COMFORT PLACE | bang chan.

[ 02 ] hot syrup

Before any of us could say a word, their manager steps forward and begins to explain the situation. I don't understand what he's exactly saying, but from the authoritative tone of his voice, I assume he's being strict and professional about the whole thing.

The boys all nod in understanding, all of their eyes flitting between me and their manager. I feel like shrinking into my hoodie at their attention, goosebumps arising onto my skin as they start to greet me.

I bow back when they do, and then we start to walk down the street.

I walk beside Mayu, my sleeves pulled over my hands as I play with the string of my backpack. It's a few moments into walking down the street and quiet chatter when I feel someone start to walk on my right.

I glance up, my nervousness ceasing to settle, and my heart beats loudly in my ears as I watch Jeongin flash me a shy smile. I nearly melt, a small smile forming onto my own lips as I notice the way he wrinkles his nose in thought, seemingly thinking of the English translation of what he wants to say to me.

It's so cute.

"Are you okay?" He finally asks me, my name following soon after, and the way he struggles to keep eye contact and how he fiddles with his shirt is so adorable, I can't help but giggle.

I nod. "I'm fine, thank you, Jeongin."

He seems surprise, and the others who were trying to subtly (and failing completely) listen in to our conversation also seem surprised.

Chan leans over to look at me over Jeongin, eyebrows raised as he calls my name. "You know us?" He asks me, and I nod again.

"You seemed so familiar but I didn't recognise you until Mayu told me," I explain to him, feeling a bit sheepish. "Sorry I didn't notice before."

"That's okay," Chan tells me. "It's dark and we're wearing face masks, so I didn't expect you to know us."

"Well, of course I would know you," I say, and I fiddle with the red ribbon in my hair to find something to do with my hands while I shrug. "I've seen you guys perform. You're all so talented."

A smile curls on my lips when Chan's ears flush, and the others who also seem to understand a bit of what I said also look a bit bashful, but otherwise, honoured.

"Thank you," Chan says.

I only reply with a grin, and when I return my attention to Jeongin, he's looking at me in perplexity.

I blink. "Is something wrong, Jeongin?"

His eyebrows pinch together. He doesn't seem to know how to phrase his thoughts into English, so he turns to Chan.

"Oh," Chan says. "Jeongin is wondering why you didn't use honourifics on him from before."

I can't help my smile. "I'm older than you, Jeongin. I'm 2000s."

"Oh, you're our age!"

That's Felix, I realise, when I turn to my left. He's standing with Hyungin and Seungmin and they all cast me big smiles and I giggle a bit.

"Yeah, I am. And I'm not entirely sure how Korean honourifics work, so that's why I didn't use it before."

"You don't have to," Felix helpfully supplies. "Unless you want to refer Chan-hyung as oppa?"

The word is unfamiliar to me, and from the way Chan laughs shyly and shakes his head makes me assume it would be a little bit embarrassing for me to call Chan that.

We finally arrive at the hotel, and we manage to make it to our floor. I'm not surprised when Mayu tells me that we have a whole floor to ourselves considering a lot of rooms need to be acquired to cover all of the boys and the staff as well.