it's just kissing | m.j ✓

CHAPTER NINE.

Words started spreading like wildfire, and before any of them knew it, the bar began quickly filling up with people dying to see this mystery man who won the heart of none other than Kim Namjoon. Now, being at the receiving end of Kim Namjoon's sexual endeavors was not unheard of, but the bar owner has never ever staked claim in public, let alone in front of patrons at his own bar. When they did catch a glimpse of the cute, short man, they were quite shocked, because Namjoon had only taken tall, well-built men home for the most part. They were classically handsome like Seokjin, built like Jungkook, with a personality that was more Yoongi than anyone else.

But now they were staring at a man even shorter than Yoongi, not at all classically good-looking like Seokjin and who behaved more like a mixture of Taehyung and Hoseok than anyone else. He was all smiles and excitement, working around the bar with a gentle and bubbly attitude, completely oblivious to all the studying eyes. Seokjin and Taehyung are the first to notice the different atmosphere in the bar, mainly because people wouldn't stop asking who this mysterious person who managed to tame the beast is. They do their best to keep a straight face and point at the new addition to the business.

Many of the patrons were shocked, but they also began making speculations. There must be a reason why Namjoon, the King Gay, decided to stake his claim on the small man. Maybe the man was a devil in bed. Perhaps he had a side to him that was coy and irresistible. There has to be something, right? Why else?

A few hours later, the bar closes, and Seokjin watches as Jimin runs towards him with a huge grin on his face. "I can't believe it! Five people asked for my number today!" he shouts as he jumps around excitedly with his hands on the bar counter. "Can you believe it? Five people!" he continues, stretching out five fingers in front of him. Seokjin clears his throat in an attempt to not let out an obvious chuckle and tells the smaller man a quick congratulations.

"Did you see any you like?" Hoseok asks with a teasing grin from next to the bartender.

"I uh....I'm not sure. I was too surprised to pay attention," Jimin answers shyly, remembering how he had been too flustered to even look them in the eye. He's not used to that level of attention, because up till now, all his relationships had stemmed from his pining like a lost puppy for months on end until the other party noticed.

"Shouldn't you guys be getting ready to close up shop?"

All men lookup to find Namjoon at the base of the staircase, walking towards them with a slight tilt of his head.

"Oh, Jimin here-" Seokjin starts, leaning towards the smaller man with a grin on his face. "-was just telling us how five guys asked for his number," he finishes, turning to look at the bar owner.

"Really now," Namjoon says with a slight undertone of amusement ladled with something else Jimin can't quite pinpoint. Jimin nods shyly, making a mental note to thank the bar owner later for the sudden change. Namjoon had been right all along. Being the "target" of the taller man's affection meant a lot to other gay men of Seoul.

"I think it's only a matter of time before someone snatches our Jimin away," Seokjin continues fondly, patting the smaller man on the head.

"Congrats," Namjoon says with a shrug before telling everyone else to close up shop because he's dying to go home.

Everyone's gone, except for Namjoon, who's finishing up as always, and Jimin, who's waiting outside. He wants to personally thank the taller man for making him so desirable, and he had been too shy to say it front of everyone else. He waits and waits, kicking the dirt under his feet while humming a random tune to himself. He spends this time thinking about the five men who asked for his number. He hadn't been lying when he said he didn't get a good chance to look at their faces. He really was too flustered, but he does remember one being quite tall, almost as tall as Namjoon, with quite a handsome face that Jimin only caught a glimpse of.

He pulls out his phone and looks through the new messages. He received texts from exactly five unknown numbers, and he hadn't replied back to any of them because one, he's not even sure who's who, and two, he doesn't know what to say. The five men seem to be comfortable though. Even slightly flirty. Jimin scratches his chin and then puts the small device away. He'll have to ask Namjoon about it. Surely the bar owner will know what to do.

"What are you still doing here?"

Jimin looks up to fine Namjoon watching him curiously from the main entrance.

"Oh, I uh....I wanted to talk to you. In private," Jimin replies, straightening his back. "I wanted to thank you."

"For what?" Namjoon asks as he locks the door and turns around to face the smaller man again. Jimin clears his throat nervously.

"I had five guys ask my number thanks to you."

"Oh. That," Namjoon says curtly and then shrugs again in the same manner he had done previously when Seokjin was around. "Well, let's hope you find Mr. Right."

"Maybe....but I'm already stuck."

"....Stuck?"

"I got a bunch of texts, but I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do with them..."

"Right. Don't text back anything. Not yet. The ones that are serious will find a way to see you again," Namjoon answers as he checks for time.

"Really?"

"Yes. Now go home and get some sleep."

"'Kay...thank you. Again."

"Sure."

Namjoon watches as Jimin waves and bounces away down the dimly lit street. He lets out a low sigh and rakes his blond hair back with his fingers. He knows he should be feeling happy for Jimin, because it's what the man's wanted all along, but somehow, he can't shake away the feeling that perhaps he's made a mistake.

-

One of the five men does come back to see Jimin. Seokjin notices him immediately, because he's seen the devilishly handsome face around a few times, and the staff members have even talked about how he must be an animal in bed. The man's a great dancer, with hip thrusts that can probably impregnate people, and Seokjin's not gonna lie. He hadn't expected such top-tier gay to make a move on the newest addition to the bar,

"How come you didn't return any of my texts?"

Jimin looks up from wiping one of the tables to find a ridiculously good-looking man watching him intently with a grin on his face. Jimin catches a glimpse of the man's piercings and smoldering black eyes, as well as a small tattoo on his arm that his shirt hadn't managed to cover.

"Umm..."

"Im Jaebum," the man continues silkily, putting a hand out. "I was waiting for you to text me back."

"Park Jimin," the smaller man answers shyly, taking the hand. "I'm sorry, I wasn't sure which one belonged to who," he answers honestly, but Jaebum quirks an eyebrow. Alright, so the kitty's got a lot more men after him. OK, he can work with some competition.

"Let me see your phone," Jaebum says smoothly, leaning forward towards the other man with his hand stretched out. Jimin, in his still confused state of mind, hands the man his phone without thinking it through and only opens his mouth to make a sound of protest when Jaebum is going through his address book. After typing his name into the right number, Jaebum hands Jimin his phone back.

"Now, you know it's me."

"Oh..." Jimin answers dumbly, staring at the name on his phone.

"So, can I buy you a drink?"