It was a good day, the quintessential right day, to start believing that felicitous disclosures may finally gauge a course that would wind up leading to him. That was how his life ought to unfold from now onwards anyway, for his lifelong friend— imperturbability— had been relentlessly getting the best of him for as far as he could go back to recollect.

What ever happened to the universal notion about patience being bitter but not its fruit?

It was definitely not seeming like working out in Kim Namjoon's case, or else he would have ended up long back with what he had been after so persistently all this while.

Namjoon attempted to catch a breath as he let himself be consumed by thoughts alike to this one— unquestionably analogous to what would popularly be referred to as pessimism— before entering into the wonted, weekly sojourn of his that he had been heading towards.

He pushed the glass doors open, melodies originating from the attached wind-chimes immediately ringing in his ear. The man however, felt ridiculously taken aback at the sonorous outcome of his meddling— his gaze staying fixated at the object for a whole minute substantiating that.

"Been tweaking the interior, huh?" Namjoon remarked, garnering the attention of the receptionist in an instant. "I almost got a heart attack because of them but that doesn't really matter anymore. They're pretty, by the way!" He nodded his head as though internally agreeing with what he had said.

Before the addressed female could utter a rejoinder to return Namjoon's pleasantry, the latter had already trudged his way deeper into the structure. Gasping in hesitation, he gripped onto another handle— particularly belonging to the one door that would usher him into the chamber that he had been dreadfully looking forward to— before ultimately forcing himself inside.

"H—Hi senior, were you waiting for me?" Namjoon initially stuttered, but soon managed to collect himself when the one whom he had aimed the question at, replied with an endearing smile.

"Even though you don't really need to come here anymore, it's always nice to have you around, Namjoon. Well, not entirely," the supposed senior replied, causing Namjoon to furrow his brows at her sudden change of stance, "I really hate it when you splurge you money like that. Seriously Namjoon, is it a compulsion? I can name a few contacts of mine if you—"

"Why, have my visits been banal lately?" Namjoon chuckled dryly while simultaneously settling himself onto a chair. "If so, then I'll try to search for some new jokes to keep it interesting... Anything for you, senior."

In that moment, it appeared as if Namjoon's eyes cradled stars within them. They glimmered as vividly as ever, possibly due to the effect that the woman sitting across usually had on him. His lips eventually curled into a smile— they were the least bothered about saving him from the imminent embarrassment— providing him the incentive to dive into the ocean of reveries that now laid in front of him. 

Namjoon had first spotted Shin Youngmi— the alleged senior— when he was still a freshman, while the female was desperately counting down the meager days left until her graduation. Youngmi was not even aware of her admirer's existence till the very last minute— even the credit of acquainting the two went to one of their mutual friends— for Namjoon tended to retrace his steps everytime she would be close to running into him.

As much as the man had ventured into the hopeless territory called love, his gingerly advances towards rendering the emotion explicitly had made Youngmi's reciprocation of the same but an uncertain prospect. That skepticism per se, was apparently the greatest hurdle that Namjoon would ever have to leap over if he wanted to alter the reality into his favor.

He had to come to terms with the fact.

However, in case his efforts went downhill, forgetting had always been the easiest option known to humanity. So even if Namjoon preferred to cruise along with it in the end, no one would cast a grimace at him for being a faintheart.

The assurance, thankfully, was there.

Did Namjoon wish to reach such an impasse, though?

"You're a dentist yourself, and that too an extremely competent one at that. Do you really think that I'd be pleased at how you allow me to rob you like that? It serves as a deadly blow to my ethics, Namjoon." Youngmi snickered as her eyebrows arched at the same time. She was indeed a tad peeved at Namjoon's inconsiderateness.

"Am I hearing it right? Did you actually miss on the problem I have? Ah senior, I'm sorry to say but that disappoints me a bit." Namjoon stole a quick side-glance at her, inducing an amused expression to sprawl across her visage.

"What? What is it that I didn't manage to catch? Or are you just bragging now that I've called you a—"

"I have a sweet tooth, how could you have not gleaned so yet?" Namjoon exclaimed, leaving Youngmi no resort but to merely purse her lips and listen to what the man was on the verge of divulging.

"Still haven't gotten the wind? I have it for you, senior. I can't be more direct than this." He finished, the apprehensiveness on his face urging Youngmi to react to his confession in literally any manner that she found to be suitable— because if she did not, the odds of Namjoon's confidence going irrecoverably six feet under would no longer remain a matter of bare speculation anymore.

In spite of the ironic deviation that the otherwise tacit information had assumed, and was therefore now blaring blatantly betwixt them, neither of the two individuals volunteered to chime in and dispel the building unease. On one hand where Namjoon had been continuously fumbling with his fingers in the anticipation of a positive answer, Youngmi came across as more or less unaffected by what the younger had announced. A glazed look floated in her eyes as a result, recognizing which had proved to be the harshest truth ever for Namjoon to wrap his head around.

Nevertheless, a beacon of hope did happen to skulk about for Namjoon when the female cleared her throat at last.

"Namjoon I—"

But before she could even tie up her end of the explanation, the restless male beat her to it.

"You don't need to give me an answer rightaway, senior, I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. Take your time, hell— Tell me if you're unable to offer me a convincing reply, because I'll accept it nonetheless. I've waited all this while, few more years of waiting won't hurt me anyway, right? I'll do anything for you to stay in comfort, I mean it. But I won't give up on you either, senior." Namjoon's torso inclined in Youngmi's direction, the table setting them apart acting as the detested barrier. He clasped his hands together, showcasing a smile that could effortlessly melt anyone's heart.

Only Heavens would know how Youngmi was able to resist that adoring ambush.

"It's not— You don't understand, Namjoon. The thing is that—"

"But what can I do when it's you I have the sweet tooth for? You can't just tell me to cancel out my feelings, they're of worth too. And I don't intend to press on you due to it. Didn't I just make it clear, that I'll wait no matter what? Hell, do ten years mean a second to you?" Contrary to the poise that Namjoon had been exhibiting till then, he sneered this once.

As he opted to swoop down into Youngmi's inscrutable eyes to obtain the answers that she had been acting so reluctant towards handing them down to him, Namjoon did not pay heed to the most recent witness that had been added to their inconclusive rendezvous.

Whether or not the person would play a detrimental role for the already-cataclysmic discussion was still a moot point.

However, every ambiguity unfurled and straightened itself out for Namjoon to descry it when an exhilarated grin adorned Youngmi's features after what had felt like an eternity. A part of him experienced being rent upon that moreover, for Youngmi's sudden switch in adapting herself to the situation was indeed striking, if not dramatic.

So prominent that Namjoon's face drooped exponentially, and so did his shoulders.

Because the recipient of that arresting smile was not him, but the stranger who now stood behind his seated form.

"Oh, so nice to meet you again!" Youngmi chirped at the other man, subsequently whisking her line of sight in Namjoon's direction. "Seems like your time is up, Namjoon. But don't worry, we'll catch up later, okay? Even I don't wanna let that conversation stay open-ended. So, yeah? See you later in the evening... hopefully." A linear form was what her lips had adjusted themselves into, leaving no scope for the man to comprehend the gesture in a matter of mere seconds.

Hence, he quickly abandoned the chair and prepared to depart with a prompt beam.

The kind that was manifestly devoid of sincerity.

▪️

a/n

why... jUST WHY IN THIS WORLD ARE FIRST CHAPTERS THE HARDEST TO WRITE??😩 i'm sorry if it sucked, like truly😭 the quality will become bearable once we progress ahead tho, that i can guarantee. lol, don't i make promises too much?🤡 anyway, as expected, i'm very excited for this book! i hope y'all will be too and that rn, you liked the chapter?😶 even a little bit of acknowledgement would work. pls vote and comment if you did! thank you so much for reading <3