BTS Imagines

Namjoon ♡ The Cute Bartender

Published: January 13, 2019
Rewritten: September 4, 2024

Word count: 1,735

DO NOT read or interact if you're under 14

As soon as you stepped past the wooden door of the bar, a feeling of discomfort settled in your gut and seeped into your bones. This wasn't your scene, not at all. Your outgoing friends had somehow talked you into having a girls night at a local bar despite your obvious disinterest. Part of you hoped that maybe you'd end up having a good time and would be glad you caved in, but seeing the crowd in front of you made you think otherwise. Everyone looked so... social, multiple people standing around chatting with one another and making new friends, others dancing and laughing while conversing.

Your eyes followed your two friends as they approached the bar and began ordering drinks.
"Y/n, you want a drink?" One of them asked with bright eyes, visibly ready to party.
"No thanks." You declined, waving a hand.
"You sure?" The other asked.
"Yeah, I'm sure. I'm not really in the mood for alcohol at the moment. Thanks though."
They both exchanged a brief look before turning to order.

You made your designated spot for the evening a stool at the bar, sitting down and staring at the wood grain of the bar top. You couldn't help but feel a little excluded even though you'd just walked into the establishment moments ago. Your friends were already getting drinks and falling into place easily. It's likely they only invited you so you wouldn't feel left out—too late for that. Sometimes you wondered why you even hung out with those two, as they were more outgoing than you and loved a good party whereas you'd rather stay home or do something that's actually fun, like bowling or mini golf. They were nice and all, but you didn't have too much in common with either of them. They were party girls and you were a homebody.

"Ooh! I love this song!" One of your friends gasped over the noise in the bar. "Let's go dance. Y/n, you coming?"
"No thanks." You shook your head. "I'm not a good dancer."
"It doesn't matter. You just go out there and have fun!" She held her hand out for you to take, but you didn't.
"I'll pass."
"Are you sure?"
You nodded.
"Okay." She shrugged, not seeming too disappointed about you turning down her invite. "Your loss."
The two girls ran off into the crowd of mingling people, leaving you to yourself as you turned back towards the bar, wondering what you could do to pass the time. Goodness knows how long you'd be stuck there. Maybe you should've offered to drive separately, then you could slip away when they're busy dancing.

"Excuse me." Someone spoke up, snapping you out of your self-absorption and making you lift your gaze, your eyes meeting a set of beautiful brown ones belonging to a man standing behind the counter.
For a moment, you were uncertain if he was speaking to you or not, glancing around only to find that no one else was at the bar, save for one guy all the way at the opposite end of the elongated tabletop.
"Yes, I'm talking to you." The man chuckled.
You blinked at the handsome bartender, unsure of what to say. Just before you could formulate a proper response, he continued.
"I'm not trying to be being nosey, but I couldn't help but notice your friends left you."
"Oh, they didn't leave me." You waved your hands, not wanting him to get the wrong idea "I didn't wanna dance is all."
Wait. Why were you defending them?
"Ah." He nodded, glancing out at the crowd occupying the floor. "No offense, but you don't look like you're having much fun."
"I'm not. Though I've only been here for five minutes." You shrugged.
"Then what brings you here?"
"My friends invited me out for a girls night. I said no, but they guilt-tripped me for declining. I didn't really want to be left out so I tagged along."
"Oh." His friendly expression faltered at your answer.
"It's okay." You piped up, waving dismissively.
"Is it?"
His words made you hesitate. "No." You frowned. "I guess it's not. I was practically dragged here."
"These friends don't really sound like friends to me." He observed.
"Yeah." You huffed. "They're not. I was quote literally just questioning why I even became friends with them in the first place. We don't have much in common." Your words tapered off when you realized you were totally info dumping on the poor guy.
"I'm sorry." You chuckled, rubbing your temples. "I'm sitting here telling you all my drama. I don't even know you and I'm unloading everything."
"It's okay. Happens all the time. It kinda comes with the job anyway. I'm Namjoon by the way." He extended his hand and smiled, showing off a set of charming dimples and perfect teeth. "Sorry for not introducing myself earlier."
"I'm Y/n. Nice to meet you."
His hand was warm and made your palm tingle when you reached out to give it a shake.
"Likewise. Can I get you something to drink?"
"Just water. I don't drink very often."
"One water coming right up."
He got a glass from the shelf behind him and filled it with the filtered aqua before handing it over. You thanked him and took a sip, grateful for a normal and refreshing drink.

"So, Namjoon, do you enjoy working as a bartender?"
"Eh." He shrugged. "It's alright. It pays pretty well and I can also impress my friends with my knowledge on mixed drinks."
"Ah. You must be fun at parties." You mused with a small grin, a chuckle accompanying your words.
"I'm not really a party kinda guy."
You swore your heart skipped a beat at his answer. "You're not? I assumed a bartender would love parties."
"Working here is sorta like being at a party, so I don't exactly crave that type of environment. I'd rather go out and ride my bike or walk around an art museum."
These little tidbits of information took you by surprise and also made your interest towards him grow. "Biking and art museums, huh?"
"Yeah." He chuckled lightly, looking a bit bashful. "It's a little boring but that's the kinda stuff I like to do."
"It's not boring." You denied, shaking your head. "It's interesting and unique."
Namjoon's face lit up at your positive response.
"So, do you bike for exercise?"
"For sightseeing, actually. Though there's some exercise to it."

The conversation flowed from there, moving easily from one topic into another. The more you spoke to Namjoon the more comfortable you became, finding that it was easy to talk to him. Forgotten were your two wild friends as you delved into intriguing and entertaining discussions with Namjoon, easily allowing you to lose track of time.

Those so-called "friends" walked over—well stumbled over. You could see one of them dragging a guy with her while your other friend looked ready to collapse. As much as you were dreading whatever was coming, you turned to face them as they approached.
"Hey, Y/n. So she's totally about to pass out and I kinda met someone." Your friend looked up at the man she was tugging along and grinned. "Do you think maybe you can find a ride home?"
"Um. I don't—"
"I'll take her home." Namjoon's voice piped up from behind you.
Whirling around, you shot a wide-eyed stare in his direction, receiving a charming grin and a wink in return.
"I see you got yourself a guy friend too. Good for you." Your friend commented. "Well, we should get going. It was nice spending time with you, Y/n. We should do it again." She grinned, waving as she walked off.
You scoffed, grumbling under your breath. "We didn't even hang out."
You then turned your attention to Namjoon.
"You didn't have to do that. I could've asked my cousin to come pick me up. I don't wanna be a burden."
"You're not a burden. I don't mind. Plus, I kind of wanted to spend more time with you."
"You did?"
"Yeah." He exhaled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "If that's okay, of course."
A closed-mouth smile settled onto your features, a warm feeling making its home in your chest. "I wanted to spend more time with you too. Though I hope you're not some crazy murderer trying to kidnap me."
Namjoon gave a loud laugh, shaking his head. "I promise. I'm a good guy."
"Hm. Sounds like something a murderer would say." You teased skeptically.
"You have my word." He raised a hand as if to swear allegiance to his honesty.

You hung around until Namjoon's shift was over and let him lead you to his car. Before hitting the road, he stopped at a fast food joint to grab something to eat and was kind enough to pay. The both of you sat in the parking lot and ate together, giving you some extra time to chat and get better aquatinted.
After your meal, you directed Namjoon to your place, letting him escort you to the front door when you arrived back home.

"Thanks for getting food and keeping me company." You told him.
"Of course. I had a good time."
"Me too."
"Oh." He jumped a little as he remembered something, reaching into his pocket. "Would you mind if I got your number?"
"Not at all."
When he passed his phone over, you noticed his hand trembling lightly. With a gentle smile, you added your number to his contacts and handed the device back.
"Thanks." He looked down at the screen with an almost excited gaze before sliding it back into his pocket. "I guess I'll let you get inside. It's a little chilly out here."
"It is. Thank you again for tonight. Really."
"It's no problem at all. I'll be sure to text you later so you have my number, okay?"
"Sounds good." You nodded.
Namjoon started backing up down the walkway, giving you a little wave. "Bye."
You returned the gesture, bidding him farewell, your gaze following him until he got back to his car.
With that, you unlocked your door and stepped inside, looking forward to hearing your text tone sound off, eager to progress this blossoming friendship with Namjoon. Who knows? Maybe it'll progress to something more.

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