Masquerade (BTS x Reader One Shot)

Strangers

"No," you whispered gently. "I think perhaps it's best to remain strangers."

"Why's that?"

"My heart has ran out of space for new people."

There was silence once again. The man stood, and your heart sank with disappointment, assuming he was getting up to leave. Instead, he stepped in front of you, holding out his hand to you. You looked up.

"Then allow me another dance before we disappear from one another," he said.

His eyes were warm as he said it, something inviting you to take his hand.

So you did.

He helped you to your feet, then instantly took you into an intimate dance stance. You stepped back, surprised.

"Here?" you asked. "Like this?"

He nodded. "Here. With no one watching."

"But there's no music."

"That's fine. You have no rhythm."

You slapped his arm and he chuckled, leading you in a new dance under the stars, the crickets and rustling leaves your only melody.

***

The end of the month was always the busiest.

It seemed that there was no shortage of guests and clients going in and out of the Kim household. There was meant to be a new line of jewelry for the coming year, and the summer was filled with events, appointments, and guest dinners in order for the preparation of the new release. You were up to your ears in cooking and cleaning in the kitchen, trying to keep up with the head chef's demands as much as possible. Only in short pockets of time could you look in on the Kim family in their work, catching glimpses of the eldest son, Namjoon, working under his father's guidance and mentorship.

Namjoon was meant to be the future heir of the jewelry business, and he took that responsibility with the utmost seriousness.

So seriously, in fact, that he had agreed to marry a wealthy investor's daughter in exchange for the family business to thrive.

And the worst of it was knowing that he planned to follow through with his obligations because he had no interest in doing anything unrelated to business.

"Who's on the guest list today?" Jimin, your coworker, asked as he looked over the list of food to be prepared.

"Tea time with Seokjin," you replied.

"Ah, the designer," Jimin confirmed. "I feel like in the last year, we've either seen him every day, or not for months at a time. I bet you still remember his coffee, though."

"Half-cup coffee, a fourth water, a fourth milk, no sugar," you said automatically.

Jimin laughed and nodded. "Shall I get the coffee started then?"

"And I'll take care of the petit fours," you added.

Seokjin and Namjoon's fathers were business partners, Seokjin's family business specializing in jewelry designs, and Namjoon's family focusing on funding and production. Seokjin spent a lot of his time traveling around the world to research new designs, and once he settled on a new design, he came to the house nearly every day until the project was finished. Then he would disappear again for another three or four months as he traveled. He always brought gifts for Namjoon's staff, from chocolates to scarves to cigars. He was ridiculously generous in his wealth.

His only flaw - perhaps - was that he was far too generous with his flirtations.

He arrived promptly at half past noon.