when kook somehow convinced me to go out with him after a tiresome day of dancing nonstop, i anticipated some fancy restaurant where he'd ask me to wear those shoes he bought for me. except those footwear were at his apartment. then he advised me to wear sneakers instead.

he took me out on a date, not to a romantic location, but to . . . laser tag. glow-in-the-dark laser tag.

i made a face as he fastened the heavy pink-and-white vest around me, playfully jerking me toward him with each snap. then he laughed as he helped with my helmet, which was too big for me. it kept drooping over my eyes, he kept readjusting and chuckling, and i laughed with him at this entire situation. we looked like middle school crushes because of how we were acting right now.

for the first time in a very long time, i felt like a kid. no responsibilities or public image to worry. i was carefree.

a man, probably an employee, walked towards us. "annyeonghaseyo," he greeted.

kook and i bowed in unison. he then smiled at me and widened his eyes afterwards. "omo, lisa from blackpink? i'm a huge fan!"

i glanced at kook, looking worried. however, he leaned towards my ear and whispered, "geokjongma, managernim arranged an NDA (non-disclosure agreement) among them."

i sighed in relief, before lifting my helmet for a bit to beam at him. "gomapseumnida," i said.

his eyes twinkled as he stared at me, making me feel a bit awkward. i don't do well with starings. "you're cute," he shyly said scratching the back of his neck. i chuckled at his reaction. kook suddenly cleared his throat, reminding me of his presence.

"oh that reminds me, do you need help with those gears?" he politely asked.

i was about to say yes at him, seeing as to how kook struggled with it. however, he immediately stepped forward between the staff and i.

"no, we can manage," he cooly said. i tugged onto his sleeve, but he just ignored it.

"uh . . . are you sure sir? i wouldn't mind assisting her —"

"no, really. no help is needed. but thank you," he told him and faced me.

i watched kook as he fixed my gear one last time. in this moment, there was absolutely no stress this time, leaving me to wonder what he was really after earlier.

"see?" he proudly stated facing the staff. i simply gave an apologetic look at him, but kook saw it, leading him to squint his eyes at me in confusion.

the employee simply walked away from us. "ya, what was that all about?" i irritatingly asked.

"what?"

"you were rude to him, he was just being nice" i told off.

"no i wasn't rude and no he wasn't just being nice. he was flirting."

i rolled my eyes, he's being unbelievable. "i don't like it when others have your attention," he confessed, almost inaudible.

"don't tell me you're jealous . . ."

"alright, i won't"

"are you seriously?"

"i am, lisa."

i playfully smacked him on the arm. "ya, drop that childish act. he's just a fan. i hate it when people gets jealous over shallow things."

he looked away and sighed. i felt guilty seeing his reaction, yet i wasn't taking back what i've said. perhaps my wording was wrong, but i still stand to what i've said.

i grabbed his hand and gently caressed it. "hey," i whispered as i put my hand onto his face. "sorry about that. but what i meant is . . . there's no need to be jealous about, kook. jealousy is for immature couples only. i'm yours idiot. no one's going to take me away from you."

he then looked me in the eyes and pouted. "arasso," he sighed. i smiled at him and planted a kiss on his left cheek. he instantly blushed at the gesture, causing me to chuckle. now, we're okay.

if only we could be this way all the time.

he then put my helmet on and knocked onto it. "are you alright there?"

"are you kidding me?"

he flashed that infamous bunny smile. "it'll be fun. don't get shot."

"don't get shot," i mouthed when he turned away.

the woman at the front instructed us on how the point system worked, the rules, and other safety information. i followed kook through double doors, and my eyes adjusted to the dark room, lit with lines and patterns of neon colors.

an alarm sounded after the two teams split and everyone darted away. i stood alone, wondering where to go.

then my vest buzzed. it lit pink and buzzed again. i searched around and saw a young girl pointing her laser gun at me. oh! no she wasn't getting any points off this newbie!

"come on!" kook said, grabbing my waist and pulling me behind a large box.

"the point is not to get shot!" he laughed so hard that his arms shook my shoulder.

"i have some business to take care off . . ." i muttered and went after the girl in pigtails.

"i got you covered," he called after me.

but going after this little girl was literally walking into an ambush. a group of teenagers stole my points in a matter of seconds until kook and another girl came through and wiped them out. he came out rambo style, without the yelling, and even took fake laser bullets for me.

we stood back-to-back for a minute, taking all the hits and making just as many. i couldn't help myself now. there was no controlling my laughter.

i hunched over and wheezed, my hand on my chest, his arm around me to protect me from a demolishing spray of laser lights.

"we need to go!" he said, cutting through my giggles.

he took my hand and we zigged and zagged through, over, and around obstacles. he held onto my waist at some points, pulling me back or helping me maneuver around tight corners or climb short ladders. i was nowhere near as fast as he was, but a few more of these games, and i would be.

kook effortlessly made points, but it didn't take long for my competitive side to roar to life. our backs hit the plush side of a boxed-in wall.

"surprise attack on three . . ." he said with a countdown.

these kids were going down.

or so i thought. the final takedown was brutal . . . for us. our gear lit up in all sorts of colors. when the buzzer went off and the host spoke, i lowered my gun with weak arms. who knew laser tag was so demanding?

kook helped me unclip my vest and helmet and placed it down. he then gently stroked my hair and smiled. "not bad."

i thought so, too. but according to our scores, i came in second to last.

i frowned. "that sucks."

kook nudged my arm with his. "it's just a game, baby. it was your first time, anyway."

"oh, i'm so going to end those kids. rematch."

"you need something to cool your mind off," he said. kook laughed and threw his arm around my shoulder, whisking me away to a gelato stand.

"hi!" the girl greeted, immediately eyeing him.

"annyeong," kook replied, which for some reason made me annoy.

"and what would be your order, sir?"

the elegantly groomed staff is smiling a little too widely at kook as she asks him the order. tch, i'm here beside kook. why did she only ask for his order? she seems to be willfully ignoring my presence – or maybe she's just dazzled. even if kook was wearing a mask and bucket hat, one can still pinpoint how good looking this guy is. his voice alone would give that hint.

"what do you want?" he asks me.

"strawberry cheesecake?"

he nods at me and turned his attention to her. "one strawberry shortcake and uh . . . your best seller?"

"oh alright, i'll make sure you'll like it. and by the way, this is too embarrassing to ask, but are you a singer, sir?" she asked.

i cleared my throat. why is she asking random questions to a customer?

"i sing," he replies absently. "wae?"

"it's just that you seem to have a beautiful speaking voice, if that makes any sense. i bet you also look handsome, sir . . . or did that sound creepy?" she said in a fake aegyo voice.

duh! you're seriously creepy!

to my surprise, i heard him chuckling to what she told him.

what the fuck? what's so funny about that?

i cleared my throat once again, just to remind them that i am here. "i'm hungry," i told him, sounding a little irritated.

kook looked at me and back to her. she then starts to process our orders. her eyes stray from bicep to computer screen. screen to his face. she staples and folds and searches for the perfect little envelope for his receipt, even though the customer at the next counter didn't get one.

she fiddles and does a dozen other things so she can look at little segments of him. she tells him about their loyalty program, mentioning the various offers he can be awarded with if he registers.

"my feet hurt," i announced. kook looked at me and pointed to a table not far from the counter. "you can sit there," he said.

i'm gimlet-eyed with annoyance. doesn't he notice that this girl is flirting with her? i glanced at her and she just smirked.

oh, she has the guts to smirk? at me? bitch, i can buy her and the store she works at. she better fix her attitude.

in my irritation, i stormed to the table far from the one kook directed to. he's so annoying. i would have already smacked his head if we weren't in public.

seconds later, he came holding a tray in his hands.

"hey, i told you to sit right there," he says, pointing to the table he was pertaining to. i, however, ignored his statement and took my gelato.

"you're surprisingly quiet right now, what's wrong? does it taste bad?"

again – ignored. i even faced sideways just so i couldn't directly see him.

i heard him sigh and felt him leaning closer to the table. with his hand, he grabbed my chin and tried me to face him. i jerked his hand in an instant and looked at him annoyed.

"ya, someone's turning into an amazona," he amusingly said. i rolled my eyes hard and continued to give him silent treatment.

he then stood up and pulled his chair right to where i was facing. i was about to turn to the other direction when he grabbed both of my knees to stop me from moving.

"what?" i said in pique. earlier he's telling me to walk away from them and sit down, and now he wants me to talk to him? as if.

"why is my shortcake mad?" he tried acting cute, and if i wasn't mad, i would've already laughed at him. but no, i was fuming.

"i'm not," i coldly said.

"you sound mad though, just tell me lisayah. did i do something wrong to make you mad?"

"i said i'm not." he seriously is so annoying.

"is it the gelato? you want me to order another flavor?"

"why? so you could talk to that girl again?" i bit my lip after realizing what i've said. that came out unexpectedly.

he leaned back and let go of my knees, only to replace it with his locking mine. he smirked at my reaction.

"what's so funny?"

he licked his lips slowly, and a warm tingle filled my insides. "you sound jealous," he said.

"you sound delusional. i don't even know the word jealous," i defended.

he tapped my nose with the end of his spoon. "you are. it's okay to admit it baby, it's normal for couples to get possessive over their partners."

"you're imagining things, jungkook."

i won't admit i'm jealous. not after the speech i gave him earlier, mentioning how only immature people feel jealous . . . i would look crazy.

he let out a soft blow and finally let go of my knees. "alright then, so i guess it's really the gelato."

i glanced up at him. he was still staring at me, as if he was waiting for me to admit the truth. i simply removed my gaze from him.

"fine, if you hate that gelato so much, i guess i should go and order another one. maybe i should ask her what's their second best-seller and then —"

"ya!" i said in an authoritative voice. "i didn't want to sound childish, so i wasn't going to say anything . . ."

i paused for a brief moment. he just stared at me with those bambi eyes of his. "tell me," he sweetly says.

"that employee wanted to jump on you. i can't blame her, but sheesh. i was standing right there. what am i invisible? then when i called you out you just told me to sit somewhere. why did you enjoy talking with her that much?!"

dang, getting that off my chest surely helps.

he grins while looking at me. "was that the reason for you giving me the silent treatment earlier?"

"yes. you inconsiderate, mean jerk!" i yelled, moving my chair a little away from his.

"aish, i had no idea you'd be like this. didn't you say that you hate the childish, jealous type? you went on about it!" he scoffed.

he then reached out for my chin and started to tickle it. "you're totally the jealous type! aigoo, my lisayah. you're cute."

i jerked his hand off of me. "you're mocking me now?"

he took my hand and caressed it with his thumb. "baby, i was only being polite. sorry if that seemed wrong to you. but honestly, when i was jealous earlier, didn't you say you were only being polite to him as well?"

"that's different! she was totally flirting with you and you didn't seem to care at all," i said, mumbling the last sentence.

he chuckled for a bit, before pulling my chair nearer to him. he then pulled me into his arms and patted the back of my head.

"let me go, i don't like physical touching." i tried to push him away from me but he just hugged me tighter while still laughing like an idiot.

"alright baby, i'll be careful from now on. but you need to tell me, okay? so that i'll know," he softly whispered to my ears.

he backed away from the hug and stared at my face. "so are we good now?"

i squinted my eyes at him. "no."

he laughed softly and gave me a peck on the cheeks. "ya, mwo haneun geoya?"

"trying to make it up to you. come, put your mask on," he says, pulling my arm and signaling me to stand up. i followed unconsciously. the next thing i knew, we were standing at the counter – again.

"oh sir, you're back. is there something wrong?" the same staff asks. is kook doing this intentionally?

i was about to walk away when he grabbed my wrist. he then hugs me close, my cheeks pressed against his perfect pectoral.

"ah no, my girl and i would just like to order some more – about ten. for take out. the best selling flavors," he said, putting an emphasis to the words my girl.

i catch a glimpse of her and she seemed vexed.

"a-ah, yes," she says as she starts punching the orders.

"do you want to stay at my place tonight, baby?" he starts asking. "sleep in my bed again?"

i glanced at her and she sighed. her face was priceless. i was trying to hold back my laughter – she clearly is displeased by me and kook.

she hands out the receipt, this time without the envelope, and told us to sir down for a while as they are preparing the orders.

"thanks," he cooly said, "let's go baby."

he held onto my hand and headed towards the table. i looked at her one more time and she was intently staring at us.

if i just wasn't wearing a face mask, i've already smirked at her.

after all, what's mine is mine.