Usually when you ask a young boy what they want to be when they grow up, they reply with something like an astronaut, a firefighter, or a football player. But when Kim Seokjin’s lovely mother sat him down at the dinner table and asked her son this harmless question, he told her that he wanted to be a princess. Had Seokjin been a girl this would have been perfectly acceptable.

But Seokjin was a boy.

Boys don’t usually aspire to become pretty, pink princesses - or at least boys who weren’t Seokjin - so understandably there was a lot of confusion between Seokjin and his mother after that.

Seokjin had grown up as a single child and was raised by a single mother. This was where he got his excuse to hide his natural feminine tendencies when he was in school. But now Seokjin didn’t care; he loved being the way he was and that made his mother happy too.

Even now Seokjin still hadn’t given up on his dream of becoming a princess. But, at the age of twenty-seven, that goal seemed further away than it ever had before. When money became scarce, and his mother refused to support him anymore, Seokjin had no choice but to give up on his dream and turn to the world of work.

Personally, he blamed his fairy godmother for not bothering to turn up.

Throughout his life, Seokjin had been told that he was a neat-freak, and was obsessed with cleaning and aesthetics. Thus, he took these comments and decided that he could turn his hobby into a job. There were plenty of jobs to choose from; a window cleaner, a laundry assistant, a dishwasher, or even a domestic cleaner.

But none of those options appealed to him. Simply because he wanted a job that would open up the opportunity for potential relationships. So one fateful day, Seokjin went in for an interview to be a janitor at a hotel and struck gold.

He had never really thought about it but there would be a momentous amount of men (and potentially some good-looking ones) at a hotel. And there were beds too. Lots of them.

Now Seokjin was in love with his job; he had been working there for five years and had five juniors under his belt. There was Jungkook and Taehyung, students who were looking for some decent work to pay off their student loans; there was Hoseok, who manned the laundry in the basement; and then there was Yoongi and Jimin who had been working under Seokjin for three years now.

 

*             *             *

 

“Jungkook, what have I told you about using your phone while mopping the floors?” Seokjin reprehended.

Jungkook, startled, jerked his head up to look at his elder. “Sorry, what was that, hyung?”

He sighed and, pointing to the iphone in Jungkook’s hands, said, “Get off your phone. If you drop it in the water, you’ll be in even more debt than you are now.”

Jungkook bowed apologetically and ed his phone into his pocket. “Sorry. I’m just tired, hyung.” He brushed a few strands of hair behind his ear. “Me and Taehyung have to study for our exams and we never get any time to relax.”

“Well that’s life, isn’t it?” Seokjin huffed melodramatically, placing his hands akimbo on his hips. Ever since the hotel had been refurbished, with the rooms improved to look more professional, the hotel had been busier, attracting more and more people. “Listen, even if I don’t get the chance to say it very often, I really appreciate your efforts here.”

Jungkook grinned boyishly. “Don’t worry, hyung, I love working here. Not just because I need the money.”

Seokjin smiled, the corners of his eyes crinkling, before gathering up the bedsheets he was carrying to the laundry room and hurrying down the corridor. There was only an hour or two before that room was going to be booked again, so he was in a rush to get it spick-and-span.

Seokjin was racing down the stairs recklessly when he suddenly crashed head-long into poor, little Jimin. They tumbled down the stairs together until they could hear Hoseok’s loud chortles, tripping over himself in a fit of hysteria.

“Oh my goodness,” Seokjin gasped, jumping to his feet in the ocean of blankets and bedsheets to help Jimin up. “I’m so sorry, Jimin. Are you okay?”

Jimin took Seokjin’s hand gratefully, was pulled back onto his feet, and chuckled. “It’s fine, hyung. I think I only broke every bone in my body.”

Detecting Jimin’s use of sarcasm, Seokjin sighed in relief and dismissed Jimin back to his work. When he turned around to pick up the disarray of sheets, he could hear Hoseok desperately trying to contain his giggles, which made him scowl.

Seokjin straightened his back stiffly with all of the sheets bundled neatly in his arms and passed them to Hoseok. “You’re hopeless,” Hoseok snorted. He took the sheets from Seokjin and pulled open one of the washing machines with his foot. Shoving the washing into the machine, Hoseok said nonchalantly, “What’s the relationship status at the moment then?”

Seokjin sighed, sounding sincerely disheartened. “You’d think after five years a man as pretty as me would have scored a date by now. But no.”

“It’ll happen soon, hyung.”

He tugged on the ends of his jumper sleeves; a habit he had acquired whenever he was feeling shy or excited. “It better.”

After pouring the contents of the almost-empty bottle of fabric conditioner into the machine and turning the washing machine on, Hoseok turned to Seokjin and beamed up at him. “Do you know who’s booking this room?” he asked, gesturing to the bedsheets in the machine.

“No, I haven’t checked.”

Hoseok looked from the washing machine back to Seokjin. “Well you could always go up and check. The blankets’ll probably be a while.”

“Mm.”

 

Seokjin casually walked up to the lobby desk in his baby blue janitor’s apron. He waited for Taehyung to give the couple he was assisting directions to their room, looking at his reflection in one of the windows to fix his soft blonde hair. When the couple had thanked Taehyung for the key to their room, Taehyung gave them his notorious perky smile and waved enthusiastically.

If there was anyone who loved their job more than Seokjin, it was Taehyung. When Taehyung was first employed, Seokjin was expecting him to be the stereotypical grumpy teenager. But on quite the contrary, Taehyung had a smiley, bubbly personality that made him an ideal hotel clerk.

“Oh, hey Jinnie hyung,” Taehyung smiled, waving at Seokjin (who was still preoccupied with his hair). “Didn’t see you there.”

“Yes, hello,” Seokjin smiled, and walked over to Taehyung by the desk. “Do you know who has booked room forty-five after Jung Gayoung?”

Taehyung raised a brow in suspicion. Seokjin didn’t usually ask for people’s names. He turned to his computer, his long, slender fingers tapping rapidly and expertly over the keys, and pulled up the registry list. “It says, uh. . .” he squinted slightly and leaned closer to the computer screen. “Kim Namjoon. . . Why?”

Seokjin shrugged. “Just curious. I’m cleaning his room now, so I might as well know who’s going to sleep in it.”

Taehyung blinked. “Whatever you say, hyung.”

 

Seokjin hummed a quiet, mellow tune to himself as he replenished the body wash supply in the shower. All he had left to do was make the bed now that he had collected the clean sheets back from Hoseok, then the room would be perfect.

Seokjin pulled his cart of cleaning materials into the main bedroom and trailed over to the bed. Pulling out the bed sheets from his plastic washing basket, he quickly started stripping the bed.

He heard the door knock.

“Room service. . . or whatever. . .”

Seokjin rolled his eyes; that was undoubtedly Min Yoongi. He had about thirty reasons why he should fire Yoongi now. His voice was dull, his eyes cold and lifeless, and he had expressed many times that he hated his job. He didn’t like pink. He swore too much. But Seokjin didn’t fire Yoongi – he couldn’t. He was too precious a friend to fire.

“Yoongi, there’s no one in here,” Seokjin said, fluffing up the pillows.

Yoongi plodded into the room, his face expressionless. “Really, Jin? ‘Cause, if I’m not mistaken, you’re in here.”

Yoongi had worked the longest out of his five co-workers, yet had never bothered speaking formally. (That was another reason on his list.) He had given Seokjin a shorter nickname because he was too lazy to say his full name and hadn’t called him hyung from the day he started.

Seokjin turned around to observe Yoongi’s grey hair, and his eyes widened only slightly. “Oh, did you dye your hair again?” Yoongi nodded. “What was wrong with the last colour? I liked it.”

Yoongi his teeth before saying, “This colour suits my personality more.”

Well there was no denying that, Seokjin thought. It was always interesting to see the care and effort Yoongi put into styling or dyeing his hair. But it was a pity he didn’t use that same effort while he was working. He was about to dismiss Yoongi when he suddenly remembered something. “Yoongi, can you sort out rooms fifty-three, sixty-one and seventy-two please?”

Yoongi groaned loudly, resembling a noise that a whale or an elephant might have made. “Why? I’m so tired. . .”

“We’re all tired,” Seokjin said softly, trying to coax him into some reasoning. But Yoongi’s expression hadn’t changed, and he was immune to Seokjin’s fluttering eyelashes. “Fine,” he sighed. “You can do rooms sixty-one and seventy-two, and I’ll prepare room fifty-three, okay?”

“Whatever. . .” Yoongi grumbled, slumping out of the room and lethargically pulling his cart to the elevator.

As the grumpy ramblings of Yoongi faded into silence, Seokjin stretched his limbs out and looked around the room. Yup, all perfect, neat and tidy.

Seokjin, smiling gleefully at his handiwork, pulled his cart out of the room and shut the door. The hotel was reasonably quiet today; he hadn’t seen that many people in the corridors, save for the noisy group of children on the third floor. He was walking down another series of corridors when he heard quiet, muffled footsteps and saw a man pulling a black suitcase further down the corridor.

As they passed each other, Seokjin said a polite, “Good afternoon, sir,” and heard the man mumbled back an equally polite greeting. Astonished at the depth of the man’s voice, Seokjin nearly tripped over his own feet trying to spin around to get a good look at him. His jaw dropped at the man’s bright, blue hair. Blue hair?

Seokjin gulped nervously and tugged on his jumper sleeves but nevertheless continued downstairs to the storage room and tidied away his cart of detergents, antibacterial soaps and disinfectants. After that, he ambled down to the laundry room, where the rest of his co-workers would be.

“Hey hyung,” Hoseok grinned, crumbs falling out of his mouth as he spoke.

The rest of them turned to Seokjin, who smiled back at them and sat down. The reason why they always met up to have lunch in the laundry room was because they were too lazy and too broke to go out and buy lunch, so simply decided to stay at the hotel together. And they were kicked out of most restaurants because of Hoseok anyways.

“So, as I was saying,” Jungkook said, acknowledging his elder’s presence with a modest nod of the head, “while I was in the entrance exam, I leaned back in my chair too far and lost my balance.” Jungkook’s face was bright red. “S—so I tried to grab onto the desk so I wouldn’t fall over, but I took the desk down with me and slammed onto the floor with it on top of me.”

The rest of the group (except for Yoongi, naturally) was in hysterics. Seokjin had tried not to laugh, unlike Hoseok who was horse-laughing out every fibre of his being, but, seeing how Jungkook was unaffected by it, laughed with everyone else.

“Oh, that must have been so humiliating for you, Kookie,” Jimin cooed, rubbing the side of his face harshly onto Jungkook’s arm in what was meant to be an act of consolation. Jungkook instinctively pushed Jimin’s face away from him and rolled his eyes.

Taehyung turned to Seokjin, who was innocently nibbling his sandwiches, and said, “Any exciting stories, hyung?”

“I saw a man with blue hair when I was walking down the corridor earlier.”

They all blinked speechlessly in awe at their elder. They probably thought he was making it up because today had been so tediously dull.

Yoongi yawned, accidently causing Jimin to yawn too. “Oh. . . I saw him.”

“Me too,” Taehyung piped in. “That was the Kim Namjoon you asked about earlier.”

Hoseok, breaking into a smirk at Seokjin’s dusted, pink cheeks, said, “Well you know where his room is.”

“Hm. I may try to seduce him later.”

“Good luck with that, hyung,” Jimin grinned.

Seokjin gave Jimin an entirely impassive look. “I don’t need luck,” then he smiled, “I’m too handsome to turn down.”

“I said that to a woman once. . .” Yoongi mumbled, grimacing at the memory. “She slapped me.”

 

---

 

The next morning, Seokjin walked into the hotel with a determined look on his face. He had spent his whole night wondering how to grab the attention of Kim Namjoon, how he could accidently walk in on him in the shower or something equally as devious.

He spotted Taehyung behind the counter, sneakily fitting in some extra studying for his exams. His glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose, slipping down gradually until he subconsciously pushed them back up.

“Taehyung, have you seen Jungkook this morning?” Seokjin asked. “There’s a room he missed yesterday that needs cleaning for this morning.”

Taehyung looked up, only just mustering a smile through his heavy fatigue. “Morning, hyung. Jungkook won’t be here until this afternoon. He has an exam this morning, but he said he’d be back later.”

Seokjin inspected his fingernails. “And when are your exams?”

“I have two next week.” Taehyung shrugged. “But I’ll still be working.”

“You don’t have to,” Seokjin said. “Have some time off, Jungkook too, exams are stressful, and you deserve as much rest as you need.”

The corners of Taehyung’s lips twitched into a small smile. “Thanks, hyung. I don’t know where you get your kindness from.”

Seokjin shook his head and chuckled. “It’s nothing really.”

They looked at each other for a moment. Sometimes Seokjin forgot how much younger Taehyung and Jungkook were compared to him; they were still young enough to go out and pursue their dreams, they still had time to mess things up. Seokjin was twenty-seven now. He was at the age where most people had settled down with a family and a stable job – and the prospect of that frightened him. He didn’t like remembering how old he was.

“Kim Namjoon just came downstairs for breakfast,” Taehyung said, changing the subject. “If you want to tidy his bed, now would be a good time to do it.”

Seokjin nodded. “Okay. I’ll get to it.”

 

Although he knew no one was in the room, Seokjin still knocked on the door before entering - it was another habit of his. Since there was only the bed to fix, he didn’t have to bring in his cart, so he walked over to the bed and started stripping the sheets.

After fluffing up the pillows and rearranging them, he leaned over the bed to smooth out any creases in the mattress.

“Excuse me.”

Seokjin virtually leapt out of his skin and swung himself around to jump into an apology. “U—uh, room service. Sorry, I was just making your bed.”

The man (presumably Kim Namjoon) ran his fingers through his blue hair and stared at him with sharp, well-defined eyes. Seokjin swallowed thickly and straightened his back.

“Sorry for scaring you.”

Seokjin bowed, smiling. “It’s fine. It happens to the best of us with this job.”

Namjoon readjusted his tie, not taking his eyes off of Seokjin’s face. “Oh yeah? How did someone as handsome as you get this kind of job?” he asked.

“That’s what I often ask myself,” Seokjin said.

“You can certainly take a compliment, can’t you?”

Seokjin’s smile widened. By some miracle he had actually managed to get someone interested in him. From his first glance, Seokjin could tell that Namjoon was effortlessly flirty. Not that he was complaining, of course.

Because he was gorgeous.

“Thank you.”

During the brief silence that overtook them, Seokjin used his time wisely and efficiently. Immediately, he flicked his eyes to Namjoon’s left hand.

Good. No wedding ring.

“Kim Namjoon,” he said smoothly, holding out his hand to Seokjin. When Seokjin took his outstretched hand and shook it gently, he said, “You have beautiful eyes.”

Seokjin blinked, now fully conscious that Namjoon was staring at his face. He could only smile, because it felt so surrealistic and dream-like; the way Namjoon was complimenting him like he was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen - which wouldn’t be incorrect to assume. Seokjin always let himself get swept away easily. After being single for so many years, the simplest compliment or smile was enough to sway him.

“I know I do,” he smiled. “I’m Kim Seokjin.”

Namjoon nodded, letting go of Seokjin’s hand. “So. . . nice job you’ve done here,” he remarked charmingly, looking around the room.

Seokjin grinned. “I like to think I do. I’ve been working here for five years.”

“Five years?” He looked reasonably surprised. “Why don’t you look for another job? This place must pay you peanuts.”

“It does,” Seokjin nodded. “But I love working here. My outlook on life is entirely hedonistic, so I don’t care how much money I make.”

“Touché.” Namjoon finally took his eyes off the handsome janitor in front of him to check his watch. His eyes twitched and he ruffled up his hair again. “I have to get ready for work,” he mumbled begrudgingly.

Seokjin’s eyes widened suddenly. “Whoops, sorry for wasting your time.”

Namjoon looked at Seokjin, the sight of his flawless complexion enough to bring out another smile in him. “You didn’t waste a second of my time. Meeting you was a pleasure, Seokjin.”

Seokjin’s heart was palpitating so fast it sounded more like a buzz than a thump. He gathered what little sanity he had left and left Namjoon’s room, only muttering a barely-audible, “bye then,” on his way out. As he stumbled down the corridor, his mind was racing and his heart was thrashing inside his chest like a drum.

That was like a dream; he was like a dream. From his immaculate, blue locks of hair to his thick, full lips, Seokjin found himself entirely and undoubtedly attracted to Namjoon. Seokjin prayed that they would cross paths again, but the possibility was slim. For all he knew, Namjoon could be checking out when he left for work and they would never see each other again.

It was an opportunity too good to miss.

Overhastily, he turned around and raced towards Namjoon’s room. When he burst through the door and ran up to Namjoon, he was face to face with those same pair of dark, mesmerising eyes.

“I—I forgot something,” Seokjin said.

Namjoon’s face was still. Seokjin gazed up at him, their breaths rolling off one another, and he rashly grabbed the sides of Namjoon’s face, pulling him in to kiss him. Namjoon froze, astonished at Seokjin’s unforeseen action, but closed his eyes and kissed him back. Seokjin felt Namjoon’s lips moulding against his and oh, oh, it felt heavenly; the softness of his lips and the warmth of his tongue was intoxicating.

When he pulled away, Seokjin’s fingers lingered on Namjoon’s warm cheeks. They had only just met, yet the way they kissed made him feel like they had done it a thousand times before. Seokjin tried to stop himself from thinking such sentimental, foolish thoughts; from doing such desperate, rash things.

But his thoughts derailed when Namjoon gently placed his hands on Seokjin’s waist. “Have we met before?”

“Once in the corridor,” Seokjin said, still breathless. “Look, I’m sorry. I probably seem really desperate now.”

Namjoon shrugged. “There isn’t a rule saying that you have to take things slowly. We don’t always have time to waste.”

Seokjin’s body was embraced by cold, empty air when Namjoon’s hands pulled away from him. He looked up and smiled when he saw the appeased look on Namjoon’s face. “Are you suggesting that we. . .”

Namjoon, who had seemingly read Seokjin’s mind, mulled over it for a second. Suddenly, he took Seokjin’s hands in his and said, “It wouldn’t make sense when we know nothing about each other. Maybe we can go out for dinner tomorrow, get to know each other a little better.”

Seokjin’s eyes lit up. “I’d love that.”

Namjoon looked just as ecstatic as Seokjin did. “I’m free from seven-thirty. I’ll pick you up from the lobby tomorrow night, okay?”

“Perfect,” Seokjin said, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

 

*             *             *

 

Seokjin hadn’t let the exhilaration of his date get the better of him. After Namjoon had left the hotel to go to work the next day, the airy thoughts of their meeting were out of his head. Work had always been Seokjin’s main priority.

“You’re looking awfully happy,” Hoseok commented, his voice vibrating as he leaned against the operating washing machine. “What’s up?”

Seokjin looked up from the towels he was folding and blushed. “O―oh, nothing. . . I just had a, uh, really nice. . . b-bagel this morning.”

Hoseok’s expression gave the impression that he didn’t believe what was being said. “Hyung, for as long as I’ve known you, you’ve always had a glass of almond milk for breakfast. Nothing else.”

“Maybe I was experimenting,” Seokjin mumbled. He was a terrible liar.

“You could always just tell me what’s up.”

Seokjin picked up the basket of towels and looked across at Hoseok. “I told you, nothing’s up.”

Hoseok still refused to believe him, because Seokjin was quite obviously miserable at lying, but stopped bothering him. He wasn’t the type to interfere in other people’s businesses unless it concerned him. Like what Jimin was doing now. That definitely concerned him.

 

Seokjin carried out his basket; tending to people’s needs, cleaning and tidying rooms, and delivering more laundry until the evening. By now, Seokjin was beyond exhausted after working all day. Jungkook had taken the day off work after Seokjin insisted that he catch up on sleep. Unfortunately, that left Seokjin with twice as much work to do. But he was willing to do it all for his junior.

“O―oppa. . .” As soon as Seokjin heard the soft, trembling voice, he turned around. Noticing a little girl twisting her tiny feet in front of him, Seokjin knelt down in front of her, giving her a motherly-like smile.

“Yes, sweetheart, what is it?” His voice was gentle.

The girl’s bottom lip was quivering. “My o-omma. . .”

The girl’s mumbling was very incoherent and difficult to understand, so Seokjin put a solacing hand on her arm. “Where is your omma, sweetie?”

“I―I. . . I don’t know,” she whimpered, tears streaming down her soft, pale cheeks.

Seokjin’s brow contorted with sympathy. This hotel was a large expanse of rooms and corridors, so he wasn’t entirely surprised she had managed to lose her mother. But she looked so scared, like she had never been out of an adult’s company. Thankfully, her small body relaxed under Seokjin’s warm, comforting gaze.

“Calm down,” Seokjin whispered soothingly. “I’ll help you find your omma, okay? You don’t have to cry anymore.”

The girl rubbed her red-rimmed, dry eyes with a tiny fist and sniffled. She nodded, blubbering out something Seokjin couldn’t understand, but made him smile nonetheless.

“I shouldn’t talk to strangers,” she mumbled. “Omma told me. . .”

“It’s good that your omma tells you that,” Seokjin nodded. “There are lots of scary people out there.” He gave her another reassuring smile. “That’s why you should always stay close you your omma, yeah?”

She nodded, clutching onto Seokjin’s hand tightly.

He continued. “Do you know what room you and your omma are staying in?” Her expression remained just as terrified and confused, thereupon Seokjin attempted to think of another method of action. “Can you tell me your name, sweetie?”

“Min Heejin.”

“And what’s your omma’s name?”

The girl’s face screwed up. “Omma?...”

Seokjin chuckled. “No, no. What does your appa call your omma when you’re at home?”

“O―oh, uh. . .” She screwed up her face again. “Mina. B―but appa said I’m not supposed to call her that.”

“That’s fine,” Seokjin said, keeping his voice at the same level as hers. “Let’s find omma now, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she nodded, looking much more relaxed at the promise of finding her mother.

Seokjin outstretched his arms, inviting her into his embrace, and picked her up so her head was resting against his chest. When he turned around, he was pleasantly surprised to see Namjoon at the end of the corridor; with his hair slicked back smartly and a black briefcase in one hand, he looked amazing. And he was walking towards him.

“Erm, hi,” Seokjin mumbled, his voice trailing off when he saw the handsome smirk on his face.

“Hi,” Namjoon replied, and pointed to the little girl in Seokjin’s arms; “What are you doing with the little one?”

He suddenly remembered that he was carrying Heejin and said, “I’m just taking her back to her mom. She got lost in the corridor.”

“Let me go with you,” Namjoon offered politely, placing a supportive hand on Seokjin’s side. “You look tired.”

Seokjin smiled and headed towards the elevator with Namjoon. While they were inside the elevator, Seokjin made sure to whisper soothing words of encouragement into Heejin’s ear, bouncing her up and down lightly in his arms to comfort her. There was enough room for five people in the elevator, but Seokjin noticed that Namjoon still stood close to his side.

 

Seokjin approached Taehyung at the counter. “Can you help me find this girl’s room,” Seokjin asked, smiling gently at the little girl in his arms. “She’s lost her mom.”

“Aw, poor thing,” Taehyung cooed. “Can you tell me their names?” Seokjin noticed Taehyung give Namjoon a brief look over before typing away at the keys on his keyboard.

“The little one’s Min Heejin, and her mom’s name is Mina.” Seokjin turned to the girl again when he heard her mumbling in his ear.

“I miss omma. . .”

Seokjin tucked a small lock of her hair behind her ear and said quietly, “We’ll find your omma, don’t worry, sweetie.”

“Ah-ha!” Taehyung exclaimed, his eyes alight with pride. “Choi Mina, Min Youngchul and Min Heejin. That’s the one! Room seventy.”

“Thanks a million, Taehyung,” Seokjin said, leaving hastily with Heejin, Namjoon following closely behind him.

 

After Seokjin reunited Heejin with her family, he couldn’t hold back the smile breaching his lips. It was so touching to see the family so happy together; the look of relief on her mother’s face and the way she interacted with her husband made his heart swell with joy. It was little things like that which made Seokjin’s single life bearable.

Namjoon turned to Seokjin. “You look so natural with kids. Do you have one of your own?”

“Nope,” Seokjin said, his heavyhearted voice covered up with a deceiving smile. “But a mother’s instincts just come naturally to me.”

Namjoon’s gaze was soft. “Are you still up to going out for dinner? Not too tired?”

“Of course.”

“Great,” he smiled handsomely. “I was hoping you’d say that.” He was leaning closer now, and Seokjin was desperate for him to just do something. “I just need to grab a jacket, if that’s alright.”

“You don’t need permission,” Seokjin chuckled, because it was screamingly obvious that Namjoon was used to acting so formal, probably as a result of working too much. “Go get your jacket,” he said, leaning closer to Namjoon, testing the waters, and smiling. “I’ll be waiting at the lobby.”

Swallowing a thick lump in his throat, Namjoon left Seokjin standing in the corridor, hurrying to his room to pick up his jacket.

 

*             *             *

 

Seokjin wasn’t expecting such an informal date; he got the impression that Namjoon would take him to some fancy restaurant that had sparkling glass chandeliers dangling from the ceiling - not an average, everyday chicken restaurant.

But it didn’t bother him, because this was where he was most comfortable.

Seokjin had been learning about Namjoon as Namjoon had been learning about him. Seokjin told him about his obsession with pink and his childhood dream of becoming a princess, and Namjoon told him about his hobby of rapping.

“I can’t see you as a rapper,” Seokjin smiled. “Maybe it’s the hair.”

“Appearances can be deceiving.” Namjoon pushed the last chicken wing in front of Seokjin, who took it diligently. “How did your mother feel about your effeminacy?”

“She wasn’t outraged,” Seokjin said. “I think she was glad that we were so similar, she found it easier to cope after my father left.”

“Divorce?”

Seokjin nodded. “That’s the way it is for a lot of people. It never bothered me. I hardly knew him.” He suddenly pulled a face. “Oh, listen to me, I’m sorry. I’m making this miserable for the both of us.”

“No you’re not. You’re interesting.”

Seokjin speared the chicken with his chopsticks, then looked up at Namjoon. “Sure you don’t want any more? You didn’t eat that much.”

“I had my share while you were talking.”

Seokjin shrugged. Fair enough. He finished off the chicken, nibbling the meat down to the bone. Then he heard Namjoon say, “I used to date a guy who only ate salad.”

Seokjin raised a brow. “And how was that for you?”

Namjoon leaned back in his chair, and Seokjin was glad that he was looking more relaxed. “I thought I’d get over it, told myself it was his personality that was important. But whenever we went out to eat, he’d only order salads. No variety at all. I tried offering him meat, maybe with some salad on the side, but he’d insist on just salad. It drove me mad.”

“I’m guessing you two didn’t last that long, then?”

“We were seeing each other for a couple of months,” Namjoon said. “But I rarely visited him or took him out to dinner to avoid eating with him.”

“Oh.”

“What about you?” Namjoon asked, watching Seokjin peep inside the bowl just to check if there was any more chicken left.

“Are we sharing our tragic love stories?”

Namjoon chuckled. “Yeah, why not? Is yours really tragic?”

“Not particularly,” Seokjin grinned. “Just your average, boring break-up story.”

“Well now I’m curious. What happened?”

“I haven’t really had a serious relationship since high school, so bear with me.” Namjoon nodded thoughtfully. “I think we got together during our final year of high school. He was in my class, really funny and handsome too.” Seokjin took a sip of his cola to keep him going. “I told him all about the princess fiasco, and he was so sincere about it. He was always kind, we never fought.”

Namjoon smiled. “How long did it last?”

“Not that long. About a year or so,” Seokjin said. “He was accepted into a university in Australia, and it ended there.”

“And that was it,” Namjoon mumbled.

“Yup, pretty much,” Seokjin shrugged, crossing his legs under the table. “Just fell out of love and went our separate ways.”

“Do you know where he is now?” Namjoon asked, pausing to take a drink.

Seokjin broke out into a grin. “Of course. He’s a diving instructor in Melbourne.” His grin broadened. “He’d always wanted to work with kids.”

Namjoon checked his watch. “Wow, look at the time. It half-past-nine.”

“Do you want me to drive you back to the hotel?” Seokjin asked, picking up his bag.

“That’d be great, thanks.”

 

As Seokjin pulled up his car in front of the hotel, he looked across at Namjoon and said, “I enjoyed tonight.”

“Good,” Namjoon said, his cheeks forming neat dimples as he grinned. “I’m not leaving until Friday. So if you want to do this again - we can.”

It only seemed natural for Seokjin to say, “I’d love to do this again.”

“Just what I was thinking.” Namjoon leaned ever-so-slightly closer, bringing up his hand to cup the side of Seokjin’s face. His thumb brushed over Seokjin’s pink cheeks gently, lingering just long enough to leave a tingling sensation over the skin. Modestly, Namjoon leaned in to peck the corner of Seokjin’s lips, weakly caressing the side of his face.

When he pulled away, Seokjin stared at him with a somewhat gummy-sweet smile, ready to melt into a puddle of sticky goo for Namjoon. Namjoon could quite clearly see the effect he was having on Seokjin, which made him grin, and he opened the door to step out of the car.

“Goodnight, princess.”

Seokjin’s jaw hug open as Namjoon slammed the door and stalked into the hotel with the smuggest grin on his face.

---

 

Seokjin liked the idea of having an illicit, secret affair; it sounded so mysterious and so much more romantic. However, with friends like Jungkook and Taehyung, there was no possible way he could keep his relationship hidden.

“Guys,” Jungkook exclaimed, tumbling down the stairs vivaciously, “guys, guys, guys, I have cinnamon rolls!”

Hoseok, who was in the middle of telling Taehyung how he had accidently left his credit card in his jeans when they were in the washing machine, swivelled his body round to face Jungkook and the packet of cinnamon rolls in his hands.

“You know you love me, Kookie,” Jimin pouted, gazing in delight at the cinnamon rolls, then up at Jungkook with his mastered puppy eyes.

Jungkook ignored Jimin and strided into the middle of the group. Seokjin stared up at him. “These aren’t for you,” Jungkook said, glaring at Jimin and Hoseok, “they’re for our lovely Seokjin hyung!”

Seokjin blinked, not really sure what the meaning of this was.

Jungkook continued to grin and shared a surreptitious, knowing glance with Taehyung. “To congratulate you on your date a few days ago.”

That’s when the rest of them turned and gaped at Seokjin.

“You went on a date, hyung?” Hoseok gasped, clutching his chest with a pained expression on his face. “How could you betray me like this?”

Seokjin feigned an indifferent expression. “What are you talking about? I haven’t been on a date with anyone.”

Jungkook smirked, narrowing his eyes uncannily at Seokjin. “Don’t lie, hyung. Me and Taehyung saw you at the chicken restaurant downtown the other day with your date.” Seokjin wriggled uncomfortably in his seat, pinching the seams of his jumper. “We were going to tell everyone, but you were working so much that we didn’t get to see you.”

Everyone suddenly erupted into laughter and Taehyung took the cinnamon rolls from Jungkook and nudged Seokjin, offering him one. “Sorry,” he chuckled, “but you can’t keep your secrets from us.”

Just as Seokjin was about to take a cinnamon roll, Yoongi suddenly appeared behind them and pinched one from the packet.

“Rascal,” Taehyung chuckled. Yoongi just shrugged and shoved the whole cinnamon roll in his mouth, astounding the rest of the group.

“So,” Hoseok said, turning to Seokjin, “is it Namjoon?”

“Yes. Blue hair. Quite tall. Quite handsome. Big smile, cute dimples. He’s lovely, and he’s smart too. I really like him.”

“You’ll have to introduce him to us, hyung,” Jimin said, his eyes alight with interest.

Seokjin’s expression shifted. “He’s leaving today.”

“WHAT?!” they all shouted in unison.

“I said Namjoon’s leaving today,” he repeated. “He was only here for a business trip, so he has to go back to Daegu today.”

“No!” shrieked Hoseok histrionically, jumping to his feet. “It can’t end like that!”

Jungkook and Taehyung both nodded. “He’s right,” Jungkook said. “You two looked so natural together at the restaurant. You can’t just let him leave.”

“I’m not going to,” Seokjin said, grinning, “because I have a cunning plan.”

Yoongi rolled his eyes. “You’re going to try and seduce him again, aren’t you?”

Seokjin’s eye twitched. He looked at the clock on the wall. “Right, guys,” he said, “break is over.”

“But we still have five min—”

“Time to get back to work!”

Seokjin ran out of the room, leaving the others behind to whisper and giggle behind his back. It was obvious that Seokjin was going to try his last despairing tactic to seduce Namjoon.

“Poor Seokjin hyung,” Jimin sighed. “He really likes Namjoon.”

“Mm,” Jungkook hummed. “I see them talking every morning before Namjoon leaves for work. I’ve never seen hyung look so happy with someone before. It’s really sweet.”

Taehyung chortled. “Hey, did you know that Namjoon hyung specifically requests Seokjin hyung’s services.”

“No way.”

“Yes way.”

“He likes him back then?” Hoseok asked, perking up.

“Oh, you didn’t already know that?” Jungkook chuckled, helping himself to the packet of cinnamon rolls that Seokjin left behind. “It’s really obvious when you see them together, trust me.”

Yoongi, who was very much detached from the conversation, said, “I don’t care. . .”

“Of course you don’t care,” Taehyung snapped. “You’re Min Yoongi, hater of all romance.”

Yoongi pulled a face. “I only hate romance when I’m not in it. . .”

“Exactly.”

 

*             *             *

 

Seokjin was working overtime again. There wasn’t much to do late at night while most people were sleeping, only sorting out people’s laundry for the next morning, delivering food and drinks to V.I.P rooms, and bringing fickle snoozers extra pillows.

He was standing with Taehyung, who was on the brink of falling asleep, running his fingers through the younger’s hair comfortingly to keep him awake. Abruptly, the phone rang, alerting Taehyung to his surroundings. He picked up the phone and exchanged a few short, brief words to the person on the other side with a sleepy grin on his face.

He put the phone down. “That was Namjoon hyung,” he said slowly.

Seokjin’s heart flipped inside his chest. “Does he want anything?”

“He said he wants you to go to his room before he checks out.”

Seokjin stared distantly. He fiddled with the frays on his jumper sleeves and bit his lip. “Did he say why?”

“No,” Taehyung said, his grin broadening. “But I can only imagine what you might think he wants.” Seokjin’s cheeks started glowing a rosy-pink color, and Taehyung giggled and pinched them. “Go on, hyung, he’s waiting.”

“Alright, alright, I’m going.”

 

Seokjin opened the door to Namjoon’s room and saw him sat on the bed with his suitcase at the end of it.

“Oh, Seokjin, you’re here,” Namjoon said, patting the space on the bed next to him. Seokjin shut the door, padded over to the bed and sat down next to Namjoon. “I’m about to check out so I thought I’d call you to say goodbye.”

Seokjin pouted. “I don’t want you to go back to Daegu,” he said softly, leaning his head into the crook of Namjoon’s neck.

“Me neither,” Namjoon said, and kissed Seokjin’s temple. “You’re the most beautiful person I’ve met in my entire life.”

Seokjin nuzzled closer to Namjoon. “I really like you.”

“I like you too.”

“Well, then there’s something I want you to do for me,” Seokjin said quietly. “B―but you don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

Namjoon didn’t hesitate to comply. “Of course. Do you need money or something?”

“No, no. Nothing like that.” Seokjin looked up into Namjoon’s eyes. “Listen, it’s been I while since I’ve been intimate with someone, a-and I really miss it.” Seokjin’s eyes flicked away, embarrassed, and Namjoon smiled at him. “You know, you don’t have to leave tonight. . .” he said, placing a warm hand on Namjoon’s thigh. “You can stay with me tonight and leave in the morning. If you want.”

Namjoon took Seokjin’s hands in his and kissed him. “That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day,” he whispered. “Come on. I’ll drive us back to your apartment.”

---

 

Seokjin was lying in Namjoon’s arms, listening to the clock tick past midnight, as his eyes opened and closed languidly. The feeling of Namjoon’s skin against his was indescribable; Namjoon was his hand up and down his hips and trailing butterfly kisses along his jaw.

“That was exactly what I wanted,” Seokjin mumbled sleepily, drawing invisible lines on Namjoon’s bare chest.

Namjoon left another kiss under Seokjin’s chin and said, “I’m glad I made you happy.”

“Oh Namjoon, you’ve made me more than happy,” Seokjin whispered, his eyes glistening as his face beamed.

Exhaling, Namjoon slid an arm around Seokjin’s shoulders, and Seokjin responded by leaning his head on Namjoon’s shoulder. They stayed like that - perfectly still - until they drifted off to sleep in each other’s embrace.

 

He walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of almond milk and set a piece of bread going in the toaster (because he was feeling a little cheeky), relishing in the silence of the early morning.

When he had buttered his toast, he took a generous bite out of it and tiptoed back into his bedroom to retrieve his phone. He pulled up his contacts and sent a quick message to Hoseok;

                I’m not coming into work today, don’t ask why

                Make sure you look after everyone ^^

 

Seokjin turned his phone off, not caring whether he received a reply or not, and chucked it onto the kitchen surface. He took another bite of his toast and looked out of the window; it was a pity the sky was so dull and overcast when he was feeling so warm and cozy from last night.

Suddenly he felt warm hands on his waist. Seokjin turned around and grinned at Namjoon, who was looking very tuckered out. “Morning,” he said cheerfully, and pecked him on the nose.

“Morning. . .” he replied in a zombie-like groan. Namjoon let go of Seokjin and leaned back, admiring the beauty in front of him. Then his eyes fixated onto the window. “Woah, what on earth is that?”

Seokjin swivelled on his heel and looked out of the window. He spent a few seconds trying to sleuth out what Namjoon could have been looking at until he heard a crunch from behind him. Seokjin turned around again to see Namjoon shoving the last piece of toast into his mouth.

“Hey,” he scolded weakly, “that was mine.”

Namjoon chuckled, a mouthful of toast still in his mouth. “That’s the first time I’ve ever gotten that to work.”

“Well good for you,” Seokjin huffed sarcastically.

Namjoon swallowed the last of the crumbs in his mouth and his lips. “I’m sorry,” he apologised, “you look so funny when you’re mad.” Then he added, “And your pink underwear looks adorable.”

Seokjin’s eyes widened to an impossible size because, oh god, you could see the bright pink explicitly under the thin fabric of his dress shirt.

“What time is it?” Namjoon asked, running his fingers through his hair.

Seokjin picked up his phone from the kitchen surface and checked the bright screen. “Eight. It’s a bit early, why would you. . .” And then it hit him, why Namjoon wanted to know the time. He had to go home. Back to Daegu.

“You know I have to leave this morning.”

“Oh. Right,” Seokjin managed, fearful that, if he tried to say any more, he would cry. The reality he had tried so hard to push away while he slept had hit him directly in the face.

They exchanged an elongated look before Namjoon kissed Seokjin on the mouth. “I’ll get dressed,” he said, the disappointment evident in his voice.

Seokjin nodded, gesturing to Namjoon’s boxer briefs. “I think you better.”

Namjoon grinned. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

 

Namjoon stuck to his word; it really was only a minute before he emerged from Seokjin’s bedroom again, this time dressed smartly in his dark suit and pulling along his black suitcase. Seokjin wished he’d have taken longer, just so he could revel in the faint scent of Namjoon that still lingered.

The look they exchanged this time was a sad one. Seokjin followed Namjoon to the door.

Namjoon brushed away the hair covering Seokjin’s face. “You don’t understand how difficult this is for me. I love you so much.”

“I love you too.” Seokjin hadn’t realised he was crying until his vision blurred and he felt the tears dripping from his chin onto his shirt.

Namjoon stared at Seokjin, his gaze softening before he lifted up his thumb to brush away Seokjin’s warm tears. The sting in his heart was immense, seeing Seokjin so distraught to see him go, but he knew he couldn’t stay forever. They both knew that.

Namjoon pulled Seokjin to him and kissed him softly on the lips. Seokjin’s tears had stopped streaming down his cheeks now, and he was lifting up his arms to wrap around Namjoon’s neck. Dropping his suitcase to the floor, Namjoon wrapped his arms tightly around Seokjin’s waist. Their kiss grew deeper, with Namjoon’s tongue probing gently at Seokjin’s lips until Seokjin parted them and let his tongue slip inside. Namjoon twisted their tongues around each other, occasionally running it over the roof of Seokjin’s mouth and breaking away to peck his lips again.

When they parted for good, Seokjin smiled coyly, his lips wet and glossy.

“Right, actually going to go this time,” Namjoon chuckled, leaning over to pick his suitcase back up.

“You’ll call me when you get back, won’t you?” Seokjin asked, his eyes soft and sad.

“It’ll be the first thing I do.”

Seokjin nodded. “Good.”

Namjoon smiled one last time and said, “Goodbye, princess,” before leaving the apartment and shutting the door behind him.

It was only a few seconds before Seokjin heard his phone chiming from the kitchen. His footsteps were ponderous and sluggish as he plodded into the kitchen. When he turned his phone on, he was surprised to see that the sender was Namjoon;

                Miss you already

                Don’t worry, princess, I’ll come back and rescue you

 

---

a/n: this wasn't meant to end so sadly, honestly it wasn't. i swear :'((

but in other happier news, i am planning to do a little bonus thing soon. the namjin couple shall live on despite the long distance guys, don't worry your little, cute selves about them <3