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Everyone knew that Namjoon’s ideal type was someone tall, had a nice voice, and could rock a white shirt, jeans and a pair of red high top converses (the last part being more important than the rest). So it came to no surprise when Namjoon fell – both literally and metaphorically – head over converses for Lee Junghwa. He had been lost in his own world when he tripped on an uneven path and took an accidental tumble, only to land in front of a pair of red and white high top Chuck Taylors.
Strike One.
He all-too-quickly pushed himself up from the pavement, head-butting the stranger, causing her to cry out in agony and surprise as she fell back on to the pavement followed by the sound of a drink spilling. It was then that Namjoon looked at the owner of the red converses, who was half-lying on the pavement, rubbing her chin and frowning at the concrete ground where the remaining contents of her drink laid wasted. He felt his breath hitch when his gaze took in her long legs, denim daisy dukes, fitted white tee, and the backwards red and black snapback on her head. She had long brunette locks that were loosely braided into two plaits, light brown eyes that almost looked gold under the mid-morning sun, and her makeup had that ‘natural’ look to it. She was a beauty and Namjoon couldn’t take his eyes off her.
Strike two.
What followed after were numerous apologies and questions regarding her minor injury. Namjoon swore he died and went to heaven when she spoke to him. Her voice was so clear and soft that it made him want to wrap himself in cotton sheets and roll around in a grassy meadow. So far, this stranger had managed to tick all the boxes of what he would call his ‘Miss Right’, and Namjoon was more than a little desperate to know her name and more.“I’m really sorry about head-butting you,” He mumbled shyly while nervously scratching the back of his head. “And for spilling your coffee. Is it alright if I buy you another one?”The girl glanced at her watch with uncertainty, and her eyes widened when she realized the time. “I can’t do it right now because I’m actually late for an appointment.” Namjoon tried to not to show his disappointment. “But, I can give you my number so we can arrange something?” The male was momentarily stunned until he felt the girl reach for his wrist and placed a torn piece of paper in his palm. She offered a small smile, before stating, “I’m in a rush, but I’m looking forward to that coffee.” She then hurried off, leaving a speechless Namjoon in her wake.“Lee Junghwa…” He muttered under his breath when his eyes scanned over the neat handwriting on the small piece of paper. Namjoon raised his gaze to catch a glimpse of the girl, and shockingly, he found her staring back at him from the end of the street with a shy smile on her face and gesturing towards her phone.
Strike three.
The events that occurred after that meeting included daily morning coffee meetups, random walks in the park, and midnight food runs at a burger joint or 24-hour diner. Namjoon learned that Junghwa was a second year University student, majoring in Business Management, so the two of them also spent a lot of time at the University library. He too discovered that she had lived overseas until she was seventeen, was fluent in English, Japanese, Mandarin, and French, and enjoyed listening to 90’s RnB music. The more time they spent together, the more Namjoon found himself falling deeper and deeper. Everything about Junghwa was interesting, and it made him childishly giddy when she had shown an interest in his passion for writing and music.“You’re different from most guys I know,” She had commented one night when the two were sitting in one of the study rooms at the University library eating pizza. She was working on a presentation assignment for her Marketing class that was due the following two days, while Namjoon was seated next to her, using the campus wifi and occasionally scribbling some words down in a notebook. Junghwa noticed that he took that particular notebook everywhere with him and was curious as to why it was so special to him. After sneaking a peek at what he was writing and pestering him about what the words meant, Namjoon admitted to Junghwa that he enjoyed writing songs and hoped to one day perform them. “You’re insightful and you have your head screwed on the right way. You’re not just about looks; you are ridiculously smart and actually think about things that guys our age don’t even care about. It’s one of the reasons why I like you.”Namjoon almost choked on his pizza when Junghwa uttered those words. His cheeks turned a light shade of pink, and he nervously began scratching at the back of his head. “You like me?” He asked bashfully.“Yeah,” Junghwa replied, shrugging her shoulders nonchalantly. “And not in the friend-zoned way.”That was one of the other reasons why Namjoon liked Junghwa; she was blunter than an unsharpened, overused knife.It was silent for a few minutes, with neither of the two looking at the other. After a couple of minutes, Namjoon cleared his throat and answered with, what he hoped was, an equally casual tone, “I like you too. And not in the friend-zoned way, either.”A small smile appeared from the corner of Junghwa’s lips, and ever-so-discreetly, though her eyes never left the pages of the textbook she was reading, her left hand found its’ way to Namjoon’s right, and squeezed it reassuringly.
You’re out.