cuando nadie ve // jay (ENHYPEN)
pairing: secretary!jay x CEO!fem!reader
genre: office!au // warning: none, however, the couple doesn't make an appearance here! this is just the employees (Beomgyu, Yeonjun, Yeji, Keeho, and Hwiyoung) talking about them. // wc: ~1k
previous chapters:
part 1 - carmesí
part 2 - mi reina
part 3 - millones
part 3.5 - hasta los dientes
part 4 - vente conmigo
part 5 - tusa
part 5.5 - apaga y vámonos
part 6 - versos de placer
next chapters:
click here for the masterlist
summary: you and your beloved secretary!Jay are taking a week off of work. meanwhile, your trusted employees begin sharing their thoughts about the two of you.
author’s notes: okay SO! planning to release part 6.5 on the day of my birthday but I am just itching to write something and posting NOW so here is something I literally just cooked up in less than two hours.
stay tuned for the birthday special!
oh the title for this one is a song by Morat. it literally means "when nobody is around," which I find fitting for the context of this minisode lol
and since this is not a .5 part that is 5k long, I have decided to call this a carmesi minisode, so whenever I want to write quick and post fast I will just treat you guys to a 1k-long fic like this! hope you like it babes <3
taglist: @duolingofanaccount @jaylaxies @hee-pster @jaysbiceps @thots4hee @axartia @spxrklyfairydust @nyanggk @end-hyphen @jayked @yoursjaeyun (taglist is open, send an ask if you want to be tagged!)
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The canteen was filled with people lining up and taking their seats. Beomgyu and Yeonjun picked a table by the window so they could watch the view from the highest floor, counting how many red cars pass by as a way to kill time.
“Oh my God, Beomgyu,” Keeho shuffled towards their table, holding a tray of food in his hands. “I just heard two people got fired.”
“Miss Y/N terminated their contract,” Beomgyu corrected as he chewed his food and then swallowed.
“Was it really because they shittalked about Park?” Yeonjun chimed in, grabbing his can of Cola and opening it.
At this point, Yeji joined the table and sat beside Yeonjun. “Are you all gossiping again?” She asked after hearing Jay’s name being mentioned.
Beomgyu shook his head, his slightly long hair dancing around his neck. “I have strict orders from the Miss. I’m not supposed to tell you guys but I will because you’re my closest friends. Miss Y/N didn’t exactly say anything specific, but her behavior screamed queen.”
Yeji frowned at the unusual expression while Yeonjun chuckled, almost choking on his soup. Keeho tapped his finger on the table after properly chewing his food.
“So you’re saying she fired those people for a good reason but shittalking Park was the last straw?” Keeho asked for confirmation.
Beomgyu clicked his fingers at Keeho and nodded. Yeji stared out the window.
“I wish I had someone who had my back like that,” she mumbled, toying with her chopsticks.
“She has all of our backs.”
The four of them shot their heads up to the source of the voice. Hwiyoung grinned and grabbed a seat at the end of the table, joining them.
“If it isn’t our very own knight in shining armor,” Keeho said, welcoming Hwiyoung.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Hwiyoung asked. The others looked at Keeho in anticipation.
“You know, Beomgyu said Miss Y/N is queen, and she’s dating Park so that makes him the prince, and you’re sort of like her right hand at this point so you’re the knight. Or Queensguard?”
Yeonjun chuckled as she shook his head. Yeji smiled and went back to eating her meal.
“Just because the two of them aren’t around, doesn’t mean you can speak about them, you know,” Hwiyoung said in a stern voice, eyes glued to his plate.
“Keeho was just asking a question,” Beomgyu chirped, shifting the blame. Keeho glared at him and he just laughed.
“But since they’re the topic of this discussion,” Hwiyoung continued, “do any of you have a problem with their relationship?”
“That’s my question to ask as HR,” Beomgyu pouted.
Yeji quickly shook her head. “It was devastating when Park took a whole break when they were fighting. I think they should never be separated.”
Yeonjun nodded, immediately agreeing. “I feel like the whole dynamic in the workplace is better when they’re together. I’m not saying she’s incapable without him, but when he assists her everything just makes sense quicker.”
“You’re not just saying that because you’re scared I might report this back to the Miss, right?” Beomgyu eyed each and every one of his coworkers.
Keeho waved one hand, dismissing the idea. “You know what, I think I was in denial for a while because I just thought of them as having a really healthy boss-secretary relationship. It wasn’t until Yeji told me…”
“Really, Keeho? After the dance at that gala, you really couldn’t tell?” Yeji asked.
“I thought Park was just being a professional dancer!” Keeho raised his voice. Hwiyoung chuckled, shaking his head.
“You think of Park really highly,” Yeonjun commented. “What is it, did you use to have a crush on him too?”
Beomgyu cackled and Yeji slapped Yeonjun’s arm.
“Park Jay is a man, okay. He’s younger than me by a year but better than me in every aspect, dude, I just respect him. And now he’s dating our boss? Respect even more.”
“What do you mean by that?” Yeji challenged Keeho. “Like our boss is someone who is supposed to be tamed?”
Keeho showed a glint of panic in his eyes and Hwiyoung smirked at the action.
“Why am I being cornered here? I feel like I’m on Twitter and y’all are just twisting my words,” Keeho sighed. Yeji pouted again and tapped the back of his hand to comfort him.
“So no complaints, right?” Beomgyu stirred the conversation back to its focus. “And since we’re all on the same page I’m gonna need all of you to report back to me if you find other people saying shit about our boss and her lifeline.”
The others just nodded along as they all finished their lunch. Yeji then took a sip of her iced latte as the table fell silent.
“I’m actually really thankful for Park,” Hwiyoung stated, breaking the silence.
Yeji tilted her head, looking at him. “In what way?”
“Well, I don’t think she’d make me her second assistant if she wasn’t dating him. I know for a fact she did that to ease his workload and I’m just happy to get a new position. But Miss Y/N’s overall well-being seems… heightened? I don’t know what’s the word…”
Hwiyoung’s voice trailed off as he tried finding a better way to describe whatever idea he was trying to deliver. The others looked at him, listening intently.
“She just glows differently. In a good way, of course. And you know how she always has her eyebrows furrowed whenever she’s stressed or just really focusing on something?” Hwiyoung stopped to look at the others, making sure they were still listening. “That frown of hers instantly turns into the most endearing smile whenever Park walks into the room.”
“Oh my God,” Yeji said, bringing both her hands up to her mouth. “That is so sweet.”
“Poetic as fuck,” Yeonjun nodded but shaking his head, amazed at Hwiyoung’s description.
Keeho sighed. “If that’s not love, I don’t know what is.”
Beomgyu nodded along. “So we agree that we will do whatever it takes to protect them and just pray that they’re together for life. For the sake of our mental health and the reign of our queen.”
Keeho snorted and elbowed Beomgyu, who was just chuckling at his own choice of words. Hwiyoung glanced at his wristwatch and then cocked his head.
“Break time’s over, get back to work, guys.”
Yeonjun scoffed. “Look at him acting like a boss because Miss Y/N and Park are away for the week.”
Hwiyoung just rolled his eyes as he walked away, taking his empty tray to the drop-off. The rest of them quickly scrambled to their feet too, giggling and talking more as they made their way back to their floors.
-END-
© forjongseong 2022, all rights reserved
read the next chapter: yo te quiero más
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Stranger Things (Jimin x OC)
Summary: Jimin's horny, but you're on your period.
Pairing: Jimin x OC
Genre: Exes; banter, humour, fluff, mild angst
Rating: 18+
Word Count: 5.3 K
Warnings: language, periods, mentions of sex
A/N: Nearly 5K words of Jimin and Sooah shittalking each other. Set a litte over a month after Need To Know, but can be read standalone. Contains few but important mentions of Taehyung and Dilara.
Thanks a ton to @parkizabelle and @cherrysoulth for beta reading, not to mention giving me their lovely comments and suggestions <3
Tagging: @bbl32 @confessionsofamarshlily @dreaming-with-happiness @ggukkieland @jiminjhang @kflixnet @k-radio
If you want to be added to the taglist, drop me a comment/ask :)
Listen to: "we used to be friends" by the dandy warhols
jimin masterlist | main masterlist
It’s too early for this shit. Or it’s not - it’s nine am - but it’s too early for this shit today.
Sooah stays unmoving on the sofa, her socked feet up on the coffee table and her torso almost flat as she lies low on the cushions. The heating pad is placed far too comfortably on her abdomen for her to risk shifting it, not even for the unwelcome doorbell ringing. It will stop. Eventually.
It does, in a few seconds, only to be replaced by knocking. It’s as though the person on the other side assumed she wouldn’t be able to hear the doorbell or something, and Sooah is irritable enough that she could scream. She almost does, when the person finally speaks.
“Sooah! Are you home?”
She freezes for a moment before groaning softly. “Jesus, Jimin,” she mutters, carefully standing up and wincing when she feels her entire lower body go heavy. Taking small, uncomfortable steps to the front door, she opens it to see Jimin, looking irritatingly good in a grey hoodie and black skinny jeans.
His face relaxes into a smile. “Hey,” he says, leaning against the doorframe. “I’ve been ringing the doorbell for ages. What happened?”
Where to begin? “I didn’t hear it.” Suddenly feeling self-conscious and extra bloated, she flips her hair to the front of her shoulders, remembering only then how unbrushed it is. “How can I help you?”
Jimin frowns. “What do you mean you didn’t hear it? I must have rung it, like, ten times.”
“Must be broken, then.”
“Really?” He wrinkles his nose and presses the bell, and they both wince when it rings loud above them. “It’s working,” he supplies.
“I…” She can’t tell him she was hoping that whoever it was would go away. Moreover, she definitely can’t tell him that once she figured out it was him, she actually answered the door. “Jimin, what are you doing here?” she asks, changing the subject altogether.
“Um -” For some reason, he looks even more lost now, as though she’s asked him a question out of syllabus. “I - I’m here, uh… I mean -” He swallows and frowns, as though she should know the answer to this.
Maybe it’s the continuous blood loss making her mind foggy, but it takes her a hot minute to get to it as well. “Oh, my God. Hang on. Jimin, are you here for a booty call?”
Jimin’s eyes widen. “Wh-what? No! Why - why would you - why would you assume that?”
“Well, why else are you here?”
“I’m returning your text.”
“In person?”
“No, as in… I’m responding to it. I’m - I’m following it.” He looks rather affronted now, his pink lips halfway to a pout.
Pressing her legs together and trying to focus, she tries again. “Okay, what text? What are you talking about?”
“This text, from last night,” he says immediately, whipping his phone out with a flourish and tapping the screen fiercely until he finds it and turns the phone towards her, almost shoving it in her face. She can barely make out her own name on the screen before he brings it back and begins reading out loud, enunciating every word. “Just got home. Had a shitty day. Will probably be up late.” He locks it and puts it back in his pocket, looking far too vindicated.
“Oh.” Sooah sighs, the painkiller-addled memories returning. “That text. From twelve hours ago.”
“Well… yeah. I was at practice,” he says, running a hand through his hair, the dirty blond strands falling back effortlessly to frame his face. “And then I fell asleep at the studio, at three am. Then I got up, had some coffee… and rushed right over here.”
Something flips in Sooah’s stomach; it’s probably a strange sort of cramp. “Well, not that I don’t appreciate the diligence, but… the situation has changed. I’m sorry.”
“The -”
“Yeah, I don’t want to go into a lot of detail, but I - I can’t… have sex, right now. So.”
Jimin lets out a nervous laugh, shoving his hands into his pockets. “I - well, that’s - that’s okay. What - you thought I just came here for sex?”
Sooah frowns. “Well… yeah. That was the deal we made, like, a month ago. A little more than a month, actually.”
The way he nods, slowly and deliberately, is pretty decent evidence that he knows exactly what she’s talking about. It’s highly unlikely that he wouldn’t, honestly. After all, haven’t they been meeting at least once a week since then for hot, meaningless sex? Sometimes even twice a week?
As momentarily doubtful as she had been when she’d initially proposed it, especially when he’d responded with more poise than she’d expected, the deal so far was working. Casual sex with Jimin was as hot as it was convenient, and the expectations of the arrangement were simple: just sex, nothing else.
Including, as it turns out, hanging out together while she’s on her period.
“Um -” Jimin straightens up slightly. “Sure. I mean, yeah, I know.” There’s an awkward pause which is broken when a noise from her television startles them. Frowning, he peers over her shoulder into her apartment. “Are you watching Planet of the Apes?”
Feeling herself flush, she shuffles slightly, hoping to block his view but failing. “Yes. It’s - it's not good.”
“Then why are you watching it?”
“Because…” She sighs, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. “I don’t know, I just don’t have the energy to search for the remote and change the channel.”
“Channel? It’s called Netflix, grandma.”
“I don’t remember my password, you jerk.”
“That just sounds like poor planning.”
“Passwords are hard to remember. Not that you would know, while you piggyback on Jungkook’s Netflix account.”
“Um, firstly, it’s Hoseok hyung’s Netflix account,” he corrects her loftily. “Secondly: write it down.”
“Thank you for the advice,” she says shortly. “Goodbye, Jimin. I’ll call you when I’m feeling better.” She begins closing the door when he stops her.
“Wait! What do you mean, feeling better?” His eyes are wider now and he looks her up and down, as though he’s just realised she’s not in perfect health. When Sooah does nothing but sigh and tilt her head, it seems to dawn on him and his cheeks redden. “Oh. Crap.”
“Yeah.”
“Alright,” he says, nodding sympathetically. “I’ll, uh, I’ll leave you to… it.”
“Thank you. Sorry about the text. I should’ve let you know.”
“Oh, that’s okay. Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay.”
“Alright. See you. Oh, hang on,” he says hastily, whipping back around while Sooah takes a deep breath. “Do you have ice cream? You - you used to like ice cream when you were… ill.” He pauses. “That was you, right?”
She stares. “Yes. That was me. Thank you for the consideration,” she says, somewhat honestly because she didn’t expect him to remember, “and… yeah, I probably have ice cream in there somewhere. Or I don’t. But I have ice, and that’s almost the same thing.”
“Right. You’re, uh… you’re scaring me a little. Should you be left alone?”
“Should I be, or do I want to be?”
“Point taken. I will see you when you’re feeling better.”
“That’s a good idea. Goodbye, Jimin.”
It’s strange; the moment the door closes, the feeling of relief Sooah’s been anticipating lasts only a few seconds before the discomfort takes over again. Sinking back into her spot on the sofa, she hugs her knees to her chest, squeezing her abdomen and suddenly feeling worse than she was a few minutes ago.
She looks at the television without really watching, the silence apart from the movie suddenly feeling downright loud. It occurs to her that Jimin is the first individual she’s spoken to in over twelve hours. Maybe her Ibuprofen is wearing off, but the cramps suddenly seem stronger.
“Come on,” she whines out loud, twisting on the sofa to curl up into the foetal position. Even the pills are too far away, all the way across the living room. Just as she considers crawling on the floor and making her way to the plastic bottle like a marine, the bell rings again.
“Motherfucker,” she mutters, sliding off the couch gracelessly and hobbling over to the door. When she opens it to see Jimin again, the flip in her stomach makes her wince.
“Hey, I - are you okay?” His face is pretty and comical at once as he freezes in place, one hand hovering in the air as though ready to catch her if she falls.
“Just spectacular. What are you doing here?”
“Oh, I - I wanted to ask if you need anything? From the grocery store, or…” He shrugs nervously, biting his lip.
Sooah frowns, not expecting this. The next second, though, she realises that’s strange, because Park Jimin has always been a good guy, whether it meant helping her with her math homework or driving down from Busan to Seoul to attend the first event she’d ever managed at her company, during one of their good phases.
“Um, no, I don’t. But thanks,” she adds, feeling her neck getting warm. He’s looking unsure as well, tilting forward and back on the balls of his feet.
“Couldn’t find the remote, huh.”
Sooah gives him a look that gets cut short when a cramp shoots through her abdomen, making her wince. “You know what? Fine,” she mutters, taking a step back and leaving the door open.
“Um…” He steps inside gingerly as she trudges back to the sofa. “You’re inviting me in?”
“I’m asking you to do whatever it is you want to do inside, because I can’t stand anymore,” she says tightly, reaching for the hot water bottle and placing it on her belly, only to find that the water’s gone tepid. “I can’t catch a break.”
A phone rings then and she looks up to see Jimin look at the screen before shaking his head and locking his phone. He walks over to her and takes a seat on the sofa, and places a hesitant hand on her shoulder, as though expecting her to shake it off. When she doesn’t, he slowly rubs her back, saying nothing.
“I’m sorry, I know I’m being snappy today,” she says in a low voice, deliberately not looking at him. His hand feels warm and familiar, and she feels herself leaning into it.
“It’s okay. I got you this, by the way,” he says after a moment, pulling out a flat packet and handing it to her. “They’re strips, for when you pull your muscles or whatever. We use them when we practice a lot.”
“Oh.” Sooah turns the packet over in her hands, observing the image of a muscled leg, with the tendons glowing red and raw. “Chim, thank you. That’s really nice.”
He gives her a sparkling smile. “I am nice,” he agrees.
She cracks the first smile in what feels like ages before looking down to read the instructions, when she spots something else. “Okay, wow. These are really expensive, Jimin. I can’t accept this.”
“Of course, you can. We have loads in the studio - and we don’t even pay for them.”
“Yeah, but they’re yours and I don’t -”
Jimin clicks his tongue, interrupting her, looking rather annoyed now. “Are you physically incapable of letting someone do something nice for you?”
No, just you. The thought comes to her mind without warning, catching her off guard. “Fair enough,” she says, only slightly apologetic. Jimin simply rolls his eyes and looks away, and the absence of his hand rubbing her back is suddenly apparent. Just for something to do, she opens the packet and takes out a strip, a flat, rectangular beige one the length of her forearm.
“Is it like a band aid?” she asks, turning it over. The smell reminds her instantly of volleyball injuries and the spray their coach used to apply on their joints.
“Yeah, just peel this off…”
“Got it…” She lifts up the bottom of her shirt slightly, exposing her midriff, and feels for the area that’s hurting. Peeling the white cover off, she tries to hold up her shirt with one hand and apply the strip with the other.
“Hang on, I’ll help.” Jimin slides off the sofa and kneels in front of her, taking the strip from her.
“No, that’s okay, it’s…” She bites her lip, her skin feeling warm where his fingers brush it. “Jimin, this is… God, this is so not sexy.”
He gives her another unimpressed look, this time not even bothering saying anything as he expertly positions the strip below her navel, pulling the elastic of her joggers down slightly, and pressing the strip into place. “It’ll take a few minutes to work,” he tells her.
Sooah nods, her cheeks feeling warm again. They hold each other’s gaze for a moment, a foot’s height difference between them. She notices how puffy his eyes look for the first time and wonders if he’s gotten enough sleep. I got up, had some coffee, and rushed right over. She’s about to reach out and brush his hair off his forehead when he clears his throat and stands up.
“Thanks.”
Jimin sits back down next to her and nods. “You’re welcome.” A few more moments pass before he speaks again. “I’m sorry, Sooah. I didn’t mean to bother you. Really. I just…” He wrings his hands together and shrugs. “I just hated the thought of you alone in your house, on a Saturday… watching a really bad movie.”
Sooah nods. “Yeah, that part sucks.” He places his palms on the sofa and for a moment, she’s afraid he’s about to leave. “Do you - do you want to sit and watch the movie with me?”
He raises his eyebrows. “Do I want to watch Planet of the Apes with you?” When all she does is nod, he shrugs. “Sure. It’s got to end eventually, right?”
“That’s the hope.”
They settle back against the sofa, Sooah with her feet up on the cushions this time as she waits for the strip to work. It’s already warm and tingly against her skin, and coupled with Jimin’s thick hoodie pressed up against her side, she’s already starting to feel marginally more comfortable. Jimin places one arm behind her on the back of the sofa as the movie continues, and she has to consciously keep herself from curling into his side.
About ten minutes in, his phone rings. Sooah looks over lazily to see him tilt the screen up before sighing softly and immediately locking the phone again, turning it face down on his lap.
She frowns, for the name on the screen was in English. “Who is that?”
“What? Oh. That’s…” He sighs again, and this time it sounds a bit heavier. “It’s Dilara. Taehyung’s girlfriend.”
“Oh.” Sooah vaguely remembers him mentioning something about Taehyung’s love life. “Why is she calling you?”
“I don’t know.”
She bites her lip. “Why don’t you answer it and find out?” she asks lightly.
Jimin gives her a look that she meets innocently. “Can we talk about something else?”
“Sure.” A moment passes. “How’s Taehyung?”
“Anything apart from Taehyung. Or his girlfriend.”
Sooah nods and lets it go, thinking privately that she’d get it out of him later when he’s in a different mood, possibly in a post-coital one. Knowing Jimin, he will need to talk about it at some point. “What about the rest of your crew? Why aren’t you with them?”
“Well…” He begins counting on his fingers. “Namjoon, Yoongi, Hobi hyung are at the studio. Jin hyung… I think he’s still at the dorm. Went to take a nap or something. Nobody knows where the hell Taehyung is these days and Jungkook… Jungkook is at the gym. Obviously.”
“He went to the gym on a Saturday morning?”
“Well, I don’t know. I couldn’t find him. I’m assuming he’s at the gym, though.” He turns to her knowingly, as though expecting her to validate this hypothesis. When she nods belatedly, he seems marginally more satisfied and turns back to the television. “Okay, you know what? I can’t watch this anymore.”
“The movie?”
“Yes, the movie.” He stands up and dusts himself off unnecessarily before pushing the sleeves of his hoodie up his forearms. “I’m going to go look for that remote.”
“Good luck with that.”
She stays in the exact same position on the sofa, staring listlessly at the screen, while Jimin shuffles around the room with a vengeance, peeking behind every cushion and looking underneath every single structure before giving up on the living room and disappearing into the spare bedroom.
“You need to vacuum in here!” Jimin’s muffled voice calls from across the house.
“It’s a spare bedroom!” she yells back. “I don’t use it for anything!”
He reappears a few seconds later, taking off his hoodie with a huff. His t-shirt rides up, revealing washboard abs that Sooah was not expecting, leading to a flutter right down in her lady regions as he throws it onto the sofa next to her. She flinches, gritting her teeth. Stupid periods.
He immediately runs his fingers through his tousled hair. “Any chance it could be in your bedroom?” he asks, half-whining and pointing in the direction of the closed door. Despite his tone, she’s fairly sure he’s just asking for permission.
“Could be. I woke up one time hugging it.”
“You have a problem,” he states, before departing into her bedroom.
Chuckling in spite of herself, she settles back down, liking the soft material of his hoodie next to her. It’s a nice hoodie; it’s soft and comfortable, and she has a strange urge to wrap it around herself like a blanket. She reaches over and checks the tag; Burberry. Of course. It makes sense now, why it’s so comfortable.
She subtly shifts so the hoodie is behind her head, barely noticing Jimin stride out of her room and back into the kitchen, humming under his breath. There’s the vague sound of cabinets opening and closing and a bottle of water being opened. It continues like this for another five minutes before he emerges, looking gorgeously victorious.
Sooah straightens up. “Oh, my God. You actually found it?” When he smirks and nods, she puts a hand to her chest dramatically. “My hero.”
“It was in the cereal cabinet. Feel kind of stupid for not guessing it, if I’m being honest,” he admits, flopping down on the sofa next to her.
She exhales slowly. “That’s right. I had cereal for dinner and went straight to bed. Must have left the remote there.”
“Two good decisions, all in one fell swoop.”
“Right?”
“God, we can finally turn off this hideous movie,” he sighs, putting his feet up on the coffee table and changing the channel.
“Seriously. I could kiss you right now.”
“You can kiss me. I’m sitting right here.”
She sighs and gives him a stern look. “That was not our deal.”
“Neither was putting myself through twenty minutes of the worst movie on Earth,” he points out, continuing when she opens her mouth to remind him that he was under no obligation to do so, “but you were in dire circumstances.” He turns to her. “Friends kiss, don’t they?”
“Do they?”
Jimin tilts his head playfully and even with a lack of sleep, he manages to look angelic. “I don’t know. I’m going to look for a movie while you comb through those rules of yours.”
He’s said the right thing to annoy her into it, for they aren’t her rules. “Fine. I would never have thought of the cereal cabinet,” she admits, leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek. The faint deodorant makes her stomach do a backflip.
“Did that kill you?”
“Almost.”
“Well, what do you know?” he says dryly, dropping the remote on the sofa. “Planet of the Apes is the best thing on television right now.” He turns to her with an irritatingly knowing look on his face. “Should probably remember your Netflix password next time.”
“I should,” she sighs. “Should I just create a new one right now? Like a - like a free one? Wait, you probably have Netflix,” she says suddenly. “Could I just use one of your screens?”
Jimin freezes, his pink lips open before he slowly bites down on his lower lip. “I…”
Sooah feels the blood rush to her face. “Actually, forget it. We don’t have to do that. That’s too… I’ll just create a new one, later.”
“It’s not part of the deal?”
“It is not.”
Jimin nods seriously before slowly putting his arm around her and pulling her close with a jerk, ignoring her gasp. “Can you, like, relax? For about two seconds?”
She swallows, her heart racing with the proximity, which even she acknowledges is ridiculous. “Relax? Do you know what’s happening in my uterus right now?”
“I do. In fact, I distinctly remember you yelling it at me during our first fight in front of your house when I asked you to sneak out and meet me.”
“I was having cramps!”
“I had one night off the entire month!”
“Jimin, you asked me if I could hold it.”
“Don’t blame me, blame the shitty sex ed we got.” He frowns but purses his lips in what she takes as an apology anyway . “Anyway. I just mean, stop fretting about our stupid deal, okay? We’re not strangers who decided to start screwing. We’re friends. Believe it or not, you’re one of my oldest friends,” he informs her.
There’s something in the way he says it that tells Sooah without a doubt that he’s hinting at something and it’s directed, at least partly, at her. After a moment, she lets her muscles relax and leans against him. His torso is hard and lean, and the deodorant is more apparent than ever, an incredibly familiar scent. “Chim?”
“What?”
She looks up at him, getting a fantastic view of his jawline as he frowns, and reaches up to pinch his cheek. “Don’t be mad, come on.”
“I’m nod mad. It’s just annoying. What - are you worried I’m going to fall in love with you or something?”
A particularly strong cramp makes her stomach clench for a moment. “Of course not.”
After a moment, Jimin seems to realise his tone as well, and silently squeezes her shoulder.
It doesn’t matter, honestly. A month and a half ago, at her company event, there had been a moment when Sooah had let the past affect her again. The sight of Jimin, absolutely drop dead gorgeous, looking shiny and expensive with every step he took and blending in with all the celebrities seamlessly had inevitably reminded her why they weren’t together, why every single time they hooked up again, it never amounted to anything more. Nineteen year old Jimin had made a choice, and twenty-four year old Jimin was proving just how right he’d been all those years ago.
But they seemed incapable of cutting each other out of their lives - and Sooah honestly didn’t even want to, for he was genuinely one of her oldest friends. So, a deal felt like the best solution, with rules and guidelines to ensure that neither of them got their hearts broken again.
One of the most haunting images of that night floats through her mind, less than half an hour after they’d banged in an empty hotel room, of Jimin and a producer near the French doors, both of them leaning against opposite door frames and facing each other. He’d been laughing, she remembers, her heart jolting at the memory. Suddenly, the red top and black pencil skirt she’d paired together for the event seemed plain, even dowdy, before the gold mini dress and transparent high heels.
Jimin had joined her again soon enough and when he’d offered to drop her home, she hadn’t been wholly surprised. But every second of the car ride and the walk to her front door had seemed like something waiting to happen and before she could let her thoughts go down a road she’d promised to never set foot on, she’d proposed the deal.
None of which included cuddling on her sofa while she bled out and watching Planet of the Apes, but she finds she’s glad it’s happening in any case.
They watch the rest of the movie in mostly comfortable silence, interrupted only by Jimin going to the kitchen and bringing back the box of cereal for them to share.
“God, finally.” Jimin drops his head back on the couch and exhales loudly as the ending credits come on. “Whatever the next movie is, it’s got to be better than this.”
“True.” Sooah nods. “Unless it’s Rise of the Planet of the Apes.”
“Oh, come on, they wouldn’t schedule - oh, my God!” He turns to her in horror, his eyes comically wide. “Look what you did!”
“I didn’t do anything. I used logic, Jimin,” she replies, rolling her eyes and tugging him back so she can resume her position again.
“I can’t believe this.”
“Believe it,” she advises, stretching. “Hey, I think the strip is working.” She looks up to see him immediately avert his gaze from her chest and she sits back down again, cheeks warm.
“Of course it’s working,” he says shortly, taking his arm off her shoulders and typing on his phone. “Do you want ice cream?”
“Yes, please. Wait, aren’t you on a diet?” she asks, remembering how he’d touched nothing but champagne and fruit the entire night of the event.
“Yeah, but…” He shrugs and glances at her before going back to his phone. “I don’t mind. It’s just an ice cream. It’s not a big deal.”
She frowns. “You aren’t ordering it just for me?” When he turns to give her a blank look, she chuckles. “Okay, sorry. Get me a…” She closes her eyes and mentally goes through the menu.
“Don’t say cookie dough.”
“... cookie dough.”
They’ve said it in unison, naturally, and Jimin simply drops his head in his hand. “Fine,” he says, going back to his phone and pretending to gag as he orders it.
“Ugh, grow up.”
“You grow up. You’ve been obsessing over cookie dough since you were fifteen.”
“You’re the only person on earth that doesn’t like cookie dough.”
“It tastes raw!”
“It tastes like batter, which is - you know what? I can’t do this again,” she mutters, huffing and watching him fumble with the phone before tossing it on the table. She glares in response to his eye roll, continuing even when he sits back and places his arm on the back of the sofa again.
When she doesn’t move, he scoffs. “Seriously?”
“You’re going to taste the cookie dough today,” she mutters, crawling back to her previous position. “I’m going to make you.”
“I’ll hate it, I swear.”
She ignores him, settling against him more comfortably instead. The strip is actually working; while the heaviness and general discomfort is still present, the active pain that was shooting through her abdomen is gone for now. She recalls how he’d helped her put it in place, the momentary pause before he’d stood up.
I fell asleep at the studio at three am. As though of its own accord, her mind wanders to what that might have looked like. She assumes he means recording studio; so fancy equipment, low lighting and couches everywhere. She imagines Taehyung inside the glass cubicle type thing, probably - although from Jimin’s vague comments, he probably isn’t spending any more time there than he has to.
Hoseok, then. She pictures the slender man she’d last met only a couple weeks ago as she was leaving the dorm after a steamy romp session with Jimin during her lunch break. Yoongi would be at the controls or whatever they are. Namjoon, the rather intimidating leader, would be… texting? She doesn’t know what goes on in there.
Jimin shifts slightly and the scent of his deodorant wafts up again, slightly lemony. He must be tired. She pictures him sitting on one of the sofas, cracking jokes and passing unnecessary comments throughout, possibly with Jungkook by his side. As the night goes by, he gets quieter, eventually falling asleep right there.
He curls up when he sleeps, she remembers, usually clutching something. In this case, it’s probably a hoodie. His hair would be falling onto his face, cheeks squished against the cushions, pink lips pouting all by themselves…
The next thing she knows, she’s jerked awake.
“What the fuck?”
Next to her, Jimin stirs. “What is that?” he whines softly.
They fell asleep. Right here, on her sofa, while cuddling despite her best intentions. As she sits up slowly, she can’t help but miss the comfort of his cotton t-shirt covering his chest, not to mention the gentle steadiness of his arm around her.
“It’s the doorbell,” she says to no one in particular when it rings again, but Jimin is already on his way to open the door, straightening his t-shirt on the way.
“Thank you,” he says to the delivery person before shutting the door and passing her the paper bag. Sooah’s stomach rumbles in anticipation as she tears open the bag, pulling out the first cup and moaning audibly when she sees the familiar cookie dough ice cream inside.
“Oh, God, you have to try this, Chim,” she says through a mouthful of ice cream, handing him the cup.
“I’m good,” he says in amusement, pushing her hand back to her.
She gives him a look but doesn’t push, too focused on her own ice cream. “You’re not eating?”
“What? Oh, yeah…” He puts down his phone where he was frowning at something on the screen and opens the other cup. “Oh, come on,” he complains, tilting the cup to show her.
She raises her eyebrows. “You got two cookie doughs?”
“Must have accidentally ordered two,” he grumbles, placing the cup back on the table and going back to his phone. “You can have it.”
Sooah frowns; there’s something too convenient about the way he’s simply accepted the incorrect order but once again, she doesn’t push. She’s about to allude to it, though, when he starts to stand up, grabbing his hoodie from the sofa.
“You’re leaving?”
“Uh, yeah…” Jimin nods, pulling on the hoodie and running his hands through his dirty blond hair. “It’s almost lunch and I have to… I have a thing.”
“Oh.” The disappointment is unexpected, yet not a surprise. She forces a smile as he leans down and presses a quick kiss to her cheek, giving her a small smile.
“Feel better, okay?” He makes his way to the door, stopping only when she says his name.
“Chim?”
“Yeah.”
“Thanks for the company. And the ice cream.” She holds up her cup.
Jimin smiles, but it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You’re welcome. Get some sleep, Sooah.”
Outside, he leans back against the closed door and lets out a deep breath. He’s surprised she hadn’t heard his heart thump with how hard it was beating when he’d woken up a few seconds before the ice creams had shown up, only to see her curled up into him, fast asleep.
Kim Sooah. Even the smallest gestures felt huge, like the popular volleyball captain who smiled at the nerdy kid who liked to dance, making the rest of his week.
He shakes his head, though, for that wasn’t the deal. With a sigh, he resigns himself to the current situation and begins walking, wondering if he should walk or call a cab to Big Hit, when his phone rings. It’s an unsaved number; with a little trepidation, he answers.
“Yeoboseyo?”
“Jimin?” The voice on the other end makes him halt, his blood running cold. Her voice is trembling… “It’s Dilara. Please don’t hang up.”
~
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