"You're also Kim? That's adorable — the Kim-Kim couple!"

It began with their over-approving parents — then came their aunts and their special talents of making word (real or fake) spread faster than local news, which — of course — reached their overzealous friends.

Kim Taehyung and Kim Hyun-ah have heard multiple variations of the same statement be made throughout the years, but it's oddly gotten worse when her friend catapulted into blinding fame. It's funny how it turned out that way, considering how restricted his dating life became since becoming a world-renowned celebrity. If anyone were to hear or spread anything to the public — a rumor, gossip that Bangtan Sonyeondan's Kim Taehyung was seeing someone — she'd have her head on a pike in no time.

Hyun-ah, propped up by her elbow on a desk, stands from where she sat languidly on a black styling chair. Her eyes never leave the foundation brush dancing over her friend's grinning face, promptly covering the growing pimple he'd been whining to her the whole journey to the agency about.

She shrugs and chuckles softly in acknowledgment to the comment made, watching Taehyung — whose eyes are shut — suddenly scrunching his nose from the setting powder falling over his glossed lips.

Kim Taehyung and Kim Hyun-ah have heard multiple variations of the same statement, which is why the new stylist's remark came as no surprise to the pair.

"Yeah," Hyun-ah concurs with a nod, but seamlessly continues with her usual disclaimer. "Though it's closer to say that we have the same last name because we're pretty much like family to each other."

This, to an extent, is true. She didn't necessarily see Taehyung as an older brother, but the love she feels for him is somewhat like that — platonic.

Realizing now the huge error in her surmise, the stylist — a pretty, petite lady well in her mid-thirties — falters in her movement, the brush in her hand stuttering.

"Ah, is that so? I'm very sorry, I shouldn't have assumed anything. I apologize."

Hyun-ah frowns empathetically from how embarrassed the stylist gets; the older woman's cheeks dust with a bright pink color that was absent on her pale skin just moments ago and her eyes tremble as she looks at her contritely. Although the way she reacted is similar to the usual reaction the correction evoked, it's still embarrassing to witness — especially since it truly isn't a big deal.

With that, Hyun-ah shakes her head and waves a hand to assure the bashful lady, even throwing in a smile in hopes that it would help lift the troubled countenance from her face. "No, it's okay. Don't worry about it, unnie, it's a common misconception." She explains, now turning to look at her friend who has been mute this entire conversation, expecting him to help reassure his own staff.

Hyun-ah suspects that Taehyung must've dozed off — given his silence and agape mouth — but her own presumption proves to be incorrect when the low and familiar timbre of his voice finally fills the air. With his eyes still shut, Taehyung's dark eyebrows meet in his miffed expression. "Until when are you going to keep this lie up, Hyun-ah-ya? I told you it's nothing to be embarrassed about," he starts.

"What?" Her own eyebrows furrow.

The chair right next to his squeaks softly, causing him to crack his left eye open to catch his friend taking a seat. Once her slender eyes fall back on his face, he quickly shuts his peeper. Oblivious to his actions, she rests her chin atop her fists, leaning closer. She watches how his shining lips glint under the bright ring light.

He tuts, as if disappointed with her genuine nescience. "Please don't act dumb. I already told you it's okay to be in love with me, don't be so humiliated and tell lies."

Despite being caught off guard, she guffaws at that and the stylist between them —although donning a small smile — is thoroughly confused.

"Did you just suddenly forget about my fat crush on Namjoon? I talk to you about it all the time."

Taehyung, ignoring her, finally opens his rounded eyes only to be stunned by the cosmetic light in front of him. Despite the momentary blindness, he shifts his gaze up to the worker busy with his hair and shoots her an apologetic look. Adding in theatrics with whatever charade he's coming up with, he covers his mouth with a hand, whispering loudly to the older woman. "Noona, please forgive her."

"What makes you think I'd be in love with you when a real man like Namjoon exists? He's been hitting the gym too, I can tell. He's got it all — brains and brawn."

"Noona, she's still trying to cope with the fact that I don't feel the same way about her."

Taehyung's effort of keeping his movements to a minimum for his stylist's sake breaks once he yelps and clutches the back of his head after a hand from behind slaps it. He honestly thought for a second that it was the stylist who had hit him, but it was when he looked at the mirror that he realized it was Hyun-ah — Hyun-ah who had left her seat and was now behind his chair.

From where their eyes meet in their reflection, he blinks at her. Agile as always, he thinks. Still, he picks up from where he faltered off and feigns an injured moan, making an effort to look distinctly hurt.

She laughs again — a pleasant, jovial sound that almost breaks Taehyung's act completely. The way her pretty face lights up with mirth causes the corners of his mouth to twitch visibly. She shakes her head at her silly friend whose hands are still wounded through his soft-permed raven hair. He still insists on looking like she had slammed a vase over his head rather than smacking it lightly.

"Hey, how come you didn't act this well in Hwarang, huh?" Hyun-ah wraps her arms around the top of his chair, smirk stretching her plump lips as she slumps over his seat.

The pained sounds emitting from Taehyung's mouth halts and his torso swivels so he can scowl at her properly. Goading him further, she flashes him a very square smile, trying to copy the one he always sports — the one everyone went so crazy over. Admittedly, as endearing as it can get sometimes, she thinks he usually looks awkward smiling like that.

Seeing how unattractive his friend looks showing her gums and pushing the corners of her mouth as far back as possible, Taehyung chortles, bright umber irises lost under long, dark eyelashes in his dimpled smile. He puts a large hand up, the manner of him turning his head snobbish. "Don't come for my brand like that, especially if you'll imitate it that way."

The boxy smile on Hyun-ah's face falls quickly and replaces with an uncaring grin, her almond eyes narrowing knowingly as she crosses her arms across her chest.

"Then shall I just go home?"

"No." He quickly says, the arrogant tone he insists on using rising an octave at the end.

She chuckles, finding it cute yet ridiculous how he still wants her around when they do big performances. It's times like this she's reminded of Taehyung back when Bangtan was still starting out.

He's come a long way, she thinks to herself, somewhat nostalgic. Maybe it's from reminiscing how he used to beg her to come to every concert during their earlier years, or maybe it's just her missing Taehyung's feathered orange hair and dark eyeliner.

It's probably the eyeliner, she amends with a nod to her thoughts.

"You're doing that thing again," Taehyung says slowly, breaking her reverie. She blinks before looking at her friend from the mirror, where his round eyes are already dead-set on her.

"Doing what?"

"Nodding and smiling to yourself," he answers softly — cautiously.

He makes his swallow apparent. "Are the voices coming back? Do you — do we need to call the shaman again?"

Before Hyun-ah could react, Taehyung quickly turns to his stylist a second time and holds a hand over his mouth. "Noona, please forgive her — she's cursed."

At that, the worker erupts into soft giggles and Hyun-ah — eyes wide with disbelief and humiliation — feels her cheeks scorch. Her fists ball at her sides, face beet-red. "Oi, Kim Taehyung!"

"I'm joking! You know you're my Calico cat!"

"I wish I could say the same about you! You're a street cat to me!"

Kim Hyun-ah and Kim Taehyung continue to bicker and laugh, the otherwise barren dressing room filled with their voices.

The stylist can't help but chuckle along with their banter, refusing to believe they were anything less than a couple so in love.

[A/N: Here's the first chapter, y'all! This is to show my appreciation to the people who have given Sweet Night so much love and attention already! Sadly, though, this book is still COMING SOON! Regardless, I hope y'all enjoyed it and, hopefully, gave y'all even more reason to look forward to the story! <3]