Can’t Swim - EP . 4
word count: 9.7k+
a/n: i’m late. I’m well aware. i don’t really know what to say to be honest. i hope the episode being close to 10k words makes up for the long wait. there’s alot that goes on this episode. enjoy! we get a peak of jinyung’s pov at one point too! so exciting! no swimming lesson for today though :)
warnings: fluff shit near the end, swearing, dirtyminded stuffs, change in langugage at one point (ive placed translations too so no worries)
EP . 1 , EP . 2 , EP . 3 , EP . 4 , EP . 5 , EP . 6 , EP .7 , EP . 8, , EP . 9
Thursday had arrived and you spontaneously called a friend who had come down to Jinhae to see if she was available midday. She happened to have some time to spare between her schedule so you two met up for brunch and a simple walk around a local park.
Thursday midday
“It’s been so long since we got to hangout Tan.”
Tan, short for Tanya, was your close friend from university. She now works in a global firm which meant she travelled quite often. You knew she was in Seoul and was going to travel to Busan for a bit. You asked if she could squeeze a bit of her day to travel to Jinhae to hangout and she was happy you offered.
“Tell me about it Y/N. You always claim that nothing had changed but I’m still going to ask. Anything new in your life? Anyone new in your life?” Tan had a smirk on her face knowing she was hitting spots that were non-existent, she thought.
“I usually answer no.” Tan’s face lit up due to the unexpected change.
“Go on…” She was getting extremely excited.
“I’ve met this guy- “
“You… MET A GUY??” Tan had absolutely lost it at this point, and she didn’t even know his name.
“Tan calm down. We’ve only known each other for a week and a half. He joined my beginners class last week.” She bursted into a loud laugh.
“You are telling me the guy you met can’t swim.”
“YA! Don’t be mean. He’s at least mustered up the courage at this age to come and learn. Some people can’t even manage to do that these days. They care too much about image.”
“I’m sorry. I just didn’t expect you to meet your soulmate in a swimming lesson. I thought maybe at the office- “
“You know how I’ve said I would prefer to spend the rest of my life with someone in a different sector of work. I won’t be able to stand someone from the same field of work bringing nothing new to the relationship.”
“I know, I know Y/N. You want to learn from each other rather than talk about the same topics. I understand where you are coming from.”
“But yeah. I don’t actually know what he works as. I’m meeting him tomorrow afternoon for ‘thing’ as he described it. He said I’ll be able to know then what he does then.”
“He seems really mysterious. I hope you’re not getting into something dodgy.” Tan was always protective when it came to you and guys. She knew you had a gullible and fragile personality when it came to men.
“I don’t think so. I don’t even know how to explain it. Every time I’ve been with him I’ve felt giddy and bothered. He does the bare minimum and my whole world flips- “
“Y/N”
You stop in your tracks realising that you had gotten way too ahead of yourself.
“Y/N, you sound like you’re in love. Or close in the least.”
“Tan I’ve known the guy coming up to 2 weeks.”
“Yes Y/N. I understand but you sound like you’ve known him for years and you’ve only just realised your feelings towards him. I haven’t even gotten to ask, what’s his name?”
“His name is Jinyoung. I don’t want to jump in too deep. These feelings need to be reciprocated in order for there to be progression. To him I’m probably just his swimming teacher.”
“Right, and since when did students meet their teachers outside of lesson hours and not only that basically go on dates.”
“YA don’t call them dates. We are just hanging out.”
“Hanging out my ass. He’s bringing you into his life and introducing you to his world. Enjoy the ride Y/N. He sounds like a keeper.”
“You think?” Tan nods and helps you come clear with your feelings.
You two continued with your walk in the park with Tan and settled on a bench after a while.
*ding*
You checked your phone having received a notification. It was Jinyoung.
“Hey Y/N. I hope you’re doing well. If you are still able to come for tomorrow we can meet at 7:00 pm. I’ll be waiting for you at the parking lot again.”
You hadn’t realised but you were smiling like a fool beside Tan.
“Yep, confirmed. It’s him isn’t it?”
You look up at Tan as she took you away from your little bubble. You gave her a nod.
“Y/N this is thee guy for you.”
You didn’t understand how Tan could be so sure. Yes, you have feelings for him but to claim Jinyoung as the guy for me was a little too much, right?
“How can you tell?” You were interested on what she had to say.
“You’re smiling like a 5 year old on Christmas Day. I haven’t seen you like this since you got a first in our last year of uni. This guy’s effect on you is so obvious. He can’t be empty back; I can bet on it. With me just talking about him you’re smiling like an otter.”
You hit Tan on the shoulder lightly for teasing you. You were going to be open-minded about the situation and know that anything can be possible.
“Anyways, why did he text?”
“He just let me know what time to meet up. He hadn’t mentioned it at first.”
“Good luck Y/N.”
Your day with Tan continued. You appreciated being able to catch up with an old friend. You started to feel thankful for Jooheon’s call off. You were able to do things you may have had to wait months for. Although you still wished the call off was given for a better reason.
…
Your day with Tan sadly ended earlier than you wanted, and she was off back to Busan for work.
You prepped breakfast for yourself this blissful Friday morning. You laid out a traditional Mediterranean breakfast since you now had the time. You missed it back home. To have this breakfast alone did drain it’s vibe, you were used to having these large breakfasts with your family. You took advantage of the weather and had breakfast on your balcony. The bay had to keep your company for now until you went back home.
You were caught off guard by a call from your company. You picked up.
“Miss?”
“Yes, Beck”
“We’ve got a dilemma.” You weren’t surprised.
“Go on.” You’d be shocked if something hadn’t gone wrong while you were out of office.
“The eco-hotel that was going to be built on two pieces of land- “
“What about it Beck?” Oh boy. What now?
“Another firm somehow bought one piece of land which we were going to use for the greenery requirements to pass the eco test.”
“Which firm? Beck I’m gone for a couple days and shit has hit the fan this badly?” This was the biggest project in your hands, and it was slipping right through.
“The next door firm- “
You hung up immediately. You were using all your might to not dash your phone into the sea ahead of you. Your rivalry between the next door firm had been going on for years but this time round it was going to be rougher than usual.
You rushed over to your closet and took out a navy suit alongside a simple white shirt + a pair of clear heals. With that you took your car keys and some documents to head to the company.
The speeding cameras could probably understand from the speed you were going at that something important was going on. You arrived at the entrance of your architecture office.
Yes, your full time job was as an architect.
You chucked your keys at the door keeper to park your car and dashed up to the 4th floor of the office. The whole company had turned into chaos in a matter of 2 days. All your employees were rushing around and there was around 6 people all surrounding Beck.
Beck was the second shareholder alongside you of the company. You both graduated as architects and decided to start your own firm as junior architects. Whenever one was out of office, the other covered for the both but this time round Beck was not able to handle all of this by himself.
You called out to Beck and his face changed from stressed to relieved. You and Beck moved to your office and discussed the situation working towards a solution.
A couple hours later
“Wait, Beck”
“Why can’t we just implement all the eco-factors into the hotel on one piece of land?”
Beck’s face was blanked 90% of the time until he heard your suggestion. He sighed a breath of relief.
“We can just add terraces and add green to the lobbies, outdoors and any other dead space we have.”
“You’ve done it again!” Beck rushed to hug the shit out of you. He raised you off your feet and swung you around.
“Beck, calm down!” He put you back on your feet with a large smile on his face.
“Y/N this is exactly why this company needs you?” You high five each other. A weight had lifted off both of your shoulders.
You hit Beck’s shoulder realising the rush you had been to get here.
“We could have solved this with a Facetime call. Did I really have to rush over here?”
Beck just gave a childish smile. We all knew he just wanted you to be there physically. He couldn’t be the only one suffering in the company. Even if it was for a couple of hours.
“That’s all?”
“Yep, can we not have a tea? You haven’t been at the company for days.”
You checked the time and saw it was 4:00 pm. You could spare some time for a quick tea.
“You did absolutely ruin a lovely breakfast that I had prepared at home. Tea’s on you.”
You guys walked down to ground floor to grab a tea from the company café. There was a duo table free near the entrance windows, so you guys sat there.
“Y/N. How do you manage to keep up with the projects and the swimming classes? Isn’t it too much?”
You’ve heard these questions from Beck on countless occasions. He knows the answer but just can’t process how it’s possible.
“Beck you know that the swimming classes don’t feel like a job to me. It’s so nice to share a skill with those who are unaware of it. I love seeing all the kids smile every lesson. It’s so refreshing and fun it makes me forget about the projects. When it comes to the company, I have a really reliable shareholder who fills my absence when needed.” You smiled at Beck knowing he would get an ego raise at the compliment.
“You bet. The other shareholder is extremely reliable.”
“You can always tell me if I start to drift a little too much from the company. I sometimes lose track on how much time I’ve spent on both jobs.”
“Y/N are you kidding me? You somehow do the same amount of work as me whilst having another time consuming job. You finish project drawings in less time than the workers that have nothing better to do. You’re doing more than enough, trust me.”
You smiled. It felt good that you were able to balance both jobs well with any concern.
“That’s good to hear. I have plans for the afternoon so I’m going to have to dip early. Thanks for the tea. Next time, consider a Facetime call when it comes to a similar dilemma.”
Beck waved you off as your car was brought back from the parking lot to you. You waved Beck goodbye as you drifted from the company back home to get ready for this “thing” tonight.
You arrived home to see the time was now 5:00 pm. You need to leave at 6:40 pm. That gives you an hour and forty minutes to get ready. You didn’t even know if there was a dress code. Was this a meal or an activity that you were going to? You circled in your walk-in wardrobe trying to figure out an outfit that would suit most occasions. You looked at casual floral dress. It would work only if it were daytime, it’ll be close to the evening so that won’t work. Jeans and a top? Too boring? Ugh.
You spent 30 minutes trying out outfits and hadn’t settled down on even one. You figured to solve the dress code problem by giving Jinyoung a ring. As much as it may be an embarrassing question you didn’t care. You weren’t going to take the risk and make a terrible impression of yourself to his circle.
He picked up.
“Hey Y/N. Are you well?”
“Hi Jinyoung. I’m well. I hope you’re too. I was getting ready for this ‘thing’ of yours, but I have no clue if this ‘thing’ will be taking place in a casual or formal setting. Basically, I don’t know what to wear.” You chuckled as you gave up trying not to be direct about why you called.
“Hahaha,” Great made a fool of yourself again, “I understand. I wouldn’t call it a formal setting. That’s for sure. A simple casual outfit would do. Just don’t come looking like a hobo.” He chuckled again.
“Great you just saved me from my worries of making a laughingstock of myself.”
“Don’t worry you won’t. See you at 7.”
“See you!”
Now that, that was out of the way you went back into your closet to pick out an outfit. You chose a pair of denim mom jeans and a black sleeveless bodysuit. You glammed up your outfit with silver jewellery pieces and your black Chanel bag. You wore a pair of white air forces to make sure your feet were comfy and headed over to your makeup stand.
You weren’t exactly a big makeup girl. You tended not to use a skin makeup like foundation or concealer. You basically used mascara and that was about it. You weren’t going to fake it; you were happy the way you were. Your lashes were curled, and you glided some mascara onto them. You weren’t going to bother with contacts this afternoon, so you put back on your turtle shell brown glasses. It was now 6:00 pm.
You had 40 minutes to spare so you went on your laptop to reply to some emails and work on some renders for the eco-hotel you worked on with Beck today.
40 minutes flew by and you shut your laptop and took a deep breath. Don’t fuck this up Y/N, you thought to yourself.
You hopped in your g-wagon and drove a new route to the entertainment company parking lot. Jinyoung was there like he had promised and waved you hello. You flashed your headlights as a way of reciprocating to Jinyoung’s wave. The gates slid open and parked your car in a free slot. There were more cars this time round. You guessed that there was something going on at the company.
“How have you been Jinyoung?” You greeted him as you locked your car.
“I’m a little nervous,” He saw your puzzled face, “You’ll understand why soon don’t worry.”
“Can’t wait.” You both strolled towards the entrance of the company. The same flashes started again. Like last time.
Jinyoung wrapped his arm around your shoulder and guided you quickly into the building. He whispered in your ear to keep your head low until he said so. You did as he said. Around 10 steps after walking into the building Jinyoung let you know that you could look up now. You were puzzled as ever. What is going on? Jinyoung realised the both puzzled but also annoyed/stern expression.
“Just a little longer. I promise.”
You guys took the escalator to the 2nd floor this time alongside several other people. It was busier than the last time you were here. A lot of cameras and staff. You could hear them whispering among themselves in the lift. You were sure you heard the words ‘actor’ and ‘script reading’. You had no clue what they were referring to. Probably some entertainment company things.
The lift arrived at the corresponding floor and you guys all stepped out. You were registering the things around you. There were banners hung up near the glass room ahead. They read ‘drama script reading’ and we were walking straight towards it.
You tugged on Jinyoung’s sleeve. You kind of felt uncomfortable feeling so alien-like in an extremely new environment. He took you to aside to avoid being in people’s way.
“Y/N I wouldn’t do anything to harm you. Trust me. This is all new to me as much as it’s all new to you. I wish I could be by your side, but we’ll be separated. Remember Bambam for last time?,” You nodded, “I’m going to sit you next to him and my other friends he’ll introduce you to them. Don’t worry they wont bite.” He lightly chuckled.
You guys slowly headed to the glass room. It was packed with tons of staff and people like you. A long banner was pinned up to the wall. When My Love Blooms was what it read. Underneath it in smaller font read four names. One of which was… Park Jinyoung.
He’s an… actor?
You saw Bambam like Jinyoung had said and was seated next to him. You took this chance to ask Bambam what in the world was going on.
“Hey Y/N.” Bambam seemed really excited too.
“Hey Bambam. Can I ask what’s going on?” He realised your puzzled expression. He could tell Jinyoung hadn’t told you anything about tonight.
“Jinyoung hyung hasn’t told you?” You shook your head no.
“Today is the first script reading of a drama Jinyoung hyung will be acting in. He’s the second male lead actor. He plays the younger version of the main character.” So, he was an actor.
“He didn’t even tell me that he was an actor. He hasn’t told me anything about his work.”
“That’s typical Jinyoung hyung. He’s usually secretive when it comes to work and this industry. It’s kind of complicated to explain but he treats all the new people in his life the same way don’t worry.”
“Right…” This whole industry thing was new to you too. You were going to go with the flow and see what happens.
“He also mentioned meeting his ‘circle’ as he described it. Who exactly is he referring to?” Bambam’s eyes lit up as he looked to his other side which consisted of 5 other guys. Very handsome you must say.
“Guys!” Bambam got the attention of all 5 of them.
“Bam what do you want now?” The guy with 2 moles on his eye lids looked up from his phone.
“Jinyoung hyung wants us to meet a friend of his.” You were kind of nervous. The one who had replied to Bambam had a bit of a cold aura.
“Really?” His expression kinda lightened.
“Yes hyung. Guys this is Y/N.” You gave a smile to all of them not knowing who should speak next.
“Hi, it’s nice to meet you all.” That should do it.
“Hello Y/N. I’m Jackson.” He had a bright puppy smile on his face. He seemed like a social butterfly very eager to meet new people.
“I’m Mark.” Mark raised his hand to show who was talking. The staff were making a bit of noise, so his voice sounded a little muffled, but you were able to hear him. He seemed cool though.
“I’m Jaebeom.” The 2 mole guy spoke. He gave a sweet smile. You take back your thought of him having a cold aura. He seemed nice.
“I’m Yugyeom.” He started throwing gang signs trying to act cool. The guy beside him bursted out laughing and hit his shoulder trying to get him to stop. You joined in with him due to his contagious laugh.
“Hi Y/N. Last but not least I’m Youngjae.” He gave you wide and welcoming smile.
“So that’s everyone Jinyoung hyung wanted me to introduce you to. You’ll most likely see us often. We stick together most of the time.” Jaebeom rolled his eyes at the clingy child.
“How did you meet Jinyoung?” Jaebeom asked after putting his phone away.
“Actually, Jinyoung is my student. I’m his swimming teacher.” The guys looked at each other and started laughing.
“Waaa, that punk actually signed up to take lessons. Good on him, I thought he wouldn’t be able to.” You were kind of confused
“How come?”
“Jinyoung doesn’t like it when he’s not good at something. He’s an absolute perfectionist so to see him show a side of himself to people in a skill where he’s not thriving in… I didn’t expect him to actually sign up for classes.”
Ahh, so he’s a perfectionist.
“I didn’t know but he has been attending and cooperating well. He’s also a quick learner so he’ll be advancing quickly from my inspection.”
“Typical Jinyoung hyung,” Bambam commented, “He’s always good at everything.”
An old man stood up from the table Jinyoung was on and silenced the whole room for the beginning of the script reading. You looked over at Jinyoung to see that he was already focussed on you. He looked a little nervous so you sent over a small smile and nod to let him know that you’re fine and that he can do this.
“Thank you all for joining us today for the first script reading of When My Love Blooms. We will now be starting with the first episode reading. Let’s see how the actors have worked on their characters.”
You were excited to see what this was going to be like.
The script writing commenced, and everyone was concentrating on all the characters and the scene. The story line sounded really interesting and the chemistry between the actors and their characters seemed like a match made in heaven. You internally giggled when you found out that the main characters name was Jaehyun, remembering that this Jaehyun wasn’t the lifeguard Jaehyun back at the centre.
This side of Jinyoung looked so classy and sophisticated. He had a similar pair of glasses on like you and a simple black shirt on. He would move his glasses up whenever they would slip a bit whilst looking at his script. You could see how much he was in character and the passion in his voice trying to voice his inner Jaehyun.
“From today onwards, we’re dating.” The dialogue between Jinyoung and the younger role female lead continued until the director interrupted.
“I wish…” Everyone started laughing at the director’s sudden comment. I don’t blame him. The story line is to die for. If only life was the same.
Every now and again the boys beside you were trying to contain their laughs. They were like a bunch of brothers trying to find dirt on Jinyoung to tease him about later. They reminded you of your friends when you all hangout together specifically for someone’s occasion.
The script reading ended soon after the funny moment. The staff started packing up all the refreshments and the paperwork everywhere. The actors were taken to a little set up area to take teaser photos ready to be posted before the launch of the drama.
“So, Y/N…” Jackson caught your attention and you drew your eyes from Jinyoung and the other actors to Jackson.
“Yep.”
“You teach swimming lessons. Is that your full time job or is it a hobby sort of thing?”
“It’s a part time job I do on the side. I pursue a more serious career as an architect.” Jackson’s expression turned surprised.
“You’re an architect?” The rest of the guys circled around you with interested looks.
“Guys calm down. I just design buildings for a living. Me and a friend own a company- “
“You’re CEO?” Jaebeom launched himself forward towards you since he was out of it at first. Was it this big of a deal?
“More or less.” The boys all started clapping. The staff joined in thinking they were clapping for the actors and the end of the first script reading. You joined in to cover up for their initial intention.
Jinyoung joined you guys as the claps continued. He was baffed at what was going on, but you just shook it off. He whispered a simple ‘you good?’ in your ear. You nodded in response to his question. The group + you faced Jinyoung and continued clapping in his face like a bunch of seals. Jinyoung wrapped his hands around yours to stop you from clapping. The contact between you and him caught you off guard but his hands were warm and protective. Your small hands fit perfectly in his much larger hands. It felt like the contact you wished for years to happen between you and your dad but that never happened. Your eyes were close to tearing, but you knew showing any sign of sensitivity will trigger another load of questions not only from Jinyoung but the rest too. He removed his hands realising the awkward closeness he showed among all the guys.
The clapping ended.
“How was I?” Jinyoung diverted his attention from you to the rest of the guys.
“Jinyoung hyung as always performed well. I’m starting to get used to the fact that you’re good at everything hyung.” Yugyeom tried to act unphased but we all knew the experienced actor could see right through his lie.
“You outdid yourself again Jinyoung.” Jaebeom patted his shoulder like a granddad (lol).
“I’m jealous of the female character.” Everyone looked at Bambam waiting to continue why he said what he said.
“I’d wanna be dating Jinyoung hyung too, it’s not fair.” Jinyoung put an arm around Bambam’s shoulder and you all started laughing at the absurd comment.
“Jinyoung hyung already has someone in mind Bambam. You have to go search for someone else.” Jinyoung had someone else in mind? He likes someone? You just kept smiling trying to show you weren’t hurt from the sudden confession. Damn… looks like you were a little late Y/N. Of course, a fine man like Jinyoung wouldn’t go for you, you thought.
Jinyoung gave Youngjae a death stare. You guessed that wasn’t information he was willing to just share casually.
“I’m sure she’ll fall for you with those acting skills.” You tried to lift up the mood that had turned awkward. The guys gave you a look and then looked at Jinyoung. They knew who Youngjae was referring to. You were the only one that was oblivious to the situation.
“I hope so too Y/N. I hope so too.” Jinyoung gave you a warm smile. His eyes crinkled and his teeth gleamed white. Whoever she is, she’s lucky you thought.
“I’m starving, can we go for a meal?” Mark suggested as he changed the topic.
“Yh, Y/N you can also join us unless you’re busy.” Yugyeom kindly offered.
“No there’s no need. I don’t want to be interrupting your guys’ meal.”
“That’s ridiculous. I’m sure Jinyoung will be happy with you joining us anyways.”
You looked over at Jinyoung and he just smiled. You guessed Bambam was right. You had nothing planned for the rest of the evening, so you joined them.
“Did anyone come by car? All the staff vehicles are being used for the director’s team.” Mark raised his hand although there was still a problem.
“Yh but there’s 8 of us Mark. Your car can hold 5 of us, what about the other 3?”
“Looks like it’s good that I’m coming then. I came by car too. The other 3 can come with me. I’ll follow Mark.”
“Are you windows tinted?” What a weird question to ask.
“Erm.. yes.”
“Great, that works.” Jaebeom clapped after the situation was solved.
“Let’s go half and half. I’m going with Y/N.” Bambam came by your side ready to follow you to your car. Jinyoung joined him and shrugged a helpless shrug towards Mark.
“You fuckers are leaving me, wow.” Mark put a hand on his heart acting like he was heartbroken.
“Don’t worry Mark. I’ll join you.” Jackson and Yugyeom joined Mark.
“Rock, paper, scissors?” Youngjae offered to Jaebeom.
“Guys it’s just a car rid- “ They were actually doing this weren’t they.
“Rock, paper, scissors!” Youngjae threw rock and Jaebeom threw paper.
“Good luck putting up with Jackson and Yugyeom.” Jaebeom waved Youngjae a farewell. Now that this was decided, you guys headed out of the company building.
“I’ll tail you until our destination. Just in case we lose your car, does anyone riding with me know where we are going?” You walked along Mark settling on an agreement.
“Yh, Jinyoung knows where we are going. He can guide you just in case you lose the car.”
“Great.”
“By the way Y/N…”
“Yes…”
“Actually, don’t worry. It’s nothing important.”
“Sure…” You couldn’t lie. You kind of wanted to know what it was that he was going to say.
“WAAAAA… Y/N you’re full of surprises. First it turns out that you’re actually an architect now we find out you rock a classy car too. Keep it coming.” You guess Bambam is the type to hype his friends. Like you mentioned before, praise is something that motivates you. It’s rewarding.
“WAAAAA… Bambam it’s just a car.” You mimicked him.
“Yh… but a really nice car.” He eyed your possession and circled round it.
“Look at this big boy… what did you name it?” This kid honestly.
“I shall not be disclosing that piece of information.” Bambam gave you puppy eyes in hopes for it to work.
“Fine. He’s called Prince.” You shut your eyes with your hands to avoid the embarrassment.
“Ahhhh and because you own him… does that make you a Queen?” You laughed at Bambam’s analogy.
“No specific reason for the name Bambam. Come on, Mark and the others are waiting for us.”
Jinyoung took the passenger seat beside you whilst Jaebeom and Bambam sat behind. Bambam specifically behind you.
“Everyone seat belts on please. I trust my driving, but I don’t trust the driving of others.” You smiled at your comment. So vain.
“I’m going to tell Mark hyung you don’t trust his driving.” Bambam is an actual kid, you concluded in your mind.
“That’s not what I meant Bambam.”
“I know, I know.” You started the car as all of the guys, and you had put on your seatbelts.
You signalled to Mark for him to go ahead since your car was now ready. You followed his white Jeep out of the parking lot and started your journey.
“So where exactly are we going to?” You still didn’t know what you was going to be eating for dinner.
“We often go to this seafood place near the bay. The fish comes fresh every day and they also have non-fish options too. Jackson doesn’t like seafood much, so it works well for him too. You’ll definitely like it.”
Hmm, there was a restaurant at bay that you also went to often similar to what Jinyoung was describing. Maybe it’s the same place.
“What’s the place called? I live near the bay so I may know of it.”
“It’s called Ali’s Clam.” Bambam responded from the back.
“Ali with the lisp?” If he replies yes now, you knew exactly where you were going.
“You know of him?” Of course.
“We come from the same country. I’ve known him since I moved to Jinhae. He was one of the first people I met.”
“Small world. Weird how we didn’t recognise each other. We must have been present at the same time at some point.” Jaebeom figured.
“I would agree but I always order into the company or home. I don’t usually have the time to eat in. It’ll be a great surprise for him too since it’s been a while I’ve been at the restaurant.”
A couple minutes of silence went by. You had some music from back home playing quietly as you drove to Ali’s. You do love jamming loudly to music but only when alone. You weren’t going to embarrass yourself in front of people you’ve only met a couple hours ago.
“So where exactly are you from Y/N?” You appreciated how the guys actually wanted to get to know you.
“My parents are both Turkish. Although… I was born and raised mostly in London. I did go back often to see family, but I lived and grew up in London. Studied there and then work led me to Jinhae.”
You stopped at a red light.
“I was going to ask what coloured contacts you used. I guess they are real.” Bambam and his ridiculous questions.
“Yes, they are real Bambam. Sorry to disappoint.”
“It’s okay. I’ll just stare at them instead.” This kid. Jaebeom and Jinyoung laughed at the sadness in Bambam’s voice.
“I’ll let you borrow them if you want.” Bambam triggered your sarcasm to come out. What a fool.
“I’d be honoured.” You liked how he continued.
“So, Y/N…” Jinyoung spoke up.
“You’re an architect?” You just nodded and you kept your eyes on the road.
“Why teach swimming then?” This question again.
“Here’s how I’ll answer that question,“ He was listening, “Isn’t it so refreshing and fun being with the kids in our group? To see their faces light up every Monday morning because of me and my lessons. It’s an amazing feeling knowing I’m touching their lives by giving them a life skill that they’ll be grateful for. It never feels like work.”
As you explained your reasons, Jinyoung had been staring at you in deep thought. The way you were concentrating on the road as you spoke about pure innocent things. The way you were so passionate about helping the kids learn a vital skill. He couldn’t register everything at once and felt so overwhelmed. Your eyes glistened as you continued talking about your love for the kids and how much you loved swimming. He watched your every move and could feel his heart thumping stronger than usual. He knew what was happening and was willing to comply to his heart.
You realised you had been rambling off for a while and hadn’t heard a single thing from Jinyoung. You glanced to your side to see a loving stare coming your way. You wished you could reciprocate but eyes on the road was something you were going to stick to. He realised his own stare and directed his look to Bambam. You just smiled. Luckily it was dark, so your flamed up cheeks weren’t visible to anyone.
…
Your phone rang… it was Max. You guys still hadn’t sorted out whatever it is that’s between you two now. You didn’t know if you should pick up. Due to the lovely thing called technology, your car picked up on the fact that you were getting a call so everyone could see who was calling. Jinyoung aware of who Max was.
“Feel free to pick up.” Jinyoung prompts you to pick up.
“You guys okay if I pick up?”
“Go ahead.” The other two responded.
You picked up the call.
“Hey Max, how are you?”
“Doing better Y/N. You free to talk?”
“Yh sure, go ahead.”
“I wanted to talk about Monday.”
You looked over at Jinyoung. He didn’t seem phased, but you felt uncomfortable.
“I’m listening.”
“Stay away from him.” Not this again.
“Elaborate ‘him’.”
“You know who I’m on about Y/N. Don’t make me say his name.”
“Elaborate or I’m hanging up.”
“Fine. I’m on about Jinyoung.” Oh boy the air in this car just got even more awkward.
“Fuck my life Max. You’re still dragging this out? Can you speak up like a man with a pair of balls?”
Jaebeom and Bambam looked at each other. They sensed the change in atmosphere as expected.
“Alright Y/N. What I’m saying is you have to stay away from Jinyoung from now on! I see the way he looks at you Y/N. His ass is so whipped for you and it has only been 2 lessons- “
“And?” The awkwardness had hit cloud nine. You wanted to hide in a box and stay away from humans for weeks at this point, but you had to stay strong. You weren’t going to give in like a weakling.
“What do you mean ‘and?’? Aren’t you bothered? Are you ready for someone else to crush your heart again just like Chas- “
“Don’t you dare say his name.” Max was crossing over the line. This call being on speaker didn’t help either.
“You get the point. Your ass is going to fall deep into his trap too only to be left like a shattered mirror again. Continue being like this and I won’t be there to fix you either.”
With that Max hung up. You didn’t speak. You were trying to contain the anger you were feeling rise up. You were carrying lives in the car. You weren’t going to express the anger now.
“You good?” Bambam couldn’t stand the silence and asked the comforting question. You had to be honest. You weren’t exactly feeling like answering although you thanked him internally for caring.
You mustered up the energy to talk after burying the anger inside.
“I deeply apologise for what just happened. I didn’t exactly want you guys to witness this not-so-nice side of me let alone on our first meeting,” You faced Jinyoung for a split second, “I owe you another apology. I don’t know what’s gotten into him but- “
“You truly are unaware aren’t you.” Jaebeom interrupted you. Kind of rude.
“I don’t know who that guy was, but he sounds extremely jealous.” This again. Jinyoung opted to stay silent.
“You think?”
“I think? It’s almost fact. He sounds so riled up. As a guy the only reason I’d ever be so ‘like him’ would be because I’m jealous.” For everyone to say this keeps solidifying the assumption. You guess everyone was right.
“Jaebeom hyung is usually right when it comes to knowing things. What he says usually turns out correct. I also agree. He sounds pissed and jealous.”
You chose to stay silent until you arrived at the restaurant. Everyone went back to what they were doing before the rude call. A couple minutes later you all arrived at Ali’s Clam.
You and Mark parked near the venue and walked it to the table Ali had given the rest.
“No way!” Ali ran up to you and gave you a warm hug. It had been around 1 month since the last time you saw him. Although you could feel the life being squeezed out of you too.
“Ali let me breath,” you laughed as you hugged him back, “It’s good to see you too.”
“Y/N seni bir aydır görmüyorum. Nerelerdesin?”
[“Y/N I haven’t seen you for a month. Where have you been?”]
“Bizim büro büyük bir proje kaptı. Beck’le onun üstünde çalışıyoruz. Biliyorsun ki yüzme derslerim de var buraya gelmeye zaman bulmak zor oluyor.”
[“Our firm received a big project. I’ve been working on it with Beck. You know about the swimming lessons too, it’s hard to find time to come.”]
The guys all picked up the change in language. This is what it must feel like for our fans, they thought to themselves.
“So how come you know of these lot?” He was referring to Jinyoung and the rest, “And how do you guys know of Y/N?”
Yugyeom stepped up to explain.
“Long story short, Y/N is Jinyoung’s swimming teacher. The rest of us met Y/N today at Jinyoung’s script reading.”
“Riiiight… So, what can I get you guys today? Everything’s on me!” Ali clapped in excitement for reuniting with his friend alongside his favourite customers.
“Can we get our usual lobster in the middle plus the baby crabs plus Jackson’s order?” These guys don’t order the stuffed oysters. What in the world?!?
“You know what else to add Ali. I can’t believe you guys don’t order the stuffed oysters. It’s Ali’s signature dish.”
“I got you Y/N! I’ll make it a bigger portion so the rest of you guys can try it too.” Ali jotted down the order on his little notepad.
The small chit chat continued. You were sat between Jaebeom and Jinyoung. Your table looked out to the bay and was decorated with shells and blue and white ribbons. You always loved the ambience of this restaurant. It reminded you of the fish restaurants back in Turkey that you and your mum would go to when you were younger. Whenever you felt homesick you knew you could come here to sink the feeling away.
“So, Miss is an architect.” Jinyoung turned to you as the rest spoke among themselves.
“I guess I am, and Mr is an actor” You chuckled. You both found out each other’s careers in very different ways.
“I guess I am.” He mimicked you. You eyed him having picked up on what he was doing.
“So, what’s the story behind you and everyone? How did everyone meet each other?”
“Get ready for another surprise. I’m not exactly just an actor… All 7 of us make up a k-pop group called GOT7.”
“Yh, right.” You laughed at him assuming he was joking around.
“Wow don’t believe me. Guys!” Jinyoung got the attention of the rest of the guys.
“Jaebeom hyung when did we debut?”
“16th Jan 2014.”
“Seun-ah what was our debut song?”
“Girls, girls, girls they love me” Jackson sang and displayed some hand movements along with it. Were they being serious?
Ali came over with the baby crabs and the stuffed oysters. He was just about to go back for the lobsters but Jinyoung asked Ali the same questions he had asked Jaebeom and Jackson.
“You guys debuted under JYP Entertainment as GOT7 on 16th Jan 2014 with the song,” he changed his stance like he was ready to dance, “Girls, girls, girls they love me.”
“Jackson also had a plant sticking out from the top of his head then.” The boys started laughing but Jackson gave Ali a deaf stare. Ali gave him an apology hug and insisted that he couldn’t let the opportunity slide.
“Is that why you kept your job a secret at first?” Jinyoung nodded.
“People tend to act different towards us as if we are not ordinary people. There seems to be this analogy of a pedestal where we are placed higher and we don’t really like that since it makes it hard for us to get to know genuine new people. Me keeping that a secret meant you looked at me for who I was not for someone who was a singer.”
“That makes sense. People forget behind the stage and platform there’s someone just like all of us with feelings and hobbies. We all like to chill, lounge around, go for a walk. It makes up only a part of us not all of us, but many people don’t see it that way. So, I understand why you chose to hide it although I can let you know that I’m not one of those people. It’s the inside that counts.” You pointed to your heart. Jinyoung just kept falling for all the mutual comments you were making. He agreed with everything that was escaping from your mouth.
“I’m happy we are on the same page.” He ruffled your hair like you were a 10 year old kid. His eyes gleamed with playful energy. You wish you could have stared longer but you were among his friends. You didn’t want them to get the wrong idea. With that you sorted your hair along with Ali placing the lobster and Jackson’s dish on the table.
“Ellerine sağlık Ali. Her zaman ki gibi çok güzel kokuyor her şey.”
[“Thank you for the meal Ali. Like always the food smells really good.”]
“This isn’t fair we don’t understand.” Bambam started sulking like a kid.
“I’ll try and contain myself. Since I usually come here alone I’m used to speaking in Turkish with Ali. Sorry.” You showed your innocent eyes (not an aegyo way, not a fan) to Bambam.
“If you look at me like that, how can I even get annoyed? Talk all you want I trust you wouldn’t speak ill of us to Ali.” You smiled at the kind words from Bambam.
“Let’s tuck in!” Youngjae suggested. You all started tucking into the food laid out. You had convinced Jaebeom to try the stuffed oysters since no one would say yes. You showed him how to open the oyster and scrape the filing with one shell from the other. Then eat from it like it was a spoon.
“How is it?” You tried to read his expression. He continued chewing and his eyes started to widen.
“We’ve been missing out.” Mark passed his plate over to you for you to put some oysters on his plate after seeing Jaebeom’s reaction.
“How do you did it again Y/N?” Mark asked.
“Let’s do this. Anyone who wants to try it put your hand up?”
Everyone but Jinyoung and Jackson put their hand up.
“I’ll let Jackson slide since you don’t like seafood,” You turned to Jinyoung, “This is bad sportsmanship come on everyone’s willing to try.”
JINYOUNG’S POV
She’s hitting you with those colourful starry eyes again. How could you say no?
“Fine Y/N. For your sake.” A wide smile spread across her face. She passed you an oyster too.
“If everyone’s ready, watch me then copy. We good with that?”
“This sounds like another swimming lesson.” You couldn’t help but remind her how similar her instructions sound like her lessons.
“Wooow. Are you criticising my teaching?” You could now pick up on her sarcasm. She wasn’t being serious. You just shrugged playing secretive like always.
“You should appreciate you haven’t drowned with your skills.” Oh no she didn’t.
“WAAAAAAA… I like it. Finally, someone else as savage as me.” Bambam high fived you across the table. Jaebeom had his mouth agape and Youngjae looked at you.
If the guys had made that sort of comment, it would have been game on. But when it came to Y/N, you couldn’t even find a way of retaliatin. Not only did you not know much about her, you got caught looking at her in disbelief. Your brain couldn’t register a comeback.
“Waaa… she actually got him silent. You achieved something I haven’t for the past 6 years Y/N.” Yugyeom started clapping. You looked at him and your eyes did the job. He stopped clapping as soon as he realised he weren’t going to take shit right now.
“Like I was saying. We ready?” Everyone raised their oysters. You watched her eagerly demonstrate how to eat her cuisine. Her passion for her homeland was present and you liked how she was patiently teaching you all how to eat the delicacy.
“Then you scrape it like it’s a spoon using the empty shell, like this.”
Surprising you all were pretty good. None of you dropped the filling on your plate.
“Then…,” Y/N got up from her seat and grabbed a lemon slice, “You squeeze some lemon on it. Keep your oysters up a little I’ll come around and squeeze some.”
She went around the table and dispersed some lemon.
“Now voila, eat.” You were a little hesitant. You weren’t a big fan of oyster, but you were willing to try it based on Y/N’s recommendation.
And you weren’t disappointed. The combination of the crustacean, rice and the herbs worked so well together. You could see why Y/N was surprised when this wasn’t a part of the group’s order. It tasted delicious.
“I can read all your faces now and no one seems disgusted besides Jackson.” She laughed at Jackson’s reaction to all of you tasting the new dish.
“Bro, how do yall do it?” Jackson questioned.
“Do what Jack?” Mark didn’t understand.
“Eat seafood. Madness.” Jackson resumed to eating his burger.
Ali dropped by having seen you guys taste the oyster.
“What do you guys think?” Ali asked.
“Y/N is right. Ali where have we been?” Youngjae was experiencing his version of food enlightenment.
“I don’t know Youngjae. Where have you guys been?” Ali laughed at Youngjae’s absurd question.
You guys dug into your food whilst conversing and getting to know each other. It turned out that Jackson and Y/N were close to meeting each other earlier on in life. If they had both pursued in their sports and competed in the Olympics there was a chance they would have met. Small world. Jackson explained to Y/N how he switched his career path and Y/N spoke about the lack of opportunity and motivation in that field left her to divert her attention to architecture. Both succeeding exceptionally well in their fields.
Y/N’S POV
“So, what’s been like your biggest project so far?” Mark asked since you both stopped eating having felt close to full.
“We have an active project going on right now for an eco-hotel set to be built near the end of the bay. The client is a really well-known person although I can’t disclose who he is due to privacy regulations. I can say you are all well aware of who he is that’s for sure. I never imagined someone with such high status would want us to design something for him but yh… we are working on it.” Y/N explained.
“That’s really cool. It’s nice to hear what people are doing in different industries. We are always surrounded by the entertainment industry so it’s nice to see a different expression of creativity going on around us.” You appreciated Mark’s kind words and appreciation for the architecture field. The field didn’t receive much cover and is overlooked so it was nice to hear those words.
“I agree. The same thing goes for you guys. I have one friend who does work got to do with music production although I didn’t really get much insight into what he did. It must be really warming having an audience who support you and your work constantly.” You liked having logical conversations. It seems like Mark’s somebody you would get along with well. He seems very knowledgeable.
“Ali! Can you bring over a couple bottles of soju?”
“Coming right up Jaebeom!”
Ali came pacing to our table and placed 7 glasses and 5 bottles of soju. He knew you didn’t drink.
“You forgot another glass.”
“Ah, I don’t drink.” You waved off Jaebeom.
“Waaa… does that mean we all get to drink? We have a driver to get us home guys!” Jaebeom joked around since you would be sober.
Ali came back since he heard what Jaebeom had said, “7 drunk guys and Y/N that sounds like chaos.”
“Come on Ali! We aren’t that bad drunk, are we?”
“Definitely not Jaebeom.” You picked up on Ali’s sarcasm.
“I’ll join Y/N for today. We won’t drink you guys go ahead.” Jinyoung joined the sober team for today.
“Jinyoung hyung~ you’re like the most entertaining person when drunk. Are you just too scared you’ll end up confessing to Y-“ Yugyeom smacked his hand across Bambam’s mouth and kept it shut. Was he about to say your name? Nah… surely not.
“You guys know I’ve been cutting down on drinking. There’s no other reason besides how wild we are when we are drunk. Can’t let Y/N handle all of 7 of us alone.” You appreciated his concern.
“Thanks.”
…
It took about 20 minutes for all 7 of the guys to be out of it. You and Jinyoung took the opportunity to part from the group and walk along the beach.
You could hear the waves crashing gently in the summer breeze. You took a second to take deep breaths of fresh air.
“Ah…” You sighed as you let out the fresh air, “Don’t you just love the sea?”
“I think I would like it more if I could swim in it.” You giggled at his confession.
“I’ll make that happen one day. I promise.” You smiled up at Jinyoung as you watched your feet sink into the sand as you guys walked. You both stayed silent until something came up to mind.
“I mean you can still have fun in the sea without having to swim in it.”
“Wow, I thought Jaehyun was the dirty minded one. I can see who he learnt it from.” He eyed you knowing that what he was hinting at was most likely something that wasn’t on your mind.
You were gobsmacked. Him too? Were all guys like this?
You slapped his shoulder, “You guys are atrocious. I meant splashing each other.” As you said the word ‘splashing’ you knelt down and splashed water at Jinyoung.
He was ready to win you over at this fight. He retaliated with even more water and caught you off guard. You guys ran up and down the beach trying to splash one another as well as not get caught by the flying water droplets. The cool breeze made the water on your body colder than usual. You guys were practically drenched when you dropped on your ass because your foot got caught sunk in the sand.
“You okay?” Jinyoung crouched down to your level and smiled at you like a child.
“I would be if my ass wasn’t soaked.” He lent you a hand. Was he this naïve? You took the opportunity to give Jinyoung a taste of what it felt like. You grabbed his hand and dragged him done to your level.
“I should have seen that coming.” Damn right he should have. You both chuckled as you watched the moon and the rippling reflection on the sea’s surface.
You started to tear up at the familiar scene although the person beside you wasn’t the person in the flashback. It was Chase. Chase was your ex-boyfriend. He was probably the best shot you had with a guy and things were going well until you found out that he was cheating on you for 2 months with a waitress at Ali’s restaurant. You had shared your ups and downs with him meaning him cheating on you left you extremely hopeless for other guys. Max’s extra possessive and protective reached its peak during that time hence the phone call today. When Ali found out, he fired the waitress immediately knowing how hurt you would feel every time you came across her at the restaurant. Even worse when she was with Chase. You guys would hang out at the beach after meals similar to how you and Jinyoung had today. Although today felt different, Jinyoung meant more to you than Chase in a shorter period of time. You still lacked on so much about Jinyoung, but he never gave off a single bad impression on any occasion. You trusted him.
He realised your mood change.
“Did you come here often with him?” How did he…
“I can tell you haven’t been here alone before. Did you guys come here together before? With the guy Max was about to mention on the phone call.” Smartass.
“Wow, I didn’t even need to explain. You’re spot on.” You let out a chuckle. It must have been really obvious.
“It must suck. We can go back-“
“No, no… I’m not going to let past memories be the reason for me to run away from a beautiful landscape. You being here helps too.”
“I’m glad to hear that. Although my backside is about to drop off.” You had completely forgotten that your bottom halves were being repeatedly soaked by the crashing waves.
“Not having much fat in that area is a struggle isn’t it. I can’t relate.”
“I have you know I have an ass.” You were dying at the confidence. You make sure to check him out secretly when the peach is in view.
“Clearly not big enough for the cold.” He pushed you over and your back got soaked from the damp sand.
“Ahhhh! Jinyoung I’m gonna catch a cold. It’s freezing!”
You were going to get your pay back. You launched your hands onto his shoulder in the hopes that he would also fall back but you underestimated his strength. You guys squabbled trying to put the other down. As expected he had you done in no time grasped onto your wrists. Some water droplets from his shirts fell down onto your warm skin. The position you guys were in raised the heat of your body at an unhealthy rate. Your faces were inches away just like how they were at during the water dodgeball game. Your chests heaved trying to get back your breaths, but he looked too good to be true. How could you go back to breathing normally when he looked gorgeous?
“Still cold?” He swept you away from your thoughts.
“Y-Yh…” You were boiling to be exact.
“This should help.” He dropped lower towards your face. Your noses brushed each other’s, and you could now feel his warm breath across your face. He looked deeply into your eyes as if there was a transcript written in them. He took his time analysing your features until he got to your lips. He couldn’t help staring at your lips for a little longer than your other features until he couldn’t take it anymore. He was going to make the first move he wanted to make since the beginning.
He teased your lips slowly making contact with them not knowing this was going to be the beginning of something life changing. You moulded into his lips and you could understand that he wanted this as much as you did. The passion as he moved trying to taste every inch of you made you blame yourself for not noticing his interest sooner. You were most definitely not cold anymore.
You were happy that your interests were not one sided and couldn’t wait for what else this new possible love had in store.
---
Thank fudge cakes this episode is over. I apologise for how late this episode has been. I think the word count being close to 10k explains why it took so long. I struggled to find a place to stop for this episode, so I just continued writing until I was happy with it. A lot goes down in this episode so grab a snack and enjoy. It was also really nice bringing in some native tongue into the series. I’d like to get your opinions on whether I should continue with the native tongue conversations between Y/N and Ali. I also introduced Y/N’s full time job. I hope it was a nice surprise for you guys. Until next episode 👋
writer-nim x
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