Suga in My Coffee

11. Dark Brown

Niah’s POV

True to his word, Chul Hoon reported me to the university president before I had a chance to plan any sort of countermeasure. I was summoned to the president’s office a week after he found me through Jae Young. Karissa and Quinn attended the meeting, along with the Exchange Student Program Coordinator and Chul Hoon’s groupie (or girlfriend). Jae Young had tried to attend the meeting too, but I wouldn’t let him come near me.

As luck would have it, BTS was on tour in Japan, so I didn’t have to worry about them finding Yoongi. I knew no one would be able to figure out who (or what) he was because the club was dark and his face had been covered most of the time. When I walked into the room, Chul Hoon was sitting beside his father, looking mad as hell and if I had to guess, it was because there was no Suga in sight. It was my one consolation in this hellish meeting.

“So my son informed me that the damage to his nose was caused by you and your boyfriend. I know that kids like to go out and party, but I just don’t understand why you would put your hands on him, Walker-ssi. Behavior like that isn’t fitting of someone on our basketball team,” The president told me, glancing at me coldly. I nodded stiffly, feeling Quinn shift in her seat and grip the edge of the couch. She was trying to hold in her anger.

“Sir, your son said callous and discriminatory things to Niah. The fight that resulted was a direct response to his rude and unkind actions,” Karissa stated, going into “doctor mode” as we liked to call it. She had a notepad in front of her with several notes, detailing the events as they took place, “Would you like to hear what he said to her?”

The president looked taken aback by Karissa’s preparedness, but shook his head, “No, I believe I’ve heard enough from my son.”

“But sir-” The Exchange Student Program Coordinator Mrs. Joon was a bookish woman, with big glasses and a wise smile. She always treated the three of us kindly and when I explained the situation to her before the meeting, she immediately took my side.

“No, Joon-ssi. That’s quite enough.” The president began, casting his steely gaze around the room until his gaze landed on me, “You have two options at this point, Walker-ssi. I have decided to be generous, given that you are from America and maybe unsure of our customs here. You can either pay my son for the damages that were done to him, or you can be dismissed from the basketball team and expelled from our school.”

Quinn exploded beside me, “Are you serious?!”

I touched her arm, trying to calm her down. At this point, Chul Hoon was grinning like he had won the best prize ever, “Either you or your boyfriend can pay me. I’ll accept it from whomever.”

I glared, “No one is paying you anything.”

The president cleared his throat, “Oh right, in regards to your boyfriend, I’ll need his name and personal information so we can contact him about this matter as well.”

I blanched at the idea of telling them anything about Yoongi. I couldn’t continue to let him be attached to this. I had to do something and I wasn’t sure what. I bit my lip, looking down at my nails, stalling for time, as I racked my brain for something… anything!

Suddenly, an idea dawned on me. I sighed heavily, turning my gaze pointedly towards Chul Hoon, “I don’t have any contact information to give either of you. I think your son was too drunk to remember, but there were no guys there with us.”

Every head in the room swiveled in my direction. Internally, I prayed to the Heavens that this worked. I had to absolve Yoongi of everything or his career would be over. He put himself on the line for me, and I had to return the favor. I wasn’t going to let them touch him. Ever.

“Excuse me?” Chul Hoon shouted, slapping his hand down on the chair.

Karissa jumped in quickly, coming to my rescue, “According to public records, sir, your son has been involved in at least four public intoxication incidents. I also know from working at our on-campus clinic that he often comes to detox after a particularly busy weekend. I know for a fact that he was drunk that evening as well.”

The president opened his mouth to speak, but Quinn hopped on the train, adding fuel to my story, “Sir, there were no guys there with us that night. The three of us went to the club together and left together too. Your son just wants to hide the fact that…. That….”

“I did it,” the words fell from my lips before I could stop them and think rationally. I was desperate, but I had to commit to this lie. This was the story I’d go with. This was the only one I would tell. Yoongi could *not* get in trouble for this.

“W-WHAT?” Chul Hoon screamed, jumping out of his chair at this point, “Appa, she’s lying through her teeth! A man hit me!”

“Yes, she’s lying!” Chul Hoon’s groupie shouted, pointing at me accusingly.

“No, it was me!” I jumped out of my chair, rushing Chul Hoon before anyone could touch me. I grabbed his collar menacingly, yanking him forward, “Would you like me to demonstrate?” I ground out icily, raising my fist in the air. Chul Hoon visibly swallowed, closing his eyes as he waited for my fist to land on his face.

“Niah!” Karissa gasped, and it took both Quinn and Mrs. Joon to get me off of him. I wasn’t planning on actually hitting him,, but I had to do whatever I could to convince them that Suga wasn’t there.

“You-! You dare to act like this in MY office?! You’re removed from the basketball team! YOU’RE EXPELLED FROM MY UNIVERSITY!” The president hollered, knocking his chair over as he stood, “GET OUT!”

The three of us bowed collectively and ran out of the office, with Mrs. Joon not too far behind us. I made it to the stairwell before my legs gave out from under me, crumbling against the wall as tears poured down my face. I wasn’t a violent or particularly angry person, but I had to create the narrative that I was. I had to distract them somehow, so that they wouldn’t try to look any further than me. I knew there would be dire consequences for what I had just done, but none of that mattered if Suga was okay.

My sobs grew, wracking my body as Quinn and Karissa crowded around me, hugging me close and shielding me from wandering eyes.

“He’s safe this way,” I choked out, bawling as the anxiety and fear of my actions suffocated me. But I knew I had to do this. It was the only way to protect Yoongi.

“Niah,” Karissa murmured, patting my hair. I cried in earnest, repeating those words over and over in my head.

It took a while for me to get it together long enough to make the walk back to our dorm room. As soon as the door was closed, Quinn turned to me angrily, “Niah, what the hell were you thinking?! Why are you so damn impulsive?!”

“Quinn, don’t be mad at her; she did it to protect Suga,” Karissa stated sadly, rubbing my back.

Quinn scoffed, “You’ve been with him for barely three months! You’re protecting your superstar like he’s going to have your back! Do you know what famous people do to people like us?! Do you realize that he’s never going to support you like you supported him? You just put your entire future at risk for him. Niah, this extends past that idiot’s racist comment -- you’re going to get sent back to America!”

Karissa stood up, frowning at Quinn, “You don’t need to yell at her! She’s feeling ty enough as it is!”

Quinn scoffed angrily, tears pooling in her eyes, “And she should! You think some K-Pop Idol is going to stand up for you? Wake up, girl! We’re Black women in South Korea, no one is here for us! They might talk a good game but this is *worse* than home. You’re just a prize to them! Something those dudes check off of their list of “exotic experiences”. Wake! UP!”

Even though Quinn was hollering at me, the tears that sprang to her eyes definitely weren’t just from this situation. She deflated when I didn’t respond to her at all, still consumed by my own sadness. She dropped down onto the bed beside me, hugging me close to her, “What am I going to do without you here?” She asked tearfully, crying as she held me tighter.

Karissa took one look at the two of us and started crying too. She hugged my other side, “We’ll be together no matter where we are,” she said, and the three of us began to cry together.

Suga’s POV

Our tour around Japan was only a week long, which was great for me, because I wanted to get back to Seoul as soon as possible. Niah had texted me as usual during our tour but I started to get the feeling that something was off. She would avoid phone calls with me and she wouldn’t voice chat at all. I was trying to manage being in a relationship while also touring and working on everything else, but she wasn’t making it easy for me.

I was staring at my phone, wondering when Niah would respond to my latest text, when out of the blue, she called me. I was shocked to hear her voice, but it soothed my anxiety a little bit.

“Niah?”

“Oppa, do you have any activities planned tonight?” She asked softly, and my breath hitched unexpectedly. Niah had never called me oppa before, but internally, I was so happy to hear the endearment that I didn’t think to ask her what made her use it.

“I’m free at 10 pm.”

“I will meet you at the basketball court then, ok? Let’s play a game.”

“Niah, I don’t-”

“Oppa, please? I’m not having the best day right now.”

I melted at the sound of her voice. Niah never asked me for anything, so even if I wasn’t really in the mood to play, I would do just about anything she asked.

“Okay, I’ll be there.”

I made it to the courts at 9:45 that night. Niah appeared about ten minutes later, and I stared in surprise as she stepped onto the court with me.

The first thing I noticed was her hair. Niah had taken her braids out, her hair reaching her shoulders now in thick waves. She smiled nervously, and I couldn’t help but notice how tired she looked. For some reason, Niah seemed downright exhausted.

“Hey,” she said shyly, tucking her hair behind her ear. I bit my lip, caught between wanting to hug her and wanting to touch her hair, since I had never seen it like that before. I resisted the urge though and hugged her to me instead. She sighed heavily as soon as my arms came around her, and I tightened my hold on her, not sure how to handle the dejected woman in front of me.

“You okay?” I asked, pulling back so I could get a good look at her face. She didn’t have any visible signs of tears, so I could be thankful of that at least.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” she replied, a dim smile on her face that looked a bit… off. I frowned, not sure what was going on, but I didn’t want to push it. She’d tell me when she was ready.

Niah’s POV

I felt guilty for lying to Yoongi, but I couldn’t tell him about any of the things that had happened to me in the last two weeks. I had been kicked off of the basketball team, and the university was forcing me to go back to my old school by the end of the month. I wouldn’t be allowed to remain in the country after the paperwork was filed, and I knew I was running out of time.

My Dad was pissed when I called him with the news. It wasn’t until he saw me sobbing during our Skype call that he apologized for getting upset with me. I apologized for being a ty daughter and a disappointment, to which both he and my little brother disagreed vehemently. Daddy even offered to fly to Seoul to help me get all my things, but I had already packed most of my belongings and was in the process of shipping them home.

I released a breath as I told myself once again that everything I did was to keep Yoongi safe. It was what got me through the day -- what helped me tape up each box of my belongings, even if I had a breakdown every time.

I picked up the basketball I had brought with me, “Let’s play a game, Yoongi-ah. If you win, I’ll grant you one wish. And if I win, you’ll grant me a wish. Deal?”

“What can I wish for?” Yoongi asked curiously, removing his jacket. He took off his hat with a smile as he remembered what I had done the last time he played while wearing one.

“Anything you want.” I told him with a wry smile. It didn’t matter what his wish was though; I was going to win this.

“Anything?”

“Yep. Anything you want.”

Yoongi’s eyes sparkled at the idea of asking me for whatever he wanted. I wasn’t sure what sort of request he had in mind, but I wasn’t going to lose to find out. This was the only thing I could do for him, before I left.

We played for thirty minutes. At first, Yoongi was just playing around, not really trying hard to play against me. He soon learned that that was a mistake, because I scored three baskets before he finally realized that I wasn’t joking around.

In the end, I won by a single point. Both of us were gasping for breath by the end of the game; that’s how hard we were playing against one another. I dropped to the ground in relief, wiping the sweat from my face with a towel.

“Niah,” Yoongi began, but I tossed him a water bottle, distracting him from whatever he was going to say.

“I won, so that means you have to grant my wish.”

Yoongi smiled in amusement and nodded, waiting to hear my request.

“I want to spend a day with you. No one else, no interruptions. A full 24 hours, just you and me.”

Yoongi’s eyes widened and he was stunned into silence. I realized my request probably seemed really forward and also, hard for him to fulfill, but I had to try. I couldn’t leave without telling him properly, but I wanted to plan it carefully. Yoongi pulled out his cell phone, looking through his schedule, as I waited with bated breath.

“I have a free day next Wednesday,” he told me with a warm smile.

I nodded, “Okay, next Wednesday will be perfect.”

Yoongi glanced at me curiously, “But Niah, why’d you want to play a game to ask me that? We could have just planned something.”

“I wanted to make sure all that dancing on stage hasn’t dulled your skills,” I told him smartly, a small smile making it’s way to my face.

“You only won by one point, you know.”

“You didn’t let me win on purpose, did you, oppa?” I questioned, batting my eyelashes dramatically and taking on a cutesy tone.

Yoongi laughed, poking my foot with his, “I’d never.”

I nodded, totally sure that he meant his words, “I know.”

Suga’s POV

As soon as I opened my eyes on Wednesday, Niah arrived at the doorstep of our dorm, hands laden with bags. She made me an American breakfast and helped me pack an overnight bag, complete with an outfit change for a fancy dinner later in the day. She had arranged for us to do lots of things for our full day date.

We started with a hike out on a nearby mountain, something that I wasn’t the biggest fan of, but I definitely enjoyed the picnic we had when we reached the top. Niah had filled a basket with a combination of Korean and American foods that she had made, by hand. I was in awe of how good everything tasted, and I complimented her as I ate as much as I wanted.

When we came back down from the mountain after lunch, Niah took me to the movie theater where we had our first date. I was glad that she enjoyed the place enough to want to come back. She had apparently met the owner on her own, who let us use an empty room for ourselves.

“How’d you do this, Niah?” I asked in surprise, as I realized we were the only two people in the theater. Niah just smiled in reply and told me with a laugh that I could choose our seats.

We both stayed awake for the entire movie this time, and I still couldn’t believe that Niah had planned everything so meticulously. I knew she had probably recruited Quinn’s help, but I was proud to have such a thoughtful person showing me a different side of Seoul. She really went above and beyond to fill up our day.

By the time the movie ended, it was almost 6 pm and I was sure that Niah had reached the end of her plans, but she hadn’t -- there was more. We drove to the innermost part of the city towards a massive hotel, where Niah pulled into the parking garage. She parked the rental car and told me to grab both of our bags.

“I had to use Quinn’s connections to get this for us,” Niah told me with a wink, and I wondered just how many people her supermodel roommate actually knew. Niah placed a black baseball cap on my head, and handed me a face mask before pressing the button to call the elevator, “You won’t have to wear this the entire time, I promise.”

I nodded, simply following her lead. We went through the lobby and straight for the elevators, where she pulled a room key out of her purse. I hadn’t even known she had it with her. She punched in a floor number and stood beside me, as we rode in silence, both of us lost in thought.

This was the longest date I had ever been on, but I found myself excited to find out what we would do next.

Niah’s POV

We finally reached the hotel room and I grinned when Yoongi stepped in behind me, with a murmured “Woooooow” as he took a look at the room. It wasn’t anything super fancy or ritzy, but it was nicer than both of our dorms. He set our bags down on the single bed in our room and turned to me expectantly as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

“I made a dinner reservation for us at the hotel’s restaurant upstairs. We’ve got about two hours, though, so we can take a little break.”

Yoongi frowned thoughtfully and I giggled, walking over to him to sit in his lap. I kissed his forehead, “What’s wrong?”

“You’re doing so much for me,” he said, biting his lip with a worried expression, “I didn’t...forget anything, right?”

“Forget anything? Like my birthday or something? Of course not!” I replied, with a laugh.

Yoongi nodded, watching my expression closely, “So what’s all this?”

I patted his cheek, sliding off his lap, “I just wanted to make up for lost time,” I told him nonchalantly, hoping he didn’t question what I meant. I stretched my arms above my head, picking up my overnight bag, “We have two hours to get ready for dinner and it’s going to take me at least half of that to do something with my hair. Do you mind if I shower first?”

He nodded, still regarding me thoughtfully. I stepped into the bathroom, releasing a deep breath as I closed the door behind me. Hopefully, Yoongi didn’t catch on to anything.

I the shower and decided to focus on getting ready. When I was finished with my shower, Yoongi and I traded places, leaving me to work on my make-up and hair while he got ready. I was making the final touches on my hair when he stepped behind the closet door to start getting dressed. I forced myself to not look in his direction, intent on looking my best for tonight. I stood up and removed my robe, revealing my black, off-the-shoulder high-low cocktail dress. I sat on the edge of the bed to put on my strappy black heels when the closet door closed firmly and Yoongi stepped into view. At that point, I completely forgot what I was doing.

It really wasn’t fair that he was so… gorgeous. Yoongi smirked when he saw how I was staring at him. He wore black slacks and dress shoes with a white dress shirt that had the top three buttons undone. His blazer was black as well, with silk lapels and he had the nerve to wear a pair of black half-rimmed glasses to finish off the look.

I was struggling to form a coherent sentence and his smile just grew wider.

“Niah.” He said simply and I think I nodded, but I wasn’t sure. He chuckled and came closer to me, bending to slip one of my shoes on my feet. I was still staring and he laughed again, putting on my other shoe. “If you keep staring, I’ll start to wonder if I’m ugly or something.”

I blinked, shaking myself out of stupor, “Yoongi, that’s not even possible,” I said softly, feeling embarrassed at how long I’d checked him out. He helped me to my feet, gripping my shoulders as he stepped away to get a good look at me. Yoongi turned me gently so he could see my outfit from all sides.

He took my hand when he was finished, “Beautiful,” he murmured and I felt heat rush to my cheeks. He touched my cheek gently, “I wonder if I can bring a date to the Billboards next time?”

I giggled nervously; I’d probably faint in front of all those cameras, “I’m definitely not going with you!”

Yoongi mocked a hurt expression, “My own girlfriend thinks I’m too ugly to be seen with her. Ouch.”

I laughed genuinely this time, “Let’s get some food to help you feel better.” I grabbed my purse and cell phone, making sure we had our room key before we headed out to the elevator. When I pressed the button, I grabbed Yoongi by the arm and held up my phone. We had a mini photo session while we waited for the elevator, making silly faces and y poses. Just as the elevator dinged for our floor, I pressed a kiss to Yoongi’s cheek and took the photo, which earned me a full fledged kiss. The elevator opened and someone cleared their throat to get our attention. We broke apart, blushing furiously as we got on the elevator with a few other couples, also heading up to the rooftop restaurant.

The restaurant was fancy and beautiful, with a full view of the city all around us. With the sun setting low in the sky, we were escorted to our table out on the patio. The temperature was nice and so was the atmosphere. The city lights were starting to flicker on, one-by-one as we sat down and ordered our food. I enjoyed the idle chatter around us and the city views for a minute, when I felt eyes on me.

I turned to find Yoongi watching me with an unreadable look in his eyes. I lifted an eyebrow, curious about his expression, “Do I have something on my face?”

He smiled slightly, shaking his head, “No. I was just thinking that this is my first time having dinner with my girlfriend in a place like this.”

I grinned, glad that I wasn’t the only one, “Me too, actually.”

Yoongi reached across the table to take my hand, “I’m glad to be your first then.”

I bit my lip, definitely not missing the double meaning of those words. I blushed, “Me too,” I mumbled, and much to my chagrin, Yoongi laughed at my reply. A waiter came by with champagne and I admit I was more than happy for the bit of liquid courage. Yoongi poured me a glass, which I accepted gratefully. We fell into a steady conversation, talking about everything and nothing in particular. I realized that Yoongi had gotten more comfortable with me, voicing his opinions on each topic we discussed. He seemed a lot less guarded lately, which I was thankful for.

“Niah, have you been to Daegu before?” Yoongi asked suddenly, and I was sure that if I gripped my champagne glass any tighter, it was going to shatter in my hand. I drained my glass, shaking my head wordlessly as I busied myself with pouring another. “There’s a restaurant there that I want to take you to. You’ll like it,” he told me with a secret smile and I wanted to cry because I knew exactly what he was trying to tell me.

“It’s… it’s your Mom’s restaurant, right?” I asked softly, because I’m apparently a glutton for punishment.

Yoongi’s smile spread across his face, “You know?”

“Karissa was ARMY before I met her; when we started dating, she showed me all the fan pages,” I admitted sheepishly, smiling as our waiter appeared with our food. Once our plates were in front of us, we resumed our conversation, “And you told me you were from Daegu, remember? I’ve never been there before, but I heard that people call it ‘Apple City’.”

Yoongi nodded, chewing his food thoughtfully. He gazed at me seriously after a moment, putting his knife and fork down, “Is that okay?”

For about the fifth time today, I had to fight off tears. Yoongi had been so sweet to me all day, not knowing what I was keeping from him… Not knowing that I wouldn’t be here to fulfill his wish. I didn’t want to crush his hopes either, so I smiled genuinely and pushed the guilt away, “I would love to meet your family, Yoongi. And eat your Mom’s food,” I added, with a laugh.

That seemed to be the answer he wanted to hear, because he beamed, finally going back to his meal, “Her food tastes great.”

Once we finished with our food, another bottle of champagne came to our table, and we got two fancy cakes as our dessert. Just as I put a forkful of my dessert in my mouth, a rumble of thunder erupted in the distance. Both Yoongi and I turned just as a lightning bolt struck far on the other side of the city.

“Uh-oh,” I said, with a tipsy giggle. Yoongi chuckled, reaching over to taste some of my cheesecake. I stole some of his cake as a trade-off. It tasted great with another glass of champagne.

“We should probably finish up soon,” He said, looking in the direction of the lightning. I nodded, but because I was tipsy, I took a little longer than I should to finish up.

Just as a waiter came over to tell us that the forecast was calling for rain, the first few drops fell on my head. A loud clap of thunder shook in the air and suddenly, the drops were multiplied by the hundreds. A lady at the far end of the balcony screamed about her dress getting wet, so our waiter took off to help her. Yoongi grabbed my hand as he jumped up, removing his blazer to cover our heads. I giggled and we rushed to the inside of the restaurant, just as a downpour began. I was only a little damp, and Yoongi’s blazer had shielded us both from any further damage. Since our dinner was over, we decided to head back to our hotel room.

No one was in the elevator when the both of us stepped in, Yoongi brushing water off of his jacket. I bit my lip as I watched him, the alcohol making me hyper aware of the fact that we were in an elevator together, alone. I examined him from head-to-toe, my gaze zooming in on the bit of flesh exposed by his dress shirt. My mouth suddenly felt dry, as I my lips unconsciously. I stepped into his personal space before I could stop myself.

“Niah-,” Yoongi looked up to say something to me, but the look on my face made him pause. Whatever it was, the words were long forgotten when I stepped up on my toes to press a heated kiss to his lips. His arm came around my waist, pulling me in closer and his scent surrounded me. He kissed me thoroughly, turning to push me back against the corner of the elevator. We were gasping for breath when the elevator finally reached our floor. We separated long enough to get off of the elevator. Yoongi took my hand, asking for the room key as he led me down the hall.

He pressed a kiss to my fingertips, as he pushed the door open, tossing his blazer on a chair. He pulled me back against him, devouring my mouth with his. I moaned against him as he stepped out of his shoes and kicked them away, still walking backwards with me following him slowly. When he finally sat down on the edge of the bed, he pulled away from me, helping me out of my shoes. Once my shoes had joined his halfway across the room, Yoongi moved to his shirt. I stilled his fingers by covering them with my own. We both stared at each other for a moment, breathing heavily.

“Let me,” I whispered, breathlessly.

End Chapter 11