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love--and--venom · 10 months ago

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A (Not So) Meet Cute: Chapter One

Summary: After a day of bad luck, you just wanted to go home and relax. Unfortunately for you, a creepy man throws a wrench in those plans. Warnings: stalking, assault, sexual assault, minor violence, cops, creepy weird older man A/N: Some of the tropes and wording in this screams y2k teen coming of age movie, which wasn't intentional but it's a happy coincidence

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Luck has not been on your side today. Your alarm didn’t go off, meaning you were late to work. In your scramble to get to the bus on time, you forgot to eat and make your morning coffee. You made it to the bus – just barely.

There was already a line of people waiting for you to unlock the doors to the bookstore. You quickly ran through the opening duties while the customers browsed the shelves. Apparently, you didn’t plug in your charger last night. Your phone was at a measly 30 percent. And of course, you didn’t have your charger in your bag. The closer from yesterday took the charger that was normally by the register. You would have to make due without social media during this shift.

Now it was 15 minutes until the end of your shift. You were so ready to go home and collapse onto your couch. The bell above the door jingled, and you greeted the customer on autopilot. You could see the customer lingering by the door in your peripherals. You turned to ask if they needed help finding something, but froze seeing the disheveled man already staring at you. Feeling a bit uneasy, you turned back to stocking the snacks at the register.

Your relief was already ten minutes late, and you were getting antsy. Your phone was down to 1 percent. You wanted to get home before it died. Not to mention the man was still wandering around the store, looking at you from around bookshelves every few minutes. You barely greeted your coworker when she finally walked into the store. You began speed walking down the street, slinging your bag across your chest.

But today could not go more wrong . The creepy man followed you as you headed to the bus stop, hanging back a few feet. The hair on the back of your neck raised as anxiety bubbled up in your stomach. You couldn’t go home with this man following you. If he found out where you lived, he could break in and rob you, or worse.

You detoured into a coffee shop, hoping to lose the man by pretending to read. You ordered the first thing you saw on the menu, a latte maybe? You weren’t really paying attention to the barista. Your focus was stuck on the creep that was still following you. The barista called the fake name that you gave him. You grabbed the drink and sat at a table toward the back of the cafe. To your dismay, the creep sat in the chair right next to you.

“You’re a foreigner, yeah?” The smell of weed and alcohol hung heavy on his breath. You shrunk into yourself, holding the coffee in front of you as a poor excuse of a shield.

“Um, yea, I am,” you answered warily. You pulled your headphones on despite your phone dying as soon as you entered the cafe. Maybe if he saw you were busy, he would leave you alone. You jumped when the man ripped your headphones off, leaving them hanging around your neck.

“It’s rude to ignore an elder trying to make conversation,” he slurred. Your gaze flickered between the man and the barista, but the latter was either ignoring you or didn’t know what you were trying to signal.

“So, pretty foreigner, how did your Korean get so good?” The creep continued. “A lot of young girls like you sleep around to improve their accent.” A spike of fear ran down your spine.

“I- I’m meeting my boyfriend here.” You don’t have a boyfriend, but the excuse usually worked with the assholes at American bars.

“So? I can’t keep you company while you wait?” He barked out a raspy laugh. You were panicking at this point, tears threatening to spill out. You were praying for another person to walk in the cafe. The creep was relentless, chattering away oblivious to the fact that you weren’t paying attention at all. The man ran a hand up your thigh. You cursed yourself for wearing a skirt today.

Luck finally decided to show its face in the form of a young man entering the cafe. His short, black hair stuck out from under a beanie. He wore a mask and was typing away on his phone. You silently thanked the gods for giving you a way out of your current situation.

“There he is, bye!” You jumped out of your seat and practically sprinted over to the masked stranger.

“Hey babe! You’re late, I was worried you forgot about me.” You threw your arms around the stranger’s neck. “Please help, that man is following me.” You whispered before pulling back. Your hands lingered on his biceps. You prayed that he would play along. His eyes flickered from you to the creep slinking his way over.

“Sorry, love. My last class ended a little later than normal.” You let out a shaky breath in relief. Even with most of his face obscured, there was something familiar about him. You couldn’t put your finger on it, so you ignored it.

“Ugh, you had physics today, right? I’ve heard the professor has a huge stick up his ass,” you easily continued his story. He rolled his eyes, feigning annoyance.

“You heard right. I’m almost 100 percent certain professor Jung doesn’t know how to smile.” Your “boyfriend” ran his thumb across your knuckles. You pouted at him in mock pity. His eyes met with something behind you and his expression (or what you could see of it) soured. He pulled you so that his body was obscuring yours.

“Can I help you?” Your “boyfriend” sneered at the creep. The latter looked surprised that he was being acknowledged. You clung to the back of the masked man’s hoodie, peeking around his shoulder.

The creep put his hands up in false surrender. The boy in front of you stared the creep down until the door of the cafe shut behind him. You immediately backed up from your unsuspecting savior, bowing deeply.

“Thank you!” You straightened back up. “Thank you so, so much. That man has been following me for, like, 20 minutes.”

“Seriously? What an asshole.” He scoffed in disbelief. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m okay now. I don’t know how to thank you enough. Can I buy your drink?” You offered. His eyes crinkled in a hidden smile.

“I’m getting drinks for me and my friends.” He tried waving your offer away.

“Oh, well how many friends? I don’t mind-”

“It’s me and seven others.” He raised an eyebrow at you. You gaped at him, and he snickered at your shock.

“Okay, maybe not.” You definitely couldn’t pay for eight overpriced lattes. You remembered your own drink, needing the caffeine after the whole ordeal. You turned to your table, but your drink was gone. That asshole stole your coffee.

“You good?” The kind stranger’s voice interrupted your internal rage.

“That fucking creep took my coffee!” You exclaimed, gesturing to the table where your drink should have been.

“Damn, no shame. Come on, I’ll get you a new one.” He nudged your shoulder before approaching the counter. “Eight iced Americanos aaaaand,” he trailed off, turning to you.

“You don’t have to-” a sharp look stopped your denial in its tracks. “And an iced French vanilla latte.” He smiled and paid for all nine beverages, much to your chagrin. The two of you moved to wait by the pick up counter.

“So what’s your name?” He asked, leaning against the counter.

“Oh! Y/N L/N, you?”

“Kim Seungmin.” The stranger, now known as Seungmin, looked pleasantly surprised. You chatted while the barista prepared the drinks. Once they were ready, you helped Seungmin load the Americanos into carriers. You held the door open for him as you exited the cafe.

“Shouldn’t I be the one holding the door for you? I’m such a horrible boyfriend,” he teased.

“You’re holding eight coffees!” You flushed and lightly hit his arm. He laughed and shook his head. You tried suppressing your smile, trying to be mad at him, but failed.

“Thank you, again. For the coffee and for the help with-” You froze in your tracks. Seungmin tilted his head at your sudden stop and wide, fearful eyes.

“Mother fucker! ” You cursed in English. Seungmin’s eyebrows shot up. “That creep is still watching us!”

“What?!” Seungmin followed your gaze. Sure enough, the man was lurking across the street, watching you. “Oh, you have to be shitting me.”

“God, what does he want with me? And why me?!” You whined in frustration. Your phone was still dead, but you didn’t want to burden your new friend further.

“Here, hold one of these.” Seungmin handed you one of the coffee carriers. He then took your drink and tucked it in the center so that one of your hands was empty. He laced his finger with yours and tugged you down the sidewalk.

“What? Where are we going?” You questioned. You pointedly ignored the butterflies erupting in your stomach at the contact.

“We’re going back to where my friends are. If this guy is still following us, we’re calling the cops.” Seungmin left no room for arguments. You nodded and let him lead you to a recording studio about ten minutes from the cafe.

“Ooh, a recording studio? Are you a musician?” You asked as you approached the glass doors. There was a pin pad to the right.

“Yeah, me and my friends are in a band. Here, stand in front of me,” he breezed past your questions and pulled you to stand between him and the building. He reasoned with himself, arguing that he was doing this to make sure you weren’t vulnerable. Definitely not because your perfume smelled nice and he wanted to be closer to you. Nope. Definitely not.

“The doors are locked with a pin,” Seungmin explained and reached around you to type in the digits. “You’ll be safe here.” A buzz indicated the door unlocking and he ushered you inside.

The studio’s front room was small, holding only a couch and a coffee table. There was an open door on the opposite wall. You heard several loud conversations coming from the other room. The two of you placed the carriers on the coffee table.

“Is he still there?” You asked, a little too nervous to look for yourself. Seungmin looked outside and nodded. You shoved your face into your hands. Why was this happening to you?!

“Guys, I’m back!” Seungmin shouted while removing his mask. Okay, now you were certain you’ve seen him before. But where? It was irking you.

“Coffee! Thank god!” A young man with shoulder length dark hair huffed as he strolled out of the other room. He stopped when he saw you. Another man with longer platinum hair followed the first guy.

“Oh, who’s your friend, Seungmin?” The blonde asked in a surprisingly deep voice. Oh, shit. The pieces clicked together.

“Oh my fucking god, you’re Stray Kids,” you muttered to yourself, feeling a mix of horror and embarrassment.

“You finally figured it out?” Seungmin teased. You glared at him. How could you not recognize him earlier?! You scolded yourself in your mind.

“Y/N, this is Hyunjin and Felix. Hyunjin and Felix, Y/N.” Seungmin gestured between the three of you. Clearly he was enjoying this.

“Hi, nice to meet you. No offense, but why are you here?” Hyunjin asked, looking between you and Seungmin.

“Ah, right. We need Chan or Minho to call the police. Like, now,” Seungmin explained (barely). The older boy didn’t question it and disappeared back into the other room. Felix’s face twisted into concern. Only moments later, Hyunjin returned with two other boys in tow. Holy shit that’s Bang Chan and Lee Know. You didn’t know if you should freak out because you were meeting idols, or freak out because Lee Know looked like he wanted to kill you.

“Seungmin, what’s going on? Who is that?” Chan questioned.

“Did she break in?” Minho glared at you. His intense stare made you want to crawl into a hole.

“No, no. We need to call the cops for her, not because of her,” Seungmin raised his hands to mediate the situation. You backed yourself into the corner as the rest of Stray Kids filled the small lounge.

“Seungmin. What. Happened?” Chan was trying (and failing) to get control of the situation.

“I’m- I- I’m so sorry.” You stuttered. Your breathing picked up and your heart was racing. “I didn’t mean to interrupt your rehearsal. I just-” you cut yourself off with a sob. The reality of hiding from a stalker in Stray Kids’ studio was hitting you hard.

“Hey, Y/N, right? I need you to breathe with me,” Jisung placed his hands on your shoulders, urging you to meet his eyes. “Okay, breathe in. Breathe out.”

While Jisung led you through breathing exercises to quell your panic attack, Seungmin recounted everything that happened since he entered the coffee shop. Chan’s expression grew increasingly alarmed. Felix was horrified. The blonde moved to run a soothing hand across your shoulder blades. Chan nodded once Seungmin finished.

“Y/N, come sit down. Please.” Chan sat on the couch. He patted the spot next to him. You hesitated, but sat on the edge of the cushion. “Can you tell me what happened before you ran into Seungmin?”

You nodded. You took a deep, shuddering breath before explaining everything that happened since the creepy man showed up at the bookstore. The boys stared at you with varying levels of disgust and anger on their faces. Well, except Minho. He kept a neutral expression until you told them about the man trying to touch under your skirt.

“He fucking what? ” Minho nearly shouted. You jumped at the angered edge to his voice. “Sorry, you’re okay, I’m not mad at you . But this man put his hands on you? And he’s still lingering outside?” You nodded.

“Fuck, what the hell, man?!” Hyunjin raked a hand through his hair. Jisung sat on the arm of the couch next to you. He ran a comforting hand along your shoulders.

“Alright, I’ll go call the police. Keep an eye on the pervert. Let me know if he tries something.” Minho pulled out his phone and moved back into the other room, passing Changbin on his way in. He paced around the recording room.

“112, what is your emergency?” The operator answered after one ring.

“My name is Lee Minho, I am calling on behalf of a girl that approached my friend for help. She has been followed and harassed by a strange man for about an hour now. This man has followed her from her workplace, to a coffee shop, and now to our recording studio,” Minho launched into a concise explanation of the situation.

“Alright, Lee-nim, where is your studio located?” The operator asked, the sound of a keyboard clicking away filled the background.

“It’s the JYP satellite studio on Seonsa-ro. The door is locked with a pin, so the man can’t get in. He is still lingering on the street out front.” Minho pinched the bridge of his nose. This was not how he expected today’s session to go. “I’m here with seven friends and the girl.”

“There are officers on their way. They should arrive in less than five minutes. Please stay on the line until they arrive,” the operator instructed. Minho hummed in affirmation. The soft conversations in the front room were cut off by a loud crash followed by a scream. Minho rushed out to face utter chaos.

The man had thrown a brick through the glass door of the studio. Where did he even get a brick? Chan, Changbin, and Seungmin were in the man’s face, shoving him back towards the door when he tried to walk further into the room. Hyunjin and Jeongin stood in the middle of the room, while Jisung and Felix held onto you in the furthest corner from the door.

“Lee-nim, what’s happening?” The operator’s voice broke him from his daze.

“The man has broken into the studio. My friends are keeping him away from the girl, but he’s getting more violent.” Minho moved to stand directly in front of you and the two younger boys.

“Officers will be there in less than a minute.” He was barely paying attention to what the operator was saying at this point. His ears were ringing and the scene in front of him felt like it was moving in slow motion. The man swung wildly at the three boys at the front.

“EVERYBODY STOP!” The harsh voice of a police officer forced time back to normal. Three officers approached, guns trained on the creepy man. For a tense moment, it looked like he was going to fight back. “Kneel and put your hands on your head.” Reluctantly, he obeyed the officer.

The man was handcuffed and forced to his feet. One officer led the man outside and into a patrol car. The other two officers split up to take statements from you and the boys, with the female officer approaching you. Jisung and Felix once again had to help calm your hiccuping sobs enough for you to talk to the kind officer.

It took another 20 minutes for the officers to gather all of the necessary information. Finally, they pulled away to take the man to the police station. Silence fell over the group. What. The. Fuck.

Seungmin broke the silence with a harsh sigh. He tugged you away from the sunshine twins and into a tight hug. You squeaked in surprise, but allowed the second youngest to hold on to you. One hand held your waist, the other cradled the back of your head. It was surprisingly tender and the tension melted away from your body.

“I really don’t know how to thank you all enough,” you admitted once you managed to pull your face from Seungmin’s chest. Your watery eyes glanced around the group of idols. Never in a million years did you think you would meet Stray Kids, let alone be protected and comforted by them.

“I’d settle for your number,” Jisung quipped. You whipped around to gawk at the rapper.

“I- what? Are you serious?” You were in disbelief. “Why?”

“Y/N, sweetheart, you’re insane if you think we wouldn’t want to keep in touch after all of this,” Hyunjin argued, the pet name causing a light blush to spread across your cheeks and nose. You were suddenly very aware of Seungmin still standing behind you with a hand on your lower back.

“Obviously if you’re not comfortable with it, you don’t have to,” Chan quickly chimed in. You shook your head.

“I don’t mind, but are you sure? I wouldn’t want you to get into any trouble for sharing that information with a fan,” your eyebrows pinched in concern.

“I think I speak for all of us when I say you’re a bit more than just a fan now,” Felix reassured. “I mean, three of us were literally just fighting a man to keep you safe.”

“Relax.” Seungmin smoothed the crease between your brows with a swipe of his thumb. Your blush deepened a few shades.

“My phone is still dead.”

“Here, put your number in my phone. I’ll walk you back to your place and text you after you get inside.” Chan handed his phone over to you.

“Yah! What about the rest of us?” Jisung protested. The leader rolled his eyes.

“I’ll give it to everyone once I get back to our dorms. Changbin, make sure you save what we did today. Obviously we’re gonna have to resume tomorrow in the main studio.” Chan gently moved you toward the door by your elbow. The younger producer nodded and disappeared into the back room.

“Thank you, again. I guess I’ll be texting you guys later,” you waved a small goodbye. The rest of the boys waved and chimed in their own farewells. You turned and headed to the bus stop with Chan right behind you. The topic of conversation for the rest of the group quickly fell to you. Your life was about to get way more interesting.

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