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Jungkook can see his friend Seokjin shouting something at him from a few feet away, but he can't make out any of the words over the booming bass hitting him from all sides. He waves a hand around his ear to motion for the other man that he can't hear him, but Seokjin seems way too drunk to comprehend or to care. Figuring that it's probably nothing important, he turns his head back around to face Taehyung but finds himself nearly assaulted by two arms being wrapped around his neck.
Jungkook instinctively steps back and pulls the offending weight off, scowling when he realizes the vaguely familiar face now watching him with hooded eyes and a clearly alcohol-induced sloppy grin. He can't quite recall her name though. Hyein? Hyerin? Something like that. All he remembers is how she's been telling people that they "sort of have a thing going on," and while that had gotten immensely on his nerves, he'd let the poor girl be, figuring that she's just one of those desperate women all over campus who's been dying to get a piece of him.
But now she's clinging onto him in the middle of a crowded party where everyone is already paying too much attention to him. She's throwing herself onto him again, and Jungkook pulls out of her grasp one more time, irritation building inside him. He came to have a good time and not deal with this bullshit again.
"Kookie...Why are you pushing me away," she whines, swaying now that she has no one to lean against. He's about to tell her off, when a couple of girls show up from seemingly of nowhere and take her away. One throws him a dirty look that Jungkook scowls right back at, and the other shoots him a quick look of apology before disappearing into the crowd with the rest of her friends.
"Can we have one party where a girl doesn't throw herself at you?" Taehyung asks as he slings an arm around Jungkook's shoulders. Jungkook replies with a shrug, and then tries to get back in the partying mood.
Jungkook has always been aware of the attention he receives from both men and women alike. Jungkook knows that many people on campus refer to him as "you know, that hot guy." He was the cute boy in middle school. The cute boy in high school. And now he was the hot guy in college that girls and some boys flocked to.
Jungkook's always been aware of his stellar looks. Afterall, his father was a rather prominent figure in the entertainment industry, appearing in multiple ads, TV series and movies with his striking good looks and a charming sense of humor. It also helped that his mother had a career in modeling until she decided to launch her own cosmetics brand. So yeah, he was destined for aesthetic greatness, and boy, did his genes do him a solid.
So he's used to girls watching and following him around, making speculations about him or spreading rumors to their advantage. And Jungkook had humored some of them when he entered college, but eventually, he grew tired of all the acting...because you see, Jungkook is gay. Has been, is and will always be gay with zero interest in women. Clearly he's not stupid enough to let that part of himself be known to the public, but now he's regretting having ever "dated" anyone, because shit, now everyone is trying.
A couple of minutes later, he does see Hyejin or Hyeryeon or whatever the hell her name is crying between the two friends who had taken her away, and Jungkook makes a face, wondering what the hell she's still doing around. His eyes continue to roam, needing to find something interesting or entertaining to distract himself from the crying girl and eventually lands on a figure whos vaguely familiar.
He's seen the guy around his marketing lecture and remembers him only because the man always sits in the first row, closest to the professor. Personally, he doesn't understand why anyone would volunteer to sit that close to the professor. Especially their marketing professor. He, Taehyung and Seokjin had made a couple of comments about such act of nerdiness a couple of times, so Jungkook's surprised to find him at a party.
"Hey, that guy," Jungkook begins, pointing at the figure with his chin. "He's from our marketing lecture right? The guy that sits in the first row?"
Seokjin cranes his neck to see who Jungkook is referring to.
"Yeah. Seems like it. What's he doing here?" Seokjin muses, just as Taehyung takes a look as well and lets out a "Hn, that's him alright. I think his name's...Ji...Jimin?"
"Hn." Jungkook glances at this "Jimin" again. The man is talking animatedly to some girl with a ridiculously brightly-colored hair, and something about the interaction catches his attention. He hasn't paid much attention to Jimin before other than to sort of poke fun at how attentive he is during lecture. The man was always quiet. Typing away on his laptop with his back perfectly straight and his lips pursed into a tight line.
"So anyway," Taehyung starts, and Jungkook turns his attention back to his friends.
-
Jungkook shoves another salmon bruschetta into his mouth and almost chokes on it when his mother hits him in the back hard enough for the sound to ring through the venue.
"Mom! What the hell!" Jungkook hisses, reaching for the now throbbing spot on his back with his hand. He'll never figure out how a woman so petite is able to pack such a punch.
"Stop eating all the damnn food," she growls, pointing at the half empty tray next to her son.
"What were you expecting to happen when you brought me here," Jungkook says smugly, looking rather proud of himself. He knows there isn't much she can say to that. Afterall, what else is he supposed to do in a place like this? Hell, everyone present at the venue will be ladies, which means he's going to have to keep himself busy by doing what he does best. Eating.
"You better behave, young man," she hisses menacingly, ignoring the look on her son's face and turns to straighten her dress and check her reflection in the mirror behind her.
Jungkook's mother was a former model who turned to creating her own cosmetic brand once she realized that she wanted more stability in life. Today is the launch of her cosmetic brand's newest line, and as always, she has arranged a small party for beauty bloggers in promotion of her new products. Jungkook had only been to one so far. The first one. He's always been aware of the constant parties and promotional events but had stayed away from it because...who gives a shit about lipsticks and eyeliners? Not him. Yet this time around, his mother had basically forced him to, because she had always wanted him to be a part of the company as soon as he completes his business degree.
"Do I have to stay for the whole thing?" Jungkook asks, sneaking himself another mini bruschetta when he sees that his mother is too busy maing sure her hair is still perfect.
"Yes."
"You know no one's going to pay attention to the product because they'll be too busy looking at me, right?" he continues with a cheeky grin, eyeing the cheese platter this time.
"I know you're my son and I've created you," she replies, turning to look at Jungkook. "But you are very irritating."
"What can I say. My mother raised me right."
His mother only rolls her eyes and walks off elsewhere, but not before she points at him with a silent "I'm going to keep an eye on you. Don't fuck this up." He only flashes her a thumbs up and pops a block of cheese into his mouth. Oh ew, this one sucks.
Once the doors are open, the venue is filled with young women seemingly in their early to mid twenties. Even Jungkook has to admit that their makeup is impeccable. He watches as his mother stands on the stage and gives a whole speech that's both weirdly inspirational and funny (he wrote most of the jokes). He then watches the bloggers go around trying out products, taking a million and one photos as a live DJ blasts out the right music to set the mood.
Jungkook is getting nothing out of this. Sure, there are a bunch of them eyeing him hungrily, and a few of them even had the audacity to approach him and ask what his Instagram account is (he lied and said he's security), but what good is all that when he's gay.
He pops a cocktail shrimp in to his mouth, wondering just how much longer he has to stick around before the thing is over. He doesn't even like the damn music, and the collective smell of perfume assaulting his nose is starting to get a bit overwhelming. He scans the area, wondering if there is a door that he can sneak out of and spots a figure who stands out from the rest of the crowd.
There is another man present, and from the looks of it, the man seems to be a beauty blogger as well. He has his back turned towards him, so he can't be entirely sure, but the way he's standing a good head above everyone else, with much broader shoulders and narrower hips are all a good indication that the figure must be a man.
The man is now standing over one of the counters swatching different lipstick shades on the back of his hands, he's definitely one of the beauty bloggers who's been invited.
He wasn't even aware that male beauty bloggers exist.
Jungkook continues to watch, fascinated by the very idea of a male beauty blogger, now wondering what the man might look like. His question is answered when a girl approaches the mystery blogger and the man turns around to reveal his face...and when he does, Jungkook has to ask himself if he's still drunk, because he finds himself looking at Jimin again.
Except this time, Jimin's usually bare eyes are outlined with what his mother always referred to as "burgundy" and some black, giving them depth that catches Jungkook off guard. Jimin's lips are tinged perhaps a shade pinker than usual, his hair styled to reveal his forehead.
Truth be told, despite his mother's career, he had always scoffed at the idea of makeup, especially when it's applied to another member of the male species. Yet, he can't keep his eyes off of how much the makeup works for the male blogger, as if the colors were created on this planet just so the man could wear them.
Jimin looks like a model off one of the magazines his mother would bring back home all the time. His features, while remaining masculine are finer now. There is an added layer of something sultry surrounding the "nerd," and honestly, Jungkook wouldn't even have recognized him if it wasn't for having seen the other man at the party less than 24 hours ago.
Jungkook is only broken out of his reverie when his mother comes to send him on a quick errand, and for the first time, he's glad to be sent off on some menial task. He leaves the building as quickly as possible, inexplicably wishing that Jimin hadn't recognized him.
-
The next time Jungkook finds himself in his marketing course, he's on the lookout for Jimin, who's suddenly decided to catch his attention. For the first time in history of his college life, he arrived at the lecture a solid 10 minutes early, taking a seat in the back to get a good look at everyone else who walks in.
His usual friends arrive with 3 minutes to spare and sit next to him. Jungkook lets out half-assed responses to whatever they are talking about and instead keeps his eyes locked on the door into the lecture hall. With 1 minutes left until lecture, Jimin walks in, laptop secured tightly in his arms and his pouty lips set into a thin line. And as expected, he takes an empty chair in the second row.
The man's not wearing any makeup (as usual), and it serves as a striking contrast to what the man had looked like on Saturday. There is now an air of something younger. More naive. And Jungkook is starting to see the power of makeup his mother had always spoken to him about.
Jungkook basically spends the entire hour staring at the back of the man's head. He seems to be doing diligent work, typing furiously into his laptop as the professor continues to ramble on and on.
What the fuck am I doing, Jungkook sighs to himself as he tries to focus on the professor's words instead. He's being unreasonable. So what if someone from his marketing lecture happened to be invited to his mother's launch event. There must be thousands of beauty bloggers in Seoul. It's no big deal, right?
Except Jungkook feels like he's suddenly seeing the guy everywhere and it's strangely distracting.
Jungkook, by the end of the lecture, comes to the conclusion that his brain is latching onto this seemingly mundane, boring, useless piece of information because it has nothing else better to do. God, his life has become so dull as of late. Sure, he's constantly invited to parties and surrounded by people who all seem to want to impress him one way or another, but it's all become too repetitive. Especially when he has to act the part of a straight man constantly around his friends at parties.
Yeah, so that must be it. He needs to do something else to get his brain stimulated.
So by the end of the grueling week, Jungkook finds himself at a gay bar in Itaewon. He's been to the club a couple of times before, and while he would love to come more often (since all the employees are insanely good-looking and full-fledged gay), he's always been afraid of anyone from the university spotting him entering the venue.
But today, he just needs this particular distraction. Perhaps fool around with some twink so he stops thinking about the nerd from marketing for the rest of the course.
Except he spends an entire hour bored out of his mind.
So many men, yet not a single one catches his interest.
They are all so generic. Each and every one of them eyeing him hungrily but too cautious or not confident enough to make a move. Now, Jungkook isn't the type to wait around for someone to speak to him. If he likes what he sees, he will go and get it. It's just that he's really not seeing anything he'd want to make an effort for.
Jungkook turns around back towards the bar counter, feeling that he might as well grab a drink before heading back home. He downs the shot of vodka like a champ and turns to face the dancefloor again, deciding on a last minute scan before just giving up and going back to his apartment.
Then he hears commotion from where the DJ is and instinctively turns to take a look. Someone is dancing on one of the small stages next to the speakers, and while Jungkook can only see the back of the man, it doesn't take more than a second for him to become mesmerized by the fluidity in which the man is moving. He's small. Probably much smaller than Jungkook, with narrower shoulders and thin waist that sways with the movement of his hips.
Jungkook wasn't even aware that men could dance like that.
The mysterious man continues to dance, switching between sensual swaying and powerful thrusts, his hair following the movement of his head. Jungkook watches with abated breath as if under hypnosis, curious as to what the man must look like. He finds himself fixed where he is, unable to stop himself from imagining what it would be like to have the man dance against him. To feel him against the thin fabric of his shirt.
The man drops to the beat of the bass, and Jungkook almost lets out a groan.
The stranger gets back up slowly, swaying his hips in the process in a coy, almost feline, manner, and Jungkook only realizes that he's been holding his breath when his brain screams at him to exhale. Who is this person? How is he able to affect him just by dancing like that?
The man slowly begins to turn around, a hand sliding down his own neck and trailing towards his chest, and the fantasy is immediately shattered as soon as Jungkook lays his eyes on the man's face.
Jimin.
It's Jimin wearing black eyeshadow around his eyes, giving his eyes an almost painfully sultry look, yet Jungkook can't even focus on that right now, because holy shit. He can't be seen here by anyone who might recognize him. Fuck.
Yet, Jungkook finds himself staring directly into Jimin's eyes. Jimin falters for a half a beat and then slowly walks off the stage to make his way towards him.
Jungkook looks away, hoping that Jimin has no idea who he is and is coming to hit on him or something. Which means that he should probably make a run for it before Jimin figures out who he is. But what if Jimin does know? Is he going to have to resort to some kind of threat or blackmailing to make the man keep his mouth shut?
"Jungkook, right?"
Of course. Why did he think that Jimin wouldn't know who he is. Not to be cocky or anything, but he's hard to miss.
Jungkook decides that he's going to have to find a way to make Jimin keep his mouth shut.
"Look, you didn't see me here, alright?" Jungkook growls perhaps a bit more menacingly than the other man deserves. He does feel slightly bad when he sees Jimin staring back at him with his eyes wide open, but it doesn't deter him from maintaining an intimidating expression.
"If you're worried that I'm going to out you, you don't need to be," Jimin says with a tilt of his head, his eyes narrowed now.
"Good. Keep it that way," Jungkook finishes rather gruffly before turning on his heels and rushing out of the bar. He's aware of the fact that he's being a dick, but he can't even bring himself to care knowing that someone from the university now knows that he's gay.
-
Jungkook doesn't get much sleep the entire weekend.
Every time he lies down to get any, images of himself returning back to campus only to have people pointing fingers at him pops up in his head, making it impossible for him to give into slumber no matter how tired he is. Taehyung, who seems to know just about everything that goes on around the university, has been texting him and joking around as always, which does put his mind a little bit at ease...but what if Jimin is just waiting to let it all out on Monday?
Monday does roll around, and Jungkook returns to campus looking a lot more disheveled than the time he left for the weekend. Both Taehyung and Seokjin greet him as usual, not forgetting to poke fun at Jungkook's state.
Jungkook glances around the lecture hall they are sitting in, trying to detect any sign or whispering or finger-pointing. All he gets is the same lovestruck glances he gets on a daily basis and nothing else. He continues on with the examination of his surroundings throughout the day, even during lunch. Needless to say, he doesn't get much in his stomach, but that doesn't even bother him, because he sees Jimin in the next lecture.
He half expects Jimin to talk to the person sitting next to him while pointing a finger at him. He expects at least a knowing smirk or a taunting look, but he gets nothing. Jimin enters the lecture hall as usual, his laptop in hand and no trace of makeup on his face. He sits down in the front again and types throughout the entire hour, looking just as attentive as he had been the last few times Jungkook studied him.
"Every time that professor begins to speak, I just want to sleep," Seokjin murmurs when the lecture hall begins to clear. "Alright, so we still up for that group study thing?" he asks, stretching his arms above his head.
"Hey, you guys go ahead, I'll catch up with you later," Jungkook says hurriedly as his eyes follow Jimin making his way outside the lecture hall. He sprints towards the door as well, not waiting for a response from either of his friends. He vaguely makes out the sound of Taehyung's low tone calling his name out, but he's too preoccupied by the need to "confront" Jimin to really care.
By the time he's out the door, he sees Jimin turning a corner, so he runs after him. He however finds Jimin standing and watching him with an irritated expression on his face\e.
"Why are you following me?" Jimin asks, his eyes narrowed.
"Did you tell anyone?" Jungkook asks, getting straight to the point.
"I said I wouldn't. Plus, why would I care?"
"Who knows?"
"You're not the first gay guy I've seen on campus, alright? It's really not that big of a deal. Now, if you'll excuse me-"
"How do I know you're not going to tell?"
"...You don't. But you don't have any other choice but to take my word for it now, do you?" Jimin says with a rather smug quirk of his lips before pushing past Jungkook and disappearing into the hallway. Jungkook doesn't like it. Not even one bit. How is he supposed to trust someone he only knows the name of?
-
Jimin stretches his neck, regretting staying up all night editing photographs for his upcoming post. A collection of over 30 lipstick shades were sent to him as a part of brand promotion, and while he would normally save all the work for weekends, with the upcoming exam and all, he wanted to get it all out of the way. Unfortunately, his perfectionist nature had kept him up all night taking perfect shots of his own lips in all the different shades...and now he's tired with swollen, stinging lips.
Feeling that perhaps he can take a nap under one of the trees nearby instead of grabbing lunch before his next lecture, Jimin travels to the lesser populated area of the university campus. Normally, he'd be against the idea of lying down on grass, but he's too tired to care, so he spreads out his hoodie into a makeshift bed to sleep on.
Jimin lies down, using his backpack as a pillow. It's a bit bumpy and hard, but it beats grass and soil.
He's just about to drift into sleep when he hears footsteps nearing him. Mere seconds ago, the area surrounding him had been human-free, so Jimin instinctively cracks an eye open to check who's interrupting his "slumber."
Jimin almost lets out a loud, guttural groan when he sees Jungkook power-walking towards him, his brows furrowed impressively.
So Jimin has always known about Jungkook's existence. Afterall, it's impossible to not have heard about Jeon Jungkook. The man's a bit of a celebrity with his good looks, athleticism and a reputation as someone who's "very difficult to tackles." Jimin, being a beauty blogger, naturally spent quite a bit of time with the female population of the business department (including a few who have been a fan of him even before entering university), and each and every one of them had brought up Jungkook's name.
Jimin didn't pay all that much attention, figuring that this Jungkook is just one of those guys who spent their college years sleeping around with women and dicking around until graduation. And Jimin, being more of an introvert and wanting to finish college with good grades and nothing more had always done his best to lay down low, which meant that he and Jungkook's group of friends simply didn't come across any opportunity to mingle.
So, OK, he was more than surprised to find Jungkook inside a gay bar, and it did make him see the man in a completely different light, but it still doesn't change the fact that he won't be making any active effort to get to know the guy.
Jimin finds himself staring at Jungkook, who is now standing over him with his hands on his hips.
"...What do you want," Jimin murmurs tiredly, wanting the conversation to be finished so he can go to sleep. He doesn't even have an hour left until the alarm is scheduled to go off, and he;s going to need all the rest he can get if he's going to be functioning for the rest of the day.
"Did you tell anyone?"
Jimin doesn't even bother to mask the deep sigh escaping his lips. He gets it. He completely understands the fear or accidentally being outed because he had spent his entire life being a victim to that particular fear. For him, tapping into his passion for makeup had helped him cope, knowing that the industry he hopes to be a part of is a lot more forgiving about his sexuality...but this is getting ridiculous.
He hasn't missed Jungkook's scrutiny ever since the bar incident. The man was not very good at behaving inconspicuously, but Jimin had ignored it for his own sake. But come on.
"Look," Jimin begins, pinching the bridge of his nose and not even bothering to pull himself up into a sitting position. "I told you I won't and I'm not going to and I honestly don't care that you're, you know, that."
"How do I know you're not going to change your mind?"
"Seriously? What would I tell people? How would I even be able to tell other people you're that without notifying them that I was there too, which would be telling everyone I'm also that?"
".....Oh."
"Exactly."
"Well...I dunno, maybe you can still...I dunno," Jungkook mumbles, suddenly looking unsure of himself. Jimin slaps a hand over his eyes and then slides it down his nose all the way to his chin.
"I. Don't. Care. I really don't. I don't make a habit of relaying personal, private information to other people or being an asshole."
Jimin, seeing Jungkook's silence as an indication of the end of their brief conversation closes his eyes again. He vaguely makes out the sound of footsteps fading away before falling sound asleep.
-
Jimin is just about to pull out a red pen when he hears the empty chair across from him being pulled back. He looks up, ready to see one of his friends who might have wandered into the study hall to get some work done but sees none other than Jeon Jungkook taking the seat.
"What are you doing here?" Jimin asks with narrowed eyes, keeping his voice low. Students are not required to remain quiet in the study hall, which is located in the first floor lobby area of the library, but there is not enough students present in the vicinity for Jimin to speak in his usual tone without attracting attention.
"....Studying."
"You mean, spying on me?"
"....No."
"You are."
"...."
"Are you seriously sitting with me to make sure that I don't go off telling everyone else that you are that? While I'm working on an assignment?" Jimin asks incredulously, pulling out the red pen he would have gotten if he wasn't so rudely interrupted by Jungkook.
"Well, I just like this seat," Jungkook counters with a sudden look of determination, and Jimin lets out a small sigh before figuring that he can probably continue on with his studies by completely ignoring the other man's presence.
-
"Did you tell anyone?"
Jimin almost chokes on his lunch.
"No. Now go away."
-
"Did you tell anyone?"
Jimin grits his teeth, refusing to look away from his laptop as he continues to type furiously on it. He doesn't understand how Jungkook seems to always know exactly where he is.
"No."
-
"Did you tell anyone?"
Jimin wonders if he should file for a restraining order as he continues to turn a corner, hoping that blatantly ignoring the man will make him go away.
It doesn't.
"Well?"
"For fuck's sake. No, I didn't. Now leave me alone."
-
"Did you tell anyone?"
Jimin pretends to not hear anything as he continues to read over his notes. Jungkook continues to sit across from him in the study hall, just staring at him without moving a muscle. It's not a solid 20 minutes later that Jungkook finally decides to pull out his own notes and study, and Jimin pretends to not notice that either.
-
Monday rolls around again, and Jimin finds himself sitting across from Jungkook yet again. At this point, Jimin is almost impressed, because the last time around, Jimin had ignored the other man for two solid hours before packing up all his stuff, including his finished assignment, and walked off. Jungkook does ask his usual "DId you tell anyone?" to which Jimin replies with a pointed look before returning his attention to the laptop screen in front of him.
Jimin continues to type away on his laptop, figuring he can do another couple of hours without having to interact with the obsessive man.
Except about 30 minutes into their weird "study session," Jungkook breaks the silence between them with a question that isn't "Did you tell anyone?"
"You know stuff about um...makeup, right?"
"....Excuse me?" Jimin asks despite his promise to himself to not engage.
"You were wearing makeup that day," Jungkook elaborates, deciding to not include anything about his mother's launch party.
"...And why are youou asking me this?" Jimin's eyes are narrowed now, as if daring Jungkook to make fun of him. However, against his expectations, Jungkook only scratches his chin before clearing his throat rather nervously.
"I uh...I'm looking up stuff about makeup for...research purposes."
"...."
"Someone is making me look for stuff on makeup."
"Look, if you're here to-"
"OK. Fine. My mom has a makeup brand and she's making me look up reviews and stuff on her newest launch and I don't know shit about makeup," Jungkook answers honestly. His mother had been on her ass about learning more about the industry and had threatened to cut off his allowance unless he gave her a 10 page report on current trend all how the public is reacting to the new line.
Unfortunately he had spent the entire weekend doing fuckall, and he's scheduled to e-mail that report to his mother later next day. Which means he's screwed and the only person he knows who'd know anything is unfortunately the one person who knows about his sexuality.
"....What?" Jimin deadpans, looking not at all impressed by the information. Clearly, the man is thinking that Jungkook is making it all up, and Jungkook leans forward with the best look of seriousness he can muster to get his point across.
"I swear I'm not making this shit up."
"And what would be the name of her brand?"
Jungkook begrudgingly gives an honest answer to the question and watches as Jimin's eyebrows shoot up.
"You're kidding, right?"
"No."
"...OK...so assuming that you're telling me the truth, what do you need?"
"I don't know where to start. I know there's like famous beauty bloggers or youtubers who are more influential and stuff, but how am I supposed to know who they are? I don't even know what most makeup products are for," Jungkook rants, tapping a finger against his laptop.
"....I can help you with that, I suppose," Jimin answers with a small sigh, doing his best to appear a lot more reluctant than he actually feels. The truth is that he's a little bit addicted to makeup. He's almost finished with his assignment, and the idea of teaching someone about makeup is way too appealing for him to dismiss.
"...Really?"
"Why are you surprised?"
".....Dunno. Should I sit next to you? To make this easier?"
"...Sure."
Jimin lists off famous beauty bloggers and explains what each product is for. By the time Jimin is giving a whole lecture on trend differences between US and Korea, Jungkook honestly isn't paying much attention, because all he can see is how excited Jimin suddenly seems to be. How much he seems to have broken out of the little shell that he seemed to always wear around him while on campus. There is newfound light and life in his eyes. More color to his cheeks, and Jungkook finds himself just watching, wondering if this is what the real Park Jimin looks like.
Is he being a tad bit dramatic? Probably? He doesn't even know all that much about Jimin to begin with. For all he knows, maybe Jimin just doesn't like him very much as a person and that's the reason why he's been so reserved all this time.
But weirdly, he doesn't want to learn more about Jimin. Want to see more about what makes Jimin so excited and...alive.
"Sorry. I got a little bit carried away," Jimin apologizes sheepishly when once he notices the expression on the other man's face.
"No, it's fine. It's just....I wish maybe I had paid more attention to the stuff my mom was doing. I've kinda tried to stay away from it because it's too...too..."
"Gay?" Jimin supplies under his breath, and Jungkook swallows visibly. "It's OK. Trust me, it wasn't easy for me to get into the whole beauty blogging thing either. I was only able to start in college, and no one in my family really knows about it. I just wish I could wear more makeup around campus, but what are you going to do, right?"
"....You're a beauty blogger too?" Jungkook asks, trying to change the subject so that he doesn't have to see the sudden forlorn look on the other man's face.
"Yup."
"Hey uh, if you don't mind...can I check out your blog? I'm not trying to be weird or anything. Just curious."
"I don't mind. Here," Jimin reaches over to places his fingers over the keyboard, and Jungkook inhales sharply, pulling his shoulders in towards himself at the sudden proximity. Jimin does shoot him a curious glance but just as quickly goes to typing in a web address.
"This is it. I have some reviews on your mother's brand too. By the way, I'm always impressed with her launches. The products are amazing, but I would like to see better mascara from her brand."
"That's the one that goes on your eyelashes, right?"
"Yup."
"I will...uh...I will let her know."
"Don't tell her it's from me though," Jimin says with a wink and Jungkook lets out a nervous laughter that sounds fake even to his own ears. "Anyway, I should get going."
"Oh, OK. Thanks for the help."
Once Jimin is gone from the study hall, Jungkook scrolls through seemingly countless posts, featuring products from all sorts of brands he's never even heard of before. He stops when he sees his mother's brand. It's on a new line of lipsticks that was recently launched, and he finds himself clicking it before he can stop himself.
The post starts off with a cute greeting, asking how everyone is. Then there are a few shots of the lipsticks all lined up, and Jungkook makes a face wondering who needs that many colors. He swears some of them look exactly the same.
Then it's photos of Jimin's lips in closeup, each photo donning a different color with a short explanation on the color and texture under each picture. Jungkook continues to scroll down, seeing Jimin's plump lips in shades or pink, red and purple, finding himself in some kind of a trance. He tries to picture the rest of Jimin's face with the series of lips, wondering which color would look the best...
And then he finds himself wondering if Jimin's lips are as soft as they appear in real life or in the photos.
"Stop it," Jungkook mumbles to himself and quickly scrolls to the bottom of the page to avoid any more lip shots. Come on. This is research, he tells himself, almost frantically looking for another post to focus on.
The next post he clicks on is Jimin trying out different eyeshadows, and Jungkook swallows, taking in how beautiful the other man looks wearing all sorts of shades that Jungkook had never quite imagined on a man before. Jimin looks confident in each photo. Coy. Alluring.
And Jungkook can't help but wonder if Jimin ever walks outside of the house wearing makeup unless its for a launch party or going to a bar.
Now, he sort of wishes that he would've paid closer attention at his mother's launch party.
-
Jimin stretches his arms over his head and lets out a soft sigh only when he hears a satisfying crack. It's finally Friday, and he can't wait till he goes home and just take the rest of the night off doing nothing. Sure he's a little backed up on posts, and he has a whole basket full of products waiting to be tested, but that can wait a few more hours.
He takes his time packing his belongings one by one and slowly makes his way out of building, glad for the sun that shines on him. He's just about to step out of the building when hears rushed footsteps running towards him, and he shuts his eyes tightly, knowing exactly who it must belong to. Afterall, he's been hearing it all over campus for the past couple of weeks, basically haunting him.
"No, I didn't," Jimin grits out, not even bothering to stop.
"You didn't what?" As expected, Jungkook's voice questions from behind him.
"I didn't tell anyone, alright? It's Friday. I'm tired. Let me-"
"I wasn't even going to ask that."
To this, Jimin finally stops and turns to face the other man, and Jungkook abruptly halts as well, almost crashing into the smaller man.
"Then what do you want."
"Do you want to visit my mom's lab?"
"...What?"
"Well, she calls it The Lab, but I think it's just the production line."
"....."
"She liked the report I turned in, and I told her that you helped me with it and that you know like...a lot of stuff...and she said I could invite you to check out her lab and stuff."
"......"
"Um. Or not. If you're too busy, I guess," Jungkook continues uncertainly, the usual confidence in his system quickly dissipating as he mistakes Jimin's stunned silence for something a lot more negative. "Thought that...you might like it...because you like makeup...?"
"Are you being serious right now?"
"...Don't you? But you're a beauty blogger??"
"No, yes, I mean, yes I like makeup. Your mother seriously invited me!?"
"...Yeah. She already knew who you were, so...do you want to or...?"
-
Jimin can't help but think that he might be dreaming as he stares at "The Lab." There are color charts all over the place, products lining the shelves present to one side of the area. Jimin, whose dream is to one day own a branch of his own, can't help but be mesmerized by everything surrounding him. He would love to work with all the colors. Experiment with all the textures. Create something that will be loved by people. Be a part of something he can be proud of.
Jungkook scratches his chin as he side-glances at Jimin's face. Jimin's eyes are twinkling again, his lips stretched into a genuine smile that strangely leaves a tingling sensation in Jungkook's stomach. Suddenly, Jungkook wonders if he had been that truly happy and excited about anything in life, and great, now he's rethinking his entire life.
"Hello, you must be Mr. Park Jimin."
Both Jimin and Jungkook turn to the voice and see a woman who must be in her mid 30s walking towards them with a professional smile on her face. Her hair is tied up into a neat bun, her makeup seemingly flawless, and Jungkook immediately greets her, having seen her around enough times to be familiar with her."
"I would like to give you a mini tour, if you'd like," she says once she's finished greeting both of them, and Jimin agrees readily, looking even more excited now that he will be getting a more in-depth look into the process of how makeup is made. Jungkook tags along, even though he has zero interest in learning any more than he already knows, because he can't stop looking at how Jimin nods his head and perks up at just about anything she says. Jimin asks questions, looking even more determined and attentive than he is during lectures.
After the tour, Jimin is taken to their lip product line to try out different colors that are candidates for their next liquid lipstick launch. Jimin looks as if he's going to spontaneously combust, judging from how ecstatic he looks. Jungkook, again, doesn't see the appeal but sits next to the man anyway, because he will finally be seeing Jimin putting on makeup.
"...You're staring," Jimin says with narrowed eyes, a tube of bright pink liquid lipcolor in one hand.
"No I'm not," Jungkook counters awkwardly, turning his face away quickly and pretending to be looking through the other samples by running a finger against them. Jimin shakes his head with a roll of his eyes and then opens the sample in his hand. He leans against the mirror in front of him and proceeds to put it on, gliding the tip smoothly against his plump lips.
Jungkook swallows hard when Jimin moves his lips around, applying the product around the rest of his lips. Jimin's brows are furrowed slightly as he continues to scrutinize his own lips, and Jungkook almost physically slaps himself in the face when images of Jimin leaving trails of lipstick marks on his skin suddenly enters his brain.
What the fuck, Jeon Jungkook.
Damn Jimin and those lips. Who has lips like those anyway?
"This is a good color," Jimin muses to himself and then proceeds to erase the color off his lips to then try out a much lighter, nude tone. Jungkook watches the process repeat itself, his eyes focused on the man's plump lips. Again, Jungkook had always been against the idea of men wearing makeup, especially when it was associated with some of the more negative gay stereotypes, but Jimin. Jimin looks damn beautiful in each and every one one of them, each color giving the man a different layer of something special, ranging from innocent to ephemeral to downright sultry.
"Wow these are all really great," Jimin murmurs more to himself than aything else, but Jungkook blurts out "yeah, they all look really good" before he can stop himself. Jimin turns to look at him with raised eyebrows.
"Really?"
"....Yeah."
"OK, then which one looked the best?" Jimin asks with a taunting smile, thinking that Jungkook probably wasn't even paying real attention. However, Jungkook reaches for the row of lip colors and pulls out a few and pushes them towards the smaller man.
"These all looked pretty good."
Jimin raises his eyebrows in surprise, taken aback by the fact that Jungkook has somehow managed to pull out all the colors that he himself had been most impressed by. They were the exact four he had wanted to purchase for himself. One of them was a color that's perhaps a lot more bolder and louder than what he's accustomed to, but the other man managed to pinpoint it.
"You...."
"...?"
"....You must take after your mother," Jimin chooses to say instead, and Jungkook tilts his head in confusion. "Nothing," he continues with a small smile and takes the selected products into his hands. "Thank you. For bringing me here."
"You helped me with that report, remember?"
"Still. I've always wanted to see for myself how it's all made. I want to launch my own brand one day. I'll start small. Focus on lips. It's my favorite."
"Oh."
"Well, we should get going now," Jimin says with a satisfied grin. The two make their way out the building, not forgetting to thank the lady for the tour again before heading out. "That was fun. I know it's for the report, but thanks again," he says once they have reached the main road. "I guess I'll see you on...Monday?"
"Oh...hey um, if you don't mind, maybe we can grab dinner or something before you go? I'm hungry and I know this good place nearby."
"Umm....sure, why not. I guess I have to eat."
"Yeah. Exactly."
The two end up in a small diner nearby, and Jimin is inexplicably surprised. He had somehow assumed Jungkook to be one of the more pretentious people, who go to fancy restaurants on weekends. Afterall, his friends, or the people he hangs around on campus at least, all came from rich family (they were all quite famous), and considering that Jungkook's mother own a successful cosmetic brand...Jimin feels rather guilty for assuming that Jungkook would be one of the douches he's come across all througout high school and then some college days.
So yes, Jungkook may be a little bit annoying, but he wasn't pretentious. If anything, Jungkook seems to be the kind of person who is rather honest with his feelings. Not afraid to admit and express his fear, and Jimin starts to see the other in a much different light. Jimin also finds out that Jungkook eats as if he's started the whole week. The man eats at an insane pace, in quantity that leaves Jimin staring at the man in shock. He doesn't know how Jungkook can eat that much and remain so fit.
Jimin lets out a small chuckle. He had been quite adamant about not liking Jungkook, but here they were, grabbing dinner together on a Friday night and sort of kinda semi enjoying the experience. Jungkook isn't a bad company at all when he isn't badgering him. In fact, the man's quite funny actually when he isn't asking if Jimin's outed him yet.
"You...do you have a, you know...that?" Jungkook asks once he's finished complaining about one of his professors.
"Do I have a what?"
"You know. Since we're that. A...a...boyfriend," Jungkook says the last word barely above a whisper, and Jimin stifles a laugh. As much as he understands the dangers of being outed, he doesn't see why Jungkook is being to careful miles away from school, in a diner where they are the only customers, since it's past most people's dinner time.
"No, I don't have that. Do you?"
"No. I wouldn't be at a bar looking to find someone if I wasn't single," Jungkook answers with a playful grin, and Jimin nods in understanding.
"True. Well, I should start heading home before I fall asleep. The food's putting me in a coma," Jimin finishes with a satisfied tap of his stomach and then gets off his seat. He makes his way to the register, completely missing the dopey grin on Jungkook's face.
-
Jungkook stops asking Jimin if he's told anyone about his sexuality. Instead, Jimin oftentimes finds Jungkook just staring at his lips with a look of concentration on his face. Jimin asks him what his deal is, but all he gets is a "nothing" before more staring.
-
"Do you like glossy or matte?"
"...Excuse me?"
"You know, like glossy is shiny finish and-"
"No, I know what the words mean. Why are you asking me this? And how do you even know the-"
"Just answer."
"I like something in between. But more glossy, I guess."
"OK. Cool."
"What are, hey, where are you going!"
-
It's Friday again, and Jimin is just about to head home when he sees Jungook standing by the main door of the department building, digging his feet into the floor.
"Waiting for someone?" Jimin asks, adjusting the laptop he's holding in one arm, and Jungkook looks up and straightens his back.
"You," Jungkook answers, his hand subconsciously flying up to scratch the tip of his nose. Jimin cocks his head to the side, knowing that something is different about Jungkook but not being able to pinpoint it.
"...Did you need something?"
"Um. I wanted to give you something."
"...Okay?"
"Here," Jungkook lets out rather sheepishly, pulling a small rectangular box from behind him. The box is a simple black one, not a single letter printed on it. Jimin shakes it slowly and hears nothing. It's not very heavy.
"What is it?"
"Open it."
Jimin wordlessly obliges, carefully removing the top half of the box.
Needless to say, Jimin is completely taken by surprise at the piece of item he sees.
He pulls the long tube out slowly and rolls it around in his hand. It has no label. The only color he sees are the gold lining the area connection the lip and the rest of the bottle and the shade of pink inside that has a hint of something peachy as well. The color is reminiscent of first love. Shy. Innocent. Yet bold in its need to express itself. It asks to be loved back but isn't overwhelming in its demand. It's such a beautiful color that Jimin finds himself simply staring at it.
"...What is it?" Jimin finally manages to whisper, his eyes still fixed on the color in his hand.
"Liquid lipstick. Kind of like the one you tested at The Lab," Jungkook answers, his feet digging into the floor beneath him again.
"It's...beautiful. Is it from your mother's brand?" Jimin asks, looking up to face the other man. He doesn't remember seeing the particular color when he was testing the samples.
"Um. Kind of."
"Kind of?"
"It's from the place, but I made it."
"You made this."
"Well, I got some help, but I came up with the color. I thought it'd look really good on you."
Jimin says nothing. He simply looks back down onto the tube in his hand and lets himself be mesmerized by the color again. It's perfect. It's the kind of color he had searched for ever since he started getting into makeup. It's so...him.
"Do you...not like it? I'm not like an expert or anything so-"
"No. I love it. Thank you. It's....perfect."
"Oh."
Jimin looks back up at the man standing in front of him, the realization hitting him that Jungkook, who doesn't even like makeup, had created a unique liquid lip just for him. So that's why Jungkook had been staring at his lips for the past few days.
"Well, I'm glad you like it," Jungkook says shyly, scratching the back of his head. "I will uh...I'll see you on Monday, I guess," Jungkook continues, fidgeting in his place, looking more than ready to flee the scene. Jimin reaches out and grabs onto the hem of Jungkook's shirt, suddenly feeling heat rising in his cheeks.
"Wait."
"Hn?"
"Do you maybe want to grab dinner together?" Jimin asks, peering up at Jungkook from beneath his lashes, and is surprised to find that the other man's cheeks are tinged a soft shade of pink as well.
"Oh. Yeah, I can do that. I need to eat," Jungkook answers, the corners of his lips twitching.
"And maybe you can see me try this on?"
"That...seems like an appropriate course of action."
Jimin smiles, letting his eyes disappear into crescents.
And Jungkook smiles back, letting his eyes do the same.