"Hi, Yoongi-ssi," said Eunji. "What did you want to talk about?" 

"Namjoon," said Yoongi. "He came home and told us all about what happened. We were going to talk to you earlier, but it just slipped our minds."

"Right," she said. "What were you going to tell me? Date Namjoon?"

Yoongi stretched his arms, making him look cat-like in the process. She almost expected him to open his mouth and begin purring. "Yes. There's really no reason not to."

"You're the girl for him, Eunji-ssi," Hoseok added. "He's never really been this emotionally invested in his past relationships, which is why they all fell apart at some point."

"How many relationships has he had?"

"Two. A fling in high school and a long-term relationship in university. They were almost going to get married—Namjoon was looking for engagement rings at one point—but he bailed out. He's tried to date post-college, but you're the only one who's stuck."

"Really?" she said quietly. "Why'd he bail out?"

"He wasn't satisfied with her," said Yoongi. "And I quote, 'I don't want to settle for her. I want to find my soulmate.'"

"I'm sorry for all the questions, but how long has it been since he broke up with her?"

"Two years."

Eunji opened her mouth to ask another question, but Yoongi said, "No more questions. This is about you, not Namjoon's practically nonexistent love life. Anyway, we've always wanted Namjoon to come out of his shell, no matter how stupid that sounds. Even if it doesn't work out, Eunji-ssi, could you at least try?"

She cocked her head. "That makes it sound like you're using me for your own benefit. Of course," she said quickly, "I know you're not doing that. I'm going to date him. By my own free will."

Hoseok smiled, clapping his hands together. "You two are going to be so cute together. Like us," he said, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's shoulders. "We're cute, right?" In response, Yoongi laid his head on Hoseok's shoulder.

"Anyway," said Eunji, "How am I going to tell him that I want to date him?"

"You shoot him a text," Hoseok replied, matter-of-factly.

"No!" Yoongi exclaimed, lifting his head. "That's too plain. We need something more...flashy."

"I'm not good at flashy," she said doubtfully.

Hoseok winked at her. "We've got that covered."

~

The next day, they had devised a plan. It seemed quite a bit extra, as Eunji could've delivered the same message with a simple text. But, alas, this was the route she was choosing to take.

While Eunji served her internship, she could think of nothing but Namjoon. She counted the minutes until she was released. At 5 o'clock, Hoseok called her, practically bursting with excitement. "Tell me how it goes, okay?"

"I will," Eunji replied, getting into her car and depositing her purse onto the passenger seat. She was eager to see Namjoon, but she had a couple of errands to run.

She inserted the key into the ignition. The vehicle merged easily into the flow of traffic, and the line of cars began to slow. Eunji wasn't worried; she'd given Namjoon a later time on purpose to accommodate rush hour.

The light turned green, but the car in front of her did not budge. Vexed, Eunji pressed her face against her side window. "Go, you old hag!" She muttered a few choice expletives as her car inched forward.

Meanwhile, her expletives became more vulgar as the orange rays of the setting sun pierced her eyes and she was forced to put down the visor. It seemed as if the world was against her today. Eunji had things to do, unlike some of these people.

By the time she had reached her destination, Eunji was late. Namjoon was seated on a bench overlooking the Han River. His leg was twitching, and she had to choke back a laugh. Namjoon's own nervousness provided her some comfort.

"We come here so much," said Namjoon when he saw her.

"That's why it's special."

"Also, you're late," he said pointedly.

"Fashionably so," she replied. Her nose picked up on a strong, sickly scent, and it didn't take long for her to realize that it was coming from Namjoon. He smelled vaguely woodsy, like lavender and coumarin. Eunji sneezed into her elbow. "Did you put on cologne?" she asked.

Namjoon's cheeks turned pink. "Yeah."

"You know perfumes and colognes used to be made out of deer ass?"

"Really?" he said, eyebrows raising.

"Yeah, they used to come from musk deers' rectums. Every time you put on cologne, you smell like deer ass. The more you know."

"That's nice to hear," he said, eyebrows knitting together. He had nice eyebrows. She wondered if they were natural. "But why are you here? Why are we here?" Namjoon turned to her, waiting for an answer. When it did not come, he said, "Answer me. Why did you ask me to come here?"

"So I could apologize."

"Apologize for what? There's nothing to be sorry for."

"I'm sorry for every shitty thing I've done, and I hope you can forgive me. Also, here's a gift," said Eunji, reaching into her purse. She produced a red crab plushie, the tag still on, and presented it to Namjoon.

"Crabs!" he exclaimed, his voice softening. "You remembered?"

"Actually, Hoseok remembered." While Namjoon admired the crab, Eunji admired his face; his starry eyes that could hold galaxies, his button nose, his rosy lips that were currently stretched into a smile. He was so attractive it hurt.

"Anyway," she continued, "I came to tell you something."

Namjoon put the crab down and looked at her expectantly.

"I changed my mind. I think...I want to date you." It took all of her effort to say the words. Why was speaking in front of Namjoon so hard?

"You do?"

"Yes."

He tilted his head. "And what made you change your mind?"

"My therapist."

"Ah. It never hurts to consult your therapist."

"So are you going to date me?"

His lips curled up, and his eyes became crescent moons. Eunji resisted the urge to poke his dimple. "Of course I'd date you, Eunji-ya. Why wouldn't I?" Namjoon brought a hand up to her chin, his fingers brushing her cheek. The contact made butterflies appear in her stomach. "I've always dreamed of finding my soulmate," he said, slowly, tentatively. "Not like true soulmates exist, anyway. Just someone who feels right. No one I've dated felt right for me."

Yoongi's quote flashed in Eunji's mind. I don't want to settle...I want to find my soulmate.

"But you," said Namjoon. "There's something about you that...differentiates you from everyone else." His voice was barely more than a whisper. "Why am I so drawn to you?"

"And I to you," she murmured.

Namjoon leaned in, even closer. Eunji noticed his gaze flitting to her lips, and she swallowed.

Time seemed to slow as they stared at each other. Something awoke deep inside of her, unfamiliar but comfortingly warm, spreading throughout her body. It was almost unreal how one person could make her feel this way—so nervous, and yet so content at the same time. Eunji's surroundings blurred until it was just her, and the man clutching the stuffed crab. The feeling was ineffable. "Namjoon-ah..."

He leaned in even closer so that only inches separated them. Their noses brushed, their breath mixed, and then Namjoon closed the gap.

Eunji had read about kissing in countless novels. Surely, kissing someone didn't set off metaphorical fireworks, nor did it make her heart want to leap out of her chest, nor was it 'deliciously sweet'. But kissing Namjoon was all of these things, and more. It was almost unreal how every cliché thing she'd heard about it was, in fact, true. She'd always dreamed about having a magical first kiss that could sweep her off her feet and make everything feel okay, even for just a moment, and now she had it.

Finally, Namjoon pulled away, and Eunji looked into his chocolate-brown eyes, breathless. Wordlessly, she leaned her head on his shoulder, breathing in his cologne, and he wrapped an arm around her in response.

For a while, they did not speak, simply enjoying each other's company. The sky was darkening, the shadows elongating. A few ducks lingered in the river, their flapping wings causing the water to ripple. The artificial lights emanating from the buildings replaced the weakening rays of daylight. Occasionally, a lone biker or stroller passed their bench, and the couple sat and simply watched.

Only when the sky began to turn orange did Namjoon stand up. "Come on," he said. "Let's go."

They walked hand in hand as the orange deepened and the park began to clear out. Namjoon walked Eunji to her car.

"I'll see you around?" he asked.

Eunji nodded, and he pressed a chaste kiss to her lips. She got into her car and, impulsively, turned on the radio. As if reading her thoughts, a slow love ballad began to play from it. With the ghost of his kiss on her lips, Eunji drove home.

Boy, would she have something to tell Sumi.

a/n: namjoon is now a boy with luv *ba dum tss*

ew idk why but it was hard to write this chapter. i think the writing itself is decent but i was second guessing myself the entire time. i think i spent more time staring at the chapter than actually typing it, and that's why it took so long. haha

this will be the last update before i take a mini break. my band spring trip is coming up which means i will have limited time to write. we're going out-of-country to toronto :) whenever i mention band to non-band kids i can imagine the look of disdain on their faces SDKJKSJDKJS sometimes i forget that my school is the only school ever where band is 'cool'. anyway, i will continue to pre-write as much as i can. updates will resume during mid-april. thank you for understanding <3

as always, please vote and comment!!