≻ 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 ⇾ 𝒏𝒐𝒏𝒆

≻ 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕⇾ 4,206

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┌─⸉꒷꒦⸊─────────────┐
𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘
𝒋𝒊𝒔𝒖𝒏𝒈
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There wasn't much thinking being done on my part so much as actions of pure instinct taking place when I gaged the situation before me.

Only a few minutes prior, I had left Breve Seoul and made my way to my car; I had just gotten myself comfortable in the driver's seat when it began raining, the drops of water pattering on the outside of the vehicle and causing me to lift my head and gaze around the street where I had parked. After briefly observing people of Seoul seeking shelter under shop entrance canopies, my eyes caught sight of something in a vibrant shade of red.

As soon as I had realized it was none other than the barista Chaisai, my demeanor perked up and I observed her for a moment out of curiosity. She remained standing in the open air, rain beginning to drench her from head-to-toe, hands gripped tightly around a pair of headphones that were that same shade of red that initially drew my attention to her. My lip corners slightly tugged downwards as I took into account her slightly panicked expression, her brows tightly drawn together and her jaw clenching as she squeezed her eyes shut.

Thus, my instinct.

Once I'd ensured the street was clear of other cars at the moment, I shifted into drive and pulled up alongside the curb of the sidewalk she stood upon.

"Mind if I ask where you're heading?" I called out once I'd rolled down the window of my car, my hands resting over the steering wheel. "If you're comfortable with it, I'm happy to drive you," I added with a bright grin in hopes that it would calm whatever storm of emotion that was brewing in her head.

Chaisai seemed like she needed to get into a different space for whatever reason. Based on our past few interactions and the usual cold responses I always received, I couldn't help but to be secretly shocked by her next movements. She immediately hurried around my car towards the passenger seat, head down slightly, brows furrowed and expression distracted.

Before I could give it much thought, I hopped out of the driver's seat and snatched up the umbrella in the door's cubby and raised it over her head once I reached her. Once she was settled and buckled into the passenger seat, I sent her another smile before returning to my own seat and buckle.

"Where to?" I asked the girl, deciding to use more of a serious tone of voice rather than my usual teasing one with which she was more familiar.

There was a pause of silence before my question was answered, the only sound being the pitter-patter of rainfall over the car.

The address she gave me was familiar, and I soon realized it was the local aquarium and I didn't need to use the GPS to find it.

Another silence enveloped the car's atmosphere, though I didn't quite mind it, and I found myself frequently glancing at Chaisai in curiosity. I was discreet, however, not wanting to make her feel uncomfortable. It seemed, though, that she was very much steeped in complex inner workings of the mind as she observed her palms and fingers resting in her lap.

A recent memory suddenly struck me and the deafening quiet became short-lived as I used the buttons on my steering wheel to skip through my songs. My phone was connected and I had hit shuffle on my recently favorited tracks, including the familiar melody which Chaisai had mentioned before.

'I'm always a drink away from a good day...'

From the corner of my eye, I gauged the reaction that elicited from the girl beside me as the song began. Her demeanor seemed to relax at the sound, clearly recognizing it.

Without truly realizing it, as it had become second nature to me, I began to quietly sing along with the lyrics. A smile tugged at my lips and I lightly drummed my fingers against the wheel along to the beat as I did so.

After a minute or so, I could sense the pair of eyes in my peripheral vision that were watching me, and I fixed my gaze on Chaisai when we came upon a red traffic light.

I chuckled a bit awkwardly, my subtle confusion evident in my response. "What is it?" I wondered aloud.

"Nothing," she replied in a quiet voice, seemingly shameless regarding me catching her staring. There was a gap between her words that suggested hesitation before she added, "Thank you."

I could feel the corners of my lips naturally beginning to lift higher until it had blossomed into a wide grin. That familiar sensation of mischief I typically gained when I was around her suddenly returned to me then. I couldn't help but feel a bit inflated by the lack of sarcasm or icy undertones in her voice for once. However, just as I was prepared to make a subtle joke in reference to that iciness of hers, I reminded myself that this may not be the time. Something had clearly been plaguing her just before I picked her up and I decided I shouldn't cater to anything that may invite that negativity back into her mind.

My grin fell into an easygoing smile with much less mischief as I nodded slightly and responded, "Anytime, Chaisai."

This time, and for the first time since I met her, I had pronounced her name correctly. Even though I never meant anything hurtful by the nickname, I still held back the urge to tease her in any way at that moment. It wasn't a big deal, at least I didn't think it was, but I certainly noticed the surprised expression I gained in response.

Music continued to play its role of white noise as the drive carried on, though it wasn't long until I was pulling the vehicle alongside the entrance of the aquarium. I shifted the car into a parked position and sent my gaze over to Chaisai expectantly.

"Well, um," she hesitated a little, and I tried my best not to let it show how much I enjoyed seeing her like this- socially awkward in contrast to her usual 'couldn't care less' persona.

"Have a good evening," I spoke up when I sensed she was struggling with what to say so I filled the gap for her. "And I'm sure I'll see you next time I need a chai latte and a book recommendation," I added with a smile.

Chaisai shot me a side-eyed look, much to my surprise and enjoyment, which only fed the size of my grin.

There she is.

"Right. Thank you again," Chaisai said simply with a little nod as she tore her eyes away from me and grabbed ahold of her things.

"No problem," I told her in a light tone as I subtly observed her movements as she left the car. I would have gone to open the door for her but I could tell she didn't like to be smothered, at least not in this sensitive moment where she was gaining back some kind of stability from whatever kind of stress that was earlier.

Once her sneakers hit the pavement, she adjusted her bag on her shoulder and shut the door behind her, sending me an awkward and extremely tiny smile before heading for the aquarium's entrance doors. As soon as her eyes had left mine through the windshield, I laughed to myself at the amusing attempt of an appreciative smile she had just given me.

Letting out a little sigh, I turned back towards the radio and gearstick, ready to drive away when something caught my eye in the passenger seat.

At first glance it appeared to be wired earbuds rolled up into a neat little ball, but as I reached over to lift them, something seemed odd about them. They unraveled in my grasp and I noticed the material of what I thought was wire actually felt like rubber. It was flexible and stretchy, clearly not a kind of device that could transfer soundwaves, yet the shape was evidently made to fit inside your ears.

Despite my lingering confusion and curiosity regarding the item, it was obvious she hadn't meant to leave them behind, so I secured them in my palm and quickly scrambled out of my car. I knew she hadn't been wearing them when she was in the passenger seat, so they must have been in her hoodie's pouch pocket, making it easy for them to accidentally fall out when she had moved to exit the car.

The alert of my car automatically locking was a distant sound in my ears as I focused on reaching Chaisai before she got too far away from me. Not only was this aquarium impossibly enormous and easy to get lost in, but you can't go past a certain point without buying a ticket. Hopefully she hadn't passed that section yet so I could return the item to her, though I knew I'd probably see her again at the café anyway. I didn't know what exactly this belonging of hers was used for but she may need them soon, so I was determined to get them to her right away.

Upon pushing through the glass front doors of the building, I was greeted by an entirely empty lobby with most lights switched off. In the distance, some faint sounds and movements could be detected, surely being the aquarium workers tending to their tasks. I was surprised, however, by the vacancy of the popular tourist attraction when it still seemed early in the evening. One glance at my phone's lock screen informed me of the hour, which was later than I had realized.

Although there wasn't a soul nearby, I still felt strange just entering further into the building when they were clearly closing up for the day. It left me wondering where Chaisai had gone and what gave her the freedom to venture further inside by herself.

Just as I was about to turn a corner in hopes of seeing any familiarity linked to the girl, she herself came rounding the corner and nearly collided with me. She ever-so-slightly flinched in surprise, whereas I had full on flung myself backwards in fright and nearly screamed in shock. And though she didn't smile, per usual, there did seem to be a bit of sinister amusement lingering in her gaze as she noticed this reaction of mine.

"Sorry," she said, that famous deadpanned voice and expression back in its rightful place within her aura. "I think I left something in your car."

Now calmer than when my soul left my body ten seconds ago, I huffed out a laugh and nodded, lifting up the item for her to see. Relief seemed to trace her features as she gauged the sight of it and reached out to grab them. An idea suddenly struck me, however, causing me to rear my hand back out of her reach and raise a brow.

"What are you doing?" Chaisai questioned icily, bewildered, as she searched my face for some kind of explanation for my actions.

My eyes glanced around the dim lit aquarium that was nearly empty before I dropped my gaze back down to hers. "How are you able to get in here after closing time?" I wondered aloud.

Chaisai's nostrils flared slightly as she seemed to be holding back an irritated exhale before she answered me. "I have a friend who works here and lets me in to see the sharks."

My eyes went wide with disbelief, a grin stretching my lips. "How about a trade? Your whatever-this-is for a peak into the shark exhibit right now," I suggested playfully, gesturing with the earbud-like item in my hand.

Chaisai's charcoal eyes fell into slits in response. "That's not up to me. Give it back-"

Before she could finish her demand, a voice cut into the wagering, causing my attention to briefly shift away from the Iced Chai before me.

"It's cool, Chaisai. Come on back and give her her earplugs back, whoever-you-are," the unnamed new party spoke, a young woman with short and wet hair slicked back.

Earplugs, I mentally parroted in complete confusion as I observed the item again. That didn't last long though as Chaisai hopped up in a failed attempt to snatch them back into her little hand, huffing in irritation before fully turning and walking away from me. I grinned as I watched her, not entirely sure why I always enjoy this behavior of hers so much. Perhaps it's just how she is so shamelessly herself and I admire that sense of confidence whenever it arises in her. Although, my expression may have been perceived incorrectly by the unnamed girl as she seemed to notice and fixate on my face as I watched Chaisai walk away.

"I'm Geunhae," she introduced herself as she beckoned me to fall in step with her, following in Chaisai's path as she excelled several steps ahead of us. "I work in the shark exhibit."

Nodding in acknowledgement, I bowed a little in return. "Jisung," I responded, hoping to God that she didn't recognize me as I had left my hat and mask in the car. "Cool job you have. Is this how you know Chaisai?"

Geunhae raised a brow at me slightly. "If you mean to ask if I met her here, then yes," she responded as we rounded a few corners and followed Chaisai into a spacious room with one enormous wall being the open ocean tank.

My next words died on my lips as I was amazed by the ethereal sight of the shifting water's reflective lights casting over the walls, transferring a hue of aquamarine to bathe the entire atmosphere in a heavenly afterglow. Geunhae seemed to find my reaction amusing, but I never realized how much more awe-inspiring this view was when it was empty of chatty tourists and lacking the usual artificial cast of fluorescent lights above.

"I've got a couple things to finish up around here, but you and Chaisai are welcome to hang out," Geunhae informed me politely, awaiting a response.

Naturally my eyes fell to Chaisai's silhouette sitting on one of the benches in front of the exhibit, her back facing me and her red headphones placed over her head. Although I only meant it to be harmless and playful, I sensed that perhaps I crossed a line for the young woman. Hence my reply to her friend Geunhae as I gazed down at the odd-looking earplugs I fiddled with in my hands.

"Y'know, I actually just remembered I have to be somewhere, but thank you very much for the offer," I declined politely, sending a miniscule smile to the young aquarium worker.

Geunhae simply nodded and we bowed in farewell before she headed off to tend to her job. My eyes drifted back over to Chaisai and I mentally debated on whether or not I should hand the earpieces back to her myself or just leave them where she'll see them so I don't interrupt her music. I spotted a recycling can not far behind the bench where she resided that had a flat lidded hood over it and I quietly made my way towards it to leave the belonging of hers there.

As I reached it, I glanced at Chaisai one more time as the item slipped from my grasp and settled atop the lid's surface. At this angle I could see her side profile slightly without her noticing me and I couldn't seem to tear my gaze away from the sight. It was extremely picturesque, the scene of the young woman sitting alone staring into an enormous shark tank with music surrounding her own little atmosphere that I couldn't hear. She was neither smiling nor frowning, expression blank although she appeared to be somewhat lost in thought. The vibrant hue of the water's cerulean cast a peaceful glow over the girl, the reflections catching her eyes like tiny stars. It was then that I noticed the faintest layer of moisture over her eyes, though not crying or necessarily tearful in any way.

Upon seeing this, I naturally dropped my stare from her and glanced at the place where I left her earplugs before I turned to leave silently. My heart fell a little at her well-hidden distress, praying I wasn't the reason for it. Sometimes I forgot how sarcastic and rough my humor can be and need to remind myself that not everyone enjoys that kind of behavior. Also, I don't know Chaisai, really, or much about her. Despite the strange longing I had to continue our occasional interactions and contact, that didn't mean she particularly was fond of it. Obviously she didn't hide her annoyance for things, but she also didn't outright tell me to screw off, so I thought maybe there was a part of her that didn't mind my presence.

Perhaps I was wrong.

It wouldn't be anything new to me anyway. Being the hyperactive kid that people try to avoid or tend to exclude. Except now I am older and a little more mature, understanding better now that not everyone has to enjoy my presence the way my family and band members do.

I had this tendency to want to interact and engage people who seemed like outcasts, or seemed like maybe they had also been excluded from something. Chaisai striked me as someone who didn't have many friends or as someone overly happy, and I guess I thought I could do something about it. Perhaps I overstepped some boundaries and needed to let her have some space to breathe.

Without any hard feelings, however, I made my way out of the aquarium and headed back to my car.

My mind began to wander with curiosity as I mulled over the new information I learned about Chaisai; she was stressed and a bit panicked when I picked her up, she seemed to never go anywhere without her headphones, and now I had discovered these odd and fancy ear plugs she owned. She's not a big fan of social interactions. She often appeared either emotionless or agitated. She worked in a relatively quiet atmosphere. She spent her free time in a dark and quiet aquarium exhibit after closing time.

Social anxiety? I mentally guessed, although that didn't seem quite right for some reason.

Before I could dwell much more on the questions swimming around in my brain, my phone began to ring. I accepted the call once the device had connected to the car's system and I pulled onto the main road.

"Hanniiie," Minho sang through the speaker, causing me to chuckle a little as I headed back towards the dorms. "Where are you?" He asked, some shuffling and familiar voices being heard in the background.

"On my way back now. Sorry I was gone awhile," I assured him.

"That's fine, I just wanted to make sure you're alright. What took you so long anyway?" Minho wondered aloud with curiosity, it sounded like he was in the middle of something else while speaking to me, possibly cooking.

Before I could respond to his inquiry, the teasing voice of our maknae erupted from somewhere near Minho on the other end of the call. "You were at Breve Seoul, weren't you, Hyung? Oooh, I bet you were," Jeongin exclaimed with a voice full of laughter, which earned a few confused chuckles and indistinctive questions from the other boys faintly.

Sighing, I decided not to answer as I didn't want to lie but I didn't want to willingly invite Jeongin's teasing regarding Chaisai.

"Did I miss something?" Chan's voice emitted a bit further from the speaker, sounding amused but ultimately lost. "What's Breve Seoul?"

"It's the café we got the takeout from the other ni-"

"It's where Hannie's girlfriend works!"

"WHAT?"

"YEAH RIGHT."

"You don't believe she works at a café?"

"I don't believe Han has a girlfriend."

A tangled mess of laughs and jokes to my shagrin nearly deafened me and I briefly shut my eyes in annoyance as I came to a stoplight. For a moment I contemplated the idea of just dropping my forehead to lay on the car's horn but ultimately maintained my cool. I began to explain once they all were done acting like children.

"She's not my girlfriend. I barely know her. She's not even my friend yet, that's how little I know her," I elaborated, and it was as if I could feel Jeongin mouthing contradictory remarks to the boys on the other end. "Plus I'm not sure she even tolerates me," I added with a humorous tone.

"I'm sure that's not true-"

"Oh, I'm sure it is though."

Felix's voice sweetly cut in between Chan's voice teasing me, causing a little smile to lift on my lips as I drove. "What's her name?"

"Yeah and what's the deal with her that's got Innie so determined that you like her?" Hyunjin butted in loudly from somewhere in the background.

"Here's the story-"

"No," I firmly spoke in a projected voice, slightly sing-songish to cut off the flow of Jeongin's overdramatic rendition of the situation.

The maknae huffed in response, earning some laughter from the other boys.

"She's just a worker at this café-slash-library place I've been to a few times," I tried to shrug it off, because honestly it wasn't a big deal, if a deal at all to begin with. "I can't help but to tease her a bit whenever I see her there because she's like... How do I put this-"

"Buttercup," Innie cut me off.

"From the Powerpuff Girls?" Hyunjin checked for clarification.

"No, Buttercup from the Avengers- of course 'from the Powerpuff Girls'," Innie responded and a resounding 'smack' could be heard after the sarcastic answer was given.

This brief explanation out of context earned a round of understanding hums from the remaining boys. Seungmin and Changbin must have been off somewhere else as I know they wouldn't stay silent in a conversation of this topic.

"I like her already," Minho piped up in an all-too-serious voice.

"I agree. Buttercup is a vibe, let's be for real," I suddenly heard Seungmin's voice for the first time as he must have just entered the room they were in. "I've been eavesdropping from my room by the way so I'm all caught up," he added.

"Same!" Changbin yelled from somewhere in the near distance, earning some chuckles.

"Well there must be some kind of chemistry there if Innie is already shipping you with this person you barely know," Chan expressed, his tone hinting a bit of a question as if he were asking me indirectly to confirm or deny the statement.

Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I began pulling into the private lot of the dorms to find a parking space as I replied. "There's no chemistry, there's no feelings. Today was literally our, like, third or fourth interaction and I'm pretty sure I irritate the crap out of her-"

"Oh my God, that's why you were late. You were with the Quokka Princess, weren't you, Quokka Prince?"

I muttered under my breath as the boys began laughing and joking around again on the subject and I shifted into park. "Just in one ear and out the other..."

It took me a minute or two of being verbally abused as I walked back towards our dorm that I could just hang up, which I did right in the middle of another joke being made at my dispense. Before long I was entering the dorm, the familiar scene of Felix and Seungmin helping Minho cook in the kitchen greeting me. On the couch playing video games were the rest of the boys and I gathered they got over it quickly when they realized I hung up on them.

"Okay, dinner's ready, everyone, come into the kitchen."

No movements changed aside from me throwing my jacket on the back of the couch and curiously observing what video game they were playing.

"I said 'dinner's ready'!" Minho spoke up louder in a firm tone that frightened everyone into motion, obeying his command, earning a smug smirk of approval from the man.

Dinner was delicious per usual when Minho cooked, and I was surprised to notice the boys dropped the topic of Chaisai once dinner was served. The night carried on comfortable and familiar like this; nothing too unusual, except the occasional image and curiosity of that very same topic ghosting over my peace of mind.

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author's note
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what do you think?

thank you so very much for reading~~

is there anything you would like to see in this story? i love taking ideas and suggestions ♡

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ﾟ。Blys .°

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