It wasn't long after Tae left and during their first game of tic tac toe that Jungkook came in smiling, thrilled to see you and Jimin.

"Hi, guys!" His smile is jubilant. He hasn't seen you in months. Not since he got married.

You hug Jungkook, happy to see him. "It's so good to see you. How is Sara?"

Jimin shakes his hand, then pulls Jungkook in for a brotherly hug. "Hi, little brother from another mother. Yeah, how's Sara? You're about to be a dad in what, like, four months?"

Slightly overwhelmed by their enthusiastic greeting, his eyes beam joyfully as he talks about Sara. "She and the baby are doing great. She said to send you her love and hug you both." He hugs each of you again.

"I can't thank you enough for offering me the job as a bouncer. The last bar I worked at was rough. I had to fight drunks out of the bar and off the premises practically every night. Now, don't get me wrong, you know I like a good fight, but not every night."

With concern, you gaze at the minor injuries on his face. "Looks like your last night there wasn't any different."

He touches some of the minor cuts and abrasions on his face. "Yeah, I swear some people heard I was leaving and came back just to give me a parting gift." 

He laughs and then becomes serious. "But thank you so much for the job. Sara was becoming distressed about my coming home injured. She knew where I worked wasn't safe. The doctor told us the stress could be too much for her and the baby and suggested a job change would be conducive to her having a healthy pregnancy. So here I am." His face lights up in the cutest bunny-like smile.

It felt like you were somewhere else, yet seeing that same smile. You slightly shake your head to dislodge that image. What is wrong with me today?

"We are happy to have you." Says Jimin as he leads him to the bar and hands Jungkook a broom leaning against it.

Laughing, he goes with Jimin, and they start sweeping.

"Jimin brought water in the cooler behind the bar if you get thirsty or your throat gets to feeling too dusty." You offer Jungkook, gesturing to the area behind the bar where the cooler is sitting.

He nods in acknowledgment, "Thanks. I think I'm going to need it." He coughs as Jimin picks up the speed of his sweeping in his direction. Jungkook pokes him with the broom, and they tussle for a few minutes, laughing, then continue sweeping.

You laugh at their antics and watch them as you finish cleaning the bar top. You begin to clean the shelves behind the bar, and under some debris, you find a dried rose that crumbled at your touch on top of an ancient and dusty newspaper page. After blowing off the accumulated dust from the newspaper, you carefully spread the page on the bar.

 It's the front page of the New York Daily News, dated May 7, 1931. You can't fathom how it could be in such a stable condition and not crumble to ashes like the rose. You lift your head blankly, gazing in the direction of the private dressing room. Those pictures are just as old but in even better condition -- how can that be?

You read the article saddened by the young woman who was accidentally shot in the crossfire. Reading more you find out that over 15,000 bystanders hung around to watch the shootout. Nothing like that would have occurred nowadays. Everyone would be instantly notified on their cellphones to stay away or suffer a penalty as police drones neutralize the suspect, either by taser deployment or deadly force.

You rest your chin on your hands, reading the details of the article. The young woman's name sounds familiar, and you softly repeat it out loud:  "Sophia Seok, Sophia Se. . ." You are interrupted when the door opens, and a tall, slim man steps in, his arms open wide. 

"I'm your hope, you're my hope..." He doesn't finish before you grab him in a bear hug, and the newspaper page is completely forgotten.

You are excited to see him. "I didn't think you could make it."

Now he holds you in his arms and plants a kiss on the top of your head, then he releases you but doesn't let go as his arm goes around your waist. 

"Missed me, did you?" His laughter fills the room with sunshine. "Happy Valentine's Day, Novi."

Jimin hurries over to him and hugs him too. "Yeah, of course, we missed you!"

He laughs at Jimin. "Was it me you missed or my famous cocktails?"

You and Jimin laugh with Hope as Jungkook stands politely by. He already knows Hope but doesn't let on.

Jimin reaches toward Jungkook and beckons him over. "I would like you to meet our friend, Hope Jung. We have known him forever." 

Jimin looks at Hope. "This is my best friend Jungkook, and he will be our new bouncer." Jimin beams at Jungkook with brotherly pride.

Hope looks Jungkook over before reaching out and shaking his hand. "Nice to meet you. You definitely have the muscle build of a bouncer, a scrappy one, too, if your face is any indication." He grimaces, then asks, "Does it hurt much?"

Jungkook shakes his hand and laughs. "No. It doesn't hurt too bad."

Turning back to you, Hope asks, "Am I here in time? I have the actual plans with me. Would you like to see them now or wait for the contractor and others to get here?" 

The plan was to send them to you over the Internet, but something kept needling him about being here, and the feeling wouldn't go away, so he canceled his appointments and quickly jumped to New York City.

"Oh, don't you tease a girl like that! *Show me your sketches." You wink at him, and he returns a smile with a wink.

He walks with you to the bar top and pulls off his backpack. Jimin and Jungkook go back to sweeping.

Leaning on the bar, you look at the plans he has drawn up. "I like these." You smile up at him, and he whispers so the others don't hear.

"Are you doing alright, Novi?"

Confused at his worried expression, you say, "Yes. Just some... it's probably nothing. Never mind me." You laugh, but he can sense something's bothering you behind that strained laughter.

He reaches for your hand. "Novi, we are not strangers to each other. I know we only dated a few months, but I can tell when something is on your mind. Now, as your bartender, talk to me."

 He grins, trying to get you to smile again.

You stand straight, no longer leaning on the bar. You call to Jimin and Jungkook. "I'm going to show Hope the rest of the place. When you are done sweeping, can you take those broken tables out back to the alleyway?"

"Sure," says Jimin. "We're almost done sweeping up."

"No problem, we got this." Says Jungkook.

Hope's eyes seem full of questions. You tell him, "Follow me, and I'll explain."

"I will gladly follow you anywhere any . . . time."

A/N: *The phrase of offering or wanting to show someone your sketches was a pick-up line to playfully suggest an intimate encounter, similar to the saying 'Do you want to eat ramen' used in Korean culture as a suggestive pick-up line.

The New York Daily News graphic used if from its archive. I edited the headline by adding 'bystander shot!' to fit the story.