Queen of Roses

29) Wishes

Jennie hated this time of year. So many lights and lanterns decorating their town in a futile attempt to mask its tragically worn-down state while simultaneously blinding her. Thousands of citizens squished in a small, confined area laughing and pretending all was right in the world when the entire country was in shambles. Don't even get her started on the 'music' the less than qualified musicians had been playing for the past 2 hours. She would rather be almost anywhere else.

Sure, there were some aspects of the festival she didn't entirely loathe, like dressing up in her most fashionable outfits and making use of the gorgeous natural assets she had been blessed with; her fierce eyes and attractive figure, just to name a few. However, seeing the people she loved most smile was by far the highlight of her night.

Glancing at her parents dancing in front of the musicians while Taehyung's parents endlessly mocked them, Jimin flirting with Lisa under a tree (and using his cat as an excuse – how typical), Yoongi smirking as he picked another argument with Jisoo, and Taehyung appearing more relaxed and content than she had ever seen, she couldn't help but smile as well.

She supposed she could put up with all the annoyance for one night. Maybe it would be worth it.

Or maybe not.

"Hey Jennie!" Seokjin called out, dodging his way through the colourfully dressed crowd while pulling Taeyong behind him with a rope tied securely around his waist as if it were a leash.

Jennie whipped around immediately and began to run in the opposite direction, anticipating danger when she saw the desperation in Seokjin's eyes. But, the long-legged man-boy had already reached her before she could even attempt to avoid him.

"No!" Jennie exclaimed, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring daggers at him, "absolutely not."

She knew exactly what this was about, and she was not succumbing to peer pressure again. She was done babysitting.

"But-"

"No."

"Jennie-"

"I said no!"

"You don't even know what I'm going to say," he said in exasperation when Jennie finally allowed him to get a word in.

Jennie rolled her eyes, "you're going to ask me to watch mr. hostage over there as you go cook or eat or both."

He scoffed and crossed his arms too, mirroring her posture, "wrong."

"Then, what do you want?" she snapped, "stop wasting my time Jinsuck."

"It's Seokjin," he snapped right back, and Jennie didn't know whether to smack him or laugh at the sass he was blatantly showing her.

"You stand corrected. I was going to ask you to watch mr. hostage while I go and feed the pond ducks."

Jennie groaned in frustration, "and I already told you I'm not doing it. Get one of your people to watch him. He's not my responsibility."

"Look around, Jennifer," he raised his hands and waved around the area dramatically, "everyone is busy doing something enjoyable with their lives. You're the only one who's doing absolutely nothing. Frankly, you should be thanking me because I think you could really benefit from his company."

Jennie was so shocked that he had called her 'Jennifer' that she just gaped at him for a few seconds, dumbfounded. Unfortunately, she realized in that moment that Seokjin was smarter than he looked, because he wasted no time taking advantage of the situation. And before she knew it, he had dropped the rope into her hands and disappeared into the crowd.