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Jeongguk considered himself a nice person.
Sure, there were days where he decided to be a brat to his friends. Sometimes he got moody and refused to talk to or communicate with the people around him. Of course he got prideful, petty, and jealous. He was human okay?
But he also donated to charity when the kiosk at the grocery store asked. He respected his parents, elders, and friends when he wasn’t intentionally being a nuisance. He made sure to do his civic duty and fed the cats in the alley of his apartment complex. When given the opportunity he helped his struggling classmates.
He was nice.
So when Jeongguk sat down to lunch with his older friend Seokjin and noticed a boy sitting alone in the booth diagonal from them, his nice person senses tingled.
Now, normally it wouldn’t strike Jeongguk as odd for someone to be sitting alone. He’d eaten at restaurants by himself, having long gotten over the awkwardness of explaining that he wasn’t waiting for another person. There were a combination of factors that convinced him that something was amiss.
One, it was a Friday night. Most people would be out having fun with friends. That or finding peace and solace in an apartment. Or cramming the homework that was procrastinated. Jeongguk has been in each one of those situations and is happy that it’s the first option this time.
Two, he didn’t have food in front of him. Just a sad perspiring glass of water. Half empty with a slightly chewed straw. Jeongguk chewed on his own just looking at it. Again, that wouldn’t be weird, but just wait. There was more.
Three, he looked sad. ‘Course, Jeongguk could be projecting since his own sadness was the reason Seokjin was taking him out for dinner. He bombed an English test. But this wasn’t about him. The guy in the booth had a dejected slump to his shoulders and vacant eyes that dimmed with disappointment. With his chin in his hand, his plump lips pouted as he clicked his phone on to check the time occasionally.
Fourth, but definitely not least, he looked nice. Button down white shirt, dark slacks and shiny shoes—Jeongguk accidentally dropped his straw wrapper, okay? He didn’t intentionally go looking under tables to see what shoes people were wearing. Jeongguk could have mistaken him for a businessman or one of the waiters if it wasn’t for the lack of tie. He left two buttons undone, showing a hint of skin that could be a flirtation tactic under the right circumstances. He was a little too far to be sure, but he might have been wearing makeup. Nope, that was definitely make up. No one's lips could naturally be that red.
But the final thing, the nail in the coffin, la fin to the end, the curtain call, was when a waiter stopped at his table, refilled his glass, and asked in a hushed voice,
“Are you sure I can’t get you anything to eat?”
The man gave him a smile edged with warmth despite the tight nature of it. Jeongguk couldn’t help but blatantly stare, forgoing his subtle glances. With his dark, fluffy hair, fuller cheeks, and scrunching eyes, all Jeongguk could think was that he was an angel in disguise. Or maybe a fallen angel? How else could the Earth be graced with a man of this beauty despite his fall in the pits of despair?
“Thank you, but I’m okay. He should be here soon.”
He, Jeongguk’s mind whispered, the pieces continuing to line up.
The waiter huffed, putting a fisted hand against his waist.
“You said that thirty minutes ago, Chim.”
The response could have been callous to a stranger, but it was clear that the waiter and this man were acquainted. Friends, even.
“This is the third—no fourth time—that this has happened!” he lamented, shaking his head. “I don’t know why you keep giving him all these chances-”
“Hobi-hyung,” he interrupted, still smiling. “It’s okay. It’s not that big of a deal. He’s just forgetful. I texted him and he-”
“Responded?”
He bit his lip. Jeongguk stared.
“Well, no. But he’s probably on his way-”
“I’m getting you food,” he emphatically declared, beginning to step away. He didn’t even look back, but he seemed to know the dark haired man was about to protest. “Don’t fight me on this, Jimin! You’re not missing dinner because of this jerk!”
Jimin, Jeongguk mouthed to himself. The handsome man’s name.
The handsome man waiting for a boyfriend or someone. The man who’d been waiting for thirty minutes. He’d dressed up nice, forgone food, and waited patiently for their date. He’d been stood up, and not the first time.
“What a jerk,” he muttered.
“Excuse me?”
Jeongguk’s eyes snapped to Seokjin. The older man raised an eyebrow, an amused smile tugging at his mouth. He laughed at Jeongguk’s minor panic. “Relax, Jeongguk, I know you were talking about that guy's date.”
His friend subtly glanced back on the pretense of stretching his back. His smile grew.
“He’s cute. And your type.”
His cheeks flooded with heat, fingers fumbling with his straw. He couldn't deny it. That man—Jimin—was his type. Cute, polite, sense of style, and seemingly kind? Maybe naive, if he was willing to give someone four chances. That was actually super sad. Despite knowing nothing about him, Jeongguk got the impression that Jimin didn’t deserve that. Whoever his date was, he didn’t deserve Jimin.
“You should replace his date.”
Jeongguk surfaced from his thoughts, eyes growing wide with acute terror.
“W-what?” he stuttered, dropping his wrapper. He didn’t crouch to pick it up again, having no need to see what type of shoes Jimin was wearing now—okay, yeah, he dropped it on purpose the first time. “Why would I do that?”
Seokjin shrugged. “Isn’t that the kind of thing you always read about in your stories?”
Telling Seokjin that he read fanfiction was a mistake. Jeongguk regretted it more and more with each passing day.
“No one actually does that in real life!” he hissed under his breath. “Besides, I’m having dinner with you. I can’t just ditch you!”
“Sure you can!”
“Namjoon-hyung texted you, didn’t he?” Jeongguk asked blandly. Seokjin’s smile hardly faltered, shifting to a smirk instead. “Hyung! You’re seriously going to ditch me?”
“I was actually going to ask if Namjoon could come and join us, but if you’re going on an unexpected date we might slip out.” He winked, making Jeongguk splutter. “Besides, Jeongguk, I’m sure we’re not the only ones who noticed this poor guy's predicament. Wouldn’t it be a nice thing to do? Saving him from social judgement?”
It would be a nice thing to do. Jeongguk was a nice person. But he didn’t know him! Maybe he didn’t want help. Would he read it as pity? Which, Jeongguk pitied him a little—no one wanted to be in that situation—but he was more concerned than anything. The guy looked really, really sad-
Jeongguk glanced over at the exact moment Jimin sighed, chin once again pillowed in his hand. He peered out the window, the entire corner he sat in painted with melancholy. His heart squeezed.
He was on his feet and walking before he knew it. Distantly he heard Seokjin whistle and whisper yell atta boy! But he was far too focused on putting one foot in front of the other. It felt like every eye was on him, only it didn't just feel like it because Seokjin was correct in assuming that they weren’t the only ones who noticed Jimin’s predicament.
Jimin himself didn’t notice Jeongguk until he slid into the padded maroon seat across from him. He lifted his head from his chin, blinking owlishly at him. Jeongguk’s heart was near close to exploding.
“Uhm. Can I-”
“Sorry, I know this is weird but I noticed you were sitting alone and I couldn’t help but overhear the conversation you had with the waiter-” he meant to stop there and give himself room to breathe, to think about his next words, but anxiety and adrenaline didn’t allow his mouth to shut. “-which, whoever stood you up is an absolute jerk-”
Jimin’s face did a complicated twist—it looked a bit like confusion, huh—before dissolving into a blank slate. Hiding his emotions so Jeongguk couldn’t see the pain. Oh, whoever hurt this man was going to get it. Jeongguk wished minor inconvenience on them. May they be late to every important meeting from here on out.
“-and they definitely don’t deserve someone as pretty as you. I couldn’t just sit there and not do anything so I came over here to- uh- I don’t really know? Have dinner with you? And pay for your meal.” Jeongguk had no idea what the state of his bank account was. “If that’s okay. I-”
It caught up to him now, what exactly he was doing. He’d walked up to a near stranger and sat down in the booth across from them, inviting himself to eat with them. If Jeongguk was in his position he’d accept out of pity for the poor soul, not wanting to embarrass them because it was super embarrassing whatwashethinking-!
“It’s totally okay if it’s not okay!” he exclaimed, far too loud. He knew Seokjin heard him, if not half the restaurant, by a muffled snort. Jeongguk curled into himself, wanting to pull the hood of his jacket up over his head. He wanted to go home, actually, and curl up in his sheets. Wait to die, maybe. “I just thought- this is so stupid, gosh I’m sorry, I’ll go-”
He scrambled to his feet, painfully bumping the table with his hip at the same time a hand grabbed his forearm. Jeongguk froze, eyes zipping to the contact before following the hand to its owner. Jimin half stood, one hand braced against the surface of the table. He leaned over enough to have grabbed his arm. The panic in his expression faded into a warm, sheepish smile as his hand lifted from Jeongguk’s arm.
“Sorry for grabbing you,” he apologized. His entire voice sounded like a melody. “I just- you wanted to have dinner with me? Because you thought—because I got stood up?”
Jeongguk swallowed. He resisted the urge to wipe his sweaty palms on his jeans. They weren’t even his nice jeans.
“I-uhm. Yes,” he answered after an uncomfortable pause.
See, Jeongguk got a little hopeless around handsome men. Naturally being shy, Jeongguk had two modes when it came to dealing with attractive people. Zip his mouth shut and convince them that he was mute and couldn’t talk at all, or endlessly babble because they made him so nervous he couldn’t get his lips to seal.
Jimin’s smile grew, eyes curving. Jeongguk forgot about his embarrassment for a moment, mesmerized by the sight.
“That’s really nice of you.”
Jeongguk swore he was ascending.
“I—I try. To be nice. That is,” he forced the words out, half aware that they were just standing in the middle of the restaurant. To combat his nerves, he kept talking. “I mean. I’m not good at it all the time. I’m pretty sure I yelled at my roommate this morning and made him cry—he’s a little sensitive because his parents babied him all his life- that uhm. Wasn’t nice of me to say- uh-”
Jimin laughed.
It was. Well. Small giggles and not full blown laughter, but that didn’t stop it from being music to his ears. Jimin had an entire orchestra wrapped up in him, from his voice to his laugh, to his crescent eyes and sunshine smile. He even had dancing in there, from the slight sway of his body as he chuckled.
Jeongguk had never developed a crush so fast in his entire life.
“Maybe not,” he agreed, still laughing. “But you were nice enough to offer to eat with me. Which, you really don’t have to-”
“I want to,” he blurted.
Jimin blinked at him again.
“I just-” Coherent words, Jeongguk, lets go. “-no one deserves to be stood up. Like, that’s not cool at all. Whoever it was, they should have been honest with you instead of not showing up. And to do it four times? That’s awful. I don’t know how you put up with that, and he’s—they’re an idiot because they’re missing out on all this.”
He gestured to Jimin, who immediately looked down at himself as if he hadn’t known he’d dressed up. For this restaurant he really didn’t need to. Only the staff looked this nice.
“So I wanted to-” he bit his lip, rocking on his heels as he shoved his hands in his hoodie pockets. “-make it a little less sucky? Like- we could just order dessert and trash talk this guy or- you know. Whatever they do in the movies or books whenever this stuff happens.”
“The movies,” Jimin repeated, almost sounding amused. Jeongguk’s cheeks flared with heat as he ducked his head. This was a trainwreck. An absolute bombing of what could have been normal and natural if he hadn’t- “I think dessert is a great idea, but maybe some actual food first?”
Jeongguk blinked. Jimin smiled back before effortlessly sitting back in the booth, gesturing for Jeongguk to do the same.
“I- what?”
Jimin’s smile turned into a smirk. Which. That wasn’t fair. He should look good smiling like a cute angel and then whip out a devilish smirk out of nowhere and turn into hot sin. That’s breaking the rules of the universe.
“I thought we were having dinner. Are we not?”
Jeongguk’s mouth worked wordlessly before he decided not speaking was the way to go here. Instead, he sank back into the booth and tried not to combust on the spot.
To say the entire dinner went smoothly would be a lie.
The beginning was awkward with lulls of silence before one of them got the courage to ask a question and start a conversation. It didn’t help that the waiter from before came back with Jimin’s food and gaped at them for a minute before Jimin cleared his throat with a, “Thank you, Hobi-hyung.”
It took some fumbling for Jeongguk to explain that he actually already ordered and his plate was supposed to be for a different table, but if they could bring it here- yes thank you- and had to reassure Jimin that, yes, Seokjin would be fine by himself. They didn’t have to invite him to sit with them because his boyfriend was on the way if not already there. Jeongguk didn’t want Seokjin to sit with them, knowing what terror he could reign. He was relieved when Jimin reluctantly let it go.
He felt bad when Jimin refused to eat until Jeongguk’s food also arrived, which probably made his own meal cold. Jimin didn’t complain, only pausing halfway through with a gasp and a, “I never asked for your name. That was so rude of me. I didn’t even introduce myself-”
“Jimin,” he cut him off, trying to smile. He ignored the smaller gasp from the other man and his wide eyed stare. “I overheard it earlier. I’m Jeongguk.”
“...Jeongguk,” Jimin repeated, mouthing it once more to himself before smiling with slightly flushed cheeks.
Jeongguk was a little more than enamored, distracted, and flustered. He ended up knocking over his water glass.
So. Not perfect.
But eventually the awkwardness faded. The lulls disappeared as they found things to talk about. In between bites of food and cleaning up spilled water he told Jimin about how his final semester was turning out and the hair pulling it caused. He told him about his roommate who he wouldn’t be renewing a lease with. When Seokjin and Namjoon walked past, hand in hand, Jeongguk told him about them and how he’d unintentionally got them together because he’d asked Namjoon to tutor him at his apartment instead of the library one time, forgetting that Seokjin had been staying over. He knew the second he’d off-handedly quoted something from Moby Dick that Namjoon was gone.
(Seokjin read the book only on a dare that got him a million won. He practically memorized the book with how often he had to restart a chapter because his eyes glazed over)
In return, Jimin told him about his friends, Taehyung and Hoseok—the waiter. How they drove him up the wall but he loved them just as much. He told him about his interests in dance and singing. He graduated as a business major, but was avoidant on what he did with it leading Jeongguk to believe he wasn’t doing so well on the wanted to open up my own business route he’d mentioned. That was okay because Jimin liked animals, and he cooed over the pictures of Song and Paeng that he showed him. Jimin had a cat at one point, where he learned that he was actually allergic. When asked how he dealt with it, Jimin straight faced said, “Drugs.”
Allergy medication, to be more precise.
Somewhere between getting his food and hearing Jimin laugh, Jeongguk’s heart started to go mushy. And in the space between Seokjin and Namjoon leaving and Hoseok asking if they wanted dessert, he’d been filled with warmth from head to toe. He didn’t know when he relaxed enough to grab Jimin’s hand across the table, gasping and laughing over the size. Or when Jimin kicked him under the table in retaliation and he trapped his ankle between his. He blushed, growing quiet but didn’t move away, causing Jeongguk to grow hot under his collar.
When the desserts arrived, two slices of mouthwatering turtle cake, Jeongguk poked at the subject they’d been astutely ignoring. One he wasn’t sure he wanted to touch, but he wanted to know where Jimin stood with the guy who’d ditched him four times.
Maybe because Jeongguk wanted to take him on another date—er. A first date. This was just a dinner without expectations because he’d practically forced Jimin to eat with him. Not that Jimin seemed to mind, because he’d been smiling brightly for the last—he subtly checked his phone—two hours.
Huh. He didn’t feel like it’d been that long.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
He stared down at the cake, his last bite lingering uncomfortably in his throat.
“Talk about what?” Jimin questioned, eyes closing as he savored another bite. He hummed quietly to himself, seemingly unaware of Jeongguk peeking up at him from under his lashes.
“I mentioned earlier that we could trash talk him,” he mumbled. There definitely was some cake stuck in his throat or something because he was having a hard time breathing. He cleared his throat to try and fix the problem. It didn’t do much though. “We don’t have to, I just wanted to give you that option.”
Jimin tapped his spoon thoughtfully against his lips. Jeongguk was having a harder and harder time not openly staring.
“Do you often invite your dates to trash talk their ex’s while you’re out with them?” he finally responded, tilting his head with a grin. Jeongguk spluttered.
“No! That’s like, a red flag. I think.” He shifted in his seat, feet tapping against Jimin’s under the table. Biting the inside of his cheek, he risked another glance at him. “...did you say ex, though?”
“Well,” Jimin’s smile grew. “I think I’d be a little stupid to keep dating someone if they stood me up four times, wouldn’t you think?”
“That would be a little stupid,” he agreed without thinking. Jimin laughed at that, leaning over the table while Jeongguk backtracked. “I mean-! If you did I wouldn’t judge you because I don’t know the guy at all. Heck you could have been dating him for like- ten years or something-”
“Do I look like I’m old enough to have been in a ten year relationship with someone?” Jimin cut him off, playfully indignant. “I would had to been dating him since I was fourteen-”
“It happens!” he argued, throwing his hands up passively. “You’re like, boy-next-door kind of guy. Or the childhood friend turned lover-”
That made Jimin laugh harder, arms wrapping around his stomach as he sank to his forehead against the wood. Jeongguk couldn’t help but grin, warm and fluttering with all these feelings. He’d only spent two hours with this guy and didn’t know him well at all, but lord did he want to.
“I’m just saying.” He shrugged, leaning back in the booth. He palmed his water—not knocking it over this time—and took a self-satisfied sip.
Only to nearly choke on it when Jimin’s phone pinged, lighting up painfully obvious on the surface of the table. Upside down, Jeongguk read the words, so so sorry hyung, something came up. Can we reschedule? I promise- before Jimin’s hand enclosed around it, plucking it off the table and out of sight.
Jimin’s mouth was a thin line as he peered at the message with tight eyes and a locked jaw. Jeongguk wanted to sink into his seat and disappear. How would Jimin respond? Would he give him another chance? He just said he wouldn’t, but Jeongguk knew from experience that it was much harder in the moment than talking about it-
He stopped breathing when Jimin’s eyes flickered up to him, locking him in place. His expression was unreadable, but searching, as if expecting Jeongguk to have an answer or decision for him. What was he supposed to do though? Tell him not to reschedule? Ask him on a date? Show that there was someone else interested so he didn’t have to keep wasting chances on a jerk? He could do all those things, but he’d used up all his courage walking up to Jimin’s table in the first place.
Jimin read an answer in the silence, because he lowered his attention back to his phone as he typed out a response, tapping decisively to send it.
Instead of putting it down, however, he set the phone in the middle of the table, screen turned towards Jeongguk. He couldn’t help but read the message.
I appreciate the time you have given me. Unfortunately due to time constraints and envisionment, I will be looking elsewhere. Thank you again for your time and for letting me see the property.
To say he was confused was an understatement. He blinked from the phone to Jimin, watching as the man let out a sigh and leaned back in the booth.
“There was no date,” he explained after a minute.
Jeongguk stared.
“I was waiting for my cousin, who owns a flower shop on the other side of the city.” Jimin ran a hand through his hair, giving him a tired smile. “He put it up for sale a couple of weeks ago and I was thinking I could use the building for a bakery expansion of the restaurant. Unfortunately he’s been a bit slow on getting things together and actually meeting with me to close on it, so I’ve decided as of… well.” He chuckled to himself. “Two minutes ago, I’m going to take a different offer.”
“You… didn’t get stood up.”
He didn’t know where he found the words, but he spoke them anyway, slowly and unsure. His brain was tripping over itself to process and catch up. All he could think was, this… isn’t a meet-cute?
“Well,” Jimin bit his lip. “I sort of did, but not in the sense that you or other people thought. I wasn’t waiting for a boyfriend or a blind date. I guess because I’m dressed up people got that impression but…” his pink cheeks darkened to red. “I actually work here?”
Jeongguk didn’t think that jaw dropping was an actual thing, but it was now.
“You work here?”
“I do.” Jimin cringed. “I actually own the place? That’s why I was going to have the meeting here so that I could show my cousin what exactly would be sold at the bakery.” He poked at the plate of half eaten dessert. “This turtle cake isn’t actually on the menu. You’ll have to tell me if it was good or not-”
“It was great,” he cut him off faintly.
Jimin wasn’t waiting for a date as he’d assumed. That meant since the very beginning Jimin had taken pity on him and allowed him to think that he’d successfully saved what would have been a disappointing evening. In all actuality, Jimin had saved Jeongguk from utter embarrassment by playing along to his fanciful delusions. This hadn’t been a date at all. Maybe Jimin didn’t even like men-
“Jeongguk?”
He blinked Jimin back into focus. He was playing with the edge of the napkin on the table, bottom lip caught between his teeth.
“I’m sorry that I led you on. I just—didn’t know what to do.” He shook his head. “It’s not everyday that a cute boy comes up to you and offers to have dinner because he thought you’d gotten stood up. It was-” a smile broke through his obvious nervousness. “-really endearing.”
His unresponsive brain only caught on one thing.
“You think I’m cute?” he squeaked, voice cracking horribly. He cleared his throat rapidly, already envisioning the dirt smacking against his coffin as they buried him. Jimin laughed, though not unkindly. He extended a hand across the table, and Jeongguk didn’t hesitate to take it. Jimin’s laughter cut off with mild surprise.
“I-” Jimin bit his lip again. “-was reaching for my phone.”
Jeongguk tried to yank his hand back, face burning with mortification, but Jimin squeezed tight.
“I shouldn’t have- I’d much rather hold your hand instead.” Jimin almost sounded like he was begging. “I want to. Because I do think you’re cute. Very cute, actually. And I want to take you on a date—another date, that is—because I want this to count. If you’re okay with that. I know I wasn’t very honest-”
It seemed Jeongguk wasn’t the only one who rambled when he was nervous. It was far more pleasant to be on the other side of it, and he wondered if Jimin felt this fond seeing him do it.
“I’d like that.”
It came out strong and sure. Jeongguk mentally fistpumped, because having his voice crack again would have him running in the other direction out of pure self shame.
Jimin relaxed all at once, the building tension in his body disappearing as another blinding smile lit up the entire space. Jeongguk would have to start wearing sunglasses around him if he was ever going to survive this.
“Did you drive here?” Jimin questioned, squeezing his hand again. Jeongguk realized that his hand was grossly sweaty, but Jimin wasn’t letting go, so maybe it was okay?
“No, I took the bus.”
“After we finish these-” he nodded to their half eaten plates. “-can I walk you there?”
Jeongguk couldn’t help but smile.
He’d wear that smile for the rest of the night and into the morning, cheek still tingling from where Jimin kissed it when the bus came. It grew bruising when his phone buzzed with a text from a titled my not meet-cute.