Jungkook could see Rebecca sitting outside of the café they had planned to meet at. She looked nervous, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. He felt relieved that he was not the only one nervous about meeting. Steeling himself he walked up to her, getting her attention with a small wave. He had decided to keep his mask on for now until they reached the bar, just to be on the safe side.

“Jooheon!” Jungkook was momentarily startled by her use of the fake name he had provided but recovered quickly enough to not be suspicious.

“Hi Rebecca.” He smiled and greeted the girl with a small bow, “You look nice.” She blushed brightly and looked down.

“You look… really good.” Rebecca finished lamely, flustered when she looked at him. He looks more like a model she thought to herself. There was a wave of insecurity that followed that thought as the considered how put together he was compared to her. She was not stupid; she knew there was a discrepancy in their looks. She used that to remind herself to stay in reality – this was not a date, she was showing him the sights and that was it.

She put her hand on the table to support herself getting to her feet, unable to hold in the wince at the pain from her ankle.

“Do you need help” Jungkook asked, concerned, as he put a hand on her back for support.

“No, thank you. Let’s go.” Rebecca smiled and walked off, Jungkook beside her.

“Do I get a clue about where we are going?” She was asked.

“I will do you even better; I will tell you where we are going. It is a place called Manchuria.”

“I know next to nothing about Melbourne so that name does not ring a bell.”

“I thought that might be the case. It is a really nice bar, slightly classier than a typical Aussie pub.” Rebecca said with a laugh. The smile drained from her face quickly, Jungkook was about to ask what was wrong when she continued. “How old are you? You can drink right?”

“I can drink, and I am 25.” He answered truthfully.

“Oh that is a relief; I am 24 if that matters to you. Sorry if I am being weird, I am notoriously bad at reading people’s ages. I suppose I should have asked you if you actually drink as well. If you do not, this place has some mean mocktails as well.”

“I drink, so am happy to try whatever they have.”

They continued on, Rebecca leading him through the fairly busy streets before taking him through the Chinatown district. A few turns later they came to dark staircase in the middle of one of the alleys that littered the city. Jungkook paused as it looked very ominous.

“Do not worry; I am not going to hurt you.” Rebecca chuckled, “I looked the exact same when I was first taken here on a date. I thought that I was going to be murdered in some dingy alleyway.”

“No, no, it is fine! I am fine and not scared at all.”

“Uh huh. Suuure.” Rebecca dragged out the word sarcastically. “If it makes you feel better I can give you my full name and address to send to whoever you want as a backup.

“That will not be necessary.” Jungkook reassured her, “Let’s go.”

With a small smile, and a more relaxed expression, Rebecca started ascending the stairs slowly and cautiously. Even though the stairs were wide, Jungkook walked behind her in case she needed support. They reached a mid-way landing, where Rebecca stopped in front of a large wooden door. With a grunt she managed to push the door open, Jungkook assisting with one hand. As soon as they entered he was hit by the smell of incense burning and the sound of low bass filling the space. It was darkly lit and it took his eyes a moment to adjust. The space was large enough to fit a few people but there was certainly an intimate feel to the bar. It appeared to be entirely lit by candlelight, which cast an ambient flickering yellow glow about the room.

Plush couches in reds and purples lined the walls, with booths scattered around. See through curtains hung from the ceiling, separating the different chairs and creating a sense of privacy to the seating areas. Rebecca led him to a small couch in one corner that had a coffee table in front of it. She sat down with a sigh of relief and tapped the spot next to her in invitation, Jungkook taking the hint and sitting down. Almost immediately a waitress came by with two waters and two menus.

“Here is some cucumber water, I will be back to grab your orders in a little bit.” She said in English before walking off.

Jungkook got the gist and looked at the menu, which seemed to have some small food plates and many different drinks. There were so many ingredients involved that it was a bit overwhelming. “What do you recommend?” He asked Rebecca.

“I have not had everything, it depends on if you want to play it safe or go out on a limb.”

“Let’s be adventurous.”

“Alright, can do. Do you want food?” Jungkook nodded his agreement and confirmed that he had no specific dietary requirements.

When the waitress came back, Rebecca ordered the tasting plates to share and then asked to be surprised for drinks. The waitress smiled and said they would whip something up and took their menus and left.

“Have you been to Korea?” Jungkook asked, curious.

“I have not, no. Never left Australia as a matter of fact.”

“Then how do you speak the language so well?”

“I used to work with a lot of different people; I practiced my Korean with a few of them. The same goes for the other languages I know, I just practiced with people who were from those countries.”

“I wish I was able to pick up languages as well. I would work on my English.” Jungkook admitted.

“Hey, I am more than happy to help with your English if you want. Just let me know.” Rebecca sent him a beaming smile.

“You said that you first came here on a date? Was that with your boyfriend?” As soon as he asked, Jungkook cursed how direct his question was. He had not meant it like that, but he was curious. Rebecca looked down with a laugh.

“No, not a boyfriend. Just someone who tried to impress me into a one night stand by taking me here.” She rolled her eyes in derision.

“I see, and are you trying to do the same with me?” He teased.

“No! Definitely not! I just wanted to show you a cool place!”

“Relax Rebecca, I was just joking.”

The look of panic left her face quickly, replaced by one of relief.

“Is this alright?” Jungkook felt like he needed to ask. She was obviously nervous and so was he, but he needed to make sure she was not uncomfortable with him. When she looked confused he made vague gestures between them.

“Yes, this is fine! Sorry if I am all over the place, I do not go out too much so when I do I get really nervous. And, contrary to what this situation might suggestion, I do not tend to go out to bars with complete strangers who ran into me on the street.”

“That is all very fair. I was nervous too, but a good nervous.”

The waitress returned in that moment with two trays, she placed one laden with different foods like breads and dips down first and then the other. The other tray held a large teapot with matching teacups next to it. She lifted the teapot and poured a pink liquid into each of the cups. “This is our date special.” She smiled and placed a small piece of paper on the table. “This outlines the ingredients, I hope you enjoy.”

There was a pregnant pause. “A date cocktail huh?” Rebecca muttered her face red once more. Jungkook looked at her in the dim light and back at the plate.

“Well, why can’t it be?” Jungkook’s heart beat wildly in his chest as he spoke.

“What do you mean?”

“Why don’t we make this a date?” It took all of his courage to say the words and he braced himself for the rejection.

“You are not making fun of me are you?” Jungkook quickly shook his head in denial.

“Alright then, let’s make it a date.”

His heart soaring, Jungkook picked up one of the teacups and lifted it. “Then we should cheers to it.” With a soft smile, Rebecca picked up her own and clinked their cups together softly.

“To chance encounters.” She offered.

“To chance encounters.”