“What?” A car in the opposite lane horns just as Namjoon speaks. A dejected look falls upon his face and he shakes his head.

 

“Jin hyung knows that I’m with you,” he says. Silence fills the car as we head home. As if sensing the awkwardness, the driver ajusshi turns on the radio.

 

 

 

 

Tapping along, Namjoon follows the song with his own deep voice.

 

 

 

Peripheral vision tells me he’s looking out the window. I know that he has a great voice but I never knew that he could sing this well. Unknowingly, I am entranced.

 

 

I don’t realise I’m staring at him full on until he suddenly turns around and our eyes meet. He blinks away and finishes the last verse of the song.

 

 

“You’re that idol, aren’t you? BTS?” The driver asks out of nowhere, glancing at Namjoon through the rear mirror. Namjoon is caught off guard for a moment but maintains his composure.

 

“Ah, yes…”

 

“Girlfriend?”

 

“No.” Namjoon denies the driver’s question so quickly that I feel a prick in my heart. I get that he has a status to protect but I can’t help but feel sour on the inside. The driver nods but the look in his eyes speaks otherwise. I stay silent in case I say something wrong and the rest of the ride remains quiet.

 

“Byeol,” Namjoon taps me on the arm, shattering my daze.

 

“Hmm?” I look out the window and realise that I’m home already. For how long have I been spacing out? As Namjoon pays the driver I step out, remembering my teddy this time. Why is he paying the driver already? Before I know it, Namjoon alights the cab too.

 

He must have noticed the question marks on my face because he says, “I’m going to just walk back from here.” Sticking his hands into his pocket, he sniffs from the cold.

 

“You… want to come up for hot tea before you go?” I ask as he takes a step backward.

 

I sense hesitation but he nods eventually. “Why not?”

 

Smiling, I tilt my head in the direction of the lobby. Silence hangs in the air around us even as we reach my doorstep. I clumsily press in my passcode and push open the door. Namjoon comes in after and shuts the door behind him. In the kitchen, I wash a couple of cups as water boils in the kettle. I mentally slap myself when a thought comes to mind.

 

“Will you still be able to sleep later if you drink tea now?” I ask from the kitchen doorway. Namjoon has made himself comfortable on the sofa as he leans on my teddy. His coat and scarf hangs over the armrest.

 

“I still have work to do so it’s okay.” He flashes his dimples in a small smile and busies himself with typing on his phone.

 

I stare at the box of black tea on my counter and end up reaching into the hanging cabinet for a different box. I steep a teabag in each cup of hot water and slowly bring them out, setting them down on the coffee table in front of Namjoon. Engrossed in his phone, he doesn’t notice me. I take a sip of the tea and watch him smile to himself while continuously typing.

 

“Oppa.”

 

“Hmm?” Namjoon finally looks up from his device. “Oh, thanks.” Picking up the cup, the tag on the teabag catches his eye. He sends me a questioning look.

 

“Lavender tea supposedly helps with digestion,” I tell him with a shrug. We ate a lot just now, didn’t we? He smiles at the fragrance of the tea but after just one sip, he smiles again and he types something into his phone.

 

“Wow, Byeol, the amount of lyrics I come up with just by sitting on your sofa…” Namjoon mumbles, his eyes fixed on the screen. My phone chooses this time to ring and I quickly answer it in case it distracts Namjoon’s train of thoughts.

 

“’Sup?” I stand in the kitchen leaning against the counter. It’s a conference call from my project group at school and apparently we have to meet up tomorrow morning for discussions.

 

“8AM in the school library, everyone okay?” The group leader confirms with everyone before we hang up. We haven’t even officially started yet but I’m feeling the stress already. This project holds a pretty high weightage on our overall assessment so it’s going to require a lot of work. Sighing, I drag my feet back into the living room and take a large mouthful of tea, burning my tongue in the process. I clench my jaw to prevent myself from cussing out loud.

 

“Are you okay?” Namjoon asks, furrowing his brows.

 

“What kind of lyrics are you writing?” I return the question, curious about my magical sofa. He slides his phone into his pocket, a gesture that I understand to mean that he doesn’t want to tell me.

 

“I’ll show you some other time,” he says, drinking the tea. I nod with a smile. My bracelet clanks against the glass tabletop as I rest my hand so I remove it. An exclamation from Namjoon brings my attention to him as he fumbles in his coat pockets for something.

 

“What is it?” I move to sit beside him on the sofa. He pulls a box out from one of the pockets and turn to face me, stealing a glance at his watch as he does so.

 

“Happy birthday, Byeol.” He presents me with the small box in his hands, a hopeful expression on his face. Now in my possession, I stare at the delicate box.

 

“Thank you. Can I open it?” I don’t know about my conflicted expression but I’m pretty excited on the inside.  Namjoon nods. Carefully opening the box, a dainty bracelet gleams at me. I take it off the pillow it’s wrapped around gently. Tiny round beads are spread out along a thin silver chain and as fragile as it looks, the bracelet weighs almost nothing on my palm.

 

“Do you like it?” Namjoon’s uncertainty of my reaction is clear on his face.

 

“It’s beautiful.” I look up at him. “But…”

 

“It took me quite a while to pick this. I wasn’t sure what style you liked.”

 

“I don’t know if I should…”

 

“Just accept it, Byeol.”

 

I look between Namjoon and the bracelet and end up putting the bracelet in his hand. His face falls, a frown evident in his expression. Stretching out my hand, I push back the long sleeve of my dress and shake my wrist in front of him. He stares at me in confusion for a while before hurriedly putting the bracelet on for me, clasping it around my wrist.

 

“Thank you, oppa.” I beam at him, showing off my new accessory but at this untimely point, Namjoon yawns.

 

“Sorry,” he apologises, covering his mouth.

 

“Guess it’s time for you to go back.” Standing, I pull him up and push him towards the door, passing him his coat and scarf along the way. At the door, sleep threatens to consume him as he yawns again.

 

“Are you sure you can walk back in this state?” I ask, watching him put on his shoes wrongly.

 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” He pulls his shoes off and sets them down in the correct position.

 

“I don’t think so. I’ll call Yoongi oppa to come over.” I run to where my phone is and dial Yoongi’s number. He picks up on the second ring.

 

“Is Namjoon coming back soon?” He asks.

 

“He looks like he’s going to pass out soon. Can you come over to bring him back?” I look over to where Namjoon is leaning sleepily against the wall. He does that roll eye thing to keep himself awake but it seems that a whole day of schedules is finally getting to him.

 

To my surprise, Yoongi rejects. “I’ll deposit him on your sofa for the night, then.”

 

“Eh?”

 

“I’m already in bed.” And he hangs up.

 

“It’s okay, Byeol,” Namjoon says. “I’ll let you know when I reach the dorm.”

 

Sighing, I wave him over. In front of the room opposite my own, I push the door open. I turn on the heater before laying out the mattress.

 

“What’s this?” He asks, leaning – again – on the doorframe.

 

“Just sleep over. You’re in no state to go back alone.” As he stumbles into the room, I push him down onto the mattress. Digging around the cupboard for a pillow and blanket, Namjoon is already fast asleep when I turn back to him. I shake my head at his sleeping figure. Gently, I lift up his head and slide the pillow in before spreading the blanket out over him.

 

I pause for a moment to watch his sleeping face. Tucking him properly into the blanket, I whisper a soft ‘goodnight’ as I turn off the lights and head out to prepare myself for bed.

---

Song: Why Don't You Know by Yang Yoseob (BEAST), translation by pop!gasa