Taeyeon was sitting at the table in a small cafe waiting for Jimin, who went to give the order for them. She finished her work at the company while Jimin waited outside until she finished hers. Though she told him not to come inside, he insisted on waiting for her.

It's been two days since she admitted to herself that she has feelings for Jimin. And the fear hadn't gone away. The sense of unease continued to eat at her from within. She is still anxious about what might happen if their relationship gets known. Can Taehyung, as a protective brother, accept that his best friend and sister are in a relationship? There are a lot of what-ifs running through her mind.

"Ta-da!" The melodic voice of Jimin suddenly broke Taeyeon's thoughts as he placed their drinks on the table. "Strawberry latte for you, just the way you like it," he said with a warm smile.

As his face looked up to hers, she forced a smile, trying to look as anxious as she is. Jimin can say that Taeyeon's mind seems preoccupied with many thoughts, and he took the blame on himself; he should have to tell her the truth about that night, at least to her, because he knows Taehyung wouldn't believe him.

He clasped his hands, taking a deep breath before deciding to finally come clean to Taeyeon about what really happened that night, because it can only make her clear that their relationship isn't a mistake or wrong.

"Taeyeon," he began, his voice soft, staring at her, "I need to tell you something."

Taeyeon looked up at him, her eyes filled with a mixture of curiosity and concern. She nodded slightly, signaling for him to continue, her eyes softening as she waited for what he wanted to say.

"That night," he said, finding the words to set properly while Taeyeon wondered why he was again bringing up that topic, but she stayed calm as she kept staring at him to continue.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment before meeting her gaze again. "Nothing had happened in between us," he blurted out; finally, it felt like the heavy weight had been lifted off his chest. But the thing he didn't notice himself is that his face became so red as he spoke the words.

Taeyeon's brows drew closer as she processed his words, 'Nothing—what does he mean?'

"What do you mean, Jimin-shi?" she asked, her words stuttering slightly as she tried to keep her composure. Jimin took a deep breath, his cheeks flushing even more as he tried to explain himself further.

Flashback

As they both reached the hotel room of Jimin, he pinned her to the door; his lips never left hers as his long tongue tasted every inch in her mouth, the taste of alchol and her sweet strawberry scent almost driving his nerves carzy. He could clearly hear how their hearts beat wildly in sync.

He swiped the card through the lock and opened the door, walking into the room without breaking the passionate kiss. He closed the door behind him and pushed her against the wall gently palcing his hand back of her head not letting her get hurt before deepening the kiss even further.

'What the hell are you doing, Park Jimin?' His inner self screamed at him to stop himself. 'She is just someone who tried to comfort you by listening your heartbreak; you shouldn't be doing this.'

And he felt it was right, and he shouldn't be doing this, Though she is the one who kissed him first, he should have resisted himself  in the first palce as he saw how drunk she was. However it wasn't too late for him to stop. Before he pulled himself away, he felt the kiss getting slower and he realized that Taeyeon was dozing off in his kiss.

He softly pulled his face away from hers, feeling a mix of guilt and confusion. He didn't know what came over him in that moment, but he knew he needed to apologize and explain himself to Taeyeon.

A sigh of relief escaped him as he decided to talk to her in the morning, hoping she would understand his actions were not intentional cause he already understood that her action were not intentional too but he felt like have stopped himself  from further. He picked her up in his arms and gently carried her to bed, tucking her in, but she stirred slightly, mumbling something, so he leaned down to hear what she was saying.

"She is so bad, jimin; how can she cheat someone like you? You look like a nice gentleman," she mumbled. They have barely known each other, and she only knows his name and his breakup story, yet she felt compelled to defend him against someone else's actions, that made his heart ache.

"You are too innocent, Taeyeon" he mumbled softly at the end of the sentence where he said her name, tucking her hair behind her ear. She shifted uncomfortably in the bed, and Jimin thought it was because of the dress. He went and called one of the female staff in the hotel to his room.

After some time, he heard a knock on his hotel room door. He pushed his blond hair back and stood up, adjusting his shirt nervously. As he opened the door, he smiled at the female staff member, "Thank you for coming," he said, letting her in.

"How may I help you, sir?" She asked in Japanese. Jimin hesitated for a moment before responding in broken Japanese, "Can you help with the dress my friend is wearing?She is dozed off." The staff member nodded and followed Jimin to his bedroom.

He gave her his long oversized shirt to the staff member to put on Taeyeon, making sure she was comfortable before he closed the door. The staff member gently placed the shirt on Taeyeon and tucked her in. And neatly folded her clothes, placing them on the couch before quietly leaving the room.

"Sir, please let me know if you need any more assistance," she said softly before closing the door behind her. Jimin wlaked back into the bedroom, a soft smile palyed over his lips as he watched Taeyeon slept peacefully. 

He never thought he would allow himself to feel this way about someone again, not after his heart was broken so badly 4 years before. But he shook that thought, 'Maybe I drank too much,' he thought to himself.

The flashback finishes.

Taeyeon felt foolish for assuming they had slept together that night. Her cheeks flushed red as she processed Jimin's explanation and the flashback he had shared.

"You mean... you didn't... we didn't—" Taeyeon stammered, struggling for words.

Jimin shook his head quickly, his ears burning with embarrassment. "Yes, we didn't sleep together. And I'm sorry for not telling you this sooner," he said softly.

Taeyeon literally felt so dumb for jumping to conclusions without knowing what had happened. How did she even think that in the first place? How did she not even think about the neatly folded clothes if they slept together?

Taeyeon buried her face in her hands, overwhelmed by humiliation and relief. Her thoughts raced, recreating every detail of that night and all the assumptions she'd made since then.

"How could I be so stupid?" she muttered, more to herself than to Jimin.

Jimin said softly. "Don't stress yourself out over it, Taeyeon. Anyone would have jumped to conclusions in such a situation."

She lowered her hands from her face, her cheeks still crimson. "But the clothes were so neatly folded. If I had only thought about it for a moment, I would have realized—" She cut herself off while shaking her head. "I was so caught up in my own overthinking that I didn't even stop to consider the details."

"But why were you shirtless on that night?" she asked as the image of jimin sleeping next her without any shirt. 

"That's because..." Jimin hesitated a moment fight himself whether he has to say or not but taeyeon's sharp gaze somehow made him to say it out, afterall she would get to know in future too, "I couldn't sleep with my with my clothes on" he blurted out as the heat rushed upto his face.

Taeyeon's mouth hung 'He, what?' she thought, Jimin seeing her reaction shook his head and added, "I mean with shirt and pants and I have slept on couch for soem time but as I couldn't get sleep, I got on bed" She came see how red he looked. She have never seen him this red ever before though he looked cute when he is embrassed.

"To be honest, the night was confusing for both of us. And I should have clarified things sooner rather than letting you carry the confusion." he said further as he hasn't finshed his talk.

"Actually, when I took you out for dinner, I wanted to say this, but your brother interrupted us, and I never got the chance." Jimin's expression softened as he reached out to gently touch her hand. "I hope now I cleared up everything I guess."

Taeyeon facepalmed internally for thinking all this time she did something she never was, and she didn't even try to think about that night properly as if she was running away from those thoughts. But now she somehow felt relaxed but also embarrassed at the same time.

But... But... That doesn't mean that they can be in a relationship openly. Because Jimin is still a guest artist, she has to maintain that professionalism in the office by not getting caught, but what about Taehyung? How can they manage without getting caught by her brother?

She felt Jimin's fingers carefully wrapping around her hand, giving a warm, comforting squeeze that made her feel safe and loved.

"If you still worry about your brother or company, don't." He said softly, "I'll make sure we don't get caught." He added with huge grin that his eyes almost disspared into cresents.

Taeyeon felt her heartbeat quicken as she looked at Jimin's crescent-shaped smile. 'Can he see me through those eyes?' she wondered. His words were so simple yet filled with confidence, like he had already figured out how to overcome every roadblock.

At last, she asked in a quiet but interested voice, "How can you be so sure? You know about my brother better, and if he finds out..."

Jimin tilted his head slightly, his grin fading into a serious look. "Taehyung is protective, yes, but he is also understanding. If he sees how much I care about you, I'm sure he will change his mind."

She shook her head in disbelief, unable to comprehend how Jimin could be so certain about his brother's reaction. But deep down, she wants to have trust in Jimin's words and believe that everything will work out in the end.

Taeyeon bit her lip, the weight of her thoughts seen on her face. "But what about the company, Jimin-shi? Even if Taehyung somehow... miraculously understands, how will we manage there? Even if we don't reveal it, people talk. Gossip spreads like wildfire. What if it affects our work?"

Jimin leaned back slightly, his fingers still gently clasping hers. His full lips curled into a mischievous smirk as if he had already planned for the moment beforehand.

"I've thought about that too. So, don't worry about them so much," he said softly, unwrapping her hand from his and standing up from his seat and leaning forward, smoothing the line that formed over her forehead. "You will get old. Don't frown too much, or you'll get wrinkles," he teased, causing her to swat at his arm with sending him a glare, for which he dramatically gasped.

"Oh! Did you...Did you just hit me"?" Jimin asked, clutching his chest as if she had hurt him deeply. His eyes widened dramatically as his lips quivered in a small pout like a duckling.

Those actions immediately brought a giggle escaping her lips which formed a boxy smile. She shook her head, unable to contain her laughter at his exaggerated reaction. This is not at all like the Park Jimin she had seen in the office. The serious, attentive, and polite, of course a sweet and charming guest artist with an exuding professionalism which is now gone. Instead, he was acting like a dramatic kid who had been given too much sugar. It was both surprising and adorable to see this side of him, making her wonder what other hidden layers he might have.

"You're unbelievable," Taeyeon said, giggling and covering her mouth with her hand.

Jimin straightened up and pretended to be wiping away a nonexistent tear. " you mean, Unbelievably charming, " he said with a wink, causing her to roll her eyes.

"More like unbelievably ridiculous," she retorted, pressing her lips into a tight lipped smile.

He gasped, clutching his chest again. "Ouch, Taeyeon-ah. First, you hit me, and now this? I don't know how much more I can take."

Taeyeon's cheeks hurt from laughing so hard at his adorable exaggerated dramatics that she was unable to stop. "I didn't know you were so dramatic, Jimin-shi," she said through her giggles, shaking her head.

Jimin grinned, laying his chin against his hand, watching her laugh. "I love to see you like this," he said softly, his teasing tone replaced by something gentler. "You should smile more often. It suits you."

She nearly choked on her own laughter at his sudden change in tone. Her heartbeat quickened, and her cheeks flushed. It was as if the playful mood between them had suddenly turned into something far more delicate, which caught her off guard. She didn't realise that she could feel so comfortable with jimin like this.

"Jimin-shi," she said, her voice softening and the laughing falling into a calmer smile. "You really know how to make someone feel embarrassed."

Jimin's stare softened, never leaving hers. "I am serious, Taeyeon. Your smile is something unique, you know, just like your brother's."

Taeyeon blinked, a little off guard by the comparison. "My brother's smile?" she repeated, her brow furrowed slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

Jimin leaned forward, tilting his head as if he were seeing his best friend's boxy smile. "Your brother, Taehyung... he can light up a room just by smiling, right? It's the kind of smile that draws you in and makes you feel like everything will be fine. And you..."

"You have that, too. Your smile is to shine with its own light." he said ever so smoothly with hsi melodic voice.

Jimin's serious and gentle melodic tone made Taeyeon's heart flutter instantly. She had never considered her smile in that way, particularly in comparison to her brother's. Though they both share a similar smile, her smile is never fully boxy as Taehyung's; however, hearing Jimin's words somehow made her see her smile in a new light.

"Oh!" Jimin suddenly exclaimed, widening his almond eyes, as he stared at the takeaway cup in Taeyeon's hand. "I almost forgot about our drinks," he said. "Wait, I'll buy another one." He standing up to go to the counter and order another fresh cup of latte.

Taeyeon blinked, still processing Jimin's earlier words when he suddenly shifted the conversation to the drinks. She glanced down at the cup in her hand and then back at him, realising they forgot about the lattes.

"No, no, it's fine, Jimin-shi," she said with a soft chuckle, stopping him before he could walk away. "Let's just enjoy what we have," she added, smiling warmly at him. Jimin nodded shortly and sat back down, a small smile playing on his lips.

Taking a sip of his favorite iced latte, he leaned back in his chair and relaxed, enjoying the comfortable silence between them. He felt the weight lifting from his shoulder after talking about that night, giving her a clear clarity.

But he already knows there must be something going to happen at the company, and he is already well prepared for it.