ᴡʜᴏsᴇ ɪᴅᴇᴀ ᴡᴀs ᴛʜɪs? || ʙᴛs ᴄʜᴀᴛ ғɪᴄ ✔️

nine

And so the lunch date was set - well, set after Hoseok made sure that Namjoon would be working on that particular day, because if he weren't, then going to the cafe would be a total waste. For him, that is. Not Seokjin. Seokjin was happy enough getting treated to a meal; however he couldn't deny a small part of him might have been looking forward to seeing Namjoon in person. Just a small part. Just a little. But he wouldn't admit that. Not to himself, nor to Hoseok, seeing as Seokjin possessed this peculiar pride that resulted in him (attempting to) camouflage any and all traces of non-perfectness.

Well, that might not have been entirely true. But he liked to think it was.

The cafe, according to Hoseok, was simply called "Hyunseong's Cafe", and from the outside Seokjin couldn't deny it looked awfully cute and charming. The large window to the right of the door granted a clear view of the seating areas inside-quaint, pastel red booths and several small tables scattered here and there, a three-step staircase leading to a second seating area, shelves against a brick wall whereon sat numerous potted plants which Seokjin found oddly adorable. The second the two of them entered the cafe, they were immediately greeted by the sweet aroma of cooking meats and various dishes that drifted temptingly from the kitchen. Seokjin's stomach growled furiously at him.

"Dude."

"What? I didn't eat breakfast, okay?"

Hoseok tilted his head back, squinting in genuine confusion at his friend. "You? Not eating breakfast?"

"I ran out of ingredients at my dorm. Haven't gone shopping yet."

"Huh." He gave a brief nod of understanding, then proceeded to hum a tune as he scanned the cafe in search of something - or someone, rather. And he found who he had been looking for in a matter of seconds, as this person happened to be walking in their direction with the sole intention of seating the restaurant's new customers. The man must not have recognized them at first glance, Hoseok gathered. Meanwhile Seokjin's attention had been diverted by the screen of another customer's phone, which at the current moment was displaying an episode of his favorite show, so he failed to notice the familiar-faced waiter walking towards him.

"Welcome to Hyunseong's Cafe, I'm-..."

Only once he was standing a mere two feet away did Namjoon finally put two and two together. He paused before his last word, tilted his head to one side, adjusted his thin-framed glasses, and cracked the subtlest of smiles as he gazed at the ever-growing one on Hoseok's face.

"You're..." A quiet breath that sounded something like a laugh escaped Namjoon's mouth. "One of the guys from the chat. Hoseok, right?"

The redhead beamed. "Or Hobi, if you'd prefer."

"And this is..."

It wasn't that he forgot. He simply wanted to wait till he could get a clearer view so that he could be assured he wasn't mistaking the man for someone else. Hoseok tapped his friend on the shoulder several times, then several more times, and even then Seokjin's eyes still lingered on the phone screen as he turned his head around to face forward.

"...Seokjin."

Having been 110% invested in the contents of that TV show rather than the outside world, it came as a genuine shock to Jin to find this man standing so close, and with a look of remembrance upon his face - his awfully handsome face that appeared much tanner in person than it did in that selca, and the eyes that appeared brighter as a result of being pleasantly surprised by the two's unannounced visit.

"Oh, uh, hello."

"Hello." Namjoon chuckled. "元気ですか？" [Are you well?]

"はい. 元気です." [Yes. I'm doing well.]