“Are you telling me that you and I quote: ‘accidentally stole somebody’s blind date’?”

After years and years of being friends with Jae, Jimin have thought there’s nothing that the guy can do to surprise her. Yet, now here she is, staring at him with wide, questioning eyes, mouth agape in disbelief.

“Well… uh yeah,” Jae shrugged scratching the back of his nape and tried very hard to keep his cool and not flinch when Jimin snapped at him.

“How the hell can you even snatch somebody’s blind date, you idiot?” she squealed and hit him on the chest.

“What should I have done? I was just in that downtown coffee place waiting for inspiration to hit me and there was this pretty girl all nervous coming up to me saying sorrys for being late,” Jae threw his arm in the air in protest. He was also a victim, okay? He didn’t plan to have a date on a random Tuesday, much less an impromptu one. He wore knee-torn jeans and plain shirt, nothing deceiving, so it’s not his fault the girl in pretty flower dress thought he was the one.

“And what if her date was there, too? If you stopped a budding romance from happening?” Jimin couldn’t believe her ears and was staring at Jae with judging eyes, hands on her waist while waiting for a satisfying answer.

“She also said I was the only one fitting the description: blonde guy in glasses,” Jae added in his own defence pointing at his round glasses and light locks.

“You are unbelievable!”

Hearing the disappointment in her voice, the boy rolled his eyes at her exaggerated reaction.

“You can’t blame all of it on me though. She was rambling about a certain Park Jimin setting this up for her because she’s not that kind of girl who goes to things like this. It took me a while to figure out she talks about a man Park Jimin so it’s your fault too for having such a common name.”

“I would never set up any poor girl with you.”

“That’s harsh,” Jae pouts and puts a hand over his heart as if it was fatally wounded. “For your information, I’m a hilarious and amazing date partner. Go on and ask her. I have her number and we have been texting ever since.”

“Maybe she pities you,” the girl shrugs but immediately regrets it seeing Jae’s genuinely hurt expression. Even if he tries to cover it up with some kind of joke or nonchalant behaviour, she has known him long enough to know when he is serious.

“Yah, Jimin-ah, Don’t be so mean!”

There’s a moment of pause, a bit of silence and Jimin exhales.

“You really like this girl, huh?” she wonders out loud because she has never ever seen him like this before. The short nod and little shrug is all the answer she needs. “Will you tell her the truth?”

Jae averts his eyes to the window, thinking hard. The thing is, he already knows the answer, just doesn’t want to admit it.

“I have to, don’t I?” he sighs eventually.

Dating you almost comes naturally to him. Nothing is too forced, nothing is out of place. You two just click. You find even his lamest jokes hilarious, you put up with his weirdest , you never forget about his lactose intolerance when you bake and you cuddle him a whole lot. That is the absolute bonus.

It’s a usual Friday movie night at your place, snuggling up on your bed while watching some Netflix show on your laptop. Jae is busy commenting on everything that happens in the series but you never tell him to shut up so you can enjoy it, you’re more than enthusiastic to engage in a conversation with him about the events and making theories about what’s to come. You are sprawled on his chest as he mindlessly plays with your hair when the screen turns black. Sighing you have no energy to get up and turn it off. In his embrace it’s all too comfortable.

That’s when the silent turns thick, almost awkward that never happens with Jae, at least not in the last month you spent with him l. Late night texts first turned into a regular thing then came the phone calls and coffee dates, arcade dates, just listening to music together kind of dates. You didn’t label your relationship until Jae introduced you to his friends as his girlfriend. Hearing that had your heart skipping. It still has.

“Hey… there’s actually something I’ve been meaning to tell you for a while,” the ever so carefree boy speaks up, voice quiet, close to trembling. It took you aback, make you lose track of your own thoughts.

“Hm… what?” you ask kindly as you are thoughtlessly drawing patterns onto his clothed chest with your fingers.

“Uh… I know it will sound weird but I’m not the guy you think I am.”

You know you shouldn’t laugh because for once, Jae seems to take this conversation really seriously but you can’t help yourself as his words remind you of a cheesy movie.

“Are you a vampire? The kind the can read everybody’s mind but not mine? Because if so, I’m not into it,” you and gosh how much he loved your humour! He cracks a smile, laughing with you and you prop yourself up to an elbow so you can look at his face, all scrunched nose and eye smile. His gaze turns towards you lovingly, eyes shining with determination and a bit of guilt.

“No, it’s actually about the blind date,“ he admits reluctantly and you furrow your eyebrows quite confused. It’s been a while since you talked about how the two of you got together. It’s not like there was any shame in a set up date or the fact that your brother, Jimin rubbed it into your face ever since. It’s rather Jae who didn’t like talk about it, always waving it off. So it’s unusual of him to bring it up.

"Spit it out,” you ask him encouragingly and then, he finally blurts out:

“I’m not the guy you were supposed to have a date with,” he says looking straight into your eyes and there’s no joke in his tone, not a punchline. You blink waiting for something else, something big that explains why it’s such a big thing for him but only a big grin splits his lips cheekily. “But I guess you got lucky…”

There he goes again, you giggle relieved then nuzzle back into the juncture between his neck and shoulder.

“I know,” you mutter softly and based on his voice, it startles the poor guy.

“What?!” he shrieks dramatically.

“Yeah. I have known since you told me you were a music and film major. My date was supposed to be a law student,” you shrug because it didn’t matter to you then and doesn’t matter now. The important thing is that you have each other.

“So you are not mad?”

“Why would I be? You saved me from the embarrassment and made my day a lot better than it would have been moping because of an who stood me up.”

You still remember clinging onto your last hope after walking around the coffee place several times but seeing nobody who resembled the guy Jimin described to you. Since it was your first blind date you had no experience in handling such situations and you felt shame running through your veins. It’s one thing if you don’t have a connection with your partner after the date but dumping you even before meeting you? That was a bit harsh. So when you saw Jae in the shop waiting for his coffee in the line, you rushed up to him a big too eagerly. Maybe he remembered the time wrong or miscalculated his route, you thought to yourself making excuses for him and because you didn’t want him to feel bad, you told him a white lie about being late. The guy seemed a bit surprised and confused at first but then he asked what kind of coffee you liked. It was a relief and settling at a table with him, discussing the difference between too sugary frappes and the diet kinds, you felt at ease. You didn’t even care when you put two and two together about him being a different guy. You had fallen for him already.

“I’m here to serve, I guess,” Jae’s heartfelt laugh brings you back to present and you turn towards him so you can look him in the eye while telling him:

“I like you Jae, really. Thank you for putting up with me and going along with it.”

“You are welcome,” your boyfriend smiles at you sweetly, kissing your forehead oh so fondly and hugging you closer. “Jimin won’t believe it.”

“What? Do you really know my brother?” you gape at him, stunned.

Jimin didn’t say anything when you told him that the guy he set you up with stood you up but you met another super funny and kind date partner. He still likes to take credit as if your relationship somehow depended on him despite not even knowing your actual boyfriend.

“Nah, just the feminine and lot sassier version of him,” Jae shakes his head and promises to introduce the two of you. However, in the end, you agree that a double date with the two Park Jimins would be even better!

A year later, after weeks of arguing about which date is exactly your anniversary, you are finally here, in the coffee shop you first met and Jae can’t help but bring up that hilarious turned perfect situation you were in as both of you sip on a huge bubble tea.

“Can you believe you mistook me with that other guy?”

“I would rather have you than anybody else,” you confess genuinely and it’s so Jae when he theatrically clutches his heart over that nice blue shirt he wears.

“Oh babe, that’s so cheesy but you know what? I love you still,” with eyes shining like the most beautiful stars, he whispers while leaning closer like it was your own little secret.

The “Love you, too.” rolls off your tongue naturally and Jae can’t believe how he got so lucky.

The weight of promise rings in his pocket isn’t heavy at all. After all, stealing you from your jackass blind date partner was the best kind of crime he ever made.