STARSTRUCK

~Chapter Three: Thrift Shopping~

Three hours after my creative writing class ended, I stumbled into my dorm (my feet were killing me because I didn't sit down the entire time I talked to Jimin) and found Yoongi and his "friend" Hoseok sitting on the bed together writing something.

"Hey, Tae! How was class?" Hoseok jumped up to greet me at the door. He's a sweet guy, and Yoongi absolutely adores him, even though he won't say it.

"Did you end up getting with Mr. Park?" Yoongi smirked over his shoulder.

"No, and he told me to call him Jimin."

"Oooh," Hoseok giggled "you should get his number! Or maybe his email, if a number is too informal."

"Umm... funny you mention it..." I didn't want to tell them, but Yoongi would've found out anyway.

"You got your professor's number?!" Yoongi nearly bolts over to me and Hoseok and begs to see my phone. I showed them that there were no texts... until five minutes later.

Jimin: Hey there, Tae! Hope I helped you with that assignment! If there's anything you need, please don't hesitate to ask! :)

Yoongi nearly screamed, to which Hobi joined him. "You guys are so gay for each other!" Hobi was jumping around at this point.

"If we're gay for each other, then what the hell are you two?" I sneered. They both shut up right away, and went back to writing.

Me: Thanks so much! And thanks for letting me hang out in your office, it was really cool of you.

I got a reply almost instantly.

Jimin: I loved talking with you this afternoon. Would you like to do coffee or lunch this week? :)

Me: That would be great! When would be best for you?

"Hey, lover boy. Hey. Hey! *clap clap clap* Wake up, you fuckin' horse! Taehyung!" Yoongi shook me the entire time this was going on. I barely open my eyes and see my roommate, with insanely messy hair, peering over me.

"Don't you have a date this afternoon?"

"Yeah, yeah. It's at 12:30, we're getting lunch." I sat up in my bed and noticed Hoseok in Yoongi's bed... shirtless. Yoongi was shirtless, too. I know I was tired, but damn, I really couldn't hear them going at it?

Hoseok woke up shortly after and immediately offered to help me get ready.

"A man needs to look excellent for his date!"

"It's not a date..."

"Yes it is. Now, let's pick an outfit!"

We all decided on a navy blue polo with black dress pants. I wanted to wear sneakers, but Hobi smacked me with the school newspaper. My hair was a total mess, but it actually looked kind of good. But the beauty gurus made me at least comb it and practically pushed me out of the dorm room. God knows why they wanted privacy.

He was sitting outside, wearing these round spectacles that were purely for design. His hair was once again parted, and he had two small silver studs in his ears. As for his outfit, it was a black v-neck t-shirt with a pair of ripped jeans that look like they came from Yoongi's wardrobe. As soon as he looked up from his book, he grinned and waved to me. I've never seen someone so happy before.

We made small talk at first, but then he got into some... interesting questions.

"So, Taehyung, are you single? I apologize if that's blunt, but surely you must have a girlfriend!"

"I haven't had a girlfriend since high school, actually. It just hasn't been my thing."

"Do you think it's because of your sexuality? Are girls just not your cup of tea?" I noticed that as we were talking, he was writing down in the book. Was he drawing? Taking notes?

"Uhm... I'm not sure. What about you, Jimin?" He immediately puts the book face down and smiles.

"I'm still discovering myself, as well. You can be anything nowadays!" His smile was brighter than the sun itself, and I couldn't help but smile. I glanced down at the book while Jimin was ordering, and I made out a few pointless words like "navy," and "eyes," but also including "shy, but sweet," and "handsome." As he looked back to me, he smiled and asked me about school, how I liked the new creative writing class, and he went back to information about me.

"I apologize if I'm intruding, but can you explain how you express emotions? Like when you're upset, jealous, lustful..."

I had no clue what to say. Why ask something so odd? When I asked him why he needed to know, he claimed that I was drawing parallels to a character in one of his stories. However, being a super fan, I know for a fact that he has not made any characters as bland and boring as me.

We had a few laughs, and overall, I had a lot of fun. Jimin wouldn't let me pay for my meal, but when I started to make my way back to the campus, he called after me.

"Where ya goin'? I thought we were having fun!" He ran after me, practically giggling. We walked side by side around town, window shopping here and there, but when we came across this obscure clothing shop, he practically dragged me in.

Inside were old felt mannequins wearing hats that are very outdated, along with petticoats and blouses. The floor felt like it was going to cave in with each step, even the slightest breath would create a wave of dust. I was expecting to see a fossil behind the register, which was modern, oddly enough, but that wasn't the case. He looked like a model. With perfect hair, sparkling brown eyes, broad shoulders; he looked amazing. The only thing that didn't look so nice was his name tag, which looked like it had seen better days; I couldn't even make out the name, let alone a "Hello, my name is..."

"Chim-Chim!" The man exclaims and hugs Jimin, who gleefully accepts the hug. They do the classic "how are you," and "it's been so long," until the man turns to me and his eyes light up. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't even introduce myself! Kim Seokjin, at your service!" He bowed like a prince, and giggled under his breath.

"In case you couldn't tell, Taehyung," he began to explain "I work an antique shop! All of these treasures fill up my store, like a gallery of history!"

Okay, firstly, how did he get my name? Was Jimin talking about me to his friend? Secondly, this store is dustier than my mathematics professor, how is it supposed to get any customers in here? And third, why does this guy act like he came from royalty?

"Actually, a lot of the things here came from my parents' old mansion! They occasionally ship me some artifacts they found in the attic, and they go straight up to the shelf!" He pointed to an elegant bookshelf, four rows high. I saw an old leather book at the very top, just collecting dust and wasting away.

"Is that book for sale, Mr. Kim?" I asked, still staring at the book.

"Please, call me Jin! And why, yes, it is! And, while your at it," he dropped his ecstatic voice to merely a whisper "I'll give ya a discount!" Skipping over to the bookcase, he pulled out a metal chair and hopped up to the top. When he handed it to me, the papers were an old, yellowish tint with a faint smell. Nothing some Lysol couldn't help. I was expecting the contents within to be a treasure trove of knowledge, historical moments, and mathematical equations, but the contents were... empty. The pages were completely blank.

"Oh! Well, then. I thought it would've had at least something in it! Eh, y'know what? You can just have it!" Jin was practically glowing with happiness. I couldn't help but smile at him. No wonder Jimin was such good friends with him, he's one of the nicest guys in town! We said goodbye to Jin, and Jimin offered to hold my book in his satchel as we headed out. It was getting late, around 5:30 or so, and Jimin had to teach a class. He walked me to my dorm room, and thanked me for today.

"Y'know," he began "I love talking to you, Taehyung. I enjoy our little conversations!" Jimin paused, and came in closer. "I could get in trouble for this, but..." he glanced down at my lips, and back into my eyes "would you like to come over to my house after class tomorrow? I may have some business to attend to, but I'd love to show you around the place."

He was right. If Dean Kim found out about this, Jimin could be fired on the spot. But I was given the chance to go into my idol, and more importantly, my friend's home. Needless to say, I fixed my schedule around.