Yoongi couldn't remember the last time he went out with a woman. Although some may think he was exaggerating, it was a statement of fact. Believe it or not, at the ripe old age of 31, he still had zero experience with the opposite sex and had no memory of ever going out with any woman before. Tonight was a first.

No regrets, though. Ever since he'd cut ties with his parents, he'd had to strive for each and every penny he earned. There was simply no time to date. In the beginning, he almost broke his back working several odd jobs. Then one night, while working as a delivery guy for a chicken restaurant, he ran into Kim Namjoon, and by that, he meant  Kim Namjoon, who was learning how to drive, nearly ran over Yoongi and his moped. Thankfully, aside from a few cuts and bruises, he got out of that accident unscathed. A very apologetic Namjoon, though, decided he was going to help Yoongi no matter what or else risk bad karma. That was the start of their seven-year-long friendship. Namjoon played a huge part in bringing Yoongi where he was now. That's why although Namjoon was younger, Yoongi respected him a lot.

I wonder what Namjoon would do in this kind of situation?

Despite his clumsiness, Namjoon possessed boatloads of charm. He would probably know all the right things to say. Yoongi, on the other hand, absolutely had no idea what he should be doing. On Yeoreum's suggestion, they were on their way to a nearby street full of pojangmacha to grab a late-night meal. He watched the woman walking next to him from the corner of his eye. Both of them hadn't said a word to each other since they'd left the office building. Whereas Yoongi was used to silence, he understood people found it uncomfortable.

He should say something.

Anything.

But what?

A gust of freezing wind teased the dark tendrils of her hair. She shivered. This could be the opportunity he was looking for.

Should I...

Grabbing the hood of her white padded jacket, he plopped it over her head. When she turned his way, shock written all over her face, he was at once filled with regret.

He shouldn't have done that.

"It's cold," he mumbled, then sped up his steps.

They didn't have that kind of casual relationship. Besides, who was he to assume she needed taking care of? More importantly, who was he to take over that role? That was his unintended gender bias rearing its ugly head.

Ugh! You idiot.

"Min Yoongi!"

The sound of her boot-clad footsteps slapping against the pavement chased after him. Yoongi hastened his steps. He should never have agreed to this dinner. What was he even thinking? There was a reason he avoided most human contact. He was awkward as heck. He was surely going to screw this night over.

"Min Yoongi!"

Kim Yeoreum ran smack into his back, nearly causing him to topple over with the impact. A small shout left his lips, while his hands waved around for balance. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pulled him back.

"Are you---" he turned around to confront her, but when he saw a few people turn their way, he lowered his voice to a whisper, "---crazy?"

"It's your fault for leaving me behind."

Yoongi tried to shake off her grip, but she held him even tighter.

"Let me go, you crazy woman!"

"Only if you promise never to leave me again."

"Wh-what do you mean? I didn't leave you. I... I was just walking ahead."

Quirking up an eyebrow, she looked him straight in the eye. Guilt gnawed at him for some unfathomable reason.

Okay, maybe running away wasn't the best idea, but why does she look so disappointed?

It's not like he succeeded.

"Y-yeoreum-ssi... I... I..."

"Ha!"

Throwing back her head, she delivered a throaty laugh then proceeded to tap the tip of his nose. He stepped back. Surprisingly, he was able to break free.

"You! You're... you're really crazy!"

"And you're so serious!"

"I-I'm not."

"Yes, you are."

She looped an arm around his elbow.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

"I feel cold. Come on!" She tugged him forward, dragging him along as she walked. "I'm so hungry."

Yoongi looked down at her smiling profile, completely perplexed. He'd been so afraid of initiating any sort of physical contact, then here she was holding on to him as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Did she do this with Park Jimin, too? The thought left a sour taste in his mouth.

"You're tense again." She bumped her shoulder into his arm. "Relax!"

"How can I when you're... you're gripping me so tight? Do you do this with every guy you go out with?"

"No! I only do this with you."

"Why?"

She gave him an impish look. "Because you're Min Yoongi."

Someone must have plucked the brightest stars from the skies because even the glow of Seoul's city lights dimmed in comparison to the sparkle of her mischievous gaze.  Even though he didn't really believe her, Yoongi couldn't help but smile back.

"There we go," she exclaimed. "There's that beautiful smile."

Beautiful?

She pulled him towards an alley where a couple of tents with colorful roofs and transparent plastic walls were set-up. The sweet and savory smell of various dishes assaulted his senses, distracting him from his earlier thoughts. After walking a few steps, they found a pojangmacha with empty seats. There, they sat perpendicular to each other on a spot close to the counter where an array of street food was displayed.

"I'm starving," Yeoreum declared. "What do you want to have?"

"I'm good with whatever."

"Then I'll get some really spicy tteokbokki, lamb skewers, and blood sausage stew. How about some soju?"

"Sure."

She waved to the lady manning the counter and called out their order. When that was done, Yeoreum placed an arm on the table, propped her chin against it, and gave him the full force of her gaze. He couldn't look away. Swathes of her hair fell in waves over her shoulder. Varying shades of gold and amber weaved through darker chocolate, making his fingers itch with the urge to sift through them. He sank his fingers into the fabric of his coat, instead. Of course, the synthetic fiber was a poor replacement for her silken strands. Suppressing a sigh, he leaned back against his chair.

I shouldn't be thinking this way. She's just a colleague.

But colleagues can be friends, right?

And friends can later turn to lov---

He shook his head. Dangerous territory. Thankfully, at that moment, the store owner came to set down their orders on the table. Yeoreum quickly stuffed some rice cakes into her mouth. "So... how are you Min Yoongi-ssi?"

"What do you mean? You see me almost every day." Twisting open bottle cap, he poured some soju into her shot glass.

She did the same for his. "Just... you know. Anything weird happened to you lately?"

"Weird? You mean like you?"

She made a face.

He chuckled, snapped his chopsticks apart, then brought a piece of blood sausage to his mouth. Its rich, earthy flavor coated his tongue.

"You're so mean, you know that?"

"And you're so strange, you know that?"

"Lucky for you then because only a strange person will put up with your meanness."

He raised his glass to her. Grinning, she turned her face away and quickly downed her soju. He refilled her glass while she dipped her took a serving of lamb skewer and placed it on his plate. "You like this, don't you?"

"I do, but how do you know that?"

"Oh, I know a lot about you."

"Are you perhaps a fan?"

"Not just a fan. I'm your number one fan!"

He drank his soju to cover his smile. "Liar."

"It's true, though. I applied for a job at the station because of you."

"Ah, now it makes sense why it feels like you're always stalking me."

"It's because I like you."

His heart sputtered to a halt, but when he noticed her cheeky smile, he sighed. "Stop lying."

"Why don't you believe? I'm telling the truth!"

"Yeah right."

She laughed, the same carefree way she did with Park Jimin. Yoongi stuffed his mouth with meat knowing he might grin like an idiot if he didn't occupy himself with chewing.

"Yoongi-ssi..."

"Hmm?"

She raised both eyebrows then stared at his lips.

"Do I have something..."

Grabbing a tissue, he brought it up to his mouth, but she held on to his wrist.

"Wait, don't move."

To his surprise, Yeoreum leaned closer. The sweet notes of her perfume filled his nostrils and rooted him in place. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"Proving that I like you."

Extending her hand, she brushed her thumb against the corner of his lips. Yoongi swallowed hard, convinced he would expire at any moment. There was a definite lack of oxygen going into his lungs. He realized it was because he'd stopped breathing.

"There we go," she said, bringing her thumb up to her mouth and licking it clean.

His eyes almost shot out of its sockets. "What was that?"

She giggled.

"It would be a shame to waste good food," she said.

"K-Kim--" His voice broke like a boy going through puberty.

"Take another shot of soju," she said with barely suppressed amusement. "That should warm up your throat."

With shaky hands, he did as she said, spilling alcohol here. The soju burned a path down his throat but it wasn't enough. He refilled his glass himself, then downed that second shot, too. Only then did he feel confident enough to speak again.

"Why did you that?"

"I told you. Because I---"

"Is this another one of your games?"

Her eyes widened. "Of course not!"

"But... But you and I... we don't have that kind of relationship. We're just two people who work together."

"We're more than that," she exclaimed, causing few heads to turn their way.

"Are we?"

When their eyes met, fire blazed from her gaze. He shook his head, eyebrows drawing together. Yoongi despised the confusing tangle of emotions she inspired. Hope, fear, excitement, and dread, he felt all of them at once when she was around.

"I don't understand you," he said.

"But I understand you. More than you'll ever know."

"How could you? You don't even know me that well."

A half-smile ghosted the edges of her mouth. "But I do."

"You're not seriously a stalker, are you? Because that's delusional."

"Delusional..." She finally glanced away. "I guess I am."

Yoongi didn't know what to say after that. With much reluctance, he started picking at the food that was slowly congealing in the cold. Meanwhile, Yeoreum called for another bottle of soju. The silence that ensued was even more awkward than before.

I was too harsh again, wasn't I?

If he was being honest, he knew he was lashing out because he was scared. What if he let himself believe her and in the end, all this was just a game? Objectively speaking, Kim Yeoreum was beyond beautiful. More than once, he'd heard his male colleagues talk about wanting to date her. With an abundance of choices, why would she choose him? He was a grumpy old man with average looks.

Yoongi gave her a surreptitious glance. She was tipping the last drops of soju into her glass.

"Slow down or you're going to get drunk."

She rolled her eyes and called for another bottle. "You're not my mother. Stop telling me what to do."

"Do as you wish then. Just don't expect me to take you home later."

"Oh, don't worry! Someone else will come to pick me up."

"Who? Park Jimin?"

"Why do you care? We don't have that kind of relationship."

The store owner arrived with a fresh bottle. Yeoreum twisted the cap open and drank from straight from it.

"Yeoreum-ssi, seriously."

After a bit of a struggle, he managed to take the alcohol away.

"Give that back!"

Yeoreum stood up, swayed a little, then made a surprisingly strong attempt to reclaim her liquor. Yoongi stopped her by downing the rest of it himself. Grimacing, he wiped his mouth and helped her get back to her seat. When she asked the store owner to give her another bottle, Yoongi shouted over her to cancel the order.

"Stop interfering!"

"Yeoreum-ssi, I really think you've had enough."

"So what? It's not like you care."

"If I didn't care, I wouldn't still be here."

That gave her pause. With dewy eyes, she scanned his expression. Meanwhile, he did the same, taking in her face flushed a deep shade of red. Still beautiful in spite of it.

"Yoongi-ssi..."

He brought his gaze back to her eyes. Her earnest gaze was once again flinging messages at him from their dark depths. This time, he understood one thing. Her desperation. But why?

"I'm afraid," she said.

"Of what?"

Instead of answering, Yeoreum dragged him close and pressed her head against his chest. His heartbeat, like a metronome, started going up in increments. Yoongi looked around, worried about the spectacle they were creating. To his surprise, no one cared. Everyone else was preoccupied with their own soju-fueled lives.

"Wh-what's wrong?" he asked.

"Just give me a minute. This might be the last time I get to hold you like this."

"Why?"

Is she going away?

She held him tighter. His heart ached. While her warmth suffused his body, something scratched at the back of his mind, some strange thought he'd held her before, just like this. But that was impossible. He was certain this was the first time they've been this close. Still, the echo of her beating heart, the softness of her hair against his chin, all tugged at various tendrils of faraway memories. Then there was her fragrance--- so familiar. If someone were to blindfold him, he was sure he could correctly pick her out from a crowd. Slowly, he let his hands descend towards her waist, but before he could hold her, she pulled away. Yoongi clenched his fist against his legs.

"Yeoreum-ssi, are you moving somewhere?"

She shook her head. Then, with the saddest eyes, said, "No. I... I'm getting married."

A/N: I've decided the next chapters will be from Yeoreum's perspective. :P I'm editing this at 2AM so there might be some mistakes. Do point them out coz my brain is all fuzzy now. I have to wake up early tomorrow, too. Gah! But it's almost the weekend so what the heck! Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter. I'm not 100% sold on it, but nevermind. Better done than perfect.