Immortal Love [Hwasa x Jimin] by @incognitoidol

Chapter 3

~1 week ago in Makgeolli Bar, Jeon-ju~

He stared at her, toying with a shot glass and smiling radiantly with ease. Let's see if that charade stays up after I finish with her. His smile glowed impossibly bright, but his eyes promised new terrors with every slow blink. This is gonna be a fun night.

"You know, I really didn't expect to find you this easily."

Hwasa flinched. "I'm sorry?"

"I expected to be waiting for at least a couple of decades, give or take. But this is a welcome surprise."

Her insides twisted, reacting not to the grating undertone of the present menacing voice, but rather its painful provocation of suppressed memories she'd never wanted to revisit.

She kept her voice low and even, "You must have the wrong person."

The unpleasant voice drifted closer. "Nequam, don't be like that. Come on, it's been so long. Won't you greet an old friend?"

Nequam. Only one person had called her that in her whole life. Hoping against hope, she looked up at his masked face. And she felt ice.

She couldn't move as the familiarity of his eyes rained cold crystals down her spine, making the sensitive hairs stand up against her exposed nape. Against the shivers reverberating through her viciously, she tried in vain to maintain her oppositely stable tone, betraying her true terror. "No, I'm sorry, I..."

As her own voice riddled in her ears and echoes thin as glass rang, Hwasa grimaced at her shaking voice. Come on, you can't even keep yourself together around him? Don't fall apart now... Do something!

With every ounce of her consciousness that wasn't frightfully paralyzed, Hwasa conjured up her best intoxicated impression as she hid her trembling voice with infusions of obnoxious giggles and frivolous expression. Emptying her eyes til they were void of emotion, she lazily tilted her head and loudly drawled. "Oh! Oppa, you seem familiar! Very handsome too. Say, aren't you one of those k-pop idols?"

Her heart beating at a whirlwind pace at the following beat of silence, Hwasa felt immense relief the next moment as she felt attention drawing to her solitary encounter. The numerous other ladies who had come to drink their worries away just like her perked at the mention of an exciting find. Her voice stabilizing by the second, she brought out her confidence for her escape finish, "Ah yes! Bangtan sonyeondan! I can't believe it's yo-"

Hwasa didn't even get to finish her overly enthusiastic statement as people started gathering around in hordes, jumping for the chance to meet a renowned celebrity. She grabbed her coat and fled the bar without a second thought.

~Back at BTS' dorm one week ago~

"Oh Yoongi hyung! Where are you returning from so late?" Jimin asked, surprised. "It's almost 12 am."

"... I just had to check up on someone," the elder responded, blank-slated and tired.

"For 4 hours? What took so long?"

"Finding the person took longer than I thought and it was... a long talk."

Someone? Long talk? Jimin confusedly pondered his response. 

Wait! This is the perfect diversion. I'll get everyone off my back!

Narrowing his eyes and drawing his lips into a mischievous smirk, Jimin sing-songily and loudly inquired, "Oooooo, should I call up Dispatch hyung? They would love details on this 'someone.'"

Yoongi rolled his eyes and simply flopped onto his side of the room, ignoring the weightless moonshine the younger threw at him. Much to Jimin's dismay, none of his bandmates were as eager to poke fun at an emotionless rock of a guy.

"Hmph, good night then, hyung."

Yoongi just muttered in response, but Jimin couldn't quite catch him.