After an hour of learning self-defense techniques, she moved to the locker room to change back into her casual clothes. While her body ached from the unknown movements, all her thoughts stayed on one thing: coming up with a plan. How was she supposed to handle seeing Jungkook afterwards?

She didn’t even know how to react or what to say to the man.

She decided to push the issue aside, quickly changed and then made her way back to the main floor. She wanted to look cool when she appeared in front of him again, but as soon as she caught sight of him, she froze in place and her breath was completely taken away.

Jungkook was leaning over the counter by the entrance, casually talking with the man at the register. Much like his aloof personality, he was wearing black joggers with a white t-shirt and a simple black Puma windbreaker on top. He looked like he could have been born in a gym and was so at-home, it made her shiver just to see his smile. It wasn’t fair to her at all how perfect he was.

She shook herself out of this uncontrollable trance, gathered all the courage she needed and stepped toward him with caution. Just when she thought it was all over and she’d be okay, he noticed her and slowly turned to watch her. The smug look on his face plus his overly attractive grin made her breathless. His gaze ate up her entire presence, starting at her platform tennis shoes and all over the large long coat which lightly hugged her frame. She had changed into skinny jeans and a white sweater that seemed to cling obsessively to the figure of her body.

He bit his bottom lip in an obvious manner, “oh, Yerim-ah, you ready?”

“U-uh,” she was flabbergasted, “y-yeah, I’m ready… you?”

“I’ve been ready,” he stood up straight and stuffed his hands into his pockets, “just waiting for you.”

“You’re not going to change?”

“Yeah, I actually came dressed like this,” he motioned toward his body, “I didn’t exactly know you were going to be here.”

“Oh, yeah,” she remembered her mistake once again, “right… almost forgot about that.”

He chuckled and narrowed his eyes, “don’t worry about it… you’ll make up for it.”

“What do you mean,” she was confused, “you didn’t forgive me yet?”

He moved to stand in front of her, “of course I haven’t forgiven you.”

She instinctively pouted in reaction to his words, “I knew you wouldn’t.”

“Yah, don’t pout,” he couldn’t help but smile at her, “it’ll come in time… come on.”

He led her out the front door just before shouting to the man behind the register, “see you later hyung!”

They walked side-by-side for a few blocks before approaching a small café that was a literal hole in the wall. Before she could grab the door, he took one big step forward and held it open for her.

“Oh,” she was surprised, “thank you…”

The café was decorated with the most adorable figurines of characters from all sorts of comics and cartoons, from Marvel to Studio Ghibli. Everything about the small café made her naturally swoon.

“How do you know about this place,” she turned to him with wide eyes.

He was pleased with her reaction, “come on. Let’s order something first and then I’ll tell you.”

“Okay,” she tittered over to his side, quickly forgetting about how nervous she was.

“What do you want,” he asked, “oh wait… let me guess: Dalgona coffee?”

“How would you know that?”

“It’s so popular right now… everyone wants a taste of it,” he sent a side glance at her, “of course, I like the stronger stuff.”

“Tsk. Stop acting so tough and just get one too. I know you like the sweet stuff like me.”

“Wow,” he exclaimed sarcastically, “you suddenly have such great memory.”

“Don’t make fun of me,” her upper lip twitched as she jokingly retorted, “I’m the best thing that ever happened to you.”

He laughed then, “can’t deny that.”

Her face calmed and then she chuckled, “let’s just get the Dalgona.”

“Okay,” he turned back to the clerk and ordered their drinks, “go sit down, I’ll join you soon.”

“Alright,” she started off, “where would you like to sit?”

“Grab a table upstairs. It’s quiet, and I think you’ll like it.”

“Okay.”

As soon she got to the second floor, her lips curved up into a wide smile. He knew her taste. The second floor had an open vibe with large windows that allowed the sun to spread its warmth through the entire room.

“Wow,” she was in love.

She sat in a seat next to the window, which had been slightly opened. It wasn’t often that she liked the cold, but autumn was one of favorite seasons, second to winter. The cool air lightly brushed against her flushed cheeks and made her skin tingle with ease. She closed her eyes and took a deep whiff of the cool air, then smiled with content. Falling into the charm of the autumn air and the unique café, she allowed herself to stay still with her eyes tightly shut.

After some time, Jungkook followed her up to the second floor with the two cups of coffee in his hands. He slowly sat down in front of her and came face to face with the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. She had not yet realized that he was there and continued to sit quietly facing the open window. A tightening sensation came over his chest and made him burn up as he thought about how beautifully peaceful she was. It could have been amusement that made him feel that way, or maybe he had really fallen for her; maybe he did really like her now.

She took one final deep breath and slowly opened her eyes, noticing that he was already sitting in front of her. There were two cups of coffee on the table and his jacket was hooked over the back of his chair, which made it obvious that he had been there for a while. He was leaning back casually in his chair and had a calm expression on his face, but his eyebrows were slightly furrowed as if he was trying to figure out her deepest thoughts. She was trying figure out his.

“Oh,” she sat up straight, “you’re here? That was fast.”

“Yeah, they made it really quickly,” his expression stayed the same.

She tried to meet his stable gaze as it tantalized every nerve in her body, but then gave up the battle after just a minute of bravery.

She chuckled and shyly sipped on her coffee, “what are you doing?”

“Oh,” he shook back to reality and smiled at her, “just thinking.”

“About what?”

“Nothing,” he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, then slowly sipped on his coffee, “so, have you started on your application?”

“Application for what,” she forgot about her question.

“For the internship.”

She gasped, “I totally forgot about that!”

His lips curved into a teasing grin, “I knew you’d forget.”

“Oh no,” she sighed, “I need to get started on it.”

“Yeah you do,” he slouched, “but don’t overwork yourself… you should just spend this week to rest and relax.”

She groaned, “I can’t…”

He leaned back in his chair and shook his head, “I shouldn’t have reminded you… you’re going to work all night long now.”

“I’m just ready to be a journalist.”

“I know you are, but you should take care of yourself first.”

“I know,” she pouted and then changed the subject, “oh yeah… so, how do you know about this place?”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it! It’s adorable.”

He chuckled at her expression, “it’s Seokjin hyung’s café.”

Shock came over her face, “it’s Kim Seokjin’s café?”

“Yeah,” he crossed his arms in front of his chest and smiled, “one summer when we were all still living together, he suddenly had this odd interest in becoming a barista. One