You've never been in love before. Scratch that, you've never even had a crush before. With your family, love was the last thing that was on your mind. Still, the man in front of you shook your heart and gave you tremendous butterflies with just his smile. The sight of his dimples almost gave you a heart attack. Beside you, Jungkook coughed in his throat, snappin you back to reality.
"I-I'm Y/N." you finally said. Both hands retracted from one another. Your gaze lowered to the ground to avoid the embarrassment. The sensation of his hand was still tingling on yours. You saw that Taehyung had guided Yuqi to the front where he introduced her to Namjoon. It was weird, like everyone in the group looks up to Namjoon in some strange way. He didn't give off any kind of cocky vibe, but maybe they all just respect him. Especially Jungkook, who looked at the older with admirations.
"So this is the girl you've been talking about non-stop." Namjoon said amusingly, he had a deep chuckle, so carefree.
"Hyung, that's not true!" Taehyung yelled out, his face a deep red, almost matching Hoseok's hair. Yuqi's eyes widened as she looked at you. You gave her a wink, remembering countless conversations about how nice Taehyung was.
"I'm just joking. But I can see that they're nice people." Namjoon commented. "Anyways, let's party." The group sat at the round couches that surrounded the room. It was surprising that so many people could fit in that space, but you managed to do it anyways. You looked around, noticing that you and Yuqi were the only girls in the room, aside from the waitress. It must have just been a part with close friends. Yuqi was socializing with the group while you quietly sat next to her, reclining yourself back into the couch. SEVENTEEN, being SEVENTEEN, were first on the karaoke machine.
Ulgo sipji anha
Ulgo sipji anha
They continued singing and dancing. But they didn't do it normally, they would sing off pitch or dance random things. Minghao had on a feather boa and was standing on one of the empty chairs. Hoshi was doing the robot dance, eventually Hoseok joined him as well. Someone was screaming somewhere in the room. Total crackheads. You felt the couch dipping by the space next to you. It was Jungkook, he handed you a drink.
"Thanks." you said.
"No problem. Are you enjoying the party?"
"It's quite a party. I never thought I get to party with SEVENTEEN. They're so cool."
"I mean I'm cool too."
"I'm sure you are." you teased and he gave you a small pout. "How did you meet the other guys? From your group, I mean."
"We went to the same undergrad university. The other hyungs have already went ahead to graduate school, and I'll be joining them at the end of the summer."
"That's awesome, long lasting friendships. I hope that's what I get with Yuqi, I can't imagine living out my dreams without my best friend."
"What is your dream?"
"A teacher. Going to school was the highlight of my life. I know that sounds so lame. But I really loved learning and I think that's because of my old teachers."
"That's beautiful. I'm sure you'll be a great teacher." Jungkook scooted a little closer. At that moment, Taehyung was cheering about something, Red Velvet's RBB, the rest of the group cheered along with him. He seems drunk already, as he tried to follow the choreography. You gave Jungkook a look.
"I know, they're a mess. But they're more like my family. We all live together, actually. Jin hyung, that's the nickname I call him, cooks me a lot of food, that's how I gained all these muscles." He started flexing, which made you laugh a loud. Good thing the music was too loud for anyone to really notice. "Yoongi hyung got me in trouble from time to time, like ditching class and going out late at night for lamb skewers. But he helped me grow up, and understand that there's more to life than just studying. Then there's Hoseokie hyung, we seem so different. I'm reserved but he's like an open book. He gives me a lot of energy. Jiminie and Taehyung would fight a lot about which one of them is my best friend, I can't decide. They were both the first people to talk to me, to make to feel welcomed into the group." He continued on about them, talking about their silly fights but how they secretly take care of him when he's not feeling well or sick.
"Finally, there's Namjoon hyung. The man is so amazing. He's like a leader for the rest of us, even though he's one of the youngest ones. He's always so confident, driven, passionate. He makes me want to be a better person. When he talks to me, he never treats me like I'm someone younger than him. But I am simply a friend who he would want to talk to at 4 in the morning. His presence and philosophies are so mature and nurturing. I want to be like him when I grow up."
"Well, he sounds amazing. But so are you, Jungkook. You are exactly who you're meant to be. And I'm sure Namjoon is proud of you."
"You think so?"
"I know so." He gave you his famous bunny smile. You glanced over at Namjoon, who took a sip of his beer was facing the group in front. He looks beautiful, like part of a stock photo somewhere. He was dancing in his seat but then Hoseok dragged him to the front. You laughed at his cute little dances. It seemed impossible that you have already developed a crush on Namjoon when you two just had one short exchange, but here we are. You sighed, knowing that it would be a terrible thing as it would be in your mind and heart for the longest time ever.
"Y/N, listen." Jungkook began, you turned to him, seeing that he ears were red. "Maybe you've already figured this out, but I like you." You couldn't hold in your gasp. Yuqi mentioned it before, but you thought she was joking. "When I saw you at the bar, it took me 10 minutes to muster up the courage to do anything."
"Jungkook, I-"
"It's okay. I've noticed. You only think of me as a friend." he said sadly. But his small smile remained.
"I'm sorry. I'm just not good with these things. I hope it's okay."
"Of course it is. I'll be happy to have a friend like you. But don't come crawling back when I turn more good looking." he winked. You were glad he was okay with the situation. He's probably a little bit sad on the inside, and you'll give him some time to feel better. "And also, he just left the room, I think it's your chance to talk to him?"
"What?" He gestured for you to look at the empty space by Hoseok where Namjoon had just been standing, he was gone. You looked back at Jungkook, guilt all over your face. "Jungkook-"
"No, it's fine. If you had liked anyone else, I'd rather it be him." he smiled and gave you a push off the couch. You flash him a grateful smile and headed for the door. The music faded out, you scanned the hallway for him but saw no one. As you turned the corner, you bumped into the familiar white tank top.
"Whoops, sorry." he said. "Oh, hey Y/N."
"Hi, Namjoon. What were you doing out here?"
"I just had to call my mom for a bit."
"I see. That's cool." You almost slapped yourself for sounding so stupid. It wasn't your fault in particular, you've never had any experience with these kinds of things. The air was getting more awkward, the two of you stood in silence, unmoving. The silence was broken by him, surprisingly.
"What were you doing out here?" he asked. You didn't think he cared much, but he just wanted to be nice by making conversations. You contemplated about telling him the truth or making up some extravagance lie. Looking for you or going to the bathroom.
"Looking for you in the bathroom!" you exclaimed. Your volume much louder than you have wanted. It gave him a shock obviously. His eyes widened and he coughed lightly. Your face dropped immediately and you wanted to crawl into a grave and hide forever. You gave him the impression that you were both a stalker and a pervert. "Well, if you'll excuse me, I'm just gonna go and die right." You turned to leave, but his hand grabbed your wrist and spun you around to face him once more.
"Hold on. I'm sure I understood what you were trying to say." he laughed. "Did you want to talk to me about something?" You were relieved that he understands your intentions but now you are confronted with this confession. It's too late to go back now. Your palms were sweating as your heart rate increased. His eyes were soft and patience.
"Um, I've never done anything like this before." you began.
"I'm nervous but go on." he said.
"I...I like you. It seems sudden and fast, I know. But it's my first time feeling so strongly for someone." You paused, waiting for any response. He stood still, his lips coming together in a thought. "Would you like to grab coffee sometimes?" You felt a weight lifting off your shoulders when those last few words escaped your mouth. But now the worst part was waiting. The longer it takes, the more you regret everything you've ever done in your life.
His mouth opened. "Look, I'm flattered that you feel this way. But I'm not really looking for anything right now. I'm sorry that I gave you any signs that I would be. You're a nice girl, I'm sure you'll find someone better." With that, he left, leaving you in that empty hallway.