Bridging Destinies

Chapter 17: The Vagaries of Communication

'Ah.' I thought, privately, 'Whatever has gotten into me?' I asked myself as the men around me laughed. Namjoon gestured for Taehyung to scoot over and sat down next to him. I moved too and Jimin grinned over at me as my movement caused me to move closer to him, our thighs touching. Though I was taller than him, this didn't seem to greatly deter him from his lascivious thoughts and in response I winked at him. He grinned back at me, and his face began to turn red, as he began to laugh.

In the next moment, Yoongi walked into the living room and stopped, watching the exchanges between me and the other men. I caught his subdued, somewhat suspicious thoughts and looked up at him. Tilting my head to the side, I regarded him attentively, "Hello Yoongi." I greeted him.

The man nodded and returned my greeting, "Hello." He said, as the room fell silent. The man clearly intimidated the others, but I could feel the affection and bonds between them.

I replied politely, in the way of the western world, "I hope you are well?"

Yoongi regarded me smoothly, his expression blank, "I'm good." Then as if he had realized he had forgotten his manners, he said, "Thanks."

I smiled faintly and returned his earlier nod, "You are welcome." I spoke, using the informal 'gomawo'. The others were surprised and chalked my use up to not understanding honorifics.

I caught a thought from Jungkook, as he wondered how old I was. He then spoke his thought, quietly asking, "Noona." Then paused, "It's noona, right?" He wondered, then continued, "How old are you?"

I leaned forward and looked at him intently, "Older than you. Noona is correct."

He looked a little relieved to have guessed right, when Yoongi asked, "How old is older than him?" He sat next to Hoseok as he finished his question.

I retorted with a laugh, "Older than all of you. So the honorifics would typically go one way." I told him, answering their unspoken questions about my use of the language. Before he could respond to ask more questions, I answered his unspoken thought with my own as I leaned in his direction, my eyes almost seeming to glow, "Don't you know it's not polite to ask a lady her age?" I teased, sending a suggestion into his nearly closed mind. The others were silent for a moment and then laughed, perhaps a bit nervously.

Yoongi looked at me for several more moments and then he began to crack a smile, his mouth turning up at the corners just a bit, "Yes. I guess that's true." He responded almost sheepishly.

~~~

Namjoon watched Felina as she conversed with his brothers. She was charming and seemed to know just what to say to them. She was also attentive and equally coy with all of them, drawing them all in, deeply. He looked over at Yoongi. 'Except for maybe Yoongi.' He thought to himself. He looked over at his hyung, who said little but watched them all, then at Felina as she looked at him, watching him look over at the other man.

He found himself strangely shy and not sure what to say to her, but he smiled and gathered his courage to say something when Jin announced from the kitchen, "Food is ready!" The guys stood up in waves and she joined them, but hung a little back as he stood and moved beside her. He felt Felina smoothly move to link her arm with his and he looked down at the gesture, then back into her face and suddenly smiled.

Felina smiled back with a soft, "Escort me to dinner?"

His smile grew wider as he asked, "Going all out old European on me?" He tucked her arm more firmly inside his own.

"I'm old fashioned." She answered.

Yoongi passed them and gave out a soft snort, hearing their conversation. Namjoon followed in Yoongi's wake, guiding Felina to the table where eight place settings were, sometimes jostled by the movement of the men who were already sitting or in the process of doing so. Yoongi went and helped Jin bring the food to the table and Jungkook jumped up at Seokjin's suggestion and got drinks to go with the dinner.