Kpopmap
Welcome to the second chapter of this fan fiction. To catch up on the story, you might want to read the first chapter below.
Things to note before reading: Word count - 3,026. John's words are in bold and blue text. Actions are in bold and black text. JunSeok's words are in bold and red text. All thoughts are in bold and italics. Words from other characters are in bold and orange text. We hope you enjoy this work of fiction.
Happy reading!
JunSeok's POV
7 am in the morning, he is busy humming in the kitchen as he preps breakfast for the team.
"Hyung, wow! Why are you so happy today?" HyunJae cheerfully asks.
"I think it is because promotions are over and we can finally rest for a bit" Kang responds as he walks out the door, sniffing the sweet smell of eggs and bacon in the air.
"Do I look happy?" I ask, even questioning myself.
"Yes, you do. Since last night at the bar." Kang responds. "All through the ride home, you kept smiling at yourself and staring out the window. It was a bit weird."
"No it wasn't, it is sweet. Happiness is good!" HyunJae responds in a song-like tone which makes Kang laugh.
"Did you meet someone?" Hwi chimes in from nowhere, startling me.
Looking around, I see the questioning eyes of the other members, beckoning for an answer as it would solve the mysterious problem of why I've been happy since last night.
"Hey! Meet someone? No way!" I respond rather too awkwardly.
The rest sit down as they prepare to eat but Hwi continues looking at me like he didn't believe a word I said. He has always been too smart for his own good though, but frankly, that was an awkward response so, who would believe it though?
"Bathroom, I'll be right back." I say as I stand up rather promptly and leave the room heading in the direction of the toilet with the fading sounds of the other members feeling the air.
"I need to think about this." I say to myself staring at the mirror. I mean, it has just been 1 night with a brief conversation in a dimly lit room and music blasting through the air. It couldn't have been that special.
"But you haven't stopped thinking about him." A voice in my head replies. "Yes, I know! But maybe it was just the drinks and the happy feel of the moment. We were celebrating our win after all. So, it is okay to get caught up and attached to that feeling of happiness and ....."
A flash of the night happens and I recall his face. "Argh! He is so handsome!" "How can you be so sure? It was the night and as you said, the drinks were flowing, you probably didn't have a good look at him".
At this point, it was almost like the angel and demons were on my shoulders, one for and one against.
"Well, you barely touched your drink and the conversation you had with him was the best you've had in a long time. It was cute and made you smile."
"Hence the smiling now!" I say out loud like I had a light bulb moment.
"Hyung! Manager-nim is around!" HyunJae calls out from behind the door.
"Okay!" I respond.
"Guys! You have done so well with the promotions this past month. I am honestly so proud of everything you've worked for. I know it hasn't been easy and looking back at the struggles you faced, I know there were many times you wanted to give up, but I am glad that you didn't and fought harder for this." He says almost crying.
Mr. Park has been our manager for the past 4 years now. Our first manager quit for another group when we began to struggle. It was a very tough time. I remember the company had several meetings to decide if we should disband or not. We kept pleading, just one more year. Even our parents were so concerned too. My mom asked her friends for any kind of work.
After a while, I caved to the struggles and started doing part-time work at a cafe. It was then I met Mr. Park. He had been a fan for a while. After many tries, he finally got me to open up to him and listened. He just listened. I haven't felt that kind of relief before. The next day, he said he would be our manager. And well, since then, he's been with us, guiding and helping us through everything. He is so smart and thoughtful.
"Guys, I know we have to rest but we have schedules lined up this week. Many variety show appearances and HyunJae, you have been asked to be the guest host for Music Bank for the rest of the month too."
"OMO!" HyunJae screamed which made us all burst into laughter.
"We do have the next 3 days off though, so try and rest a lot too." He finishes off with his daddy tone.
"Okay!" We respond in unison.
Some minutes later.
"Guys! I can't find my wallet." Kang calls out in a frenzy from the room. "I have searched everywhere and I can't find it."
"Let me check the car, maybe it fell on the car floor." Mr. Park says as he turns and heads out the door.
"Let's keep searching here" HyunJae as he begins to lift the pillows.
"When was the last time you had it?" Hwi asks the obvious question.
"The last time? I think it was at the bar." Kang says with enthusiasm. "I remember bringing it out of my back pocket because it felt uncomfortable sitting on it. I must have left it on the couch there."
At the mention of the bar, I had a flashback to my time with John and I couldn't help but smile again. Looking up, I catch Hwi staring at me. He looks very suspicious. But I can't think about Hwi and his inquisitive eyes now, this is perhaps my opportunity to meet John again.
"Why don't we call them to see if they have it?" Hwi responds. See, I told you he was the smart one in the group. This time, I am smiling at him.
"Oh yes, let me see if I can find their number online." Kang says as he frantically types on his phone.
"It's ringing." "Hello, yes good morning, please am I on to The Sunset Beach?" "Oh Yes! My name is Kang and I came in to your bar yesterday and I think I left my wallet in the VIP section." "Really?! Oh thank you!" "I will see you in the evening then."
Just as he ends the call, Mr. Park walks in. Before he could say anything, Kang excitedly mentions he left it at the bar. He said he would go and pick it up by the evening.
"Maybe we can continue our celebrations from yesterday?" Hwi says ever so cheerfully.
"Hehehe" "okay!" Mr. Park says. "But not as crazy though, a couple of drinks and we should be out of there." He continues.
At this point only 2 thoughts came to my mind: one, "I get to see John again" and two, "what the hell do I wear?"
6 pm
He looks so busy. Look at him wandering around giving instructions like a CEO. I have been standing here for 10 minutes now, just staring at him. I feel like a stalker but I can't help it. I can't take my eyes off him. As I come to reality, I meet WooYoung's eyes, he is smiling at me. He is just the same as Hwi. He walks over to John and in a millisecond, John turns to look in my direction. I am taken aback but I can't help but smile and nod in greeting. He responds with the same actions. Even from afar, I can tell how cute he looks.
My heart suddenly starts beating faster, it feels like the scene from a rom-com drama, where the main lead suddenly feels his heart beating louder as he stares at his crush. I always thought those moments were cliche as hell but I guess they were real cause in this moment, I am that main lead, and staring at John, I feel like my heart is about to combust.
"Is this love?" I ask myself.
John's POV
Wow, I feel so hot just staring at him. I am usually too shy to look people in the eyes but somehow, I can't seem to take my eyes off him.
"Hey! Snap out of it!" WooYoung taps my shoulder with a smile on his face. "We have work to do."
"Yes! YES!" I respond as I head to the counter to check on the orders.
After about 30 mins of me "working" but actually thinking about JunSeok, I finally headed upstairs to the VIP booth where they were seated. Greeting them with a warm smile, I see JunSeok seated with his friends, joyfully having a conversation with a girl. A hint of jealousy flashes through my body. He soon notices my presence and flashes a smile at me which makes me feel super good.
"Hello everyone, hope you are having a good time." "Sorry I couldn't see you off yesterday." I say looking at JunSeok "It was a very busy night." It was almost like I was talking to him directly, trying to explain myself for not being able to see him before he left last night. He simply nods and smiles, sort of like in acknowledgment.
"Thank you for finding my wallet and keeping it safe." Kang says "I would have been in big trouble if I didn't find it."
"Ah! No worries, I will relay your thanks to the staff who found it." I respond. Taking my eyes back to JunSeok who had been staring at me since too.
"I wonder what he is thinking about."
I notice shifts on the couch, sort of beckoning me to come to sit next to him. I want to, almost desperately even, but I don't think I should, I shouldn't make these feelings too known. I might make him uncomfortable and I do not want that to happen.
Almost suddenly, I bid them farewell and without looking at JunSeok, I exit the room. "This is for the best." I think to myself, "It is better safe than sorry."
The chit-chat, laughter, and music filled the air, and even though I was glad that yet again, our bar was filled up, I couldn't help but feel a bit sad too. I kept thinking about JunSeok and looking in the direction of the stairs, hoping, he'd come out and find me.
But I guess everything was not really as it seems because he didn't. Perhaps I should do another check on them, as the owner of the bar, I had a valid reason to see them. But I killed that idea because that would be too weird and embarrassing too.
"Back to work then." I say to myself.
As the night dwindled down, the crowd slowly dispersed and I have a little chance to do some bookkeeping and make arrangements for the things we need. I haven't once thought about JunSeok as I am head-deep in my books, doing the plus and minus. Suddenly I hear a knock on the door. WooYoung opens it with a cheerful smile and a pack of cigarettes in his hands.
"Smoke break?" He says.
"Sure." I respond.
I do not smoke but for us, "smoke break" means we need alone time to just chill and relax. Now at the back alley, WooYoung excitedly chippers away about some of the people he met today. After a couple of minutes filled with laughter from his jokes, we decide to head back inside. As we step into the bar, we see JunSeok and his bandmates leaving. Our eyes meeting makes my heart beat extremely fast and as I feel the urge to take my eyes off him, I simply cannot bring myself to do so.
With our eyes locked on each other, It feels like nothing else matters and time felt still, even though I could hear WooYoung cheerfully talking to the rest of the band and the manager.
"John" I faintly hear the sound of my name being called out. "JOHN!" this time it is louder with a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to see the culprit who has taken me away from my blissful moment is WooYoung. Looking at him with almost a glare in my eyes, he smiles and says "They're leaving."
At this, I shake their hands, one after the other, and bid them farewell. As it gets to JunSeok's turn, holding his hands felt more intimate than I expected as I felt a rush of electricity in my veins when our fingers touched.
"It was nice meeting you." I say to him. "Likewise." He responds. "Although, I am a bit sad we didn't get to talk as much." As he says this, the other members begin to walk to the car. Still holding hands, I feel a sense of courage and respond "Well, maybe next time, we can have a better time to chat, without the loud music of course."
I couldn't stop the words from coming out of my mouth as it felt like I was asking him out on a date. I feel a bit awkward and softly bow my head, avoiding his gaze. He lets go of my hand and says "I would like that. What are you doing tomorrow?"
Startled by his response, it takes me a minute to regain my composure. "Nothing much, tomorrow is Sunday, so I will be resting."
"Perfect." he responds "It's a date. I will see you tomorrow then." Before he could continue, his manager calls out to him and he runs to the car.
After a couple of minutes of staring into the deep space, deciphering what just happened, it suddenly dawned on me that we never talked about the time or place. A sudden realization that made me feel sad and confused. I try to think about a way to contact him but the only way felt a bit intrusive and I didn't want to come off as an awkward stalker.
"This is bad." I say to myself, letting out a deep sigh.
11:45 pm
Since tomorrow is Sunday and we do not open, I figured I would do everything I need to do against Monday now, and just have a restful day without no worries. Plus, it gives me an excuse to distract myself from the thought of JunSeok. At this point, the whole staff, including WooYoung has gone and I am left in the bar. Done with my work, I begin closing up, when I hear the door ding open.
"Sorry, we are closed for the night." I say as I turn around to face the super late customer.
Standing there in a hoodie and cap, I immediately recognize him. It is JunSeok. I couldn't help but smile so broadly at him and he too returned the reaction.
"How are you here right now?" "It is quite late, shouldn't you be resting?" I say with concern in my voice.
He must have picked up on my tone because he had a reassuring smile on his face and says, "I realized we didn't set a time and place for us to meet and I don't have your number, so I thought I would try my luck and see if you were still here."
"Wow! He is actually this thoughtful and clearly he is serious about this. Whatever this connection is." I thought to myself.
He must have noticed me thinking because before I knew it, we were less than 5 meters apart from each other and I could feel his towering presence around me. "Plus, we made plans to meet on Sunday, and checking the time, it is Sunday now."
His cheesy statement makes me burst out laughing and he smiles too.
"But it is quite early and it looks like everyone has closed, what can we do by this time?" I respond.
"Well, I did spot a 24 hours cafe on my run here. Perhaps we can have a super early breakfast. I am hungry." He says with a pout while rubbing his stomach.
"Gosh! You are so cute." I think out loud.
Bowing my head with embarrassment yet again, he laughs out loud and responds, "My fans think I am more sexy than cute though. But I will like cute too." Gently placing his hands under my chin and raising my head, he stares into my eyes and says "You are adorable too."
Our lingering gaze. It felt like an eternity, and if this were a K-Drama, this would be the moment where the male lead leans in and kisses his love. Well, almost beckoning for it to happen, we slowly lean into each other, and as I could feel the warmth of his face....
*RING RING* *RING RING*
My phone blasts off in my pocket putting a halt to what would've been a climactic moment. The caller ID reads WooYoung.
"Hello." I say with a hint of anger in my voice. "Are you still at the bar?" He asked with a concerned tone that softens me up. "Yes, but I am about to close up."I respond less angry now. "Okay, good. Get home safe." He concludes and cuts the call.
Looking at JunSeok, I realize there is no way we can turn back the time to 5 minutes ago. I feel sad over the missed opportunity.
"Shall we?" He simply asks, gesturing towards the door. I pack up my things hurriedly, closing the bar, we both head out into the dimly lit street. The moon shone brightly that night, the cool night breeze making us crave the warmth of each other. Soon enough, we were touching shoulders and wrapping his hands around mine, this felt so warm and natural as we head out to our first date, one that would signify the first of many.
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