"Welcome to Bangtan Chicken and Brewery, how many are in your party tonight?"

The old woman looks over her shoulder at the rest of her group and squints as she counts them off. "Uhh... there should be seven of us. Right, Gail?"

The woman standing beside her nods and her dangling earrings sparkle in the light. "Yes, seven including us."

I look down at my map of the restaurant and feel a distant flicker of worry. There aren't any tables open for seven people. But if we pull a few together, there could be. I would have to leave the podium for that, and the rush of people is only getting stronger. But the moment of torn feelings ends when my mind snaps back into focus, reminding me to be efficient and calm.

A few minutes of waiting isn't the end of the world. 

I smile kindly at the group of elderly women. "We can have a table ready for you in a moment. I need to pull a few tables together. If you would give me a minute..."

The two women nod in satisfaction. "Thank you," Gail says before they withdraw from the podium and regather with their group. One of the women cackles with laughter, interrupting the thrum of noise around me.

With quick steps, I leave the podium and weave through the full tables and laughing guests. I keep my eyes on the cluster of four-person tables and make it there without issue. The last time I came into the "battlefield", Jungkook and I almost crashed into each other. I pull the polished wood tables together, shoving their individual chairs aside with my foot, and readjust the seating arrangement. Thankfully they are already clean; Taehyung does quick work.

I move back to the front of the restaurant and swiftly grab menus from underneath the podium. I count seven before tucking them under my arm. "Alright, if you would follow me, please..."

I lead the group of women back to their table and set out their menus for them. Before they could start asking me about drinks or taking their order, I interject, "Your server will be with you in a moment."

With that, I scurry back to the podium to greet another wave of incoming guests. Some come in pairs, others come as a large family. Occasionally, a family with children will come through with fussy toddlers but the parents appear calm as ever while asking for a kid's menu.

In the corner of my eye, I watch as the boys move around tables and chattering guests like the water of a stream. With dazzling smiles on their handsome faces, they take orders efficiently and make polite small talk if they have a moment to spare. In the back of the restaurant, Hoseok thrives in his element with bottles between his fingers and surrounded by crystalline glasses.

The sight of his glowing expression is a shot of happy juice in my veins.

My boyfriend, I think warmly to myself. 

Another group of people enters the restaurant.

The first one to the podium, a young woman with pouty lips, stops short and gives me a strange look. I continue to hold my positive demeanor, uncaring of her reaction, and bow my head respectfully. "Welcome to Bangtan Chicken and Brewery. How many are in your party?"

She continues to stare at me as if I had offended her. Then she looks around the restaurant as if she were searching for something. "We have six."

"Actually, we have a reservation!" One of the girls shoves her way to the front of her tightly-knit group and flashes me a tense smile. "It's by the bar section. We requested it earlier."

"Oh..." I glance down at my map of tables and my stomach flips. There are no sections available in that area. There are no reservations due until nine o'clock and these girls certainly don't look like they're the Men's Golf Club Retirement Party for eleven.

Either Jimin didn't mark it down or I erased it during the rush.

"What's the name for your party?" I ask to buy myself some time.

What am I going to do? The people at those tables were recently seated because the main area was already full. They aren't going to leave for a while.

"For Abby, Abby Michaels? It's at the bar counter."

"At the bar counter?" I repeat, mildly confused. I glance over my shoulder and check over the open bar stools. There appear to be enough seats for them but I'm not sure if they had a reservation to start with. It doesn't matter, I guess.

"Is there a problem?" the first girl asks rudely.

I forced my expression to remain neutral and not reflect my annoyance. "No problem at all. Just checking." With quick hands, I grab the menus from the second shelf of the podium and beckon them to follow me. "I'll show you to your area."

I catch Abby and the first girl sharing a look in the corner of my eye. The others in their party follow close behind and continue their conversations about school and midterm-related stress. I set the menus out along the counter as they hop up onto their bar stools.

Hoseok turns around from the wall of glittering alcohol bottles and his eyes widen in surprise when he sees everybody sitting down. He and I lock gazes for a brief moment before he flashes the group of girls a dazzling grin. "Hello, ladies! Are you having a good night?"

I swear I heard somebody let out a breathy sigh.

Best of luck to you, Hobi. These girls look like a handful.

"We're doing great! My name's Veronica, and this is Abby!" the girl with the pouty lips exclaims, radiating with energy. She leans up against the counter, pushing her boobs against the wood, and placing her hand underneath her tilted head.

I fought the urge to glare at her.

Hobi's merely closes his eyes and his bright smile dims for a moment. "That's great. I'll leave you to order." Then he turns his back to the girls, moves back to his secondary counter against the wall, and focuses on making more drinks.

My lips press together, now fighting the urge to look smug as hell.

"Aren't you going to take our orders?" Veronica simpers.

"One of our waiters will be with you in a moment," I answer instead, raising my voice to be heard over the constant noise of the restaurant.

Veronica's eyes flick to me with a note of distaste before looking back at Hobi. "Aren't you?" she asks again.

Hobi doesn't turn around.

I clear my throat louder as I set down the last menu in front of her. She finally leans back to give space for the menu. "Your waiter will be with you in a moment."

One of the girls turns around in her stool and nods at me. "Yeah, alright."

I step away from the counter as a strange prickling sensation moves through my chest. I spare the girls one last look as they continue to attempt to communicate with Hobi. The sensation grows more intense; almost as if my ribcage held nothing but static. I shudder at it and start walking away from the counter.

"Finley!"

I stop in my tracks at the sound of Hobi's voice. I look over my shoulder and blink in surprise. Hobi moves from the bar counter and makes his way to me with swift steps, leaving his post. His eyes are wide with concern and he looks over me, stopping in front of me.

I think I heard one of those girls swear out loud.

"Hey are you alright?" he asks suddenly, checking over my body as his hands hold out in front of him as if they weren't sure where to go.

I stare blankly at him. "Oh, yeah yeah I'm alright. What's wrong? Are you okay?"

He smiles weakly at me and lightly holds my hand. "I'm alright. I just felt like something..." he trails off.

"Was wrong?" I assume.

He nods.

I glance down at my chest, wondering what that feeling was. "Hmm."

Hoseok glances back at the girls who are now blatantly staring at us. "Maybe they give me a bad feeling."

I chuckle and nod, "Same here. Be careful with them, okay?"

Hobi's eyes soften and he steps closer to me, tapping underneath my chin. "I will. You be careful too."

I smile at him and hold my head high, allowing confidence to surge through my veins. "You bet. I'll see you later, bartender."

He steps away from me and smirks over his shoulder. "See you soon, barista."

With newfound energy, I speedwalk back to the podium and resume my position, thinking only of Hobi's touch on my skin and how much I loved hearing him call me 'barista'.

✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.★.*｡･ﾟ✫*.

"Behold, the Dark Moon! Cold brew coffee, coffee liquor, spiced rum, Coca-Cola, and heavy whipping cream. Served on the rocks! Enjoy, my friends."

I reach out and take the tall glass into my hands. I sniff its dark and foamy surface and test the edge with a small sip. The smoky rum scent hovers above the drink as if it had an aura of flavor. I drink more and feel the sparkling punch of the Coca-Cola and the swirling accents of the cold brew coffee.

"Ohh hyung, you've outdone yourself," Jimin gushes, already halfway done with this drink.

"Careful Jiminie, you're not as tolerant as you think you are," Hobi teases, leaning up against the bar's freshly cleaned counter. His eyes glint under the warm lights of the restaurant and are filled with amusement.

"Neither are you," Jimin fires back with a sharp grin.

Yoongi takes the stool beside me and hops up onto it. He beckons Hobi in a drunken manner, absolutely sober, and nods. "I'll have the same, but no rocks, Hoba."

"One dark moon, straight, coming up!" Hobi leaps into action and returns to his station against the wall.

The restaurant is almost silent compared to earlier. We had just finished cleaning up for the night. The sound of clinking dishes and quiet pop music coming from the overhead speakers fills the void that had settled over the building when we closed the doors. Taehyung and Jungkook are finishing the last of the dishes in the kitchen while Namjoon and Jin work on creating another order of ingredients in the far section of the main area. Yoongi isn't needed for either task, though he insisted on helping them. The two groups, working on their own behalf, chased him out and refused to let him help because he already did so much.

Jimin and I cleaned the main dining area early, and Hoseok decided to make celebratory drinks for my first successful night of being a waitress for Bangtan.

Yoongi smiles fondly at him, holding his head up with one hand. "I don't know how he has the energy for this." He yawns and scrunches his face when he is done.

I study Hobi's back as he works. "He's a hard worker. It's impressive, really."

"If the world ran on Hobi energy, we'd never have an energy crisis," Jimin adds before devoting his full attention to chugging the rest of his drink. His soft cheeks are already turning a shade of pink.

"He'd let the world use him," Yoongi comments, quietly. He glances at me through the corner of his sharp-curved eyes. "You would never hear him complain, even if he was worn out. Hobi's the type that keeps his emotions to himself but helps others show theirs. 

I lower my drink from my lips, the fizz of the soda lingering on my tongue. "Even the sun has to set."

Yoongi nods. "It's not a bad thing, of course. It's just another part of Hoseok."

"I'll keep that in mind," I reply, realizing Yoongi's indulging some kind of secret with me. He's helping me understood Hoseok better. He's trying to help me.

Or give me a not-so-subtle hint.

"All done!" Hoseok cheers and walks back to us with a radiant smile. He sets the drink in front of Yoongi and flourishes with his hands. "Enjoy, hyungie!"

Yoongi smiles warmly at him and takes the cold glass. "Thanks, Hoba."

With that, I down the rest of my drink and relish the fizzing liquid as it goes down my throat.

"How does it taste?" Hobi asks curiously.

I give him a thumbs-up. "Wonderful! You might turn me into an alcoholic at this rate."

He smiles bashfully and leans against the counter. He reaches out and takes his hand in his. He gently rubs his thumb against the side of my hand. "It's only fair. All those trips to the cafe got me addicted to coffee."

"It's only fair," I repeat warmly.

"We need to go out soon," Jimin tells Yoongi. "All of us. It would be fun."

"Saturday is one of our busy nights, I'm not sure if we should," Yoongi replies.

I glance over at the boys with a curious look. "Where are you going?"

Jimin runs his hand through the front part of his hair and smooths it back. "We like to go on runs together," he answers. Then he hesitates. "It's... it's something that we like to do to get our energy out."

Yoongi nods in agreement and meets my gaze. "I keep forgetting that you know."

Hobi squeezes my hand gently. "Me too, honestly. I never would have guessed that..." He smiles awkwardly, "I'm glad it's you of all people."

They are werewolves. I saw Yoongi and Namjoon in their wolf form that night I was kidnapped, but I haven't seen them like that again. It is almost like I forgot about it. Though it doesn't matter as much as I thought it would. They are sweet boys, and I feel completely safe with them. And I have no obligation to tell a living soul about it.

"Thank you for trusting me, and believe me, I won't tell anybody," I say wholeheartedly. "To me, it doesn't matter. I actually feel safer when I'm with you."

Hoseok smiles in relief. "I'm glad you feel that way."

"It's not like any of us has ever lost control," Jimin adds. "It's just..." his gaze becomes faraway for a moment. "Let's just say that not everybody is like you."

My expression softens with sympathy towards them. "Really?"

Jimin pulls his glass closer to himself and nods, pushing out his lips as he thinks.

Yoongi clears his throat and drags his glass against the wooden counter. "Namjoon created this pack because some of us didn't feel safe in our homes. Some of us needed to leave home, and Namjoon made one for us."

"I'm glad you were able to find each other," I say gently as my respect for Namjoon swells.

Hoseok looks across the restaurant in the direction of Namjoon and Seokjin. "Me too."

"Will Fin come to the forest with us?" Jimin asks.

"I guess that's up to Fin," Yoongi watches me with curiosity.

"Am I allowed to come?" I ask hesitantly.

Jimin snorts. "Of course."

"Only if you want to," Hobi says, a bit shy. "It's just going to be watching us run around."

"Well... we'd do something else too..." Jimin trails off in thought. Then he brightens with an idea. "What if we made a day of it! We could have a picnic too!"

Hobi's eyes light up at the suggestion. "Oh, that would be fun."

I smile at the thought. "Yes, it would." Then I pause. "And you're sure it's okay...?"

"Why wouldn't it be?" Jimin asks.

Yoongi gently waves his hand at Jimin. "She's just concerned for us. Always too considerate of others."

I chuckle quietly and shrug. "I'm just trying to be polite... I don't want to intrude."

"You can't intrude because we're inviting you!" Jimin breaks into a wide smile. He leans over and pats my shoulder excitedly. "Come with us! We'll have a great time in the forest."

"Really?" I ask hopefully.

Hobi nods and bounces excitedly on his side of the counter. "Yeah! Let's do it!" he shouts.

Yoongi winces at the volume but gives him a soft smile. "Sounds great."

"Hey! Did you save any for us?" Seokjin shouts from across the restaurant.

Hobi lets go of my hand and face their direction. "Do you want any?" he yells back.

"YES!"

"OKAY, HYUNG!"

Hobi skips back to his drink machines and bottles and hums happily as he fixes up another round of drinks. Jimin cheers loudly, pumping his fists in the air, and then shouts, "ANOTHER ONE!"

"COMING UP!" Hobi shouts over his shoulder, beaming with newfound energy.

I start laughing and share an amused look with Yoongi.

They're so cute.

A sense of warmth spreads through my chest with attached emotions of peace and comfort. A physical reaction I'm growing to be familiar with. I'm not exactly sure if that's normal, but when in love I assume anything is possible.

And I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.

A/N: Here you go! I hope you enjoyed this chapter of Radiant! We are going to head into the forest soon! Finley has survived her first day of work with the Bangtan boys! What a lovely way to end their busy night! : ) I hope you are all doing well, and remember to drink lots of water and stay warm!!