Wick | 민윤기

Eight

2 December 2016

Yoongi was always gone for a week or more and she didn't like it. She hated it, actually. It started to make her wonder. If she was his girlfriend, would he stay away so much? Was he trying to be aloof on purpose? Anyone with eyes could see that he felt something for her whether or not he was consciously aware. The game of cat and mouse was getting old to her.

She wished he would just admit his feelings and—no. Victoria shook her head where she stood by the candles. She was restocking after a group of teenage girls came in and bought a few scents. They were in high school and kept talking about k-pop. A few of them even had rolled-up posters in hand that they seemingly had just bought. She would've guessed that an album or two were in the bags they held.

Linger by The Cranberries came on the overhead speakers she had bought so it wouldn't be completely silent when she was alone. The song pulled a long sigh from her and she began to wonder if he was gone so long because he had a wife or a girlfriend or a boyfriend and she was just misreading everything. Maybe he was trying to score a side-chick.

"What are you thinking about?"

Yoongi's voice beside her made her jump slightly and almost drop the candle she was holding. She had been so engrossed in her thoughts that she had been staring that the hardened wax for the entire duration of the song. Now there was some instrumental piano song playing.

Victoria swallowed hard and placed the candle in the last empty spot before turning to him. "I wasn't thinking, I was restocking."

"Mhm." He swept his gaze to the counter, hands behind his back. He was wearing a black hoodie like always. His entire outfit was black. It made his blue hair that much more off-putting. It was like he was hiding from someone all the time. "You own this place?"

She raised her eyebrows, as she hadn't realized that he caught her staring at him until just then. "Huh? Oh—yeah."

"Why?"

"Family business," she mumbled and walked around him to stand behind the counter.

Yoongi rested his elbows on the counter, leaning down to do so. He gazed at her curiously, bringing another heated blush to her cheeks. "You got a degree in candle-making?"

"I didn't go to college," she answered honestly. It was a fact that she wasn't embarrassed about. Most people would be outraged since going to a university was a huge deal in Korea. Now she rested her arms on the counter as well, though she didn't have to lean down really.

He tilted his head, natural poker face making her feel like he wasn't really interested in what she had to say. "Why not?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

Yoongi waited for a moment, only holding her gaze. His eyes were dark and deep. Victoria could tell that they held many secrets. The longer she looked, the more she saw. That's the beautiful thing about eyes. They hold words the mouth can never say. "I didn't go to college either."

"Well, that's one thing we have in common." Her voice was soft, as they were so close that she didn't need to speak loudly or even at a normal tone. His voice was raspy and deep naturally. She'd never heard him raise it.

He smirked. "You know, you're always in here. Where are all your friends? I bet you're a real freak on the weekends."

The playful smile fell from her face and she stood up straight, averting her gaze. "I don't really have friends."

Now it was his turn to lose the smirk. Yoongi was just poking and prodding for fun. He never thought that would ever come out of her mouth. Then he remembered that time he came in and she was on the phone. "What about that person you were on the phone with that one time? Min...Minnie?"

"My cousin." She opened her drawer and began fiddling with the contents, just looking for some way to busy her hands. "I wouldn't really consider that a friendship."

"Have you ever had friends?" he asked quietly. He knew what it was like to be completely alone. That's how he felt when he first came to Seoul.

Victoria scoffed, trying to lighten the mood as she looked back at him with a playful glint in her eyes. "Of course. I had lots of friends in high school." She paused, eyebrows furrowed. "Well, not my sophomore year. But the rest of the years."

"What happened to them?" Again, he was wondering if she had an idea of how he felt. All of his friends were either dead or in jail save for Jungkook.

She shrugged. "Nothing happened to them, I guess. I went through some stuff and pulled away a lot."

Yoongi grunted as he stood straight. A bitterness rose in him. She didn't seem to understand at all. And she was probably just exaggerating. "I don't believe you."

"Well, it's true."

"Sure."

Apparently, he had pushed a button of hers because she faced him fiercely. It was almost as if a fire was lit in her irises. "Will you shut up? I don't have any friends, okay?"

His bitterness faded almost immediately. By her tone and the anger pulsing off of her, he started to think that maybe she did understand but wasn't letting it on. Yoongi pressed his lips together, watching the way she shut her drawer and kept her eyes trained on the floor, lips pursed tightly. It looked like she was trying not to cry.

He walked around the counter and took her hand, holding it in a death grip when she tried to yank it away. "Yes, you do. You have me and Jungkook."

Victoria eyed him warily, seeming to soften a bit. "I've met Jungkook once." She sounded tired and worn out all of the sudden.

"Well, he's my friend and you're my friend which makes him your friend."

A small smile tugged at the corner of her mouth. "With that logic, all of your friends are my friends."

"I wish I had more to give you," he muttered, staring down at their hands. "But Jungkook is all I can manage for now."

Victoria dipped her head to catch his gaze. "What happened to all your friends?"

Yoongi smiled sadly and tapped his thumb on her skin. "Don't worry about it, Vic."

She only stared at him, so he took in a deep breath and turned away, letting her hand go. "I actually came in because I rear-ended someone on accident. I was thinking about leaving a candle on the hood of their car."

"Ah," she said, sounding a bit disappointed. Which she was. She was hoping he came in because he wanted to see her. "Well, I think that's a good apology gift."

He picked up a candle without reading the scent and set it on the counter. Before she even rang it up he was already pulling bills out of his wallet. She opened her mouth to tell him the price, but he set twenty thousand won on the counter and grabbed the candle.
"Keep the change. I'll be back."

With that, he was gone. And the familiar empty feeling returned to her chest.

Victoria watched him walk out, not even sparing her so much as a last glance. She pouted, realizing the feelings in her heart. She was definitely starting to fall for this jackass. It was her worst nightmare.

"Shit..."