Chaeyoung exhaled nervously as she took one final glance in the mirror. She was wearing the dress she'd bought a week ago – a long, red, evening gown with a sweetheart neckline and a long slit on the left side which showcased her long leg. Her dark chocolate hair was curled loosely and cascaded down to her mid-back like a midnight waterfall. Her makeup was done by the talented Jennie and looked flawless. To accessorize, she was wearing long, crystal earrings and a couple silver rings on her slender fingers. Chaeyoung had to admit, she looked great.
Jennie was glammed up too, wearing a v-neck, deep-purple dress with black high heels. In contrast to Chaeyoung's, her hair was paper straight.
When Jimin and Taehyung walked in, they were understandably mesmerized. Chaeyoung laughed upon seeing Jimin fawn over his girlfriend, but blushed when she saw the way Taehyung was gazing at her. His mouth was slightly parted in wonder, his eyes sparkling with admiration and, perhaps, a hint of longing. She'd noticed him looking at her this way on more than a couple occasions throughout their lives but always wondered why none of their hidden feelings ever came to fruition. A part of Chaeyoung wanted to maintain her boundaries with Taehyung to protect their valuable friendship, but another part of her dreamed of the day she could explore those beautiful lips with her own.
"Stop drooling," Chaeyoung teased and used one long finger to close Taehyung's open jaw. He looked just as mesmerizing as Chaeyoung, dressed in a black silk suit and hair professionally styled.
Taehyung chuckled, "you were right. I'm absolutely enchanted."
Although Taehyung spoke with a light tone, Chaeyoung could easily pick up on the genuineness behind his compliment. She looked up to meet his chocolate-brown eyes, communicating a thousand emotions with just one look.
Eventually, Chaeyoung looked away shyly, "do you think people will bid on me?"
Taehyung smiled, "they'd be crazy not to."
After that, it was time for the Parks to make their grand entrance down the stairwell. It was customary for the family hosting the ball to have a formal entrance along with an introductory speech to kick off the party. Mr. Park was walking down the grand staircase alone, while Jimin was escorting Jennie and Taehyung was escorting Chaeyoung. As they waited for their cue to enter, Chaeyoung felt both nervous and excited. She always loved attending these kinds of parties, but she'd never volunteered to be auctioned as a date before. Her worst fear was standing on stage and no one bidding on her – not because it would lower her self-esteem, but because the children's hospital needed the money from this event.
"Ready?" Taehyung asked when Jimin and Jennie began walking down, offering her his arm.
She took a deep breath and looped her arm through Taehyung's just as the MC announced, "and finally, we have Park Chaeyoung escorted by the handsome, Kim Taehyung."
As they walked down the staircase, it was hard to ignore the stares they were garnering. All eyes were on them – women staring at Taehyung with their mouths wide open and men smiling at Chaeyoung in approval. The slight sense of discomfort she felt with so many people watching her became much more intense when she accidentally made eye contact with Jeon Jungkook, causing her to almost trip down the stairs. Luckily, Taehyung's strong arms were there to steady her.
She had completely forgotten he would be there. Come to think of it, she didn't even know why he had requested an invitation in the first place. It didn't make sense for a Phoenix to attend a Griffin party, so whatever his reason was, it couldn't be good. Although she was thankful for what he'd done for her last week, she decided it would be safer to avoid him for the night.
"Thank you all for joining my family and I for our 12th annual charity ball and auction," Mr. Park began his speech, pausing to allow a short set of applause before continuing, "this event is very close to our hearts as it has allowed our family to give back to the community we're so fortunate to be a part of. Throughout the years, we have been able to raise millions of dollars for various charities, and this year we are hoping to do the same for the Children's hospital of Seoul. We have a fun night planned, so sit back, enjoy, and remember to keep your cheque books handy."
The crowd laughed and applauded as Mr. Park finished his speech, clinking glasses in celebration.
"Thank you, Mr. Park. The event will officially start now, beginning with the silent auction in the adjacent room. Feel free to mingle and dance throughout the night and take advantage of our speciality appetizer and dessert tables. Lastly, make sure to gather around the front stage later this evening to bid on your ideal date with your ideal woman," The MC announced animatedly.
As hosts of the party, it was the Park family's responsibility to mingle and build connections with the guests. Jimin and Jennie took responsibility for entertaining one side of the room, while Taehyung and Chaeyoung chatted with the other half. The conversation topics ranged from the house decorations to the political turmoil in the middle east, depending on who they were conversing with. As she pretended to listen to one of the guests tell her about her 5 children, Chaeyoung couldn't help but notice that Jungkook had disappeared. She didn't have time to worry about that, though, as another guest whisked her away to tell her a story about his great grandfather's war experience.
After several hours of mingling, Chaeyoung was exhausted.
"Finally," she muttered to Taehyung when they finished chatting with the last guest, "freedom."
Taehyung chuckled, "I can't decide which story was worse. The one about stubbing his toe on his Ferrari or the one about being chased by a puppy."
"Definitely the toe one. At least the other story featured something cute," Chaeyoung said, causing them both to laugh.
Without even realizing it, the two had wandered onto the large dance floor, which was occupied by dancing couples as musicians played live classical music on the stage. Chaeyoung looked up at Taehyung as the musicians began to play the next song: Dmitri Shostakovich - The second waltz.
"It's one of your favourite pieces," She smiled.
He held his hand out for her and bowed like a true gentleman, "may I have this dance?"
Chaeyoung laughed and took his right hand with one of her own, placing her other hand on his shoulder. She was glad that her dad had enrolled them in dance classes at a young age because it made events like this so much more fun. He held onto her waist firmly, pulling her close enough for her to feel his firm abs and chest through the fabric of his suit. They stared deep into each others' eyes as they glided across the ballroom in an intimate waltz. Their chemistry and teamwork on the dancefloor was due to years of being each other's dance partner. But as they danced and spun through the room, Chaeyoung couldn't help feeling flustered by his proximity. The distance between their lips could have easily been eliminated with one slight bend of her head, an urge that Chaeyoung had to actively fight.
Taehyung was cute as a child, but he grew up well and evolved into an even handsomer man with well-defined cheekbones, full lips, and large, almond eyes. Sometimes, she wondered if he was even real.
She was disappointed when the song came to an eventual end, staying in Taehyung's arms for a couple seconds longer than necessary as they caught their breath. When they finally parted, they were surprised to see Jungkook approaching them.
"May I steal the next dance?" He asked, bowing to Chaeyoung and holding out his hand. Taehyung looked like he was ready to murder him, but Chaeyoung was too caught off guard to reject him – taking his hand without thinking.
Just as he pulled her to the center of the dancefloor, a new song started to play. Chaeyoung recognized it as a famous tango song, called "Por Una Cabeza".
"Tango," Jungkook mused, holding one of her hands above shoulder level and wrapping his other arm around her waist, "my favourite."
The beginning of the song was slow and featured romantic violin notes which allowed them to move smoothly across the dancefloor. Chaeyoung tried to politely maintain her distance but he pulled her flush against his chest as he led her through the tango, expertly spinning her and dancing with precise, sharp steps. She had to admit, he was a talented dancer. The fact that he looked handsome was slightly harder for Chaeyoung to admit. Since the first night they met, it was obvious that he was good-looking, with his sharp jawline and dark eyes. However, it was easy to overlook his face when he possessed such an infuriating and arrogant attitude.
At one point, he spun her around so her back was against his chest and his lips to her ear as they swayed to the music.
"You look beautiful," he breathed in her ear, causing a shiver to run down her spine.
She turned to face him again, resting her hands on his broad shoulders as they continued dancing, "you clean up pretty well too."
He smirked, "did you get enough sleep today?"
Chaeyoung answered with a laugh, remembering the way she had fallen asleep on the back of his motorcycle last week. She was so tired from her night shift and the morning air felt so calming that she had unintentionally fallen asleep, hugging him like a pillow the entire time. He wasn't impressed when he'd had to physically remove her from his motorcycle and wait for her to wake up before leaving.
When the music picked up pace, Jungkook did as well – making sharp and quick movements across the dancefloor, amd leading Chaeyoung through flips and tricks that she didn't know she was capable of. His moves were passionate and his gazes alluring as his hands roamed her body. When the music slowed again, his hand moved down her side to the slit in her dress and grasped her bare thigh, wrapping her leg on his torso and executing a perfect twirl.
He ended the dance with a deep dip and pressed his lips against her extended neck in a soft kiss, leaving Chaeyoung breathless and intoxicated.
When they pulled away, the room erupted with a fresh wave of cheers and applause. Confused, she looked around and noticed that everyone was watching them. She had been so focused on the dance that she hadn't noticed they were the only pair remaining on the floor. Jungkook seemed equally flustered.
"Alright folks, it is finally the time you have all been waiting for, the date auction!" the MC announced with excitement, "everyone please gather around the main living area as we gather our ladies."
With a quick bow towards Jungkook, Chaeyoung rushed towards the stage to join the rest of the girls for the auction. She waited nervously as the other ladies were introduced and their date plans revealed, some of them single-handedly raising over $20,000.
"Finally, we have Park Chaeyoung herself who has generously volunteered to participate in our date auction this year. She is an adventurous woman who has planned a day filled with exhilarating events; including, wakeboarding, scuba diving, and paragliding in Jeju island. In the evening, you can expect to slow things down a bit, enjoying light conversation by a bonfire and snacking on home-made smores. So, let's start the bidding. Can I get $1000?" The MC began auctioning.
Chaeyoung sighed in relief when she saw someone raise their hand. Soon after, they had reached $25,000. In the end, one older man around 5 feet tall, and one middle-aged, bald man with arms covered in skull tattoos were left to fight for her. Neither one was particularly appealing.
"50,000 dollars!" The bald man suddenly exclaimed, causing everyone to gasp. No one had bid that high on anyone yet. Chaeyoung was slightly terrified as she looked at the man again, feeling like her safety may be jeopardized if she was left alone with him.
"We have 50,000 dollars!" The MC repeated, elated, "do we have any other offers?"
Chaeyoung's heart dropped when the room become engulfed in silence. She waited for someone, anyone, to save her from this mess. Hell, she would've bid on herself if she could.
"Going once, going twice-" the MC began counting down.
"100,000 dollars!" someone called out confidently.
The amount of money offered was shocking, but what was even more unbelievable was that Jeon Jungkook was the one offering it.
~*~
A/N: wow, so I was planning on releasing this tomorrow, but you guys gave this story so much love that I decided to post it earlier. I'm so whipped for my readers <3