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Seoul

Autumn of 2017

Kim Hyuna was soaked to the bone.

Who knew that a perfectly clear autumn day, with a pleasant breeze would suddenly make a 180 degree turn? Who knew that the clear morning sky would suddenly become filled with dark grey clouds which were relentless in pouring down pelting rain drops?

Certainly not her.

She had been on her way to the office of the webnovel company she wrote for, as she had a meeting with one of the editors, when the rain had surprised her out of the blue, like many pedestrians getting off the subway and on their way to work, school, or wherever they were headed for the day.

Hyuna, like many other unsuspecting residents of Seoul had decided to trust the KBS weather report deeming that the day would be pleasant with azure skies and comfortable temperature, and the fact that it was autumn.

Yet she now found herself drenched, her pathetic attempts to run to the nearby shelter soiled because running in high heels was not something Hyuna was used to.

She only wore heels to formal meetings where she had to be physically present, which themselves were not that frequent.

At least her laptop bag was waterproof, making her sigh in relief.

She was just a block away from Elysium, and when her editor called her to cancel the meeting because of a last minute emergency, she decided to would pay the cafe a visit and get herself a cup of double cocoa latte; one of her new favorites as her choice of drinks changed every week according to her mood.

When she pushed open the familiar door to enter the Elysium, she discovered it was full of customers, many of them seeking shelter from the rain with a hot beverage nestled in their hands.

Dripping with the rain water droplets which had soaked the blue pantsuit she had on, Hyuna felt a grimace creep up on her face when she saw that her usual table had been already claimed.

Her eyes landed on Jihyun and another part timer who was new and whose name Hyuna couldn't recall, both of them shuffling from one table to another, a tray of coffee cups and brownies and sandwiches in each of their hands.

The Elysium was the busiest she had ever seen it be. A group of young people who were obviously friends stood near the bookshelves, chatting animatedly, a cup in each of their hands.

Hyuna navigated among filled tables to the very end of the coffee shop but she couldn't find an empty seat anywhere.

So she decided to stand beside the group of three friends by the bookshelf and amuse herself with a book while she waited for one of the tables to become available, preferably her usual one.

Her eyes involuntarily searched for someone whenever she entered the cafe these days. A certain brown eyed Jungkook who she now knew was a guitarist by night as the stringed instrument was his hobby and second love; and was also pursuing his PhD degree in Fine Arts by the day.

Ever since the two had talked that summer day, she always found her eyes straying to his table whenever their visit to Elysium coincided. Sometimes the two would talk about random things and sometimes they would just smile and nod while returning back to typing (in her case) or reading a comic while sipping coffee (in his case).

Talking to Jungkook made her feel that warm fluttery feeling inside her chest, one quite similar to what she used to feel whenever she passed her school crush in the corridor; a feeling which she hadn't felt for quite some time.

Hyuna didn't have any time for relationships. She barely had time to meet deadlines for the chapters of the novel she was currently working on, the book she had started writing last year.

The last time she had dated anyone was back in college and it hadn't lasted that long. A couple of months before both broke it off amicably and it was her only dating experience in her otherwise lackluster love life.

Yet, for the past few months, she would feel as if she was back to her high school self whenever she stole glances at him in Elysium, whenever she was lucky enough to cross his path in the cafe.

The little crush that was blooming in her heart was, in her opinion, leading the way for potential heartbreak; especially since she didn't even know him well. He was just a casual acquaintance she sometimes ran into.

But his dimpled smile always made her heart go haywire. That dimpled grin begged to differ that he merely was a casual stranger to her.

"Mint chocolate isn't a flavor. It's merely chocolate mixed with toothpaste, that's what it is."

The distastefully passionate sentence was uttered by one of the young men to her right, the baritone of his voice quite deep.

The three of them had been arguing about the much controversial mint chocolate debate albeit loudly for a few minutes now.

One of them had a shock of pink hair, the other one had bleached blonde locks, while the shortest and palest of the trio had hair the color of mint.

They wore casual sweatshirts and jeans, making her speculate about what they did for a living.

"That's just you being prejudiced, Joon." The pale one with mint colored hair piped up.

"That's me stating facts. I can't associate with the atrocity that is mint chocolate. The flavor is an insult to chocolate." The deep voice argued back.

Hyuna herself didn't care much about mint chocolate either, but her mind drifted back to a certain someone with a charming bunny smile who claimed he liked it during one of their casual coffee shop conversations.

"Double cocoa latte right?"

Hyuna looked up into a pair green-grey eyes, the sweet voice breaking her chain of thoughts. She nodded as she chided him,

"Why come here and ask if you knew? Don't you have other customers to attend to?"

Jimin grinned unashamedly as he leaned on the bookshelf and faced her. He had changed his hair color yet again. It was the color of soft and fluffy cotton candy now, coincidentally the same thing she associated with his sweet voice.

When he saw her staring at his light pink locks, he answered her thoughts, "I got them dyed last week."

"This color again?" She raised an eyebrow, referring to the fact that Jimin had had the same style a few years ago.

"Yes, I was feeling nostalgic. Must be because autumn has finally arrived." He wryly smirked as he added, "I thought you said you loved this colour and it suited me a lot back then?"

"I must've been drunk back then." Hyuna fired back, though she knew it was a complete lie because even a colour like that suited him well and she also remembered herself telling him the same.

He was the charming Park Jimin after all. One who made everyone fawn over him instantly. Her brother used to joke and tease his best friend by calling it the 'Park Jimin Effect'.

"I know you secretly love it, kiddo." He winked and ruffled her damp hair, making her roll her eyes at the term of endearment he used back when they were children.

It used to infuriate her in the past. It still did, and the glower she bestowed upon Jimin was proof of the fact.

"Are you cold?"

He asked her, turning a bit serious as his eyes took her her semi-soaked clothes. Hyuna was on track of letting herself dry naturally when she stepped inside the warm Elysium but she was still considerably drenched.

A shiver ran down her spine at his words, and she raised a sarcastic eyebrow as if to say "You think?"

"I have spare clothes in my car, old sweats to be precise. Should I get them for you? You can change in the bathroom."

Jimin had flickers of worry in his eyes for her; a rare occurrence. No matter how much Hyuna and him bickered, it was all friendly banter. The cared for each other very much.

In fact, there was once a time when they cared for each other more than anything they cared for.

At times like these, when he looked at her with concern swimming in his eyes, flashes of the Jimin who used to make her heart flutter, the boy a young Hyuna had once fallen for could be seen.

He may no longer made her heart do a flipflop or three, but his concern for her did make her grin softly at him.

The flames of passion had dwindled, yet the love still remained engraved in their hearts.

"I'm okay." She insisted but he had already turned on his heel because he had expected her to turn him down. Jimin never took no for an answer when he really wanted to do something, and she knew it.

"Okay guys, enough!"

Hyuna heard someone say, making her eyes stray back to the trio of men near her. Only they were no longer a trio as two others had seemed to join them.

Apparently, their mint chocolate debate had turned a lot more heated while she had been talking with Jimin.

The new additions to their group were both brunettes and tall, and her eyes widened a little when they recognised one of them.

Jeon Jungkook.

The bunny smile she found so adorable was plastered on his face as the mint haired young man who had sided with mint chocolate nodded at him and whispered something which she couldn't hear.

He was wearing a dark hoodie and jeans, brown hair falling on his forehead as his hand held a cup of coffee. Two silver earrings were dangling from one of his ears while the other was bare.

Hyuna felt herself grin as she listened in to their conversation, especially when Jungkook sided with the mint haired guy and the brunette who had arrived with him tried to mediate and break up the little argument.

"Hyung, I don't necessarily am advocating that everyone should try the flavor, I am simply saying it's a matter of choice." Jungkook argued,

"If someone wants to eat it, it's simply up to the person."

He drove the point home by gesturing with his hands, a habit Hyuna had become aware came into the light whenever he was talking about something he felt strongly for.

She felt herself smile. She had been doing this a lot lately; another little telltale sign that she was heading for trouble.

"But mint chocolate lovers are quite rare!" The pink haired guy argued back with a scowl, "Manufacturing the flavour for them would entail wasting chocolate because that's exactly what mint chocolate is! What a waste of precious chocolate!"

"That's being inconsiderate to others' choices, minority or not. It's very biased of you Hyung. I did not expect this from you of all people. " Jungkook narrowed his eyes a little.

"Yah! I said cut it out, both of you!"

The tall broad shouldered brunette who was trying and failing to mediate between the two opposite opinions almost shouted the words, clearly getting more and more frustrated by the minute.

It was then that Jungkook's chocolate orbs locked gazes with Hyuna; a spark of recognition lighting them up.

Hyuna awkwardly did a little wave with her hand, mentally castigating her reaction and the telltale blush that spread on her face at her awkward actions.

If he ignored her wave, it would be so embarrassing.

Thankfully, Jungkook chuckled under his breath and waved back, like the polite and friendly guy he was, one whose thoughts were filling her mind quite a lot.

In fact, thoughts of Jeon Jungkook had decided to lease a ginormous apartment inside her heart and mind, rent free of course.

"Here you go."

Hyuna's eyes wanted to protest and groan in disappointment when the image of a smiling Jungkook was obstructed by baby blue. A pair of baby blue sweats and a darker blue hoodie; obviously a bit oversized for her.

She snatched them out of Jimin's hand which were obnoxiously dangling the clothes in front of her face, forming a curtain and thus refraining her eyes to feast on the eye candy that was Jeon Jungkook.

"Thank you." She grumbled irritably when the relentless Park Jimin's face came into her field of vision instead. Behind him she could make out the group and Jungkook but just barely. 

"Anytime, love." His old nickname for her slipped out of his mouth before he could stop himself so both just pretended that they didn't hear him say it.

Jimin cleared his throat and ran a hand through his cotton candy locks, instead of taking a dig at her like he normally would have. It made Hyuna a bit suspicious as to why he was being so nice to her all of a sudden, in public nonetheless. 

"So, I—"

Both of them uttered the words at the same time and for the first time in years, they found themselves being a bit awkward around each other. 

Heck, they hadn't even been awkward when they drifted apart yet for some reason, years later, they found themselves lapse into a few seconds of uncomfortable silence.

"Um, I should get going and get that latte for you. Jihyun can't possibly handle all this on his own." 

He gestured to the fully packed cafe, and Hyuna found herself nodding. She needed to change out of her wet clothes too.

"Yeah, do that." 

Just as Jimin crossed Hyuna on his way back, he stopped in his tracks and leaned closer to whisper into the shell of her ear, making an old forgotten flashback of when they were young and silly pop up in her mind, one which she furiously shook off.

"Oh, and by the way," His sweet breath made her ticklish as he whispered, "stop making it so obvious to the guitar nerd that you like him." 

 His words made her blush, embarrassingly so. The low amused chuckle which escaped those plump lips of his riled up her temper, especially when she shot him a glare and what she got back instead was him smirking.

There was a slight narrowing of his eyes behind that jesty smirk but Hyuna, in her vexation, failed to notice that little detail.

***

Hyuna loved the scent of peaches and oranges.

It had been her personal favorite in the past and still was, and that's what Jimin's clothes smelled like, making her involuntarily sigh a reminiscent and satisfied sigh of a weary traveler who just reached home after a long journey, as she stepped out of the washroom looking like a homeless person in baggy sweats.

The face which greeted her as she did was not of Park Jimin as she was expecting to be but Jeon Jungkook, making the corners of her lips upturn in a grin and her face heat up slightly; instantly evaporating all thoughts relating to anything or anyone else rather than him.

"Got caught in the rain?" He questioned, a hint of worry in his tone. 

She simply nodded and avoided looking directly into his brown eyes because if she did, she knew the occasional gold flecks in them would increase her heart rate so much that she'd be afraid of the muscular organ bursting out from her chest.

"Are you cold?" He inquired, making Hyuna bite back a grin at how caring and polite the guy was, especially to someone he wasn't very close with.

"No, I am fine." She said, making him chuckle.

"Why do you say that almost every time we meet?" Hyuna found herself blush again when the memory of their first encounter and her clumsiness plays back in her mind.

"It's becoming a habit, yes." She agreed finally. 

Jungkook was about to retort but Hyuna stopped him with a raised palm when she saw a table for two being vacated nearby. 

Thanking her lucky stars, Hyuna decided to head towards the table and claim it as her own for the day before someone else did.

Fortunately, Jungkook was quick-witted to follow her and plop down opposite her. Only a minute or so must've passed before Jihyun came and quickly cleaned the mess the other customers had made on the glass tabletop which was supported by black wrought iron designer pipes.

"Your double cocoa latte is coming right up Noona." He informed Hyuna and turned to ask Jungkook if the young man wanted a cup of coffee or anything else but Jungkook simply shook his head.

"I just finished my cup of coffee." 

Jungkook answered Hyuna's unasked question when he saw her raise an eyebrow to herself from the corner of his eyes as Jihyun brisk walked away, his hands full with work due to the number of customers.

"I see. You didn't come here alone today." 

Hyuna's eyes flitted back to the wooden bookshelf at the back of the cafe, where his group still stood, chattering amongst themselves.

"Yes, I came with friends. I saw you enter the cafe earlier, I was sitting with Jin hyung near the windows." Jungkook revealed, surprising her. 

"So that's why you weren't standing along with the rest of them."

"Yes, me and Jin hyung can't eat or drink without sitting unlike others." He grinned sheepishly and Hyuna found herself giggle; making both erupt into laughter.

"Your friends debate well on pressing issues concerning the society." Hyuna couldn't help but tease and Jungkook bit his lower lip, making his mole stand out more as he tried hard not to laugh but failed to achieve the feat.

"Why, thank you. That's high praise coming from a writer. Speaking of, what is the story you are working on?" Jungkook asked something he still hadn't asked her but was very curious about.

"It's—"

 She began but was cut off when her beverage arrived. Muttering a grateful thanks to the part timer who brought it, Hyuna took a sip without even blowing air on top of the cup to cool it, prompting Jungkook to widen his eyes and hastily warn her it would be hot, albeit a bit late.

However, it wasn't. Hyuna shook her head and explained,

"I know the cafe owner. He knows I don't necessarily like hot coffee or any hot drink for that matter so he always gives me lukewarm lattes if I order a hot one."

Jungkook made a small 'o' with his mouth, making Hyuna wistfully sigh internally at the cuteness of it.

"Figures. I always notice you seldom pay for your drinks." Jungkook remarked. Hyuna's heart skipped a beat when the implication of his words made sense inside her mind.

"You notice me?"

"Huh?" Jungkook questioned and raised an eyebrow, Hyuna's barely whispered words not heard by him, much to her relief.

"Nothing." She blurted, making him frown a little. "I mean," She continued with a hesitant smile to quickly change the topic, "Yes, knowing the owner does make me privy to a few benefits."

"Then please convey to him that I love this cafe. He is very friendly, I've talked to him a couple of times."

 Jungkook said and it seemed like he wanted to say more but he suddenly whipped his head towards where his friends stood and sighed.

Hyuna followed his gaze to see that they weren't as absorbed in their conversation. They were peaking glances at the duo from the corner of their eyes and Hyuna thought she saw one of them wink, probably to Jungkook seeing as she didn't know them.

"Please ignore them. They can be a bit overbearing at times. " Jungkook apologised, sighing again and facing Hyuna bashfully.

"It's okay." Hyuna laughed. 

She didn't have many close friends aside from a few old college friends and acquaintances and for a brief moment, envy creeped into her eyes as she looked over at the lively group of young men joking around with each other, reminding her much of  how her brother and his best friend used to be, or rather, still  were.

"Oh right!" Jungkook's lips upturned in a bright grin, making Hyuna focus back on the very handsome guy sitting in front of her,

"You were telling me about the story you are currently working on." He reminded her.

"Ah, yes." 

Hyuna said and launched into a brief synopsis of what she had written so far. She seldom shared her stories with anyone before she wrote them, not even her own brother but somehow, she found it so easy to talk to the doe-eyed Jungkook, with his easy grin and small dimple; one which she very much was tempted to poke.

"Wow, I want to read it now. " He said at the end and she reminded him that he most certainly could because it was a serialised web novel she was writing, the first few chapters of which were available online. 

Hyuna didn't even realise that while talking to him, she had finished her cup of latte and it had stopped raining. 

Somehow Hyuna always seemed to lose track of time whenever they talked, no matter what they talked about. 

Maybe it was because she found herself getting lost every time she looked at him and that dimple of his and those shining eyes which hid bright galaxies.

"Hey Jungkookie!"

 Both of them jumped a little in their seats. They had been so engrossed in their conversation that they didn't notice the very tall brunette that had been standing near their table for the past few minutes, a huge beam stretching his lips in a wide grin at the duo.

"Hyung you scared us!" Jungkook groaned, making the brunette chuckle. Hyuna realised it was the same broad shouldered man who had tried to mediate the mint chocolate debate.

Soon, the brunette was flanked by the pink haired young man, one who had passionately expressed his distaste for the flavor which in his opinion (much like Hyuna's too) tasted like toothpaste.

"We're heading back, Kook." He said after politely nodding in Hyuna's direction. 

Jungkook looked torn all of a sudden, eyes flashing to Hyuna and then his friends. 

"We're his friends by the way. I figured this rockhead wouldn't introduce us."  The tall brunette smiled at Hyuna and gestured towards his friend, making Jungkook roll his eyes.

"I am Kim Seokjin and this lanky lackluster guy beside my handsome self is Kim Namjoon." 

He said, pointing to the pink haired 'lanky' guy, Namjoon; who glared at the one who Hyuna now knew was called Seokjin but still mumbled a polite, "Nice to meet you" for her benefit.

Hyuna didn't quite know what to say but "Nice to meet you too. I'm Kim Hyuna."

"Oh, it's like a Kim family reunion here!" Jin joked, making Jungkook and Namjoon collectively groan and Hyuna a little wide eyed for she didn't quite understand the joke.

"Hyung, I'll be coming in a few minutes." 

Jungkook turned to Namjoon and pleaded that he drag Jin along and away with his eyes, to which the guy nodded and did exactly that; saving Jungkook from any more potential embarrassment.

"Jin hyung likes to joke. Except that he doesn't realise his sense of humor isn't exactly stand-up comedy worthy, or any type comedy for that matter. It is a unique genre in it's entirety- torture mixed with annoyance." Jungkook told her, making her chuckle.

"Your friends seem nice." Hyuna stated, and Jungkook nodded; a loving grin making his dimple flash.

"Yes, they are–" He seemed as if he wanted to say something else but Hyuna and his eyes fell on Jin waving at Jungkook from the cafe entrance. Namjoon along with the mint haired one had already stepped outside, where it wasn't raining anymore.

"And apparently very much impatient." Jungkook sighed as he proceeded to get up, prompting her to get up too.

"I love talking to you." 

He suddenly whispered under his breath as he locked gazes with her, but she heard him.

 When he realised that she had indeed heard words which he hadn't meant to speak out loud, courtesy of the flush deepening to a crimson red on her face, his doe-eyes widened endearingly.

"I mean–" He began but she interrupted him with a crooked smile accompanying a "Me too."

***

Park Jimin had obviously observed Hyuna develop a crush on one of the regulars in his cafe for the past few weeks, a young man named Jeon Jungkook who was quite pleasant to talk to, but that was before Jimin got to know that he was the one who Hyuna claimed was making her heart flutter after so long.

There was a time when that job was exclusive to him and only him. 

A time when he believed that the job would be his forever.

Now as he willed himself to tease her about her little crush like an older brotherly friend would, he still felt a flame of an emotion he thought he had lost long ago flare inside him.

But what was the past was the past. Jimin liked to live in the present, even if the said present wasn't to his liking; even if his heart longed to go back to the past.

So he teased Kim Hyuna a lot, like he normally did as they grew up together; before the two young fools had complicated their relationship. Sometimes he wanted to go back to those days when everything was oh-so simple.

Fortunately or unfortunately, they were among those very few who had managed to still stay friends after everything that had transpired between them.

Jimin wasn't so sure whether he liked or hated the bittersweet fact.

He however, was sure of two things as he watched the 'guitar nerd' and Hyuna interact.

One: The fact that she was wearing his hoodie and sweatpants albeit a bit rolled up at the edges made a warm feeling settle inside him with a surge of pride.

Two: That warm feeling kept getting hotter, erupting into flames and making his smile turn into a scowl when he saw her grin and blush at Jungkook.