Sunbeam

34.

December 7, 2019

"Hey, are you listening to me?" Ari asked, smiling at Mae, who wasn't listening to her at all. Her gaze wandered to the next table where Jin and two other guards were sitting.

Seokjin looked at his phone, pretending not to notice Mae staring at him, drooling like a schoolgirl, and he blushed every time their eyes met.

"Mae!" Ari screamed in a whisper and her friend turned to look at her, but it was clear she couldn't hear or see anything but Jin. "Why don't you ask him out?" Ari suggested, catching Mae off guard.

"What? Who?" Mae blinked in confusion and Ari laughed looking at Jin who looked up at the sound of her laughter and winked at her. "Jin oppa, of course!" Ari sneered and Mae gave her a horrified look.

"Are you crazy?" Mae shot him a quick glance, the two stared at each other for a few seconds, then their faces went through the entire palette of shades of red before shyly looking away.

"Come on, a blind man would notice how you stared at him. He's free, just invite him!" Ari insisted and Mae shook her head. "No, no, he's unlikely to agree," Mae was quick to assure her and Ari raised her eyebrows.

"You won't know if you don't ask, Mae" Ari grinned and looked back at Seokjin who was now drooling. She almost laughed at their childish behavior.

The first time Jin had accompanied her on a date with Mae, the two had stared at each other for three hours while Ari talked to herself, pretending not to notice. The second time she was already introduced as Bangtan's girl and had more security like now, but Jin had insisted that he accompany her as well.

"Just in case" Seokjin had replied to her questioning look, as if Ari had never been in love and wasn't in love right now, not to notice the signs and desire in both of his friends' eyes.

This was the third time Jin had insisted on accompanying her, even though she had already asked Hoseok, who had given up his seat, knowing what was going on, after all, Ari had told him everything.

"Jin oppa?" Ari called out and Mae looked at her in shock, turning as pale as a ghost. "Come sit with us?" Ari asked and smiled sweetly as she watched Mae open and close her mouth, slobbering and trying to remember how to speak.

Seokjin looked up from his phone, then back to Mae, who buried her hands in her lap, blood red, then back to Ari, who was looking at him, nodding encouragingly.

After much hesitation and uncertainty, and Ari's neck almost stiff from nodding, he stood up, pocketed the phone and sat between the two, avoiding looking in Mae's direction.

"Jin oppa, Mae and I both need your advice" Ari sweetly began, grinning idiotically as Mae gave her a warning look, gritting her teeth.

"Oh, for what?" Seokjin asked, tilting his head slightly to one side, still refusing to look in Mae's direction. "It's about men" Ari muttered softly, lowering herself to Seokjin, who looked at her with wide eyes and blinked in confusion.

"M-Men?" Jin gaped in surprise and Ari gave a slightly evil smirk, rolling her eyes at Mae. "Ari!" her friend almost screamed, forcing Jin to look at her anyway.

"What?" Ari asked innocently, still grinning idiotically. "For God's sake, what are you doing!" Mae growled, side-eyeing Seokjin, who was looking between the two in confusion.

"I'm looking for advice, what else" Ari shrugged and Mae gave her a hand sign that she wanted to strangle her. “Jin oppa, you see” Seokjin looked at her expectantly. "Mae likes a man…" Ari began and Jin gasped in frustration, looking down and biting the inside of his cheek.

"Ari, please…" Mae pleaded desperately, but Ari ignored her. "He likes her too" Ari continued flatly. "But they're both ashamed to admit it" Seokjin looked at Mae, who blinked in embarrassment and looked away.

"And what exactly is your question?" Jin asked coldly, looking at Ari again. She smirked at the disappointment and anger in his eyes, then grinned even wider at the startled and horrified Mae.

"My question is…" Ari began, enjoying the damn sweet feeling of superiority. "When are you going to ask her out?" she finished, looking at him as if she had asked him a question that depended on someone's life.

"What?" Seokjin and Mae screamed at the same time, shocked and horrified by her outspokenness. "What what?" Ari asked, pretending not to understand why they were looking at her in such shock.

"You know" she pouted, seemingly offended, and stood motioning for the other two guards to follow her. "I'm sick of seeing your red faces, I'm leaving!" she turned theatrically and with a huge smile, walked to the nearby toilet, leaving them alone.

The two guards stood on either side of the door to the women's room, and Ari walked in, huffing contentedly. Seokjin and Mae would probably scold her later, but it didn't matter as long as they were both happy.

Ari rested her hands on the sink counter and stared into the mirror for a moment before turning on the water and bending down to wash her face. With a contented sigh, she stood up, looking in the mirror again.

One of the cubicle doors behind her opened and she glanced that way. Her smile instantly melted and her eyes darkened coldly.

"Look, we meet again" the woman behind her smiled evilly and Ari turned, now looking her face to face. "I'd say it's a pleasure, but that would be a lie" Ari replied coolly, feeling the rising anger send a cold wave down her spine.

The woman looked her up and down and folded her arms, leaning against the booth. "Still acting like royalty, even though there's no one here to save you" the woman smiled and Ari narrowed her eyes, looking towards the door where there was a struggle, pained moans and then the door swung open.

Her eyes widened as the body of one of her guards collapsed and a large pool of blood began to form beneath him. In a second, the body of the second one followed, and two others stood in front of the door, looking at her indifferently.

Ari watched in horror as the life drained from them both, unable to move, her legs just wouldn't listen to her. "It's time for you to pay, Hyun Ari!" the woman hissed and Ari gasped, feeling a sharp pain in her neck.

She jerked her hand up and removed the syringe from her neck, looking at her in surprise, then her gaze shifted to the woman who simply shrugged, leaning back against the booth.

"I suggest you don't struggle or your torment will begin sooner than I anticipated, my dear Ari!" she laughed sinisterly and Ari gritted her teeth. "You're completely crazy!" Ari growled, throwing the syringe away and walking over to her.

Two hands grabbed her, twisting her arms behind her back and Ari glanced over her shoulder, cursing. "Let me go, you wretch!" Ari hissed viciously, trying to pull away. "Namjoon will kill you!" she turned back to the woman.

"Oh, dear, he doesn't give a dime for you, trust me." the woman walked over to Ari and looked at her, blinking charmingly and pursed her lips, her face only inches closer. "By the time he finds you, you'll be dead, darling!" she laughed.

"The tall grapes are the sourest, aren't they?" Ari asked, trying to sound sure, but her gaze was already drifting and her head had begun to float, causing her to blink in an attempt to focus her vision.

"He will never be yours, you know that." Ari added, her legs buckling and she was slowly losing her balance. "Yes..." the woman suddenly became serious. "So I'm going to force him" she grinned again and that was the last Ari heard before both hands let go of hers and she collapsed lifelessly.