Champagne-Flavored Roses

Part 1

The elevator chimes as the doors slide open. Taehyung steps out, pulling the mask over his face. The fine dust count has been high recently.

"Taehyung! Hey," a voice calls from his side. Taehyung clasps hands with his old friend.

"Namjoon, morning. Were you waiting here?"

Namjoon pushes off from the wall beside the elevator. "Not long," he shrugs. "Should we go?"

"Sure, lead the way," Taehyung says. He pushes his glasses up and shoves his hands in his khakis. He might have left Paris, but his style was forever changed. Today he felt artsy, with a beige beret, a light cardigan, khakis, and his favorite paint palette pin.

"The cafe isn't too far from here, and it's perfect for brunch," Namjoon explains. His style was much more simple but fit him just as well. The blue Levi's on a white tee matched his blue baseball cap as much as the spring sky. His light brown jacket highlighted his timberlands. He was covered in Earth tones, reflecting it in his own nature.

The two step out of the hotel onto the busy Seoul streets. Taehyung only landed yesterday, but he needed to find an apartment quickly. And a job. Maybe not in that order.

"How's the jet lag?" Namjoon asks as they walk in between the early workers rushing to work.

"Alright. I took some melatonin last night, so it was fine." Taehyung flicks his hair out of his eyes. A haircut was needed soon too. "It'll probably hit in the afternoon or evening."

Namjoon chuckles at the thought. "Yeah, it's rough," he agrees. They stroll among the high risers, enjoying the spring weather. This is why he came back, Taehyung thinks. Paris has its own charm, but nothing beats the streets he wandered after school, splitting costs with his friends for snacks and comic books. He smiles as he remembers the time a stray dog caught onto his pant leg, and he and his friend had to sprint five blocks before they lost it.

The buildings get taller and the streets get busier as Taehyung starts up another conversation. "Hey, are you still in touch with anyone else?"

"A few of them," Namjoon says. The cafe shouldn't be too far now. "You were close with Jimin, right?"

Taehyung lets out a breath as the memories come flooding back: late-night gaming sessions and comic book cafes, sitting under the stars in a park hoping their parents wouldn't check their beds, lost glances, touches, laughs... "Yeah, but we lost touch after I moved and he got busy."

Namjoon nods solemnly. "Actually, we're pretty close now, Jimin and I," he says hesitantly.

"Oh really?" Taehyung says quietly. "Does he still model at that company? I only went there a few times before I left."

Namjoon brings his hand up to rub the back of his neck, glancing at Taehyung. "Yeah, he does. But they moved locations from that old place-" A rumbling sound from down the street cuts him off.

"Speak of the devil..." says Namjoon. The two slow to a stop as a jet black Porsche Carrera quickly slides into the shoulder in front of them. The glossy shine under the morning sun gives the car a sparkling finish. The passenger side opens and a man steps out, leather bag and jacket in tow. It isn't the clean pressed pants, shiny Chelseas, or even the two undone buttons on his dress shirt that makes Taehyung lose his breath. It isn't even the small wave he gives the driver before they speed off or that same hand running through his gorgeously bleached hair that makes Taehyung forget where he is. No, it's the small giggle he hears when the man steps out, remnants of a joke long gone, that transports him to those inside jokes told during classes, pranks played during trips to their hometowns, whispers shared under the stars on nights never forgotten. He would know that laugh anywhere.

The man rushes across their path to the building beside them, barely slowing down to give a half-bow, sunglasses hiding his eyes, not even stopping for a glance. Passerby's maneuver around them as Taehyung stands stunned, his mind putting together the pieces.

"Um, should we-" Namjoon starts. He gets cut off once again with a loud whoosh from a billboard across the street. Taehyung's jaw drops as the camera zooms out on the perfectly styled blond, the model's elegant eyes staring into the camera, into his soul it seems. The model brings a hand to his lips, posing and showing off his look.

But Taehyung couldn't care less about what he's wearing or doing or who's around him because- "Oh my god, Jimin," he says.

"Fashion changes," Jimin quotes in the advertisement. "But style endures." His voice sounds deeper than Taehyung remembers, but that might also be due to his heart pounding out of his chest. With a smirk from the beauty, the scene goes black to say CHANEL in large letters, leaving Taehyung breathless, stunned, and utterly confused. He turns to Namjoon, mouth still open, waiting for something, anything.

Namjoon clears his throat before answering, "oh, I'm his manager too." Taehyung gives him a puzzled look. "Thought you should know," he finishes softly. Before Taehyung can barrage him with questions, Namjoon walks ahead towards the cafe. He'll need the calories to deal with this storm.

"Wait, hold on!" Taehyung runs after him. He knew he would miss a lot in the five years he was gone, but his best friend turning into a super hot model for luxury brands, a national celebrity gaging by the number of people that stopped to watch his ad, essentially a million times more successful than him? He would make Namjoon his hostage until every one of his questions was answered, starting with is that what he looks like now?