Chapter 9

Jeon Jungkook

Han was…unearthly. Ethereal. Unattainable.

Her pale skin glowed under the low amber light. I didn’t know where to look as she danced. I wanted to memorise all of her. Her endless milky legs. Her eyes twinkled as spotlights shone on her and her gazed pierced mine as if she can see straight through me. 

I’d seen the branches of her tree tattoo and now the roots. Imagining the art that lay between was maddening. She bore other tattoos as well, too small for me to identify. From here they resembled hieroglyphs, like she was a goddess. Exotic and forbidden.

Immortal. 

That was what she looked like. She was the kind of sight that I would never, could never forget.

The few times her eyes met mine, my blood pumped furiously through my veins. I clenched my fists, and had the urge to do something crazy. I wanted to walk up to her platform and join her, or throw her over my shoulder and take her away where no one can see her.

I’d always thought of myself as a fairly rational person, not one to be ruled out by my desires and emotions. But this… nothing was logical about the way this girl made me feel. I’d gone crazy. All the stress of everything with So Eun and moving and university— I’d finally snapped.

That was the only way I could explain why I followed her outside when she went on break. I had no idea what I was going to say or do, but I couldn’t let her go out of my sight. 

She said, “Hey, Golden Boy,” on an exhale, smoke curling from beneath those ruby red lips. I frowned slightly. She smokes. I guess working at a place like this causes people to do those kind of things.

“Hey, Han.” 

She walked away from the bouncer, and leaned up against the brick of the building. My eyes snagged on her leg as she propped a heel up on the wall. I swallowed my saliva; girls with nice legs has always been my ideal. I blinked rapidly before forcing myself to look away. She was y as hell, but I was sure she got enough guys ogling her here.

“Are you stalking me, Golden Boy?”

I stayed where I was, careful to keep distance between us, so that I didn’t do something stupid in my drunken state.

“Only a little.”

She laughed. That was good. I’d made her laugh.

“What are you really doing here? I’ve never seen you at Trestle before, and I’m here more than I’m home.”

I filed away that information for later.

“I’ve never been here. I came with a friend.”

“The tan looking one with the million dollar smile?”

I nodded. “His name is Taehyung.” I searched for something else to say, but my mind was moving too slowly. God, could I be any more boring? No wonder she called me Golden Boy.

This was a terrible idea. The silence between us stretched into awkward territory, and I was too drunk to hold a decent conversation. The longer I stayed, the harder it became to fight off the urge to touch her.

Time for a tactical retreat.

“I should probably go find him.” She frowned and stared at me as I took a step back. “I only came to say hi.” She looked at me for a second longer and her eyes widened in shock. Then her lips turned downward, and I saw her disappointment seconds before she swept the emotion from her expression.

I looked behind me expecting to see a mugger or a UFO or a zombie. We were alone on the street except for the bouncer, who stayed silent and still outside the door.

“What?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

My curiosity was too strong to turn around again.

“No, tell me.