LUMINESCENCE | K.NJ ✓

VIII - THE IMPORTANCE OF BUBBLE TEA

CHAPTER EIGHT - THE IMPORTANCE OF BUBBLE TEA

TRYING OUT new things used to be a part of Nouri's normal routine. Back when she got excited about everything, that is. If she were to be honest with herself, she would acknowledge the fact that she still got excited about everything. Yet she tried to cover that part of her up, as if she were a criminal burying evidence for their crimes.

She wasn't trying to escape a conviction though – she was simply trying to make it through the dull reality that was adulthood.

Due to her new, false lack of ambition for chasing new things, she had gone her whole life – including her three years in Seoul – without the experience of tasting a bubble tea.

"You've never had a bubble tea?" Namjoon was in apparent shock after Nouri had informed him of this during a bit of small talk, torso twisted to face her as they walked down the sidewalk that led towards their destination, which was the library. The air smelt of gasoline from the cars that passed by on the road, along with a faint trace of something metallic. Each building, person and vehicle outside was colored shades of oranges, pinks, purples and reds as the sun began to hide beneath the horizon.

"No," Nouri said. She winced as a stranger bumped against her shoulder while they passed by in a rush. She caught Namjoon in a glance as he tossed the careless passerby a look sprinkled with disapproval before his attention was back to her.

"You've got to try one!" His voice was one full of insistence, his face bright and animated. He seemed excited, and it was something she hadn't seen from him yet. She found herself smiling with a warm feeling in her chest. It was nice to see this side of him.

She followed him into a moderately filled shop. Once they entered, she took in her surroundings. The menu contained various teas, bubble teas, and few coffees alongside some sandwiches. It was written on chalkboards that hung above the counter, and the entire interior was decorated with greenery that ranged from cacti to hanging plants that stayed suspended above the wooden floorboards. Fairy lights sparkled around the perimeter of the shop and reflected off of the glass tables. The customers inside were occupied with laptops, books, or cellphones, and most of them had a pair of earbuds in.

It was a cute place, but it was definitely not somewhere she felt that she would fit in.

"Isn't it nice in here?" Namjoon's face was a display of brightness, his dimples prominent as he smiled.

Nouri couldn't help but smile as well.

"It is, but it's for sure the most hipster place I have ever been," she said. Her eyes traveled back to Namjoon, and she smiled even wider. "It suits you."

His beaming face flashed into a defensive state. He frowned slightly. "What do you mean by that?"

She shuffled forward as the line grew shorter, and he followed behind her with his hands in his pockets. He clearly awaited an answer to his inquiry.

"I mean that the whole vibe here just reminds me of you," Nouri said. "You have like, the full hipster aesthetic going on."

He surprised her when he groaned in despair, hands covering his face.

"What? Is that a bad thing?"

He peeked out at her between his middle and ring fingers. "Yes. You sounded exactly like my sister."

She laughed, and he huffed while his arms crossed over his chest.

Admittedly, she found it cute when he was frustrated like this.

"I didn't know you had a sister," she said once finished laughing.

He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, just one. She's a bit younger than me."