Suga in My Coffee

6. Cane
 

Niah’s POV

If this was a dream, I never ever wanted to wake up. I was half-conscious when Suga pressed his mouth to mine, but by the time he pulled away for air, I was wide awake, my heart thudding in my chest. I could feel my cheeks burning hotly, but the visible blush spreading across Suga’s cheeks made me even warmer.

"Ah, I should have asked for permission first," Suga said breathily, biting his bottom lip.

I shook my head, "You never have to ask," I blurted out then blush at how forward that sounded, “Suga-ssi-” I started to say, trying to recover from my embarrassing blunder.

Before I could say anymore, Suga’s phone vibrated in his pocket again and he gave me an apologetic look, removing his phone and pressing it to his ear. I smiled reassuringly and sat up properly, gathering my things while he talked on the phone. I could only hear bits and pieces of the conversation but I had no idea who he was talking to. When he was done, Suga stood up, placing his phone back in his pocket and holding out his hand.

“Ready?”

I felt like his question had a double meaning to it, though I’m sure it didn’t. I accepted his hand gratefully, allowing him to help me out of my chair. We didn’t say much as we headed out of the theater, but Suga stopped me out on the sidewalk.

“Niah-ssi, I have to go back to the company for an emergency practice. Some of the choreography got changed at the last minute and we have to have it down before our broadcast tomorrow.”

“Oh…” I replied softly, trying to keep the dejected tone out of my voice. Apparently, it didn’t work because Suga frowned, a conflicted expression on his face. He eyed me for a moment, looking me over thoughtfully. I could practically hear the wheels turning in his brain. Finally, he grabbed both of my hands in his, a mischievous smile spreading across his face. I felt my stomach do a flip; he looked hot and adorable all at once.

“Come with me instead,” he said finally, and I blanched. How many people would be there to watch this practice? Could I even go?

I hadn’t realized I asked these questions out loud because Suga laughed, releasing one of my hands to flag down a taxi, “It’ll just be the members; you can come.”

“A-Are you sure? I don’t… I won’t be in the way, right?”

“Well, if you stand in the way...” He replied, with a chuckle.

“Suga-ssi, don’t tease me!” I cried, cutting him off. He laughed loudly as the cab finally pulled up. He gave directions to Big Hit and we sat in the back of the taxi, sitting close together and holding hands. I tried to calm the nervous butterflies fluttering in my chest. The members had met me before, so I hoped that they didn’t mind me being at their practice.

The drive back to Big Hit felt impossibly short. Suga helped me out of the car, but released his hold on my hand once we were fully out of the vehicle. I figured he wanted to prevent any type of scandal with the people at his company, and I couldn’t fault him for that. We walked into the building amongst other employees, and I tried to take slow, steady breaths to keep from freaking out. Suga greeted lots of people, bowing to some and just saying hello to others. I followed his lead with each person, wanting to be invisible, but knowing that I wasn’t. Only a few people noticed me and none of them spoke to me directly.

We were halfway to the dance studio when Suga suddenly invaded my space again. He took my hand firmly and gave me a half-smile, “I’ll say sorry in advance.”

“For what?”

He didn’t answer me as we walked the rest of the way to the studio. Suga opened the door and I tried to hide behind him as we entered together. There, in the mirrored room, sat the rest of BTS, minus Jimin.

“Yoongi-hyung, did you go home to get somethi-? Niah-noona?!” Taehyung cried, jumping up from the floor when I appeared behind Suga with a wave. I laughed as he stared at us both wide-eyed. Suga rolled his eyes playfully, and took me over to an empty chair. I put my things down as the rest of the group watched us, a mixture of surprise and amusement on their faces.

“Yoongi-hyung, you were with Niah-ssi? Were you on a date?” J-Hope grinned, wiggling his eyebrows at us. I laughed, but Suga didn’t look amused at all.

“Where’s Jimin-ah?” Suga replied, changing the subject completely. J-Hope laughed to himself and went back to stretching his legs.

“He should be here any minute.” Rap Mon replied, turning to wink at me. I nodded in greeting and Suga huffed, pretending to ignore us both.

Jimin strolled through the door, all smiles, “Hey everyone!” He noticed me in the corner, after greeting the others in the room, “Oh~! Is that our Coffee-noona?!” Jimin gasped at the sight of me and I giggled all over again. Jimin made a beeline for me, grinning widely, “Are you taking a break to visit us?”

“Yoongi-yah brought Niah-ssi to practice.” Jin stated matter-of-factly, a secret smile spreading across his face.

“Yoongi-hyung! You brought our Coffee-noona with you?”Jimin teased Suga, running over to give him a bear hug. Suga flicked his forehead to get him away. Both guys were grinning at each other, so I knew they were just teasing one another.

“Yeah, she’s our audience today.”

“Oh, that’s a good idea, Yoongi-hyung!” V said, clapping his hands together.

“Let us know if you see anything out of place, Niah-noona,” Jungkook told me with a boyish smile. I tried not to blush and nodded shyly -- it should be illegal to have so many beautiful guys in one room.

Rap Monster pulled a remote control out of his pocket and pressed a button. As the music began to pour through the speakers, I watched as Min Yoongi changed into another person entirely. This was the difference between Suga and the guy who had fallen asleep beside me in the movie theater. His stage presence was intense and the energy level in the room raised significantly.

As the guys went through their routine, I tried to focus on the entire group as a whole, but my gaze kept going back to Suga. He stepped forward, front and center, and looked directly at me as he rapped along to his verse on the track. He winked at me before diving low to the ground, as Jungkook suddenly exploded out of nowhere and literally jumped over his head. I was in absolute awe of everyone’s athleticism and talent. I hadn’t really been into K-Pop before coming to South Korea, but I can definitely say I understood why they had so many fans.

As the song played its final notes, I realized I was out of breath just from watching them. V made an adorable aegyo pose at the very end and I grinned, feeling all of my nervous energy dissipate as I clapped loudly for them at the end.

“And now we just have to do it like that…. 10 more times,” J-Hope said once I stopped clapping, stretching his arms over his head.

Suga nodded in agreement with J-Hope, walking back over to me. He touched my shoulder softly, “Niah-ssi, you don’t have to sit here and watch us practice the entire time. If you need to go-”

I shook my head, not even bothering to let him finish, “I’m fine. I’m enjoying myself! This is definitely the most interesting thing I’ve done today.” I said, with a smile. Suga returned my expression and went back over to the others. Rap Mon started the music and they began all over again.

An hour had passed when I got a text from Quinn asking where I was and how my date was going. She and Kari wanted to grab dinner with me, but they weren’t sure if my date had ended. I texted her back to tell her what I was doing and less than five seconds later, I got a message from Kari, in all caps.

‘OMG, GET US IN THERE TOO!’

I snorted out loud and then realized where I was. The guys snickered mid-routine, and I blushed in embarrassment, furiously typing on my phone. Quinn asked if I wanted to invite the guys to dinner and I felt those nervous butterflies again. Would they be offended if I asked the entire group to hang out with my roommates and me? Maybe they’d be suspicious? I didn’t want to be too aggressive since they were technically celebrities… and *also* Suga’s friends.

As if Quinn heard my thoughts on the other side of Seoul, she sent me another text: ‘The worst thing they can say is no.’

She did have a point. The music finally died down once again and J-Hope laid flat out on the floor, “I can’t move anymore!”

V followed suit, “Me either!” He cried, stretching out his limbs. Suga kicked V’s foot playfully and came back over to me, “You ok?”

“I’m fine! I was just texting my roommates.”

Seven heads swiveled in my direction before Suga voiced the question that was clearly on their minds, “Roommates?”

“Yeah, I share a dorm with two other American girls,” I said, and then threw caution to the wind, “Actually, they were asking me if I wanted to have dinner or go to the noraebang that Quinn takes her clients to.”

“Quinn?” Jin asked, and I realized that I really hadn’t mentioned my roommates at all to Suga, or anyone else in the room for that matter.

“Clients?” Rap Monster echoed in the same tone, and I wanted to laugh because “clients” sounded sort of questionable.

“Ah, sorry, sorry. Let me try again: My roommates, Quinn and Karissa, wanted to have dinner at a noraebang that Quinn loves. The food there is really good.”

“Good food?! Let’s go,” Jin said, rubbing his tummy. I grinned, hoping the others would say yes too.

“Hyung, I wanna go too!” Jungkook cried, raising his hand in the air.

“If Niah-ssi’s roommates are as pretty as she is, I’m definitely going,” Rap Mon said with a wink, and I had to physically stop myself from rolling my eyes. He was corny but sweet, so I laughed instead.

“I made plans with my friend,” V said, pouting adorably, “Invite me next time too, please, Niah-noona?”

“I don’t really want to go to noraebang right now, so I’ll pass,” J-Hope said, and I tried not to make a face. Karissa was going to be disappointed about that!

“I can’t come this time, but I promise to come visit you soon, ok, Coffee-noona?” Jimin told me with his angelic smile. It was hard to be upset with a face like his.

“Awwww, it’s okay, Jimin-ssi! We can make plans some other time,” I replied in a cutesy voice, wanting to squeeze his adorable cheeks. Both Jimin and Suga blushed and turned away from me, covering their mouths. J-Hope burst out laughing at their expression, while I blinked at them in confusion, “What??”

Rap Mon came over to me and patted my shoulder, “I’m suddenly worried for Yoongi-hyung,” he told me with a chuckle. I looked back at him in confusion when my phone buzzed from another text. Quinn was asking me for an update.

“So who’s coming to the noraebang again? Me, Rap Mon-ssi, Jin-ssi, anddddddddd Jungkook-ssi?”

“Niah-ssi, you can call me by my real name,” Namjoon said with a laugh.

I nodded as Suga turned towards me once again, “Would you like to come with us too?”

“I’m not leaving you with them,” Suga replied resolutely, which caused everyone to laugh all over again. I quickly gave Quinn the headcount and let her know we were headed her way. The guys headed to a dressing room to freshen up and change, while I scheduled a taxi to pick us up. In no time, we were all piled up in a taxi van, headed towards the noraebang. We chatted aimlessly during the car ride over, the guys mostly asking me questions about my hometown and my school. Suga sat right beside me the entire time, holding my hand in the darkness. It was comforting since I was a little worried about how the guys would respond to my best friends and one of our favorite hangouts.

We were pulling up to the noraebang when Jungkook inhaled sharply and audibly. He his lips before asking, “Are those your roommates, noona?”

I turned to look out of the window just as the cab drove by the entrance, seeing both Quinn and Karissa standing out front. Namjoon told the cab driver to stop the car, and we all hopped out. Karissa was waving cheerfully at us in a floaty dress that accented her curvy figure while Quinn stood beside her, regal and gorgeous as usual in a floral romper and wedges.

I ran forward to hug my besties and looped them both around the necks, turning them away from the guys, “Do. Not. Fangirl. Kari.” I whispered tersely, to which Karissa laughed nervously and Quinn chuckled loudly. Both girls shrugged me off and turned back towards the group who wore interesting expressions, to say the least.

Namjoon was straight staring at Quinn like he couldn’t look away. Suga looked at me curiously while Jin was looking around at the area and the entrance of the noraebang. Jungkook was the weirdest one, his gaze flickering between the left of me and then at everything else, but that spot. I looked to my left to see Karissa grinning widely at everyone, and lifted an eyebrow, before turning back to watch Jungkook. He was absolutely looking at Karissa. He his lips again and I blinked, making a mental note to observe him later.

For now, introductions needed to be made.

“Everyone, these are my roommates: Karissa,” I said, touching Kari’s shoulder first, then Quinn’s, ”And Quinn. We’ve been living together for almost a year now.”

Both of my friends said their greetings before I pointed in the direction of the guys, “And this is-”

“Come on, Niah, we know who they are,” Quinn told me in English, and Karissa giggled, nodding her head.

“Well yeah, but it’s only fair, right?”

Quinn shook her head, laughing at me. She stepped forward and addressed the guys in her flawless Korean, “This is my favorite noraebang because I know the owner. Everything will be free of charge with one stipulation,” she told me, holding up a single manicured finger.

“And what’s that?” Namjoon asked her lowly, turning up his charm to the max. Even his voice was lower than it had been in the car. Quinn lifted an eyebrow and I wasn’t sure if she was intrigued or surprised.

“Since you guys are popular, the owner asked that you don’t mention this place to your fans. She doesn’t want millions of screaming ARMYs in here. However, you’re free to tell your fellow idols, if you enjoy yourself.”

“And are you part of our ARMY?” Namjoon questioned, with a winning smile.

Quinn replied with a winning smile of her own, not missing a beat, “Hardly.”

Both Karissa and I stared wide-eyed at Quinn’s back in surprise. Had she really said that? She could have just lied to them!

Instead of being offended though, Namjoon laughed genuinely. His smile grew if that was possible, and he offered his hand, “You’ve got a deal,” he replied to Quinn in English, and the two shook on it.

I watched the entire exchange in awe. I couldn’t believe he wasn’t annoyed by Quinn’s attitude, but she wasn’t the type to lie to others. Neither were Karissa and me, but we definitely weren’t brave enough to do what Quinn just did.

Quinn led the way into the noraebang where the owner greeted us and reminded the guys of their promise. It was quiet out in the hall, but the place had great lighting and was really clean. It wasn’t super fancy but it wasn’t run down either. We were ushered into a large room with two round tables and a curved sofa pushed against the wall. There was a small, circular stage with a microphone set-up at the front of the room with a huge projector screen against the wall. In the far right corner was a touchscreen computer on top of an entertainment center with glass windows showcasing the fancy sound system. Three microphones sat in a charging dock beside the all-in-one computer.

We were handed menus and told to order whatever we want. Quinn sat down at the edge of the couch, closest to the door, and Namjoon immediately snagged the seat next to her. Jin sat beside him, with me and Suga in the center of the couch. Karissa sat at the end and Jungkook sat down beside her, biting his lip and holding up a menu in a way that concealed his face. I nudged Suga and slightly inclined my head in Karissa’s direction, looking pointedly at the youngest member of the group. Suga shrugged slightly and reached over me to grab a menu, distracting me momentarily.

“Are the other members busy?” Karissa asked, feigning nonchalance. I laughed and Quinn smirked, causing Suga to glance at me questioningly.

“J-Hope is her bias,” I said in a stage whisper, causing Quinn to giggle outright and Karissa swatted at me, flushing in embarrassment. I managed to catch a pout on Jungkook’s face before he moved back to hiding behind the menu.

“Hobie’s your bias? Not me?” Jin said, with an adorable pout. That made everyone laugh and I couldn’t think of a better way to start our night. The waitress came in with drinks, staring wide-eyed at the members before Quinn got frustrated and helped her get the rest of the drinks off the tray in a rush. She got up and followed the waitress outside, and I jumped up, hoping to cover up Quinn’s hasty exit. She was a stickler for discretion since she translated for some high profile people.

“So who wants to go first?” I asked with a nervous laugh, motioning towards the touchscreen computer.

“Can you sing, Niah-ssi?” Namjoon questioned, and I shook my head adamantly, making an X in front of my face.

“Not at all,” I said, laughing genuinely this time.

Karissa giggled, “She can hold a note, but she’s no Beyonce.”

“Neither are you, Ms. Jennifer Hudson.”

Jungkook finally put the menu down, perking up at that, “You can sing, Karissa-noona? I’d love to hear you sing.”

Karissa blushed and I laughed, trying to save my friend from drowning in Jungkook’s boyish charm, “Why don’t we sing together, Kari?” I asked her in English, knowing that at best, Namjoon could understand what I said.

With a new waiter in tow, Quinn re-appeared, “Let’s get food ordered first, and then you two can start with Partition,” she told us both with a loud laugh. Karissa and I blanched at the mention of singing our favorite Beyonce song in front of the guys.

“Girl, we are NOT singing that!” Kari cried, shaking her head furiously.

“Queenie, seriously?!” I cried incredulously, making Quinn laugh harder.

“We always start with the same song anyway, so come order and then we can show BTS how we get down.” Quinn said, with a wink in Namjoon’s direction. He lifted his eyebrow, that amused smile still on his face.

After everyone ordered their food, the three of us went through our rendition of Bang Bang, one of our favorite songs from the States. Suga laughed when it was my turn to do the rap since I wasn’t much of a singer. It made me happy to see him enjoying himself with my friends and me.

By the time we were finished, some of the food had come in, as well as a few bottles of soju. Quinn grinned, taking her seat and asking Jin to give us his expert opinion on the food. He took a bite into the fried chicken and nodded excitedly, making an adorable noise at the back of his throat.

“Who’s next?” I asked, holding the mic out. Karissa put her mic away and took the other mic from me as I watched her in surprise.

“Ooohhhhhhhhhhh? We were just a warm-up, huh?”

“Go eat, NeeNee,” Karissa replied saucily, sticking her tongue out at me. She fired up an Adele song and went to town. Karissa had a beautiful singing voice, so no one minded the solo performance while we ate. I giggled when I noticed that Jungkook hadn’t touched any of his food -- he was watching Karissa so closely. I nudged Suga again and when he gave me a look of confusion, I leaned into him to whisper in his ear, “Does Jungkook normally stare this much?”

Suga smirked, shaking his head and turning back to lean into me to reply, “We call him impenetrable for a reason. I’ve never seen him like this.”

“What are you two over there whispering about?’ Quinn asked, leaning over Namjoon to make a face at me. He smiled, not moving an inch away from her.

I burst out laughing and reached for the soju, pouring my own drink and shaking my head, “Nothing, Your Highness.” I replied to her, in English.

She sat up straight when Namjoon turned to her, “Your Highness? What’s Niah-ssi talking about? Are you royalty, Quinn-ssi?”

Quinn laughed turning to take a shot of her soju then putting her glass down with a clack, “Not at all. It’s just what the girls call me. A nickname, if you will.”

Namjoon nodded, when Jin finally moved away from the food, “I’ll go next!” He said cheerfully, standing up. “Namjoon-ah, let’s sing together!”

“Jin-hyung, are you sure you want me?” Namjoon whined, even as he stood up and the rest of us laughed. The two sang VIXX’s Hyde with us egging them on. Neither really knew the routine for the song so they just wiggled around the stage. It was hilarious.

Quinn went next with Estelle’s American Boy and I wasn’t sure which was funnier, Quinn’s impromptu dance to go along with the song or Namjoon’s unwavering stare. I was literally expecting drool to pool on the floor at his feet after a while.

Suga and I were just nodding our heads to the music, when I spotted Jungkook leaning towards Kari, “Karissa-noona, you should sing with me,” Jungkook said, taking her hand, just as Quinn ended her song. Kari looked positively terrified but nodded anyway.

“Do you want to pick out the song?” She asked nervously, and Jungkook shook his head.

“You pick,” He said simply, that impish smile spreading across his face. I watched in amusement as Karissa laughed nervously while scrolling through the song selections. Finally, she chose a song and Jungkook’s expression turned to one of awe.

“Noona, did you know-?”

Karissa nodded, moving over to the stage, “Of course. That’s why I picked it.”

The look of admiration on Jungkook’s face was clear as day.

Tori Kelly’s Paper Hearts poured through the speakers and I gasped, immediately grabbing a napkin, “Noooooo, Kari! Not fair!”

Karissa shrugged, “Sorry, love."

The two started the song and I immediately felt my eyes tearing up. It was silly, but I couldn’t control myself every time I heard it the song here in Seoul. My 12-year-old baby brother had promised he'd learn to play the song by the time I went back home for good, and as a result, I missed him terribly every time I heard it. They were barely through the first verse when I knew I had to leave the room.

“Excuse me,” I mumbled, standing up and heading out into the hall. Quinn gave me a sympathetic look as I passed her since she knew what that song, in particular, did to me. I sniffed as I walked down the hall, heading to the restroom to gather myself together. I laughed at my own silliness, patting my cheeks with a paper towel. I took a few deep breaths and then refreshed my lip gloss. By the time I was done, I looked normal again. I inhaled and exhaled slowly, then let myself out of the restroom. I was halfway down the hall when I noticed Suga leaned up against the wall, waiting for me. He looked concerned when I finally reached him. He took my wrist and brought me into an empty karaoke room. It was dimly lit but we could still see one another clearly from the light of a nameless music video running on the projector screen.

Suga placed his hands on my shoulders, giving me a once-over before he asked, “Are you okay?”

“Oh, I’m fine. Just a crybaby,” I said, with a self-depreciating laugh.

When Suga’s hand touched my cheek gently, I held my breath unexpectedly, “You sure?”

“I’m fine, Suga-” I started to say, but cut myself off when Suga frowned. I blinked, unsure of what I’d said that made him wear that expression.

“You shouldn’t call me that.” He said as he gazed at me pointedly. His thumb caressed my cheek and I could feel my heartbeat accelerating.

“Call you what? Suga-ssi? Should I call you something else?”

He nodded and the intense expression on his face returned. I wasn’t sure how much more I could take, “You know my real name, right?”

I swallowed thickly. I had said his name a million times in my head, but what if it sounded weird when I said it out loud? I hadn’t been serious when I used it once before; that wasn’t anywhere near the same as this.

“M-Min Yoongi-ssi,” I struggled to remember the proper honorific to use in this situation because I could barely function as it was. Suga stepped closer into my personal space, cupping my other cheek with his hands. He backed me up against the door and I gasped a little when I felt my body leaning into the solid object. It was probably the only thing holding me up.

“Again.”

My head was swimming, heat rushing to my face. I knew I hadn’t had that much soju, but I felt like I had had an entire bottle all at once, “Yoongi-ssi,” I whispered again and in an instant, his lips were inches from mine.

“Can you remember to address me that way from now on?” He asked me, his breath ghosting against my lips as he stared into my eyes. I could barely remember my own damn name in that moment, but I nodded anyway.

When he tilted my head upward, my eyes slid shut and I felt the warm sensation of his lips pressing against mine. This kiss was different from our first one that had only happened hours before. I felt like my chest was going to explode from my out-of-control heartbeat and all the blood was rushing to my head.

When Yoongi released me for both of us to catch our breath, I dived back in, wrapping my arms around his neck and initiating our third liplock. He smiled against my lips, a chuckle barely escaping him as I tried to eliminate any space between us. I was sure the few glasses of soju I had went straight to my brain. His hands landed lightly on my waist and squeezed lightly when I leaned further into him.

We stayed there, kissing each other in that dim room for a few more moments before we both realized our friends would miss us if we were gone too long. Reluctantly, we headed back to the others and pretended to ignore everyone’s smug expressions when we walked back into the room, holding hands.

End Chapter 6

A/N: Was that too much too fast? Was Suga too aggressive? Let me know if I need to scale back; I don’t really want to make anyone seem too out-of-character. Thanks for reading!