Jennie’s the type to press on the brake before anything even starts.

When she smiles, the whole world shines with her. Those who have witnessed it can abide to its ability to melt the hearts of any. It’s the way the corner of her small lips curl upwards that cast men under her spell.

She’s sitting there, eyes belonging to unknown faces staring at her, judging her. She places her trademark smile on her lips expertly, the forced lie to it cannot be read. She’s faked such a reaction one too many times that somewhere down the line, it became an expertise. She’s not proud of it though. She longs for a reason to smile, to smile until her cheeks hurt, to smile without her knowing. But it’s been awhile since such a thing has happened.

But she waits…

The boys take interest in her. It’s apparent in the way they squirm in their seats as they attentively listen to her introduction. Her voice is firm yet soft, another adding point to her list of charms. Yet she doesn’t retaliate to any of their moves. Politely, she answers the set of questions thrown her way, even adding a bit of small talk here and there. She’s not interested though. She has a habit of forming lists in her brain, A list of pros and cons of any new person she meets. It’s horrible and maybe even too much of a shallow thing to do because first impressions aren’t always a good reflection of what a person truly is like; although, she cannot help it. It’s who she is. Three strikes and they’re out. She waits for another contender.

The other party does not know that she had long ago crossed them off. She has no ill feelings towards them. They’re nice decent people, she decides, but none of them are meant for her. She has gone through countless of these encounters, for her friends are fond of blind dating. It’s apparently a good way to meet new people. But she’s more of a traditional girl who believes in the fairy tale meetings where two worlds collide, where a red string attaches around two people, of a fated partner she has yet to find.

Still, she happily tags along when her friends ask her to participate because honestly, she doesn’t have much of an opportunity to meet new people. Despite her popularity, she barely keeps a handful of people by her side. She’s had some back in New Zealand, but distance and time had put a strain in their friendships and even their faces were starting to fade in her memories. Her teenage years are one that were spent sparingly if any, of short lived romances-or rather, flings. It’s the typical juvenile tale of exchanges between I like you’s that barely had any room for anything to sprout.

She enjoys her time there nonetheless. The guys are somewhat fun on a decent level and she’s pretty sure that if it wasn’t for her complicated job title, they’d be great people to hang out with on a daily basis. She finds herself being fed with satisfaction at the countless normality of events; from the simplistic debate of whether the newest film to hit theatre was good or not, to the ever so changing fashion trends. Yet, her heart fails to flutter nor does she retaliate to continuous their smooth advances.

That is until he comes through, bustling in the cafe like an unpredicted storm. His small quick steps are rough, matching that of his heavy breathing that barely slips out from his parted thin lips. His honey brown locks are slowly fading glistening as it falls over his darkened eyes that glance one by one to the crowd before it stops at her.  

It knocks Jennie from any strand of concentration that she was on, leaving her speechless in amidst a conversation she was having with Hyunjae. Or was his name Hyungjun? She cannot recall, nor does that slip of mind count much of a problem anymore as her eyes fall on him.  

The boy introduces himself as Kim Taehyung.

She however, is more accustomed to his other name, V.

Jennie’s pretty certain that she’s prohibited from befriending any new male celebrities, god forbid potentially dating one. At least that’s what she thinks. It’s an unspoken rule really. It took her practically a week to convince the managers to allow her out for the day without them and this is what she gets herself into. Then again, would she have been able to foretell the chance encounter with the daesang award winner?

I think not.

She transfers her bag onto the unoccupied seat to her side. She's not cocky enough to think that the boy would even choose to sit next to her, but just in case...just in case.

It doesn’t go unnoticed. The newcomer’s eyes fall on her small actions, but there’s not much that one can read off of his face for it remains stoic. He drags a chair from the next table and places it diligently by the head end table between the guys and the girls (an empty-yet occupied seat separating the two idols). To his sudden welcome, the singers exchange an awkward bow of the head.

“BLACKPINK Jennie-ssi right?”

“Ah, Y-Y-Yeah…”

“I’m Kim Taehyung,” he whispers quietly with a shy slap at the nape of his tanned neck, “BTS V.”

“Yes, h-hello,” she’s equally quiet and obviously awkward with the whole situation.

The remainder of the group coo at the meeting of a duo of celebrities, much to the discomfort of them who feel betrayed. This was suppose to be a casual meeting. Heck, the male idol only knew that he was in for a free meal. Not this….It’s almost a done deal as slowly the others silently  decided on V and Jennie to be matched whether they liked it or not. The two were left to figure out the odd situation for themselves.

His voice is intimidatingly low, deep as the ocean floor. However, the stories that the kid speak of are sharp in contrast as he jokes about random tales that are borderline nonsense. It is very much off from what Jennie is accustomed to, for it seems as if he comes from another planet, but it’s slightly intriguing for her. She still laughs at his words despite not entirely knowing their meaning. And for once, this isn’t her rehearsed, perfected laugh.

There’s something about him.

She has always been into the mysteries of the earth and right now, Kim Taehyung was the most unknown being she had yet to lay eyes on.

Her friend gives her a slight nudge. She doesn’t have to say anything for Jennie to get the point. If there was anyone who understands Jennie it was her. Above being friends, the two of them go way back as both their families have been friends even prior to their existence. They're not related in nature by any means, but they might as well be, for it’s rare to find someone who knows the other like they do.

It’s the signal that allows for the girl to realize that she was in boiling waters. Jennie freezes when she gets the message from her dear friend. She was getting immersed, drowning in this sea, waves of emotions striking her down when she was just about afloat. She shifts her thin body accordingly to the stiff chair, back straight and shoulders rolled back. She cannot start this. Getting attached should not even be an option right now.

She was pretty set on shunning him out for the rest of the day. Practicing the art of silence was never that hard before, but then again, she never was met with a Kim Taehyung either. He throws her random questions here and there accompanied by a few side comments that don't fail to catch her by surprise.

At this point, her friend throws her a knowing look, knowing that Jennie is into this baritone voiced boy dressed a tad too flamboyant for the casual meetup. Jennie is flushed as she reads the sly texts on her mobile that she receives from the girl just a few seats over, exposing her small school