Winter 2015

“The usual?” she asked, hand poised over a cup, pen ready to scribble what he knew was an all too familiar order.

“Ah, Eun-ji-ssi, you know me too well,” he grinned.

“Maybe if you weren’t always here, Park Jimin-ssi.” Well, perhaps that was true (Not always. Just a couple nights a week. Every week), but he had no desire to change his habits, regardless.“You would miss me,” he crooned, eyes curving into crescents, smile widening as he .

“You wish!” she exclaimed, feigning exasperation as she handed him his change and shooed him away.  

“Thaaaanks!” he said, sticking his tongue out, then skittering off down the counter to wait for his drink before she could yell at him. Jimin exchanged a few friendly words with the owner as he waited- still unable to get over the pink apron the guy wore to work- and accepted his steaming cup, breathing in the comforting scent of caramel and coffee and that extra boost he needed after a long Monday at work.

Wandering lazily towards his usual seat by the window, Jimin allowed his gaze to drift around the room. He recognized many of the inhabitants, fellow regulars, but there were always new people as well. The cafe was relatively new, the owner only in his twenties, and with his knack for cooking and coffee making, the place was quickly gaining popularity, especially amongst those who craved quiet, cozy atmospheres for reading or working.

Placing his coffee and the satchel- satchel, not purse- hanging from his shoulder on the elegant wooden table, he sat, nestling comfortably into the soft, frosty blue cushion adorning the seat. Glancing outside as he pulled a worn book and large, retro square framed reading glasses from the bag, he noted the busy streets of Seoul moving past, the dark sky watching over it an unwelcome reminder that it was getting closer to the end of another year- another year and still no soulmate. Jimin quickly pushed the thought away, turning instead to hang his satchel from the back of the wooden chair.

His dark eyes were obscured by soft brown hair as he looked down, picking up the volume and opening to where he had last left off. Coming here was one of his favorite parts of the week, and one he would never give up, because of this. The moment he could slip into his book, surrounded by the the hum of voices and clinking of glassware, enveloped in the aroma of coffee and sweets, and occasionally- just occasionally- glance up hopefully. Of course he didn’t really expect anything special to come from occasionally (okay, fine, maybe more frequently than he would like to admit) peering out the window, at the people passing by, but one never knows when the one could wander past, and one really ought to be aware of their surroundings… right? Right. Of course.

But it was the end of another year, and today Jimin somehow forgot to glance up from his book every once in awhile- he was just so drained, and it all just seemed so hopeless sometimes- and so he didn’t notice the man walk by. Didn’t see him stride up to the entrance. Didn’t look up until the door swung inward, followed by the cheerful chime of the bell, excitedly announcing a new arrival, which in turn was followed by a crisp grey suit, slightly ruffled but mostly perfect blonde hair, and dark eyes, glancing down at a watch. Dark eyes that made the whole world stop the moment Jimin looked at them. And he was entirely unprepared for how quiet it was.

The stillness made him shiver as he glanced around at the eerie scene before his eyes. Not a finger moved. Not a sound came from the previously bustling cafe inhabitants. Motionless figures surrounded him, cups still touching lips, forks halfway to mouths, hands hanging in the air. He understood what had happened, but his heart began sprinting towards some unknown finish line anyway. Because today of all days, Jimin had been unprepared. And perhaps that was why. The universe, or some God, or whoever it was that controlled this goddamned system, had waited for him to stop paying attention.

He breathed, a sharp intake of air relieving lungs he hadn’t realized he had been starving, and then suddenly he was moving, his feet carrying him forward. Jimin was unable to even remember when he got up, unable to pinpoint the exact moment he had dropped his book and stood. Yet he here was, face to face with a stranger he had been waiting his whole life to meet, and somewhere in the back of his mind, he worried, idly, if his heart was going to beat straight out of his chest. He couldn’t quite place where his feet had gotten so much confidence because his stomach was twisting and his palms were sticky with sweat and he was in front of this stranger he had been waiting his whole life to meet.

Jimin closed his eyes, once again inhaling sharply, then did his best to slowly exhale, repeating the process until each breath was even and deep and he felt he had some semblance of control- despite that his life had just been complete and utterly and irrevocably turned upside down and shaken and nothing would ever be the same and- God. Pull it together Park Jimin. It’s not the end of the world. What are you so nervous about? He took one last breath to steel himself before he allowed his eyes to flutter open.

Oh.

Well. Oh was perhaps an understatement. Because damn. Fate had taken its sweet time, but… but damn, he couldn’t find it in himself to complain. Because up close, Jimin could see that standing before him was some unearthly being. He had to be. The stranger had dark eyes that seemed to draw Jimin forward, though they were still spellbound and staring at that watch, thin pink lips that somehow gleamed and invited him another step, another inch closer, tempting him to close the distance, and cheeks flushed pink still from the chill winter air outside, contrasted against milky white skin, so smooth, so enticing, Jimin could just reach out and touch it, cup it, gently caress where the curving jawline reached his ear, where his bottom lip was just slightly pouted.

Jimin couldn’t quite remember when he took another step forward, couldn’t quite pinpoint the exact moment he leaned in, hand cupping the delicate face, but Jimin found himself just a few centimeters away from this… this ethereal being.

Wait, what am I doing? Eyes widening, he stumbled backward, dropping his hands from that pearlescent skin and instead grounding themselves on a table he very nearly collided with in his rush to retreat, surprised by his own impropriety and audaciousness.

Okay… okay, it wasn’t that bad. He wasn’t some creep, and he hadn’t strictly done anything. He was just overreacting in every possible way, and he knew it, and he just needed to… needed to calm down.

Coffee. Coffee would be great right now, he concluded, turning slowly and weaving towards his seat by the window. It was silly, and perhaps the reason he was always up so late, but one sip of the coffee, and the warmth from it seemed to seep into his bones and comfort him. He was fine. He was allowed to think of this guy as some beautiful, unearthly deity. He was supposed to find him attractive, and handsome, and it was okay that the way his hair was parted drove him a little crazy, and the way his skin had felt, and the way his lips were pouted and… goodness .

He sighed, finally laughing at himself and allowing himself to feel the onslaught of crazy that this guy seemed to dredge up in him. He let his emotions rise and fall as they wished, twisting and knotting and creating butterflies that wouldn’t seem to stop fluttering against his insides. He was giddy with it, and that was perhaps what finally gave him the courage to sit up, brush his hand through his tousled brown hair, and take a deep breath. Because he wanted to keep feeling this… this whirlwind of emotion that this stranger had let loose in him.

No. Not stranger, Jimin thought, as he breathed out and felt that indescribable yank in his stomach that he had always heard of. Soulmate.

And then the world was moving once more, and noise filled the air, and the stranger- soulmate- looked up, right into Jimin’s eyes. But another feeling swept over him, one he was entirely unprepared for. Because in life, with time flowing, the man seemed to transform. No longer a god but a fierce, albeit beautiful, predator, and Jimin felt unnervingly like prey. And he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about that.