Milk in My Tea

8. Hazelnut

Namjoon’s POV

“Aera-ssi, if we don’t leave soon, we’re going to be late.”

I took one last look at my reflection in the mirror of Big Hit’s dressing room, straightening my tie while I waited for Aera to finish getting ready. The stylists were fussing all over the room, trying to figure out which dress to pair with my suit.

“Everything here is too immature,” I heard one of the stylists grumble, and the assistant beside her giggled loudly. Internally, I agreed with them, but instead I kept my mouth shut, taking a seat on the couch to pull my phone out of my pocket.

“We really don’t have anymore time, Aera-ssi,” the make-up artist warned, spraying Aera’s face with a mist and pushing her in the direction of the three clothing racks in the corner. I turned back to my phone, just as a text notification buzzed.

Yoongi-hyung had headed over to Quinn and Niah’s place after our practice today and wanted to let me know that Quinn had been heading out just as he arrived. He mentioned that she was dressed up, which was news to me. I texted him back, asking him to sneak a picture of her, but he replied to tell me that she had left already.

With a discontented sigh, I finally looked up to notice that Aera was finally dressed and was having last minute accessories added to her look.

She waved at me cheerfully, “Oppa~! Don’t I look pretty?”

I plastered an artificial smile on my face, “Sure. Your pink dress matches your strawberry hair.”

Aera beamed at me, apparently pleased, “We’re going to look so great in all our pictures!”

I stood up from the couch, walking over to Aera as our stylists finally finished working on her. I took her hand to help her step into her high heels, as the make-up artist walked over with a sponsored bag to match her dress. We took pictures with the team in the dressing room, then headed out of Big Hit, where a car was waiting for us.

Cameras flashed from left to right, as I held Aera’s elbow and helped her into the car. Our managers joined us soon after and once the door was closed, we were off into the evening. I stared out of the window, blocking out the conversation of the other people in the car.

I wondered what Quinn was up to and where she was going. We were still on shaky ground since I had taken her home that night, but I knew she had at least un-blocked my number. She had messaged me several days ago with a picture of her long, slender neck and complained about how much makeup I had made her use. I just offered to buy her more.

“Namjoon-oppa, I’ve got some bad news.” Aera’s voice shook me from my thoughts, and I turned to her skeptically, not sure what could be worse than forcing someone to go out with you.

“What’s going on?” I asked anyway, already dreading the answer.

“My family won’t be able to make it to the auction tonight. They encountered some bad weather on the way home, and won’t make it in time.”

I nodded, turning back to the window. I doubt Aera’s family had ever intended to show up in the first place, but that was fine by me. The sooner this was over, the better.

We made our way through Seoul, heading into the heart of the city. Our car took us right to the front of the Jhang Hotel, where we were instructed to get out. Socialites and celebrities of all shapes and sizes were milling about, heading into the hotel amidst the flashing cameras.

I helped Aera out of the car and smiled for our audience, bowing in greeting when I came across anyone I knew. After a while we made our way into the hotel, following the directions of the hotel staff towards the ballroom where the event would take place. Aera clung to my arm unnecessarily, but I put it with it since we were in public.

We reached the entrance to the ballroom where a tall, dark haired man stood at the door with… Quinn?!

Quinn stood beside him, greeting each person as they entered the event. I stared hard, losing focus of all the people around me. Quinn looked drop-dead gorgeous tonight, in an all black, two-piece ensemble. The outfit consisted of a long-sleeved, v-neck top that showcased the smooth skin of her chest, with straps that crisscrossed directly over her ribcage and a long skirt that bared just enough of her mid-drift to still be classy, complete with a daring, thigh high slit, and black high heels. Quinn had styled her bob wig with retro pin curls tonight and tucked her hair behind her left ear, showing off diamond ear climber earrings and an industrial piercing I didn’t even know she had. Her makeup was flawless and amped up from her usual look, her full lips coated in a y dark red lipstick.

My mouth was practically watering. Quinn looked wonderfully tempting and y as hell. I my lips and swallowed thickly, forcing myself to look away for just a moment. Aera and I checked in with our tickets and grabbed our gift bags, heading towards Quinn and the door. Quinn had a soft smile on her face as she greeted guests, but her expression changed when she finally realized I was there, watching her every move. Her full lips parted as she inhaled sharply and her eyes widened slightly in surprise, her gaze raking over me. I smirked, feeling confident from her reaction. She continued to stare at me boldly, and I matched her gaze with no remorse for Aera or the man standing next to Quinn.

“Thank you for supporting Jhang Hotel,” The man beside Quinn finally spoke, glancing at the two of us, shaking us from our unspoken exchange. Quinn nodded hurriedly, bowing her head a little, breaking eye contact.

I frowned, slightly annoyed at the interruption, “You’ll have to thank Aera-ssi for inviting me tonight,” I replied, willing Quinn to look at me once again. She was fiddling with her skirt for some reason and not looking at me. I turned back towards the man beside her, “Are you a member of the Jhang family?”

The man narrowed his eyes at me, and I realized the question probably insulted him, not that I cared too much, “I’m the eldest son, Jhang Shinhwa.”

Quinn finally looked up, giving me a pleading look with her eyes to end this awful exchange. I ignored her, instead turning my most charming smile on her, “And this is… your fiancee?”

Quinn coughed loudly, and I tried not to laugh. Shinhwa wrapped an arm around her waist, surprising us both, “For now, she’s only my translator.”

“For now?” Quinn and I asked in unison, both of us gawking at him in surprise. Shinhwa’s eyes scanned me meticulously and I coughed, straightening my cufflinks to cover my blunder.

Beside me, Aera giggled, “Namjoon-oppa, let’s go inside and look around. I want a glass of champagne.”

Quinn’s POV

I fought the urge to roll my eyes at Aera’s annoying voice, knowing that I would bring more attention to Namjoon and I if I did it. Still, I gave her a look of absolute disdain, which she immediately noticed. In response, she tugged on Namjoon’s arm, urging him into the ballroom without saying another word to us. Shinhwa and I went back to greeting guests as an employee came forward to let us know that it would soon be time to start.

I could barely focus on the people around me as my mind went back to Namjoon’s y self. His suit looked like it was created for him and him alone. He wore black slacks that made his legs look even longer than usual with a crisp white dress shirt paired with a gray and white tie that I wanted to wrap around my hand and pull, just to get his lips close to mine...

Shinhwa touched my elbow, snapping me out of my thoughts.

“Are you ready?” He asked me softly, and I just nodded, allowing him to lead me up to the stage at the front of the room.

I stopped at the microphone on the far left of the stage, my eyes scanning the room for Namjoon. He must’ve spotted me before I saw him, because the moment our eyes met, he rubbed his bottom lip with his index finger and I just wanted to tell him what he could do to me with that mouth.

“I want to thank everyone for attending Jhang Hotel’s charity auction tonight. The auction will begin in time, but for now, let’s enjoy each other’s’ company.” Shinhwa said into the mic, and then he turned to me, giving me time to translate his words for our English and French guests. When the entire room erupted into applause, Shinhwa escorted me off of the stage and the party began.

Namjoon and I circled each other from opposite ends of the room. Even when I was sure he had finally stopped watching me, I would look up to find his gaze on me again. He sipped his champagne slowly, as if he had all the time in the world. This game of cat and mouse only made me that much more hot and bothered.

After eating a little food and drinking a bit more, Shinhwa called me back over to his side.

“We have to start the auction,” he told me and I nodded, heading