Bells, Bills and Bubbles of Blues

Chapter 5

"I think you probably just made the biggest mistake in your life, Chaeng."

Chaeyoung's eyes enlarge as she turns to Lisa in disbelief. "I made the biggest mistake?" she asks, pointing to her own face and Lisa just looks at her, making an innocent face before she turns away, pretending that the dust in the air is so interesting. "You guys ruined it all by insulting him that way!"

Jisoo shakes her head. "I never joined in the insulting session, though. Jimin started."

"I was speaking the truth." Jimin shrugs.

"Besides, Chaeng," Lisa smiles at her wider, "we were just suggesting! In the end, it's your choice."

"Right," Chaeyoung deadpans as she side-eyes her friend. As she turns her attention towards Jungkook again, watching his back as he goes farther and farther, her guilt builds up, especially when the hurt look he has just right before he walks away keeps floating in her mind.

Jisoo nudges her side. "I don't think it's that late to-"

"Jungkook!" she yells before Jisoo even finishes her sentence, before she even realizes that she's yelling his name.

"Whew, talk about how fast things escalate," Taehyung says. "What happened to 'I can attend the wedding without a date'?"

Jungkook stops but doesn't turn around. Chaeyoung leaves her friends as she strides fast towards the man. When he turns to face her, he's still frowning, and she realizes how his hair is actually parted as he fixes the bucket hat on his head. His forehead makes an appearance and so are his eyebrows, and she thinks they're pretty and-

She swallows nervously, brushing away the thought of how his pretty eyebrows are furrowing at her and he suddenly looks intimidating, which just adds up 50 points to his attractiveness.

"I'm sorry," she says, after pausing or maybe glitching for seconds and realizing that he's been asking 'what' for three times. "I'm- I'm sorry about my friends. They can be kind of assholes sometimes. But they're actually nice."

Jungkook hums.

"Let me please buy you food," she says, and he narrows his eyes at her.

"That's fine."

"No, please," she unconsciously shifts closer. "Take it as me thanking you for taking me home. I owe you a lot."

*

It's actually enough if Chaeyoung would just buy the food and give it to him. But she insisted to sit and eat with him after she actually told her friends to leave. Jungkook would have rejected the offer if it was anyone else, but here he is munching on his food while sitting across of her. She's cute, he thinks for the millionth time as he stares at her after catching her trying to steal glances at him.

"For someone sweet and cute like you are, I don't get why you have such assholes as your friends," Jungkook says monotonously once he finishes swallowing.

Chaeyoung visibly flushes. "Did you just call me sweet and cute?" she asks.

"Why?" he asks. "You don't like compliments? Or you disagree with it?"

"Um. We're like total strangers."

"And?" he raises his brow with a smirk.

"And... I don't think it's normal? To compliment a stranger like... like that," she shrugs. She looks away and sips on her drink. "Unless we're like a celebrity and a fan. That'd make more sense. Or normal."