너는 내 취향저격

Jungkook’s whole world stops turning in the time it takes to ride the subway eleven blocks. His breath catches in his throat as his eyes anxiously shift around the cabin teaming with people. He doesn’t know what he’s looking for, or for whom rather, but something in the depth of his soul knows that for that person he would trade the moon. There’s a sweet scent wafting towards him and the smell tickles his nose and leaves him dizzy from the high. His mate is on this train. Though so sure of this fact, he doesn’t know how he knows, so he edges past an old man and a swarm of school girls in search of an answer.

Min Yoongi chokes on a mouthful of food, haggard coughs loud and unwelcome in the small restaurant, tears making their way down his cheeks as he struggles to pull in air. “She said what?!”

It’s not a memory Jungkook wants to relive more than once for the entertainment of his best friend, so he avoids answering in favor of scanning the room for curious eyes. The place reeks of wealth, from the gold rimmed utensils to the menu of French cuisine so expensive it’d eat up the average person’s monthly income, and it’s toxic and overbearing. Jungkook prefers the freedom and wildness of the forest; yet, here he is, sitting across from the saltiest wolf he’s ever had the pleasure of meeting, dressed in a pricey suit sipping on kopi luwak. He supposes he’s grateful that they’re luckier than some - living as a wolf among humans is tricky on the best days, but his grandfather and his grandfather’s father made the best of the opportunity and struck it rich as private investors. His father Jeon Hankook, head alpha of the Mountain Region, established a hybrid pack with territory in the forest and in the bustling city of Seoul; Jungkook flits back and forth between the two on “official business” that includes far too many lunch dates with Yoongi.

Said wolf still hasn’t stopped flailing around (I’m choking, don’t you care?!) so the younger offers him his glass of water with a roll of his eyes, “She told me to off,” irritation rapidly growing as he recalls the happenings of twenty minutes prior, “She thought I was some kind of ert, I swear. Who tells off a random person when it was obviously an accident?”

“Ahh,” Yoongi nods, setting the now empty glass onto the table, “But from what I understood, you didn't claim to be just ‘a random person.’ How’d you expect her to react if you basically grinded on her lap and offered to knot her?”

Jungkook runs a hand quickly through his black hair, a frustrated huff accompanying the action. “I didn’t say that okay? Look, I was on the train, she got on the train, I did... kind of fall on her lap, but the point is she smelled different.”

“Okay, so you told her she smells like ,” Yoongi deadpans, “Nice one.” And Jungkook is one more anything from popping a blood vessel, so he dismisses Yoongi’s statement with the wave of his hand. Looking back on the occasion, Jungkook supposes the story of how you first met could be vaguely funny. It reminds him of the scene in Secret Garden where the two protagonists are strangers on the same bus and somehow end up grabbing each other’s asses and fleeing the scene afterwards. No grabbing is involved (what a shame), but Jungkook does run off as soon as the train comes to a stop at the terminal in an uncharacteristic state of panic, the level-headed, alpha male nowhere to be found.

In general talking on the phone on the subway is considered rude, but you’d be damned before you ignored one of your most influential customers in favor of manners, “Yes of course, Mr. Jung, we’ll have everything in order before the time comes around tomorrow. Rest assured; we don’t accept less than perfection at JC Empire.” Ten more painfully polite goodbyes and a sideways glance from an ajumma later, you ended the business call, sighing into the scarf wrapped tightly around your neck. Screw you, Mr. Jung. Work was tortuous around the holidays; VIP clients were even more bossy and impatient and irritating and it grated on your nerves. As president and soon-to-be CEO of JC Empire, you deal with less of the mundane and more with the ters, meaning that your job is to handle the rich, white businessmen who call to complain more often than your own mother. Despite the stress and high stakes, there's nothing you prefer to the cut throat market, even it it means concealing the fact that your company is a wolf pack. JC Empire is a global-scale investment company founded over 140 years ago on one main principal: females are just as strong, intelligent and independent as males. Contrary to most packs, it is the alpha female that holds all the power. The entire 200 member staff consists of female wolves, all living and working in the city of Seoul and all lead by your mother, CEO Park Haerang. You were raised with the knowledge that because you are the eldest female, and the direct descendent of its founder, that you would inherit the business and rise to lead the others when the time came.

The buzzing of your phone grabs your eyes’s attention from where a group of girls huddle around a laptop. A glance at the lit-up screen confirms that it is again Mr. Jung, no doubt calling to triple and quadruple check the arrangements. You sigh and paste a smile on your face, preparing to answer another round of questions. “Ah! Hello, Mr. Jung. What can I do for you?” Your mouth switches to autopilot as your mind and eyes continue wandering. The group of girls exit the car and a tall male replaces them. Nothing about him is particularly striking, though his build is inarguably tall and well defined, so you move to look away when you realize Umm… this guy is staring at me. And he is, unabashedly, staring at you from across the cabin, eyes locked greedily on your form and tongue poking out to trace along his bottom lip. What the hell was that?! You turn away from him, making it sorely obvious that you aren't a bit interested in the stranger, but you can hear him take a measured step forward despite the glare you throw his way. His creeping approach tips you off, a tell-tale, sugary sweet aroma surrounding his every move. An alpha male. Your mouth waters, and you mentally slap yourself for subconsciously sending back your own scent, confirming without words that you, too, are an alpha wolf. His lips pull into a smirk at your shifty eyes, and as he comes within speaking range his whisper is so low only your enhanced hearing can pick it up.

“You smell so good,” his dark eyes are still locked on your face, gauging your reaction to his obvious implications. Submit to me. What the wolf does not expect is the subway making a sudden jerk, and he falls to his knees in front of you, hands splayed on either side of your hips and face dangerously close to your chest. Okay, this guy is ridiculously handsome. His hair falls below strong brows and just above soft, brown eyes, pink lips now turned down in a frown but clearly intended for blinding smiles. His looks aren't enough to stop you from standing up to push him away, but as you do his hand catches your wrist. “Wait! Are you-” and there is something about his guy that leaves you breathless and unsettled, so you snatch your arm back from his grip.

“ off, creep.” His eyes widen at your scathing tone, confusion evident on his crumpled brow.

“N-no! I just-” but you’re already walking off towards the opening doors.

“I don’t know, Yoong. She was just... perfect.” They exit the restaurant side-by-side, the eldest off to another meeting and the younger to the mountain ranges where their pack is settled.

“Stop calling me that, you little . I’m your hyung.” There’s no malice in his tone and there’s a smile pulling on his lips, so Jungkook doesn’t take it to heart. “It sounds to me like she’s a JC,” Yoongi continues almost bitterly, “If so, you might as well forget about her, they don’t screw around with wolves like us.” Jungkook knows he’s right as always, so he buries the memory in the back of his mind for a later time and instead runs through his schedule for the rest of the week. They’ve never done deals with JC Empire, but he’ll make sure to do so from now on. He wants to meet the angry female alpha again, the mere thought of doing so accelerating his heartbeat to a dangerous pace.

The two part ways with the wave of a hand and Jungkook heads off due west. He has to walk about five miles to edge of town on foot (he’d usually take a taxi or a bus, but public transportation has already betrayed him today) and then another twenty miles on rugged paws to reach the center of the Mountain Region territory. When he reaches the border of the trees, the closest buildings far in the distance and the tall Korean Pines blocking the sun from view, he pauses to glance around. He reaches for the tie constricting his throat, pulling it loose and up and over his head. He continues to strip himself of clothing, stowing it into a small black bag he keeps wedged between the roots snaking along the ground. The frigid breeze sends goosebumps up his toned back and he can’t help but shiver as he crouches on the ground and slowly closes his eyes. Shifting had been excruciating initially, but in time he got used to it. Somehow the crippling pain that shoots up the spine as it’s broken and reformed, the throbbing ache of a jaw suddenly too full of teeth, and the ripping, grating, burning of his entire existence now fails to draw more than a grimace. In wolf form he's is just as beautiful as he is as a biped - his short fur is pitch black and glossy, his sharp eyes are wide and white, and his sleek body is muscular and toned. The wolf cradles the bag in his mouth, trotting off towards the base of the mountain.

Somewhere along the way his mind wanders to a certain subway passenger, mentally slapping himself for screwing up in front of his mate. At this he freezes mid-step because Who’s whose mate?! But he knows it to be true, knows that even if he doesn’t know her name and she doesn't know his that he’ll find her again, somehow. I knew the moment I saw you that you were the one.

A/N

Oh god, I hate typical first meeting scenarios (like bumping into the person and meeting them later on) but uggggggh there’s no way to quickly introduce the relationship without being a little cliche. Forgive me? I’m going to start weekly updates on Sundays, so please look forward to my posts!

Also, I had a different AN with this chapter initially, but I just realized I don’t want you to know that yet! For those of you who already read it, you got a bit of spoilers for chapters to come, but for those of you who didn’t, know that it’s better not being at the end of this chapter. Paz!