Namjoon

The clock was ticking. He didn't have enough time, but he had to make his move.

He stealthily ran through the corridor, hoping that he wouldn't be caught. The coast was clear, but he can't be too sure. Anyone might walk along seeing him doing the deed and his plan would be foiled. He needed to get out quickly through the entrance and go to the promised location. He already called his trusted contact to make sure everything would be ready when he arrived.

Kim Namjoon headed to the open storage room on the ground floor as he saw someone he knew taking a turn in his direction. He calmed his breathing. He only needed to make the last dash through the main door and he would be safe. Everything was hinged on his speed and he had no time to waste. He saw his opening and sprinted as fast as he could hoping that his exit went unnoticed.

He finally made it to the restaurant. There weren't many customers around and the hot jjajangmyeon was ready at his usual spot. He bowed respectfully to the old lady who ran the noodle house and sat down quickly. "Thank you, Aunt Chae. You're the best," Namjoon flashed the middle-aged woman with his killer dimple and took the chopstick. He quickly mixed the noodles with the thick black bean sauce and slurped the noodles quickly. He didn't have much time and he knew the toilet excuse was getting old. His fellow members always looked sympathetic when he excused himself away. 

They thought he was having a bad case of constipation.

He was just hungry. 

He was too busy with practice and music-making that he forgot to eat. By the time he remembered, it was always in the middle of work or something that was important. Toilet break was the only excuse that his brain could come up with when he started to feel the sharp pain in his belly. He knew it was unhealthy to keep on skipping meals, but he didn't have the time for it. Jjajangmyeon was enough. It's hearty, filling and fast - and he had Aunt Chae's number on speed dial. She knew him well enough by now to know of his eating habit.

"Eat carefully, Namjoon-ah," Aunt Chae placed a small plate of danmuji, the pickled radish next to Namjoon as he devoured his meal. Namjoon smiled at her as she went into the kitchen leaving. He looked at the clock on the wall and there were only a few minutes left when he swallowed the last of the noodles.

Then he started to choke.

His eyes were teary as he reached for his drink. The jug in front of him was empty as he went into a coughing fit. Then he started beating his chest to relieve his choking. His face was getting red. Suddenly, a pair of hands went from behind him, forming a tight fist just under his rib cage above his navel. The hands pulled him sharply until a big piece of meat shot out of his mouth straight to the wall in front of him.

"Are you okay?" asked the person from behind him in English. She sounded American.

Namjoon couldn't answer her straight away, still catching his breath as he was coughing. The person mistook his silence thinking he didn't understand her by asking him if he was fine in Korean. He could only nod his head in response.

"Namjoon-ah, what happened?" asked Aunt Chae as she hurriedly went to his side.

"He choked on his food, ma'am," answered Namjoon's saviour. People said that a person's voice emanates a person's personality. The girl's voice sounded pleasant and firm at the same time. He wanted to look at her so bad but he knew his face would look awful.

"Are you okay? I told you to eat carefully," Aunt Chae looked at Namjoon in concern.

"He practically inhaled his food, ma'am," said the person again.

"Hana, how many times have I told you to call me Aunt Chae," reminded the caring shop owner.

"Sorry, Aunt Chae," she replied.

So, her name was Hana, thought Namjoon.

"You watched me eating?" blurted Namjoon as he looked up.

Namjoon finally looked at the person who saved him. She looked playful yet serious at the same time. She was probably around his age if not younger. Her skin was a bit tanned - probably she spends a lot of time outdoors and she didn't bother that much with a lot of make-up other than the lip gloss and a bit of blusher that she wore. She was wearing an unbuttoned red plaid shirt with a white shirt on the inside. She looked casual yet feminine with her jeans and high cut red Converse shoes which caught Namjoon's attention as he looked down. Her shoulder-length hair was tied in a ponytail. Her hazel eyes looked striking and open at the same time. He felt that he could get lost in those eyes.

"Never in my life have I seen a person eat as fast as you did. You were the only one here at this hour, so, there. I thought you're a competitive eater or something," explained the girl which brought Namjoon to reality when he realized he had been openly staring at her. He lowered his gaze before he was caught by the ladies who were in front of him.

"Here, drink up. You need it," Hana filled in Namjoon's glass with plain water and passed it to him. "I didn't think you even swallowed the food right. What's the rush?"

"He's a trainee at the building next door and he has a very limited time to eat," answered Aunt Chae for him. Namjoon turned red.

"That's bad. Is that how trainee idols live? They don't give you time to eat? You should speak up to your boss." she tsked.

"No, it wasn't like that. You got it all wrong," Namjoon's phone rang on cue. He cringed as he stood abruptly, knocking off the chair he was sitting on as he saw the caller ID. "I'm sorry," said Namjoon as he quickly picked the chair up. He knew he was clumsy sometimes but he never felt so embarrassed about himself at that very moment. He knew he had to go out fast after all the ruckus he made at the restaurant.

"You got to start moving, dude," said Hana.

"Aunt Chae-," called Namjoon and he was cut off straight away.

"I know, I'll put it in your tab. Just go," said Aunt Chae, shooing Namjoon away. Namjoon had been her regular since the day he signed up at the company, so she knew how he worked. He would always come and pay for his food and slipped in some small gifts and energy drinks for her.

"I, uh, thank you for just now," said Namjoon bashfully as he looked at Hana and scratched his head.

"Don't mention it, dude," said the girl.

"It's Namjoon," he replied.

"I'm sorry?"

"My name is Kim Namjoon."

"Oh, I'm Hana An- Joo Hana," she corrected and smiled at him brightly. "Pleased to meet you."

"Pleased to meet you too," returned Namjoon.

He then sprinted out of the restaurant as he felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. He looked at his watch and cursed. He was out for nearly 40 minutes. He was usually away for emergency jjajangmyeon break for 20 minutes at most. He had to come up with a very good excuse for his toilet break this time or it would be more difficult to get out in the future.

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Author's note: This is going to make some of you go hungry, hehe

Jjajangmyeon: a noodle dish topped with a thick sauce made of black bean paste, diced pork, and vegetables. Variants of the dish use seafood, or other meats.

Danmuji: Yellow pickled radish, usually served as a side dish