A pair of soft lips were now gently touching her own and her mind became so foggy that she couldn't protest even if she wanted to, which, oddly enough, she didn't. Nari became confused with her own reaction. Her hands instinctively pulled his face closer as her mind screamed for her to think about what she was doing. Why was she reacting this way? She wasn't one to be quick to jump into skinship with someone. However, as her lips moved in tandem with his, she realized she didn't mind at all if it was Jimin. He was being gentle and soft. She felt herself melting.
Jimin reluctantly pulled away. "Um...I...I really..." He was stumbling and stammering over his words and it made Nari come back to her senses rather quickly.
She took a step back and a deep breath after that. She felt flooded with guilt over giving off the impression that she was so easy. Her brain fog cleared quickly and she felt flustered. She had enjoyed it immensely, that much was true. She felt a bit concerned that she had allowed herself to flirt shamelessly and practically encourage him. All of these emotions played out on her face. She was never very good at hiding her thoughts or feelings.
Jimin watched her and he quickly realized what was going through her mind. "Ah, Nari, listen, this is totally on me." He reached out and placed a hand on her shoulder and felt her wince under his touch. He grimaced and dropped his hand. "I'm sorry, Nari, I was too forward. I knew it was too soon. I just lost control. It won't happen again," he whispered.
Nari shook her head. "No, it's okay," she whispered in reply. "I shouldn't have...never mind. Can we just go get some coffee or something?" She smiled and whether she was trying to convince herself or Jimin that everything was just fine, he didn't know.
"Oh...okay. Sure. That would be fine. Um...let me just turn these off," he said, reaching down to a candle. He was still so flustered that he lost his balance and fell over, rolling onto the floor.
The room was silent for a split second before Nari cackled loudly, her hand flying to her mouth as she realized she had made that obnoxious noise.
Jimin laid on his back on the floor, squeaky giggles bursting from his lips. He was embarrassed he had fallen over, but seeing and hearing her laugh was worth every embarrassment he could possibly suffer. He struggled up into a seated position and saw her hand stretched out in front of him. He grinned and gently took it, standing up without pulling on her at all.
Nari continued to laugh, and it felt very nice. She hadn't laughed this much since...she quickly pushed the thoughts of her sister far from her mind and focused on the smiling man in front of her. Nana would want her to do that anyway. Maybe that's why she felt so at ease in his company. Nana had idolized him and apparently she had trusted him as well. She said a silent thank you to her sister for introducing her to Jimin.
"Well, do you still want to go get some coffee or something? I mean, apparently I'm the world's biggest klutz right now so I can't guarantee you won't be soaked in coffee before the night is done," he giggled.
"I'll just take my chances," she grinned.
Jimin gave up on the idea of turning off the candles and just grabbed his phone and backpack. "Okay, let's go."
Holding the door open for her, Jimin allowed Nari to go first and soon the pair was headed out in search of some much needed, nerve-calming, warm, coffee.
* * *
AN: Ok, I feel like I'm just giving you what you want at this point. 😂