"We met each other beyond all time. So now how do we do? Can we make it work? This fragile love."

0:00 |───────── 5:23

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"Rein... Rein!" She was shaken awake by Namjoon, who wore a grin on his face.

"Huh?" she said, looking around. "The movie... Did we finish the movie?" He shook his head.

"I turned it off once I realized you were asleep. You were leaning on my shoulder, so I looked over and you were sleeping so soundly... I thought the movie would disturb you." Rein felt her cheeks heating up already.

Shit.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to... Fuck," she said, not daring to look up at him.

"No need to apologize. You were quite cute, actually," he replied casually. Rein could feel her face reddening further.

"You're not helping!" she said, her eyes glazing over the clock on the wall. Then, she did a double-take; it was 4:13 PM.

He came over at 12:00 PM.

"Oh my god, how long did I sleep for?" she asked, her eyes widening. Namjoon shrugged.

"An hour or so?" Rein put her face in her hands.

"Oh, my god. And you let me sleep like that?" He smirked.

"I mean, I was trying to wake you up for about fifteen minutes now. You're a heavy sleeper."

Rein chose to ignore his comment.

"You should get going," she said, "rush-hour's gonna start any minute now." Namjoon nodded after some pause.

"Yeah, okay." She led him to the door, and he put on his scarf with a smile.

His gaze fell on Rein with a tenderness she never noticed until now. "I had a lot of fun."

"M-me too," she said, pausing at the door.

"So, I'll see you later?" he asked. She nodded, and they looked at each other, wondering what to say next.

Or do next.

Rein reached up and kissed Namjoon on the cheek, whispering a "thank you" in his ear before she pulled back. The shocked expression on his face made her regret her brash decision almost immediately. However, his shock soon turned into a grin.

"I should be the one to thank you," he murmured, placing a hand on her cheek, so softly that she wasn't sure if he was actually touching her.

But the skin that felt like live wires said otherwise.

He removed his hand and stepped out.

"Merry Christmas, Ms. Jones," he said, then left without another word, his silhouette blending into the background of the mundane hallway. She raised a hand to say good-bye and closed the door. She dreaded turning around to find herself alone again; the hotel room seemed too empty without him now.

"Merry Christmas," Rein said to herself. A smile dawned her features as her hand went to the pendant.

The bird seemed to glitter back in response.

.・。.・゜✭・.・✫・゜・。.

The wind bit into Rein's skin as she stepped onto the dock. Though the sky was turning a murky blue, the water around the cruise ship shimmered, reflecting fluorescent light against its surface. She shivered, pulling the fabric of her mink jacket nearer.

Ms. Cho had sent her both an electronic and physical copy of the invitation to this New Years party a few days prior, saying it was important that she attend. It was a get-together of various celebrities in Korea, one that was held annually and had a good turnout each time. However, what made the party unique was not the fact that only certain people were invited.

What made it unique was the floating aspect, or rather, the nautical theme of the whole experience. A top-of-the-line cruise took the guests from the dock, provided a night of fun, and even came with rooms for them to sleep in.

The guests would be dropped off the next morning, starting their new years off where they ended it. Though it cut close to the time Rein had to depart from Seoul, the manager thought it would be a good career move to attend.

She also happened to mention that a certain person by the name of Kim Namjoon would be attending this New Years party. What kind of friend would she be if she didn't make it, after all?

The entry to the ship was guarded by two security guards, their beady eyes scanning the line of people coming in. She took out her invitation, trying her best to straighten it out, as it became crumpled in her pocket.

As it approached her turn, Rein took a look around to see who else was invited. Though she wasn't well acquainted with the names of the Korean pop industry, she could pick out a few people she recognized in photos, including Jennie and Jisoo of BLACKPINK, members of EXO, Kim So-hyun, Nam Joo-hyuk, and more actors and musicians sprinkled in. Some idols opted in for being with their families for longer instead of attending the party, and Rein found herself suppressing jealousy when she thought about that.

Some of them nodded to her in recognition, but none had the nerve to talk except for Jackson from GOT7, who flashed her a smile before walking up to her.

"You're Rein Jones, right? The American artist?" he asked in fluent English, much to her bewilderment. She was used to speaking a mix of Korean and English with Namjoon, but she never took that for granted, being careful to establish her Korean speaking abilities with anyone else she met.

"Uh, yeah! And you're..." Rein went through the people in her head before figuring out who he was. "Jackson...? GOT7?" Jackson nodded, a smile brightening his features.

"I'm surprised you know my name. So, what brings you here?" he asked, stepping in front of her to have his invitation looked over. He crossed over, and the guard stopped her, taking the invitation out of her hand.

The guard gave her a once-over and let her in. Jackson turned and extended an arm for her to take, which she did.

"You look like you're looking for someone," he said, walking her to the ferry.

"Yeah. I'm looking for my friend, uh, Kim Namjoon of BTS," Rein replied. Jackson laughed after a moment.

"I know who he is. He's one of my close friends. He's probably mentioned me a thousand times," he joked. "He should be on the cruise already. I'll take you there so we can all hang out."

I wanted to hang out with him alone, though... Rein was too polite to decline the offer however, so she put on a smile instead.

"That sounds great!"

Once they stepped completely onto the ferry, she had to take a look around. It was a mammoth, to say the least, as the boat had eleven floors, including a bar and a lounge on the main floor. Lights covered every inch of the place, including holiday wreaths and the faint scent of cinnamon wafting from an unknown source.

"I think we should go to the top floor," she said, tugging gently on Jackson's arm. He took a quick look at the map and gave her a slightly incredulous look.

"The bar? I like your style, Ms. Jones." Rein kept her mouth shut at that; if she remembered correctly, she heard that Yoongi was also going to be at the party, and with that information, she could deduce where both him and Namjoon were. They chatted all the way into the elevator, Rein letting go of his arm at one point to make the ride to the top be less awkward.

Once the doors opened, Rein was astounded at the change in atmosphere from the main floor. While it was more down-to-earth and bright there, the bar's lighting was dim and almost dingy, though inviting because of the soft chatter from the people around her. Bamboo shoots sprang up from the floor, and wrapped around it were delicate cherry blossoms, and it almost looked like it had freshly bloomed right then and there.

She thanked her intuition as she looked around and found Yoongi and Namjoon sitting at a booth, seemingly engaged in deep conversation. Jackson spotted them around the same time as her, motioning toward the pair.

"Oh, what a coincidence! Namjoon and Yoongi are right over there. Let's go say hi," he said. She nodded in acknowledgment.

"Hey guys," Rein said as she walked over, running her hands across the table. Namjoon whipped his head around and grinned when he saw her.

"What a pleasant surprise... You scared me," he said.

She replied, "Sorry. Should I leave and try again?" He laughed and shook his head. Then, his eyes widened as they naturally went down from her face to other parts of her body.

"Your outfit... Is... Very smart-looking," Namjoon said, stuttering. She wore a rose gold dress that sparkled when it caught the light, and it hung loosely around the breastbone, creating something mystifyingly alluring. In contrast, Namjoon was wearing the scarf she gave him for Christmas along with a sharp navy suit.

"I like yours too," Rein said, motioning to the scarf. Namjoon smiled, then tore his eyes away and looked beside her.

"Uh, hey! You brought Jackson with you!" He grinned as he stood up to greet his friend. Yoongi looked up as if just noticing the new company. He motioned for her to sit down where Namjoon was sitting before without a word.

"Want a drink?" Yoongi asked.

Rein smiled. "Yes, please."

"Then you should get one," he retorted with a snicker. She rolled her eyes and went to punch him in the arm when Namjoon turned around.

"Oh. I see you're already socializing," he said. Rein thought she saw a twinge of envy in his eyes, but what with the dark atmosphere, she couldn't be too sure.

"She can speak Korean?" Jackson said, wonder dawning on his face.

"Yeah, you didn't know that?" Namjoon asked. Jackson squirmed.

"Obviously not... Shit, if I had known she could speak Korean, I would've taken the opportunity to practice some more!" he said, shooting Rein an embarrassed yet confident smile. "Any chance you speak Mandarin, too?"

"No, unless you wanna talk to the equivalent of a two-year-old. And besides, your Korean is way better than mine, so I'm not sure if I could've caught up," Rein said with a wink.

"As a person that knows Namjoon very well, I can't believe you didn't know she spoke Korean, along with every other detail about Rein Jones," Yoongi piped from the corner, sipping his drink deviously. Namjoon turned to him so fast she was afraid he'd get whiplash.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked. Yoongi smirked but said nothing, taking another sip.

"Now that I think about it, you do mention her name about once every five seconds," Jackson said, patting his shoulder. Namjoon blushed under the men's gaze and glanced over at Rein, who was no help to him, as she sat trying to hold back laughter.

"I- I don't do that! She's my friend. Is it not normal to mention your friends sometimes?" he said, scratching the back of his head. Yoongi gave Namjoon a pity-filled look, then turned to Rein.

"Don't worry. He was a typical fanboy before we got the chance to work with you. He's just excited now that he has more of you to talk about. You know, 'cause he's so boring," Yoongi said, to which Namjoon responded with a firm punch.

Rein nodded, then teased, "Okay, guys. As much as I love attention, we shouldn't use all of our energy to make fun of Namjoon. Trust me, he's not worth it."

"That's true," Yoongi said. Jackson looked between them with a sly smile. Namjoon looked at him wearily.

"Oh, now what?"

"Yoongi and I are gonna catch up while you guys go to the deck. The view's really nice right now. Very romantic, one would say," Jackson said, and he motioned for Rein to move as he scooted into where she was previously sitting.

"Is that so?" Namjoon asked, taking a challenging stance. Jackson nodded.

"Oh, please, like you weren't dying to get her alone the moment you laid eyes on her," he retorted, and before Namjoon could say anything back, he added, "you guys have fun. We'll be here when you're done."

Namjoon opened his mouth to speak, then shut it again, looking over at Rein. After what seemed like much deliberation on his part, he extended an arm toward her, (preferable to Jackson's, she found) and she took it with a smile.

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A/N: 안녕 여러분! Hope everyone enjoyed that chapter. Leave a vote and comment if you did.

I'm literally addicted to BTS world! I can't stop playing! Though Yoongi won't give me the time of day... I'm still trying to get into his good graces haha.

Now for the question of the day!

QOTD: When did you guys get into BTS?

I started in 2016 with the wings era, but never became an official fan until last year. The same friend who commissioned this story is a huge fan of BTS and kind of eased me into becoming more than a casual fan. Share your story in the comments!

Until next time, happy reading!

- Haneul xoxo